Jane’s Grammie crocheted these adorable hats for her.  Someday I intend to have her teach me.  That magical someday when I have time to actually sit and take the time to do something like this!  Such a beautiful craft and done with love.  Thanks Nancy!  (On Sunday I will take some pictures of Jane with the beautiful blessing blanket she crocheted!  Gorgeous work!)

The monsoon – LAME!  Still waiting for a major downpour, but in the meantime grateful for clouds and cooler weather.  (Is it sad that 106 is cooler?)

The Popsicle pic is for proof that I am not a totally weird mom!  I do feed my child normal foods too – like this watermelon – lime – blueberry Popsicle.

And finally, Miss Jane in her bonnet.  Does it get any better than this?

I dont know that we are ready ready for this, but I am ready to learn more so that I am ready when we ARE ready ready.

HUH?

The point: I need any and all potty training advice (especially for boys!).  I can’t promise to take it all, but I’d love to bank on your collective wisdom.  Also welcoming any good reads on the subject.  What is the best potty training book out there?

Many thanks!

This is my emotional purge.

I need to write.

Bad.

My writing may not be coherent or of any interest to anyone but myself, but I cannot lay down to bed tonight until my mind has been cleared of clutter, and writing is the best way I know to do that.

Its been a week.  Last week I felt in control.  Funny, huh, because last week was the week from h.e.double hockey sticks.  as far as my schedule was concerned.  I had something every night to plan for, was speaking at a RS meeting (about priorities of all things!), had to plan and execute a Primary activity, promised my bishop I would be at ward temple night (I have an 8 week old, remember?) and had to plan for Sharing Time on Sunday.  I wanted to scream when I thought about all I had to do, and yet somehow the Lord made me equal to the task.  I even managed to feed my family, keep my house relatively clean, spend time with my kids and both mine and Clint’s family and find Jane a blessing dress.  I felt like Super Woman.  (Until I played limbo with my kids at our activity and pulled my c-section scar…not so Super!)

This week has been different.  I have nothing planned this week other than my Primary meeting which was tonight and planning for my Sharing Time on Sunday.  (Which, thanks to a kind lady in another ward, is already pretty much done for me!  I so owe her a Sharing Time!)  And yet, I find myself loosing my temper with Ryan quicker, more tired than I have been since before Jane was born, and just plain irritable.

Yesterday I went to the grocery store for the first time with both kids.  Like, real grocery shopping.  Not pick up a few things at the store grocery shopping.  It took my three hours.  At one point Jane was screaming her head off because she was tired and couldn’t calm down, and Ryan, not getting what he wanted, was throwing intermittent tantrums all over the store.  Picture this: In one had a screaming baby.  The other pushing a cart and trying to put produce in a bag (one handed, mind you).  Next to you is a child screaming his lungs out, and there is nothing you can do but try and bribe him in a nice pleasant voice so someone wont think you are a horrible parent and call child protective services on you.  I will never, ever do that again.

So on top of the grocery trip that was a lesson in what not to do when you have a newborn and a toddler, I spent the rest of the day exhausted, emotionally and physically, from my morning, and was not the ideal mother to my son.  (Read, mom from h.e.double hockey sticks. Sorry, favorite phrase tonight.)  I was lucky enough to end the day with yoga with a friend of mine – a getaway I desperately needed.

Today, was better, but I still felt very irritable, and had a hard time controlling it by the days end.

Life is just hard sometimes.

But then, there is my amazingly supportive husband.  I can’t begin to tell you how much he watches the kids while I am at meetings, planning Primary stuff, or when I just need to get out of the house and do yoga with a friend one night.  Or stays up late with Jane so I can go to bed (or write on a blog when I need to vent).  I love that man immensely.

And there is my friend who, when I told her about my day, invited me over to just have some girl time and relax.  Just what I needed.

And then there is the sweet woman in my ward who wrote me a thank you note and mailed it to me so that I got it today.  My heart is full of love for her.  She is a wonderful example of what I want to be, and she is thanking me for what I have done for her?  Just makes me want to be even more like her.  She is great.

And then there is my sweet boy who, when I got home tonight from my meeting, was in bed, with a fever, and all he wanted to do was have his mommy hold him.  How can I ever be angry with that love bug?

I was just too full of emotions tonight to not write it all down.  It had to come out.

I pray that tomorrow I will be better.

More loving.

More patient.

More able to love this wonderful life of mine.

And I leave you with, Jason Mraz “Life is Wonderful.” (Emphasis added.)

It takes a crane to build a crane
It takes two floors to make a story
It takes an egg to make a hen
It takes a hen to make an egg
There is no end to what I’m saying

It takes a thought to make a word
And it takes some words to make an action
It takes some work to make it work
It takes some good to make it hurt
It takes some bad for satisfaction

La la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Al la la la la

It takes a night to make it dawn
And it takes a day to make you yawn brother
And it takes some old to make you young
It takes some cold to know the sun
It takes the one to have the other

And it takes no time to fall in love
But it takes you years to know what love is
It takes some fears to make you trust
It takes those tears to make it rust
It takes the dust to have it polished

Ha la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is so full of
Ah la la la la la la life is so rough
Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ah la la la la la la life is our love
Ah la la la la la

It takes some silence to make sound
It takes a loss before you found it
And it takes a road to go nowhere
It takes a toll to make you care
It takes a hole to make a mountain

Ah la la la la la la life is wonderful
Ah la la la la la la life goes full circle
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life is meaningful
Ha la la la la la life is wonderful
Ha la la la la la life it is…so… wonderful
It is so meaningful
It is so wonderful
It is meaningful
It is wonderful
It is meaningful
It goes full circle
Wonderful
Meaningful
Full circle
Wonderful

Thanks B for the socks!  They are SUPER fun!  (She wore them to church on Sunday with a pink dress!  ADORABLE!)

Sooooooo excited about this!!!!!