Sweet and innocent? NOT!

Alas, the time has come. No more putting it off in hopes of a miracle. It's time to get serious!!! With potty training, that is. Let me preface this to say, there is nothing I hate more about motherhood than potty training. Hence the reason I've delayed with this last munchkin. I was really hoping to hold out till summer when he could run around naked, but I guess it's not to be. I made a half hearted attempt a few weeks ago, but we were both frustrated and I caved. Back to the diapers we went.

Well, recently things have turned a little nasty. Did I just say a little? I meant, ALOT nasty. Janzyn decided that the best way to let me know he had a poopy diaper was to bring me a handful of the offensive substance. (Gag, retch, and even dry heave a few times! And that was all from me!) Well, he's graduated to trying to change his own poopy diaper without letting me in on the fun. He will strip down, take whatever article of clothing he can find to try and wipe his bum, and then proceed to dress himself again, often times in Jake's clothing. Then he simply wipes his hands all over the floor, the bed, the dresser, whatever is convenient. It's DISGUSTING to the max!

So, today is D-day. He lasted all of about 3 minutes in his first pair of big boy unders. The second pair lasted a bit longer and then it was time for a nap. No way in h-e-double hockey sticks was I going to lay him down in just unders so the diaper came out. I know, I know, in all the good books it says once you take the diaper off you're never suppose to put on back on, but come on people! I really don't need a complete bed stripping right now. I'm still scrubbing carpet, for Pete's sake! I guess we'll just have to see how the rest of the day goes. Wish me luck!

Do Better

Ok, so I don't have any fun pictures to put up since my camera went kapoots so just imagine some bright fireworks with me gazing up into the night sky. No, really! Ok, not really. New Years Eve was spent with my 2 great sistas and their husbands, watching movies and stuffing our faces. It was nice and relaxing. The kids all had parties, (even Maleia and Jake until 9:00) so we just had little man and he was in bed by 8:00. It felt kind of weird in a nice way. So...the new year came and we trudge along.

I always feel like I should make the obligatory new years resolutions that I know won't last through the end of January, but this year I think I'll pass. Instead, I think my motto for this year will be to "Do Better". Do better at being a mom, do better at exercising, to better at reading my scriptures....just try to do better at everything. As vague as that sounds, I think I'll be happier with myself instead of beating myself up when I fail at each resolution I try to make. If I can just simply try to do better I think I will have accomplished the most important things. Life gets crazy and chaotic for me and I often find myself swallowed up in the failures instead of basking in the accomplishments. Each year brings it's own challenges and if I can only do better at handling those challenges, I will have succeeded!

I have a dear friend that was diagnosed with Leukemia just before Christmas and I find myself thinking about her all throughout the day. She's an incredibly strong person and I know she'll fight this battle victoriously, but I can't begin to imagine the fear and worry she's going through. As a mom, I'm sure her thoughts are turned to her children and how she can help them through this trial. I know, for me, when I was facing the big C all I could think about was how to make my kids feel safe and secure amidst all the fear. It's hard! But I learned some valuable lessons and foremost among those lessons was that nothing in this world is more important than family and good friends. Luckily I dodged the bullet and was able to continue on with my life without any repercussions, but others aren't so fortunate and they deal with the day to day challenges that come with fighting cancer. I watched my sis go through that and come out the winner, and I've seen others who haven't been so fortunate. This life is about doing the best that we can with what we have been given and being proud of who we are. Carla, thoughts and prayers are with you every day! You can beat this!!!! We love you!