a mild little happy winter.

Somehow, we've already reached mid-March. My blogging has fallen by the wayside. It would be easy to say life is so "busy", and it is busy, but the real issue is at the end of the day, there are dishes to be done and floors to sweep and clothes to fold. And when there aren't those things, there is Netflix to relax to or my book club's monthly pick to curl up with. Along the way, blogging has become less of a "priority". This weekend, Carly lost her first tooth! Can you believe it? I went back to my blog and read about her first tooth coming in as a baby. And wouldn't you know, it was the same tooth. I'm not sure I would have remembered that without my blog. I have always said I'm this blog's biggest fan, and it is because it is our family's simple little story. So even if I'm not very "good" about doing it often enough, I hope to keep going, keep recording, keep remembering. 

So today, we're going to go back in time and hit the "everyday highlights" from our January and February. We had a most wonderfully mild winter. After surviving the Polar Vortex in Michigan last year, this was a rather nice treat. The first weekend in January we got our only (I think) major snowstorm. It was a totally beautiful Sunday. Me and the kids headed out to play in the snow, and may have been a teensy bit 45 minutes late to church. But the remainder of that day it snowed so peacefully. Then you know what? It rained that night and on Monday the roads were clear. Pullman speaks my love language.

But it was cold, and we got a long of rainy gray days, so we had a lot of indoor activities keeping us busy. Like making puppets out of brown paper bags in various amounts of clothing.

And watching movies with chocolate popcorn.

And stories! All my kids are book-obsessed and I'm happy they are. It is sweet to find them all on the floor flipping through books, and our weekly (or bi-weekly, or tri-weekly) visits to the library result in stacks of books in our living room. Over the last few months at school, Carly has been learning to read! It is fun to watch her learn. The school teaches using Bob books, and when she can read it to a satisfactory level she gets to take it home and keep it. She has quite a collection going. It is fun to watch her get it, though sometimes she tries to cheat and use the pictures. Like "Meg sat on a barrel" when it really says "Meg sat on a keg." (But why is Meg sitting on a keg in this kids book? haha.) But I slow her down and remind her to actually read the words, and sometimes have to cover the pictures. She is doing great.

Books on CD in a fort are popular too.

Yes, its a sweet life we've got going on.

While Carly is at school, John and Quinn get all the fun. Probably too many times we've headed to the mall for Qdoba chips and queso. We never mention it to big sis.

The kids still continue to play a LOT of imagination. The are constantly making up scenarios, throwing birthday parties, going to the beach, sailing on ships, being dinosaurs. Below they are the three musketeers . . . . the Barbie version, unfortunately, which is why John is in a skirt.

Quinn started a ballet class! She is ballerina-crazy. She loves ballerina books and dressing up like a ballerina and watching ballerinas on YouTube videos. Going to her very own "dance class!" has been a big deal. To be honest, its a tiny little class at a local daycare, with only one other kid (a boy . . . she was so confused), but it works for now. Next year we'll have her go to the same place Carly goes. But she is learning her positions and says "tendu" like the cutest little Prima you've ever met. She frequently requests "dance music" and I play Nutcracker songs while she leaps and twirls.

But, wouldn't you know, we have had a lot of gorgeous weather this winter. It has really caught me off-guard, considering our winter last year. I kept comparing the two and trying to wrap my head around surviving last year and being really grateful I wasn't doing that again (sorry, friends). 

Here is was a really lovely January day, and Quinn had at one point been in actual clothes.

We've been able to visit the park consistently in the afternoons.

One February day John and Quinn did "yard work", aka, lifting big rocks and using the hose to make mud puddles. But I just had to let them. Because it was February and we were playing outside in the sunshine! I couldn't get over it.

And our Spring-tradition of opening our first big box of sidewalk chalk happened in February too, and I wasn't even mad about it. We had discussed at length making "Chalks-a-boxen" a spin-off of a favorite book Roxaboxen. We drew roads and everyone got their own house. Carly's had flowers and Quinn's had ballerinas and John's had a volcano. My mom came to visit and added a pond, a school, and a store. I'm sure Chalks-a-boxen will be a recurring theme all spring and summer.

February also brought Valentine's Day. Our week had been a bit hectic, so our Valentine's was pretty low key. Chris made Nutella strawberry pancakes and shish kabobs. It was a beautiful day outside so we worked in the yard and took the Christmas lights down. That night we put the kids down and went a little crazy and had a movie double header: Guardians of the Galaxy and The Monuments Men (guess who picked which movie? haha). It was fun, even if we are getting to old to do such things.

That week Carly had insisted upon making homemade Valentines for her class. Her school requested no toys or treats be connected because they wanted to "focus on friendships." That made my life way easier; sometimes our hippie school has its perks. Her Valentines turned out really cute. She has such a good heart (no pun intended).

I was feeling uninspired for our annual Valentine we like to send out to family. But when I was struggling to get a decent picture I told the girls to kiss John, and his reaction was perfect. A Valentine was born.

Carly's school had a back to school night. She was so excited to have me come, especially since the babies stayed home with Chris. It was a big signal we need to have more one-on-one time with each kid. But it was so fun to have her show me around her class and show me how much she knows. At the back to school night in the fall she was so hesitant and unsure, but now she really owns it and has learned so much. She showed me the "Bird's Eye View" as it is called (Montessori has clever little names for everything), where she visualized counting by 1's, 10's, 100's, and 1000's. I just sat and watched her brain work. She's so smart. We have actually reached a dilemma in that we are afraid she has learned too much and is too mature socially to put her in Kindergarten next year. We will hopefully be able to talk to someone at the public school to get an idea of where she will fit best, Kindergarten or first grade. Part of me really wishes she could go to Montessori elementary because I like their philosophies and she has done really great there, but yikes to private school tuition! Thankfully, we live in a really high-quality school district.

I got my haircut! And so did Carly! I went 6 months without a haircut and it wasn't pretty. Carly hates getting her hair brushed and it wasn't pretty. We are both doing much better post-chop.

We call her Quinnalina Ballerina.

John is a good ol' boy. He is low-drama and go-with-the-flow, starkly different from his high-drama Type-A sisters. He has such a pure heart. His sisters will be a bit sneaky or devious, but he never is. He has a current obsession with volcanoes. One day he and Quinn were deciding what show to watch. Quinn was trying to convince him to watch Peppa Pig. "It has two boys," she told him. "Named Daddy Pig and George." He couldn't be swayed: "But volcano show has HOT LAVA." It made me laugh out loud. Their arguments were too good: Quinn got Peppa Pig on the tv and John got Bill Nye the Science Guy Volcanoes on the iPad.

So, there we have it. The beginning of 2015 in a choppy, unorganized fashion. Our weeks have had a consistent, predictable routine and it has been nice. It has been nice to just be doing our thing, because we have a sweet and simple little life. Just the way we like it.

It was a mild little happy winter.

when it was Christmas.

Remember when it was Christmas?

It was such a sweet one.

Its been a while, but I don't want to forget.

Christmas Eve began with the C family tradition of going out to breakfast. We no longer have access to Bob Evans or Cracker Barrel or even an IHOP, but we found a little local place that fit the bill perfectly. They even had kids bear pancakes for FREE and gluten-free buckwheat blueberry pancakes. The place has a German theme, and Chris feasted on strange delectables that took him back to Bavaria (or at least made his tummy happy). That evening we headed to a party with friends from our ward. Good company, yummy food, and a Nativity scene performed by a slew of young kids made for a great evening.

We headed home to open out traditional Christmas Eve pajamas. Carly has her father's ability to stay really warm regardless of the circumstances, and prefers to sleep in shorts and a light blanket year-around (as does he). I found some fun fuzzy shorts for her, and Sofia and Captain America for the duo. We prepared Santa's gluten-free cookies (you didn't know he ate GF?) and milk, and carrots for the reindeer. Quinn had been talking quite excitedly about the carrots, and lined them up precisely. Then she said she was excited to feed the reindeer! Oh, poor girl was so sad when she heard they'd be coming when we were all asleep.

We read Luke 2 and the Polar Express, and got the children all nestled snug in their beds just in time for an exhausted Santa to make an appearance. There is nothing quite like a living room filled with Christmas, and the quiet peace and anticipation of Christmas Eve. Chris tried to explain to Carly why he liked Christmas Eve more than Christmas, because you get to look forward to what is coming, rather than have it pass so quickly. Her little 5-year-old brain didn't quite grasp that, but someday when she sets out trucks and dolls and princess dresses for her kids, she will.

Then, they proceeded to sleep in. A late Christmas Eve wore them out. It was at least 8 by the time we got rolling. They stood at the end of the hallway and I said the words my mom and dad said every Christmas morning of my childhood: "Oh, I don't think Santa came. Lets just go back to bed!" They didn't buy it for a second, and were running down the hallway to see what awaited them.

John got big ol' metal Tonka trucks. My parents got him the digger, and we finally tracked down the dump truck after Chris (kindly) had a Walmart worker dig one out of the back storage room. They are a fabulous pair and I can't wait until he can take them out into the dirt. He also got a little space shuttle ("my real rocketship!"), an awesome realistic Buzz Lightyear, and a toy lawnmower that makes way more noise than mommy was expecting.

Sweet Q had been talking about her Sofia dress for quite a while. She said it was going to be big and sparkly, and Santa did not want to disappoint. So he sprung for the fancy Disney store version, and it is quite the dress; certainly big and sparkly. Other notables include her Snow White doll, a fancy pink coat from Mimi, an Anna dress (!), and, my personal favorite, a ballerina music box. All Christmas Day, and for a while afterwards, she would have me wind it and watch it over and over again.

Carly was hard this year. She was convinced she wanted "the Elsa doll that lights up and sings Let It Go when you lift her arms." You know what she's talking about. She saw it on a commercial, heaven help me. But I knew she wasn't a huge doll girl, and I knew that doll didn't come cheap and wasn't easy to find. Not to mention, Quinn was getting a Snow White doll that did not light up or sing. Can you imagine what she'd think if Carly's did? Anyway, I digress. We found Carly a more basic but lovely Elsa. What I knew Carly does love is art projects. So I compiled a massive craft box for her, with every craft supply I could possibly think of. It has been used constantly since. Elsa, however, often remains untouched on the bed. I called that one a mile away.

Before we knew it, the piles of wrapping paper were stuffed in a garbage bag and the living room was littered with prizes and daddy was asleep on the couch. A most perfect Christmas morning.

It was a sweet first Christmas in our first home. 

I love spending the most special days with my most special people.

The day after Christmas we headed down to Idaho to party with the party people.

Montana was quite lovely on the drive down, though very very long.

We got to see baby Nora, who was a whole lot bigger than the last time we saw her. Nora is a ridiculously cute baby. Its quite painful. I'm glad we got to snuggle on her a bit. It is hard being so far away from cousins as cute as this.

All 5 Thomas cousins.

We also got to play with cousin Shayla. She makes quite a match for Carly, and it is fun that they can play together, with Quinn and John trying to keep up. Aunt Camie was nice enough to take the big girls out in the snow, and Chris and the twins went out a bit later. I'm so glad we got to play with cousin Shayla. It is hard being far away from cousins as fun as this. 

We did have a few strange things going on, like a case of the shingles, sickness, vomiting, an ER visit. All in a week's worth of family togetherness. But cute baby cheeks and giggling cousins and grown-up siblings all married off getting together again . . . it makes it worth it. 

One day Mimi broke out her extensive tulle collection and made some colorful brides.

We welcomed 2015 with a modest little party, as I was barely feeling human again after my sickness, and right before John spent New Years Day puking all over my parents' house. 

Cheers to a New Year.

We had a really great holiday season.

xoxo.

A Year in Review: 2014

January

Chris and Erin welcome 2014 by announcing the new job at WSU. The Polar Vortex sends Michigan into deep deep deep deep snow. The Frozen soundtrack plays over and over, making long days that much longer. Erin and the kids play outside on a "warm" day, only to notice it is 11 degrees. Chris dissertates.

February

Chris takes the kids to his parents for a weekend to collect dissertation subjects. Erin spends her alone time throwing things away, watching the Olympics, and enjoying a Netflix marathon of Bomb Girls. Quinn and John turn 2 and everyone wonders how its only been two years. Chris dissertates.

March

Everyone loses their minds over the Polar Vortex that WONT. END. The family makes a trip to Chicago with grandma. They ride the train, go to the Aquarium, and see the sights. It is all sorts of fun and all sorts of crazy and Chris and Erin vow to never go to a big city with small children again. Chris dissertates.

April

Chris and Erin take Carly to Wrigley Field to watch the Chicago Cubs. She gets a batting practice ball and a $9 hot dog. Then the game starts. Erin takes her for a walk by the second inning. Erin makes her grandpa's divine carrot cake on Easter. Chris dissertates. 

May

Erin forces Chris to pretend to graduate so she can take pictures of him in his doctorate hood. Chris turns 31. Quinn loves her "butt", also known as a "bike". John cries a lot, as he does not have a "butt" of his own. Carly is traumatized by t-ball. Chris and Erin fly to Washington and have two days to find a house to buy. They find it on day one. Chris dissertates.

June

PACKING BOXES ALL THE DAYS. The family makes their final visit to Lake Michigan. Chris and Erin reach 8 years of marriage but no one remembers because . . . . Chris dissertates.

July 

Chris defends his dissertation. The heavens open. Angels sing. Erin and the kids take off, crying as they leave Lansing. They enjoy an extended Idaho vacation while Chris is left to do dissertation revisions, pack the truck, and clean the apartment (with lots of wonderful helpers). Chris makes the cross-country trek solo while listening to Harry Potter audio books.

August

The family arrives in their new home of Pullman, Washington. Carly turns 5 in the midst of piles of boxes. Erin experiences culture shock and intense Target withdrawal. Chris starts a new job. Carly starts a new school. Mike the painter is practically a 6th family member. 

September

Erin eats her feelings and begins the journey to gaining 10 lbs (you think I'm joking). Carly is traumatized by Montessori school. The family picks apples from their apple tree. John and Quinn are two and a half and finally start speaking in full sentences. 

October

The dust begins to settle as everyone finds a groove. Carly likes school. Chris likes his job. Erin turns 28. Both sets of grandparents visit. The house is coming together and feeling like home. The kids make the cutest trio of Trick-or-Treaters. The only thing wrong in the world is Erin's lack of access to a cider slushy from the Cider Mill in Charlotte, MI. 

November

Quinn potty trains like a boss. John doesn't. The family heads over the river and through the Montana mountains to Mimi's house for Thanksgiving. Erin spends the Thanksgiving feast doubled over with food poisoning. Chris experiences norovirus flashbacks and brings Erin constant glasses of water to avoid another ambulance ride. 

December

The family celebrates their first Christmas in their new home. Santa finds them and even manages to squeeze down the very skinny chimney. Chris and Erin end the year in a new home, with a new job, settling into a whole new phase of life. But they are overwhelmed with gratitude for all that happened in 2014, and love the three little people they shared it with.

December days.

There seems to be a trend these days of life going by way too fast.

December has been no exception.

Now Christmas is just days away and 2015 is around the corner.

We kicked off our holly jolly Christmas by picking out the perfect Christmas tree at a local tree lot. Professionals tied it on our roof this time around, so Chris and I didn't have to climb through our car windows. We took it home and gave it a prime spot in our living room. We've been decorating and undecorating and redecorating it ever since, in various states of dress and undress.

We've been decking our halls. We are so excited to be spending our first Christmas in our first house. Lights, wreaths, and stockings have been hung. We have had a wonderfully mild December, so Chris was able to get up on the roof after we returned from Thanksgiving and put lights up. After about a minute on the roof he grumbled, "Now I know why my dad hated doing this so much." He was nice to do it for me, because our first year in a house could not pass without lights lining the roof. Our home feels so cozy and festive. The presents under the tree are frequently explored and inspected, and occasionally used as building blocks.

The second weekend in December we headed down to the Tri-Cities area for my aunts wedding. The day before the wedding we met up with our dear Michigan friends who live in the area. It was so fun to see Cameron and Camilla and their sweet girls after exactly two years apart. We joked with them when they moved that we would follow them to the PNW, and it is pretty great that it actually happened. After torturing our Red Robin waitress with five small children and four chatty parents, we headed to see my running buddy Jessica and her kids in her new house. After the years of schooling, it is wonderful (and crazy) that we now where we always talked about wanting to be. Friday night we stayed at a hotel, went swimming, had a picnic dinner, and collapsed exhausted into bed.

Saturday morning was wedding day. It was a warm and sunny day, and my aunt, Janell, and her new husband Mickael were incredibly beautiful. It was so fun to be there, to see family, and to take my kids to my grandparents house for the first time. It was a quick visit, but hopefully we can return soon. I have so many wonderful childhood memories in that house. It was a fun family weekend getaway, and the kids slept the whole way home.

The rest of our December days have been filled with general Christmas cheer. Lots of hanging out in Christmas jammies, or swimsuits, and reading Christmas books, watching Christmas movies, and doing Christmas projects. We have been the benefactors of anonymous friends doing the "12 Days of Christmas." Every night we get a new surprise on our door. I applaud their endurance, as it makes me tired just thinking about it. But they have supplied me with several crafts for the kids, decorations, tinsel the kids put on the tree, and a star-shaped basket that perfectly fit my most-played Christmas CD's. Our December wouldn't have been nearly as Christmasy without them.

We had some friends over for our graham cracker house building get-together. Quinn requested a beach, which was perfectly two-dimensional. The winner of the night, however, was probably Hogwarts, complete with Hagrid's hut, womping willow, and the giant squid in The Great Lake. One tradition that I was sad didn't work out this year was going to the Nutcracker. It is one of my favorite parts of Christmas time, but the only production in our little town was on a Sunday. I'll have to work harder to find one nearby next year. But I did manage to take ballet-obsessed Quinn on a mommy-daughter date to the local ballet company's winter recital. Quinn was absolutely mesmerized by the whole thing and was talking excitedly the whole time. One-on-one time is pretty rare right now, so it was so sweet to share that with her.

But one of my favorite little moments this year came last week during our Family Home Evening. We watched the video The Coat, which brings me to tears all the time. It is perfect for kids, and during it our three had very concerned faces, Quinn in particular. We talked about how a lot of people don't have as much as we do, and headed to the store to pick out toys to donate to a local charity. Quinn picked out a puppy that wiggled and barked when you tickled its chin. She loved that puppy. When it was time to give it away, she held on tight with the saddest little eyes, begging me to keep it. I reminded her about the boy who didn't have a coat, and told her how some kids don't have presents under their tree like she does. She thought for a minute, then placed the puppy in the donation basket with a big proud smile on her face. We are imperfect parents, but I pray we can teach our kids to feel the happiness that comes with thinking outside yourself and giving to others.

Carly had a fun-filled December at school. I appreciated the way her school handled the holidays. In Michigan, Carly had a generic "Winter Holiday Party" which I understood as trying to be politically correct. But instead of pretending all these holidays don't exist, Carly's school embraced the diversity. They talked about different countries and cultures and how they celebrate. They made it a learning opportunity so the kids could understand and appreciate differences in one another. During the month they celebrated the festival of St. Nicholas and St. Lucia, lit a Menorah, learned the words to Feliz Navidad, and rode the Polar Express in their pajamas. I don't expect schools to teach my child about the birth of Christ, that is my responsibility, but I loved that instead of banishing all, they embraced all.   

Our last festivity before the main event was a cruise to the North Pole. We headed to Couer d'Alene and took a boat to see Santa and a holiday light display. It was a fun adventure for the kids, and we had a great time as a family, but it wasn't quite what I was expecting. Chris and I joked that it reminded us a little too much of the "booze cruise" episode of the Office. That being said, watching the sun set on the water and hearing our kids squeal as their names were read off the "Nice List" made it pretty sweet. And Carly declared it "the best day of my whole life", so we'll call it a success.

We are ready for Santa. Quinn has been traumatized by Santa a few times. He came to our ward Christmas party and we've seen him driving through neighborhoods twice, and each time she sadly asks why he hasn't brought her Sophia dress yet. Now Christmas Eve is almost here, and if the sparkles all over my closet are any indication, she'll be getting that longed-for Sophia dress.

This season has gone by too quickly. I'm not ready for it to be over, not ready to surrender my Celine Dion Christmas CD, not ready to take down the tree. We'll be soaking up every minute of this week. Because it really is the most wonderful time of the year.

how to potty train a twin.

I was racking my brain trying to figure out why November was such a blur, and then I remembered . . . potty training! Potty training wins the award for "Most likely to make a Mormon mom start doing Vodka shots." I have been putting it off, and I really had no intention of trying until after their third birthday. But for the past several months they have been showing the "signs" of readiness. When Quinn starting requesting diaper changes every time she was wet, I decided to pull the trigger. I started the Monday after Halloween, figuring we'd be far enough along to be able to enjoy the Christmas season. I made charts, they picked undies, and a jar was filled with Skittles. 

Let us go back in time 3 years and reminisce on potty training Carly. Potty training Carly was miserable. 1) I read the booklet about potty training your kid in three days. They made it sound like you could actually potty train a kid in three days. They recommended you have your kid be naked on the bottom and ask them every 2.7 second if they have to pee while not going anywhere ever. I put so much pressure on myself and on her, I wasn't sure Carly and I would ever be friends again. It took a lot of forgiveness on both ends. 2) I was in the third trimester of my twin pregnancy. My girth and intense hip pain and never ending nausea just made scrubbing pee out of the carpet 8 times a day not that much fun.

I had a better plan this time. Number one: don't be pregnant. Check. Number two: expect it to take a long time. I had a philosophical discovery during the year (yep!) it took to fully potty train Carly: it is a total lifestyle overhaul. All the sudden they have to pay attention to what is going on with their bodies. And not just notice, but take action. Its no easy feat. When you teach a kid to walk you don't just set him on his feet and give him three days. No, he starts with walking toys and scoots along the couch and then takes one step from mom to dad and then after a long learning process, he learns to walk. Its a life change. And so is learning to use the potty. My plan was to give them time. Number three: don't put myself on lockdown. It just wasn't going to happen. First, Carly goes to school every day. Second, I like my sanity, and I wasn't willing to lose it. We had potty training "sessions". They wore panties (poor John calls his superhero underwear "panties". One in a long list of hazards of only having sisters.) whenever we were at home, and I put a pull-up on them to leave the house. 

One thing I noticed right away was involving Carly was a must. She loves owning her big sisterhood, and helping them learn something big like this was very exciting for her. Mostly because she is type-A and likes leading the way. Also, I quickly discovered the problem with potty training twins was the same problem as anything else with twins: there are two of them. I would be sitting with one twin in the bathroom and the other one would be in the living room peeing on the carpet. So I had Carly sit in the bathroom and watch for signs of pee. She would cheer them on and help them wipe and show them how to wash their hands. She was a real lifesaver.

So how did it go? Let's start with Quinn. Wouldn't you know it, Quinn was potty trained in about three days. Who needs a book when you have a Quinn!? This girl, my peaceful newborn when her brother had colic, by sweet baby when her brother was always screaming. This angel girl figured out that potty so quick. She was very motivated, primarily by underwear. Big sister has awesome underwear with princess and flowers and strawberries on it, and Quinn would look at that underwear longingly. Quinn got Dora and Rapunzel panties and nothing was coming between her and wearing those panties. She had the normal expected accidents in the first days, but by the end of the week I took her to the library in panties and she stayed dry. The next week we went on a family day trip to Lewis/Clarkston and she stayed dry. At the end of the month we drove to Idaho and she stayed dry for a five hour driving stretch! She still has an accident once in a while when she gets so busy playing that she doesn't want to stop. The fact that she is always wearing a big princess dress and/or a ballet leotard has also caused some problems. But there have been so many times she stops what she is doing and yells "Me go pee pee!" and runs to the bathroom. The last few days she has been kicking me out and going all by herself, just like big sissy. Today she nudged me and said "Go out please, mommy." You don't have to tell me twice.

The most shocking thing of all was on day two. We were playing and she stands up and says "Me go poo poo!" and runs to the bathroom. She sits on the toilet and goes poo poo. I was bewildered. You mean she wasn't going to be so afraid of pooping on the toilet that she would go 5 days refusing to poop and end up curled up on the couch in intense pain holding it in until we gave her children's laxatives? Because that is what big sister did. She'd hold it in and it would make her sick and crazy moody, like a 15-year-old on her period. I kid you not, we affectionately called it "poop PMS". It took her months to go on the toilet, and longer still to do it consistently. And Quinn did it on day 2? She's my favorite; don't tell the others.

As for John? My theory on John is that God created him especially cute, pathetic, and endearing so that he would survive. John started to get the general idea of what was going on. But his motives were not pure. He was all about the candy. John is gifted in the ability to pee on demand. He would ask for candy, and I would tell him only if he went potty. So he'd run in there and squeeze out a few tinkles and pocket his winnings. And then 5 minutes later wet himself all over. Where did that pee come from? It was against the laws of nature. He got that he was supposed to pee while sitting on the toilet, he just did not grasp staying dry. He is just too lackadaisical. The other issue was splitting my time. Quinn was doing well, so I switched focus to John and Quinn started struggling. I had to pick, and since Quinn was almost there, I focused on her. I stuck with it with John for three weeks. When we left town for Thanksgiving he went to full-time pull-ups because I didn't want him having accidents all over my parents house. And now he is in pull-ups the same way he was in diapers, more or less. He does ask to go a few times a day, but his pull-up is always wet. Now I feel like this time of year is so hectic, and the parts that aren't hectic I want to enjoy, so I've kind of eased up and will come back fully energized after Christmas. Fingers crossed this plan doesn't backfire.

So if you're wondering why this post is "How to potty train a twin" rather than "How to potty train twins", it is because I don't know how to potty train twins. I am 1 for 2. But, hey, that is 50%. 50% off is quite the sale, and batting .500 is unheard of in the major leagues. John will get it. Just like sleeping through the night and learning to walk, he'll probably do it 6 months later than he should have. Ever since Quinn's water breaking forced him to be born before he was ready, he's always been on his own time table. He'll get it. I can wait for him.

Is it crazy that I miss diapers? I do. I have changed a ridiculous number of diapers in the last three years, but diapers are easy. You never have to drop everything and run across a store and cover a public toilet in toilet paper and plop your kid on at just the last second when they're in diapers. But I do love patting Quinn's tiny little girl bum. And I do love watching her furrow her brow, intensely deciding which pair of panties to wear. And I do love the proud smiles she gives me when she goes potty all by herself. As a mother, it is always bittersweet to watch them grow. You miss them being what they were, but your heart soars with what they are becoming. 

We survived round two of potty training without having developed any drinking habits. Fingers crossed for when we do John (again).