Additions and Subtractions

Yeah, I've been slow to blog lately. And it's not because Chloe's been sick. She's fine. Better than fine. We finally achieved something major this week. And it has nothing to do with this picture of her by the temple. This picture is here because it's cute, and she loves temples because they look like castles and she can see "princesses" there. I realized we haven't actually brought her to the temple in a while, so we went by on Saturday.

But on to the real achievement.We started potty training in January, and after a couple successful attempts, for some reason she has been boycotting pooping in the potty. We've tried prizes, stickers, an overabundance of excitement, and nothing has worked. So this last week we started taking things away. Certain movies, then TV all together (which was a bit rougher on Mom, but necessary for both of us anyway), treats, and finally, when nothing else worked, we took away all pull ups and even her panties. I figured if we were having a separation anxiety problem, making sure things had to fall was our best bet. I was putting her down to nap with a wee-wee pad underneath, and even put her to bed with nothing on, since she had also taken to night pooping to avoid the toilet. I also had to make sure I moved all Pull-ups and diapers from her room because she was choosing to put on a Pull-up and pee rather than use the toilet. It angered me and made me smile at the same time. Anyway, Sunday, at my cousin Tiffany's house where we were celebrating the blessing of her second daughter, Sariah, CHLOE POOPED IN THE POTTY! It was amazing. I had to control the urge to hug her before I wiped her. I hope we continue in this direction.

This next picture gives you a clue about one of our new additions. Yes, I finally did it. I got a Kitchenaid! Despite already having 2 kids and a mortgage, Bracken says we are now grownups. After taking all shared opinions into consideration, and price shopping online and in person, I decided against the Costco Kitchenaid. We went to Bed Bath and Beyond and got the 6 quart mixer, using my 20 percent off coupon. The thing is, it came with a pouring shield, and a rebate for a free slicer attachment, so it really balanced out in the end. I also figured I could buy the smaller mixing bowl at some point in the future for mixing smaller amounts of things if I wanted to. So for our family home evening activity tonight, we made cookies, just so Bracken could test drive the new mixer. I had no idea he was also so excited to get it.

Our other major addition right now is working sprinklers in the backyard! We've had a sprinkler system out there, but it's not worked since we've lived there. Our plumber friend came out and worked on it for a few minutes, and got it all working. It is beautiful to see the water spraying out there. Now we just have to figure out where the leak that is running into the street is coming from . . .

The big subtraction for the week was Fish. He was over 1 1/2 years old, never had a real name, and spent most of his life swimming upside down. He had been fished out of the bowl twice by Chloe, and recovered both times. I was just contemplating buying him a new bowl, and the next day found him floating sideways, which for him apparently was the equivalent of another fish floating upside down. Chloe seems totally unaffected by his demise, and I keep debating whether I need to make a bigger deal of it or not. I guess it's best to let floating fish float.

In case you're wondering, Addie is still alive and well, I just have been horrible about taking pictures. Which is why I have no pictures of a little pool party we had this week. Which might be good since it seemed like most of the kids were naked at some point. Chloe herself was naked, then wearing a suit, then wearing only the top of the swimsuit. Good thing we have a good fence. Anyway, Addie loves food. She loves baths with her sister. She still does not really like to sleep. But we're all doing pretty well with that, as long as I wear earplugs.