Thankful for God's creativity!

When I look outside at the beautiful colors of fall, I smile and thank God for His creativity. The beauty of His creation is breathtaking! Thank you, Heavenly Father.

They have arrived ... gifts that only a mother could love.

Are you curious? Filled with anticipation? What has arrived? What did she get? Brace yourself, because if you are not a mom this will mean nothing to you.

Last week my job as a mom got a lot easier ... my new washer and dryer arrived!!!! Yeah!!!!

These things are amazing compared to the machines that used to occupy this space. They are new, clean, bigger, and are equipped with modern technology. They do everything, but carry the clothes downstairs and put them in the wash. (Now, that would be wonderful) My favorite feature is the short dry time. Gone are the days of waiting 1hr. for dry clothes or drying the clothes for a "second" time. I find myself looking for dirty clothes so that I can use my new toys. I know what you are thinking, this feeling will go away. Yes, you are probably right, but right now I am enjoying my new problem - where do I put all these clean clothes!!

Look how clean and organized. It makes me smile!!!

Potty Training ... My current challenge!

Potty training with child number 5 is now underway. You would think with my previous experience in this department, I could do this with my eyes shut. Yeah, that's what I thought. I think the pure joy that raced through my heart when I thought of being diaper free has clouded my judgement. Or God thought that it would be helpful to give me a challenge to teach me a character trait that I am lacking or needing to polish. Either way, this is not the cake walk that I was hoping for.

I will be the first to admit that I have not been very consistent. I needed a few days where I could just hang out at the house and let him be in underwear. A few days ago, I got my wish. A sick kid has left me housebound, so I took my shot. The first day was a nightmare!! By 11:00am I had gone through 5 wet messes and one "other" mess that had resulted in a bath time. It was not pretty. By nap time, I was grabbing a pull-up and putting him to bed. The next attempt was much better. By 11:30am, I had no accidents and was bragging to dad when he came home from lunch. When I went to show him Tanner's big boy underwear, he was wet. Great!! One set back, no big deal. Thirty minutes later, I was getting on Tanner for spilling his drink on the floor. "What are you doing, son. Don't kick and splash the water all over the floor!" Upon closer examination, this was no water spill. He was playing in his own pee!! Unbelievable!! This child is not potty training material. Recall!!!!