A big step

Well, life is still busy. I often think "I could blog about that" but blogging involves turning on the laptop and sitting down to type without C. coming over and pushing the power button (one of her latest tricks) so I don't actually do it much. However, I had to post tonight - C. used the potty for the first time before bed tonight!
I am so amazed - this was truly all her idea. She was in the bathroom - I was trying to get M. ready for bed as well. I had just changed C's diaper and she started tugging at it and then pointing at the toilet and trying to lift up the lid. (Which we keep closed unless in use to prevent "accidental drownings" of important objects. We haven't lost anything we wanted down a toilet yet and I'd like to keep it that way...) She is still not very verbal - but I looked at her and said "do you need to go potty?" And she nodded her head yes. I told her to wait a minute, went into her room and pulled M's old potty chair out of the closet, took it into the bathroom and helped C. take off the still-dry diaper and sit down. She sat there for a minute and then pointed to the roll of toilet paper. I asked if she was all done, she nodded yes, so I gave her some paper - and when she stood up to wipe, she had actually gone in the potty!
I have to say that I was thinking she was almost ready last week, because she knows when she needs to go, will ask for a clean diaper, and has learned from watching me and her big sister the basics of what needs to happen - but I had decided to wait to actually introduce the potty until after our June trip - I guess I have been overruled. We will have to see how interested she is tomorrow - M. started potty training at about this age and in a similar fashion and was completely out of diapers during the day by the time she was 2 years one month old - and while I will not push C. (pushing a kid to train when he/she isn't ready and interested is the number one way to cause major, major problems) I must say that I would be so happy to be done changing diapers during the day 9 months from now!

On a totally, totally separate topic - I think I am going to apply for the Stated Clerk's position for my presbytery. It is part-time, averaging 10 hours a week, and for a 10 month term right now because the presbytery is in the middle of a redesign process and is reevaluating how we do staffing. I started filling out a PIF today - I haven't made a final decision to turn it in, but I am leaning towards it. There is lots more backstory about this - but it will have to wait for later, as I am tired and going to bed.

Right after I post a picture - I know that's the most exciting part of this blog, anyway....eating vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce for bedtime snack. This is an important life skill to learn, right?
I did M.'s hair in french braids for the first time this day - they were falling out pretty badly by bedtime, but it was cute I thought - C's hair isn't long enough for much yet....soon, though.

The sound of silence.....

The rest of the family, including all the animals, is asleep for a Saturday afternoon nap, so I might be able to catch up on stuff I've wanted to blog about. I've been sick this week - bronchitis - which, since it causes my asthma to kick in, is really no fun. Mommy gets very grouchy when she can't breathe well. And tired. So, I'm on day 4 of antibiotics and feeling much better. Other thoughts/updates:

• The LDS Church had their semi-annual General Conference last weekend. Two times a year the bigwigs all give a series of lectures over a weekend. Lots of folks here go downtown to hear them live - and they are simu-cast to LDS churches around the globe. Anyway, there was an article in the Salt Lake Tribune last Saturday about the first presidency of the Relief Society. For those who live outside Mormon-land, the Relief Society is the women's association of the LDS. The first presidency is the top 3 leaders of said association. I have lots of thoughts about the Relief Society, but the article last weekend made me want to scream. These 3 women were asked to give up their jobs and lives basically for 5 years (one left a husband who is serving overseas in LDS mission to come back to Salt Lake to serve, another left a fairly high-power corporate job) And they are not paid. Let me repeat that - they are asked to serve the church full-time for 5 years and are not paid. Not a dime. Now, you may know that the LDS pride themselves on not having paid clergy (don't get me started on that). But, all of the leadership hierarchy who work in Salt Lake at headquarters get a "modest support stipend." The actual amounts are not published (none of the LDS church's financial information is published for review, another soapbox I will avoid for the moment), but the "prophet" of the church happens to live in a $1.2 million condo in downtown Salt Lake City. That is public knowledge because the city council voted to allow the church to not pay taxes on, as it is church-owned property. If that's where he lives, I kind of doubt that he's paid a stipend that I would consider modest. And the women aren't paid......yet another reason I would be a lousy mormon woman.
  
• There are so many things about M. and C. that I want to remember. C. loves, loves, loves to crawl into the kitchen and over to the dog's food and water bowls to play. Such play is not sanctioned by the Mommy-of-the-house, so I will say to her in a firm voice, "No, C. - not yours" and she responds by laughing at me. Real concerned about obeying authority, that one is......And when she starts to get hungry and I sit down with her to feed her, she will grin and clap her hands and get so excited.....And the way she loves to pet the animals - she also laughs exuberantly when they brush their tails in her face - and they are pretty patient with her. M. is so free from inhibitions at this age. I just love that - watching her run with wild abandon down the sidewalk on our evening walks, singing at the top of her lungs. She also loses herself in imaginative play, making up whole elaborate scenes and stories. (Heaven forbid that we don't make sure her baby gets into the car or something - she gets very upset if one is left behind, and many of them are imaginary - not dolls - which makes it hard for Mommy to see them.) Look out world, here comes M. - and I'm not sure the world is quite ready yet....
• We all survived W. being gone for 2 nights at a conference this week. He had to go to a conference in Jackson Hole, WY - poor thing. (ha, ha, ha) I was a little worried, because the day he left (Wednesday) was the day I found out I had bronchitis and my blood oxygen saturation was down to 94% (normal is 99-100%) at the doctor's office. I was tired and worried how I would deal by myself with 2 kiddos for 3 days. But, a good night's sleep and antibiotics and breathing treatments got me back to able to cope pretty well, and we had a good couple of "girls days." It is good to have W. back, though. He got home after the girls were asleep last night, and when C. woke up this morning and saw him she started giggling and crawled over to him - it was really cute.
  
• One of my grandfather's many favorite sayings was, "off and moving like a herd of turtles in a cloud of dust." I've started saying that when headed out the door with the girls - it aptly describes the pace at which we move most days. M. has started saying it too, but she says, "off and moving like a herd of dust and a cloud of turtles!" with great exuberance, usually while jumping up and down the length of the porch.
  

Well, in the middle of this post, everyone woke up, we had dinner, walked the dog, gave the girls baths and washed their hair, and put them to bed. Now it's time for me to do the same....

Welcome to Utah....

This goes with a groan. The "lost boys" are not new news here in Utah, but they probably are in the rest of the world. They are from a fundamentalist polygamous sect in southern Utah/northern Arizona whose "prophet" is currently on trial on charges of being an accomplice to rape for marrying underage girls (some as young as 13-14 years old) to older men. This article in the New York Times tells some of the background on the FLDS. It is a scary world we live in.
I should add that this article correctly states that the Mormon church of Romney that you all have heard so much about has abandoned polygamy. This is only true in this life. They still believe and teach that faithful men will have multiple wives in heaven and get to become gods of their own worlds. They also believe that Adam is God. I kid you not.