End of January

The biggest news for January is that Luke is potty trained! I may be getting ahead of myself in that pronouncement, but he has come a long way. We had noticed the signs that he was ready for a month or so, but for whatever reason I procrastinated the process. Finally, I decided it was time. We made him a chart with 55 spaces and put him to the test. Each time he used the potty, he earned a sticker to put on his chart. One week later, the chart is full and he is wearing underwear at all times except at night. He stays dry during naps, and takes himself to the potty while awake. He was incredibly easy to "train". Thank goodness! See my potty training blog from February 2012 to see why this was so miraculous for me. It is actually a bit hard for me to believe it can be this easy, so I am waiting to see if there are any relapses. Anna was easy, but the other two were a bit more difficult. Hmmm, after rereading that 2012 post, I am thinking they would not be pleased by my oversharing.

After each sticker he counted: 1-12, 14, 17, 20, 45, 11. Every. time.

For the most party, January has been a quiet month. President (?!?!?) Trump has instituted an executive order freezing the hiring for federal employment. I am still waiting to hear what that means for me. I spoke with my future office on Friday and they are hoping that they will still be able to bring me onboard in a timely manner. 

We have had 3 more one-on-one days with the older kids. I took Anna to Waldorf to have lunch at Ghengis Khan and then to the mall. We had a delightful time. She is so cheerful and good-natured during our alone time together. We also browsed Party City and she picked out small treats for her siblings, which I found very thoughtful. For her outing, Kara finally got to see the inside of Texas Roadhouse. Thomas and I go there often on date nights, but because of the peanut presence, we've never brought the kids. So, Kara chose to go there for her day to see what she's been missing. She was not disappointed. After that, we went to Michael's to browse all the fun crafts.  Again, we had an excellent time. Finally, Jack wanted to see the Star Wars movie, Rogue One, again. To make it extra special, Thomas took time off from work and picked Jack up early from school. Thomas gave him the option of going out to lunch or eating snacks at the movie and Jack chose snacks. They enjoyed their time together as well. 

Anna at Ghengis Grille. I didn't get pictures of the other outings.

Jack and Anna both got into the gifted program. Oddly enough, Jack got in for math and Anna for reading. I think it is good that they won't be in the same extra classes together, although frankly we are surprised Jack got in for math and not reading. We weren't expecting them to get into either, but if it was going to be one, we would have thought reading. Of course, as we told them, it is just a piece of paper and shouldn't change a thing. We work hard to stress to all our kids that the deciding factor on success will be the effort they are willing to exert.

In other Jack and Anna news, they got cast as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum in their school play! May can't get here fast enough, I am so excited to see them perform. Kara didn't want to do the play, but then there was a shortage of flowers for the chorus, so she decided to participate. She really wanted to be stage crew, but that is only for 4th and 5th graders.

Final news is that Luke had his first dentist appointment! I know we were behind on this, but it turned out fine. He was fantastic. He was so cooperative, they were able to use the older kid tools on him. Best of all, our no cavity streak continues. I am always so fearful when it is dentist time. Thomas and I have told them how uncomfortable it is to have a cavity filled and stress to them that they have to brush, floss, and use their mouthwash every night to avoid the dreaded shot in the gums. It is a fine line to walk. Eventually, I am sure someone will need a filling and we are going to have to backpedal a bit on how awful it is.