The themes of our winter thus far

This has been the season of Frozen in our house. I know I talked about going, and about the girls loving it, but MAN did they love. They do still. Nathaniel bought the main song for them on iTunes, then went back and bought the whole cd. He burned two copies (because the first one wasn't in order) which worked perfectly since this way one of them can be listening to her favorite songs upstairs while the other plays her favorite songs in the kitchen, and Meg floats back and forth, singing and dancing. Peter hasn't seen the movie, but he knows all the songs by heart. I know them all by heart as well. (I don't actually mind... shhhhh).

This is the first time I have seen the girls choreograph elaborate dance numbers and strive to recreate scenes from the movie in detail. It takes me back to memories of my sister and a couple of our cousins, listening to Tiffany and Madonna in a back bedroom of our grandparents' farm house, coming up with dance routines as we belted out the songs.

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This was the season of Peter driving us to ends of our ropes with potty training. (If you're not a parent, you may choose to skip past this section, as it's going to be about poo.) The boy WILL NOT poo in a potty. We've been patient, focusing on the staying dry, and assuming the rest would follow as it always had for our older kids. But no. He's killing us. I can't stand the thought of cleaning out any more poopy underpants. Finally, at our collective wit's end last week, we made a decision. When he shows any sign of pooping, we get him to the bathroom, and then he stays there. In the bathroom. With no pants. Until he poos.

I spent over three hours with him held hostage in the bathroom one afternoon because he said he was poopy but there was almost nothing in his pants, so I KNEW more was coming. And he tried, honestly. And then I took him some books and some puzzles and he hung out. But when Nathaniel got home for dinner, he let him put his pants on and come out. And guess what? Yup. He pooped in them. So the next day, he showed signs that got him contained in the bathroom again. Two hours later, I had to pick up Meg from preschool, so the pants when on and within a few minutes of our arriving home with Meg, he pooped in them. Killing me. The next day, happily, I had no where to go. He showed signs of approaching poo around 9:30 and into the bathroom he went. At noon, I brought him his lunch in the bathroom. For real. At 12:30, he POOPED IN THE POTTY! It was like mardi gras around here - the celebrations and noise and excitement. It's happened twice more, but today he filled his pants again. {sigh} At least we've made some progress.

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This is one of many seasons in which Rachel is too stinking adorable! She's in a phase I'm going to refer to as the "in, on, under" phase. I'm sure it happens with all one year olds, but it's no less precious for that. She wants to be in something (the tupperware cabinet she just cleared of bowls), or under something (any table will do), or on something (she's not picky, but there's a box in the kitchen that is her most favorite) at all times.

I realize she's not actually on the box in the last picture, but that is THE box. Also, she's holding her current favorite toy, small composition notebooks that her sisters got for Christmas. Who needs plastic baby toys with lights and music when you have real, tiny notebooks. All day long, she comes into the kitchen, carrying the notebooks. She sets them on the box, climbs up and sits on the box, then picks up and puts down, opens and closes, puts down and picks up... over and over... those little notebooks. It's the sweetest thing. One day she played with the books for 45 minutes while I made dinner and was generally productive. It was amazing!