December 29

Day 2 of potty training went well for Lily. Just like yesterday, she had a few accidents, but many more successes. She's getting better at listening to her body, which is exciting!

I had to take this video to forever memorialize the way she says "marshmallows", which is possibly the cutest thing ever.

Chris took Caleb to a 9:30 am showing of the new Star Wars movie. Chris reports that Caleb was so excited before the movie started, but when they came home Caleb was mopey and dejected.  Poor kid. He said the movie was too long and too scary, but as the day progressed, he began to speak more and more favorably of it. I have a feeling he'll be a big fan by the time it comes out on DVD.

In the afternoon, I went up to the gym and returned home to find Chris playing with all of the kids in the basement. We recently cleaned and organized it so that they have a "race track" to ride their bikes on.

1. Lily is wearing a shirt and underwear, but no pants. This is our go-to potty training ensemble. Sometimes the undies are optional.

2. Yes, this is what our basement looks like after it's been cleaned and organized. It is a disaster. It was once finished, but sometime before we purchased it, there was a flood of epic proportions and the owners ripped up carpet and cut out the bottom foot of paneling. They never got around to fixing it. There are also cracks in the floor that have been epoxied closed. Still, while it's not pretty, it is very functional. Especially in winter. I'm totally embarrassed to even be blogging pictures of it, but whatever. Maybe someday we'll finish the basement, but it's not likely to happen anytime soon.

I love Daisy's scootering ensemble. Her Christmas dress, sparkly star tights, and unicorn slippers. Plus a Hello, Kitty! helmet, of course.

Eli was inside the screened-in area of the playhouse, watching the big kids do laps around the basement on their bikes and scooters. He wanted to get to me so badly, but couldn't figure out the concept of the screen; he kept crawling into it and getting annoyed that he couldn't get through! Finally, I showed him the door and helped him crawl through.

The happy boy climbed into my lap, then crawled off, attempting to do laps just like his siblings. It was hilarious! Chris came around the corner and asked, "You let him out?"

Apparently he puts Eli in the house on purpose to keep him from getting trampled/getting into things that aren't safe. It's like a giant play house/play pen! That husband of mine is pretty smart.

The kids were cheerful and cooperative at dinner, and halfway through Caleb asked if we could do something fun if they ate their dinner. He was thinking of a movie, but I had a better idea...

Glow stick baths!

I know. I totally just clinched the "Mom of the Year" title with that. That's Lily and Eli in the tub; Caleb and Daisy had a turn later. We had some glow bracelets left over from Halloween last year, so we put them in the tub. It was still a bit dark, so I brought in Daisy's Hello, Kitty! lantern to add more light. The kids had so much fun, and got cleaned up in the process.

(Except for the part where Eli pooped in the tub. But Chris handled that, so it basically didn't happen.)