Are we ready????

Well, as silly as it may sound (especially given my overwhelmed, sleep deprived state!) I am actually getting quite nervous as the day for our departure to Las Vegas draws near. I was so focused on convincing Marshall to go that I never stopped to think about how I would feel! I know it is important to go and that we will have a fantastic time but just like everything else these last few years it's another "first", which just signals to me that the kids are growing up more and more. Just the other night we started watching some of our home movies (shot on our iPhones) on our big tv. I actually turned to Marshall and asked "was I there??" It is impossible to imagine that the kids were ever that small and that, at the time, it was all so normal. It's a good reminder for me to enjoy them at the age they are now (late night wakings, tantrums and all) since I most definitely will be looking back at this time period in few years and thinking of how little they were at this point, which currently is so normal.

Speaking of firsts, we *think* we may have finally cleared the potty training hurdle. It has now been 76 hours without a day time diaper or accident for Hazel. Last year at this time when Hazel first showed interest in the potty we tried to push it and it didn't work for anyone. She would get upset and frustrated, there were lots of accidents and honestly it was a lot more work for me with a 4 month old to take care of. We decided to just sit back and follow her lead and over the last 6 months she has been doing some stretches of no diaper and using the potty but nothing consistent. It also took a bit for me to realize that I needed to give up on my expectations. For some reason it would drive me crazy when people would tell me "She isn't potty trained yet??" or when I would lament the cost of diapers they would smugly say "well, then just potty train her!". I also think it's funny how (especially with our first kids) we as parents can sometimes get caught up in milestones such as this since they will be quoted for years to come and somehow reflect on our stellar parenting skills (ha ha!) Anyway, we shall see how this turns out. I told Marshall last night (after her third trip to the bathroom at the restaurant, after which she ran out and screamed to the crowd "Hazel go POOOOOOOPIEEEEEEEEE!!!! WOOHOO!") that I really won't believe it to be real until we go about 2 weeks with no daytime diapers and maybe an accident here or there. I'll certainly keep everyone posted :)