Quite An Accomplishment

Of all the parenting moments I’ve experienced over the last 10 years, one of the most fulfilling, surprisingly, is teaching my kids how to ride a bike.

Maybe because it wasn’t so simple to do. Maybe because they weren’t as eager to learn as I hoped. It’s an amazing thing to watch, really. One minute they are saying they can’t do it. And then it clicks, and they are off and riding.

Here is Thing 3 in just his second try.

Yellow Belt

Thing 3 has been taking a Tae Kwon Do class for the last month, a few times a week. To our surprise he really enjoys it and is a fantastic listener. Hopefully some of that will translate back home.

Here he is performing his moves for the belt test to become a yellow belt. Watch as he breaks 2 boards for the first time.

And here is the ceremony

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30,000 Diapers

I had very low expectations for potty training Thing 4 given our history. But girls are supposed to be easier so there was hope.

Last weekend, we decided to do a potty bootcamp. Thing 4 helped gather all her diapers into a garbage bag and we threw them all away. At least that’s what she believed. I put them in a safe place just in case.

She picked out some favorite underwear and the training began. We got off to a shaky start. She was holding it as long as she could out of fear of the potty, and we ended up with a puddle on the floor.

But we persevered. And after that one incident, Thing 4 had a flawless record for the rest of the weekend! No accidents. Telling us when she needed to go. Pee and poop. Simply amazing. Completely potty trained in one day!

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We celebrated with some frozen yogurt.

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I started thinking about how long and how many diapers we have used. We have had at least one kid in diapers for over 9 years. By my estimates, we have gone through at least 30,000 diapers. And now we are through it.

This Is A Big Change

It only just started the last week or so. At first, I thought it was a fluke. A one or two time aberration. But now it’s happened at least three times. Three is a trend, right? It’s been so long, nine years, that I had to remember how to do it.

This week, I’ve had to set an alarm to wake up on time. Shocking, I know.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s not like we’re all sleeping in until 10am or even 7am. The alarm is set for 6 o’clock. But for the first time in a very long time, everyone in the house can sleep past 6am. At the same time.

By 6:30 or 7:00, we’re still a cyclone of activity. But I’m getting used to this new sleep until 6 am reality. And hoping it lasts.