Murrill's Pearls of Wisdom...or lack thereof.: Back on the Potty Train

Does it get any better than Christmas? I sure don't think so! I just love everything about it--the decor, the food, the music. The best part is the whole reason for the season, of course! The girls are really loving everything. They are constantly singing Christmas carols, or at least their versions. Kiki's favorite song is "No Way, A Manger?" instead of "Away in a Manger". It's so funny to hear her sing it.

We are deep in the trenches of potty training. We started on Wednesday, and for the most part, Kiki has done amazing! Not to say she hasn't had her share of accidents. She definitely has, but we've gone three days accident-free. I also don't have to ask her if she needs to go anymore. She just goes on her own. She's an old pro and I'm so proud of her. I still don't trust her in panties, after a very gruesome poop incident, but I feel we are getting close, and pull-ups will suffice until that time. My favorite potty training memory thus far happened on Thursday after Kiki, having spent quite some time on the potty trying to go, came out of the bathroom and stated, "Sorry guys, it's just not coming out."

I just realized I didn't get to tell you all about our Thanksgiving! It was lovely. Stephen, Michelle, and Greyson came for a week long visit and we were so excited. It was just so nice to spend quality time with them. For the most part, we did a lot of relaxing, but we also shopped, went to Greenville, decorated for Christmas, played at parks, ate fantastic food, each went on a child-free date, among other fun things.

We were so sad to see them go. Kiki was asleep in the car when we dropped them at the airport and slept the hour long trip home. When she woke up, as I was getting her out of the car, she looked around and saw that it was just the three of us. Her lower lip started to quiver and she started to cry. She sadly asked, "Where's my Greyson?!" I was so sad, too. It was so nice having such wonderful company.

The whole visit was good for me. I was able to cut back on the amount of social media I usually partake in. With my phone at my finger tips, I constantly find myself checking Facebook or Instagram. It's aggravating to me that I don't have more self control, but having the break has helped me not be as needy of it all. I'm trying to not get sucked back into the madness! I still check, but it's not as much of a crutch as it had been.

We had a nice weekend. On Friday evening, some friends invited a few people over for pie at their house. It was a little late by the time we got home, but the girls didn't seems to mind being up late and partaking in dessert. In fact, they seemed very happy about the whole thing. On Sabbath, we visited a different church than we usually attend, because a friend texted on Friday night and said she needed some help. Her hubby was out of town and she needed help with her kiddos, because she was singing. I've been in a similar spot, and was happy to help out. That night, David and Elizabeth invited us over. We went on a walk around their property, then came back for dinner. After putting the kids down, we ended up talking for hours and partaking in peppermint ice cream and homemade hot fudge...YUM!

On Sunday, we worked around the house. I attempted my first batch of toffee. I had watched Michelle like a hawk while she was in town when she made some, and hoped that I gleaned enough to be successful on my first go at it. Although it wasn't a total failure, it wasn't perfect. I have a feeling it's a recipe that takes years to figure out. I was making the toffee for the Christmas party for the girls' dorm students at Fletcher Academy on Sunday afternoon. We watched a Christmas movie and ate pizza and snacks with the girls and they all seemed to have a blast. After that, I met a few friends to watch Catching Fire, which I had really been dying to see.

This week has been relatively uneventful. Yesterday, the girls and I worked on a few projects around the house. We have been sewing a gift for someone for Christmas and that's kept us very busy. Tonight was the Christmas party for Mark's work. It was lovely, in spite of the fact that I'm a nervous wreck at things like that. Tomorrow night is book club and our Favorite Things gift exchange. It's my favorite book club of the year. It's so fun to see the different gifts that people bring. I got my "favorite thing" last night. It was a hard choice, but I ended up with something that if no one else likes it, I won't mind at all going home with it. I guess that's why it's my favorite thing:)

Here are a few pictures from the last few days...

Mark and Stephen put some lights out front.

Now that I have two doors, instead of just one, my wreaths don't work anymore. I'm not ready to make a huge investment right now, so I reused last year's snowflake wreath idea. My old one got broken in the move, so I had to make two new ones. It's a very easy and inexpensive project and also kid-friendly. All it takes is popsicle sticks, white paint and some sort of glue. I used hot glue.