Easter, potty training, and funny stories

Easter weekend brought big storms to our area and our power went out about 3 A.M. Sunday morning. Would you believe that we didn't have a drop of rain at our house, just lots of wind. The outage only affected our street so the power company wasn't in a big hurry to fix it and it ended up being off until almost 5 P.M. which is about 15 hours!

First of all, it was no fun getting ready for church with flashlights and candles. I really had not planned on going with damp hair, but that's just how it happened. I'm sure God didn't mind. :) We didn't want to open the fridge to let any cold air out so we stopped for breakfast at McDonald's. Of course Owen spilled his apple juice on his new shirt, but that's okay. At least I thought to get him juice instead of his normal chocolate milk.

At church the kids behaved themselves pretty well and after we went to my In-law's house for brunch. It was very yummy because my mom-in-law is a great cook. The kids played and hunted eggs (for the 4th time that weekend) and a fun time was had by all.

We returned to a house that was still without power, so at this point we decided it was time to take action to protect all those groceries we had just bought the day before. Timothy went out for bags of ice and we filled up our ice chest with the freezer stuff. I was very thankful that I had finished the weekly laundry the day before just had a couple of baskets left to put away. While I did that, Timothy took the boys outside for a water gun fight. They had a blast! I should also mention that we were blessed to have lovely weather that day so we just opened all the windows and it wasn't too bad in the house.

The boys came in and got to have a bubble bath by candle light, which they thought was pretty fun. We don't normally have baths in the middle of the day. Some time around 2:00 Owen finally went to take his nap. I was surprised he made it so long without crashing, but I guess he was having fun. All day the boys kept forgetting (or more likely, not fully understanding) that most of the things they like to do take electricity. So they would ask to play a computer game, or to watch something, or why wasn't the light working when the switch was flipped. At one point Owen asked why he couldn't turn on the light and I told him because the power was out. He asked me when the power would come back in! He makes me smile! :D

While Owen and Timothy were napping, I took Collin to The Home Depot to finally see about getting a screen for Owen's window. Turns out, they don't make screens. You have to make it yourself. What?! I wasn't prepared for that, but heck, I'd already been 12 hours without electricity at this point and I was feeling up to the challenge so I bought all the things the man said I would need. We got home and I explored the instructions while Collin rode his bike on the sidewalk. Turns out you need a hacksaw to cut the metal bits and ours needs a new blade, so I wasn't able to make the window screen after all.

The coolest thing was that there were so many people outside, working in their yards, working on cars, or just sitting in lawn chairs because it was more comfortable outside that inside. Most of these folks I have seen passing by, but have never talked to. In this day and age we just don't visit as much as people used to. It was nice to have a chance to talk to some of these people. Around 4:45 an electric company truck came rolling down the street and my neighbor across the street flagged them down. After a brief chat the truck left and my neighbor announced: "They should have us up and running within 10 minutes!" There were cheers and such and it was a nice feeling to be part of a group. Owen was awake by this point, so Timothy decided to stay outside with the boys while I went in to start sorting the MASSIVE pile of candy the boys had received. The lights came on and I went out to tell my guys. The neighbors were all moving back into their houses too. Then it was over and I felt a bit like we had lost something that we had barely had a chance to discover.

I made dinner for the boys and we assessed that the only things that really needed to be replaced were the milk and yogurt so we were only out about $10. I know that seems like a lot for milk and yogurt, but Collin drinks soy milk and that stuff ain't cheap. I started the chicken and dumplins for Timothy and I (the boys haven't learned to like it yet) and then made a quick trip to the store for the milk. It ended like a normal day, but I think this was one of the best days I had had for a long time for many reasons I can't really describe.



On to other news! Have you heard those fantastic stories from crazy parents that claim that their child was potty-trained in a weekend? Yeah, I never believed it either.... until now, because that's what Owen has done!!! I'm so proud of him! I knew the little stinker was holding out on me because he has been going to the potty at school for weeks, but he would burst into real tears if I suggested he try at home. On Wednesday, when I picked them up from school, his teacher told him that if he would go potty for mommy that she would give him a surprise the next day. I was thinking she was insane. Not like I hadn't tried to bribe the kid! Also, he's 2. He's not going to remember something for a whole day, right? Wrong. He sat on the his potty that night, but there was no action going on. I was still impressed because that was more than he normally wanted to do. He didn't get a surprise from his teacher, but he got another reminder on Thursday when we were going home. That night he went potty before bed time! I was shocked! He was so proud of himself and kept reminding me that he would get a surprise the next day at school.

The rest is history. He has been going ever since then. All day Saturday and Sunday he did not have one accident and even woke up dry in the mornings and after naps! As I type this he is sleeping for the first time in underwear instead of a diaper because I think he has proven himself. I know there will be accidents along the way, and I could very well be up in the middle of the night to change wet sheets and clothes, but I'm okay with that. It's all part of the process and I couldn't be prouder of my baby!

Another funny moment this weekend when we went to Wal-Mart and we walked past the ladies section and Owen saw the bras. He pointed and said, "Mommy, those are just for girls, not for boys. But you have one under your shirt and that's funny!" Oh my! Embarrassing! I don't think anyone heard that one because I didn't hear any giggling, but it reminded me of the time when Collin was 2 and we were shopping at the same store. He had seen me nursing Owen since he had been born so he was probably more aware that most kids would have been. He saw a bra and said, "I know what that is." I couldn't help it, I had to ask what he thought it was called. He proudly responded, "A nipple holder!" I walked right into that one and there was no hiding it that time. There were about 2000 people standing right there that heard him. Maybe not really, but it seemed like it to me. Those silly boys! For the record, now when we pass that section, Collin covers his eyes and asks me to tell him when it's safe to look again. :-)