More stuff

From Facebook today:

Since church was canceled due to the snow (about a foot here) we had our own little Sunday School here. Usually anytime we try something like this (family home evening) it is an Epic Fail. I mean really, people end up yelling and crying, but this morning was awesome.

Colleen (7) did an activity from the Friend magazine about Jesus's baptism where we answered questions and looked up scriptures.

Kate (5) planned a lesson all by herself. It was the cutest thing ever! She carried a stack of materials to the designated teaching chair, arranged everything and started by holding up a map she had found and saying, "Have you ever been lost?" Yes. "You can use one of these paper maps to find out where you are. But it really is Jesus helping you." She went on to show us a path she had drawn leading to the Gift of the Holy Ghost, had us sing a song and draw a picture of something that makes us feel good (feel the spirit). I drew a picture of someone singing.

We ended with a hymn played by Emily.

Braggy posts are annoying and I don't want this to be one, but wanted to share our unusually nice Sunday morning so I would remember it. It really was a blessing.

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Today Becca also got on the toilet and went poop all by herself.  We aren't potty training, though we have talked about it and asked her if she wanted to go on the potty when poops were coming before.  She was a mix of concerned that the poops "fell" (she is just concerned in general about pooping) and proud of pooping in the toilet.  And no, I am not going to start potty training her.  If she really keeps this up I will think about it, but my personal belief is that if you potty train them before they are three you will just be cleaning up accidents until they are three and I would rather just change diapers than worry about all that.

My book manuscript hasn't come yet.  There is no way on earth that it will be out in February at this point.  I think making it in March will even be a stretch unless we get it pretty soon.

I have dug out all of the professional pictures and am going to work on putting them in albums a bit each Sunday.  Last Sunday was sorting and dating.  This Sunday I pulled paper for all of the family pictures.  I'm not totally pleased with all of the colors.  I might buy more paper.  :) --------  I just went online and bought paper and more page protectors.

Brian and I have been going on dates almost weekly for the last 6 months-ish.  It is really, really, really nice.  I wish we would/could have dated more consistently earlier in our marriage.  But finding/paying/driving babysitters is a big pain.  It's just a bummer that you have to wait 12-ish years to have your own in-house babysitter when you could really use one when your kids are little.

Colleen and Kate play together tons.  Colleen's favorite game to play is school and she will "teach" Kate all afternoon.  

I have started telling Aleah that she can't read for an hour a day.  She doesn't really play with the Colleen/Kate crowd, but will water color, wander,  play the piano and do homework.  I wonder if it is just that age where they are getting too big to play.  I don't want her to completely cut herself off from the rest of the family.

Becca is insane.  She is in a take-all-my-clothes off, run all over the house and scream to get my way phase.