We're BIG kids now!

2009 has gotten off to an exciting start for us. When the boys woke up on December 31st, Andrew declared that he needed a diaper change because it had "too much potty in it." For whatever reason that gave me the desire to start potty training. We purposely waited until after the boys turned 3 to venture down this road and I have to say it's one of the best decisions we've ever made. Thanks to a few of my friends, we used M&M's as an incentive and the boys caught on pretty quick. Brandon totally gets it and is always proud of his "accomplishment(s)". Drew still has issues with sitting on the toilet to go #2, but we're hoping he'll figure that one out pretty soon. We still have to help them go to the bathroom - to help with pulling underwear & pants down/up and to get on/off the toilet {they're little shorties}. We're shooting for a total and complete ban on diapers {or Pull-Ups} in about 3 months.

The first Sunday in January found the boys in a new class at church. They are officially out of the Nursery and in the SUNBEAMS class (for kids turning 4 during the year). I thought the boys would have a rough time leaving all the fun toys and flexible schedule since they turned 3 only a month before. But they totally surprised us. Their new teacher, Sister Hinde brought some shape boxes to play with to help facilitate the transition. The boys wouldn't let me leave, so I spent a few minutes on the floor showing them where each of the different shapes went in the box. I'm not sure how it happened, but Brandon got a peek at the snacks {which were Scooby Snax - one of their favs}, started jabbering about them which prompted Sister Hinde to announce that it was snack time. That's all it took and the boys told me to scram {"OK, mommy - BYE!"} When I went to pick them up at the end of church, the boys got a raving review for being able to sit and listen during singing & sharing time. Smooth transition accomplished.

And finally, the day I've dreaded since the day they were born. They are phasing out the daily nap. {sigh} I never realized how much I relied on that 90-120 minutes where I could take a shower in silence, watch a non-cartoon TV show, mop the floor without little footprints showing up, read a book uninterrupted. {sigh} They have enjoyed sneaking out of their room and shouting "Mommy, I woke up!," after laying in bed for 10 minutes. I guess preschool is on the horizon.