Success!

It's official! Chloe is completely potty-trained--to the point that she pitches a horrible hissy fit when we try to put a pull-up on her at night. Her level of independence scares us sometimes. It's an affront to her if you try to help her with something she feels quite capable of doing herself. It's just hard to take her seriously when she flits about all day in one princess dress or another, complete with necklace, bracelets, and pretty shoes. The pretty shoes, by the way, never come off, even for bed. And if you want her to wear something different from what she's wearing, get ready for a bloody battle of the wills. I guess she's going through a stage right now of trying out her newfound will and testing the boundaries and all that rot, but man, it's exhausting! Seeing how well-behaved Jed is now after going through his own little monster stage gives me hope for Chloe.

And she also is sleeping in her own room now--most of the time. Sometimes she goes to sleep in our bed when she's convinced there are sharks, divers, and spiders in her room. (Those are her current phobias. Never let your two-year-old watch Finding Nemo. Though that doesn't explain the arachniphobia. That was probably just inherited from her mother and aunts.) And for the past couple of weeks I have awakened every night in the wee hours to a little body crawling into bed and snuggling against me, which is pretty precious. But at least she's no longer sleeping in Jed's bed. This is major progress.

Recent Jed quote: "I laughed so hard my bones came out!"

I just spent a wonderfully restful, inspiring day at Fairwood yesterday, taking part in the ladies' retreat there. God bless the wonderful women who put that time together! It provided a much-needed shot in the arm. I enjoyed the testimonies that several shared, the chance to get caught up with different friends, seeing Aunt Pam and Aunt Jeannette and being happy all over again to belong to my husband's precious family--the aunts always make me feel like one of their own flesh-and-blood nieces--playing a hilarious game that's a spin-off on Pictionary, but probably most of all the chance to leave behind the cares of life and really listen to the Holy Spirit without distraction. He spoke to my heart in several areas yesterday, some of them not so comfortable. But sometimes I just get so taken up with LIFE that I don't hear the Spirit's still, small voice or allow Him to work on those areas of my life that desperately need His healing touch. Evan kept the kids, bless his heart, and said they had a good day. I'm blessed to have such a loving, supportive husband who understood my need for a break!