Madelyn's new pet

We don't really "do" pets around our household. Mostly because I don't care for indoor pets and Brendon doesn't want an outdoor cat. So, poor little Madelyn has to get by with other things like her new "pet" Franklin the Turtle. He arrived in her Christmas stocking and the package says he will grow to almost 6 times his starting size.

If you give him a big enough bowl and lots of water he will grow within 72 hours. Just in case you haven't figured it out yet, Franklin is NOT a real turtle. He is a realistic looking plastic turtle that grows when placed in water. A perfect pet for our house!

We think that she thinks he is real. She checks on him quite a few times every day and feeds him and washes him with soap. Enjoy the pictures of Madelyn with her new "pet". I think he should have a nice long life around our home, for a least a week.

Pictures, pictures, pictures

Here are some pictures of our family at Christmas and now in January. Madelyn fell at church a week ago and cut her eyebrow open, she didn't need stitches but it was a lot of blood for a little cut! Enjoy the pictures.

It's Potty Time!!!

Christmas was great this year and full of travel. Madelyn decided while in Missouri that she was ready to start going to the bathroom on the big potty, or at least trying. So that led to starting the potty training boot camp last weekend here in Casa de Lueck. I do think that the purchase of the Elmo potty ring, Elmo undies and Elmo stickers has been the key to our success.

I read all sorts of articles about how to train your child to go to the potty and so on. What I learned through trial and error, is that the parents are really the ones that must be trained. I know that if you don't ask/take her to the bathroom there will be some sort of carpet cleanup in about 2 hours. Once we figured this out and positioned the bathrooms with all the necessities, books, clean undies, flushable wipes, stickers and something for Mommy to sit on while she waits, we are doing pretty well.

Week two is starting off with a few accidents but that is going to happen. When she is busy playing she has a hard time slowing down to make a pit stop and we end up a little soggy.