Here are a few of Max’s pictures:

We decided this General Conference weekend would be a good start since we would be home most of the day and listening to the talks would help us with our patience. So we bought her a little potty to put in the main room so she could do it all by herself.

Day 1: Frustrating and dirty. She started off pretty good, but as the day went on she decided she didn’t want to listen to us anymore. The result was the use of a lot of carpet cleaner. We got 50/50 results.

Day 2: More carpet cleaner and paper towels. Again, the day started off well. She began to tell us when she needed to use the potty, but the more tired she got the more stubborn she got as well. We ended on 50/50 again.

Day 3: So close to perfection. This was the best feeling. Lexi only had 1 accident all day. She went and used the potty all by herself and also started listening to us when we told her to go sit on the potty. We were able to get out of the house for a couple of hours because she would use the potty before we left.

After she uses the potty we sing, “Pee pee in the potty,” as she dances around the room and gives high-fives. It has only been 3 days, but we hope she keeps this up. How nice it is to not have to change a diaper! It will be even better when we don’t have to use carpet cleaner. I hear that is another year though…

We still have three months of reinforcement and no pants at home. Fingers crossed that she keeps up the good work as normal life resumes.

A is for absent minded
toes digging in white sand.

B is for basketball talking,
playing,
watching—
my boyfriend’s mistress.

C is for “So, you’re a Clark,” said
by every school teacher.

D is for dandelions dancing down
my arm in a yellow streak.

E is for earth beneath
my back cool and soft, glowing
with bug’s ephemeral light.

F is for full-figured
raspberries picked
fresh from Uncle’s farm.

G is for grass flying
off cleats scoring
a GOAL!

H is for high on that rock. “Help!
I’m stuck” at the top
for fear
of the drop.

I is for my summer island. I dream
of bike rides
for bagels.
I want to go
back.

J is for jump, tuck and roll
from the roof at night.

K is for kayaking on the ocean with butterflies
fluttering towards
the shore.

L is “I like
like you.
I
love
you.”

M is for milk,
gagging you with
its ‘lk’ in your
throat.

N is for ‘nasty’ a fun
word to say.

O is for ‘ostracize’ my first
big word.

P is for “Pretty, what an unusual name.”
“No, I said Brittany.”

Q is for quizzical looks. Practice
like so: lift one eyebrow
or squeeze both together.

R is for rollered-hair. The worst
kind of sleep.

S is for the sacred word:
sisters.

T is for tunneling through
snow high
as my head.

U is for all those days
I called out ugly
from school.

V is for hand-sewn deep
red velvet doll made
from mother’s
wedding dress.

W is for wishies whisked up
and away on the wind.

X is for xeric Utah
I can’t
breathe out here.

Y is for “OOPS, AM I TALKING
TOO LOUD?”

Z is for the Zipper trapping
me inside
with my friend
who peed
and cried.

We saw Santa

We saw family and got presents.

Lexi sat at my sister’s drums by herself and actually played. It was a fun Christmas.

She also had her first bubble bath. She kept diving in and eating the bubbles. No fear of water here.