Thankfully our week without Bob went smoothly and he is back safe and sound. We didn't make any great strides in potty training. But we did tighten up our morning rountine significantly. This was a great blessing to us all since it added nearly an hour to our morning.

The snow has been so much fun. Even Bob was involved. It is the most snow our children ever remember seeing. Of course I spent most of my time peeling off the wet, cold clothing of each person as they came inside. And I couldn't get the gloves and hats dry quickly enough for the next round of outdoor play. We still have a lovely scuplted snowwoman in our front yard. Many people have stopped to stare as they've driven by.

In preparation for the coming "blizzard" last week, we bought a propane stove. Its a camping stove and should not be used indoors. But in a crisis we'd gladly cook in the garage or near an open window. While we were in the camping aisle at Walmart I learned that we can purchase alot of neat things to help with our preparedness efforts. Maybe we will be able to make a small stash in our backpacks.

I did learn this morning when I left Noah on the potty alone that he successfully used it! I'll have to try that again. I've been afraid to leave him on the big potty for fear he'd fall off. Maybe privacy is all he's needed. We've been so annoyed when he immediately soils his diaper after sitting on the toilet for ten minutes!

We enjoyed the surprise element of not knowing our last baby's gender before birth. In fact, I enjoyed that so much that I thought we would never "peek" again. But over the last week, I've decided that I would rather be prepared over the next four months for the correct gender than be surprised for a few seconds. Given the opportunity, I will peek. Telling everyone else is still a question though.