Photo Journal - Josie Boettcher

Day 310 of my 365 Photo Journal  It was a tough day today. I woke up to a poopy Ollie and Ben basically heading out the door. I don't know. I don't want to go into the whole thing, since it's just a bunch of negative emotions. Ben had a rough day with his mom and I had a rough day potty training-wise, but I did have some bright spots in my day. 1. Brit and Anna came to visit! Here's a pic of Anna snuggled up in a cocoon of caterpillar. 2. Brit brought us dinner! I can't tell you what a relief it was for me to not have to make dinner today. It was SUCH a hard day. But Ollie went to sleep relatively early today and I got to take a shower, so I'm not feeling too bad right now.

Day 309 of my 365 Photo Journal  I think I mentioned that house that Anne told us about the other day and we went to see it today. Unfortunately, the house is a bit of a wreck. There are so many great things about it: the neighborhood, the proximity to our friends and our church, proximity to a park and a rec center, cool design, great light, lots of space, huge lot. There are really terrible things about it too: outdated, SO outdated, kitchen appliances that are so old they likely are not working, potential updates needed on the outside of the house, TIMING. It kind of feels like the timing part is the worst part. I'm usually up for an adventure (and that's definitely what this house would be!) and would probably be with this house, but Ben is not in a mental place that makes him feel like partaking in any adventure whatsoever, not that he's normally up for too many risky adventures! We both agree, though, that the house is a trash and junk filled disaster that would requi...

Day 308 of my 365 Photo Journal  Well, today was as uneventful as the last few have been. Just a lot of sitting and watching Ollie. I managed to actually relax during her nap today, which was really nice. Jonas and I just sat watching Good Bones for a couple of hours. I did not pick up my camera, but I did get some time to go through old pictures, so I'm choosing one of those for today's post. Look how little Jonas was just two years ago! I love the blue theme here. Blue on blue on blue, with a couple of little red pops. 

Day 307 of my 365 Photo Journal  Ah...another wonderful day of potty training. Today was better than the last two days in anxiety and in results, but still. Potty training sucks. She had one accident today and it makes me feel like although she knows what she 'should' do, she'd rather do what she feels like doing...which is peeing right where she is. We're going to have a few more days of work, I think. In other news, Ben worked on a rocket ALL day today and this evening we went and set it off! It honestly was incredible. It flew up like 1,000 feet and although we went to a big, clear parking lot, we still lost it somewhere either on top of the building or to the side of the building. I got a few pictures of set-up. Today, Anne sent out a message saying that her neighbor a few doors down is trying to sell his house without listing it. It sounds right up our alley, although about 7 months sooner than we were looking to get serious about looking at houses. It's the si...

Day 306 of my 365 Photo Journal It has been a rollercoaster of a day with potty training. I was excited when we woke up, because Ollie had a DRY NIGHT!!!!! Woohoo! I had to get up twice because she was stirring and she went potty one of those times. I was really thrilled! Then the morning took a turn for the worse. She peed and pooped in her underwear four or five times before noon and had no times in the potty. 😲😭 I was feeling SO overwhelmed and sad. Like, I just wanted to burst out of my skin with frustration! So confusing to me that she could have such a great night and such a horrible morning! The guide tells you to expect this, but I still wasn't expecting it. She did pee in the potty around lunch time and then twice around nap time, thank God, and I started feeling like, whew! It clicked! She's got it! And then, after she woke up from nap, she just WOULDN'T freaking go. Hours passed. And she finally peed on the floor in the dining room, which I caught in the middle...

Day 305 of my 365 Photo Journal  Today has felt insanely long. The first day of potty training has sucked, as expected. We've had worse potty training experiences, for sure, but even the best experience is stressful and anxiety inducing. So far (7pm) she's had 3 accidents and 3 successful pees on the potty. She's got a bladder of steel and is really resistant to this whole thing. She's just so independent that she doesn't seem to like us constantly encouraging her to go potty, or asking if she needs to go potty, or checking to make sure she's still dry. She also doesn't seem to care at all when she pees herself. So far, she has chosen three terrible places to have her accidents: 1 on the rug by the door, 1 on a chair cushion, and 1 on the carpet upstairs. NONE on the hard floor that can just be wiped up!  Literally nothing else to report on, since potty training has consumed every moment of today and will also consume every moment of tomorrow AND the next da...

Day 304 of my 365 Photo Journal  Today definitely started out better than yesterday. I was in a much better mood AND I had a visit from Brit and Anna, which I always appreciate. And today, Brit is 2 months pregnant! I'm going to photographically follow her along pregnancy journey and I'm so excited to have gotten my first shots today. Such a beautiful mama! I couldn't decide between the b&w or the color, but I'll probably just edit both ways from here on out until I can (or Brit can) make a final choice.  In other news, Ben has decided that he'll go to DE next Wednesday and Thursday. I don't feel anxious or worried at all, thankfully, but that doesn't make me want him to go. I totally understand though. It'll be a rough couple of days for both of us, in entirely different ways.  Tomorrow is day 1 of Ollie's potty training. 😳 Potty training requires SO much patience. SO SO SO much. And I have been running real short on patience lately. Prayerfull...