There are several times in a parents life when a sense of accomplishment and relief come together and a milestone has been reached. Child birth. Crawling. Walking. Talking. Potty training.

Among those listed, I am proud to reveal that Kennedi has mastered the later. It has been several weeks since we began (and when I say “we”, I really mean Juli…she’s the promoter of this milestone) and with just a few accidents…I’m beginning to feel the payoff.

After potty training… well… it feels like the end of the beginning. Sure we have the terrible twos, threes and fours to get through (and possibly fives), but for now I think Juli and I will cherish having one more child on their way to being self-sufficient.

Two weeks ago, Mikayla decided she was ready to get her ears pierced and since she’s done playing sports for a few weeks, we decided it was a good time to do it. So, after getting herself up to 10 on her chart, we scheduled an appointment with Carissa, at Rituals Salon, to get them done.

At Rituals, Mikayla was pretty excited about the idea of having pierced ears…and then it came time to actually stab a hole into her ear. This, obviously, made her terrified. When Carissa was done marking the exact location of each hole and Juli double checked their superior placement, it was time to do the deed.

With fear and excitement all wrapped up into one overwhelming emotion, Mikayla grasped Juli’s hand and took it like an 8 year-old. A few minutes (and several tears) later, Mikayla grinning ear-to-ear and looking at her new studs in the mirror.

Comments now being taken to wish Juli a Happy Birthday.