August 29 2000

It's hard to write a reasonable sized note on what is going on in the Wall family. So I
will just tell you a few little things. We spoke in Church on Sunday and it went well, I
think. We must not have offended too many people because after wards Brent got
invited to play his Horn at some stake concert night, and I was invited to a weekly
scrapbooking group that is run at the home of a creative memories consultant. (shes no
dummy, there is not a scrapbook store for miles and miles, so she invites all us hooked
scrappers from Utah over to scrapbook with her.) I was also invited to a wives of
Medical students Book Club on Friday night, and Elizabeth and I were invited to a group
trip to the cryola factory on Thursday. I am looking forward to that.

Elizabeth is running a potty training feasco! The first week it took her 2 days to
recognize the feeling and run to the potty. Then we were having only messed pants once
a day. And for then next week or so that was the way of it. A few dribbles here and
there, but mostly good with everything but bowel movements. By the second week she
was mastering the bowel movements and begining to see how long she could hold it.
This week we are really triing to teach her that she can go back to what she is doing after
she goes to the bathroom. Yesterday we had the advantage that she couldn't keep her
mouth shut. The minuet she felt the urge she would say "potty" and I would rush her in
there with her crying "no thank you" and then complaining the whole time she is going
that she wants what ever it was she was playing with. Today however she has figured
out that if you keep your trap shut, no one will take you away from what you are doing,
so she has had 2 accidents that I only knew about because I saw that she was wet. She
knows, she did very well, but now she would rather pee her pants and keep playing.
She now has bowel movements on the potty fine, but the whole wetting thing is
frustrating. I am considering putting on thiner underpants so that it trickles down her leg
insted of getting all caught up in her underwear. We'll see what she does tommorow.
She seems to be running her own little experament.

Last night after Family Home Evening we went for a walk. As we walked along the
sidewalk in our complex area, Liza was ahead of us and I saw a brown critter that was
the size of a loonie hop out of her way as she was running. I said to Brent, did you see
that bug, what was it? We stoped a minuet to see what kind of critter it was and would
you beleive that it was a frog? So we caught it and played with it and held it . Liza has
reminissed this moment twice since it happed. She thought that was pretty cool. Liza
also often remembers her trip to the ocean about a month ago. She has now learned that
it is called an ocean and not a tub. She always says "here it comes, here it comes!" she
was scared of it then but she sure talks about it. She also loves to look at her pictures
from the stampeed and say "round and round and round" about the rides and "hurry
hurry, fast, get in there." About the stock dogs. She can also on occation be heard
sining to her self in the corner "I got a butterfly in my HAIR!" Thanks to mom, she is
determined that these are the words and no matter how many times I sing "hand" and
show her my hands, she sings out Hair and touches her head. She is triing to figure out
colors and will point and guess , and sometimes get it right. Some times she will look at
something and say "blueredyellow." As though to cover all bases so that she can be
right. She is a card.

Brent is doing well in school and I am triing to decide how to approach the whole toy
buisness without being a loaner here because no one wants be friends with the toy lady
cuz then you have to buy her toys. I don't know what to do.
Elizabeths Birthday was such fun for all of us. We only wish that we could have had
some family here. She was so thrilled with all the cards and presents that came in the
mail. We put them all in the kitchen on a shelf that we keep there, and she would daily
take us in there saying "Presents, See it!" She was so excited about everything that she
got. We took a lot of video because this year she was so excited that still pictues
wouldn't have been as cool. She got a little talble and chairs from Brent and I, a cute
purple outfit from mom and dad, a book and tape from dave and Shirley, a doggy shirt
from autie Patty and with her $ she got playdough fun factory, an umbrella, and a doll
that has a bottle that crys and drinks and laughs some friends of ours gave her a
fisherprice taperecorder which has been a hit as well. She loved everything, and is
feeling so grown up with her new toys. Thank you everyone for the cards and gifts.
She had a great birthday. I decorated a pooh cake, and she was thrilled with that! She
still talks about blowing out candles and can now be heard sining "Happy Birthday" to
herself in her room. She really had a great time.
Anyway, that is whats up here in Philly. TTFN!