Embrace the Camera

Rhett & Mommy | 9.13.12

Rhett's naps have changed and he now sleeps later in the morning to wake just when Max and Kate go down for their nap. Goodbye solo mommy time and hello! to having a sidekick. He's pretty cute so I don't mind and that makes up for the fact that nothing gets done around here. Being productive is over rated, right?

A Little Life Update

To follow-up on my "real life" post last month:

We have a new (new to us) car for Phil! Hooray! After much drama and endless shopping we finally got the car we were waiting on and we love it. Buying a car is such a big purchase and I am grateful we were able to find a safe, reliable one in our budget. Goodness, I am thankful that we even had a budget! I am hopeful if not confident that we will have this car through the end of training. Cross that one off the stress list.

Phil is doing a family medicine rotation right now and finds it rather boring. Granted he is coming off of two very exciting rotations and his current preceptor (doctor he is following) doesn't let him do anything. He left this morning and I wished him a good day, his response was that he was off to hold up the office walls, seeing that is all he does, lean against the wall and listen. I know he would enjoy it more if the doctor would actually discuss patient cases with him, put some effort into teaching him something. Regardless, Phil is constantly studying for his exams and we are taking this med school thing one month at a time. We can do hard things!

I have bit off more projects than I can realistically manage with my self-inflicted deadlines. None of them are particularly pressing but I am making some progress. I threw a darling baby shower for my friend Candice with my very talented friend Lindsee this past weekend. I am making a crib bumper for Rhett, repainting a crib, some picture frames and generally trying to make Rhett a nice little room. Redecorating Max and Kate's big kid room; making curtains, some pillows, need to make duvets/bed spreads, sprucing up wall art, etc. I have a Young Women in Excellence to plan, a mutual activity to spear head tomorrow night, 2 photo shoots to edit and deliver, a house to organize, a 1st and 3rd birthday party to throw this weekend, a lovely grandma to host who arrives today and two international guests arriving in October. I am very behind on this here little blog and keeping up with my own photos and...

I have been spotty with boot camp attendance this past week and this morning I don't even remember turning off my alarm, aka I didn't go today. Shame! It is so good for me to go but if I don't get enough sleep the night before then I am ill equipped to handle the darling children with grace and patience. Like yesterday, we all needed a nap!

Max and Kate are back to napping and it is going well. Phil walked in from work one prime evening to a lovely scene: three nakey jaybirds fresh from the tub, a disaster of a house, a frazzled mom wrestling a crying Rhett who didn't want a diaper, Max in full monty meltdown mode. Welcome home honey! It took us over 30 minutes to get Max to calm down from his toddler tirade and that was only after forcing him to get dressed and banishing him to bed where he carried on and on until he passed out from exhaustion. We were both so tired of him yet felt bad as he was doing the whimper cry thing in his sleep. Phil mandated that naps be reinsituted and we have complied. Max especially needs his sleep. He falls asleep in the parking lot every week after church and is the first to crash in the truck if we are ever out running errands close to nap time. 

Welp, some dirty bums are calling me, my stinky reminder that motherhood ever awaits me. Potty training will be in our future before the year is out! Here's to a productive day.

Lovey

August 6, 2012, 12:38pm

Kate has two primary loveys in her life: her blanket and her bear. Both are essential for sleep and both bring comfort in time of need. I was sitting on the couch with the kids as they watched a show and noticed Kate snuggling with her lovey, capitalizing on the moment I jumped up for the camera an snapped a few. She hardly noticed me. Sweet girl.

Rhett: 11 Months

Seeing as Rhett turns ONE(!) in two weeks I really need to get my act together here.

I don't think I can adequately express my love for my kids but I certainly do try. When I sit down at the computer to go through images my heart just swells with love, I get completely sentimental and turn into a puddle of motherly mush. Gah! I have a stupid grin on my face and gush to Phil about how fast they are growing up.

I love this grin!

This age is so fun. So, so fun! Rhett is very active, loves to be big with his siblings and get into everything and everyone's business. Max and Kate play well with him but I often get requests to put him in his room so they can play in peace. Ha!

Look at this face. Do you see why I want to eat him up? Sweet little nugget. 

He has had two haircuts now and thankfully his curls are still present. I am trying not to let him get a mullet but at the same time preserve some length and of course, keep those curls as long as I am able.

Rhett stands on his own (I wasn't quick enough here to get him fully extended) and has great balance. We are trying to coax him into taking some steps but he is very cautious. This past month we have battled another ear infection. He had one early in August and we did the 10 day course of antibiotics and then roughly a week later he was acting like he had another one. I took him to urgent care and the same ear was still red. Armed with a different drug class we are ear infection free. Hopefully it stays that way.

Rhett is good at putting items in cups, he likes to help clean-up and actually will put toys in buckets. He LOVES bath time, loves to eat and loves Max and Kate. When we walk down the hall when he wakes from naps he immediately looks around for them. 

He copies my tones when I speak and "says" uh-oh! He does it by making the inflection with his voice, so in essence he is humming uh-oh. So cute. He also "hmm?"s all the time. He is still such an easy going guy and is generally always happy and smiles at everyone. 

Preschool

Max and Kate started a preschool class with a few friends. We are doing a co-op and rotate teaching once a week for 90 minutes. The focus is on the alphabet, numbers and shapes. Max and Kate know all their letters, the phonics and can recognize them in print. Thank you starfall.com.

I taught the first week and didn't take any pictures with 5 almost 3 year olds and Rhett running around. It went really well and the kids loved it! Phil says I should call it play school since it is really a more structured play date. Either way they have fun, learn something, do a craft and really enjoy it.

Here are the big kids ready for school the second week. They are using the backpacks that my mom got them last year. Not in LOVE with Elmo so much anymore but they love having their own "pack-packs".

Kate is being coy, shy or just annoyed with my picture taking.



He is so handsome! Love this little man.



Kate's cute braided piggies. She dressed herself too.





Before we left we had to take a little swing. Phil put this up in our front tree shortly after we moved in. They love it but it is too darn hot to go outside and it has been neglected.



Here's to a fun year!

Big Kid Beds!

Last Tuesday I got a wild hair and decided to take the plunge. No more cribs! Max had learned how to get in and out of his crib recently and I often found them both out of bed, playing on the floor when they should have been napping or in the mornings.

We had gone to our friend Julie's house and I talked up Owen's big boy bed when we were there. After Rhett's nap we went to Wal-mart to look at sheets and I steered them in a direction I was willing to go with colors and pattern. And budget! Hooray for affordable bedding! I really had no idea what I wanted per decor but I am drawn to fun colors and something more sophisticated yet kid friendly. Navy and coral it was.



We talked at the store and on the way home about their big beds and they were so excited! As soon as Phil got home from the office they blasted him with requests for a big bed. He didn't understand them so I translated and he happily got his drill and together we got to work breaking down two cribs. The kids happily "helped" and then we had enough "helping" and put on a show to distract them.

As soon as the sheets were on and beds in place the kids flew, literally, onto them. Kate discovered the close proximity of the beds is perfect for practicing her flying skills.


8.21.12, 7:53pm. "Wheeee!"

We call her the flying squirrel.

They did so well! We tucked them in all cozy and gave them a few books. They both asked for a tent, which is what we used to do every night when they were in cribs. It started back in the Deanna house, in Peoria, I draped a blanket over the crib rails and told Max he was in a tent. They loved it and our bedtime routine wasn't complete without one.  We told them we couldn't have tents anymore and they did okay. They still ask but now tell us that there are "no more tents".

The excitement the first night kept them up for a bit as they explored and exercised their new found freedom. Kate kept getting out of bed (but stayed in her room) to get more books and she would toss books out the door when she was finished with them. They chatted for a bit but went to sleep a short time later since not taking naps makes for some tired babes.



Kate was the only casualty during the night. We found her passed out on the floor. Neither of us heard her cry out, no harm no foul. Max just got up and sat on the couch in the morning. I was so proud of them!



Since then things have continued to go well. They stay in their beds, fall right to sleep at night and rise early in the morning. Once I get their new curtains and shade up it will darken the room quite a bit, blocking out that pesky early morning sun. Hopefully that will extend their sleeping just a bit longer. They need all the sleep they can get without that midday nap boost.

I am having fun putting together a new decor for them. I have ordered some fun fabrics to make curtains, a few throw pillows, found some darling art on etsy and will make some as well. It is a challenge to do it on our budget but I am enjoying it. Now, if I can just get more hours during the day, I could actually make some progress other than planning and dreaming.

Remember:

I found this print on etsy and fell in love. It seems to speak to my stressed out mother heart and gives me a happy boost when things get hairy. And let's be honest, we are pretty hairy around here! This is an obvious statement; everything I do for my family is small but they add up and consume my days. I am happy to do them but at times it can get overwhelming, kids are endlessly demanding. Good thing I love 'em! 

I found a lovely frame and it hangs by my nightstand in my room. I should tattoo it to my forehead but hanging in my bedroom nook should do just as well.