Oh man. I swear, I just blogged. It might take me awhile to get back to blogging twice a week! I sit down and feel like I have nothing to say. And then, I get to the end and realize I'd better stop writing or I'm going to have to go find more pictures. #bloggerproblems
I'm also struggling a bit with re-structuring my day with Reece only napping once now. I haven't given up entirely yet. I did get him to take a short afternoon nap a couple of days ago, but it's not consistent, and I'm struggling with when and how to get things done now. As soon as I sit down and try to figure out something reliable, he'll change something in the routine, so we're just gonna wing it for a bit longer.
By the third week of winter break, we were on our third round of sickness. Reece was healthy for five days maybe before another nasty cold got him down. There was a lot of snot, a lot of crying, and very little sleep (either at night or during the day).
On one particularly bad day, following one particularly bad night (Reece "sleeping" with me in our bed while Eric "slept" on the couch; I may have gotten about 3 hours of sleep throughout the entire night!), Eric decided to take all of the kids on a drive so that I could take a nap. It was only about 10:00 in the morning and Reece had taken about a 15 minute nap after screaming for nearly 30 minutes. I had no patience left. Reece had a sore throat, and I think his congestion was preventing him from sleeping comfortably laying on his back. A nap in the car turned out to be perfect for him.
And it did wonders for me, too. I slept for nearly 3 hours (the equivalent of my nighttime sleep!) and was showered and dressed when they returned. So, after a quick lunch, we headed out. After all, an afternoon nap for Reece in his crib was out of the question. The stroller was the way to go.
I had been wanting to re-create a picture that I had taken of the kids on our first trip to the National Museum during our winter break of 2011-2012, and it seemed like a good afternoon for it. For some reason, that picture of the two of them looking out over the reflecting pond (top of post) has been one that's stood out in my mind. Of course, my assumption that it would be simple to reproduce four years later, now that my children are older, more mature, and follow directions well, was a little off the mark.
Simple directions like "stand in front of that wall" and "move to the left a little" were too much for two kids who were on a mission to find rocks to try and crack the ice. And then, reminiscent of the first trip, Cade suddenly had to go to the bathroom, Reece woke up cranky, and the moment was over. Nonetheless, it's evident they've grown when looking at the two pictures side by side, right? Okay. That was the goal.
After we explored a little, got a few pictures, and found a geocache outside, we headed inside for a little scavenger hunt. The children's museum was already at capacity for the day, and while Eric tried, the look-at-my-cute-white-kids routine didn't work this time around. We were forced to hang in the adult portion of the museum. However, iPhone scavenger hunts always make the mundane seem a little more exciting.
And then, because I'm that mom, I made them take a few silhouette shots on the stairs outside the museum. I'd been thinking about taking this shot for well over a year, and I'm kind of proud of myself for actually making it happen. They may not be exactly what I was picturing in my mind, but they'll do.
Now, I must finish that laundry, and do some dishes, and maybe clean the house a little, and work on the pantry, and feed Reece lunch, and...oh, we have an exciting afternoon planned! haha!
I'm also struggling a bit with re-structuring my day with Reece only napping once now. I haven't given up entirely yet. I did get him to take a short afternoon nap a couple of days ago, but it's not consistent, and I'm struggling with when and how to get things done now. As soon as I sit down and try to figure out something reliable, he'll change something in the routine, so we're just gonna wing it for a bit longer.
By the third week of winter break, we were on our third round of sickness. Reece was healthy for five days maybe before another nasty cold got him down. There was a lot of snot, a lot of crying, and very little sleep (either at night or during the day).
On one particularly bad day, following one particularly bad night (Reece "sleeping" with me in our bed while Eric "slept" on the couch; I may have gotten about 3 hours of sleep throughout the entire night!), Eric decided to take all of the kids on a drive so that I could take a nap. It was only about 10:00 in the morning and Reece had taken about a 15 minute nap after screaming for nearly 30 minutes. I had no patience left. Reece had a sore throat, and I think his congestion was preventing him from sleeping comfortably laying on his back. A nap in the car turned out to be perfect for him.
And it did wonders for me, too. I slept for nearly 3 hours (the equivalent of my nighttime sleep!) and was showered and dressed when they returned. So, after a quick lunch, we headed out. After all, an afternoon nap for Reece in his crib was out of the question. The stroller was the way to go.
I had been wanting to re-create a picture that I had taken of the kids on our first trip to the National Museum during our winter break of 2011-2012, and it seemed like a good afternoon for it. For some reason, that picture of the two of them looking out over the reflecting pond (top of post) has been one that's stood out in my mind. Of course, my assumption that it would be simple to reproduce four years later, now that my children are older, more mature, and follow directions well, was a little off the mark.
Simple directions like "stand in front of that wall" and "move to the left a little" were too much for two kids who were on a mission to find rocks to try and crack the ice. And then, reminiscent of the first trip, Cade suddenly had to go to the bathroom, Reece woke up cranky, and the moment was over. Nonetheless, it's evident they've grown when looking at the two pictures side by side, right? Okay. That was the goal.
After we explored a little, got a few pictures, and found a geocache outside, we headed inside for a little scavenger hunt. The children's museum was already at capacity for the day, and while Eric tried, the look-at-my-cute-white-kids routine didn't work this time around. We were forced to hang in the adult portion of the museum. However, iPhone scavenger hunts always make the mundane seem a little more exciting.
And then, because I'm that mom, I made them take a few silhouette shots on the stairs outside the museum. I'd been thinking about taking this shot for well over a year, and I'm kind of proud of myself for actually making it happen. They may not be exactly what I was picturing in my mind, but they'll do.
Now, I must finish that laundry, and do some dishes, and maybe clean the house a little, and work on the pantry, and feed Reece lunch, and...oh, we have an exciting afternoon planned! haha!
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