Aedan: 57 Months, Week 1
Owen: 15 Months, Week 3
After being awake with Owen until about 1:00 a.m., Sunday morning came much too early for our liking. However, I was so very glad that he was finally able to get some rest after that. I was amazed that he didn't wake up again, with how rough the beginning of the night had been. Ben and I got busy packing everything up and collecting all our stuff, while the kids got a little more time to play with all the family. Finally, it had reached 10:00 and Owen was still sleeping, so I went in to wake him up so that we could get on the road back to Sault Ste. Marie.
Here are Samantha and Aedan doing some Sudoku with Ema that morning.
We debated where to stop for lunch since we got a later start that morning, but we made it all the way to Lansing where we stopped at our usual Chipotle. So that Owen could take a nap, I put a movie on for Samantha and Aedan to watch that afternoon. Owen didn't take as long of a nap as he should have, only sleeping about forty-five minutes, which made the rest of the trip home feel very long, but I could understand that he probably didn't feel very good with a double ear infection and having to be stuck in the car all day.
Ben's semester didn't start for another week, and Samantha didn't start back until Wednesday, so we had a couple days at home together, which was really nice. It gave us a chance to catch back up with our errands and mounds of laundry. I also started doing some purging and tidying up with the kids, having them go through their rooms with me to clean up and make room for new toys they got for Christmas. We filled two garbage bags, a box for recycling, and a box to give away. We found some things that were broken or they didn't want anymore, and Samantha had tons of paper and junk just shoved in her desk and shelves. I know I need to get rid of more because there are more things that very rarely get played with, but it's hard to know what to get rid of. I just have to not be attached to things and realize that they have served their purpose and can't be kept forever. This time of year I always feel a desire to clean and get rid of things, and I actually decided to sign up for a decluttering challenge. I just don't want our things to take over our space so much that we don't enjoy it, or we spend so much time just picking things up, and I know it's so easy to just keep letting the toys accumulate or just shoving things in closets rather than dealing with whether we should keep it and where we should store it. I felt pretty good about all we accomplished that morning and afternoon, and I think it was good that I involved them in this whole process.
Since we had to go grocery shopping that day anyways, I suggested we bring back our tradition of fondue for New Year's Eve. We tried it a couple years ago with the kids, and they weren't too big of fans of it. Last year was too crazy with having a baby. However, we decided to try it out again this year. We bought stuff to make a cheese fondue and a chocolate fondue, and I was really excited about our meal plans. Fondue is special to Ben and me because that's what he made when he proposed, and we had it at the Melting Pot on our first anniversary, our fifth anniversary, and our tenth anniversary.
As I was going through some stuff in Samantha's room, I took some pictures of some of her artwork before throwing it away. This first picture is something she drew on her white board. We couldn't believe how well she did at drawing it, and the quote made us smile. When we asked her where she found the quote, she said she remembered it from the movie. She's such a little artist, and she is so clever with what she comes up with and what she remembers.
Here are some other pictures of Samantha's artwork that I found buried in her room. I think these next two pictures were from before Owen was born. It's amazing to see the progression of her art as she gets older.
After watching the ball drop, we went across the street to the historical society to see the train display they had set up. The kids enjoyed seeing this last year, so we figured it would be another fun activity for the night. Samantha decided to do the search and find activity, while Aedan and Owen played with the wooden train table set and had fun pushing the buttons around the large train track they had set up. Owen's favorite part was watching the trolley car go by (controlled by the lady in the background of this picture). He would clap, smile, and reach for it every time it came by.
Ben and Samantha worked together to build the stable for Kit's horse, and Samantha was really excited to put her horse to sleep by covering it with a blanket.
Ben and I usually take turns putting Samantha and Aedan to bed, and during that time Owen just wanders back and forth between the bedrooms. On this night, Owen decided it would be fun to climb on top of Aedan and do some wrestling. I think Aedan is enjoying that Owen is getting more physical, and he doesn't have to be as careful with him anymore. It's fun to watch them together, learning new ways to play together, and enjoying just being brothers.
That night, after getting all the kids to bed, Ben and I didn't stay up until midnight because we don't care that much, but we were able to just hang out, which was fun. You could tell Izzy was still tired from being at the kennel for so long, so she had a really good sleep on this comfortable place on the couch.
Tuesday was another day we just spent at home. Ben planned to go back to campus like usual on Wednesday, since Samantha would go back to school as well, so we did a little more projects around the house. My goal for the week was to move Owen to the upstairs bedroom since he is now sleeping through the night pretty much every night. However, before we moved him, I had to get all the baby toys and gear out of the closet that I just been shoving in there once Owen outgrew it. I also wanted to paint the room the same gray color as his bedroom downstairs so it would match all the other bedding and bins in his room. Plus, I didn't like the tan color that the room was painted in before.
Also, going along with the decluttering challenge, the first week was bathrooms and closets, so while the kids were taking baths that night, I went through the bathroom closet and medicine cabinet, throwing away expired things and old travel bottles, as well as organizing things into categories so it's easier to find stuff in the closet. It felt good to get rid of stuff and declutter, and I am going to try to do this challenge as much as I can. I feel like it will help me feel more on top of things, and then hopefully I can do better about where we put stuff that comes into the house from now on so it doesn't become like this again. (That was the one advantage to moving as often as we did, it would force me to go through things and throw things away, because there was no way I was going to pack and move junk that we didn't need or use.)
As I put Owen down for a nap that afternoon, I took a few pictures of him fast asleep in my lap after he fell asleep nursing before nap time. I held him for just a little bit longer that afternoon, for this is when I get the best snuggles from my little boy who is constantly on the move when he is awake. Isn't he just the sweetest? I'll take as many snuggles as he will give me, for as long as he wants to give them. :) It does my heart so much good.
Also, going along with the decluttering challenge, the first week was bathrooms and closets, so while the kids were taking baths that night, I went through the bathroom closet and medicine cabinet, throwing away expired things and old travel bottles, as well as organizing things into categories so it's easier to find stuff in the closet. It felt good to get rid of stuff and declutter, and I am going to try to do this challenge as much as I can. I feel like it will help me feel more on top of things, and then hopefully I can do better about where we put stuff that comes into the house from now on so it doesn't become like this again. (That was the one advantage to moving as often as we did, it would force me to go through things and throw things away, because there was no way I was going to pack and move junk that we didn't need or use.)
As I put Owen down for a nap that afternoon, I took a few pictures of him fast asleep in my lap after he fell asleep nursing before nap time. I held him for just a little bit longer that afternoon, for this is when I get the best snuggles from my little boy who is constantly on the move when he is awake. Isn't he just the sweetest? I'll take as many snuggles as he will give me, for as long as he wants to give them. :) It does my heart so much good.
Wednesday was a little bit of a hard day because it marked the end of Christmas break. Ben went back to work, and Samantha went back to school. Aedan didn't go back to school until Thursday, so we had one more day together. Story time started at the library, and we decided to go to give us something to do out of the house. Owen had been fussy and crying most of the morning, throwing fits and throwing himself on the ground, crying every time I put him down. His bottom left canine tooth was trying to poke through, so I hoped that he was just teething. It was one of those days where it was hard to get much of anything done because Owen just wanted to be held most of the morning.
Luckily, I was able to get him to take a good nap that afternoon, and while Owen was napping, Aedan busted out his Super Hero cape building kit. He was really excited to get the stickers out and make his design exactly how he wanted. He actually surprised me with how particular he was about designing it and making things symmetrical. He's gotten much more detail oriented lately, and he was so proud of his finished product. He loved working on it, and it was a great afternoon activity for him.
Luckily, I was able to get him to take a good nap that afternoon, and while Owen was napping, Aedan busted out his Super Hero cape building kit. He was really excited to get the stickers out and make his design exactly how he wanted. He actually surprised me with how particular he was about designing it and making things symmetrical. He's gotten much more detail oriented lately, and he was so proud of his finished product. He loved working on it, and it was a great afternoon activity for him.
And here he is with his cape, bracelets, and masks on, all decorated by his imagination. He was so proud and couldn't wait to show Daddy and Samantha when they got home.
We learned that our friend, Mr. Ken was in the hospital with pretty bad pneumonia, so we had the kids record a video for him so we could send it to him to cheer him up. Samantha and Aedan have such kind, empathetic hearts. They were very concerned about him, and we prayed for him several times a day.
It was definitely an adjustment getting back into the swing of things that Wednesday, and with AWANA starting right back up again, it made for a long day and tired kids come Thursday morning. Since Ben's schedule was still flexible, I decided to take my chance to get the first coat of paint down in what would be Owen's bedroom. I finished the taping the night before and had all my materials to get the job done. Ben hung out with the boys so I could paint without getting interrupted, and it took me a good three hours to do the cutting in and first coat in the room. I always feel nervous painting because I'm worried that I'm going to mess something up and have it look bad when it comes to the finished product. I know Ben didn't really want to stay home while I painted, but it's just one of those things where I don't know when else I'm supposed to get stuff like that done. It's hard enough just getting normal daily and weekly stuff done around the house like cleaning, tidying, laundry, and dishes, and when we try to add in any extra projects, sometimes it feels overwhelming to me. Sometimes I feel like I could use a whole uninterrupted week without kids to get all the things done that I need to and want to do. Besides for painting, the other things we've been working on is taking down the 12 months clothes and washing the 18 months so I could hang them up once we had his bedroom painted and cleaned out.
On Thursday, even though Aedan was tired out, he had fun going to preschool again. He was able to bring his favorite toy, and he decided to bring Bumblebee for his toy. Owen had a rough few days that week with lots of screaming and crying, and he had a pretty bad stuffy nose and cough. Plus, he had a terrible diaper rash as well.I felt bad for him, and was doing everything I could to help him breathe better and sleep better. I was just praying that he wouldn't get more sick or develop an ear infection or something else. The days felt so challenging with Owen, that I never felt so happy for Owen to go to sleep at night. Nothing I did made him happy, and it was definitely tiring.
Instead of the typical New Year's resolutions that I make and fail at, this year I made a different one. I decided to read the Bible in one year plan on the YouVersion Bible app. I resolved to read the entire Bible this year. The app comes with a devotional and the passages for each day, tying them all together with a common theme. I was really enjoying the first few days, and I found the devotions to be very relevant and thorough in explaining the chapters for the day. On Friday I read this quote that meant a lot to me, "God does not want you to be downcast--constantly looking at the regrets behind you, the problems around you, and the sin within you. Rather, lift up your head and see the help above you--walk with your head held high, and your eyes fixed on him." That's what I want to do, to walk with my eyes fixed on him, and to take one day at a time, not bogging myself with all the ways I don't measure up, but instead seeing the help above me, providing me with exactly what I need for that day.
Ben decided to go to Samantha's school that day with Aedan to eat lunch with her since he still had the flexibility to do that. Aedan was super excited to play in the snow with Samantha at recess before lunch, and Samantha loved seeing the two of them in the middle of her day. That's something I wish I could do more, but with Owen, it would be hard for me to take the two boys there very often.
When I picked Aedan up from school that day, he had this adorable picture posted on the door to his classroom. It's like Aedan is in a snow globe! Such a cute picture and a cute project.
Friday night as I was putting Owen to bed, I was just struck with how precious it is that I get to care for these three children of mine. Especially with sweet little Owen, it made me think about how there are a lot of people who say to lay your baby down when they are awake so they can learn to fall asleep on their own. However, these people are missing out on the wonderful joy you get to experience when you nurse or rock your baby (or toddler) to sleep. That night I experienced the pleasure of having my 15 month old fall asleep on my shoulder, our cheeks nuzzled up together, and the sound of his breathing in my ear. In my opinion, there is nothing better than that, and I will keep on holding him until he falls asleep for as long as he will let me.
On Saturday, after a kind of laid-back morning, Ben had to go to Aedan's preschool for several hours to volunteer so we can ear our hours. While he was gone, the kids and I decided to take the Christmas tree and decorations down in our house. (This is always a sad day to me because I love having our house decorated for Christmas and it always feels so empty afterwards.) Samantha and Aedan did a great job helping me find and put away all the ornaments and decorations. They were sad to see the tree get put away, so we took a few last pictures of the kids under the tree. Even Owen had to get in on it!
Saturday afternoon and evening, after getting Owen down for his nap after it took longer to go to sleep, I finally got the last coat of paint done in Owen's room, so we could then let it dry overnight and work in disassembling and reassembling the cribs on Sunday.
Since I figured Saturday night could be Owen's last night in his crib in the room attached to ours in the basement, I took a few pictures and a video of him playing in his bed that night before putting him down to bed. I love his sweet smile, and there were just too many good ones for me to just pick a few.
Blog about December 30, 2018-January 5, 2019)
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