Rainy Weekend

Well we have had a very rainy weekend! Its been pretty low key for me and the kids. Saturday we went to Target. We got out early to avoid the rain and I was glad we did b/c it started storming soon after we got home. Its hectic enough shopping with 2 kids I can't imagine doing that in the rain! The kids were good but I felt frazzled the whole time and forgot half the stuff on my list! It takes so much longer to accomplish anything when I have them both with me! Plus I am working in a limited 3 hour window between Lindsay's feeding schedule and naps! So after we got home I fed her and put her down then Colby and I ate lunch. I always feel bad when he doesn't get to burn off a lot of energy. He did take a good nap though which was nice. After his naptime he and I went outside while she slept. He rode his bikes and used his sidewalk chalk. I enjoy those special moments of hanging out with him. That evening Austin came home and we made pizzas.
Sunday another rainy day. When we got to church it was like flooding raining so I got soaked while trying to get the kids in and keep them dry! I thought at first I was going to have to turn around and leave but I decided to stay for Sunday School and just deal with being wet. I had committed to teaching Colby's class today...I thought if it would have just been him I would have left but there ended up being 4 kids so I was glad I stayed. At the beginning it was just Colby and Zoe though. We started out the class with an art activity. Zoe was more into that then Colby. Colby is not big on art he likes painting but he's not into crayons at all. After the art activity they had free play for a few minutes. The lesson was about Mary and Joseph bringing baby Jesus to church. The book suggested going to visit the babies at church. We walked across the hall to the baby room. Ofcourse 1 of the babies was Colby's sister. I think they liked the change of scenery but both were more interested in the baby toys then the babies! After that we did our storytime...Colby didn't want to listen to the story so I had to firmly correct him. He is old enough now that he should be sitting down to listen to a 5-10 minute circle time. He ended up doing ok but I think he does better when I am not his teacher! By the time we finshed the story 2 other little girls came. We played a listening game next. Well by this time Colby was getting a little unruly. I had to punish him which I hated to do. Its hard being a teacher and a mommy especially right now at this age. I told him to go sit at the table and he told me no then proceeded to scatter magnets all over the floor...I tried putting him in timeout in the room but it was causing a major disruption so I had to make him go sit in the hallway. Was he being that bad...no but I didn't want to argue with him while I was supossed to teach the class. Would I have done that to another child...probably not but that's where it gets sticky being your own child's teacher! A prime example why I could not homeschool! Anyway once I let him back in the room he did fine. We finished up the listening game then moved on to the "driving to church" game. After this they were all ready for some free time. That was all the activities I planned anyway. We let them play for about 10 min before having a snack. At that point I picked up Lindsay and we came home. I was still wet at the point and anxious to get home! My parents and Colby left shortly after and stopped for an early lunch then came home. All 3 of us napped then we just had a low key afternoon watching cartoons and waiting on Austin to get home!

Friday-Reward Day

Well this was the last day of swim lessons for Week 1. Colby still did well today despite that fact that I'm sure he was exausted! He spent last night with my parents and they said he went to bed early but he also woke up at 4:30 this morning! He has been doing that lately when he is over there. Not sure what the deal is! He does that occasionally here but we send him back to bed. Anyway he was a little antsy for swim lessons to start but he did really well in the class despite the early wake up. Afterwards I had promised him a trip to Chickfila. Our friends Casee and Jax joined us. We have a new chickfila close to our house which is VERY exciting! I am sure that will be the first of many playdates there this summer. The boys seemed to enjoy their lunch and playtime. It was busy and crowded so I think next time I will try going earlier. But I think they had fun and it was a nice reward. Colby came home and took a great nap! I guess we will juts relax the rest of the afternoon. The weekend won't be too exciting either with Austin having to work the whole time. I will be looking forward to Monday and Tuesday for sure!

Week 1 of Swim Lessons

I have been so proud of Colby this week. He has done excellent at swim lessons. He fussed a little the first day...not like upset or crying just telling the teacher he didn't want to do something. After that first day I never heard a cross word come out of him while he was swimming. This year there are 3 younger kids in the class including Colby. During their lesson though 3 older children are also swimming in the deep end. There are 3 instructors who manage all of them. There is a boy who mainly works with the older ones while the girl and Mrs. Joan help out with the younger ones. I can tell Colby is more advanced then last year. She works with them according to what they can do. Colby is doing a little more independent swimming this year. Our friends Casee and Jackson are also in the class. I was glad Colby had a friend in his class. This is Jackson's first year though so he is a few steps behind Colby. I am glad we started Colby out before he turned 2 b/c he is so used to it now and so comfortable with the idea of swim lessons. I can't wait to see what all he learns by next week. He has enjoyed going every day. He loves getting there early and staying a few minutes at the end to play with her toys! For some reason she has great toys! I guess since he only sees them for 2 weeks every year they are special! His little friend isabella from school is in the lesson after his so he gets to see her too! I enjoy the time to visit with the other moms as well. So far we are moving through the summer nicely. I like the swim schedule we are on right now. The week before was difficult b/c I was having to get both kids out and entertain them but with swimming we have more relaxed mornings and Lindsay has been able to get in all 3 of her naps daily which has made for a happy baby and a happy mommy!

I think Colby is getting a little bored though since all we do is get out to go to swim lessons which is in our neighborhood then come home. My parents are coming over each day to watch Lindsay. I am really grateful for that b/c it allows me to focus on Colby while I am there and not juggle a 6 month old! I guess next year it will be her turn to go to the mommy and me classes when she is 18 months old! Its worked out well my parents keeping her though b/c she is able to stick to her little schedule....although poor thing she hasn't left the house all week! Today my parents brought Colby home though with them. We thought it would be a good change of pace for him. He loves spending the night over there. He spent the night last Monday but during the school year he doesn't normally do that unless Austin and I are going out and he stays with them. I think this summer we will let him go once a week or every other week. Its nice to have a break with just Lindsay. Its my first time alone with her really since he got out of school. I feel like I can focus so much more on her and really play and talk to her. Balancing two kids I feel like all day I run around just trying to meet their needs but not really getting the quality time. Its also been nice to take Colby to swim lessons. Even though its a short time we get to visit some and have that one on one interaction too! Tomorrow for a treat I am going to take Colby to Chickfila after swimming. Once again it will be a change of pace for him so he should be excited. We will have a low key weekend b/c Austin will be working through the whole thing so we won't be doing much other then a shopping trip to Target and church!

6 Month Comparison

Lindsay is at the top and Colby at the bottom!

Lindsay 6 Months

My baby girl is 6 months old today! I have no idea where time went or how that happened so fast! She is growing up all too quickly! I am loving this stage though b/c she is developing quite the little personality! She is a very good, content baby just like Colby was. I am so thankful for Babywise b/c I attribute that to a lot of it. She is learning so many new things. She rolls over all the time now and spends more time on her tummy then her back it seems! Quite different from her big bro! She is even sleeping some on her tummy now. That has been a little bit of a problem here and there though of her waking up on her tummy and crying and we go back and flip her just to find her flipped back over! She wants to crawl very badly. She can scoot and roll herself around though. Sometimes she ends up in a totally different place then I put her down. She is teething but still doesn't have any teeth. Her gums look white on the bottom so I would think in the next month she may get her bottom 2 teeth. She is still a little thing...not sure how much she weighs but I would guess around 15 lbs? We will find out next week at the doc! She is wearing 6 month clothes comfortably. I finally just put away her 3-6 month things. Its not that they didn't fit but those were winter/early spring clothes. Her 6-12 month clothes are summer. I haven't tried any on her yet I figure they may be a little big but they should work for now since the weather is so warm! She is wearing a size 2 diaper still.
She is still eating 5 times a day every 3 hours. She eats 3 solid meals also. In the last month she has started fruit and yogurt. She hates the Gerber green veggies so I hope to make her some homemade soon! She will eat other brands though! She has expensive taste we thing!
She is sleeping great...sometimes she has a rough nap or night but for the most part she sleeps 12 hours straight at night and takes 3 naps during the day. The naps usually range from 1-2 hours. We aren't as strict with her schedule so sometimes she misses one of them. We just always try to make sure she gets the afternoon nap when Colby sleeps that way everyone gets a little quiet time!
She is not sitting up yet but is getting better when you put her in the sitting position. She loves to play on her mat or on a blanket and also loves her jumpy toy! She loves her big bro and watches him often! Its fun watching them interact a little!

Fun Weekend!

Well we have had a great weekend! Austin has been off the whole weekend which was really a treat! He usually is only off on weekends when we travel or have something big going on. He decided to take his Memorial Day holiday this weekend which has been so nice! I think we have gotton spoiled to having him around! Monday morning will be tough for all of us!
Friday since he was off that morning he and Colby got our and ran some errands. I decided to stay home with Lindsay and work on her naptimes. Since I had both kids home Wednesday and Thursday she missed her morning naps therefore she had some really tough days. I was determined to get her back on track. It was also nice for me to stay in and get some housework done while the boys were out. They got back around lunchtime and we ate lunch together then all took naps. That afternoon we got ready to take Colby out on a special evening. We don't get out often at night especially now with having a baby b/c she is ready for bed by 7. We decided with Austin being off this Friday we would take Colby to his first Zephyr game. He hasn't been in his 3 1/2 years. We have talked about bringing him the last 2 years but just have never gotton around to it. I figured by now he would actually be old enough to enjoy it. We also found out about a classic car show before the game. I knew he would LOVE this! So we struck out that evening. My parents came over to keep Lindsay since she was obviously too young. Plus like I have always said I always want to try and give them each special nights alone with us. So we got to the car place and Colby had the best time. We walked around to each car and he just looked and checked them out! He was in little boy heaven! After seeing all the cars we headed to the ball game. Well since it was the 1st of June they had hurricane preparedness month. They had firetrucks, police cars and all other sort of public safety type vehicles. Colby got to do a safety class with the fire department in a little house and talk to some of the firemen and look in the trucks. Ofcourse all this thrilled him too except for the smokey house! Once we finally got in the game he was excited. I am sure it was thrilling just to take in all the sights. once we got settled in some seats we got hotdogs. That little boy ate the entire hotdog! He ate a hotdog, drank a sprite, and had chocolate icecream! We usually don't let him eat like that so he was in heaven once again! We figure a special occasion like that once in awhile I guess he can eat a little junk! Although after he finished all his food he was ready to go! We stayed until the 5th inning...he wasn't very interested in the game but I figure each time we go back he will be able to stay a little longer. They had fireworks at the end but I knew there was no way he would make it to the end! Naturally we were all exhausted that evening!
Saturday we had a lazy morning around the house. Austin and Colby got outside and did yard work. Once again it was nice to stay in with Lindsay and let her get her nap. I also got some things done inside while she napped. After the boys were finished outside we went to my parent's house to swim. I decided not to get in. I wanted to but it was time for Lindsay to eat anyway. Normally my mom would just feed her while I swam but she had to get ready for a shower later that afternoon. I enjoyed staying in with her and Lindsay though while the boys swam! After swimming and Lindsay eating we came on back home. We wanted to get back to our house for naps. It was a nice relaxful afternoon until Colby woke up from his nap with a horrible cough. He had been coughing on and off all week so I finally bit the bullet and took him to urgent care. I was concerned b/c it just didn't seem like he was getting any better. Luckily we didn't have to wait long. They said he was fine just a viral upper respiratory infection...basically a cold I guess! I am glad it wasn't bronchitis or croup. He has had both and seems prone to those type of things. So once we got home Austin had promised him a little swim in his kiddie pool. So that he did! I swear the boy is going to turn into a fish! He had a blast swimming. That evening we ate dinner as a family which was really nice.
Sunday we had church. It was so nice to once again have Austin around. Its so rare that he is with us on Sundays. We had hoped to sit in church together but I ended up being needed in the nursery both hours. I helped out in Colby's class during Sunday school. It was him and Zoe. Zoe is 2 and just promoted in that class. Although she and Colby have been in class before together so they played together pretty well. I enjoyed seeing what he is learning about and getting a perspective of how he acts in there. He did pretty well with me in there the second half. During church I ended up helping with the toddler room. They had 6 toddlers and only 2 workers. I decided to stay so it would be 1 teacher per 2 kids. I enjoyed playing with some of those little guys and girls. Our good friends Jonathan and Janel were at church so we had their youngest daughter in our class. I had never met her before so it was fun to hang out with her. All of the kids were pretty good its just a busy age so we were constantly on the move! After church we did our usual lunch at McAlister's. That afternoon we came home and relaxed. Austin and Colby ran a couple errands and spent time outside I tried to get caught up on some housework then we all relaxed that evening before sending Austin back to work! This coming week Colby starts swim lessons so we are excited to have that routine! Although it means we won't be doing much else!

Long, Summer Days

Well we are now into summer mode and out of holiday mode. I am enjoying the no schedule part...its nice to not have to rush out he door in the mornings but hard to keep everyone entertained and sane for 12 hours! Yesterday was one of those days too that Austin was way after 7 getting home which makes it even harder. We began our day with a trip to Target. I have gotton used to shopping with 2 little ones...its not horrible but its not easy either. I just feel like it takes longer and I lose my concentration. Lindsay is pretty easy b/c she just sits there and looks around but Colby has to walk usually after the basket starts to fill up and he wanders around and gets side tracked. Anyway we made it back from that and we spent most of the rest of the day inside. Its so hot these days that getting out and walking really isn't an option. Lindsay took a pretty good nap but Colby didn't nap so he was out of his room at 1 which makes for a long day. Its not that he's bad its just hard to keep him entertained for that many hours. Last summer was different he and I could do a lot more running around but now with a baby our lives have slowed down some. He and I did spend about an hour in the backyard late yesterday afternoon while she slept which was nice. That reminded me of the last few years that we have spent so many hours out there just he and I. It also didn't help my day that Colby wet the bed. He transitioned to underwear full time I think in April. Its still been an adjustment. He has an accident about once every couple weeks. After Florida they got more frequent...we got back over that hump and now he's had 3 in a row. So I start my day with stripping his bed and washing clothes! Anyway I was very glad to finally see Austin last night when he got home!
Today (Thursday) we decided to go to the library. Its been forever since I brought Colby there. In fact I think it was a few days before Lindsay was born. I keep wanting to take him to storytime but usually it always fell when he was in school this past year...oh well maybe this summer we will make it and now that Lindsay is a little older she might like it too! Anyway we got there and the castle was closed so that was a little disappointing. Even though Colby likes going to the library its always hard to get him involved. Finally he wanted to get on a computer so we did and he played pbs kids. He had no idea what he was doing...we don't let him get on the computer here...I am not ready to let him enter into that yet. Anyway that lasted 5 minutes or more then he was ready to check out books. We found about 4 books that looked good so checked them out. I felt like it was atleast a productive trip. I want him to enjoy books and know how to use the library. Even though it was quick I felt good knowing we did something educational today. My goal is to not let him sit home and watch tv all summer! Anyway the rest of the day though was pretty dull. Lindsay did fall asleep on the way home so he rode his bikes in the front for a little while. After we came in it was lunchtime...I fed and got Lindsay down for her nap then Colby and I ate and he went down for his nap. I was so happy he finally took a nap it had been several days since his last one and I knew he needed it. Lindsay on the other hand didn't nap at all ALL day so it made for a long, exausting day for me. I am not sure what her deal was b/c she has been napping so good lately. I finally figured out her nap rhythm. For awhile I was doing what worked with Colby and obviously she is a different person so I finally figured out what worked best for her. And what I figured out was 3 naps a day in her bed. Well the last 2 days with Colby being home now its hard for her to get her first nap in her bed b/c if we do then Colby is going crazy ready to leave the house plus if we wait until 10 then we only have like an hour before its time for her to eat and then our lunchtime. So we just had to skip her morning nap hoping she would nap in the car which she did today but apparantly not long enough. Anyway it was hard on me b/c she kept flipping over and I would go in to flip her back but she would do it again. It was also hard on Colby b/c I had to devote so much time and energy to her yesterday I feel like he got jipped. I try to spend the afternoons playing with him while she is taking her late afternoon nap. I know there will be days like this and that's ok we all have bad days.
Anyway its a new schedule we are getting used to. We had our routine down with Colby being in school so now it will take us a couple weeks to get used to them both being home a lot more. But it'll be ok! Thank goodness Austin is off this weekend though and I can catch a break and we can have some family fun!