Everyday Life 7.15.16: having company, growing kiddos

Well hello.  Last week my easy post idea turned out to be quite challenging (how hard can it be to write up a day in my life, thought I?  Much more time-consuming and clunky than I expected) and I just didn't take the time to finish it.  It was surprisingly hard to let myself off the hook of writing every week, but I'm back today...

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Yesterday Mum, my sweet Canadian mother-in-law (she's "Mum" and my mom is "Mom") and Christy and her four littles came over to swim and have lunch.  I fully expected it to be crazy but it worked out well and we had so much fun!  We had a wonderful time out by the water together and the kids did great in our little place.  I've resisted the idea of having families with small children over because I thought it just wouldn't work in our two-bedroom condo.  Well, my nephews and niece proved me happily wrong.  Ginny even organized James' room before leaving.

            

Sometimes I don't want to do new things with the kids because I think they'll be hard, or stressful, or it just won't work out, or it conflicts with so-and-so's sleep schedule.  But each time we've done it anyway, I have been favorably impressed at how well it's gone (and that life doesn't end when naps are disrupted).  Our road trips to MI are prime examples.  Also things like driving the kids up the Mt. Evans road and being out till nearly 4...not optimal, perhaps, but we had fun and we didn't implode, explode, or otherwise die (though poor James did get carsick).  Or taking the kids to the pool by myself, or having people over...things easier done than over-thought, perhaps?

            

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Emily is mobile!  She's puttered a bit but hadn't moved around the house much on her own until just a couple of days ago.  I set her down in James' room to play with toys and have a little quiet time and when I went back to check on her she was playing with the diapers in the bathroom.  Well then.  She still doesn't crawl--either scoots on her seat or pulls herself around on her tummy.  It's pretty cute.  She is so grown up; really getting to be a little girl and not a baby.  Her sleep schedule's all crazy right now.  Some days she doesn't quite need two naps a day but one isn't enough either.  There have been a few times where she's missed a nap or has a really short one...which can be tiring all around.  But we've had some fun times together too.  She especially loves stories involving animal sounds.  :)

           

It has been a bit of a game-changer to have my baby start moving.  It makes me realize how grown-up James is.  He's getting so obedient and helps me with carrying and getting things.  He's quite a singer.  He'll take a book and use it as a guitar while he sings songs of his own making.  He also "reads" (recites) stories to himself when he's napping or narrates them through the day ("up da ladders go da firemen!" "busy police car, things to do!")  and he's learning Psalm 23 just from our repeating it so many times.

                 

Last night I was putting Emily to bed and James came in to say goodnight.  I told him to give her a hug and she reciprocated...a little funny since both of them seem to think that hugs involve putting your head down on someone else's shoulder.  It was pretty adorable.  He also likes to help get Emily up from her nap.  Working on only doing that at the end of naptime...

          

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Yesterday James ate a coffee bean when I was making the cold brew and I wasn't successful in getting all of it out of his mouth before he swallowed it.  Fortunately it didn't have a terrible impact on his ability to wind down.  :)

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Joe and I are both reading Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg McKeown.  Well, he's listening and I'm reading, in accordance with our (strong) preferences as to learning styles.  We have both really liked it.  The idea of trade-offs has been good for me so far; realizing that I can't do it all and that to take one opportunity means turning down another.  It's helping me to think more realistically about my time.  I tend to hope that I can do it all if I just work quickly enough and am organized enough, but I usually end up vaguely stressed and disappointed with my actual productivity compared to my aspirations.  Choosing what not do to is a novel concept but it makes so much sense.

Also, there's just the paradigm shift of motherhood.  The important things don't always look like checked-off items on a list.  Unless you put sitting and playing or stories or evening walks to the park on your list...which may not be a bad idea.

I'm off now to read stories to my little boy and eventually to dinner prep.  I've been vacillating between making spicy Thai noodles or Cajun chicken pasta all afternoon.  Currently leaning towards Cajun...

Rachel

                       

             

a couple of favorite shots from our evening at the park