Breaking Up With the Crib

Dear Crib,

It's not you, it's us. We don't need your services anymore. You've been an amazing crib, but we're done having babies and the youngest wants a Big Boy Bed.

For the past almost six years, you have been a sturdy, useful crib. You watched over our middle child while he slept, had a side taken off to make a toddler bed, got moved across the country, and then got put to use again for our youngest. You've been jumped in, filled with all the stuffed animals in the room, thrown up on, chewed on, and even held the weight of Dad snuggling with a child.

We're sorry to see the end of our partnership. We'll give you a good reference to a new home where a new baby can sleep peacefully inside your wooden bars. Please, don't cry; you'll rot your wood.

We love you, Crib. We do.

Love,

The Family With No More Babies

Reasons My Three Year Can't Nap

We are swiftly headed to that time when the child doesn't nap anymore. He used to go down for naps and pass out instantly. Now, he is down to one afternoon nap only and it's a constant fight to get him to take a nap. If he weren't such a cranky pants when he misses his nap, I might let him miss it. But the Tiny Toddler Tornado becomes the Ticked-off Toddler Tornado when he doesn't get those three hours of shut-eye in the afternoon.

Today's Reasons My Three Year Old Can't Nap:

- He needed to give his sister a kiss (she was at school; he kissed her three times before she left this morning)

- He needed to give his brother a kiss (see above)

- Daddy was at work (happens every day, pal; the world doesn't stop turning)

- He wanted to go to Ah's (grandma's) house (she was at the dr)

- He needed to pee (ok, I'll give him that one)

- I needed to sing "Hush Little Baby" FIVE times instead of four

- He wanted the fan off

- He wanted the fan on

- He wanted me to nap with him (this sounds like a good deal but Momma's got stuff to do, my friend)

- He needed more kisses

All of this came out in the span of the ten minutes that I was rocking him (minus the time it took to take off his diaper, let him pee, put the diaper and his pants back on). When he gets fixated on something, there's no stopping him.

Finally, I told him "Good night" and went downstairs...to a chorus of "Bye, Mommy, I love you. Bye, Mommy, I love you, Bye, Mommy, I love you" for a good five minutes before blessed silence.

BFF Vacation 2016, Part 1

What do you get with two BFFs, five kids, one husband, and one mom? SUAC 2016, that's what!

If you can't figure it out, that's Schafer-Urbach Arizona-California 2016. Forever known as #suac.

It's been a little over three years since my bff's two kids and my two oldest kids have been together. Aiden was still travelling in Mommy's tummy at the time. Five kids is a LOT of noise, and some sass, but it is also amazing hugs and kisses, laughter, and making memories. If you didn't know better, you might think they were actually related.

And as my bff's oldest announced, we ARE related. Maybe not by blood, but these kids are cousins to the core. They play like cousins, they laugh like cousins, they argue like cousins, they LOVE like cousins. Seeing the five of them together has swelled my heart to fifty times it's normal size.

In just a little while, we are going to have to say goodbye and send them off down the road. Thankfully, it's only for a few days. We'll be meeting up in San Diego in a few days for some more fun in the sun. Can't wait!

The littlest

BFFs The Next Generation

Big cousin/little cousin love

It's the Last Day of First Grade...

...and my baby girl seems so much more grown up than the first day of first grade.

On the first day of first grade

-She was still shy and anxious about going to school every day
-She was just starting to read
-She could do a little math
-She was worried because not all of her friends were in her class
-She still seemed like my baby

On the last day of first grade

-She loves school and is sad today is the last day
-She reads chapter books
-Her teacher calls her a "math wizard"
-She loved having her best friend in her class and made more friendships
-She seems like such a big girl to me

A lot changes over the course of the school year. She grew some inches. She finally fits into six 6 clothes. She has amazing ideas and wondrous questions. We read every night, and I am constantly amazed how well her reading continues to improve. She asks to do math when she doesn't have homework from school. She writes stories. She is this amazing, loving, fun, silly BIG KID.

I don't know when that happened, exactly.

One of Those Days

Today was one of THOSE days. You know the ones. You wake up, hopeful it will be a good day. Heck, tomorrow is Friday! That's a step in the right direction already, right? You wake up hopeful but the day goes downhill anyway.

Today was one of those days where my older two fought nonstop. I'm pretty sure they were fighting over who was breathing more at one point.

Today was one of those days where my baby was in a mood. Nothing made him happy. He asked for milk; he cried because I gave him milk. He asked for waffles; he cried because I gave him waffles. He asked for yogurt; he cried because I have him yogurt. Today, he took a morning nap without a complaint (first time this year).

Today was one of those days where my older two were fighting so loudly that they woke their brother up from his afternoon nap. His afternoon attitude made his morning attitude seem peaceful.

Today was one of those days where my baby took poop out of his diaper and threw it on the floor...where his five year old brother smoothed it into the carpet. Why, you might ask? "Poop is funny, mommy."

Today was one of those days where I felt like I got nothing done. Child refereeing, dishes, lunches, snacks, homework, naps, snacks, breaking up fights.

Today was one of those days when my seven year old worked on her homework while I worked on mine. Two girls, sitting at their desks, working on homework.

Today was one of those days when I got to read more of The Borrowers to my daughter. It's rapidly becoming one of her favorite books.

Today was one of those days when my five year old snuggled with me and fell asleep on the couch. Curled up, he still fits under his favorite baby blanket.

Today was one of those days when I got the best good night hugs and kisses.

Today was one of those days. I failed and succeeded. There was yelling and tears and love and hugs.

Today was one of those days