Too Short & Too Long

It's going to be over in just a few short weeks. In some ways it will be much too short. In others, it has already been much too long. A life of contradictions, as usual.

The boys and I have been spending a relaxing summer mostly close to home. We've made a few trips down to visit family at the lake, but mostly we've been in our quiet little neighborhood. And with our recent back yard project, we've drawn in even further, into our own back yard.

In some ways, that's a good thing. The back yard is safe and contained. The boys and I can now spend hours out there all day without wanting or needing a single thing. Swimming pool. Trampoline. Play set. Shade trees and the large patio umbrella. Food and restrooms nearby. All good.

Of course, in other ways, it's bad. Seclusion, lack of interaction. The boys are falling back into their old pattern of relying on me for every single moment of every single day, to not only take care of their wants and needs, but to also be their only play friend. And by only, I mean that each one of them thinks that I should only play with him. And will get screaming mad if I dare to play with someone else, or even worse, try to take a minute to myself.

Perhaps too much togetherness has gotten to us all. Connor spent most of the day in trouble, either for not listening or for talking back (we will not even begin to talk about his attitude of late). Sawyer spent the day walking up to me with his new sign of the moment - "eat" - which basically means"hey, I want something," and while it frequently includes food, that's not always the case. Xander spent the day screaming at the top of his lungs every time Connor did something hateful (see previous statement, and you will understand why he screamed long and loud most of the day).

Tonight all three of them looked at me in complete horror when I quickly gave them their required bath and then unceremoniously dumped them in bed. No bedtime stories. No snuggling. Barely a "good night, love you" as I closed the door.

It was simply one of those days. I was done.

The kids' disbelief comes from the fact that those days are few and far between. Most of the time, regardless of how frustrating the day has been, I take a few deep breaths and go through the normal bedtime routine. Xander likes his favorite book, and maybe a song or two, but not much snuggling. Sawyer wants me to snuggle and hold him until he's fast asleep, and he will put up with a story or a song, but he doesn't really request either one. Connor begs for a story (or two or three), then wants to you lay down with him and talk about the day, and then stay until he's nearly asleep. All told, it can take upwards of an hour or two, depending on the night.

And I just didn't have it in me tonight. Josh has worked the last four days straight. The kids and I have been home all summer long, all day long, together for weeks now. I was simply done.

Here's hoping we all wake up on a better side of the bed in the morning.

To Sleep ... Or Not to Sleep

Off Schedule, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.

That's the million dollar question in our house.

This has been a rough week in terms of sleep, and I may or may not have wanted to strangle the adorable child in this photo. This was 7 o'clock in the evening, which is a tad bit early for him to be thinking about going to sleep for the night. Luckily for him, he managed to sleep for 12 uninterrupted hours this night.

Now the three or four nights before that were a bit different. As in about seven hours less, every single night. The kid was falling asleep around 10 or even 11 at night, and then promptly waking up for the day about five hours later. Yes, 3 o'clock in the morning and he was wide awake and ready to start the day. And no, he didn't go back to sleep. Not once. Not even a tiny little nap in the middle of the day. And he was still never ready to go to bed, despite the string of long days and short nights he was accumulating.

So I was not in the mood for an early bedtime only to be followed by yet another middle of the night wake up. But, luckily for all of us, it finally caught up to him and he managed to sleep for more than a few consecutive hours at a time.

Sigh. Let's hope tonight is another good night, and not another short one. Sometimes that one good (dare I say normal) night of sleep is enough to throw it all back off again. Fingers crossed ...

The Hard Life

The Hard Life, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.

Clearly we are having a rough summer around our house. Another summer day, another day spent lounging in the back yard pool. It's a hard life, Connor says, but someone has to live it.

Fourth of July with Cousins

Fourth with Cousins, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.

For the first time in I don't know how many years, I spent a Fourth of July away from the lake. And while part of me missed it - thought about all the summers spent at favorite lakes with faraway friends and with family - yesterday came pretty close to being perfect.

Uncle Brian and Cousins Austin and Kyndal joined us early in the afternoon to spend most of the day under the patio umbrella and in the back yard pool. The kids had a great day, going from pool to slide (it was better when you were wet, of course) to trampoline and back again. They spent the better part of five hours out there splashing, sliding and bouncing. Uncle Brian and I sipped beverages on the patio, caught some sun (mostly for me) and enjoyed catching up.

Sadly, Josh was working. But as he's not big on the pool or the sun, I don't imagine he felt like he was missing much. Certainly not with time-and-a-half holiday pay.

After soaking up as much sun and water as we possibly could, we all came back inside to get dressed and get ready for the second half of the day. Up next was dinner at El Chico, arguably an odd choice for the Fourth of July, but it was a belated birthday dinner for Kyndal and it was her choice. So Mexican was on the menu.

Our night ended across town at Uncle Brian's house. The kids alternated between the back yard trampoline and the indoor Wii Gaming system. We sipped some more beverages as we waiting for dark to come.

And then the real show began. I was a bit hesitant, wondering how the twins would do with real fireworks up close and personal (hello new state laws allowing military grade shells). But the boys surprised us all. There were a few hands-over-ears moments, especially at dusk as the neighborhood starting popping and cracking with the first fireworks. But once they saw the flashing lights, the noise faded into the background.

We all left the back yard and headed out front to the cul-de-sac in front of the house. We opened the back hatch on my truck and the kids sat down (though this would not last for long). Uncle Brian began setting up the show. Bottle rockets, roman candles, sparklers, big and small shooting fireworks. It was a big show and a big night. All the boys did incredibly well, watching and bouncing and smiling the whole night. We had to warn the twins back a few times, as they desperately wanted to touch the bright, shooting sparks from time to time. But all in all, they did well.

It wasn't a typical Fourth of July, without the boat and the lake and the grill, but it was still a great one. Back yard fun. Family and Friends. Good food and good times.

Summer Time

Pure Joy, a photo by here we wander on Flickr.

If we would let them, both Sawyer and Xander would be in the pool day all day, every day this summer. I am pretty sure that both of them agree that it was the best addition to the back yard, ever. Sawyer loves the trampoline and at times seems addicted to it, but even bouncing cannot compete with the lure of the water. Xander also likes the trampoline, though not to the same degree. And the water is his first choice, too. 

In typical identical-but-not exactly fashion, the boys have two different ways of enjoying the pool.

For Sawyer, he is slowly teaching himself to swim. He is practicing his doggie paddle and his back float, both with some success given that he's never had a single lesson and will not let anyone even attempt to help him in the water (at least not when his feet will touch, because the lake and life jackets are a whole different story).

For Xander, it's all about jumping. And yes, we know that you're not supposed to let them jump off the ladder of the above ground pool. But quite frankly, he doesn't do anything remotely dangerous. He climbs up two steps, then hops down on his feet. He loves the big splash, even though he's not really "jumping" very far, since his feet barely even leave the water.

One swims, or something very close to it. The other jumps. And they are content. For hours at a time. Yesterday the boys and I spent several hours, in between potty breaks and snack breaks, in or around the pool.

Good summer fun, from the comfort and convenience of the back yard. We love it.