Mud anyone?

Took the kids 4WDriving, despite them having colds, which I felt a little bit guilty about. Michaela had a great time! Direct quotes: "Faster, Daddy, FASTER!" and "Bumps, bumps, big bumps!!" She literally cried on the way home. "I don't want to go home, more four wheel driving!" Matthew on the other hand, wore his usual serious expression, taking it in, but not quite sure about it all.

Conditions were amazing and the mud was out of this world. We had an amazing time. I got behind the wheel too. Too good not to. Got the car a little dirty!

As a true testament to how well carseats hug your babies in, this is what ours looked like as we tore it up amongst the wicked terrain:

Today was a quieter day. Aside from washing the car, which took Dave most of the day, Michaela broke her tiara and wanted to make a new crown:

Really, she was just stoked to use scissors. It think it entertained her for a solid half hour just cutting little snips into that red paper.

Here is a photo of Matty's new haircut. Aside from a little bit around one of the ears that I missed, its alot shorter. The curls are gone, but I didn't shed a tear like I thought I would.

Nap time joys

After sleep school, I have tried to commit myself to sticking with Matt's "routine" and making sure he has his regular naps during the day. I have had to sacrifice quite a bit to achieve this, namely having to stay home in the mornings and then making sure if we do get out for a quick jaunt around lunchtime we are home by 2 for his second nap. It means that really, I don't get out of the house much. But my baby sleeps better at night. Not perfect, but truly amazing in comparison to what he was doing. So I don't want to screw it up!

On the other hand, because I am planning my day around Matt's naps, poor Michaela is getting a bit neglected. And there are few things are feral as a neglected 2 year old. Her temper tantrums are becoming increasingly violent and my patience is being stretched very thin- I only have so much! One of the things she is taking a stand over are her naps. She has cracked it and screams when its nap time. It wakes up Matthew and then I can't get him back to sleep and his afternoon/evening becomes hell.

I can tell she is tired. Her eyes are seriously glazed over. But she that strong-willed determination that comes with her age. So I am not sure what to do. Run her ragged and let her skip her nap? Sacrifice Matt's sleep to try and get her to sleep?

It has become a daily battle that I dread. I know there has to be an easier way. I am sure that part of the problem is that she does not get enough one-on-one time with me and is not being "stimulated" enough during the day to feel satisfied. But I don't know how to fit it in. The house is a mess. I am exhausted. Meals need to be prepared. Laundry needs to be done. All the while I am trying to keep her as quiet as possible so Matt gets his sleep!

As we head into winter, I am not looking forward to being cooped up in our tiny little house to hide from the freezing cold. I'm feeling like I need to make a routine or a plan for our weekdays to make sure I fit everything, even though I hate routines and am too spontaneous to ever stick to one.

I don't mean spontaneous like doing crazy things all the time. I mean that even though I have "plans" for my day, I like to go with the flow and do things on the spur of the moment, even throwing everything out the window and doing something completely difference instead. I guess teaching has brought that out in me.

Its pretty hard to do that with a baby and toddler I guess.