It’s halloween!! Yippie. It’s one of my most favorite holidays. I just love dressing up. I am all for a little fun spookiness with cheesy ghost and skeletons but I am so over the gore and terror that has taken over. I tried to find a festive hayride for us all to go on but it was impossible to find anything other than things like “Field of Screams” and other stupid named horror shows. Why?? Why??
How was your week? Have any cool plans for Halloween? We had an overall pretty good week around here. Just thought we’d share a few of our ups & downs…
UPS:
1. SLEEPING!! Can I get a woot-woot? WOOT! WOOT! Remember our “down” from a few weeks ago? Hallelujah we are in a really good place right now. It took a few months of persistence and this lovely clock (and maybe a little of letting Finley whine in the morning before going and getting her) but everyone is sleeping till 8:00am. Seriously, I am over the moon… like jumping up and down high fiving myself!! You better believe I’m not taking this for granted. I know this too is a stage and I am sure something will change (daylight savings UGH!) but for now I am so freakin’ happy.
As of right now our sleep schedule goes like this… Girls wake up at 7:55am. That’s what time I have the clock set to change to let Rowan now it’s ok to come out of her room. She knows she can play or read books if she wakes up before that but I am pretty sure she wakes up to the minute that clock turns. Kids are crazy weird with internal clocks. Finley usually wakes a few minutes before but we won’t go and get her till 7:55am when we get Rowan. She has actually been sleeping till about 8:30!! Rowan hasn’t taken a nap since she was like 2 years old but Finley definitely still needs and takes a nap. We finally hit the sweet spot for the one nap a day. She had a rough go there for a little while with the transition from 2 to 1. But ideally her nap time is 12:30 or 1ish. This doesn’t always happen because of daily plans and things but if we are home this is when she naps. She will sleep for around 2 hours. Then both girls go to bed any where from 7:00-8:30pm. Finley going down first and then Rowan soon after.
2. The age of four. So far four has been pretty good to us. I know we are only a few weeks in, but Oh man! Rowan is just the best. I love that little girl so much. I love four. I love the questions that four brings. Soooo deep and profound. You can just see the wheels working up there as she really begins to process the world around her. Like today she asked me how people know how to read words that go up and down (vertical). Or she asked me the other day if the tooth fairy was real. This afternoon she said to me “I don’t feel so well. I really need some tea because I have the shivers and they are driving me crazy”. Hahaha
3. Finley learning how to tell secrets. It’s just gibberish with a “Roro” thrown in there but it’s about the cutest thing ever. She climbs up on you. Pulls your hair aside, gets real close and then leans in to whisper sweet nothings (literally sweet nothings) in your ear. She then throws her head back and laughs. HEART MELTED THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
Downs:
1. Potty training. How are we entering into this stage again? I don’t think Finley is quite there yet but we created a potty monster over the weekend by having her sit on the potty like Rowan. Every second of every day since then Finley has been pulling her diaper off to sit on the big potty. She sits for 5 seconds, doesn’t go potty and then wants her diaper put back on. I know it’s process. I know she is just starting but I am venting because ugh! potty training it just not super fun and we are too busy to spend our entire day taking diapers on and off every second as a big ol’ game.
2. Snacks. Oh snacks are my arch nemesis. I swear the girls are looking for food every minute of the day. Why? Are they really hungry? I don’t know. Do your kids do this? I only give them healthy options (apples, carrots, celery and peanut butter, etc…) and they will eat it all but every.mintue.of.the.day. HALP!
I leave you with the sweetest pictures of little miss Fin to date. She was loving this day with her sister…
Happy weekend my friends!!
OUTFIT DETAILS:
JEN:
Jeans: LOFT (best legging jeans ever)
Button down: J.Crew (25% off)
Coat: H&M (similar)
Boots: Similar
Glasses: c/o Coastal
Girl’s shoes: Vans
Finley’s vest: Target
Finley’s buffalo plaid shirt: Target
Rowan’s Sweater: H&M (boys section)
More details about sleeping please!! What is this clock you speak of? What time do they go to bed? Is Finley still napping? My 4 year old is up no later than 6 am every day. Oh man.
Oh, and I can’t get my daughter to eat anything. Like anything. Except fruit!!
By the way, your “Ups and Downs” posts are my favorite.
Firstly! Your children are the most adorable! Second, I like the “ups and downs” blog, they make me less worried about having children (in the future – soooooo in the future, though I love ’em). Third, I love that you let them play in leaves, etc, and are not (or don’t seem to be) paranoid about germs or getting dirty, that was one of the many great things about my childhood and it makes me happy when I see others passing that to their children <3
Awesome! Keep up the good work!
i’m in the same boat with the snack issue over here! seriously, ten minutes after my son finishes breakfast he’s saying “i think i need a snack” when he JUST fought me over actually finishing his breakfast. it’s crazy. and after making three meals a day for my family, i really don’t want to be getting interrupted every ten minutes for a snack. ugh. and it’s only gonna get worse, huh? but i guess when they’re older they can actually get their own snacks. hmmph. but yay on the sleeping! way to go!
They are adorable! And that last picture ahhhhh!!!
Yes on the snacks! My four year old asks for snacks all day. Ten minutes after lunch…snack. Twenty minutes after snack…snack again. We’ve been going through apples by the bushels.
Pairing protein with every snack helps me not be hungry all the time, so maybe it will work with your girls? Also, lots of healthy fats will fill them up.
Nap is a huge thing for us. If we miss a nap all hell breaks loose and night sleep is terrible. So I’m one of “those” moms who is super rigid about the nap schedule. It makes me a party pooper but I have to do it for my sanity.
Is it strange to have toddler outfit envy? Because I do. I’ve made a mental note to copy Fin’s outfit, expect to see it when we’re in Texas!
Also, for what it’s worth, I remember being really young and WANTING ALL OF THE SNACKS. I also remember my own mother’s frustration with it. So I think it’s just a thing.
And for the record, I still want all of the snacks…
Oh my gosh, I can’t agree with you more about the snacking. It NEVER ENDS, hahaha. I feel like all I do all day long is dish out food. Then- after making a point to put a stop to it a good while before dinner time- my three year old has to be forced to eat each bite of his food when we do sit down for a real meal. LOL! Thanks for the great post 🙂
Potty training really isn’t fun, is it? If it’s any consolation, we went through the same with our son. Lots and lots of no-pants-time at home (and a fair amount of wee on the floor), but he’s now completely potty-trained at 2!
And, YES to the snacking as well. But reading the comments above, I feel like maybe it is just a toddler/young person thing 🙂 I try to reason that as long as they’re eating healthy snacks, it’s not so bad.
My boys snack all day too! I try to tell if it’s bordom or hunger. I heard a TED talk that said a large percentage of babies and toddlers calorie intake goes to brain function. Where as adults is a much smaller percentage. So, we are truly fueling their brains!
Wow! Thats awesome that the kids sleep till 8am, i hope the end of daylight savings this weekend doesn’t interfere with that. How do you get the pictures of the kids running around and moving so clear? We can’t seem to take a photo of our 18 month old without it being blurry. I love this time of year.
P xo
I’m with ya on the constant snack battle. Colson (my 4 year old) is constantly wanting to eat. I try to pack snacks when we go anywhere and have good stuff in the house to offer him when he’s hungry but oh man, sometimes I wonder if I’m feeding him the right foods to keep him feeling satisfied. I also tell him sometimes that it’s ok to feel hungry and that our bodies weren’t made to feel full all the time. But a 4 year old little boy doesn’t exactly like to hear that!
these pictures of the girls are seriously THEE best.
they are so cute!!!!
I love these posts, even before I became a mom. Most of all, I love your honesty and ability to share the good and the bad. I am a new mom and I think my son is a pretty great baby (he started sleeping through the night last week and I latterly thank God for this blessing each night) but motherhood is a roller coaster. Its an awesome, exciting, stressful and emotional adventure and it absolutely has its ups and downs, sometimes in the same day.
Thanks Jen, needed a bit of mothering encouragement / realness today! So lovely & refreshing. Keep writing lots, love reading your blogs over a cuppa xx