Maddie's Summer Bucket List

Before summer kicks the bucket, there are some things Maddie wants to do:

1. Pass her swim test at LifeTime Fitness.
2. Go down the twisty water slide at LifeTime Fitness.
3. Have a real picnic.
4. Catch a butterfly in a butterfly net.
5. Catch fireflies.
6. Go off the diving board and swim in the deep end of our neighborhood pool.
7. Go to Six Flags and their water park.

Well, not too bad.  We knocked off almost the entire list in one week.

I didn't take pictures at LifeTime, but you passed your test and go to to go down the slide all in the same day. I'm so happy for you for passing that test!  It feels like it takes you forever to master a skill because I just don't give you enough opportunities to practice.  I've been telling myself that I should teach you to ride a bike, but we live in a hilly neighborhood.  You don't really have a place to ride it once you do learn.


But, here you are, jumping off the diving board and into the deep end (extra fun part: we did it around 9:30p!):

 

And here is your picnic and butterfly expedition:

 

 

 

Next we have to take you to Six Flags. Argh!

 

 

I love you and your wonderful summer!

 

Captain Awesome Baby Sleeps Through the Night

It simply must be celebrated.

Have you ever read something, wished you'd known about it before, and have a strong desire to try it at your soonest opportunity?  Well, when Fin was nearly a year old I read Bringing Up Bebe. It was written by an American woman who had moved to Paris and was raising a child.  She noted some differences between her child and the Parisian children and decided to write a book about it. One marvelous discovery was that "all French children sleep through the night at 2 months." Now, I don't know what the French consider "sleeping through the night," but (as I said) Fin was almost a year old and not sleeping through the night at all. The book mentioned that once a child was 4 months old, poor sleeping habits were rather firmed up.  It would be several more months before he would sleep through the night.  I was VERY anxious to try out what the book mentioned, as it was clear what mistakes I had made with Fin.

So, as directed, I had you sleeping right by the largest window in the house, right in the living room, central to the most noise in the house.  I had you sleep in your crib at night as much as, and as early as possible. Sure enough, you turned 5 months old ten days ago and have been sleeping through the night for a couple of weeks.  And by "sleeping through the night" I mean: you go to bed around 8pm and sleep until 6:30am. It is absolute heaven.

I cannot thank you enough.  Last week I was in a terrible mood and really snapping at your brother and (mostly) your sister.  If it weren't for you allowing me to get some time to myself in the evening and then a full night's sleep, I think I may have exploded.

I love you.

To quote The Others, "This house is ours. This house is ours."

We did it!  We bought the house we have been renting and closed on June 23, 2014. It's a relief and a bit of an anti-climax.  It's anti-climactic because we've been living here.  There's no moving or fresh start. And it's funny: I've had all this guilt about moving Maddie from school to school to school, but she's disappointed that we're staying because she would prefer to change schools again.  She's never made a real best friend, so I understand.  But, while the other house we considered did have a backyard (something this house lacks), this house has better schools and it's a much nicer house in a much nicer neighborhood.  In the other house we considered, young master Beckett would have been in an open loft for a couple of years, or he would have shared a room with Fin.

Still, the relief of having our own house to do with as we please that can be as long-term as we wish is the relief.  Fin still quizzes me occasionally, out of the blue. "Is this our house?" 

"Yes."

"Is this Fin's and Beckett's and Mommy's and Daddy's and Maddie's and Fin's and Beckett's and Mommy's house?"

"Yes."

"Are we in our house?"

"Yes."

"Oh."

That's one conversation, not an example of several.

We had the house painted before we closed.  We had to hurry to make sure the owners would pay for it, and we had to use HOA approved colors.  I thought I was choosing different colors.  It did NOT turn out as I'd hoped. Sigh.

But, years ago the house had a bridge that extended from the deck and back stairs that spanned across the little creek that runs behind the house.  The bridge lead to the park behind the house, but it washed away during a 500-year flood that shook the region back in 2009.  While we rented the house, the back stairs were blocked off by some haphazard ropes meant to stop anyone from crossing.  As part of the closing agreement, we had that rebuilt.  The kids and I used it today to wander over to the park and have a picnic.  It actually made things quite a bit easier than the previous method of simply walking around the front and side of our house to the park.

Yahoo!