It's all in the Toes

I've spoken often of how much Nate climbs.... he is definitely a climber!!

Last week it was the bunk beds... that were then quickly un-bunked.... seriously like an hour later (after a meal)!!

This week I caught him like this....

And if you ever wondered how they got that high...

it's all in the toes:)

So far I have kept him in the crib still... we have a couple of things to get straight with his bed!!

Oh, goodness !! That sounds awful that he's already in a bed... a big boy bed :(

I usually don't rush the transition to the big bed... it brings all sorts of training fun... but he's about to climb out of the crib. Anna said she found him straddling the side earlier in the week... just a matter of time when he falls from the crib... so it's time to move him:(

An Early Riser (sort of)

For weeks now our Little Lydia has woken up early....at least for us....when it's still dark outside and we don't have a really busy day, it's hard to get up :) So our little Lydia nurses and then snuggles back to sleep with us.

The funny thing has been that this week she hasn't fallen asleep so quickly but has had to "get comfortable". One time last week she finally fell back to sleep with her head at my stomach, her diaper at my face and her feet under Brian's chin !!!! We'll enjoy this stage since we know it won't last too long:)

Visiting the Zoo from Home

We have really enjoyed being members at the Norfolk Zoo this year!!! But when we visited after the new lion cubs were born we saw the advertisements for the zoo and cub cams. What a GREAT idea!!! So even on the coldest days when a trip to the zoo would be crazy, we can watch the animals.

Here's a picture we took of the zebra this morning!! IT's in the 30's there!! That's one COLD zebra!!


Here's an update about Christopher and the bunk beds. He never tried to escape his bed last night...but at about midnight he started waking and calling for "Mommy" and "Daddy". After he first started waking he was "up" the rest of the night. Brian and I took turns caring for him throughout the night. And we both spent some time trying to sleep in his bed. Trying because he was waking every 10-15 minutes crying in pain.... This morning he threw up a tiny bit and ate breakfast and acted normal (terroizing his sisters). He did go easily down for a morning nap as well....he protested until his head hit the pillow and then he was GONE........

So thank goodness the transition as been pretty easy....so far.. ha hahaa (only two sleeping times thus far). And last night WE were thankful that he was in a twin versus his crib or a toddler bed because we just curled up right next to him and rested while we rubbed his back.

How in the WORLD can we have a stomach virus again??? (I'm not quite sure at this point it even is a virus) But really except for Sunday and Wednesday night we haven't been anywhere or seen anyone other than church members......and really no other kids (minus 2 older ones in nursery Sunday morning)!!!

Little Monkeys

So, the nap didn't go so well. But I think the main problem was that he took a SOLID morning nap and he's at the point where he might not need two naps (well when you're puttting him down for the nap you question it, but after he keeps the timeout bench warm throughout his naptime you kick yourself). So I sat in his room and read.

The book I'm reading is called Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas. Thomas was an author I read while taking a Seminary class on Marriage and Family......anyway, I really enjoy his style of writting....honest, uses illustrations and humor. The cover makes it seem like the book is all about how women can change their husbands. But you don't get through the first few chapters to realize he is calling women to be the biblical wives they are supposed to be (to love and respect their husbands regardless of circumstances). It's been a very encouraging and challenging book.....

OK...back to the bunk beds. So we decided for the time being that we'd rather not our 3 and 2 yr olds to be climbing up into the top bed....for fear they could fall when we're not around. So this afternoon we got a mattress in the bottom bed and let the kids get used to Christopher's new bed. It took all of 10 minutes before we saw Anna climb up between the slats into the top bunk and balance herself on two slats!!!! I had them demonstrate it for me......

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Soooooo......that was pretty quick. The solution we have is to put a box spring on top. We'll see how long that keeps them from the top. And I'm tried to warn them not to climb on it while Brian and I are not in the room....hopefully these two precautions will keep us from any problems.

Staying Sane during the COLD days

Well I haven't been blogging much this week (ha h aha). Part is due to my camera not having room for more pictures or videos (That I desperately want to catch and post). Part is due to my children being slightly under the weather with colds (coughing, endless runny noses). The other 50% (ha haha) is entertaining the kiddies, since we're all couped up. And with even a slight cold- Momma looses some naptime freedom!!



I did manage to cleanup the camera a little bit to get a little room for some more pictures!! During the LONG winter days we try to bathe during the day....playtime in the warm bathtub!! The hardest part is getting out........





And today I broke out the Play-Doh......They were having a blast and lasted a pretty long time at the table. You may wonder what I do to keep Lydia busy during this time....I found her under the table playing with the Play-Doh toys Christopher was dropping.


Off to sit in Christopher's room....we're transitioning him into a "big bed". This is his first sleeping time in it.....I put him down and caught him running around in the house. SO I put him back down. Daddy just informed me that Christopher was in his crib pulling toys off the shelf (the high shelves he normally can't reach). SO sounds like he needs a little more direction :)

Christopher, My Christopher

Today is just one of those days that just seemed to be FULL of antics. The two younger ones barely napped this morning. I had a major task and some housekeeping that needed to be completed while they slept....ha hahaha!! Lunch was leftovers. Dishwasher, washing machine and dryer all going at the same time as I tried to clean. But I wanted to blog about my Little Man...

He decided that he didn't want to nap, so he played in his crib. (I think he knew he had made the right choice when he heard Lydia wake soon after he was put in his crib.) The girls played quietly in the living room for a bit and then disappeared......yep, right into Christopher's room. Well he had out his Duplos before his nap, so the girls come in and start playing with his favorite toys! I think he just couldn't handle watching them anymore and he climbed out of his crib!!! I walk in hearing Lydia fussing at someone and find Christopher fighting with her over a toy. He must have understood my surprise at seeing him and he said, "I jumped out my bed."

So we'll be in the market this next week for a bed for him!!! I guess I was expecting it would be soon, but I'm not ready for him to have free reign over the house just yet. We were lucky when we moved Anna to a big bed.....she was soo small she didn't realize that she could climb out herself and it took almost 6 months before she figured it out!! There is NOTHING Christopher won't try to climb in or out of.......so we'll have to plan on some "training time" with him :) Although he LOVES sleeping (when he is ready) so maybe it will be uneventful.

Some have asked about he is doing without his paci. He will occasionally ask for it but we'll just tell it broke and we threw it away at Grandma's house. And he'll usually say "Broke" and he's fine.