Falling into New Rhythms...Back to School and Nap Schedules

     
      Wow! Time flies when the school year is starting, doesn't it?! 

     I looked at the date of my last post and realized it was at the end of August...And August already seems like an eternity ago!! 

     In the short time that I have while the baby is sleeping and the girls are both at school I figured I'd at least post a couple of back to school photos. A school year, that I must add, is off to a great start for the girls. Woo hoo! 

     We have had tons of fun shopping for school supplies and a few new outfits and are all still trying to fall into our new rhythms (pun intended!); bed times, wake up times, breakfast, lunch packing, bus stops, etc. It's always a bit of a shift and it feels like even more of a shift this fall as I consider the feeding and sleeping needs of a four month old in the midst of preschool drop offs and gymnastics classes and grocery shopping.

     I won't lie...I think my husband has wanted to sneak a little valium into my coffee from time to time as I try to figure this all out. I'm a big picture person who gets caught up in small details sometimes. Like...ahem...naps. 

     In chatting with a few other moms who also have three or four little ones I'm realizing that we all have slightly different approaches to managing it all...I'm a bit of a nap nazi, meaning much of my schedule revolves around letting the baby be home for her longer morning and afternoon naps. I will confess this was much easier with one or two...it's complicated with three, but when I can make it work it makes life happier for mommy and baby (two very critical parts of the equation these days!). 

     Some of the other moms are know are WAY more flexible on this. The baby naps in the car, or in their arms, or the stroller...somewhere on the go and everyone seems the better for it. I envy their laid back spirit about it all and sometimes feel bad that I'm so crazy about being home for naps...it makes me wonder if I'm missing out or need to be easier going about these sorts of things. 

     But then I realize that God made each of us mommas just as uniquely as he made each of our kids and in the same way that we must constantly make decisions about what works best for them, we also make decisions about what works best for us.  

     Nap schedules for me. No nap schedules for them. It's all good! 

     So, sorry if you wanted to go out for coffee at 10 a.m. sometime in the next few months...I'll be home while the baby is napping. Probably doing laundry or putting puzzles together with Ella. 

      I did just buy some new K-cups though, so feel free to stop by in your sweats and have a cup of coffee at my kitchen table! Your much more flexible baby is welcome to sleep in our pack and play and we'll all be the happier for it. 

     By the way... we officially made the switch from the car seat to the crib for sleeping!! The baby is now officially taking all naps and sleeping every night in the comfy quarters of the nursery rather than her car seat (it only took 4 months!)! This means that I can actually read a book before bed without a headlamp or a flashlight...a win-win for everyone (: 

     So here's to a new school year for all! Blessings to you all on falling into your own new rhythms as you transition from the crazy days of summer to the more structured crazy days of fall! I give you permission to not compare yourselves or your schedules to anyone else's, but to simply do what works best for you! (And stop by for coffee if you want to see me!). 
     
       Here are a couple end of summer/beginning of the school year photos...

End of summer amusement park fun with Aunt KK! 

End of summer garden bounty (:

We've started a first day of school cake tradition! A welcome treat after the long day and bus ride home.

New preschool backpacks
 

The yummy, sweet, red prize of the garden this year! We grew it on a whim (it was one of the only plants left at the garden center by the time I got there in early June!) and discovered that watermelon plants are huge and wild and lots of fun to watch as they grow (you do need to leave space though!). The funniest thing though was that the girls were griping about the seeds because so many of the store varieties  are seedless these days...I found myself saying, "When I was a kid ALL of our watermelons had seeds!" It was pretty funny (: