Tomorrow

Tomorrow is a new day

Tomorrow is a different day.

Tomorrow is almost here!

Tomorrow Parker goes to Pre-K. He has the new lunch box and outfit ready. He helped me pick out his lunch for tomorrow. He went to meet the teacher last week. He is ready to go.

But am I?

Since staying home (the month after Parker turned 2), I have not had him away from me more than a day at a time. For preschool last year he was only gone 2 days a week...Tuesday and Thursday. This year it is 4 days a week. It seams like such a long time. I know next year he will be in kindergarten and he will be gone longer, but still...4 days. I know that this is great for him and the program is wonderful (that is why I am choosing to drive 20+ minutes there 4 days a week and to let him even go 4 days a week).

Still...as a mommy that likes control, it is going to be another adjustment.

Speaking of adjustment...Paige is going to me starting school as well. Not at preschool like Parker though. Tomorrow we will find out more, but we have known this was coming for over a year now.

Paige is in speech and has been for over a year. Since she started, she has been seen at home. We have known that once she turns 3 she will be seen in the school. While living in Rowlett, we knew that in Garland ISD, she would be seen for 2 hours a week at the school (either once for 2 hours or 2 times for 1 hour each). There were not too many choices other than that.

Here in Leander, it is so different. They have TONS of choices and options for her speech. It could be as much as she would have received in Rowlett, or it could be every day in a preschool setting...with more options between.

Paige was tested on Friday for her speech to she how she has progressed over the last year. She has improved her quantity of words, but her pronunciation and articulation of them is still low. Tomorrow I will find out the results of the test (actual score) as well as their recommendation for her. On Thursday we will have her ARD.

I know as a teacher that the recommendation for her will be what is best for her. I also know that I do not have to (as her mom) let her do anything or more that I want her to. So, I am preparing myself for the worst (my baby girl gone all day everyday). I also know that in preparing myself for that, that might not be the recommendation, I do not have to take it if it is, and that she is going to be okay.

One reason I think she has improved her quantity of words is because she was in preschool last year. I also know that this year she in only on the waiting list so she might not even get in. This could be her "preschool" for the year.

Who knows. Either way, tomorrow is only a day a way, but has a lot of changes on the horizon.

Please pray for my heart and my control (or lack of) that I have in the situations and over my growing children.

As we all say...too big too fast!

America's...I mean Peyton's Favorite Pastime

Peyton loves swinging a bat. He loves throwing a ball. He loves hitting people, trees, sidewalks, balls, stairs, or whatever else with a bath. When Parker was 1 he received a baby t-ball set. He played with it often. Paige...not so much. Peyton, well the kids plays with it all the time. It is his new favorite toy.

Here is some video of him in action from about a week ago...



We sure do love our little slugger

Not Me Monday

Okay it is Not me Monday time again. Below is what I have totally not done this past week. Now, don't visit MckMama and she what she has not been up to either...

Last week I did not wear workout clothes 3 different days. Of those days I did not work out 2 of them. On the 3rd day that I did not wear the clothes, I surely did not put them on because I had errands to run and did not have time to really get ready so that was my excuse for looking the way I did. No, not me.

Last Wednesday I did not meet some of the girls from a moms group for the church we have been visiting as a park with our kids. I surely did not have pool stuff in the car. When we left, I did not notice my kids were totally disgusting and in need of a serious bath. I did not instead drive to my community pool, put swim clothes on in the car, and have pool time to clean off before nap. No, not me.

Trooper and I did not realize that our gym has childcare on Sundays so we did not bring a change of clothes in the car for after church. We then did not change and go to the gym (about 100 yards from where our church currently meets) before taking the kids home for lunch. No, not Trooper and I.

I then did not step on the scale while at the gym and see my HIGH weight!!! I did not totally wonder WHAT HAVE I BEEN PUTTING IN MY MOUTH and WHAT HAVE I NOT BEEN DOING AT THE GYM (well other than not putting on gym clothes so I can get ready and run errands). I then did not set a goal for myself to lose X pounds before my birthday in 7 weeks. I did not totally do that so you do not have to ask about it later (saying it out loud does not totally make you more accountable for it right...). No, not me.

Right now Paige (yes Paige), Parker, and Peyton are not all 3 asleep and so I am totally not about to get stuff done...Gotta not go...No, not the kids. No, not me!

Now it is your turn to let me know what you have not done this week

Thank you Jesus!!

The past few weeks (more like months I think actually) I have been praying and even hard Trooper praying with me for time. Time to get things I needed and wanted to get accomplished complete. With Paige not napping, moving into a new house (and everything that goes with changing addresses...again...visiting churches, unpacking, establishing a routine, and so on...), getting settled, Trooper in Dallas over 1/2 of the days each month, and keeping with 3 kids I have been praying.

In my prayers I have been also asking for me time as well as quite time to spend with my Lord...before bed! Well with Paige and her sleeping I mentioned earlier this week, I have found the time. She has started napping again we well as going to bed on time. The secret...it is 2 fold.

1. Put yourself out there and ask for help. Ask for prayers. As for any advise. Be real with people and express your frustrations
2. Sit outside your daughter's room until she settles down. Keep putting her back in bed without folding to any of her demands or desires.

I did this with Parker when he was young, and it would only take him a few minutes to go to sleep. I have done this with Paige before, but it would last about an hour sometimes.

This time...I embraced the time.

It has given me some me time of the computer to blog, facebook, and twitter. It gives me time to make phone calls, pay bills, and to through junk mail. But most importantly, I have had time to do my quite time with my Lord.

Thank you Jesus! Thank you for answering my prayers and for letting me embrace the answer! My sweet baby girl is getting the nap and evening sleep she needs, I am getting the me time I want and the time with you I need and have prayed for!

Pizza Time!

What is that picture of you might ask...or not really since the title gives most of it away. Of course it is pizza. The kids and I LOVE pizzas a (Trooper does as well). On weeks when he is in Dallas, I think we make pizza just about every other day. I have been tweaking a recipe I found for a few weeks and not I am in love with the results. It is so easy (and crazy cheep) to make your very own dough. For much less than the cost of pre-made crust or refrigerated dough, I can make 4 pizzas worth of dough.

As you can see...

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The kids...


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love it!



Okay so you might be wondering about what I put on top of this pizza...well as some of you know I can be a little crazy about making sure my kids get all the veggies they need. Trooper was out of town, I needed to use up stuff in the fridge vs. going to the store with 3 kids. I looked and found a zucchini. I pealed it, sliced it very thin, tossed with extra virgin olive oil, and my salt, pepper, and garlic powder mix. The kids and I tossed it on the pizza (well Parker and I did because Paige and Peyton ate about 8 slices each vs. putting them on the pizza). Of course I put the cheese and tomato sauce on the pizza as well. It turned out great! The kids and I ate it all.

Now for the dough I mentioned above...

In a bowl put 1 package of dry active yeast
mix with 1 1/2 cups of hot water and 1 1/2 teaspoons of sugar

let sit for about 5 minutes until foamy

add:
about 1 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

On counter mix and then create a well of:
4 cups of flour
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt

Add the wet in the center of a well of the flour mixture and kneed by hand for a few minutes or do it all in the mixer with a dough hook (my choice). Once it is together, put in a clean bowl sprayed or brushed with olive oil. Cover with plastic wrap and sit in warm place until it doubles (about 1 1/2 hours).

Preheat your oven to 500 with a cookie sheet or a pizza stone inside preheating.

From there cut into 4 pieces (if you are not using all now, you can put in baggies and put in fridge or freezer). Put a little corn meal down and roll out the dough...make sure you do not let Paige do it all because she will eat more dough than you realize. Put it on top of parchment paper that is sitting on another cookie sheet (not wax paper...found that out the hard way at my parent's house that they are mostly the same thing, unless you bake it). Put your toppings on. Slide the pizza and parchment paper from the cool cookie sheet to the hot one in the oven. Bake for about 6-8 minutes.

Enjoy...I know we do!!

Tour of Our Home...Part 5

Here we are (finally) at part 5 of 5 of our home tour. We are competing our tour up stairs in the master bed and bath, kids bath, and Parker's room.

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Okay...when you walk upstairs there is a small door that Parker and Paige call the "hiding spot".

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From there the hallway curves to go to the kids bedrooms and bathroom

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Speeking of bathrooms...here is the kid's

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Here is Parker's Room...sometimes the second playroom upstairs

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Okay...if you back around the curve of the upstairs hallway to just outside the "hiding spot" you find our bedroom
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Finally...our bathroom. We love it

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We love having 2 sinks that are high just like at our home in Rowlett. And get a load of the sink and foscet. Gotta love it!

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We hope you have enjoyed our tour of our new home. Let us know what you think!

Sleepless in Round Rock...UPDATED

UPDATED AT 4:00 P.M. WEDNESDAY

Well I wanted to add a few other quick insights:

1. Yesterday when she was up until about 12, she had fallen a sleep for a little nap (went to sleep after I was reading/talking to her and Trooper called about 6:45, I could not wake her so I put her to bed), but she got up just as I was finishing Parker's last book and Peyton was already asleep about 8:10.

2. Oh and when she did get up this morning it was a 7, she was wet, and I was still tired!! Get start to the day! Go Laundry...it is never ending...

3. I have received a few replies, calls, or email and I THANK YOU!!! Some of the things we have considered as a source to the problem of why and some are tricks we have tried as well. Here are a few other things than mentioned on the original post that we have tried:
*Putting a baby lock on the inside of the door (she took it off even while she was still in a crib before she was 2 when she would get really mad), but it did help when she was not mad
*Parker and her slept together in the house after we sold Parker's bed just before we moved and in the apartment...that was a big NO!!! We ended up having to put them down in different rooms and moving them after they were asleep (this was for bed time...nap they slept apart and just stayed there)
*In Rowlett, I would sit in the playroom and read a book of mine while trying to get her to stay in her room being firm...not too loving so she would get used to and want the attention and not too mean (no wonder I read so much from last fall until now!).
*We tried making nap time sooner so she would not be over tired...did not help.
*There are most likly a few more, but PLEASE any advise or suggestions would be WONDERFUL.
*We have a consistent bed time (it might change a little in the summer with the light and no school, but only by about 15 minutes...that is what drapes are for after all!).

4. This is not something brand new to moving here. It started a little over a year ago. Yes, around Peyton being born or before, but it was nap time then. She would still go down but give it her best in a fight. Bed time started about 9 months ago. This was before a move, before big traveling to Austin, well after Peyton's birth, and not during a change (like preschool or music class starting). It has just got worse since the move.

Before it would take her time to go down for a nap, but she would eventually go down 6 out 7 days. Now we fight for 1. Before we would fight for night time most nights, but it would take until about 8:30-8:45 with starting at 8. Now...who knows! I know that the move, daddy being here on weekends and certain full weeks has made it worse, not having a routine like during the school year with preschool class 2 days, music class 1 day, bible study 1 day, going to the gym 2 set times a week and maybe 1 more, and having speech a set day and time every week has messed with her as it has me and the boys.

Keep the emails, calls and comments coming...

ORIGINAL POST BELOW
I know it has been forever since I blogged any pictures and I have tons to share and the final house post promised...but I am a little drained.

One word...Paige

I love our little curly headed, speech delayed, tall and skinny, loving, mind of her own, girly girl that is a sister to 2 boys and a daughter to 2 people how love her greatly.

Oh, I sure love the girl...I know the but is coming...but I am at the end of my rope and need some advise. Paige is having sleep trouble. When I say trouble...that is a little of an understatement.

The girl slept from 11 to 7 when she was 2 months old. She slept from 8 to 7 at 3 months. She was the easiest of the 3 to put on a schedule and did wonderful as a babywise baby. She was never rocked to sleep (and would have nothing to do with it if I even tried). Over a year ago she started having sleep problems (so this is nothing new, but has gone to the extreme in the last few months.) Remember this example from before Peyton was born. She started wanting certain things to sleep with and sometimes we gave in, or this time when a trip camping was cut short due to Paige not going to sleep. With Parker, I had this problem and did the Super Nanny trick. It worked for him everytime he had nap trouble. Paige on the other hand...never!!!

I just do not know what to do. I am going to bring it up to her doctor at her 3 year visit next month, but I wanted to see if anyone had any advise that I could try before I go.

Paige, first off, will not nap. She does maybe 1 time a week for me. That is it! When it is bed time, it is a fight as well. She will not settle herself down. I do not want to start her in a new/bad habit (that she will for sure remember and want to do every night) so no food or drink before bed (maybe a little water, but no warm milk or anything). We do the normal before bed (and try to keep it the same for the most apart every night even if we happen to be getting to bed late for what ever reason). We brush teeth, put on pjs, read about 2-3 books, do her journal...most nights...(for speech help), say prayers, and go to bed. Add a bath before all that on most nights...but not all. She likes a light on so we put on the night light and give her a kiss. That is only the beginning of the night...she gets up several times.

She used to (in Rowlett she started this)have to have her door open and would not settle down without it. When we moved I cut that out because it did not work...we could not talk or move without her hearing us until she went to bed.

We have tried several things. Now when I say tried...I am meaning that we tried something and stuck with it for about a week or more to see if it would work and nothing has.
1. Puting her back down without talking to her over and over and over again
2. Cutting nap down shorter (ha...she does not even take one anymore and still gives us problems)
3. Getting spanking...very funny...she gets one, I have her repeat that she will get another if she comes out of her room...what happens a few minutes later...she comes out again!
4. Laying with her. Trooper can get this to work about 75% of the time. I do not have this time but when I have tried it has only worked for me about 5% of the time.

I know that some of this is our fault for giving into little things in being tired or wanting her to just settle and go down and contributed to the problem, but some of it is also her.

Last week when we were in Abilene visiting with family, Paige showed her stubbon strenght in full force. It was a day she had swam twice. We went up to my Aunts' school and let the kids run while we picked up a few toys for them to play at the house. She also did not take her nap that day. That night she threw fit upon fit and did not settle herself down to finally fall asleep until 11:30. You have got to be kidding me!!!

As I am sitting here typing...it is 11:20. I go to bed usually before now, but guess who is up!

Any advise...PLEASE SEND!!!! She is over tired when it comes to bed time, she gets herself over worked up and we do not want to add something to the mix that will be a bad habit (for her or us)

Sleepless in Round Rock

This week

Well on Sunday Mom and I came to Abilene with the 3 kids to visit with my 2 aunts and my grandmother (yes I brought my camera and yes I left the batteries in the charger in Round Rock so no I do not have pictures...Aunt Vicki does). We have had a great time. The kids have swam and swam and swam in the pool. We have all eaten, taken naps, and enjoyed the time and company.

We are leaving sometime tomorrow...so...I am getting back to visiting now and just wanted to let everyone know I that this week...so far...has been a great one!

Oh...final pictures of the house and part 4 of the home tour...coming up tomorrow night!!!