Night Time Rituals

Last night I asked Elizabeth if she wanted to read Grant a book before bed.  She looked at him and said, "ok buddy, I will read you a book, just pick one that doesn't have words! How about that animal one?"

Anyway it got me thinking that someday the kids might want to know what their bedtime rituals were when they were little.  We put pj's on and brush teeth and then we pile into Elizabeth's bed to for book time.  Each of them gets to pick one book, some nights more, depending on how late it is and how long of books they pick!  A lot of times we read Grant's book first because he often doesn't sit well through an entire Fancy Nancy or Pink/Purplicious book!  So one of us will finish reading to Elizabeth while the other starts working with Grant.  Daddy used to take him into our bed and let him fall asleep on his chest.  Which was perfect until the nights when daddy wasn't home and I found myself with two high maintenance bed time routines!  Some nights he still ends up with daddy, which is ok, it is their special cuddle time, but most nights he goes to his room.  Once in his room he has to adjust his night light.  His night light projects a fish scene.  He will spend 3 minutes adjusting it back and fourth, only to end up leaving it in the same spot (projected on his ceiling, over his crib) every night!  I have yet to understand this ritual.  His CD player is right next to his night light, so while he is close he decides if he wants music on or not.  Meanwhile, I wait patiently (I really try to be patient!) in the rocking chair.  Then I rock him for a few minutes.  If he is really tired he will just conk out in my arms, but most nights this doesn't happen.  After a few minutes of rocking we transition to the crib where he now has to choose which blanket he wants.  If I have remembered during the day I put all but one blanket away so this choice is a little simpler!  After he lays down and I cover him up he then starts pointing to the ceiling fan.  The fan gets adjusted to off or on, whatever suits his mood :)  Now the back rubbing starts.  He would let you rub his back forever!  I rub it for a few minutes until he is nice and calm and then I have to verbally tell him that I will rub it a few more minutes and then he is on his own.  If I just stop rubbing his back and walk out, he will cry.  If I give him a two minute warning he is fine.  Go figure!  And yes I manage to lay him down for a nap everyday without jumping through quite so many hoops.  But Grant Ryan you are my baby and I wouldn't trade rocking you every night for anything!

Now back to Elizabeth's room... her story is finished.  We say a prayer with her (sometimes Grant is still there for that part!) and then she starts asking questions.  Anywhere from "what are we doing tomorrow?" to "can I play?" to "why is the sky blue?" (well she hasn't asked that exact question, but something along those lines).  I indulge her as long as I can because I know it is her way of unwinding and I also hope that someday that will be our special time where she tell me all her secrets ;)  Then we have to rub her back.  Really I am not sure how I fall asleep without my back being rubbed!  Most nights we give her a kiss and that is it.  Although she does have to have her lamp on, which is not exactly dim and most nights she has a friend tucked under her arm.  Usually it is monkey, but sometimes a baby doll or her new teddy bear.  If she has had a nap that day and it is not really tired she will grace our presence several times with us giving her the same answer every time... "good night honey we love you, go back to bed."  To which we get  "but i'm not tired!"  "You don't have to go to sleep, just stay in your room - love you!"

With any luck all of these charades only takes an hour!  With even more luck they sleep through the night!  Yes, at 2 and 4, I am still usually up with one of them, at least 5 nights out of 7.  Why couldn't they have gotten Brandon's sleeping habits?!

A Little Get Away

For a little rest and relaxation we went to Table Rock Lake with my parents.  It is a little bit of a drive (6 hours) and when we got there Elizabeth said, "My legs feel dumb.  Grant do your legs feel dumb?"  We corrected her and told her the word she was looking for was numb, but she is sticking with her "dumb" legs!

The boys golfed, my mom and I shopped with the kids.  We swam and just enjoyed the time together.  Over the summer Elizabeth told me that it is her dream to ride a unicorn.  I told her that would never happen, but maybe a horse ride could be arranged.  We found a stable for the kids to do a pony ride.  However, it was not a pony it was a horse.  It was a smaller, kind, gentle, kid friendly horse, named Joe.  The kids got cowboy/girl hats, bandannas, badges, handcuffs (my other option was a gun!) and a photo.  I think Grant may be a cowboy for Halloween :) The horse wrangler hand led them, one at a time, on a ten minute ride on a wooded trail.  It was so cute to watch them ride away and then see their smiles when they came back!  I wasn't sure how Grant would do, but she told him to hang on tight and he gripped that saddle horn like his life depended on it and off they went.  They both loved it!

One evening we were getting dinner ready.  Grant was in the kitchen hiding behind the garbage can.  My mom and I got to chatting and then we realized that Grant was no longer in the kitchen.  I half jokingly went out to the deck and said to the rest of the crew "All hands on deck, Grant is MIA!"  We searched the house high and low for a good ten minutes and we could not find him.  I was beginning to wonder if he had escaped outside somehow.  I did mention that there was a good chance we would smell him before we saw him.  What can I say, the boy likes his privacy when taking care of bathroom issues!  We were thoroughly re-checking everywhere, when finally my mom found him in their bedroom closet.  Sure enough, he needed a diaper change.  He just flashed us that Grant Ryan smile as if to say, "hey guys, what have you been doing?!"

I think this boy is going to keep us on our toes.  The last night he got out of bed (he was sleeping in a lower bunk bed) and walked all the way upstairs to my parent's room and just stood there looking at my mom.  This happened not once, but twice.  He was so quiet (and I guess I was really sound asleep) that I didn't even hear any of this happening through the monitor until my mom was putting him back to bed for the second time.  My mom suspects we may have a sleep walker on our hands.  He did this one other time when he wasn't in a crib.  Both times he doesn't cry, he just stands there, and my mom said it is almost like he is in a trance.  Oh boy! We best be installing some extra locks on our doors when the crib days are over!  Which may be sooner than I think, because he gets one leg over edge of his crib and is just one big jump away from going over!

There was a fishing tournament for kids one morning.  Elizabeth caught two blue gills.  Well, daddy caught the first one and Pops got the second.  She helped reel them both in though.  She won for having caught the most fish in the 4-7 year old category.  She got a trophy that she is extremely proud of.  As we walked away from the pond Brandon said, "should we feel guilty about this?!"  I don't think she  touched a worm, but she was a trooper and seemed to have a good time.  Grant however was not so as easily impressed, but did enjoy the free Swedish Fish candy at the end!

If only it could have lasted!

I will spare you the details of the long car drive home, but I will just say at one point I was crying!

Adventures in Pre-school

When I picked her up last week she said, "Where is daddy?"  I told her he was in Texas.  She said, "Oh I forgot. I didn't know where he was so I just told them I didn't know. He is gone!"  Oh dear!  I told her that it is ok to say "daddy is traveling."

She can't seem to remember the names of anyone in her class, but she tells me she makes a new friend everyday!  She does a have a girl in her class that is also in her dance class.

When we got in the car after school today she looked at me with the saddest face and said "today was show and tell" and started crying.  We had missed school on Tuesday because we were out of town and we didn't know that Thursday was show and tell.  I felt horrible.  Luckily we had "pink puppy" in the car and I asked her if she wanted to go back in and show her teacher "pink puppy."  She of course did and Ms.Laura was very sweet about it.  Now we know that every Thursday is show and tell and that the week's topic is posted outside the door.  Live and learn!

The day's snack is always a popular topic of conversation.  Last week they had graham crackers.  Today she said it was some type of chex mix, but "mommy it had white chocolate chips and I've never had those before!"

She loves going to school and I can't believe how fast two and half hours goes by!  Grant started his music class today and really seemed to enjoy it.  I think he really likes the one on one time with just mommy!  He stuck pretty close to my side and had a bit of grumpy look on his face for the first few songs, but once we got the instruments out he started smiling.

1st Day of Pre-school

 Well the day finally came for pre-school to start.  Brandon was traveling and as much as I had hoped that he could have been there, I think we made up for it.  He recorded a video for her watch when she got up in the morning.  He said how proud he was of her and wished her a great day.  We had also gotten her a new charm for her bracelet.  The picture isn't very clear, but it is a pink heart.

 When we were grocery shopping last week I asked her if she would like me to make her a special breakfast on her first day of school.  Yes, she wanted that square food with the sparkles.  Pop-tarts.  Oh what a wonderful nutritional breakfast to send your daughter off to school with!

 Oh well, it is just one day!  We actually all enjoyed a cherry Pop-Tart that morning!  I had asked her what she wanted to wear on her first day and she picked exactly what I would have picked.  At one point in the morning I was beginning to wonder if all of this special treatment was a bad idea because she said, "I get to do anything I want to day, right mommy?"  Um...not exactly!

 We went outside for pictures.  Grant really wanted to be in them too!

 This big girl backpack that contains one, two pocket folder!

When I took this picture of the two of them walking away together I almost starting crying right then.  Someday I know they really will be gone.  For now I am just thankful it is only 5 hours a week!

We got to school and her teacher told her where to hang her backpack and where to put her folder.  Then the kids just had time to play as they waited for everyone else to arrive.  I stayed for about five minutes.  She started playing beside (not exactly with) another little girl.  She seemed to be doing just fine and I knew at some point I should probably leave so kneeled down to give her one last hug and that's when my eyes starting stinging.  I managed to get out an "I love you" before Grant and I darted for the door.  By the time I reached the hallway there was no hiding my tears and another dad looked at me said "You are doing alright."  It was really sweet of him.  I sat in the car and had a little cry and then looked at Grant said, "well let's go grocery shopping."  I know it's only pre-school and it's not even for very long - 2.5 hours do go by pretty fast, but I also know that this is that start of her school career for the next 20 years or so.  I had to remind myself what Brandon always tell me...these milestones are a good thing, it's a sign that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing.  My emotions actually caught me off guard.  I was excited for her to start school and I knew that she was too.  I was not prepared for my tears, I didn't even have a kleenex in my pocket!

I do have to say the Wal-mart cashiers timing of "don't you usually have two with you" and the neighbor driving by who said "enjoy this time it flies by" (as they saw me playing with Grant) made me misty eyed all over again.  Ok, so it was kind of an emotional day, but the best news is that she did great, which is the only thing I could have asked for.  Her teacher said she was very well behaved and thinks she will be a leader.  Hooray!

So if you ask Elizabeth how her first day of school was you might get an answer like, "we had a snack and played outside!"  Apparently they had circle time as well, because she tried to hold her own version of circle time with her brother later that day!  And I heard her say, "You have to wait your turn and share" in a very teacher authoritative voice more than once!  Oh yes, I think it is possible that this school thing could have already have gone to her head!  I fear Grant may be the biggest victim of this latest wisdom!  She wants to know when she goes back, so I think we will call the first day a success!

Summer Snapshots

I just downloaded pictures from the camera and came across a few that I hadn't shared.  The first two are of the kids doing "fizzy art."  Who knew a pan of baking soda and colored vinegar in medicine droppers could be endless fun!  Grant found out the hard way that this fun doesn't taste good!

 I love the picture of the three kids in their rain boots.  I am not sure why they are holding their arms out, but because Lauren was doing it Grant did it too!  Lauren and Grant have really bonded this summer!

 This is just a good picture of the kids licking a beater after we had made a cake together.  Does it get any better?

Labor Day Weekend

My brother and sister in law came to town for the long Labor Day weekend.  Sara and Elizabeth and I had a special "girls night out" on Friday.  Aunt Sara surprised Elizabeth by letting her pick out a bear at Build a Bear.  She was so excited...thrilled really!  She later told me, "Mommy I was so excited when Aunt Sara said she would buy one for me!"

This is the bear that she picked out and it had just got "stuffed"

She is warming up it's heart :)

Giving it a bath

The birth certificate reads that the name of this bear is "Elizabeth Sara"
Such sweet smiles!

Yep, the bear goes everywhere with us! What a special treat!

The big kids headed down to Champaign for the football game on Saturday.  We stopped by Grandma B's for a visit and waffles and strawberries.  Let me just say, my brother and I can put away my grandma's strawberries!  I am sure she thought the big bowl that she set out would be more than enough.  She ended up pulling more out of the fridge!  However, as grandma says, "it came out just right!"  I am not really sure how it happened but we managed to stay dry at the game.  Maybe it was because we were actually prepared with ponchos, but thank goodness we didn't need them!

Sunday is what I am dubbing Heller Family Fun Day.  We will just spend the whole day together driving each other crazy and loving every minute!  We will spend Monday with Daddy before he leaves for Texas and then Tuesday is the first day of preschool!

Uncle David is so strong!

Lots of hugs for Aunt Sara & Uncle David