Musical Beds

A tale of the musical beds in the Laschen house…

Ever since Elin started to sleep in her own bed, then Thomas followed and now it is a tale of the musical beds…sometimes in their room, sometimes in ours…

This was one of the last naps the kiddos took together at our house.  I don’t know how I knew it would be the once of the last naps, but something told me to savor it, snuggle in and when I crawled out I snapped this picture. I am sure that there will be naps together from now and then, but it won’t be like this ever again, where it was a consistent thing.  It is a transition for sure and so bittersweet as they are both growing, gaining their independence and spreading their wings.  I am also loving this time as it gives me some alone time with each kiddo.  Elin typically falls asleep very quickly for her nap and then I can go and read books to Thomas for his quiet time.  If Thomas then naps he usually doesn’t wake up until after Elin so I then get some alone snuggle and book time with her.   If everything lines up and they are both napping at the same time, then I can get some of my own time to get my work or cleaning done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here are a bunch of pictures I have snapped of my beautiful sleeping babes!  So far the trend continues, if they are napping they are almost always in their own rooms, E has had a couple “Daddy Room” naps, but mostly she chooses “Elin’s bedroom.”  Thomas has even started to fall asleep on his own in his bedroom as I am laying with Elin to get her to sleep.  If he doesn’t fall asleep then I crawl in and read books then he will snuggle away and fall asleep too.  If it is a no nap day he has some quiet alone time with books and then we are able to do an activity or play together until Elin wakes up. 

Morning at the Dallas Zoo

We spent the morning at the Dallas Zoo exploring the Children’s Area and seeing some of the other exhibits that we had never visited before.  The kiddos absolutely loved the children’s area and feeding the birds, goats and Thomas rode on the pony.  Much to my surprise, Elin, even in her cowgirl boots, decided not to ride the pony!  They both have a huge love for animals and could spend hours exploring and learning at the zoo.  Once we were done in the Children’s portion of the zoo we headed to see the monkeys, tigers, kangaroos, koalas, and a few other animals.  We then rode the train and grabbed lunch before seeing the Galapagos Tortoises and some of the birds of prey they had on exhibit.   By then the kiddos were tired and were ready to head home so off we went!  

T Ball MVP

Thomas had his 2nd T ball game this morning.  Before we headed over to the field we went and picked him up a baseball back pack and a bat.  He was struggling at practice on Wednesday night because most of the other kids had their own bat and were not wanting to share.  Mike was out of town so it took me awhile to see that he wasn’t batting and when I asked what was going on that is what he told me.  When we finally found a bat he could use he batted one time and then practice was over.  Anyway, we solved that problem as he was a great listener during the week and he got rewarded with a special new bat.  We also gave him a pep talk about how he needed to be able to share that bat with other kiddos because that is the nice thing to do, he wasn’t too excited about that but hesitantly agreed. 

T started out the game with a great hit and “RBI.”  His second hit was also fantastic, according to this proud Mama!  When he was fielding he also had a great play where a ground ball was hit to him on the pitching mound and he scooped it up and threw to first…what a great play!  Mike even had a smile and said “wow that was a legitimate play by the little guy.” 

After he had his second at bat he ran over and told Mike and I that he had also shared his bat!  We were so proud of him, because we knew this bat was new and very special.  At the end of the game when the coach was talking to the kiddos he announced that Thomas was the “MVP” of the game and gave him the game ball!  What a special honor and treat for the little guy and his proud parents, not only because he had a great game individually, but because he was sharing and being a great teammate as well!  We are so proud of you little buddy!

Thomas’ “NEW” Big Boy Room and Sleeping in his Bed Again

Thomas has been very into dressing himself lately.  He no longer wants us to pick out his clothes, or clotheses as he calls them, and often times we would find him in long sleeve shirts on 80+ degree days and didn’t know what was up.  When I asked him and watched I realized that this was the only shirts he could independently take down off the tops shelf in his closet.  So we asked if he would like to have as second bar to be more Thomas height and he happily agreed.  On Mother’s day we worked on cleaning out his closet and Mike built him the lower bar.  Thomas was so excited and very proud of his new closet and independence. 

Later that week while Mike was away and during one of Elin’s afternoon naps, Thomas and I went crazy on his room.  We moved around a few of his toys and the biggest change was we moved his bed.  I thought if we moved it and made his bed it might help him get excited about his room again.  Up until this point he has liked his room, but told us it was “too dangerous” to even consider sleeping in there.  We talked a lot about how exciting it was going to be to surprise Daddy when he got home and how cool this new arrangement was.  We also talked about sleeping in there and how just because he sleeps in there doesn’t mean he can’t ever sleep in our room again.  We also talked about how Elin sleeps in both her and our room still and that we are just a room away.  That night low and behold he went to sleep in his room with Daddy.  He woke up about 2:30 screaming for us and Mike said he hasn’t seen this pregnant Mama move so quick in a long time. 

The next morning he was a little upset about the fact that we had “left him in there” once he fell asleep.  I was a little skeptical about if we could get him back in there, but I thought napping in there was our best shot.  So that afternoon after Elin fell asleep I snuggled up next to him in his bed and he fell asleep.  That night with the promise that Mike and I would take him to bed with us when we went to bed he again fell asleep in his room.  This is such a huge step for our big guy and Mike and I couldn’t be more proud of him! 

Frisco Science Museum

Thomas, Elin and I went to check out the Frisco Science Discovery Center with Anna, Tripp and Boss.  The biggest hit were the making the bubbles and playing with the huge foam blocks.  The kids had a great morning running around and playing, exploring science.  We grabbed lunch afterwards and before we made it home, both kiddos were sound asleep in the car.  I would call that a successful morning adventure!

Backyard Painting

The kiddos are always begging to paint and I am always trying to find easier ways to “clean up” once they are done.  It was a gorgeous morning, warm, overcast and humid so outside to paint we went.  I put some harder protective plastic over the kids learning tower and then let them at it with paint.  They painted away for about 10 minutes before they turned the brushes on themselves.  Elin started it and as soon as Thomas saw the fun he couldn’t resist…Stella watched on not too sure if she would end up in the painting disaster or not.  After they were satisfied that they were covered I got to turn on the hose and they happily ran through until they were mostly clean and freezing cold.  Then it was time for a hot shower and getting on with the rest of our day! 

Mother’s Day Weekend

Mother’s Day weekend was filled with the people and things I love.  On Saturday morning we were up early to head to Thomas’ 1st Tball game.  Mike, along with most Dad’s/Mom’s were out in the field for the game helping the kiddos know what to do. Elin and I cheered from the sidelines, with Minny Mouse of course.  After the game we came home and then I needed to take off to go to an Essential Oils class hosted by one of Thomas’ former preschool friends mom.  Not quite sure how I feel about oils being the cure to everything, but they smell nice and I got to take home a free bath salt and won an orange essential oil.

Once I got home Mike and Thomas went for a bike ride and to try their hand at fishing in our little pond near our house.  Elin was still sleeping, so I snuggled in next to her and got a quick nap too!  Then it was off to the pool before heading home for dinner, bath and bed.  Sunday morning I got to sleep in, til 8:30!  That used to seem very early pre kids, but now post kids I will take anything past 7:30 and I have “late” sleepers!  When the kiddos came up to wake me up we got some snuggles in and then I headed down for coffee and more cartoons and snuggles.  Mike made Swedish pancakes with berries for breakfast and they were soo yummy.

Then I got my wonderful homemade cards.  They seriously made my day and I still smile thinking about them.  While I was at the oil class, Mike and the kiddos constructed/cut/glued these beautiful cards.  Mike even thought up the “thunderific” and “womb and board” cards himself.  Thomas presented me his card and told me that on the inside he had written “Happy Mother’s Day Mommy, Thank you for being the best Mommy ever and I love you very much!” 

After breakfast we started our project for the day…we started to make over Thomas’ closet.  More on his makeover in a different blog post! 

Thomas had requested to take Mama to lunch for a beer and fizzy drink for Mother’s day, so off to a Mexican restaurant we went, I wasn’t going to complain with not cooking/cleaning and getting a fizzy drink!  On our way home we stopped at Home Depot, picked up a closet bar and I scored a aloe plant. 

We went home, Elin took a nap and Thomas helped Mike and I work in his room, then he got to go for a bike ride and when Elin woke up we all headed to the pool for a dip.  The pool was chilly, but refreshing when it was hot out.  Then it was time to come home for some dinner with fresh pesto from the garden and I got to check over my garden quick.  The tomatoes are growing like crazy and we have several little green tomatoes already…yum…I can’t wait for them to be ready to eat!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a perfect way to spend the weekend, nothing over the top, the family I love all around and happy, and I told Mike I was feeling super content with our new life in Dallas.  Hope all the other Mama’s out there had a Happy Mother’s Day!  I feel so blessed to have the 2 and 4 legged babies in my family and to call myself a Mother. 

Drawing/Thomas works on his name

With Thomas not in preschool this year he hasn’t had much practice writing his name, so when we sat down to sign and send our Mother’s Day cards I realized that we needed to do a little writing work!  The next morning he and I spent a few minutes writing while Elin colored.  Then that night when Mike came home Thomas wrote his name below to show Mike.  Pretty impressive for a few minutes of practice.

Thomas Starts T Ball

Thomas started his second year of T Ball on his team the Indians.  They had their first practice and Thomas was more than ready.  He wasn’t hesitant about heading out with his coach and teammates and Mike and I got to watch from the sidelines and play with Elin.  Can’t wait to see what this year brings for Thomas and his teammates. 

On the first night the kiddos practiced running the bases, got to have a few at bats and throwing. 

While Thomas practiced Mike and I took turns watching and then playing with Elin who had crazy amounts of energy.   All she wanted to do was to go out and play baseball with Thomas, so we had our hands full trying to occupy her and keep her busy and content.  It was a fun first night of practice for everyone.

Elin’s 1st Night in her Own Bed

For the last few weeks, maybe a bit longer I have been asking Elin at nap time where she wants to sleep “her room or Mommy and daddy’s room.”  Her answer is usually “Daddy’s room.”  Up until this afternoon when she replied “Elin’s room.”  So off we went, I laid down next to her and nursed her and in 5 minutes she was out cold then taking an hour and a half nap in her own room. 

Again for bedtime we asked her where she wanted to sleep and she again replied “Elin’s room.”  She nursed and had her warm milk and then she tossed and turned, played, talked, got her tutu on (because it is a necessity for sleeping in ones own bed and then finally about 2 hours after we first started this process she was asleep.  Several times during her “going to bed” we offered up our room again and she happily declined wanting to stay in her room.  She spent the whole night in there waking up once at 10:30 when I went in the room to check on  her and set up the monitor, but after a quick potty break I laid her back down in her bed and she was asleep before I plugged the monitor in.  She then woke up again about 2:30 a.m. for another potty break and then slept until 6:30 when she woke up wanting her hot choc (warm milk) and a PAW Patrol.  What a big girl.  

About this same age Thomas explored sleeping in his own bed but it was more started by us, so we will see if this sticks or if it is a phase.  I have always had a feeling that Elin might be out of our room/bed first because she has never been a snuggly sleeper and she is stubborn and independent like her Mama.  Either way Mike and I are proud of her and excited to watch her make this next step however it works out.  Stay tuned!