I don't think I fully realized this as August 19th approached. I really had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that summer was over. Summer went by way too fast and school is the absolute worst so I think I just kind of lived in denial as the new school year was approaching. I didn't really even think about what I'd do with Ryan in school all day long. So, I winged it. And I've been winging it ever since. And you know what?
It hasn't been half bad. :)
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| Another winning selfie shot of Brady and I visiting the Thanksgiving Point Gardens. He's so cute in real life, I swear! |
Brady is my new little buddy during the day with our own miniature little sidekick in the form of Camden. For the first few days of the new school year I felt very competent as a mother (something that rarely happens, if ever). I even told people when they asked about it, "I've done this before. I know how to be a mom to a three year old and a one year old." Rinse and repeat, right? Wrong. If I could go back and watch myself saying that to people I think I would punch my past self in the face. Sure, I've stayed home with a three and one year old before. But not this three year old. And not this one year old. But, really, not this three year old. Holy Moly, Brady. He's thrown me for a loop.
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| My two little amigos after an afternoon stroller ride followed by popsicles. (This is still when I thought I knew what I was doing.) |
It really hasn't been all bad. We've had our fun and I am actually really grateful for the time I've been given to have more one-on-one (read: head-to-head) time with Brady. I figure it's better to hash it all out when he's still little enough for me to transport him to his room, than to have to face it when he's larger/scarier/more teenagery.
We've been trying to fill our days with fun. We've tried out a myriad of story times at the Thanksgiving Point venues and our community club house. We spend some afternoons at the park or at Thanksgiving Point attractions.
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| We invited a neighbor boy to come to the museum with us. |
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| My wedding gallery wall with wedding pictures from Zach's parents, my parents and my grandma. |
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| I painted the bathroom. We are still recovering from the flood we had back in March so there was LOTS of painting to be done. |
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| I painted the office. It felt like painting was my life for a good week and a half there. The guest bedroom ceiling and the hallway by the garage also needed to be painted. |
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| We took our neighbor friend, Fischer, to story time at the Thanksgiving Point Gardens one morning. |
One day I got a little too ambitious and thought I'd try to exercise with two kids in tow. Bad decision. With Brady riding a two wheeler now, I figured he could ride his bike while I jogged with Camden in the stroller. First of all, what. a. hassle. When you're used to just slipping on your shoes and heading out the door to go for a jog it's pretty annoying to have to load two kids, a bike and a stroller into the car, drive down the giant hill to where the path is flat, unload the kids, the bike and the stroller and finally be on your way. I set my timer on my phone for 20 minutes at which point my plan was to turn around, making it an even 40 minute jog. Sounds simple enough. The first 20 minutes ended up being downright smooth compared to the "20 minutes" back, despite Brady riding head first into some landscaping rock because he was looking at some golfers. We got 20 minutes out and my timer goes off. We turn around and not 3 minutes later, Brady tells me he's had it. He is completely spent. In hindsight, I worked that little boy harder than he'd ever been worked in his whole life and it was 2 in the afternoon- prime time for his nap. What does one do when they are a good two miles away from their van with a single jogging stroller, a kid's bike and two kids who can't/won't ride said bike? It was a freaking circus show trying to get us back in one piece. We tried hitching the bike to the stroller and having Brady sit on the seat, we tried Brady in the stroller and Camden sitting on the bike seat (he wouldn't quit pushing the brake), we put the bike on top of the stroller and tried to squeeze both kids into the stroller. We even tried having Camden walk. It was a disaster. And all in the name of exercise? No thank you!
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| By the end, Camden was in tears bc he wanted to walk aka "wonder onto the golf course and throw rocks" and Brady was exhausted and crying while sitting in the middle of the bike path. I had to put Camden into the car and literally carry Brady the last 30 yards. |
I feel like I've done a lot of complaining in this post, but let's face it, I'm really good at it. That said, we really have had fun. Camden and Brady's relationship is flourishing. They are little buddies. It's funny because we have quite a few little boys Brady's age who are either the youngest or have little brothers who are a lot littler than Camden who are constantly knocking at our door to see if Brady can play. I don't think Brady has had to look for a playmate outside of Camden once (unless Camden is napping or something). That's the great thing about brothers- it's your own built-in buddy!
It's been fun to meet Zach occasionally for lunch. Going out to eat with just two kids is so much easier than three.
Especially when there are cookies involved.
And the other one does this the whole time. :)
2 comments:
Not quite the same, but I can relate to the exercise moment. I walk Jill to school, and usually in the morning, Daniel walks and Alice is in the umbrella stroller. Then in the afternoon, I push them both in the double stroller, because it's just that time of day when Daniel is done. But a few times he said he wanted to walk, so I took the single, and then ended up carrying him and pushing the stroller, and I'm pregnant, and it's just really difficult trying to figure it all out and not drop him and keep the stroller on the sidewalk and out of the grass. Fun times.
Three times in the morning, he has decided he will not walk. Then Jill pushes the stroller, and I carry Daniel. On the way home, I just usually wait out his fits until he will walk.
I am so jealous that Brady naps.
And it is fun to see the relationship grow and change once the eldest is gone.
Oh yeah. Another comment.
So, I have a friend with eight kids, and once at playgroup, she mentioned that the teenagers she gets along smoother with are the ones who fought her as children, because they already had a relationship with contention. They had already learned how the other one worked, how stubborn to be, when you had to give in, how to compromise, etc. And it was the ones who were easy going and obedient as kids that she clashed with more as teenagers, because they didn't have the same relationship of resolving conflict together.
So anyway, that may not help, but what you wrote made me think of it. You are developing skills with Brady now that will come in very handy when the stakes are much higher.
Oh my goodness--that exercising story had me both laughing & crying (well, not literally crying...but wanting to) for you. I've had similar situations--but never quite THAT bad. I'm so glad you all eventually made it back in one piece! And, as always, your exercising abilities amaze me. You don't let anything get in your way!!!
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