Naps & Picking My Battles

It's Monday..and it's a great day!  In fact, I have all three kids down for a nap at the same time right now!  How else did you think I was typing this mid-afternoon?!  They've been down for almost an hour so I've had a lovely break, crossed a bunch of things off my to-do list..and now am just piddling on the laptop.  Ahhhhhh!  I could get used to this...but shouldn't because I doubt it will happen on a regular basis.  

Believe me, it wasn't the smoothest of times getting them all down.  I have Eli in the crib in our room, Owen in the crib in the boys' room and Chloë in her room.  I separate the boys for naps so they can get better rest.  They always wake up at the 45 minute mark and are learning to sooth themselves back to sleep (and by "learning" I mean I let them cry a few minutes at that time, console if needed, rinse and repeat..)  So today I had the boys down and I went to read Chloë her stories (part of her nap routine)...then Owen starts crying.  I go in and pat him.  He's quiet.  I get Chloë in her crib--after a bit of a fight as she has started to fight naps and bed time (after a year of telling us she was ready for bed before her bed time...she loved to sleep!).  So 2 minutes after I get her in the crib she starts crying.  And she doesn't cry quietly.  She SCREAMS BLOODY MURDER.  I kid you not!  I'm surprised the neighbors haven't called CPS.  She screeches so horribly it sounds like a scene from The Exorcist.  The first few times we thought something horrible was happening to her.  We would rush to her room, open the door and she would be immediately quiet and calmly ask, "Put my blankets on" or (her new one:) "Put my headband on" (What?  A head band!?  Yes, she insists on this head band that has a big flower on the top.  The weirdest part about it is that she never lets me do anything with her hair at any other time.  She won't wear head bands, won't let me do a pony tail or pig tails, no braids, etc...I once in awhile can get a clip in to hold the hair out of her eyes, but she usually will take that out within 5 minutes.  However, for some reason at 2am she NEEDS this head band in her hair in order to fall back asleep).  

So anyways, a little tangent there.  I got Chloë in her crib, had gone back in to put her head band on, came out and realized that HER crying had woken Owen up.  Now HE was crying.  Then his crying upset her and next thing I know they are BOTH crying.   Argh!  I open Chloë's door and she calmly says, "Baby Owen crying" (she ALWAYS knows which one's cry she hears).  I told her I would take care of it and that I wasn't coming back in.  I know, you're probably thinking we should have stopped going to her a long time ago.  It's just that in the middle of the night we don't know if she's had a nightmare or is scared, and I would feel horrible just letting her cry alone in fear.  She's 2 1/2 and things are starting to be a little more scary to her.  Sometimes when we go to see why she is crying she'll say "the sirens".  Even if there weren't any sirens going by outside she is thinking about them apparently.  We have to remind her that if she hears sirens it means they are going to help someone and that is a good thing.  ANYways, today at nap she started crying hysterically again after I closed her door and went to comfort Owen and I decided it was time to just let her cry.  So I did.  And she did.  For 12 minutes.  Then she was quiet.  Woke up from nap an hour and 1/2 later.  (When I started this post she was asleep..but my typing got put on hold as the crew started waking up..it's now 5pm).  Anyways, I got over an hour break today.  Today is a great day!!  

The photo up top is of the outfit Chloë picked to wear today when we went out to run errands.  Myke had gotten her dressed this morning and I was impressed that he had gotten a cute skirt on her.  She picks her clothes these days and, as I mentioned before, she always picks t-shirts and shorts.  Usually, some of the more unattractive ones.  I mean, of course I think she's cute no matter what she wears...but I have all of these adorable little summer dresses, rompers, or tops that I would love for her to wear and she won't hear of it!  And it's not a battle really worth picking on a daily basis (though for something special I'll make her wear something cuter).  Same goes for shoes.  I got her a few pairs of really cute summer sandals and she insists on these awful pink velcro sandals that are basically brown with dirt at this point.  I guess they are more comfortable.  So this morning she had a yellow skirt and cute white top with a whale on it on.  Then, right before we were walking out the gate she ran up to her room to grab something (I forget what) and came back with this Wisconsin jersey that my mom (I think) got her at a yard sale.  Or was it Aunt Debbie?  Either way, she has never worn it before...in fact I think it was hidden in a drawer in her closet....oh, did I say "hidden"?  I meant put nicely away....but she somehow found it and ran downstairs with it and wanted to put it on right away.  It's faded, the lettering is wearing off...and it's that net-like fabric that jerseys are made of.  RIGHT up Chloë's alley!  Haha..of course I let her wear it...she just cracks me up.  I give up on putting her in cute little outfits and doing her hair.  She'd much rather play basketball or ride her scooter and wear things like this.  Hey, it's better than her picking that Belle princess dress to wear out in public!!  Now that's a battle I would NOT let her win (though I'm sure one day I'll have to fight this battle since I bought her one!)

Ahhh...it's so nice having a little bit of a life back!  Now the boys have been moved to their own room (which is also our guest room) to sleep at night we can finally enjoy our downstairs again.  I'm writing this from the couch (via the laptop).  We only have 3 bed rooms and we have had family here for a majority of the boys' lives, so we found it easiest to put them (the babies, not our visiting family) to bed in a little travel crib in our living/family room area.  We tried sleeping with them in our room back when they were first born but we just didn't sleep well with all their little grunts and groans so the next best option was downstairs.  However, that meant that once they went down for the night everyone else headed up to bed.  So that was sometimes 8pm!

Now we sort of have a routine where we put all three kids to bed around the same time.  It's wonderful!  We have some time to hang out after they go to bed and have some free time.  Ahhhhhh!   It's much needed!  Especially now that I'm back to caring for all three of them on my own during the week.  That, my friends, can make for a challenging day(s)!

Last Friday was sizzling hot here in Pacific Beach (and by sizzling hot I mean in the low 80s...don't be a hater!).  We put out Chloë's little kiddie pool in the front for her to cool off with.  The water was pretty cold in my opinion but she is never cold so it worked out perfect for her!  I even put quite a few pots of hot tap water in to try to warm it up and it was still a bit too chilly for my taste!  Eli and I took a 20 second dip before his shocked screams got us out!  He took one for the team because I then decided to not make Owen test the waters.

They lounged on a beach towel instead

Pool time!

Saturday I did some yard sales with a friend- I always looking for inexpensive toys for the kids.  Toys can be so ridiculously pricey in stores, and for the amount they often use them rarely worth the price.  Gotta love finding a good deal.  Here is a Belle princess costume I found for $2.  I'm not a big fan of the whole "princess thing" that little girls get into--but for $2 I had to get this addition to her growing stash of dress up clothes!  Chloë wanted to wear it right away, but by the next day was back to wearing her favorite shirt- a Phillies baseball shirt sent from Myke's aunt.  She would live in that thing if she could!  

Saturday afternoon at the park

Kyla got professionally groomed for the first time in her life on Saturday--the folks at Petco chopped her fur right off! We were shocked!  She is now a yellow lab instead of golden retriever.  She even came home with bows on her ears.  Poor Kyla!  I'm sure she feels cooler during this heat wave, though!  

My lovies

Story time with daddy

Sunday was another hot one so we headed to the beach and bay for a few hours of fun in the water and sand.  

Lounging in their little tent

Playing in the sand (check out Myke's tattoos--he had the boys feet done on Father's Day back in June.  Chloë's were done a couple years ago.  All the footprints are from the day they were born)

Our little set up

Chloë and I went to Old Navy to spend some coupons we had that were set to expire.  We found her Halloween costume...only 2 months in advance!  Halloween is my favorite!  I already have the boys costumes as well - they are going to be bumble bees. Now if I can only get Myke to dress as a flower...we could have a nice theme going on here!

A Fun Weekend

Swimming pool!

It has been a great summer so far--we have done so many fun things!  I'm sad that it's coming to a close.  Though, the weather is usually the warmest and sunniest in September and October (plus the beach tourists have gone home....GOODBYE, "ZONIES" (the Arizona folk that take over our beach towns every summer)!   

We've had family out here visiting and helping us the entire summer except for a couple weeks in July.  Myke's mom has been here seven weeks (split into two trips) and my mom was here for nearly 4 months before that!  Our dads have been here for shorts visits as well.  It has been wonderful having all the help and being able to get out and about.  The photo above is from a pool play date I was able to take Chloë on last week at a friend's house.  Maureen stayed back with the boys so it was nice to get out with just me and my girl while I could.  I know those times will be few and far between starting this week!  I also took Chloë on a bike ride for a couple miles down the boardwalk the other day.  I hadn't ridden a bike in over a year due to bed rest, pregnancy, etc.   It was a fun time and nice to ride along the beach.  

Myke's parents leave tomorrow to head back to PA.  We'll be sad to say goodbye but looking forward to our trip to the east coast in October.  We'll be spending close to a week in Richmond and a week in Philly.  We have the dates set, have our plane tickets (bought 4!!), have a dog/house sitter lined up...so all the "big" things are taken care of.  Now for the details and logistics of taking 3 small children across country on an airplane...and carting car seats, etc.  We need 2 infant seats and a toddler seat in Richmond and then again in Philadelphia.  Not to mention a stroller...and a car that will fit all of that.  We also need to figure out how to get from Richmond to Philly...and to stop in northern VA to visit Myke's sister and family..and our college friends.  Eeeks.  I'm getting gray hairs just thinking about it all!  

Hold on...Eli crying in crib...will finish later!  

Okay, back.  Boys up.  Fed.  Now swinging in their swings.  It's an hour and a 1/2 later.  Meal times still take a lot of time- though they are much more efficient eaters than they used to be so that's a positive.  Chloë is at Sea World with Mom-mom and Pop right now.  They texted these photos to me so far:

Looks like Chlo is having a blast riding the rides with Pop.  She is a BALL of energy lately so I hope she is running all over and tiring herself out for her afternoon nap.  I'm sure Thom and Maureen will be ready for their naps as well!  

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We had a really fun weekend this past weekend.  Thursday after Myke got off work we rode bikes down to Belmont Park, a little carnival on the boardwalk.  It has a carousel, rides, games, cotton-candy, a historic old wooden roller coaster, etc.  Chloë was so excited to ride the carousel, but then even more excited to go into the game room and sit at video game car and just steer the wheel.  I think she was in there nearly an hour.  We couldn't get her out.  She didn't actually play the game.  No money was put in. She just played on it.  After that we all went to get some appetizers and drinks at The Wavehouse- a restaurant/cocktail place right on the boardwalk.  It's outdoors and the floor is all sand.  There are beach chairs to sit in, hammock chairs, and fire pits.  There is also a huge surfing wave simulator where you can try surfing in a big barrel wave.  

The Hines boys

Elijah

Friday night Myke and I went on our "summer stay-cation".  We checked into the Hard Rock hotel downtown and headed straight for the pool.  It was a beautiful day so we lounged with our feet in the water and had a mai-tai.  Okay, I had a mai-tai.  Myke had something else...not sure what it was but I'm sure it was manly.  :)   Then we went for an amazing dinner at Nobu, a restaurant in the Hard Rock Hotel and to a couple of places downtown.  It was a nice overnight getaway.  Thanks to Myke's parents for watching all three kids for us!!!  :)   

Maureen and her 3 Cali grandkids

Chloë and Pop

Pop and the boys

Maureen and Chloë making my birthday cake

(I finally got a cake 2 weeks after my actual birthday!  It was worth the wait though)

Sunday afternoon we had a pizza dinner and then birthday cake to celebrate my birthday.  My actual birthday was 2 weeks ago but we waited for cake until Thom was here so we could all celebrate together.  A vanilla gluten free vegan cake was made and (believe it or not!) it was pretty yummy!  Chloë sang a Happy Birthday solo to me which was really sweet.  She is still VERY into anything birthday and anything relating to cake.  She was on cloud 9.  Before she ate her cake she looked at me and said "Happy Birthday, Mommy.  I love you"....with no prompting from anyone else.  It was the sweetest thing!  :)  Made my day!  

Owen & Eli ready for church

The boys snuggling with their "Mom-Mom"

They napped like this for well over an hour and I think Maureen lost feeling in both of her arms (but it was all worth it, right? :) ) 

8/16/11 - Boys turned 3 months old!  

Painting on Saturday

Flowers at the PB Farmers Market

Dinner at the market

Hoping for dinner at the market 

smooches

Chloë fell asleep in the car on the way home from our outing on Saturday!  This NEVER happens so I had to get a photo!  I can seriously count on one hand the number of times she has fallen asleep in the car since she was an infant.  

Had To Share....

Dr. Suess onesies from Auntie Vanessa

Hello- A lot has been going on lately as life continues to be a juggling act and I have had no time at all to even think about posting to this blog, or respond to emails, etc.  Even with Myke's mom here to help us we are still non-stop busy.  I've come to the conclusion that I NEED an extra set of hands.  It's a necessity with three small children.  I make do by myself, but it's SO hard--especially during the feeding time as that takes at least an hour on my own.  Every 3-4 hours.  Luckily, Chloë is slowly starting to play by herself a little more.  I know this is good for her to be able to do so I try not to feel too bad about not being able to give her more attention.  She is such an active little girl lately-- rarely sits and quietly and plays with toys -- always wants to play basketball, baseball, ride her bike or scooter, etc.  She also insists on wearing her Phillies t-shirt that her Aunt Patty gave her.  It's pink and has #26 on the back.  Chase Utley (according to Maureen..I have no clue).  That paired with pink shorts is her favorite outfit.

Okay, I have to close as the crew is ready to head out the door.  It's Saturday and our adult to child ratio is 3:3.  Yay!  We are heading up the coast on a drive today.  There is a yummy restaurant on the beach (that has a lot of gluten free options) that we love so going to go there for lunch.  I'll throw in some pics:

Beautiful birthday flowers from my parents!  

Starbucks even remembered my birthday!  They sent a coupon for a free drink!  

Below:  Concert at Kate Sessions Park last Sunday.  They have a free summer concert series every Sunday for a month in the summers.  It's always a great time!

Anie with Owen 

Myke and Owen 

Eli & Heather 

The crew

Vaccine time!  :(  

My little lovies!

Mom-Mom took Chloë to Sea World! 

Eli smiling

Birthday breakfast (I turned 32!) with Heather & Chloë

at Broken Yolk

Mom-Mom is Back!

Myke's mom has returned to Pacific Beach to spend some more time with her west coast grandkids (and us?) before she goes back to work at the end of this month.   We always welcome an extra set of hands around here.  Three kids is a juggling act to say the least.  Often it runs rather smoothly, but sometimes the days on my own can be quite daunting...for example: trying to put Chloë down for her nap (and doing her nap rountine- book, etc) while hoping the boys stay quiet while sitting downstairs in their bouncy seats can be a bit stressful.  There is no one to attend to them for about 10-15 minutes so I'm holding my breath they stay calm.  Mainly because if they cry Chloë gets upset and can't fall asleep herself.  Even in the middle of the night, if she hears one of them crying and it wakes her up, she screams hysterically.  We rush to her room, open the door and she says, "Baby Eli crying" or "Baby Owen crying" (and she ALWAYS gets it right.  Always.  Even when she's behind a closed door and the baby is crying on a different level of the house. It's amazing).  I go to great lengths to protect her sleep because a tired Chloë is a very challenging Chloë.

Anyways, I'm typing this at 4am and need to go back to sleep so I'm going to close.  Here are some cute photos Maureen took with her phone:

Both are smiling all the time now!  Owen just started laughing as well.  Eli started about a week ago. It's the best!! 

And one I took at Kid Ventures a couple days ago