Trouble staying in bed

Zander has been in his big boy bed for a few weeks now and for the most part everything is going fine. Naptime is still a bit of a hassle (he likes to get out and play) but after a few times putting him back in bed he's usually out.

And since he has been sleeping in his new bed Nick has taken to tucking Zander in every night, which I think is so sweet. He follows him back to his room, Zander climbs in bed, Nick fixes his blanket, rearranges his stuffed animals and then sits on the edge of the bed and gives him a kiss. Then Nick heads off to his own room for his bedtime stories.







Zander is usually asleep pretty fast, but some nights, when we check on him before we go to bed, this is what we find ...



So now, if he isn't laying on his big pillow when we go to bed we pull it out of the bed and lay it on the floor near his bed. I know the actual roll out of bed isn't waking him up because there has been at least one time (and another for my mom) that I have found him crying UNDER the bed when I go to check on him. Crazy kid manages to roll all the way under and doesn't wake up until he tries to turn his head and realizes he can't.

He tries so hard

For the last year or so Nick has really cut down on his naps (much to my dismay). The lack of nap usually means a little extra crankiness during the usual witching hours (3-5 p.m.) and an earlier bedtime, which is nice now that he has to wake up early for school. But, sometimes, no matter how hard he tries, he just can't stay awake. Today, he fell asleep on the couch about 3:45. I was in the computer room with Zander trying to organize my scrapbook stuff and the kids' craft stuff when Mike IM'd me from the living room that Nick was sleeping. He stayed that way for about an hour, through the television and Zander playing. He must have been really tired.

Workin'

Nick wanted to do some "work" this morning. So he got out his new Buzz Lightyear notebook, his new crayons and settled into his "desk." Of course, Zander had to join in on the fun, too. I was amazed they stayed this way for about 30 minutes while I sat at the table and read a magazine. It was quite nice.

New Year's Eve

It was just me and the boys this New Year's Eve. Mike is in California so we stayed home and had a fun night in, just the three of us. It was a far cry from the New Year's Eves of my youth (i.e. my college and family-free years), but I wouldn't have changed it for anything (except to have Mike home to enjoy it with us).

It was a pretty lazy afternoon/evening. After an early dinner Nick popped in his new Sam the Fireman videos and watched for a little while so I could clean the kitchen. Then we did some craft projects, watched more Sam, played with his fire trucks and did some more crafts. By the time 8:15 rolled around both my guys were pooped. Nick nearly fell asleep while I was reading him his mandatory two bedtime books. I hope that means they had a good time, because I know I sure did! And since everyone is now fast asleep I'm guessing I won't make it long enough to actually ring in this new year, at least not awake, anyway. But, that's OK. It will still be 2010 when I wake up tomorrow morning (likely at the crack of dawn before some even go to bed for the night).

Here was the first craft. Nick really wanted to use the craft/popsicle sticks he got for Christmas. The only quick and easy craft I could find were Christmasy, but I figured he wouldn't care. So we spent NYE making a reindeer.





Oh, and he got to use his new googly eyes, too, which made him very happy!



Zander finally stopped being a stinker and joined in on the second craft of the evening. We took old toilet paper rolls...



... colored them





... and made a race car (kind of). It's not as classy as the ones on familyfun.com, but hey, it was the best I could do with a sleepy 4-year-old.



Then it was snacktime -- we can't go to bed without snacks in this house.



And Nick laughed hysterically at Sam the Fireman for the 18th time tonight.



And then I let the boys jump on the couch for a minute. Hey, it is a time to celebrate right? Why not let them have a little fun?

Cyclone fans?

Don't they look so happy to be Cyclone fans? I got these shirts a few days ago and put them both in them today for the bowl game. Unfortunatley they weren't feeling like getting their picture taken. Or maybe they just aren't Cyclone fans (blasphemy, I know).

Ice skating

I've been meaning to take Nick ice skating for a few years now. I really want him to play hockey while he is little (though I worry that he will like it and we will be broke and at hockey tournaments every weekend when he gets older), but knew it wouldn't do much good if he couldn't even stand on the skates. So this weekend, we finally got down to the ice arena to test it out.

I have to admit, I was pretty impressed. He was very nervous and wobbly-kneed to begin with, but after the first lap (which took about 20 minutes) he started to get the hang of it. Originally, I offered to sit out with Zander but grew tired of watching them have all the fun. So, Zander and I got some skates and joined Nick and Mike on the ice. Zander actually did pretty good, too, though it was naptime so he was tired and wanted to be carried most of the time. Thankfully, I remembered just enough about skating from high school not to drop him!

When open skate was over we stuck around for a few minutes to watch the rec league players practice. The kids ranged from 4 to about 8 and Nick really had fun watching them, but said he didn't want to do it. I'm not going to push him, but geez, those kids are so dang adorable.

Some things never change

Since I was little my dad has been lifting small children up in the air in the palm of his hand. He did it to me. He did it to each of my sisters (much to the detriment of my Mema's heart). And now, he is doing it to my kids. And while it does freak me out just a little, it also makes me smile. This is my dad's thing. And by the look on Zander's face --- he didn't mind it too much at all!