Blessings in Disguise

Have you ever noticed how God sometimes answers prayers in unexpected (and sometimes even annoying) ways? I just love watching something that I can't possibly imagine being good turn out to be the very answer I was waiting for.

For example: about a month ago, Elena started waking up (and staying up) around 5:45am. I have trouble rolling out of bed within an hour after sunrise, much less 1 1/2 hours before sunrise. Ugh. Combine that with the fact that we are often up until 11 or 12 because of Seth's work schedule (not to mention Sam still wakes up every few hours during the night) and you've got one tired mama.

We tried everything we could think of to change her schedule. We cut out naps, we put her to bed later, we put her to bed earlier; nothing worked. So I decided to pray for a little Divine Intervention.

Within a few days, Sam got sick with a fever and ear infection. That was just terrific because now, in addition to staying up with a fussy baby until 11:00 and waking up with an energetic toddler long before dawn, I was getting up with Sam about every half hour in between.


But wait, it gets better: once Sam was on the mend, Elena woke us up at 1:00 am by puking in her bed. I know at first glance this doesn't seem all that great, but.....ta da! Due to the sickness, Elena started sleeping in until 8:00 or 9:00. We have now had 6 days of sleeping in until at least 7:45. And voila! My prayers have been answered. ....for now.

By the way, today is the first day in 9 days one of the kids hasn't been sick or recuperating, which is why I have neglected the blog. It's good to be back.

As Promised...

Here are the pictures from the Kiddie Parade at Bug Days

Happy Days

We celebrated Boxelder Bug Days here in Minneota last weekend and had a lot of fun. Elena was in the kiddie parade wearing a thrift-store/dollar store costume I threw together at the last minute for about $4. The outfit was a big hit - she even made it in the paper (pictures to come). She also got up on stage and danced with the cloggers!

Sam wasn't interested in dressing up, but he enjoyed seeing all the animals and people. We ran into one of Seth's old baby-sitters, which frequently happens during bug days. Every time I meet one of his old sitters, I ask how he was as a kid and they always respond, "Seth was the good one." (I'm sure his brothers would beg to differ).

I think Sam will have a personality very similar to Seth's. He is very happy and smiley with an easy laugh. The few times he really cries are:

1. When we change him - I'm going to have to start duct-taping him to the floor soon, he's so squirmy.

2. When we take him out of the bath (he LOVES the water).

3. When he gets hurt (either by Elena or self-inflicted)

4. and of course, when he just really needs his Mommy

Other than that, he is pretty much always happy. Here's a picture of Sam and Elena enjoying their bath.

 

Fun on the Farm

On labor day we brought Elena and Sam out to our friends' farm to do some horseback riding. Emily, one of the kids' babysitters, has a 23 year old horse perfect for riding.

Elena had a great time riding horse (with her friend, Ana, who was also there) and eating apples off the tree and grapes off the vine. She had so much fun that she kept refering to the farm as a "fair." Sam especially enjoyed playing with their piglets.

That's all I can write. I can't keep Sam off the stairs these days and he is too brave for his own good. Enjoy the pics. Gotta go!

Sam has learned how to dance...

I love summer food.

I just love eating this time of the year. Last night we had fresh tomatoes, summer squash and cucumbers straight from the garden (along with locally raised beef) followed by watermelon for dessert...and strawberries & cream for dessert #2. Yum!

Elena insisted I take a picture of her meal, too. Half-eaten yogurt and meat isn't quite so aesthetically pleasing.

Photo Shoot

Sam had his first professional photos taken yesterday. He was a little more difficult than Elena at this age since he can get away. Elena just sat there. All I really wanted was one good shot, though, and we got it.

Check them out here!

She'll probably hate me for this in 10 years....

Our kids have never been the type to sleep when we want them to sleep. They are great at tag-teaming (one stays up until midnight and the other wakes up at 6:00 am). They are also great at refusing to nap and then conking out late in the day making bedtime horrendous.

Elena has been skipping naps altogether lately, which makes for a crazy day, but at least gets her to bed early and helps her sleep in later. Here she is after losing a long battle with naptime, finally falling asleep on my shoulder. With her finger up her nose. (In her defense, I will say she's normally not much of a nose-picker, but I think all the crying had her a bit stuffed up)



Sam loves to take an evening snooze and then party hard until 11:00 or so. (Right now for example, at 10:10pm, he is currently busy trying to pull all of the cords out of my computer as I type.) We try not to let him nap past 5:00 so he will go to bed at a decent time, but it just doesn't seem to work. If he wants to sleep, he's going to sleep. Here he is at suppertime last night - not an ideal naptime.

I blame the Myhres for Sam's problem. Mainly the men. To prove it's their fault, here is a classic photo of Seth's brother, good ol' Uncle Craig, asleep in a seemingly impossible position.