Hello there! I hope this Monday finds you well. We gave the summer one final farewell with a little party with friends yesterday. All morning I was looking up at the rainy skies hoping hoping hoping that it would let up enough for us to hustle together an outdoor event… more because I was really nervous about what 30 people would look like inside our downstairs, but also because outside is always best in my opinion. Unless it’s winter, of course. Then inside by the fire it is! But luckily for us, the rain was gone well before guests arrived, and our deck was even dry thanks to some creative thinking (and a leaf blower and a fan). The rain seemed to ward off much of the humidity, so we really had nice weather.
We brought together a couple groups of friends who had never met before in a wild experiment. You never know how that’s going to pan out, but it was fantastic. We realized after the event that half of our friends are of international origin for some reason. It always works out that way for us and I have no idea why! But that actually helped tremendously in finding things in common, and immediately there was much laughter and fun. The kids got along amazingly well, and there was peace in the back yard (but not quiet)!
I am always grateful when these productions work out well. I am grateful for the wonderful people in our lives. St. Louis is turning out to be a great place for us.
On Saturday I also ventured back to the City Museum with Milo and one of his friends for their circus class. We ended up staying until nearly dinnertime and I had so much fun with those two (more tomorrow). Andrew also nabbed some pretty amazing shots of a cicada caught in a huge spider web on our front porch. The spider was scary big, and managed to kill this guy:
And… we spent the rest of the weekend placing Emil back into his crib over and over again, as he now climbs out during nap time and bed time and can open his own door and wander around. It is so frustrating because eventually he does fall asleep and stay asleep for several hours, but getting him to that point is proving to be quite a task all of a sudden. Neither Milo nor Oliver ever attempted the old crib escape, so this is new for us. Any suggestions?
As annoying as it is, it’s also hilarious and sweet to see what he ends up doing and where he ends up going. Andrew and I have caught him doing the following: trying on boots in his closet, sticking his finger into the fan while it is on (yikes! Don’t worry- he was okay), reading books in his rocking chair, brushing his teeth in the bathroom, attempting to play a record on our record player, playing cards in the playroom, throwing stuffed animals down the stairs, trying on Oliver’s pajamas in Oliver’s room while Oliver was sound asleep, and stuffing toilet paper into the toilet. But most often, he heads directly to Milo’s bed, climbs into bed with him, and snuggles in close while Milo wraps a loving arm around him. I found them like this late last night and after much deliberation (we wanted to let him sleep there), we decided it was too high to fall out even with pillows underneath, and that one of them would likely push the other out. But it does have us wondering about maybe letting them sleep together in a larger bed closer to the ground… have you ever tried this? What are your kids’ sleeping arrangements?
I have a feeling my two will be sharing a bed as soon as my almost 2 year old can escape his crib. Last night, I realized that his pre-bedtime cuddle with her is an important part of his bedtime routine, and he would really rather just stay there. I haven’t let him yet – she really likes her own space- but that protective arm holding him close just slays me!
My nephews would always pile into the oldest’s bed, so I can see why Milo’s bed would be the place to be. Even now, when they are 15, 12 and 10, the younger two will sleep on the floor of his room just to be closer to him. I love how they can comfort and enjoy being with each other, even at night.
looks like a great weekend! we have quirky sleep habits at our house. often bryce ends up on the couch or he tries to climb in the bed with kinsey and she moves to our room…every night is different! I think a large low bed is a great idea 🙂
It looks like such a lovely time! We spent yesterday in St. Louis at the botanical gardens (we loved it, and are becoming members) and it was perfect weather. This weekend’s weather looks even better! I was surprised to find that on a recent trip out to Colorado that my kiddos sleep really well together. Very surprising! I say go for it, if they want to co-sleep 🙂
Another fun party- and 30 people, wow! I’ve never had more than 10 and that was overwealming, but it’s all about that lack of space.
I found the crib escape exhausting. I was newly pregnant when Wyatt went through that phase and it really upset me to think he was on the loose, I was far less relaxed and good natured than you guys seem! What worked for us was stickers, he got one each night that he slept through in the crib and we put them right on the crib. First though I did a few nights of lying down next to the crib, then telling him i was moving to lie by the door, then saying i was lying down just outside the door (at which point I would leave)… but that was because he was popping right out before we even left the room.
I love the idea of a low bed for two. I think sharing a room, or even bed, is such a nice comfort.
With Casey, we reversed the door knob and locked him in, because I didn’t want him wandering out and getting into to trouble when he should have been sleeping, or missing in case of an emergency.
The girls shared a bed by their own choice from ages 2-4 (Ava) and and 4-6 (Lizzy). The typically got 30 minutes to talk in bed before told them to go to sleep.
It was a feast! I dreamt about that quinoa dish. And as no lover of Mac and cheese I had three (no kidding, I just admitted that on the internets) helpings. The kid energy was amazing. They self entertained, had a blast, and there were no tears or arguements. Its as if you have an enchanted backyard. It was the most fun we’ve had in weeks. Hope to pay you back soon! Jack asked on the way home if we could go back every Sunday. Alex and I silently exchanged glances as if to ponder the idea…
Thanks for the sleep tips! After another very rough night last night followed by a horrible nap time (or lack of one), we ended up removing his crib, dresser, rocking chair, fan, and everything from his room except his mattress, blanket, and rug. Then we put the mattress in the corner on the rug, borrowed a doorknob baby-proofer thing from our neighbor, and have been trying to soothe him into his new “big boy” bedroom. It’s going to be rough, but I don’t see any other way around it right now.
And Maggie, we are so glad you guys had as much fun as we did! The combination of kids was perfect! And yes, I want to do it every Sunday as well. Please tell Jack we had a blast with him!
Both of my kids were serious crib escape artists and we had to abandon the crib idea and convert it into a toddler bed pretty early on for them. I think a low to the ground full sized bed would be an awesome idea. It’s big enough that everyone has space, and kids love snuggling up on one another.
I’ve seen a lot of cool tutorials on turning old pallets into a bed platform and just adding wheels to the bottom. And if you didn’t want to go the DIY route, we got a full sized platform bed for Julian on Overstock for a pretty reasonable price.