Naps

I got a rude reminder yesterday of why I no longer put Dylan down for naps. He stopped napping over a year ago. Probably right around his 3rd birthday. Yesterday we took Dylan to Collin's afternoon soccer game and he had some pretty good temper tantrum meltdowns. I was so frustrated when we got home that I put him down for a nap. He actually went to sleep and woke up around 5:00 only because the dog barked like crazy when I came home from the library. Last night he could not get to sleep and it was probably close to 1 AM before he finally settled down. As I see it, I have three options.

1) Don't give him a nap and put up with his cranky, bad attitude all afternoon\evening.
2) Put him down for a nap (usually a huge struggle) and wake him up after 30-60 minutes, so he doesn't sleep too long. This also ends up with a cranky, bad attitude because he was woken up.
3) Put him down for a nap (huge struggle) and then stay up with him until the wee hours of the morning because he can't sleep.

I feel like I lose no matter which option I choose. Since he is still somewhat cranky even after having a nap (he just turned four after all), I feel like not giving him naps is still my best option. I just need yesterday's reminder every once in a while to remember why I don't put him down for naps. Collin napped through kindergarten, probably until he was close to seven years old. He still takes a good nap every once in a while when needed. Every kid is so different!

Birthday Photos

Here are a few photos from Alana and Dylan's birthday weekend. It was a busy one to say the least. We went to Alana's school carnival on Friday night, Alana and Collin's first soccer games on Saturday, and Alana and Dylan's birthday party on Sunday. The kids had a great time though and I'm still recovering!

Happy, Happy Birthday!

Today was Dylan and Alana's birthday. I can't believe my babies are 4 and 6! Where does the time go?? I think they had a pretty great day even though we had to a do a little shopping. Alana had a half day at school so I decided to take the kids out to lunch. Alana chose chinese food. She had a major craving for egg drop soup! We then ran a few errands and came home to visit with Grandma and Grandpa Dunakin who are spending the night. The kids got to open a few presents tonight (their party is on Sunday afternoon). Then we were off to Alana's carnival at school, which was as chaotic as I expected. Alana and Dylan got their faces painted and the kids had snow cones and bounced in the large inflatables. They had a great time, but I'm so glad that part of the weekend is over. Tomorrow Collin and Alana have their first soccer games of the season. I'm going to stay home with Dylan tomorrow so I can work on the kid's birthday cakes. I'm starting to run out of time! More pictures to come I'm sure.

Some other good news, our house in Leawood is back on the market today. We had it remodeled and staged and I think it looks fantastic! I will post some before and after pictures soon. I'm praying that it sells soon!!!