Napless Idlewild

Part of me kind of feels as though I have been neglecting this blog, but the reality is that I have way less computer and relaxation time than I used to.  My kids used to religiously take naps from about 1PM until 3PM or later...every day.  Now, we are lucky to get them to stay in their rooms for an hour, and the likelihood that they sleep is about 50/50.  Actually, it is Cortlan who more often falls asleep; for whatever reason, Everly has always seemed to thrive on less sleep than him.  (I clearly remember the 15 minute catnaps when she was a baby that had me pulling my hair out.)  So, while I used to get things done for an hour or so and then still have an hour left of to write this blog or read or otherwise relax and sometimes accomplish something during nap time, this summer I am generally not even getting a load of laundry done and my kitchen cleaned from lunch by the time the kids are out of their rooms again.

The reduction and soon (I predict) elimination of nap time has its positives and negatives.  On the positive side, I do feel much more confident that we will make it through a day of activity without complete meltdowns now.  Thus, I am less apt to experience the customary anxiety when we plan a day away from home.  In fact, last week, we spent a beautiful day at Idlewild with no incidents whatsoever, and stayed longer than we ever had before.  The kids rode most of the kids' rides, we walked through Storybook Forest, played in the ball pit, and went on Mr. Roger's Neighborhood Trolley ride where we invited everyone to "Come along, come along, to the castle hug 'n song!"  We were also able to ride most of the "big kid" rides.  Everly went on her first roller coaster and Ferris Wheel rides, plus a number of spinny rides.  The weather was great, and the day was nearly perfect.  The only bad thing was that my battery died on my camera after only a few pictures.

Of course, the motorcycle ride was one of the first rides of the day!

The kids surprised John and me by excitedly joining the crowd at the Thomas show.

For the first time, they were actually able to pull the handle hard enough to ride high on the airplane ride (though this pic was taken before they started).

Happy New Year

The tradition began long ago: each year when I was a child, as we packed up the artificial Christmas tree, my dad would write some notes on the box.  The notes could be big events of the year, memories of the holidays, milestones that were reached, or just random things that came to mind.  The next year, with many of those memories buried along with the tree in the storage room, we would look forward to reading what we had written over the years.

The tradition continues in my house, with a fond trip down memory lane each year as we unpack the tree. The process of taking down the tree after the hustle and bustle and festivities of the holiday season is never one of my favorite things, for the chore itself is time-consuming and not very fun, but also because it marks the end of a wonderful time of the year and of another year's passing.  But I do enjoy the thoughtful reflection of the year behind us as I take the time to write on the box.

So with the year of "Everly was potty trained!" and "Cortlan started gymnastics!" and so much more behind us, it is time to look ahead and to wonder what the new year will bring for us to write about.    It is almost hard to imagine 2012 being as good as the past several years have been, but the great thing about a new year is the sense of hope and possibility, and that I have.  Never one for resolutions, my plan is just to continue to strive to be attentive and present and to enjoy the moments while they last.

Happy New Year!