Wausau Weekend

This weekend we drove to Wausau to visit.  As luck would have it the Oscar Mayer

Weinermobile was parked at County Market as we pulled into town.  What better way to

start the weekend than with a couple of weiner pictures?

Then we stopped to see my mom at school before heading out to meet my dad for dinner.

Since the kids had been cooped up in the car for 5 hours, we decided to go to Sam's Pizza

so they could run around and play some games.  I can't say they ate a whole lot, but they

had a great time which is sometimes just as satisfying.

The rest of the weekend we spent hanging out, watching Aiden play football, my dad and I

hiked up Rib Mountain and my mom and I even found time to sneak in a much needed and

long overdue TJ Maxx shopping spree.  

I never have much luck when I go shopping, but the skies parted and the stars aligned because I walked out of there with over 20 shirts for the fall!!  I am SO excited!!  After having Miles I haven't been feeling the greatest in my clothes, so it feels so good to have so many fun new things to wear.  As much as I love yoga pants and sports tops, I want to have more to my wardrobe than that...and now I do!!  Watch out Fall.  This girl is ready for you!!

Thanks for a great visit!!

Baby Smiles

Miles continues to be an amazing baby and do what he does best...smile and sleep.

Two things that make me really happy.  :)

Best Buds

There is something about a picture like this that warms my heart.

No it's not the greatest picture in the world...it's in our messy living room for starters.  But the fact that Owen and Joe could sit anywhere they want, yet they chose to sit right next to each other and play their games together makes me really happy.  My hope is they continue to love each other and Miles this much as they grow up.

My Little Loves

Bedtime Stories

Look who decided to join the party??

Bedtime stories just got a little more fun.

Bending the Rules

I think it is safe to say that I have relaxed a lot as a parent this third time around.  Things like

asking my sister to change her clothes when she first came to meet Owen because she had

been on a germ-filled airplane (something I will never live down) are in the past.

I've been a lot more lenient on the baby experts' "rules" with Miles.  I've learned doing what I

need to do to keep myself sane and rested is most important, and he will be fine.  Take his

sleeping arrangements for example.  He is totally different than my other two.  I used to

swaddle them like mummies with their arms tucked in tight.  He wants no part in that.  He

prefers his arms up by his face, so I haven't swaddled him since his first few days home.  

This made things difficult though because he didn't sleep very well at night if he was laying

flat.  He would flail his arms and wake himself up.  Yes, the startle reflex does in fact exist.

I decided to put him in a rock n' play to sleep, despite my fears of him having a hard time

transferring to the crib.  He loves it!  He's warm and cozy and sleeps on an incline.

Fast forward to him being almost 3 months and needing to move into the crib.  He wakes up

the second I lay him down.  Which brings me to my initial point.  Never in a million years

would I put a pillow in the crib with my other two.  I don't think Owen had a pillow until he

was almost 3!  And a loose blanket??  No way!!  Suffocation hazard for sure!  Yet here is

how I am debating letting Miles sleep in the crib.

A nice fluffy (yet still pretty flat) pillow to remind him of the rock and play, and a thick cozy

blanket.  I still think it is going to be an adjustment, but I'm willing to bend the rules

a little to make things easier on everyone.

First Day of School

This week was a very exciting week in the Kalita household....school started!!  The boys were starting to get restless, so it's safe to say we were all very ready for this week to come.

Owen started first on Tuesday.  He is in his 2nd year of preschool, which is the last before
he starts kindergarten next year.  Yikes!  He is in the Diamond room at Pilgrim with
Ms. Jayne and Ms. Aileen.  I've heard such great things about them so I'm excited 
to see how the year goes.  He was really excited about his first day and had
no problem saying goodbye as we dropped him off in his classroom.

Joe started Wednesday in the Star room at Pilgrim with Ms. Alissa and Ms. Karen (also
amazing teachers).  It is his first year of preschool and the first time we've left him at a class
on his own.  Leading up to today, anytime we mentioned school he quickly commented, "No,
don't leave me," so I knew the initial separation was going to be tough.  But I knew how
much fun he'd have once he got there, so I tried to remind him of all the fun things he would
be able to do.  He loves playing with Owen and being around other kids.  And he always
loved being in Owen's classroom last year, so I knew he would have a blast.

But this was different for him and it was no surprise that when we dropped him off on the
first day the tears began to flow (to put it lightly).  He clung to me and screamed and Ms.
Alissa had to pull him off of me so I could leave.  When we came to pick him up however, he
had no interest in leaving.  His teachers told me he calmed down as soon as we walked out
the door, and now he wanted nothing more than to keep playing on the playground.  It will
be interesting to see how next week goes.  Hopefully the goodbyes get a little easier.

Meanwhile, with the boys in school I'm back down to only one baby for 2 days a week.
YAY!!  I'm definitely going to enjoy my one on one time with this smiley little guy.