Friday, September 5, 2014

We're back!

Jenn, Teagan, Quinn, Riley, Finn and I are back! I took a somewhat purposeful blogging break over the summer. I had intended on blogging of our summer adventures, but then life got busy, kids stopped sleeping, kids started fighting (a lot) and Mommy started to go a little nuts.

In some ways, the summer flew by, but in others, it didn't go nearly fast enough. The answer to the general  'how was your summer?' question would have to be that the highs were really high, but the lows were rrrrrrreally low. The girls and I had some fantastic days filled with warm weather, tons of laughter and loads of adventure and fun. I'll go into details below. 

They also went through some sleep issues. Teagan has night terrors several times per week. They both also get into the habit of waking several times per night, sometimes for up to a week or more. Pair this with their bedtime antics (taking 1-3 hours to fall asleep) and we had two overtired little girls for much of the summer. As with most kids, overtired equals bad behaviour. The fighting was really bad for most of the summer. They know how to push each others buttons and fought more than they didn't. If they weren't fighting, there was lots of whining and several tantrums. Without preschool, the three of us spent nearly 24/7 together. It was a lot. Dealing with the sometimes constant fighting and tantrums emotionally and mentally exhausted me on most days. My fuse shortened and my patience was worn thin. I yelled and felt guilty and horrible for it. I was becoming a mom who I didn't like. But with 2 3-year olds and 3 dogs (Carlee stayed with us quite a bit), I tried to remind myself that I was doing the best that could. I also knew that September 2nd would come and structure and sanity would be restored with the start of preschool. And here we are…Sorry to vent, but it was needed!

And back to July. 

In early July, we received the photos from my friend and photographer, Lauren, from the girls' 3-year photo shoot. Quite honestly, I was nervous to look at them because the girls weren't in the best moods that day. Lucky for us, Lauren is a pro and managed to capture some absolutely perfect moments!








The summer is better shown through a huge photo dump. Fun continued with...

Raspberry picking!





Celebrating Grandpa's birthday with ice cream cake!


Wine and treats at Kelly's bridal shower. (Kelly is my brother's wife - the wedding was this past weekend!)


For the record: Teagan's glass is filled with
water!

We ate delicious food, listened to music and spent time in nature at the farmer's markets.



We planted a vegetable garden and harvested fresh spinach for our morning smoothies.


We spent time in the country ridin' tractors!


Umbrellas were finally purchased! (They had been asking for them for nearly a year. Mommy refrained from buying them for fear that they would be used as weapons!)


We thoroughly protected our skin from the sun's rays!


Teagan and Quinn rode their first rides all by themselves. 



Quiet puppy cuddles were enjoyed. 


Quinn caught her first fish and cottage noodle fights were had with friends!



The animal lovers enjoyed some bonding time with Charlie, the goat, and Max, the pony. 




The Toronto Zoo's carousel was enjoyed several times. 


Muffins were devoured on warm summer mornings in the park.


A little bit of sidewalk chalk made it onto the ground, but colouring bodies turned out to be much more fun. 


Many walks were enjoyed with the 5 children! 


And one of the best summer memories of all was a zoo visit with their brand new cousin! My cousin had an adorable baby boy in mid-June. The girls adore the little man and talk about it constantly. I'm so excited for play dates and family gatherings in the years to come. Jenn's sister also had a baby boy in July so the girls now have another cousin! Jenn surprised her sister with a visit just days after her nephew was born! We are all heading down there in a few weeks so the rest of us get to meet him too :)


In other positive summer news, Teagan is mostly potty trained. It happened easily because she was ready. Apart from a few reminders on our end, we didn't have to do much! She handles it all on her own, which I love, especially when I'm trying to prepare dinner. A few weeks ago, I surprised Teagan with a package of Lightning Mc.Queen underwear. She's a huge fan and had been asking for them. Her  face lit up when she saw them and I couldn't wash them fast enough. Quinn isn't quite there on the potty training front. She will go before her bath in the evenings, but apart from that, she isn't into it. On the advice of a friend, we spent a week allowing her to wear underwear. We hoped that if she peed herself a few times, she would start to think about using the potty a bit more. No luck. She would pee herself and then disappear and quietly change. Despite constant reminders to use the washroom, she didn't pee on the potty once. After cleaning five pairs of underwear and shorts each day for a week, we put her back into diapers. We didn't make a big deal about it, but told her that when she starts using the washroom regularly, she can wear underwear again. Initially, this sparked massive tantrums multiple times per day. It was particularly hard for her to see Teagan in underwear. I do not feel any stress about the whole thing, but do hope that she figures it out soon so that she can wear undies like her sister. 

I'll end the summer update there, but I'll be back soon with a Rob and Kelly wedding post (with lots of pictures!) and a first week of preschool post.

It's nice to be back. 

7 comments:

  1. It's nice to have you back. In pictures the summer looked like it was perfect. Trust me in a few years, the only things you will remember are the good times the pictures are reminders of, that's the way life works. Thank goodness. :)

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    1. You're absolutely right! That's why I decided to load the post with photos of good memories :)

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  2. Welcome back! These pictures are fantastic and the other stuff about your summer with toddlers, I can completely relate so please don't feel bad for being honest in sharing your experiences. We just returned from our summer vacation to Vancouver BC and half the week was great while the other half was terribly difficult. I can't even wrap my head around blogging about it yet, lol.

    Congrats to your brother and new sis-in-law! Oh and the family pictures are gorgeous. :)

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    1. Oh Vancouver! I can't wait to see the post -- I love that city. I'm sorry part of the trip was tough. The joys of living with toddlers!

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  3. I'm glad your back! I've been checking regularly to see if there's any new posts and I'm happy to see your back :)

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  4. I'm so glad to see you're back!
    I completely feel you on the lack of sleep, whining, fighting 3 year olds!!! The boys have been going through the exact same thing :(
    You all look amazing though, love the family photo!

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