THANK YOU DADDY

Naps have be a VERY tricky thing in this house for quite some time. Colton is solid as a rock when it comes to naps. I can count on him for 3 to 4 hours every day. His older brothers, on the other hand, have been hit or miss for the better part of a year. Sometimes one naps. Sometimes they both nap. Most of the time they spend an hour pretending that their beds are trains or garbage trucks.

I have tried turning naps into "quiet time". I let them look at books, do puzzles, or pick a toy to take with them. "Quiet time" has become this magical time for the two of them to create a world that only exists to the two of them. It is really fun to listen to the two of them behind the door, but by 6:00 it becomes obvious that they still need a siesta.

I had thought about separating them during nap time over the course of the year. It was easy to see that they were keeping each other from falling asleep. I did try it a few times. It really DIDN'T work. They would work diligently until they found their way back to one another. I forgot about separating them for awhile. I even abandoned the idea.

This past weekend it became obvious that the lack of sleep really did affect their behavior in the late afternoon. Matt brought up the idea of separating them again. After talking about it with him, I found the courage to give it another go. I have to say...the man is a GENIUS. Both of my sons have taken a nap TWO days...IN...A...ROW!!!

I am not sure how long this is going to last, but I am going to love every minute of it.

Back to Reality

This time last week, taking in the view.

Matt and I went back to El Dorado Royale in the Riviera Maya. We were first there 5 years ago to celebrate Matt's homecoming from Iraq. I can honestly say that this resort only gets better. The food and drink is amazing. The service is over the top. The weather was perfect. It was great to get away without the kids, but we were both giddy to see them when we returned. Unfortunately, the temperature dropped to a staggering 1 degree in Chicago. That was our reality check.

I didn't manage to get any pictures, but I am going to hang on to this clip to get me through the next few months. When I watch it, I feel like I am right back on the beach (minus the fruity cocktail).

Smooth Operator

The boys got me a Flip Camera for Christmas. I am having a lot of fun capturing funny moments with my new toy. I haven't posted about our Christmas yet. We had a wonderful time celebrating with Gigi, Papa T, Kelko, Grammy Sue, G, Aunt Courtney and UJ. The boys were completely spoiled by all. Matt mastered the grill, yet again. We had a wonderful dinner followed by LCR and Apples to Apples.

It truely was the best Christmas ever. Until.....we were hit by the flu. Braxton began throwing up around 11. Matt and I were up with him every 2 hours. It spread like wildfire. I joined Brax around 3:00 am. It was awful.

All was not lost though. Braxton learned a valuable life skill. Check it out...

He can be pretty convincing. Watch out for this one...

Happy Birthday Colton

Colt-man turned 2 on December 30! It is hard to believe that my "baby" is 2 already. Colton continues to provide us with lots of entertainment. He is starting to talk a lot and has a lot of opinions. His favorite thing to do is play with his big brothers. He absolutely LOVES trains and reading books. "Daddy addicted" is what I call this boy. He LOVES his Daddy. Colton gives great hugs! This boy is growing up too fast.

He is loving his new Thomas trike.

Of course, cake is Colton's favorite part of the day.

He tried to use a fork, but he decided that his hands worked better.

Happy Birthday Colt-man