I have been MIA – and there’s one and only one reason for it. My laptop. The battery is crap so it needs to be plugged in at all times, and being near it when there is actually time to blog can be an issue when you have a baby who likes to be held (in fact, he’s waking up right now).

Things here are good. It’s been busy, but it’s good.

Matthew started pre pre-school last week and LOVES it! Taking him to school yesterday was fun because he knew right where we were when we pulled in, and he ran up the stairs and into his class, giving me little chance to get his hands washed. He jumps right in wherever he is, and school is no different. We’ve received glowing reports both days so far about his social skills, his attitude, and his being an “unbelievable sharer.” 🙂 His teachers say that he’s a very good boy and nice to all the children. I like hearing that! What I like even more is the reception I got yesterday when I picked him up. The kid who could care less that I was leaving him there just a couple of hours earlier was SO excited to see me! We locked eyes and he squealed, “Mom, mom, MOM!!!!” and ran to me. LOVE!

Bryson has really mellowed out and makes my days very easy. He smiles all morning long, lets me know when he needs naps, squeals at his brother, and travels well with us from here to there. He became a new baby at around 4-5 weeks and that’s very appreciated 😉 He was a tough nut at first. HA! He sleeps pretty well at night when he’s not sick (poor baby) and will give us a 4.5-6.5 hour first stretch, then up every 3-4. If we time it right, I get up only once a night! Matthew was the opposite and got worse as he got older. I am taking this as a good sign and am hoping we will not need to do sleep training this time around! (Fingers Crossed!!!)

B is so busy at work. It doesn’t interfere with our family life because he’s so good at keeping work at work, but you can see it in his eyes every now and again that he’s worn out. He continues to be an amazing father to the boys, especially to Matthew. When you have a nursing mom, you lose a lot of one-on-one time with her and B likes to stay home in the AM while I nurse and shower so that Matthew has someone to play with. The minute he comes home, they’re playing ball, or trucks, or trains together. He’s done an amazing job at making Matthew not feel like there’s a new baby in the house (or as much like that as possible).

Our trip was great! I remember it more fondly now that it’s over, but it really was fun. HA! It was hard, but it was worth the effort. As we drove the 6 hours home, I asked B if he’s glad we took the trip and he said yes. We both enjoyed the time away from home and watching Matthew love all the time in the pools and on the beach. Bryson did great and adjusted well, and Matthew LOVED having his dad to sleep with each night. We changed up the bed time routine for him and made it a bit more fun, and I would suggest doing that for your kids while on vacation. Because we did something “special” before bed, he got pretty excited about going to bed (we watched CG on the tablet PC in bed). It was great!

Weekends have been busy with birthday parties, fall events, and regular maintenance 😉 We are going to get down to KC at the end of September or in October (hear that, Steph?!?!?) and are looking forward to that. We have a few friends down there who we want to see and that’s great motivation to make it happen. There is also a space museum that is “second only to the Smithsonian” outside of KC that I’m dying to visit (truly!). I want to keep traveling here and there because we have a big family trip to Colorado Springs over Christmas that I’m hoping will go smoothly. Fun times ahead (I say that with some sarcasm – we’re flying to Colorado and that will be the first time with both boys)!

B comes home today from an overnight work trip.  Matthew always gets sick right as B is leaving, and that happened this time too – with the added bonus of Bryson getting even sicker than Matthew!  😉   We all survived it, and I actually got a ton done while B was out-of-town.  I’m sort of a machine when he’s not here – I like to keep busy!  He leaves for 3 nights (I think) on Sunday and I am getting giddy just thinking of what I may get done while he’s gone!  Someone asked last week how Matthew’s room is coming along – and if it’s done.  It is not.  But it’s close.  The only thing I have left to do (I think) is his name banner which is on the agenda for the nights that B is out-of-town.  That should keep me busy!

We just keep on keeping on, I guess.  The only thing that I’m not thrilled with is the time that B and I get together – or rather – the time that we DON’T get together.  It’s become a real problem with the two kids because one of them is always up while we’re up.  Bryson is now starting to go to bed before Matthew, and I’m hoping that we can have some quality time together now that we have that all worked out.  By the time Matthew is finally asleep (that kid can keep his eyes open for a very long time, even when exhausted!), I come back to a tired husband who just wants to sleep.  And you know, that always sounds pretty good to me given my lack of sleep lately.  So – there lies the problem!

Now I’m off to get some much-needed sleep!