Friday, June 22, 2012

Summer!

Our little tree  hugger
It has been a busy few weeks, but happily Alan is home and summer is here!


Cale seems to have transitioned out of the 'no to everything' stage and into the 'I want to do it all by myself' stage. There was even one extremely trying week where these two charming stages overlapped. The 'no' stage was a tough one, I have to admit. I consider myself quite laid back and level headed, but there were times when I lost my patience. Being constantly challenged and disagreed with was tough, and although I tried to stay calm, use reason and positivity, remind myself that this is just a phase, I found myself at the end of my rope at times with a raised voice and a crying child sitting in time out. Not fun. 


But now, the tears come if forget to let Caleb do something by himself. If he is in a determined mood, I can no longer pour milk in his cereal, get him dressed or undressed, carry him up the stairs, help him climb into his chair...you get the picture. It is great that he is coordinated enough to have all these new skills, but again it takes composure and patience (no more getting ready and out the door quickly in the morning). At least if things get tough these days I have Alan to help out. I find the best way to approach these trying  times is a tag-team effort. If I feel overwhelmed, one look at Alan and he immediately steps in to take over, and when he is worn down, I jump back in, feeling refreshed after a short break. 


All in all, if this is the worst that the 'terrible twos' will bring, I'll be happy, but expect that there will be more challenges in coming months and years. I still feel incredibly lucky to have such a smart, confident, funny, sweet, cuddly and kind little boy. I'm sure I'll remember more of the good moments, like giant bear hugs and whispers of 'I like you and I love you soooo much' in my ear, than the challenging ones.

And now for some adorable photos!

Fun times with friends!
I wonder where these two are hiding?

2 comments:

Grandma Linda said...

So sweet! Who is the adorable little girl?

Ashley said...

It's my friend from work's daughter, Rachel. They are good buddies.