Normal?!?

Normal, I'm learning, is a constantly evolving state when you have two children.

It's taken me about a year to really find what works for us as a family of four - and I bet that will change again soon. My daughter's morning nap was finally on a schedule - and both kids were napping at the same time in the afternoon. Awesome, right? Envious? If it was you, I would be! And now? Well, some days it still works, and some days it doesn't, no matter what I do. Add preschool into the mix and it's anybody's guess.

A trip to the park to burn off some energy? My daughter falls asleep before we get home. My son, well, he seems to have even more energy than before. How do you balance an energy-filled 3.5-year-old's need for activity (usually noisy activity) with a 14-month-old's need to sleep? Did I mention she wakes up at the slightest sound? I hope - today - that he will actually nap after TJ Bearytales reads him a story. It's our "bargain" to keep him in bed, at least for a little while. And I hope, today, that he will remember that "in bed" means his entire body, not everything but my feet which I don't know how to keep still.

Update: It's been 2 hours (amazing!) and no noise (so far!) from upstairs. I'm glad my work is almost done - I'm sure I just jinxed myself, and the children will be hanging from the gate at the tops of the stairs, calling my name, ready for snacks any minute now! But, maybe just for today, there were a few peaceful moments in my home (did I mention they were almost RUINED when the FedEx delivery person rang the doorbell?!?).