it's just us...finding a happy medium

Well, we're doing our best to get used to a new rhythm of life now that Ella is in school full time. I must admit, it is a harder adjustment than I thought it would be. Things have just felt a little uncomfortable, like the ins and outs of our days just don't fit right. We miss her (I know I do) but it is still a sweet time with the younger two.

Yup. It's just us...

We've been trying to figure out a new rhythm for Simon as well since things have changed so much around here. Ella's day is so long, we're getting her to bed a bit earlier than what we've been used to, and with Simon still taking naps, (sometimes he can sleep three or four hours if we let him!) he just isn't ready to fall asleep when Ella is. For simplicity's sake, we'd like our kids to go to bed at the same time! In hopes of achieving this, for the last three weeks, we've ditched Simon's nap to make sure he's as tired as the one who is in school all day long. He loves getting to skip rest time and have "quiet time in his room" playing with toys, but we've noticed a real change in his temperament and we've faced many more discipline issues and emotional tantrums than we're used to with him. We've discovered, there really is no happy medium. We tried it, and it failed. After weighing the pros and cons, I re-instituted nap time, explaining to Simon that he's growing so much, his body needs rest. (Seriously! I think it's true!) He was slightly bummed, but here he is moments after I left his room today:

Think he might still require a nap? I had to wake him up over two hours later to go pick Ella up from school. I'm happy to report, we had zero tantrums today and he's back to his old congenial polite self. Long live the naps!