Early the Bed, Early to Rise

There is wisdom in the saying "Early to bed, early to rise." I used to love to stay up late at night. I was sure the party began when I went to bed. Often times I stayed up too late and made my life very difficult. When I was in college, everyone seemed to stay up until at least 1am. So of course I stayed up too...except I had to get up at 5am for rowing practice. Just a few months ago I found it difficult to get out of bed before 8am. Last summer I would go walking in the park with one of my really good friends and her kids. We would be AT the park by 7 to beat the heat. It didn't seem like that was going to happen this year.

Well, we decided to start running (which I'm so very excited about). My really good friend and I decided to run in the mornings instead of evenings. We both knew how hard it would be to get all our runs in during a week and how often we would be 'too tired' to go. So, we have to get up earlier enough so our husbands are home with our sleeping children.

Ever since we started running, I have been ready to go to sleep around 8:30. When you go to bed earlier, you get up earlier. So I'm still getting my 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Anyhow, my point is that when you get up earlier there are so many things you can enjoy. Since my family is still sleeping when I get up, I have time to enjoy the peace and quiet. I have time to enjoy the fresh new day I have been blessed with. I have time to meditate and ponder my personal needs. I also feel like I am better prepared to be a mother and wife each day. I know the sun being up and the length of the sun during the day also helps these good endorphins. But I truly do feel more spiritual and see Heavenly Father's hand in everything at this time of day.

I just hope I continue to feel great when I am "early to bed, early to rise."

Candy

Growing up, I remember my mother talking about how my oldest brother could smell sugar. She said she could buy candy when he wasn't home, hide it, and the moment he walked in the door he could find it. That skill must be hereditary because Haydn can do the same thing. The first time I went to work, Haydn found candy. My boss has since purchased candy so Haydn can have some when he's there. When we go to my parents' home, Haydn walks in and right to any candy they may have...and not just any candy, but all the candy.

Today at work, Haydn found some Lindt Chocolate Truffles (which I happen to enjoy myself) and wanted to eat them. I had to put them on top of the refrigerator to keep them out of Haydn's reach. I came back to the kitchen a little while later and Haydn had a kitchen chair pushed up to the refrigerator and was crying because he couldn't reach the candy.

This evening at home, Haydn grabbed one of his folding chairs (it goes to a kid's card table) and pulled it into the kitchen. He opened the pantry door and pushed his chair up to the shelves. He climbed onto his chair and got himself a dum dum.

I love that he can help himself, but there is very little that I can keep out of his reach. Ahh...the joys of candy and what it can teach children. By the way, every time Haydn eats candy he says to me "mmm, 's goooood mommy".

Surprise!

Haydn has been really slow to talk (compared to a number of kids we know his age). He has been quick to learn anything physical and masters it quickly too. The language department was not a top priority for him. In the last month or so, he has really started to talk. Not just chatter, but actual words. When he is saying something really important and looks us straight in the eye and says "jabi zha, beba" (you get the point...he just makes sounds that sound like words). He is quickly going from saying stuff like "uh-huh" to "yea" or "yesh." His favorite word right now is "LOOK" and you better acknowledge it or he'll keep telling you to look.

Last night we were hanging out in our basement (that's where the majority of Haydn's toys are and the house is much cooler) and Haydn kept saying "Gay". We were a little shocked that he kept saying that because it's not like we say it often...if ever. I mean, sure we say the word, but not enough for Haydn to say it. Adam looks at Haydn and sees that he's pointing at something. On the floor was the letter "K" and he was saying "K" instead of gay...thankfully. So Adam started picking up letters and Haydn would announce what letter it was. There are some he knows very well, and others he still needs some work. We were just surprised that he knew letters already. When he decides he wants to learn something, he works hard on it until he can master it!