Nightimes have been really hard lately with Isabella. She's been crying and crying when she wakes up, talking really loudly, demanding x,y,z and waking everyone up. I've been at a loss what to do. She and I have talked about it a lot and she's said she needs a drink of water in the middle of the night and to hold my hand to fall back asleep, but even after I've done these things, she kept having screaming fits. She's been tired during the day from not sleeping well, and not much fun sometimes. We finally decided that if she is unable to remember the rules about talking very quietly in the middle of the night and unable to not freak out screaming even after I've gotten her water and am holding her hand, she can't be in our room. The first night, I took her out of our room 3 times. I stayed with her, but just laid on the floor resting, rather than snuggling. It seems to have made an impact. She has been much calmer at night, sleeping better, no screaming, not waking up Vincent. I've also restarted giving her her Bach Flower Essences, which I'm sure is helping too. It's so nice to not have to deal with a screaming child who is getting herself hysterical at 3 am. I haven't had to take her out of the room since that first night.

We had to go to Madison yesterday to celebrate Luis' birthday with his family. We went early and took the kids to Elver Park for sledding. There is a HUGE HUGE sledding hill there. Abigail and Luis went down the main hill once. Abigail *loves* sledding, but this hill was too much for her. She was apparently asking to stop halfway down the hill, and crying by the end. We calmed her down, and then she and Luis tried the smaller side of the hill. She adored it. She went down by herself once, grinning the entire way even though she almost wiped out halfway down. She looked so proud of herself as she righted the sled and made it down the hill. She wanted to go down by herself every time, but we only brought one sled and the hill was steep enough that it was hard for her to take the sled back to the top by herself. Luis said if he had to walk the sled to the top, he got to sled down with her. Isabella went down once, and she hated it. Even the little hill was too big for her. Maybe next year.

We had dinner at La Hacienda last night. The mexican food there is so incredibly good. It's the thing I miss most about living closer to Madison. The kids had a great time with Luis' family last night, and Vincent finally gave Abuela a kiss.

I finished the last pair of slippers and felted them yesterday. I'm sitting here wearing mine after watching the kids and Luis in their for what seems like forever. They are so warm and comfy. I made myself wait to knit mine until everyone else's was done so that I would actually finish everyone elses. Good thing, or I bet my sister's pair would have languished on the needles for a while. Even with wanting my own, Amy's pair sat on the needles longer than they needed too. Now to finish up my socks and someday start on that blasted shawl again.