I love my family! Happy Birthday Grandpa Wash!
Monday, July 25, 2016
Grandpa's 70th Birthday
After our camp out we headed to Bountiful for the day to spend time with our family to celebrate grandpa's 70th birthday. We had a swim party then a Mexican themed lunch at Loren's house. All the food was amazing, as was the company. The boys had a jump and dive contest off the jumping board. The kids loved the water, especially Zander. We had a great time, although Stephen and I had to cut out a little early to go pick out and order cupboards for our new kitchen.
I love my family! Happy Birthday Grandpa Wash!
I love my family! Happy Birthday Grandpa Wash!
Backyard Camp Out
We had our first backyard camp out last weekend. Zander was so excited for night to come so he could sleep in the tent and play in the yard. This was our trial run for the ward camp out coming up just to see how well the kids would do...I don't think we'll stay the night, but we sure had fun!
We set up the tent, cleaned Lucas off--he had gotten into the fallen plums on the ground and started eating them. Then we sat around the fire and made smores, had a silly string fight, then played with the glow sticks. I was pleasantly surprised how well Lucas did, but he fell asleep aroud 10:00 which was awesome, but unfortunately, Zander did not want to go to bed, but instead, have fights with the glow sticks. We tried to get him to calm down to go to sleep, but nothing worked, and he ended up screaming and waking Lucas up. That made for a terrible night sleep. By the time Zander did fall asleep it was around 11:00 and I was up with Lucas until 2:30 Stephen finally took him inside and put him down in the crib while I stayed with Zander. It just wasn't comfortable enough slipping and sliding all over my sleeping pad. We woke up about 7:30 and cleaned up!
I really did have a fun time, but trying to get Zander to go to bed was a nightmare. I guess we'll try for a real camp out next summer when the boys are older.
We set up the tent, cleaned Lucas off--he had gotten into the fallen plums on the ground and started eating them. Then we sat around the fire and made smores, had a silly string fight, then played with the glow sticks. I was pleasantly surprised how well Lucas did, but he fell asleep aroud 10:00 which was awesome, but unfortunately, Zander did not want to go to bed, but instead, have fights with the glow sticks. We tried to get him to calm down to go to sleep, but nothing worked, and he ended up screaming and waking Lucas up. That made for a terrible night sleep. By the time Zander did fall asleep it was around 11:00 and I was up with Lucas until 2:30 Stephen finally took him inside and put him down in the crib while I stayed with Zander. It just wasn't comfortable enough slipping and sliding all over my sleeping pad. We woke up about 7:30 and cleaned up!
I really did have a fun time, but trying to get Zander to go to bed was a nightmare. I guess we'll try for a real camp out next summer when the boys are older.
Stephen forgot to slide the poles through the tent...nerd
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Update
The past few days have been hard, to say the least, but in the end I guess I wouldn't have it any other way. Motherhood is a scary but thrilling roller coaster ride. The boys are getting older and more independent. I thought I was going to have a nervous breakdown this week; it's been extremely frustrating because all the things that have been bugging me over the past few weeks just caught up to me. I haven't had anyone to vent to about it; I tried really hard to have patients to teach my kids how to play nicely together, potty training, how to listen and obey, how to talk in a big voice instead of whining, how to handle a situation without throwing a tantrum, etc... This is the only time in my life my kids will be babies and toddlers; I know it's not forever. I wish I could be a better example for them, but I'm doing my best and I need to remember that. I'm not perfect and neither are they. I love my boys no matter what, and I do enjoy them in this stage of life. That being said, here's what they've been up to lately.
ZANDER
Zander is two and half years old; he is currently potty training and doing a great job. We started a few months ago with it, but after five weeks he decided he didn't want to do it anymore so we went back to diapers. That was a little disappointing for me at first but worth it since he would always go poo in his underwear. Here we are three months later, he wanted to wear his underwear again, and has been doing really well since. He's been dry and tells me every time he needs to go, or he'll go on his own and tell me afterwards so he can get his treat and sticker.
He is really into Ninja Turtles lately. It's been really fun for Stephen and I to watch the new Nickelodeon show with him especially since we grew up watching the old 80s version. Zander gets so animated as he watches it. He's always yelling at the bad guys and doing all the ninja moves during the fight scenes.
Because Zander is so physical it's a rare moment to find him sitting still even while watching tv or playing a game on the ipad. I think that's pretty much when I know he's sick or not feeling well if he's not moving.
If there is water anywhere in any form Zander will find it and play in it.
Zander doesn't like to be left alone. Any time Stephen or I need to run outside or downstairs to get something real quickly, Zander will always follow no matter how fast we try to be.
Zander is also very visual--he has to see everything that's going on. That's how he learns best is by seeing then doing (I think he gets that from me) especially when we are cooking in the kitchen Zander will always scoot a chair up to the counter to see what we are putting in the bowl or pan. He loves to stir things too.
He is learning to share his toys with his brother. This has been really hard for him, but he's working on it and has been doing pretty well. Recently, Lucas has noticed that Zander gets treats often throughout the day for going potty, so he cries until he gets something too. Without any prompting Zander asked me if he could give some of his treats to Lucas.
Zander loves being around other people so he's always excited when we go out to run errands because he waves and says hi to everyone he passes. He loves to play with his cousins and friends at church. Sometimes he gets shy, but for the most part, he's very friendly and outgoing.
Recently, he's been calling dad by his first name all of a sudden, so when he wants our attention he'll yell, "mom! mom! Stephen! mommy! Stephen! until we give him our attention.
He is protective and possessive of Lucas while around other people.
He is still afraid of most bugs and now our cat Toby.
LUCAS
Lucas is 13 months old. He has the cutest smile with his seven teeth. Lately he's been super clingy always wanting me, and only me, to hold him. I can't sit with him I have to be up on my feet.
He'll usually eat anything I give him, but he never trusts what I put in his mouth, so when I give him a first bite he'll spit it out in his hand, inspect it, lick it, then if he likes it, he'll put it back in his mouth and let me feed the rest of it to him. He does this every day at every meal, even if its something he's had a lot of before. He loves chocolate and sweets and milk.
He can go up and down the stairs fairly well now. He's only fell down the stairs once but I caught him before he reached all the way to the bottom....actually Zander just pushed him down the stairs as I am writing this so make that two times...
He's learned to give kisses and waves bye-bye.
His first word was Daddy.
He can entertain himself pretty well for a while, but he loves to explore and do whatever Zander is doing.
He loves to play on the bean bag, and loves to be chased especially up the stairs.
He spooks easily.
Unlike his brother, Lucas does not like water. He hates bath time, and will only play in the pool outside from sitting on the outside of it or on the edge of the sprinklers.
Just like his food he has to warm up to new things no matter what it is that we're doing.
He loves to go on walks around the neighborhood. He loves to open and close doors, lids, and cupboards of every kind. He likes to make lots of noise by banging two things together, and loves hearing his own voice especially in places where it echos.
He has recently started standing by himself more often and walking along furniture. We've tried to get him to take a few steps, but he's really hesitant and prefers to crawl where it's safer for him. He did take his first step a few days ago, so we're hoping he'll just take off one of these days.
Lucas is a head banger. He bangs his head on anything and everything especially doors and walls. I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean, but he likes it and it doesn't seem to hurt him so....
Stephen and I got our very first babysitter last week! I can't believe it took me two years to do that, so I have a lot of dates to catch up on. We haven't really been doing anything of note just our normal routine of stay-at-home mom and working dad.
Stephen is going in for surgery next week to get his tonsils taken out along with, I think two other procedures in his sinuses to help him breathe better and drain his sinuses out easier without making him so congested all the time. He gets really bad sore throats often so the tonsils are supposed to help with that. He'll be out of commission for two weeks then we'll head to Bear Lake with the Washburn clan for a few days. After that we will be remodeling our kitchen and bathroom. I can't wait!
ZANDER
Zander is two and half years old; he is currently potty training and doing a great job. We started a few months ago with it, but after five weeks he decided he didn't want to do it anymore so we went back to diapers. That was a little disappointing for me at first but worth it since he would always go poo in his underwear. Here we are three months later, he wanted to wear his underwear again, and has been doing really well since. He's been dry and tells me every time he needs to go, or he'll go on his own and tell me afterwards so he can get his treat and sticker.
He is really into Ninja Turtles lately. It's been really fun for Stephen and I to watch the new Nickelodeon show with him especially since we grew up watching the old 80s version. Zander gets so animated as he watches it. He's always yelling at the bad guys and doing all the ninja moves during the fight scenes.
Because Zander is so physical it's a rare moment to find him sitting still even while watching tv or playing a game on the ipad. I think that's pretty much when I know he's sick or not feeling well if he's not moving.
If there is water anywhere in any form Zander will find it and play in it.
Zander doesn't like to be left alone. Any time Stephen or I need to run outside or downstairs to get something real quickly, Zander will always follow no matter how fast we try to be.
Zander is also very visual--he has to see everything that's going on. That's how he learns best is by seeing then doing (I think he gets that from me) especially when we are cooking in the kitchen Zander will always scoot a chair up to the counter to see what we are putting in the bowl or pan. He loves to stir things too.
He is learning to share his toys with his brother. This has been really hard for him, but he's working on it and has been doing pretty well. Recently, Lucas has noticed that Zander gets treats often throughout the day for going potty, so he cries until he gets something too. Without any prompting Zander asked me if he could give some of his treats to Lucas.
Zander loves being around other people so he's always excited when we go out to run errands because he waves and says hi to everyone he passes. He loves to play with his cousins and friends at church. Sometimes he gets shy, but for the most part, he's very friendly and outgoing.
Recently, he's been calling dad by his first name all of a sudden, so when he wants our attention he'll yell, "mom! mom! Stephen! mommy! Stephen! until we give him our attention.
He is protective and possessive of Lucas while around other people.
He is still afraid of most bugs and now our cat Toby.
LUCAS
Lucas is 13 months old. He has the cutest smile with his seven teeth. Lately he's been super clingy always wanting me, and only me, to hold him. I can't sit with him I have to be up on my feet.
He'll usually eat anything I give him, but he never trusts what I put in his mouth, so when I give him a first bite he'll spit it out in his hand, inspect it, lick it, then if he likes it, he'll put it back in his mouth and let me feed the rest of it to him. He does this every day at every meal, even if its something he's had a lot of before. He loves chocolate and sweets and milk.
He can go up and down the stairs fairly well now. He's only fell down the stairs once but I caught him before he reached all the way to the bottom....actually Zander just pushed him down the stairs as I am writing this so make that two times...
He's learned to give kisses and waves bye-bye.
His first word was Daddy.
He can entertain himself pretty well for a while, but he loves to explore and do whatever Zander is doing.
He loves to play on the bean bag, and loves to be chased especially up the stairs.
He spooks easily.
Unlike his brother, Lucas does not like water. He hates bath time, and will only play in the pool outside from sitting on the outside of it or on the edge of the sprinklers.
Just like his food he has to warm up to new things no matter what it is that we're doing.
He loves to go on walks around the neighborhood. He loves to open and close doors, lids, and cupboards of every kind. He likes to make lots of noise by banging two things together, and loves hearing his own voice especially in places where it echos.
He has recently started standing by himself more often and walking along furniture. We've tried to get him to take a few steps, but he's really hesitant and prefers to crawl where it's safer for him. He did take his first step a few days ago, so we're hoping he'll just take off one of these days.
Lucas is a head banger. He bangs his head on anything and everything especially doors and walls. I'm not sure what that is supposed to mean, but he likes it and it doesn't seem to hurt him so....
Stephen and I got our very first babysitter last week! I can't believe it took me two years to do that, so I have a lot of dates to catch up on. We haven't really been doing anything of note just our normal routine of stay-at-home mom and working dad.
Stephen is going in for surgery next week to get his tonsils taken out along with, I think two other procedures in his sinuses to help him breathe better and drain his sinuses out easier without making him so congested all the time. He gets really bad sore throats often so the tonsils are supposed to help with that. He'll be out of commission for two weeks then we'll head to Bear Lake with the Washburn clan for a few days. After that we will be remodeling our kitchen and bathroom. I can't wait!
Friday, July 8, 2016
Water Fight!
Yesterday morning as I woke up I thought, "What am I going to do with the kids today?" We hadn't spent any time outside for the past few days, so I thought it'd be fun to have a water gun fight. I got myself and the boys dressed in our swimsuits and headed outside. I filled up the swimming pools, the water guns, and grabbed a tarp that had been lying around the porch for a few weeks to make a slip n slide. I wasn't sure if it'd work very well, but it did! I love how much Zander loves to play and be with people. Zander was too excited to wait to get everyone wet as I tried cleaning off and filling up the pools, so he'd try to grab the hose from me and spray me and Lucas. Lucas has to warm up to everything, so he wasn't so excited to get wet. He liked to play in the water with his toys on the outside of the pool for a while before getting in with Zander and I.
We had lots of fun. Zander wasn't understanding how to slide on the tarp so I had to show him how to do it a few times. We have a slight hill at the top of the lawn, otherwise, I don't think the slip n slide thing would've worked. We missed daddy, so we'll have to do this again soon when he can join us.
The sun tuckered the boys out; especially Lucas. He was falling asleep while trying to eat his lunch. All three of us got to take naps yesterday!
We had lots of fun. Zander wasn't understanding how to slide on the tarp so I had to show him how to do it a few times. We have a slight hill at the top of the lawn, otherwise, I don't think the slip n slide thing would've worked. We missed daddy, so we'll have to do this again soon when he can join us.
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Independence Day
This year didn't quite pan out how I had imagined it going. I was excited for Stephen to have the day off so we could spend some time together as a family, but he woke up sick with a little stomach bug. He did end up going with us to the park and to watch fireworks. What a trooper! So we went to Murray Park for a tiny carnival for the kids in the afternoon, then we went to Aunt Rachel's house for a family BBQ, then we did a few of our own fireworks at home before going to watch the big show. Unfortunately, Lucas fell off the front steps onto the concrete head first putting a good sized goose egg on his forehead, then Zander burned his hand on a sparkler. I didn't see him do it, but Stephen did but was too far away to do anything about it. He grabbed the sparkler right as it stopped sparkling and it burned his pointer finger, thumb, and everywhere in between. Poor boy! He has three blisters on his hand and fingers. Then we watched the fireworks from our car while Lucas slept through them. All in all it was a good day.
All Because Two People Fell in Love
This is my grandma Jean and grandpa Don Watson.
We had our 39th Watson Family Reunion this past weekend in Boise. Our theme for the reunion was "Be Strong" I can't believe how many people showed up on one day or another over the three days we were together. I think we figured up somewhere between 125-135 people in attendance. Each generation is in a different color.
Grandma and Grandpa had seven children: Linda, Kathy, Barry, David, Debra, Julie, and Nancy. Together they made up 36 grandchildren. (Kathy passed away in 2012)
Those grandchildren have made up 116 great grandchildren and counting. And one of those great grandchildren, Kaitlyn Mingo, had the first great, great grandchild, Weston, this past March.
Weston is sitting on Grandma's lap in the red.
It is incredible that we had five generations at our reunion this year. I think all together we are a family of 162 people! There were cousins that came that I haven't seen for many years. What a blessing my family is! We all get along really well--all the kids play together, the adults talk, and this year some of the men were able to give Grandpa a blessing before he went to Seattle to have surgery. I cannot express enough how much I love my family; they are everything to me.
"Be Strong" Watson Family Reunion
I love our reunions and all the games, food, entertainment, laughter, and company. The Whizzy's are always the highlight, of course. I made a rock nativity for mine this year. It took me two years to complete because I had to find all the rocks in my garden as I weeded. I love how they turned out, and I put a lot of work into them including having to redo seven of the figures due to runny faces and other complications. I wish I would've kept them for myself; in fact, I stole them from someone during the whizzys and they were stolen from me without a chance to get them back. A lot of people asked me why I gave them away. I wanted to showcase my talent and win the prize for best whizzy of course! And yes, I did win best overall whizzy by a landslide.
Speaking of winning, Zander won one of the M&M jars! His guess was only one off. Grandma did five jars this year and we get three guesses per jar. I haven't won one in a while, but I'm pretty good at it, if I don't say so myself.
After the reunion Becky, Mom, and I stayed at Aunt Debra's house for a few more days just to spend more time together since Becky drove all the way from Spokane. We had plans to go to the zoo and do some shopping, but then we got sick. It kinda slowly went through everyone over the course of the week. So the few days we were going to go out, we ended up staying in watching movies. Then we went shopping and took the kids to the zoo. I will admit I was excited to go to the zoo to see the butterfly house--it's my favorite. Zander even managed to get his first bee sting on his foot.
The zoo.
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