Family Update

It's the beginning of a new year and we've seen more snow just this month than we have in a lot of years past. It's great, but I'm not a fan of the cold and being nauseous with morning sickness all day makes it even worse. Instead of trying to get out and get in a little exercise I'm laid up on the couch all day watching Ninja Turtles, Spider Man, Iron Man, Star Wars, and Disney movies in between. The boys get restless and start picking on each other which strikes a nerve real fast. I've sent them out in the snow a few times to get some energy out. I've been able to go out with them at least once on a good day; we had a lot of fun. I'm just finishing up my first trimester (hallelujah!) so I'm hoping the nausea will subside within the next few weeks.

Zander is quite the ball of energy--always on the move from playing Ninja Turtles to having light saber fights, and pretending to be Spider Man and flying around fighting crime like Bay Max. He is all over the place. It is nice to see him using his imagination a lot more so he's able to play by himself for a while. It's so funny to hear his conversations; I don't even know where he comes up with some of this stuff. Zander likes a challenge so puzzles and hidden object books are his thing, and he's really good at them. We are practicing our numbers, drawing our shapes, and pronouncing certain letters like F's and S's. His stuttering has magically disappeared which is awesome, and he is still a great little helper for me. He likes to pester his brother, but that's his way of playing with him, so we've been working on talking to Lucas and asking before he pretends he's a ninja and hits Lucas in the back. It's a work in progress, but they are best buds. One interesting thing about Zander is that he hates getting his hands and fingers dirty, especially with food. So at lunch time when I give the boys Cheetos with their sandwiches Zander will literally take the washcloth and wipe his fingers after eating each chip. He refuses to lick the cheese off his fingers, but like father like son I guess. He hates when food touch on his plate and he doesn't like using the same utensil for different foods. Zander is now a sunbeam and loves going to church to see his friends and teachers. He is really good in class and loves to say the prayer. I love my little three year old! He is so handsome and fun and cuddly and I would't have him any other way.

Lucas is a busy bee too. He is Zander's shadow most of the day, especially at dinner time. Lucas copies everything Zander does. If Zander is done eating he takes his bib off and plays with his hair while he's waiting to get down. Even though Lucas is not done eating he will take off his bib and run his dirty hand all over in his hair just like Zander. Needless to say, we're working on table manners. Lucas loves to play and get into things in mom and dad's bedroom where he's not supposed to be. He's very mischievous! He loves the cat and chases him around the room tugging on his tail. Lucas's weird thing is that he likes to lick and eat stuff off the floor or the table or any flat surface. So he'll dump his snack on the floor and bend down and eat it like a dog. He does this with his drinks too. He'll make a nice puddle to lap it up with his tongue. Lucas likes to play with doors opening and closing them, and he likes to brush his teeth (thank goodness) so that chore is an easy one. He is becoming more and more independent wanting to do things by himself, and he is learning new words every day. He is a big tease who loves to laugh and dance, and he shushes me when I try to sing to him. He loves shoes and going outside, so we're pretty anxious for spring to get here. We love this little spitfire of ours. One of my favorite things about Lucas is that he loves to give kisses all the time, and gets so excited when daddy comes home. Any little noise he hears upstairs he'll yell "daddy?!" and run up there to give dad a big hug and kiss.

Stephen and I are hoping to sell our house in the next few months. There are a lot of little things we need to get done before we can show it, so we need to get on the ball. Stephen is still trying to reach his weight goal and I think he has about 10 more lbs to go. He's still working out everyday at the gym and plays basketball on the weekends. I have to say that I married the most amazing guy ever. He has been so patient, and helpful with all the household chores since I've been battling this morning sickness. He doesn't complain, he helps and plays with the boys, cooks, cleans, and gets me snacks whenever I need them. He literally waits on me hand and foot. I know it gets tiring to feel like you're doing everything alone, but I am so grateful for his help and his love. Me, I'm just trying to survive one day at a time waiting for the day when my energy and health returns. We are excited for this new baby to make it into our family!

2016 At a Glance

This year has been a good one for us, like most previous years. We are all in good health, are strong in our faith, and love each other. Stephen and I were able to go out on dates more often and it felt really good to have some "us" time. We have so much to be thankful for, and are looking forward to many new and exciting changes that will happen in this new year. Two of our biggest changes will be the birth of our third baby due in July, and moving to a new house and city that we don't know yet. These are big changes and blessings and I know the lord will help us and bless us along the way.

So here is a recap of what has happened in our family the past year:

-Stephen and I went on a date to see the Ice Castles
-Zander drank a whole bottle of Tylenol which sent him to the hospital
-I found Lucas in his crib barely breathing; he had caught a bad case of RSV
-Becky and I planned a surprise trip to see mom for a week
-We took the boys to the aquarium where we bought them their animals they like to snuggle with. Zander picked out a penguin and Lucas got a sea turtle
-Lucas turned one year old
-We spent some time with mom and dad and grandpa in Elba and went for a four wheeling ride up New Canyon. On the way home we saw a young moose
-We celebrated grandpa's 70th birthday by going swimming in a pool for the first time
-We had a backyard camp out in our tent and roasted marshmallows
-Zander burned his hand on a sparkler
-Went to another Watson reunion in Boise, and got to spend some more time with Becky and Mom.
-We took the kids to the Boise zoo
-I won best Whizzy for my rock nativity set, and Zander won one of the guessing jars of M&Ms
-We made our annual Bear Lake trip with the family. The boys had a blast playing in the sand and in the water
-Zander and I held a giant snake and Zander handled a tarantula
- Stephen had surgery to remove his tonsils and fix some other sinus issues
-I got to take the boys to Spokane for a week to visit Becky!
-I took two toddlers on an airplane by myself (which I will never do again)
-I took Stephen on a date to play mini golf and eat Indian food (Indian and Tai are some of my favorites, yum!)
-We took the boys to Cornbelly's and had a blast.
-We went to Twin to can applesauce with grandma and grandpa
-Stephen lost 40 lbs
-We remodeled our kitchen!
-Zander has mostly mastered potty training
-We dressed up as the ninja turtles for Halloween
-Lucas contracted Pneumonia, and had to go through a series of tests at the hospital
-Had craft day here in Utah and I got to spend the night and shop for a whole day without kids!
-Found out we're expecting baby #3!
-Zander turned three
-Spent Christmas in Twin Falls

Bring it on 2017!

Christmas 2016

We ended up staying in Twin for Christmas this year, and it'll probably be the last time. I love getting to go for all the Christmas Eve festivities, but it's getting to be a little harder and tiring to have Christmas in two houses. By the time we got home on Sunday we were wiped and ready to eat and put the boys to bed, but we still had more gifts to unwrap under our tree. They weren't really even interested in unwrapping anymore presents because they wanted to play with the ones they already had. That being said, we had a lot of fun at grandma and grandpa's house on Christmas morning, and are so grateful we are able to travel to be with them every other year. The boys love getting to play with their cousins, and I love getting to talk with my siblings and play games.

The best part of Christmas, for me, was watching the boys discover their stockings Christmas morning. It was so magical--their faces just lit up full of excitement and surprise.