March was a whirlwind; it came and went in the blink of an eye it seems. After returning home from Grandpa Watson's funeral the kids and I were sick for two weeks, and it has been gray, cloudy, rainy, snowy, and just plain gloomy for the past four weeks. Where is spring?! I'm still waiting for a nice, sunny day to go out in the garage to clean out the car from our trip to Boise.
Our purple plum tree has begun to bloom, and surprise! We have daffodils and tulips trying to bloom too. I just love spring and watching the world come to life again. We've gone on a few walks around the neighborhood so I point out all the different trees and flowers to the kids. They love getting to see the little buds on the trees that will shortly become leaves, and all the little critters on the sidewalks. Especially all the worms with all the rain we've had. Don't get me wrong, I love the rain; it's what rejuvenates the earth, but I also like to have some sunny days in between.
Speaking of worms, I took the boys on a walk with me one day to the neighbor's house down the street, and there were worms covering the sidewalk trying to inch their way back to the grass. Lucas ran ahead of me a little ways and stopped and exclaimed, "Look at all the sketti on the sidewalk mom!" He thought that was pretty cool. Zander knew they were worms. He bent down to pick one up, and out of nowhere jumped back screaming and shaking his hand to get the worm off (he thought it was dead). I about died laughing! I've never seen him jump so high, haha! And I'm sure the neighbors were all looking out their windows trying to figure out what all the commotion was about. He's still a little skiddish around bugs, but once he watches them and can see they're harmless he'll handle them for a few seconds.
Zander and Lucas couldn't be more opposite of each other, but they do have some fun moments together. They both like to explore mom and dad's closet and get into the shoes and wear them around the house. It is hilarious to listen to Lucas take these itty bitty quick steps clip clopping down the hallway in my high heels. They've both been doing this since they began walking. It reminds me of my own childhood and watching mom get her makeup on. I always grabbed her big blush brush and pretended to put makeup on too. I also got into her clip-on earrings and big beaded necklaces she used to wear to church every week.
The kids had a picnic in the living room one rainy day just to mix things up a bit. Hannah decided to join them after her nap.
They are always competing to see who is the fastest, strongest, or funniest. I'm sure it'll continue on into adulthood, and hopfully in a loving way. What goofballs!
We spent a gloomy morning outside painting the driveway before it rained that afternoon. The boys got chalk paint from the Easter bunny this year and couldn't wait to use it. Zander was especially proud of his wiener dog he painted.
ZANDER
Zander has really come a long way in his tumbling class. I think he has really enjoyed getting to run and jump around with other kids his age. He started taking a liking to a particular girl is his class. At first she didn't reciprocate his friendliness, but over time they started doing everything together. They race and Zander slows down to make sure he stays with her, he encourages her when they are doing stretches and somersaults, and they hold hands at the end of every class as they go get their stickers for doing a good job that day. All the moms love watching their friendship bloom.
Zander is very much a strong willed boy. He likes to do everything himself, and he goes hard and fast. He catches on to things very quickly, so lately he's been helping dad with anything that needs to be fixed with tools; he loves to use the screwdriver. He likes to have control over everything including his surroundings. I'm hoping this part of his personality will be a benefit to him as he get older so he will be a good big brother who watches out for his younger siblings, and that he will take charge in hard situations finding a solution to any problems or trials he might face in life.
He still enjoys playing Star Wars and games with the whole family. He follows me around the house during quiet time when the other two are napping because he doesn't like to be by himself. He likes to be with people and socialize even though he can be shy sometimes. He loves his family; especially his grandparents on both sides. He likes to wrestle and rough play the most, but we're working on being soft and gentle as we do that. He likes to snuggle on the couch and share his Darth Vader blanket with everyone. He can spell and write his whole name, and knows about half of the alphabet and can count to 11.
Zander loves his baby sister and asks to help out with her all the time feeding her, playing with her, changing her diapers, and giving her baths. He is really involved with her, and just loves sitting or laying with her on the floor playing. They have developed a special bond that is so tender and loving.
LUCAS
Lucas is my teaser\jokester. He thinks he is SO funny. One of his favorite things to say is "silly Lucas!" or "Silly (insert name). He is LOUD. There is only loud or louder when it comes to Lucas, so we're working on using an inside voice when we talk and when he gets upset.
We are also still working on our table manners. Lucas's favorite thing to do at the table is make a mess and play with his food. He dumps his plate or takes his utensil and stabs holes in it, or drags it across the table cloth, and spits his drink back in his cup. I am quite fed up with it, so we are laying some new ground rules when it comes to eating. He just loves playing and doesn't like to stop for anything.
Lucas is a lover. He is constantly wanting hugs and kisses and tells everyone individually that he loves them (unless that person makes him mad, then he doesn't love you anymore) several times throughout the day. He also loves to snuggle on my lap or dad's. He has several stuffed animals that he has in his bed he likes to play and sleep with. He is really good at sharing (for the most part) and likes to get Hannah her toys to play with.
Lucas is a very determined boy as well. At this stage in his life he's all about doing everything himself no matter how long it takes. I want him to succeed and do more for himself, but he won't even let anyone tell him how to do something. He just tries until he gets frustrated to tears and throws whatever it is he's trying to do. For example: he's learning how to get dressed himself, but sometimes the armholes get the best of him and get twisted up as he tried to stick his arms in, and after a few minutes of trying he'll take the shirt off and throw/slam it on the floor in frustration. And even then he still doesn't want help. He does this with shoes, towels, toys, remotes, etc...
He is also my lover of sweets and food in general. He is always the first one to jump up and grab a chair in the kitchen so he can help dad make dinner or dessert. He is constantly asking for a treat or a snack the moment he wakes up to the moment he goes to bed at night. But at least he says pweeeease? with his long pouty lip and dark puppy dog eyes. He'll even quiver his lip when he's really desperate, haha!
Lucas just recently started potty training!!! I am so excited and really hope he sticks with it. He seems to enjoy being able to wear underwear like Zander and get lots of treats throughout the day. He only had two accidents in the last three days, AND he was dry all night last night! I'm hoping to train him day and night at the same time, but we'll see how it continue in the next week or so. He's doing a lot better than I thought he would initially, so hallelujah!
HANNAH
My darling, chubby cheeked girl. She is eight months old and about 20 pounds. She is currently in 9-12 month clothes. She is a master at rolling all over the house from room to room which is probably why she doesn't want to learn how to crawl. She recently learned how to sit up on her own, but doesn't know how to get down to roll around without throwing herself backwards and hitting her head on the floor. Like Zander, she likes to have someone in the room with her (preferably mom) but other than that she's happy as a clam. She likes her jumpy swing, and loves to be swung or thrown in the air.
Last week she started scooting backwards on the top of her head instead of using her knees like a normal baby. She does this constantly. Her hair continues to grow which I am excited about so I can put bows in it in about a year or so from now.
She really, is the most chill baby. I'm so grateful that she's mellow and just goes with the flow. Makes life much easier with two older toddlers in the house.
I turned 30 a few weeks ago. That's it. I'm old. I am officially a real adult.
Stephen and I are just plugging along as parents serving in our callings and enjoying our evenings together after the kids go to bed. I've been working on the memento for the Watson reunion coming up in June. I'm making them by myself, and they take up a lot of my time. I'm only about 1/3 of the way finished with them, but I'll get them done eventually. Stephen still enjoys being in the kitchen and working on bettering himself physically, so we've been doing the keto diet trying to eat healthier and working out more. He still plays the guitar and takes requests.
We will be celebrating our nine year anniversary tomorrow! We went out for an early anniversary dinner over the weekend while Rachel watched our kids for us. We went to the Longhorn Steak House and ordered expensive steaks and mushrooms. Stephen's steak was well over cooked so he had them take it back. They ended up comping our appetizer and gave us free dessert for it.
We are really looking forward to our vacation to Vegas in two weeks without the kids. It's going to be awesome!
