July 2020

As always, July started out with a bang and some excitement.

We had a gathering at our house and it was wonderful to feel normal again for an evening.  Our awesome friends brought some spectacular fireworks that made the night so special.

How we love this great nation of ours.  How worried we are about our freedoms and way of life- much of which has been threatened and altered this year.  I could write and write about the subject but I will spare you, for now.

Another highlight of the month was seeing our beloved Whitakers.  We finally got to meet their adorable, beautiful little girl.  Atticus was in heaven (so was Hinckley, for that matter!)  I have never seen Atticus play so patiently and maturely.  We can't wait to see them again!

Aside from that, life has been pretty simple over here.  My energy has definitely been lower now that I'm on the homestretch of pregnancy (a new body pillow has helped me get more sleep) so the boys have had to be patient.  Thankfully, they get along wonderfully most of the time.

One game they came up with this month is called "Jaws."  They've never seen the movie but have heard the main theme song and LOVE it.  Hinckley asks to hear it at least once a day.  They will take turns playing it on the piano and then they both act terrified and run away from the shark (or "the jaws!" as Hinckley calls it).  Our dog is more than happy to chase them up the stairs.

Atticus's behavior has, as ever, had its extremes.  Some days he is so considerate and helpful  ("Hinckley, Mommy is stressed out!  Stop ____________!"- fill in the blank.)  He finally got back to making a hat for his baby sister (it was a team effort, for sure!)  Then there are days where we get the scowl below.  One especially hilarious, negative interaction involved him drawing a picture of me and taping it on the wall and throwing weapons at it.  I had to leave the room it was so funny.

He has gotten far too mouthy with us and so we were trying to avoid slapping him but... it might be our only option.  He said something nasty one night and without our saying a word he grabbed a bar of soap and stuck it in his mouth.  "That wasn't that bad," he said afterward.  Another time I put hot sauce on his tongue and he told me it was "Yummy, yummy, yummy.  Guess you'll have to find something else."

Here he is posing for a "magazine article" he wrote earlier in the month.  Originally it was going to be about how hot it was and then the story changed into an invention where you could shoot snakes out of your armpits...?  Huh?  It changed so quickly I couldn't keep track.

He's still pretty obsessed with the idea of being a Green Beret or a Navy Seal.  Dane got an awesome book that I highly recommend, The Way of the Warrior Kid, and he LOVED it.  Unfortunately, there were some unintended consequences.  The Navy Seal in the book wakes up extra early for the day to work out and so we had a couple verrrry early mornings when Atticus woke his brother annnnnd... the rest of us.

Atticus-

• "I picked out an outfit for you- a black dress with eye makeup, lip color and tall shoes.  You’ll look great!"
• "I have the spirit!" (After studying the BOM for ten minutes.  He even took it in the car with him so he could keep “reading.”)
• "You’re my best brother, Hinckley."
• "Mommy is stressed out!  She’s already having a horrible day, so don’t make it worse!"  
• "Hi!"  (Said to a neighbor on a ladder.  We passed him again...)  "How’s it going up there?"
• ("I’m not a fan of spiders.")  "Who IS a fan of spiders?!"
• "I'm going to have 3 girls and 7 boys.  We'll live in the woods.  The boys will be hunting during the day and making spices at night.  The girls will be weaving baskets..." 
• "I want to do everyfing when I grow up.  Build houses, be in de army... But there's one problem.  When will I see my kids?" 

This month was huge for Hinckley and his ability to swim.  He went from only bobbing across areas (it was painstakingly slow and yet he would refuse help!) to going at a pretty good pace for his age.  He can swim across the length of the pool but usually goes from step to step.  He even started jumping off of the wall at the back of the yard (it's pretty high for a 2.5 year old!)

There isn't a ton more to report.  He did start to get sick yesterday, which is never fun.  Then again, our family hasn't been sick since February, so we aren't surprised or upset.  Hopefully it doesn't get worse and is only a simple cold.

Hinckley Speaks:

• "K?!"  (After demanding something angrily.)
• "I’m cold...No, I dead. Monsters kill me.”
• "I love you Atticus, you’re my best bwudder." (While hugging him at least once a day.)
• “Can I?” 
• "Get my feeties.” (While being tucked in.)
• "I have idea..." (Sometimes his "ideas" make sense.  Often he just wants attention and makes something up.)
• "I die him."
• "I Santa!" (Whenever his t-shirt gets stuck on top of his head.)
• "Look, I Jesus." (He had made his towel look like a toga.)
• "I be like Jesus!  I grow beard!"
• I love you, you’re da bes brudder (to mom and dad)
• Thank you for your help. 
• 
  
• 
  

June 2020

We really enjoyed June this year.

Our favorite part of the month was easily our family reunion up in Utah.  All six of my siblings were there with their families.  Other than missing two of my brothers-in-law, it was the best, most drama-free reunion we've ever had!  I loved it and my boys were in HEAVEN with their cousins.

Due to the quarantine, our activities were limited but we still had a great time.  There was hiking:

My mom, sisters, nieces and I had a family baby shower that was just delightful.  We went out to lunch and shopped for some of the cutest baby clothes I've ever laid eyes on.

We celebrated my sister, Bobbie's birthday and got to go boating.

More than anything, it was the times we just hung out and played games that made the trip.  I was so impressed with the teenagers in our family.  They were so present and enthusiastic.  All of my nieces and nephews were SO kind and patient with my kids (we are the caboose of the family, which makes us the loudest and neediest, I'm afraid...)

My sister Trace was very brave and shared a condo with us.  I'm still worried that they lost sleep by sharing with us but it was such a wonderful opportunity for the cousins to bond.  I tried to cherish every second.  

I didn't take enough pictures but we also got to celebrate Dane's grandparents' birthdays that week, as well.  We got to see some adorable second cousins (not pictured is their sweet baby sister, Daisy).  It was such a great visit.

We also treasured the time we were able to spend with Dane's parents.  Things have not changed in the way we would like for them to but their faith and courage are inspiring.  And Atticus got to go play some golf for the first time with his Bobba!  It won't let me post the video right now but he did a great job.

I wish I could pinpoint what made this visit so great.  There were countless precious moments (singing with the family, playing mafia with the cousins...) but I almost wonder if we all enjoyed it more after having been quarantined for so long.

Another highlight of the month was celebrating Father's Day.  I am so grateful for the men in my life, especially my husband.  We are both growing as parents and he is becoming such a great dad.

I also really got a kick out their answers to a Daddy questionnaire so, messy as the pages are, I thought I'd include them here.

Atticus still has a head full of ideas and projects.  Below you can see a raven costume he made and a fun fox costume a dear friend made for him.  His creativity also brims over in the kitchen where he still comes up with some fun ideas.  This month his most memorable ones were chocolate whipped cream (delicious!) and chocolate dipped Doritos (no, I did NOT try them but he claimed they were good... bleh!)

We also finally found a lollipop (we were searching a month or two ago and looked in 5-6 stores!)  He expressed so much gratitude and excitement in the store that all the other customers and employees couldn't help but smile.

He's also becoming quite the athlete, thanks to how hard he pushes himself.  Even without official swim lessons he has learned to retrieve toys in the deep end and dive this summer.  Dane came up with a mini triathlon for him toward the end of the month and Atticus did a wonderful job.  He had such a great attitude; I think he's especially focused when he's working out with his dad.

The last treasured moment I'll share actually occurred on the first of July.  His preschool class had a pool party and it brought such needed closure for the kiddos.  Atticus played his heart out with some of his favorite friends.  During the party and again on the way home he told me it was "the best day of his life."  It made my momma heart so, so happy.

As crazy as he can drive us, Atticus is such a good boy.  He still struggles with his volume (we're really wondering how much control he has so we're trying to be patient) and with controlling his temper, but we see so many good qualities.  One tiny example is his ability to wait.  He is truly learning delayed gratification.  He decided, all on his own, that he wanted to save the candy he gets in the morning (we do sleep rules with rewards over here) for later.  I could share many other examples of this quality, as well as others (compassion and depth, for starters) if my memory was better.

Atticusisms:

• “I hate it when I have to lose trust in people and... they lose my trust.”
• "Dig for more treasure!" (At the end of scripture study.)
• "I can’t wait to eat chicken and fried stuff!"
• "I’m going to search the scriptures!" (He brought his Book of Mormon down and asked for a turn to read.  He got pretty frustrated but he's getting close!)
• "You’re not growing.  You’re just growing old."
• "I’ll be extra nice.  You won’t hear a peep of anger out of me!" (The night before Father’s Day.)
• “You’re the best girl fighter!” (In a card to a friend- it was the nicest thing he could have said.)
• "That was a serious poop!" (As he walked out of the bathroom.)
• "Don’t come in here- it’s horrifying!" (Said on another occasion while pooping.)
• "And now the finishing touch..." (A new pet phrase while working on just about anything.)  

The picture of me is just awful but I'm including it because it was such a sweet moment.  Not only has he stopped yelling in objection to reading the scriptures but what you see above happens fairly often.  While Dane and I read scriptures Atticus and Hinckley are allowed to play in the next room or join us- it's up to them.  More often than not they join us and Hinckley will pretend to read along- parroting some of the words we say that he understands. It can be hard to keep a straight face.

Hinckley is such a sweet, charming entertainer.  We love his little voice and his ever growing vocabulary.  He still calls himself "Eekee" in third person but this month he has started using first person far more.  He is constantly narrating his life for us, "I eating, I swimming, I jumping, I sitting," etc.  We are going to miss his little voice.

We are worried about his obstinacy, however.  He had me convinced that he had forgotten how to float in the pool (he hasn't since before the quarantine and seemed unable to do so.)  We took him to his swim teacher and he floated for her right away.  When she invited me to join them in the pool the little turkey refused to float, bobbing up and down while taking breaths and trying to swim to the edges of the pool.  For five minutes he did this, proving that 1) he can swim for an impressive amount of time before giving up and floating and 2) we have trouble brewing...

I guess the takeaway is that he has me right where he wants me.  He wants to be the boss and values control over ANYTHING else (we have yet to find something that motivates him more than being in control).  So, for now, we're fighting the battles we feel we have to and trying to make as many things his idea as possible.  It's no easy feat.  But we still love our cuddly little bear.

Hinckley speaks:

• "Peeeease!  Petty Peeease!" He's even adding, "with chehee on top!"
• "Oh no!  Bear!/Monster!/Ghost!" (Said all the time while peeking in rooms or closets and running away.)
• "Not fair!  Hm!"  (Said before he folds his arms and rests his head on his arms.)
• "I can do it myself."
• "I did it!"
• "Be mean/be bear/be scary." (He often asks us to make scary faces.)
• "I small.  I get bigger."
• "I not floating.  I just swim."
• "I mean to Mommy!" (Yes, he was absolutely being a poophead!)