Our Valentine's Day was just lovely. We started a few traditions last year that we loved and kept them going (heart attacked the kiddos' doors with things that I love about them, a small gift, crepes for breakfast, heart pizza for a candlelit dinner with Martinelli's and stemware.)
Above are Atticus's Valentines for Dane and me. Below was my valentine for Dane. If you listen to Jocko Willink, you'll understand.
I especially loved the boys' Valentines they made for each other.
We even documented their sweet little feet for a valentine that we sent to grandparents.
Here's our beautiful baby girl on Valentine's Day.
Another major reason February was a great month for our family was Lucy. Our sweet Lucy Laurel finally started sleeping on a schedule at the end of January and it has stuck all month! (She takes morning nap, an afternoon nap and a short evening nap.) It’s been just delightful. Having predictability during the day is priceless. The nights aren’t perfect but she generally wakes up just once after I put her down at 8. I really can’t ask for much more.
She is such a busy child and is in such a hurry to grow up! Her first real tooth came through this month. I felt it the first time on the 20th. She is SO proud of it and even though she hasn't quite turned 6 months she has been trying new foods all month long. She is really great at eating- in stark contrast to her older brother, Hinckley, who struggled to chew and swallow for a while.
She's had avocado, egg yolk, carrots, broccoli, blueberry, banana, apples, butternut squash, peanut butter, and even some pancake. It's hilarious- when she eats something she really likes she growls.
Speaking of growling, it happens a lot when she chews and naws on anything. We've started calling her a little gremlin.
She is still reserved and makes us work for giggles but they are coming more and more. She especially loves to have sudden looks of surprise as you talk or sing to her. She's more about facial expressions than about tickles and being tossed around. She does like a little of those but not nearly as much as the boys did.
She discovered her feet at the beginning of the month and she loves them. Whenever she's on her back she will grab her feet, especially her right one and chew on the sock, bootie or toe that she finds.
She also started scooting backward this month. She goes in circles sometimes and surprises us with the way she is already moving all over.
As you can see, she is one popular little baby. We are so grateful for the love and attention our sweet friends give her.
Hinckley has been much easier this month. He's still three and he's still Hinckley... but I feel like I've worried and yelled a lot less this month.
That isn't to say that he's always easy. Man, do we go on emotional rollercoasters over here! I took these photos (above and below) in the same day. The photos were likely within an hour of each other. Threenagers, man!
You may have noticed that he's wearing the same shirt in those pictures with different shorts. I may have written this last month but he is killing us with his clothing changes. He will often go through 3-4 pairs of underwear and 3-4 pairs of shorts/pants in the day. He uses it as an excuse to stay up during naps and at night, too. Things just aren't tight enough (he doesn't like anything to be too long or two baggy.)
He continues to progress in his artwork. He writes the letter H on everything. We started singing "H is for Hinckley, that's good enough for me" (with a Cookie Monster voice) probably a year ago and it never registered but now I hear him sing it all the time while signing his artwork (which is still all over the house- we just move to new walls...)
He loves his Joy School friends. I just taught him this week and I was so impressed by how well he participated. He has come so far socially and behaviorally. He just gets people. While this can be great- he knows how to please and amuse others- he also knows how to push their buttons.
He has been a sunbeam since January but I honestly didn't realize it until a couple of weeks ago. We were only going to one hour of church. Now that our stake has two hours he and Atticus get to go to Primary together. Hinckley acted like any Sunbeam would their first week. He was up and out of his seat pretty much the whole time playing with our neighbor. The second week I couldn't believe it. Every time I checked on them he was sitting. He even said the opening prayer with some help and afterward he went to his seat saying, "I did it all by myself!"
His naps are slowly fading. He is in that awkward stage where he doesn't feel that sleepy at nap time but still needs a nap... so our evenings can be very dramatic.
Our sweet boy has such a bad habit of punching. It got especially bad this month. We've probably shown him too many Batman clips or too much Star Wars (he's seen so much more fighting than Atticus ever did at that age!) and it doesn't help that he and Atticus are constantly wrestling. With a brother who is so much bigger it's no surprise that he often resorts to punching. But man, is he cute!
I haven't written down a tenth of the funny things Hinckley has said this month. You just can't. And you can't capture his cute little Brooklyn accent, even when you write it down. Still, enjoy our hilarious February edition of....
Hinckley Speaks:
- ("You can't just go to their house! You have to be invited.") "I want you to invite me to yo house."
- (I open the door to the bathroom and see him sitting on the potty with his chin in his hands. He's supposed to be napping and before I say anything he smiles up at me...) "I'm thinking about Jesus."
- "Mommy, help! My penis is going crazy!"
- (He hits me. "What do you say?") "I'm sowwy, poopyhead."
- "Danks fo da kiss!"
- "I've got my eye on you!" (To our friend at church.)
- (Hinckley just punched Atticus before the prayer. I pray, "Please help Hinckley to change some of his bad habits...") "I'm nevah gonna change!"
- "Now you will DIE!" (Often said while wrestling or sword fighting.)
- "Atticus, want to wessle?"
- (Going up to everyone on the street, one by one.) "Look! I have gum in my mouf! Want to see?"
- "But Momma!" (After reading the Berenstein Bears he says it all the time.)
- "I couldn't sleep, Mom. I twied and I twied."
- "Hey! You bweak me up you bweak me up believah, believah!" (Sings it all the time.)
- "I'm yo nightmayuh." (I told him, "Yes, Hinckley. You really are!")
Atticus had a great month. He trapped Baby Yoda for his science class.
He enjoyed his first 100 Days party
He has come so far with his writing and reading and artwork. This picture below was easily my favorite. For Valentine's Day his teacher talked about being a good friend. She asked them to write a journal entry about what a good friend does. He usually writes these without thinking at all and it's always about the Army or a dangerous animal but this time he was thinking and thinking. "I don't know what a good friend does, Mom!" So we talked it over and I gave him some ideas before putting the younger kiddos to bed. When I came down, this is what he had. "A good friend helps when a friend is in need." It was totally his idea and his artwork shows you exactly what he wanted it to. Underneath all the pictures of knives, guns, blood, fighting and sharp teeth is a very sweet little boy.
Speaking of good friends, we have been blessed with many opportunities to play. We even had a nerf battle to simulate the Battle of Gettysburg. We are so grateful for these good friends and their wonderful families!
There haven't been too many developments this month. He did get his first black eye when he ran around a corner and ran into a plate I was holding. I felt horrible but he did get to look cool for a couple days.
And just today (March 4) he got to go to school in person for the very first time. I think Dane and I were more nervous than he was (school is SO different right now with all of the hoops they are jumping through for social distancing) but he had a great time.
Round two!
His teacher sent this when he got there.
His last milestone this month was getting enough strength to do the monkey bars at the park. It did not come easily and we are so proud of him.
Atticusisms:
- "I'm supposed to be drawing smiley faces but I'm drawing a ninja!" (During Art Class.)
- "It's time to annoy Mr. Ireland!" (Said in an evil voice as he logged in to his P.E. teacher's office hours.)
- "Behold!..." (Said before big announcements.)
- "Who was the first person to spank someone's bum? How did they know it would hurt?"
- "You know why I like payment day? Because that's when Daddy gets the cheerio thingies." (He means "payday" now that Dane has been getting Oreos for the kids.)
- "I've got to learn to keep my big mouth shut."
- "Oh no! My weakness! Tickling!"
- "I'm telling everyone your weakness!" ("Oh yeah? Which one?") "BLINDNESS!" (Followed by evil laughter.)
