March 2021

March whizzed by.  The first couple weeks were a blur, mostly because Lucy had her first bout of congestion.  Honestly, it wasn't that bad but for a sensitive baby girl it was a frustrating experience.  We spent plenty of time together as she figured it out and she worked through her little cold.

Right after she recovered we went to the doctor for her 6 month appointment.  She is doing wonderfully.  She was 24 inches long (still in the 65th percentile) and 15 lbs (still right around the 30th percentile.)  We were referred to an ophthalmologist for her left eye.  It seems to wander a bit but with early intervention it should be resolved, easily.  We'll find out in May with our first appointment.

This little girl brings us all so much joy.  She takes wonderful naps, loves to eat pretty much anything and is such a happy, easily contented little companion.  She loves jumping and has been jumping in our Johnny Jump-Up and in her bouncer all month. She also loves bathtime and has learned how to scoot her way down in her bath chair so she can kick the water.

She started sitting up this month!  Her first really long time sitting up was on March 20th.  She still occasionally loses her balance (has hit her head a couple of times, poor thing!) but is really doing well.

My personal favorite milestone are her little open mouthed kisses.  So stinking sweet!

This was a big month for Atticus because he started going to kindergarten two days a week.  It's very different than what we grew up with and had hoped for our little one... but he loves it!  The teachers are finding ways to help the kids stay active and feel connected even with their attempts to keep them all socially distanced.  

 

He is doing so well.  He came home from school one day  and told me, "I have a secret.  I can read books."  This is something we have known for a while now- he has the ability, just not the desire to push through difficult words.  We were thrilled that his teacher in person was able to help convince him that he could do it.  We're excited for him to start going five days a week as of April 6.

After months of saving, he saved up enough money to buy a Nintendo Classic that a friend gave us. Of course, he loves it (even Dane and I have enjoyed playing Mario again) but man are video games addictive.  We've already threatened to throw it in the garbage a couple times.  At the same time, it is a good motivator and it's not bad for children to learn delayed gratification and moderation.  Wish us luck!  We'll need it as we navigate this new stage.

We also started the soccer season this month.  Atticus asked me to coach again...so I am.  I love coaching and I love this age level but I have to admit, I was reluctant to coach him again since he had so many meltdowns the last time.  I'm happy to report that not only have his skills have improved a ton but he also listens SO much more!  His teammates are adorable and work so hard.  They chose the name "Black Dice" for their team (I would've chosen a different name but I let them vote and the children spoke!)  We'll see how they do in the next month or so.

One more thing I wanted to remember from this month about Atticus was his cityscape assignment.  His teacher asked them to draw the silhouette of buildings for an imaginary city.  She showed them some with funny faces on the buildings to give them character.  Atticus started by looking up the Empire State Building.  He drew that with a funny face on it and then his imagination just took off.  He drew the Twin Towers.  One of the twins was nice and one was an evil twin- he explained that this was before the towers fell.  Then he drew a beaver building (it had a very beaver-like tail.)  He explained to me that this was where you could buy beaver pelts.  A beaver tower?!  Where on earth did that come from?  You can't make this stuff up! 

Atticusisms:

• "You should learn more about animals so that you can be smart, like me."
• "Augh, I can't do this!  Hinckley, say a prayer!"
• "Listen to my mom!  She used to be a real soccer coach!" (To his teammates at our first game.)
• "Uggggh!  The San Francisco!" (After eating cookies that had rancid Crisco.  He kept calling it "San Francisco" between groans.) 
• "Can you please be my mom?" (To our awesome neighbor and friend, Hillary.)
• "Mmm!  This is so good!  The peanut butter is so fresh!" (Also said to Hillary.  He loves her food so, so much.  He's not alone- she's an amazing cook and person.)

Hinckley is still so adorable and so hard.  I want to enjoy this stage more and I really should.  His imagination is just so rich and detailed.  He can often be found running around, punching and kicking bad guys while singing his own theme music.  He no longer requires a costume to play the part (though he still loves them!)  His favorite go-to game is to play is still Batman and he wants anyone nearby to play it with him.

Once, while playing along with him he pretended to hand me something and I didn't quite catch what he said.  I assumed it was food so I acted like I was putting it in my mouth.  He looked horrified, yelling, "You ate your pet!"  It was all I could do not to laugh out loud as I hurriedly spat out my "pet" to help a very distressed Batman calm down.  

I wish the tantrums weren't so bad.  They are getting worse.  He has been sleeping less (dropping his nap more and more often) and his behavior is just awful.  I remember it being like this with Atticus, too, so we hope that as time goes on his little body will adjust and we can have our sweet little boy back in the afternoons and early evening.  Until then, we try to get him to bed RIGHT after dinner and it's not a minute too soon.

All of the Hinckley pictures this month are either at Joy School or (below) on the way to Joy School.  We have loved this Joy School group so much this year.  Hinckley has come such a long way.  We'll miss these friends in the fall!

Hinckley Speaks:

• "I'm Batman and you're Joker/Alfred/Two-Face."
• "This is my diwections." (Holding a receipt from the store--any paper becomes a prized posssession once it has been in his hand.  This includes receipts, junk mail and my random to-do lists.)
• "My Gwandpa Stitch has cowonaviwus.  We should pway fo him later..." (After being asked more about this mysterious grandpa...) "He died."
• "Mommy!  Woohoo (or often) Hoo-hoo!" (He is mimicking Atticus when he tries to get my attention by saying, "Yoo-hoo!")
• "Wook DOWN, wook DOWN, wook down, down, down, down, DOWN!" (The boys love Les Mis.)
• "Listen to me... and I must DO!"
• ("How much does this drink cost?") "Money."
• "Did the wind make a bad choice?" (When he sees all kinds of leaves on the trampoline.)
• "Mommy, is he speaking Fyench?" (While listening to Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf speak.) 
• "Good.  I feel da Holy Ghost!" (When asked how he felt after watching a friend get baptized.)
• "I'm upset-mad.  I'm going behind this couch to take a deep bweaf."
• "Mommy, if you yell at me I'll yell at you." (After being told to cover his mouth many, many times.)
• "Did Lucy pull Jesus' beard?  Did he shave his beard yet?"
• "Batman is tiwed... (lays down on recliner and then whispers) and powuhful."
• "Mommy!  I'm listening to that number!" (While listening to "When the Saints Come Marching In.")

We can't forget St. Patrick's Day!  Atticus was so excited that he started making a leprechaun trap a couple weeks ahead and started asking me if I thought a leprechaun would pee in our toilet again.  Well, he wasn't disappointed.  The leprechaun did leave a mess in our downstairs toilet.  Hinckley thought it was hilarious this year.  

And let's not forget his trap.  After a few different designs it ended up being simple- a mouse trap underneath a hanging chocolate coin.  The trap got the leprechaun's pants.  Interestingly, the pants were made of paper and tape.  He had asked me the day before if leprechauns were real and I had said no.  When he saw those pants he turned to me, "See Mom!  You were wrong!  Leprechauns are real- and they wear paper pants!"  I was more than happy to concede defeat. 

All day long he was telling people  about the leprechaun that was probably going around in shamrock underwear since his pants got snagged.

\

Lucy managed to avoid getting pinched (we were hard pressed- she is so adorable!) so the day was a success for everyone.

Here is a fun battle we had after talking about the Armor of God.  Dad forgot some of the pieces of his armor so he didn't stand a chance.

With Atticus and many of his friends going back to school full time it just didn't make sense to continue our American Heroes class.  We decided to end it with a service project.  It was such a fun experiment to try.  We will miss having those sweet boys in our home each week!

Before the service project, we had each boy present about his favorite hero and why.  You can see that Atticus chose George Washington and reminded his classmates about Washington's courage and miraculous preservation at the battle of Monongahela.  

Then I told them about my favorite hero of them all: Jesus Christ.  He went about doing good and so we went and tried to do some good for a sweet friend of mine who'd recently fractured her knuckle.

It was a great way to end the month just before General Conference and Easter.  Speaking of which, I need to wrap this up so I can get to bed.  General Conference starts tomorrow!  You can tune in here.  Don't miss this incredible chance to hear the word of the Lord for our day.

February 2021

Ah, February.

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.)