After we dropped Jonas off at preschool and laid Roman down for his morning nap, Xander and I enjoyed some Mommy/Xander time. We put together our solar system floor puzzle, played the Ladybug Game, started some seeds, and finger painted. We had the most fun trying out the pot press that MeMe gave us. Xander cut out the strips of newspaper, after I gave him a starter cut…go, Xander! And he and I both took turns rolling and press making the little seed starting pots. We ended up ditching the trowel for a spoon, while scooping out the soil, as it made it easier to fill up the small pots. Afterwards, Xander liked dropping water into each one with a medicine dropper (he also poured the whole glass on them too…haha). We are looking forward to watching these delphinium seeds sprout indoors (our squash and zucchini seeds are already sprouting, so that’s been really exciting for us) and to planting them outside in our garden soon. Yay for spring and for little hands to welcome it!!!
Author: Jodi
Thirty-Three Months…
At thirty-three months, Xander is: really showing a lot of independence with getting dressed and going potty by himself; singing his ABCs, putting together his alphabet train puzzle by himself, and trying to write the letter A; figuring out how to hold and use scissors; taking his tricycle for a spin (he’s getting better every day with the pedaling thing, but he’s still trying to figure out how to steer); showing a fair amount of frustration with everything as he’s transitioning from being a two year old to being a three year old; and continuing to bless us with his gentle spirit.
Here’s one of his most recent one-liners:
“Mommy, why do volcanoes erupt on people?”
Thirteen Months…
In his thirteenth month, Roman is: saying “dada”, “mama”, “hi”, “bye bye”, “uh oh”, “gah” for “dog”, “ah ah” for his favorite monkey friend, and trying his darnedest to say “cheese” and “cracker”; doing the sign for “light” and his own version of the sign for “phone” (holding his hand to his ear) and “vacuum” (rubbing his hand back and forth on the carpet); cutting four teeth on top; holding steady at taking two naps a day, wanting to go to bed around 630 pm and wake up around 630 am, waking up once in the night to nurse, and nursing about four times a day; taking right to whole milk and enjoying it in a sippy at meals; and continuing to be a joyful little wild man.
Lucky Ladd…
The boys and I went to Lucky Ladd this morning with our mom’s group and had SO much fun!!! (I’m not going to lie…the logistics of managing three little boys under the age of four…running and toddling in three different, spirited, I-can’t-hear-you directions…for four hours added up to be a bit much for me at the end of the day…the boys were fried too because they wore themselves out but still didn’t nap on the way home…even still we had a BLAST.) We ate a picnic lunch, petted and fed the farm animals, rode the tractor train, played in the corn box, went down the big slides, scooped sand in the sand box, pumped water into the egg run, played on the tires and with the balls, wrote on the chalkboard, and even hunted Easter eggs. It was a HUGE blessing to meet up with several of the moms and children from our mom’s group (I never would have braved it by myself)…it totally made it doable and so much more fun for all of us in the sharing. Jonas was all about pumping water into the egg run and figuring out how to work the sand scoopers. Xander could not get enough of running up the hill and going down the slides…I was amazed by his tirelessness with it…he did it over and over again. Roman loved checking out the animals…feeling the soft sheep and putting his finger in the pig’s mouth…and really just visibly delighted in exploring everything. It was equally fun and exhausting, and we’re looking forward to going back again.
Seed Starting…
The boys and I had fun getting a jump start on our garden this morning by starting some seeds to sprout indoors (in toilet paper rolls, no less…I thought that was a great idea when I saw it, as they decompose after you plant them in your garden). A few of our good neighborhood buddies from our mom’s group joined us; and even though it was a little brisk out, we all enjoyed playing in a little spot of sun.
Hanging Out with Pops and Maw…
Pops and Maw came out for a visit this morning. Pops read books to the boys and showed them how to measure with the measuring tape. Maw gave out lots of hugs and kisses. We had lunch together, complete with Jonas talking a lot and loudly…Xander climbing up on Pops’ lap to finish his lunch…and Roman passing out messy waves and sweet “hi”s. We all laughed at the boys and had fun watching them do their most recent favorite thing…an indoor Easter egg hunt.
Grandpa and Grandma’s Visit…
We enjoyed getting to spend the week hanging out with Grandpa and Grandma!!! Highlights of our time together included: going to a pizza making play date with our mom’s group; taking a walk around the neighborhood; going to story time and hunting Easter eggs afterwards; eating lots of snacks and meals together (including one delicious dinner out); enjoying a little quiet time (one morning Grandpa and Grandma gave me a big treat and took Jonas to school and then Xander to the mall for a long walk…I REALLY enjoyed my quiet time at home while Roman took his morning nap and forgot, as a mother of three boys under the age of four, how much of a healer silence is for the introverted soul); and heading to the ball field to watch Jonas’ t-ball practice. We said goodbye this morning after breakfast and are very much looking forward to our summer adventure together at the lake!!!
Getting Big…
Xander is getting so big!!! I’ve been doing double takes with him lately with the things that he’s saying and doing.
I love this picture of him on his tricycle (he’s starting to get a little more interested in taking it out for a spin these days).
I took this picture of Xander’s sidewalk chalk drawing to show Tom because he knows how much Xander has been wanting to “draw A”. He did it all by himself!!!
St. Patrick’s Day Morning…
After Jonas and Xander woke up this morning (while Daddy and Roman were still sleeping), we enjoyed having a bowl of Lucky Charms with green milk and doing a fruity marshmallow rainbow sorting activity. Happy Birthday, Aunt Beans!!!
Glider…
I have been wanting one of those old metal gliders for a while now; so when I saw one sitting out in somebody’s front yard this morning on the way to t-ball practice, I excitedly pointed it out to Tom. Being the Tom that he is, he totally went back, knocked on their door, offered them money, brought it home, and surprised me with it!!! Aw…I love my husband. The boys took a particular shine to it as well and are having fun helping Tom and I scrape off all of the old paint.
T-Ball Practice…
We all loaded up, picnic lunch and all, and headed to the ball field for Jonas’ t-ball practice this morning. What a great way to spend a spring morning!
OrganINizing…
Jonas and I sat out front, soaking up the sun and drawing with sidewalk chalk this afternoon, while Xander and Roman napped. It’s so interesting to see how much his drawing changes every day. And, of course, I always get a big kick out of how much he loves to “organINize” just like his mommy (check out the sidewalk chalk…haha!).
Zoo…
The boys and I went to the zoo this morning after Roman got a little bit of a nap in at home. It ended up being the perfect day for it…a beautiful, sunny, spring day. They especially enjoyed watching the monkeys swing from the trees and riding the train!!!
Toilet Paper Roll Rockets…
The boys and I had so much fun working on these toilet paper roll rockets today!
Salt Painting…
It has been SUCH a beautiful weekend…thank God!!! I never realize how tough the winter is for me until it starts to warm up outside and the sun starts shining…I feel like I’m emerging from a dream (waking up from a bad dream even, if I’m being honest). Anyway, so we’ve been spending a lot of time outside this weekend. The cold wind really started whipping up this morning, so the boys and I headed inside for a craft. They tried their little hands out on salt paintings, and they turned out really cool!
A Full Day…
Today was a full day. I was trying to figure out how to break all of these pictures up into different posts and groupings and have just decided to put them all together to make it a little easier on my mommy brain.
Aside from it being my oldest brother Darren’s 50th birthday today (Happy Birthday, Darren!!!), I babysat two of our dear neighborhood friends’ little ones this morning so they could run the half marathon together (I love that am so proud of them…go Zack and Andrea!!!…hopefully, I’ll get there again myself someday). We had a blast doing what a whole gaggle of kids do when it’s pretty outside…and even played with several of our neighbors (there are actually people who live in these houses…haha…it’s almost like a ghost town in the winter). MeMe and PaPa came by to hang out for a little while and to give Roman his birthday present, and then they met Tom and Jonas at the ball field for Jonas’ t-ball practice. After nap time and before dinner, we all had fun swinging on the rope swing in the woods behind our house. Here’s our full day in photographs. Phew! Now I’m ready for bed. HaHa.
The Thinker…
Jonas is so funny with the questions he asks and with the things he says..his wheels are always turning. Here are a few he came out with on the way to preschool the other day:
“How do boats float?”
“How do plants grow?”
“How do our bodies grow?”
“I think the earth knows because it has a lot of things in its body.”
Super Boys…
Jonas and Xander were having so much fun being “super” this morning that I thought I’d put a cape on Roman so he could join in the fun.
Dino Hoodie…
Here’s Xander in the dinosaur hoodie I made him for Christmas!