Salt Lake valley weather has been lame this winter. We had a sprinkling of snow on Christmas and then went right back into what seems like perpetual fall. Snowfall has been abysmal and I’m sure the skiers are less 
than pleased. This week (the 3rd week in January) was the first time all winter we had enough snow for the boys to actually play in. We celebrated by playing in the yard and sledding at the local park. Christopher and William had a blast, but Andrew was unimpressed. I remember a certain other two-year old who screamed about putting on snow pants as well. It’s probably daunting for a little guy when the snow comes up to your waist, you’re dressed like the stay-puff marshmallow man, and everything is cold and strange. I’ve decided a good goal with little kids, is to get them to play outside in the snow longer than it actually took to get them all dressed in their snow clothes. Next year they’ll be big enough to all have fun. Hopefully next year we have more snow to enjoy. The weather didn’t stay cold for long, so our foot of snow is rapidly receding.
Christmas this year was pretty good, minus a stomach bug that blessed our house the week prior. The boys thoroughly enjoyed their gifts, and I’m currently typing from the new laptop Jason surprised me with. (Ok, who are we kidding…I went to Costco, bought it, and wrapped it myself). We had a nice relaxing Christmas break without a lot of parties and commitments…just as I prefer. New Years Eve was one of the best in recent memory. Marion and Lee took all three boys for a sleepover and Jason and I watched a movie at home in front of the fire. It was so simple, but so great!
Andrew just turned 22 months! How is it even possible that we are on the verge of having a 2, 4, and 6 year old?!? Andrew is my little buddy. He is silly, sweet, warm, cuddly, and still likes to sit on my lap to rock-a-bye from time to time. He’s also getting big enough to have more and more fun playing with his brothers. Christopher even tolerates him on occasion. He’s obsessed with cars–toy ones, real ones, ones on his clothes, and ones on TV. He runs and climbs better than he talks, although the words are slowly coming along. He wants to be friends with puppies and kitties from a distance, but is way too loud and unpredictable for Kiki. He wakes up WAY TOO EARLY most mornings–by 6am it’s usually pointless to try to resettle him. He takes one solid 90 minute nap after lunch. Now that I think of it, he’s basically living my ideal schedule.
In just the last 10 days Christopher has made HUGE strides potty training. Either the light bulb finally came on or we figured out which buttons to push to motivate him. Turns out he’s obsessed with the show Ben 10, and after getting a couple of the action figures for Christmas, we made the deal that he could pick out another one when he could go one whole day without an accident. Sure enough, he managed it within about a week. He picked out “Upgrade”–one of the Ben 10 aliens for those who are unfamiliar. I think he was happier getting that than any of the gifts he received at Christmas. He’s now negotiating for “XLR8” as his next alien of choice. At this rate, I hope the obsession lasts through his birthday, as it would make shopping for him a whole lot easier. If anyone wants to talk Ben 10 he will gladly Skype with you and give you the run-down of all the aliens.
William is learning tons at Kindergarten. Recently, the dual immersion program had an open house and it was fun to spend part of the morning watching the kids learn and speak in Spanish. He spent his Christmas break hanging out at Debbie’s house and really enjoyed it. My former baby turns 6 in March. How the heck is that possible? Time flies as they say. My next goals for him are to help him be more self-sufficient. Mostly I need to stop doing so much for him, and get him some structured responsibility.
We recently started swimming lessons again. They are on Saturday mornings and run for 8 weeks. It was very last minute decision, but Christopher has been asking about taking lessons again since we ended them in summer. Now that we’re fully accustomed to the school routine, I decided we had the energy to add something extra again. William moved up a class, so this time he and Christopher are not with the same instructor. It is fun to see the difference in their ability and maturity just since this past summer.
The last official project of 2017 was completed NYE. I decided to try my hand at upholstery using the 20+year old recliner I had inherited from G&G DeBaets when I went to college. I’m very happy with how it turned out. I learned a lot and for approximately $65 have a new looking recliner. Here are the before and after pictures.
This week I turned 36. I was pretty dang excited about turning 35, but 36 just seems like another year. I spend a lot of time lately questioning if I am doing my best to do my best (if that makes sense). Mothering these three little people stresses me out more than I’d like to admit, and sometimes I daydream about easier days when it was just me and my little one-bedroom apartment instead of my 5 bedroom house. I’m not completely satisfied with work, and know I wouldn’t be completely satisfied staying home either. I was so good about getting in shape for my 35th birthday, and this year I feel like I’ve lost all that progress and then some. I know so many mom-friends who probably feel the same way, but we’re all so busy it’s hard to connect with anyone. All common complaints of working 30-something moms I’m sure. Other than some dental work and a surprise birthday-week cold, my birthday itself was wonderful. The boys spoiled me and I had surprise treats from family and friends. Cheers to being 36!
Here are some fun pictures of the boys to wrap up this blog. Take Care everyone!
