Daddy Day

Presidents' Day Jeff had the day off with the boys. They visited Billy Beez at the mall and enjoyed some chilling time at home.

Last of the snow

Beckett and Reed and I went out for a walk on a sunny day last week when the snow was melting. It was actually too hot to wear all of our snow gear but it was necessary because of how wet it was. We walked up to the end of our road and back down the next road. At the corner of the two roads there was a hill between the two. The boys had a great time clamboring up the hill, which was wet and muddy and slushy, and then sliding back down.

On Valentines' Day the boys' school had a playdate at the outdoor ice rink downtown. Theo and Beckett loved the chance to free skate after so many lessons so far this season. Beckett's M.O. is generally to skate like a bat out of hell around and around and around the rink. Theo had fun trying out the walkers on the ice. It was actually challenging to skate because it was about 50 degrees. There was standing water in several places on the ice, and cones up to warn skaters away from them. I haven't been on skates in years but I had a great time chatting with other Latin parents and watching them skate with their friends.

Reflections

Developmental updates:

We've had very little sickness in the house so far this winter, which has been pretty great. I think the boys have mostly been lucky but they've also been washing their hands well and getting more into the habit.

Theo has lost two teeth naturally (via mama pulling them out because it grosses him out), and has two new bottom teeth. He has four new molars. He's developing a sense of independence which is reflected in his quite sassy attitude a lot of the time. It's great to see him growing into himself and deciding who he is and what he wants. And it is sometimes annoying. He has an incredible vocabulary and can be very authoritative in reporting what he knows and what is going on in the world, even though his accuracy rate is somewhat lower than his confidence in his answer. Theo continues to have a song in his heart most of the time, and he can be found dancing or singing to himself a lot of the time while waiting for a turn at a game or playing by himself. He also makes up songs and performs them.

Beckett has lost his two bottom teeth also, one traumatically about a year and a half ago falling and hitting it on a step, and another one in the last few months. Neither has grown back in yet. He has no molars yet. He's had pinkeye several times in the last few months, usually when no one else in the family or in school has had it. I wonder if maybe he doesn't really have "pinkeye" the contagious kind but rather that's how his sensitive eyes look when he has a cold--they get red and gunky. Beckett is getting better and better reading and reads fluently aloud. He seems to enjoy reading more than Theo. Beckett tends to be more aware of the conversation around him and often puts things together with past experience and conversation. He's gone through a growth spurt the last several months and has grown out of a lot of pants, requiring two different pants drawers for the first time ever.

Reed has pretty much potty trained himself with fairly minimal work. He's just slowly over time started using the potty more and more and generally doesn't need many more reminders than his brothers, especially when he's home. He's been going through a Daddy phase lately, asking a lot for Daddy over Mama. He adores his brothers and it's a nightly ritual for him to finish reading and then go in and give them kisses and hugs in their beds. He is still very attached to his blanket ("the blanket Taf made me") and his paci. I'm waiting until he goes to his first dentist appointment in April for the dentist to tell me that we have to take it away.

These are pretty fun times in the house of Lovebo. We are incredibly busy and scheduled and overwhelmed some of the time but we have so much fun. We have great conversations at dinner and have so much fun reading books together. The boys can get each other laughing so hard wrestling or in the bath. Theo and Beckett crack up when Reed repeats things they say. Jeff is running for City Court Judge and I am the president of the Central New York Women's Bar Association and, oh yes, just quit my job and started at a new firm. There's so little wiggle room in our lives right now but it's temporary and we are making the best of it. The boys are home with us almost all the time and we get to spend so much time with them, we are so lucky!

Beckett gets an award

Two weeks ago we got a letter home saying that Beckett was going to be recognized at the Second Quarter Student Recognition Breakfast, which was last Friday. When he found out he was getting an award for Academic Achievement, he was beside himself with excitement. While he waited for his turn to accept his award, he could barely stay seated. His buddy Preston was given an award in the first category so they were there too and we got to eat breakfast together.

It was amazing to me how much better Beckett's behavior was in the days between when he learned he was going to be getting an award and when he got it. He obviously felt so good about himself. He was being so generous with Theo, and giving to Reed. He is capable of being so gentle and kind and empathetic, but he feels so yucky sometimes that it's hard for him to be kind to others. It's so much easier to be nicer to other people when you feel good about yourself. So I'm trying to learn from that, to remind him all the ways he is wonderful and that we appreciate him.

Preston accepting his award

Beckett waiting in anticipation of his name being called

Sledding and weekend with Nitsan and family

Last weekend Nitsan came with her family to visit. We did our share of sitting around in front of the fire and eating fatty carbohydrates but in addition to that Nitsan and I also took the big kids out for a sledding trip Saturday afternoon. There was a lot of throwing snowballs in the yard before we left, which surprisingly did not end in crying, as well as snowman-building.

Snow day

Wednesday the boys were home from school for the big expected snow. We did get some snow but it did not end up being the blizzard of 2018 that was hyped. We had Preston join us for the day which always creates some chaos but I am happy to report that everyone was very tired by the end of the day of playing, fighting, and destroying everything in the house.

Some quiet hippo ride slash reading time after Preston left.