Will, 18 months

"Baby Will" is 18 months in just a couple weeks. Where does the time go? In the months since he turned 1, he has developed an intense little personality. His baby nickname, "chill Will" no longer applies. The days are long, but I often feel this stage slipping through my fingers! I won't bore you with all the cuteness, but here are some Will highlights.

• Will's catch phrase is, "Let's go!" He chants the words over and over when he wakes up in the morning, finishes a meal, wants to be let out of his car seat, arrives home after being away, and when he is really excited at the prospect of doing something (usually playing with Jonny)

• Adores our dog, Scout. The feeling isn't at all mutual. Will has to know where Scout is at all times. "Dow! Dow!" The other day I was taking the kids upstairs and Scout started making a weird coughing noise. Afraid that she would vomit on the upstairs carpeting, I closed her into the kitchen while I took the boys up. Will was beside himself and kept imitating her coughing sounds and pointing downstairs with wide, worried eyes. He would not be consoled until I took him down to the kitchen to check on her. And when we have to drop her off at the groomers? He is distraught.

• No interest in screens or TV (trust me, I have tried all the shows) but is obsessed with carrying the iPad around. "Ah-pad, Ah-pad!" He doesn't do anything with it, just gives me a heart attack that he is going to chuck it down the stairs or something.

• Always, always, hungry. Our boy Will is a bottomless pit. He will down a peanut butter sandwich, crackers, cheese, and a banana, then be howling with starvation half an hour later. I'll be honest, it's exhausting. But he eats a variety of fruits and veggies, and I never have to worry about his growth, so I will count my blessings.

• Will throws cute tantrums and not-so-cute tantrums. The cute ones are when he gets frustrated about something and backs up slowly, maintaining eye contact with quick, deep breaths and the saddest little expression. Like all those mad/sad feelings are bubbling up inside and he just doesn't know how to handle them! He will look around for some way to show you how mad he is--usually a halfhearted shove of a chair or kick at a toy. The not-so-cute ones are just a sign that he is almost 2.

• Wakes me up every morning with a (usually) gleeful, "Mamamamamamamama!!!!"

Favorite outdoor activity: digging in the dirt and kicking around a "ball-ball!" (the ball obsession is real over here)

Favorite indoor activity: Playing trains with Jonny. He calls them "chee-chee's" which we assume was derived from "choo-choo."

Loves going to the zoo and seeing the giraffes, playing in the bus at the Children's Museum, and making delicious pizza in the play kitchen at the library.

Current obsessions: giraffes, buses, trucks, apples, ketchup, babies "bubbas," drinks of "wa-wer"

We love you Will!

Our Sweet and Salty Three Year Old

Sweet, salty, and everything in between. That pretty much sums up our three year old right now. I am so grateful to be his mother and obviously can't imagine life without him, but sheesh! It's a lot!

Sweet
He loves his brother. Oh, how he loves his brother. Sometimes he would prefer to love him from a distance (like when he has built an intricately elevated train track that will topple if you breathe on it wrong) but they really are becoming best of friends. Proof is on Instagram.

He sings all day long. Current favorites include:
Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Down By The Bay
The Corner Grocery Store
If the Savior Stood Beside Me

Matt cut Jonny's hair last week and for the first time ever J didn't freak out! Whenever someone mentions it he does this proud little bow to show them the top of his head, then carefully folds each ear back as proof of his bravery-- "and see behind my ears??"

Salty
So. Many. Meltdowns. I don't even know what else to say about that. The waterworks are real around here.

One of his new favorite phrases is, "I will not!" As in, "I will not pick up my cars!" or "I will not obey Mama!"

His sassy little attitude is simultaneously hilarious and concerning.  A few weeks ago he was chasing the dog with a toy truck. When I took away the truck he wailed, "You made a bad choice to me Mama!" Another time as I was trying to get him to try eating something new he burst into tears, crying, "this dinner is not delicious to me!"

In Between
He never stops talking in the car. Like, ever. Sometimes it is adorable and sometimes I would give anything for two minutes of silence. We are in the "WHY" phase and I'm sorry, but it's rough. I just can't spend 10 minutes talking about why we are waiting at the red light and the other cars are driving. "Why we stop mama? Why their light is green? I want our light to be green!" We have to take turns! What else is there to say!?!

It is sweet in these conversations, though, to get a glimpse into his mind and heart. He talks a lot about his Dada and the things they will do when Dad gets home. He is also very interested in "towns" and loves to ask what town his aunts/uncles/grandparents live in. However, these questions inevitably lead to the unanswerable "why" questions (What is Grandpa's town called? Lehi Why? They just call it that. Why he live there? Because he likes it. Why? They have mountains there. Why? . . . tectonic plates? I don't KNOW!!!!)

Sweet, salty, and everything in between. I'll take it all.
💓💓💓

Intentions (2018's word for resolutions)

I feel like New Year's Resolutions have been getting a bad rap the last couple of years (e.g. this opinion article on New Year's Resolutions vs. New Year's Realities). But you know what? I love them. I love them for the same reason I love Mondays, new journals, and a freshly cleaned house. It's a chance to reflect, start over, and move forward. With that said, here are my "intentions" for this new year.

Take a deep breath.
I am not as busy as I think I am. Truly. J will be starting pre-k in the fall and our life will become much more scheduled. More children will come, the boys will get older and become more involved with school and extracurricular activities. We will embrace that stage of life when it arrives, but for now my life is as quiet and unhurried as I make it. I got a Leuchtturm 1917 journal for Christmas (you bullet-journalers will understand how exciting this is!) and I am loving my newly organized weekly layouts. I have always been "a throw it in my planner with a million stars and circles so I don't forget it" kind of person. Which has worked fine, but guess what? Writing smaller and more neatly makes me feel so much more in control. Who knew a more organized life would start with my handwriting? I am ready to make room for the things that matter.

Read.
I have always been a book person. And by book person I mean, I like to own books. Between used bookstores, library sales, and my Amazon wishlist, I have amassed quite a collection over the past 10 years. But since I also love to frequent local libraries, and my reading time is limited, the books I actually own often go unread. 2018 is the year to read the books I own. I give each book at least 100 pages to capture me. If I am still dragging through it after 100 pages it gets tossed into the donation box with no regrets. Life is too short! Also, as much as I love a good Dan Brown thriller, do I really need to cart it around with me for the rest of my life? I am only keeping the books that change me and speak to my soul.

Be all in and fully present.
This speaks for itself, really. I am the queen of multi-tasking seven things and only finishing . . . zero things. So. One thing at a time. When it comes to household duties, I want to focus, finish, and move on. For real, I don't need to have Netflix playing in the background to get the dishes done. Being efficient will grant me the space to relish time with my children and husband, fill my cup with good books and music, place a higher priority on spiritual growth, establish meaningful family traditions and rituals, and just be here.

All of you resolution skeptics can continue to roll your eyes, but this kind of stuff is what makes me tick!