March, in general.

Max went to a party for a kid in his class & he refused to let me take any pictures until we left and then he demanded that I take this one of him with "his friend."

Over Spring Break, we made a visit to Ijams with the Watts' girls and spent entirely too may hours hiking, catching things and, apparently, putting out fires. 

Under the list of "Battles I choose," the fireman gear does not make the cut. 

Anderson is in his happiest of places when he has some kind of reptile or amphibian on him, so this day was perfect because we caught ALL kinds of stuff. 

Glowing. 

Pouting. 

I love how Adeline can flow between both Anderson & Max & be friends with both of them at the same time. 

At one point,  Max yelled that he caught a lizard and, because he is 2, I did not actually believe him. Then, I looked up and realized he was right and was so proud of him!!

I got this stinking cute picture of him one day from his school-looking at the worm farm. I will work 9 million hours, but I know my people are doing ok when they are away from me because of the amazing documentation that I get everyday. 

I had to sneak this one day from the outside of his room-look closely at the little firefighter on the rug, raising his hand like a little student. 

In an amazing twist, I WON this in a box of fruit loops. With the sale price & coupon, the box was .54, so throw in a really expensive tablet and I think it was a really nice deal. 

Noni took Max to eat lunch with Anderson one day and they clearly demonstrated all of their manners at the table. 

We do not get to see our favorite Brimers nearly as much as I would like, but when we do, the kids don't miss a beat playing with each other! I love how Lucy can totally hold her own with all of the boys! Also, how great will it be when Charlie is in the mix, too??

A boy and his Bop. 

All Anderson ever wants in the entire world is to be a car rider or a walker and I took off early one day and met him as a walker. I swear he won the lottery that day and never stopped smiling. 

Also, he broke his glasses (again,) which is why they are missing. When I first got there, I kept looking for him in the line and did not even recognize him. Also, shout out to Bobble Cole for the water bottle!

We made another visit to see our Bristol  cousins and hung out at a super crowded but fun museum. 

Baby Levi and Bobble Cole were there!

I loved Max's focus in the little grocery story. He was really cute studying the fruit before he put them into his cart. 

Anderson & I found 23 worms that we gave to these guys to play with and they were so happy. Clearly, Noni was also intrigued by them. 

I mean, how cute are these little BOY cousins? Max was so proud to show Baby Levi the worms. 

Anderson always needs creatures near/on him. 

Easter Egg Hunt!

Anderson has to make everything into a huge competition. Love sweet Lily in her nightgown. (Nicole-she is sweet, don't disagree with me.)

Noni bought this really cute cookie decorating kit for the kids and they had so much fun decorating eating the sprinkles. 

So grateful for our cousin time. 

Also, in a "It Keeps Getting More Free" twist, we sort of invited ourselves to one of Nicole's friend's daughter's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese & the boys had SO much fun!

Actually, Anderson proved that he doesn't always want to beat up his younger brother and used all of his tickets to get Max a generic Lego Dump Truck kit. It was so sweet and he was so proud. 

Also, I hate all Legos-generic and real. Just for the record. 

My boys love nothing better than just spending time outside and Anderson found this little flower at Noni's  and decided to protect it. He was so proud of it. 

Partying in Bristol & Birmingham

We went to Bristol to celebrate Reese (3) and Levi (1) and Max was thrilled. 

He actually was so happy that he had to be equally as angry while waiting for them to arrive. Max is not one to hide his emotions in any setting. He likes to keep it real, just in general. 

See?? His happiest of places is with his Reese. 

These 2 are just the best together.

I looked up once and saw this and was reminded, yet again, why Anderson cried when we had to leave. 

I cannot explain how cute this child is in real life. Words do not do her justice. 

Nicole is SO amazing at all things that require detail and planning and creativity. How cute are these Backpack goodie bags?? And, there were personalized water bottles in each one, which both of my kids love immensely. 

The birthday girl, herself. 

The birthday boy, himself. 

The birthday boy with his Sissa in a foam pit. 

Because this is what a Mom who just planned a party for 2 kids is generally doing during the actual party. 

Levi was pretty pumped he had Noni there to make sure nobody forgot to feed him. 

I look over and...this. Max did it himself. This firefighter stage might be the death of me, but how cute is this??

Anderson showing Reese how it is done.

A few days after our Bristol visit, we got to see our other out of town family in Birmingham. I don't have many pictures because I got a new phone and I didn't save them all apparently, but I did keep this high quality one of me forcing Max to sit in my lap. 

Because of course Uncle Zack is going to swim in the pool with my boys when it is not very warm outside. 

Aunt Manda will make a visit the greatest vacation ever. 

Leap Day & St. Paddy's Day

Because I am a sucker for all things "theme" or "minor holiday" or "let's try to create traditions so my kids don't just remember their mom working all of the time," we really embraced Leap Day. Anderson loves all things Science, so this "holiday" that is tied to Earth and orbiting was fun for him. 

In keeping with the "Leap" part, I ordered them a "Grow A Frog."

 In some kind of modern parenting twist, you can order pets on Amazon. 

There are many reasons I did this:

1. Anderson desperately wants a lizard. I mean DESPERATELY. He has wanted one since he was 4 and I convinced the Petco employee to tell him he had to wait 2 years, hoping he would forget. 

He did not forget. 

I actually looked into a lizard and my problem is that they have to be fed often and cleaned* and otherwise taken care of....and, well, I am just not on board with all of that. 

*They poop EVERY DAY! I mean, what kind of torture would that be for my OCD? 

I am hoping the frog eases his reptile mind for a bit. An amphibian has to be the next best thing, right?

2. Perhaps you remember how much fun we had with Tadpoles living on our counter last year? Anderson definitely does, so I thought this might be a fun project as well. 

3. I really wanted to celebrate Leap Year and couldn't think of anything else fun, so I fell back on the frog thing. 

4. I could order it on Amazon and it came in a baggie in the mail! I mean, what is not to love??

They were SO excited about all of it and I realized how different their ages are when, at the same time, Anderson was documenting the stages in the little book while Max was trying to stick a plastic knife in the container to stab the tadpole. 

Also, Max named him "Max the Tadpole." So, there is that. 

We also did a "Leap Day Time Capsule" and I cannot wait to see how much their answers change in 4 years. And, yes-Max is hilarious. 

Also, because these boys love them some green & I am usually off work on St. Patrick's Day, we always live up the green day. 

Lucky Charms, green food coloring and some green supplies (bought last year on clearance) make it a pretty easy time.

Green jello for dessert!

Also, I am aware of how many different pairs of pajamas that Max owns and I am not apologizing. 

Details.

I have learned that life really is in the details

I get so caught up in the home details-the good, the bad, the crazy, the sippy cups, the snacks, the birthday party gifts, one Eggo waffle and two boys, the forgotten basketball at practice, the text being sent on time, the clean shirt in the drawer, the milk not being sour, the name in the coat left on the playground, the back up dog food, enough toilet paper, trying to find an envelope, the location of the monkey and the lone Nike sock in the drawer. 

I get so caught up in the work details-the deadline, the plan, the duty, the meeting, the form, the documentation, the kid behind the missing credit, the parent phone call, the parent in the office, the meeting that started 10 minutes ago, the late night, the missing parent, the upset teacher, the disappointed kid, the constant task of trying to get caught up. 

But, every now and then, I am stopped by these details and I have tried to stop and recognize them when they are really special and unique and when they are the details that I want to focus on and remember and not lose with the checked off grocery list.

One day, out of the blue, Max AGREED to put his firefighter gear on his cubby. No arguing, no crying, no compromising. He put on his tennis shoes like a normal kid. It was easier in a way-it cut a few minutes off of my morning commute, but it also made me realize why I will be just a little nostalgic for this stage. 

To be fair, having to constantly keep up with the gear and attempting to keep it free from ecoli without completely ruining the velcro from too much washing, is a little annoying after almost 5 months, but Fire Chief Max literally wins at life and the fact that he genuinely believes he is a firefighter is what makes it so, so cute. 

 

We have grandparents close by and this might be my favorite detail of all. 

Poor GG got roped into eating dinner with these 2 grumpy boys one night. We sure love how close by she is to us!

Speaking of-I was walking through Kroger and there was my Dad! I mean, what. It is so awesome to have my parents live near me and something I never, ever take for granted. 

Selfie on the frozen food aisle!

Anderson fiercely annoys Max to no end, but he loves him just as intensely. He was so excited to get home and give Max the treat he picked out for him in the treasure box at school-a Paw Patrol pencil. 

Max puts up with a lot, but he is so lucky to have such a great big brother. 

I am frequently dropping things off at my Mom's house and just leaving the execution of the plan up to her. For example, here are a bunch of snacks for Anderson's kindergarten class. 

Please arrange your entire week to take these to him-thanks. 

HUGE detail-help from the village. 

GG's monkey, as Max lovingly/demandingly calls his lovey is ALWAYS a detail. Really, he is a family member more than a detail because life cannot function without him. But, seeing the creepy monkey face peering over Max's shoulder makes me happy because that little monkey blanket thing makes Max feel loved and safe when I am not around and that is a win for me. 

My bookshelf at work-so much of my life on these shelves-props & books from when I was teaching, Graduation mugs and random goodies from my days at Powell and pics and crafts from Anderson. Details of who I am-work and home all crammed together. 

A visit to Ijams over Spring Break and I feel like this picture really captured my boy. Dirt, a frog in a random cup (that I may have pulled out of the trash) and just happiness. 

One of the greatest details of my life is that my therapy lies in organizing and sorting and planning and placing. And, the switch in seasons always results in the sorting of the clothes....it is truly one of my happy places. 

A detail that proves Max stopped by for a bit. 

 Our visit to Dr. Cogen last week had so many details: the familiarity of the McDonald's stop on the way, the feels in the waiting room....nerves, the hoping, the anxiety, the patience, the lack of patience, the waiting. 

My chubby Worms just hanging out on a car ride is definitely one of the details that I am grateful for in my life. We have been together for 13 years and she drives me crazy, but fills my heart like only a first born can.