March in a nutshell....or bigger

This blog may be long...and it's going to be picture-less. Pictures are on my list for tomorrow....

So let's see. It seems like the month has been filled with teases of spring...lots of mud, lots of puddles, lots of dead grass dragged into my house - but also lots of sunshine and promises of longer days. Brock is DYING to be outside with the big boys but can't seem to walk in anything but his Robeez shoes. We're working on that.

Brock is getting more and more independent every day. He loves to pull pop bottles out of the boxes in the hallway and walks around with them until his mean mommy snags them and puts them back in the fridge. Thinks wrestling with the big boys and daddy is great. Is very vocal. Has cut 2 molars and is taking FOREVER to cut the next two. His mobility has increased tons and he can navigate our little step pretty good now. He's usually bright and sunshiny and keeps me hopping all day!

Rhett is a big kid. That's been our mission this month - to convince him of that. And it's working - sort of. We're still having potty issues and after talking with some great friends I felt that part of the problem was that he viewed himself as a little kid instead of a big kid. So we've been working on pointing out all the big kid things that he does and can do. We're slowly seeing a trickle effect and I'm hoping that one day he'll decide that being potty trained is a good thing. The poor child has huge feet and is forever tripping over them - it breaks my heart. But he just keeps getting up and goes. He loves to play with Zane, but is just as happy to see him leave in the morning so he can do what he wants! My Rhett-man makes me smile and laugh every day.

Zane turned 7 on the 22nd! How in the world did that happen? As I watch him grow up I'm getting glimpses of the man he'll be one day and it makes me happy and sad all at the same time. Zane loves school and his kind heart and fun personality has helped him make lots of great friends. He has read 100 books this year and got to choose a book to bring home and keep. He chose a story that we've checked out of the library before because he knew it was one of Rhett's favorites. Seriously, can a son melt a mom's heart any quicker? He's getting soooo tall, and loves so many different things - sports, reading, playing, video games....he's always busy doing something. We had a great birthday weekend for him....Friday we had his friend's party and did some science experiments and building and cake and presents and outside play. It was a hit and he was thrilled! My mom was able to come up on the Tuesday before his birthday and then dad and Kinsey and Alisha and cousin Paxton showed up Friday night. It was a packed house filled with lots of laughs and fun. Sunday morning we did Birthday Waffles - whip cream, strawberries, carmel sauce, chocolate sauce, raspberry syrup....yes, it was a diabetic coma waiting to happen. I've got lots of pictures and will try to get them up soon!
I can't believe that he's already 7! He's such a joy and treasure to us and I can't wait to see what this year brings for him!

And as for us...we've managed to sneak in a couple of nights off by ourselves with our friends and even a couple of dates. As well as birthday parties for friends, parent teacher interviews, YM's, seminary experiences....etc. It's been an action packed month and I can't believe it's drawing to a close already. We're gearing up a for a great and busy spring break as we become parents to 6 for 10 days. Yep, 6. Our wonderful friends Jas and Rebecca Payne are like family to us and are leaving on a cruise. We're moving into their house with their 3 kids 11, 7 and 4 for 10 days. It's going to be busy, hectic, and probably stressful but really fun. Our kids get along great and it's just one big party when we're all together. I'm trying to do some planning of things like conference activities and Easter - Rebecca and I have had our heads together planning and I think it's going to be great. I'm praying for lots of sunshine! I'll try to keep you posted on the chaos of life with 6!