Seasons are changing, both outside and for our boys. Their interests continue to evolve. There is one constant - books. They love a good story, just like their mommas! :-) They have started telling their own stories which is super cute. Typically they are a mesh of characters from their favorite cartoons with all of us thrown into the mix. Arts and crafts are still a huge draw. They enjoy gluing A LOT. We bought some glitter glue which they find quite exciting. They all love to play outside. We are thankful for the extended warm weather we've been having lately. We spend a lot of time at empty parks, the scooter park, and in our back yard. We did get to enjoy Halloween. The night before Halloween we masked up and went to a drive thru event that the city hosted. It took like 3 hours to get through, but the boys were so excited. Their buckets were full when we left - overflowing really. Then on Halloween we masked up and did some trick or treating. Once again their buckets were filled to the brim. They have missed out on so much since March that we were thrilled to get to do something semi-normal. There aren't many dull moments around our house. I'm so very thankful that we are a family unit!
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If there is one constant in the Barber house it is uncertainty. Who knows what the boys will decide is entertainment at any given moment. It could be something simple like a book. Sometimes Amazon inspires creativity. Other times Apple comes to the rescue. And on other days we just need blue bubblegum ice cream! Through all of the craziness around us, though, the boys help keep us sane. Their humor keeps us laughing. Their growing pains keeps us grounded. Their unique and special spirits keep our hearts full of joy. We really couldn't ask for more. There is a lot of laughter in our day-to-day lives. Diane and I spend a lot of time trying to think of new things that the boys might like to experience. Since we're locked down travel wise, we tend to come up with new activities instead. In August it was the introduction of the piñata. As is typical of our boys, the extraction was more fun than the actual candy. :-) We have also found that a lot of mornings, when we're up early, the parks are empty. So, we've been exploring new playgrounds around the area. With each passing day, as the boys get taller and stronger, they also grow more confident in their physical skills. Elliott doesn't consider that he can't climb something. He just figures it out. Ethan is a little hesitant if the object is high but will typically give it a go. Henry often surprises himself by his ability to climb something. Diane and I still read a ton of books a day. We love that all three of them have absorbed our love of books and stories. They all love to make up stories and will often bring the books to life when they are playing. We hope their love for stories continues to grow. The boys' world has shifted since March. They have a momma at home with them 24/7. Most of the time both of us are home. Even when we're working from home we're available for them to get a hug, tell us their latest excitement or sorrow. We've seen a decrease in negative behaviors overall. There are still some developmental milestones and learning moments that are hard for all of us, but for the most part our lives are full of so much laughter and joy. One of the things that keeps catching me off guard is how tall the boys are right now. When they reach up and turn on a light or get something off of the counter my brain stumbles with a thought of "oh yeah, you can reach that now'. Sometimes they forget they can reach things. "Momma, turn on the light!" is often a cry from another room. I can now respond with "You can reach it!" - and that is weird to me some moments. Since we haven't been able to go to the library we have introduced the boys to e-books. Oh my goodness! This has really opened the literary world for them. 'Search for dinosaurs!' - 'Search for construction!' - 'Search for bugs!' and the list goes on. When we were reading print books I often read the same book over and over. With e-books I find myself reading a lot of books for the first time. I really enjoy the variety of children's books that the boys pick. The school year will start for me soon and I'll be working more hours. Fortunately my classes are all online so I get to work those hours from home. That means I will still be here to share in their days. It might be selfish, but I enjoy being able to hear them while I'm working - the pitter patter of their little feet on the floor (my office is in the basement), their laughter and joy as they play. I laugh and tease them when they say "guess what we did without you momma! ha ha ha!" Ethan spent his third year laughing. He loved to tell stories and tease his mommas. He worked on his coloring skills, trying to color entire pictures and work to stay in the lines. Ethan loved to cuddle and give neck squeezing hugs. Ethan is a book lover. He spent many hours looking at books and telling the stories that he saw in them. He loves to ride his plasma car and eat popsicles. He likes to sleep in fuzzy pajamas even in the summer. I love every moment I get to spend with him! Henry is a creature of sound. He spent his third year building his glossary of sound effects. He sand many songs at nap time and before he fell asleep at night. He also spent a lot of time testing out objects to see what kind of sound they make. Henry has a wonderful imagination. He's great at telling stories to his brothers before they fall asleep at nap time and bed time. He's a wonderful snuggler and likes to bring his blanket to cuddle on our laps. I love every moment I get to spend with him! Elliott spent his third year having as much fun as he could. He spent time improving his climbing skills, learning to make play dough and slime, and building with Legos. He loved going for walks and seeing the dogs at the dog park. His vocabulary continued to grow. The amount of books that we read at home helps with his learning. He continues to be our sweet Elliott. He's a wonderful snuggler and can't sleep without his stuffed beagle puppy. I love every moment I get to spend with him! Typically, we go on long adventures during the summer. The babysitters stay with the boys for a week while Diane and I have an adult only trip. Then we throw the boys in the car for a variety of road trips. This year, though, thanks to the pandemic, our adventures are much closer to home. We’re basically building a park in our back yard. We have a climbing dome, a sprinkler, and have ordered two swings. These purchases were tough decisions because we live next to a park. But, for the safety of our boys and the desire for them to have two parents alive for as long as possible, we decided to create fun outdoor experiences for them at home. So, we start our day around 7am and today we got lucky. There was no one at the neighborhood park. We figure fresh morning clean with no concerns about social distancing is the best chance. The boys were so excited. We spent an hour there. Then the heat set in and we headed home for popsicles. I also set up the new sprinkler and taught the boys how to jump through it. Ethan and Elliott took to it right away. Henry was not impressed. He loves the pool but does not like any water apparatus that has the potential to spray him in the face. They still love rocks and riding their vehicles. We had a storm with some wind come through the other day and a lot of branches fell into the yard. They became the source of hours of creative play. These are the dog days of our summer and I wouldn’t trade them for anything. So, while there are some very frustrating aspects of the current pandemic, I can say that I am loving the time at home with the boys. They will only be this age once and I’m so glad they will be able to look back and have the memories of all of the time that we are spending together. I know that I cherish it. I can’t believe it’s been over a year since I wrote a blog post. It’s amazing how time can get away from you when you’re living life. The year+ since the boys turned 3 has been full of laughter, love, and growth. There have been many adventures. Last summer we took the boys to see Paw Patrol Live in Springfield. We stayed in a hotel and played at Ergadoozie, a cool 4 story indoor climbing place that also has hand pedal train cars. The boys loved it. We also had a wild hair and went to Little Rock for a whirlwind visit. We spent time with Uncle Richard and Uncle James, visited some of mommas’ favorite restaurants, and played in the children’s section of Uncle Richard’s library. It was great fun and the boys did great! Thanksgiving was a usual trip to NC to see Uncle Joe, Aunt Tiffany, and cousin Lily. The boys loved riding on their zip line. We played at the mall play place and went to the oldest park in NC. It has a train and a carousel. The climbing equipment is top notch, too. Elliott enjoyed it a lot. Parks are a big deal and we checked out another when we were there. On the way back home, the boys got locked in the minivan at the gas station. So, the fire department came and helped us out. The boys got fire hats and stickers. They loved it. Moms, not so much. We spent a lot of time taking mini adventures around the area. We love to go to parks, out for ice cream, to the toy store and out to eat. Last year we tried going to the movie theater for the first time. The boys aren’t really into long movies (which is fine with us!) so we didn’t make it through a movie. Even when they do get to watch cartoons – which is infrequently – they like the short ones. We have tried watching shows like Finding Nemo, and Moana, but they get bored with it. When the weather is nice, they want to be outside and rarely ask to watch cartoons. It is one of the many things that we love about them. After Christmas sales are a fun time for us and last year, we bought some new outdoor Christmas lights. Ethan is very excited and keeps talking about them. He can’t wait to put them up. I think he is going to talk about them all summer. To do each of our boys justice, I have separated their pictures and videos. So, there will be a catch-up blog for each of them. This post includes pictures and videos of all of them together. They are from around their 3rd birthday until their 4th birthday. I cannot believe that we have 3 three-year-olds. How did that happen?! The amount of love and joy that has been packed into the past 3 years is immeasurable. I can't wait to see what's in store for the next 3 years! We kept the party small this year. We weren't able to capture everyone in the photos, but Aunt Roberta and Uncle Everett came from Tennessee. The boys' friends Noelle, Clay & Lily, Liz, Katie and her daughters, and Cathy all came to sing and wish a Happy Birthday. Cake and laughter was enjoyed by all. Thank you for coming to celebrate the boys!!! |
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November 2020
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