Jan 2014 will live on in infamy as
the great potty training debacle.
It was rough. Levi seemed interested in potty training and did a
really great job of going to the potty IF he was naked. Add pants and
all bets were off. I feel like I was really patient for the first three
weeks. By week four I was ready to put him back in diapers indefinitely. Here is my little pant-less man. :) I'm happy to report that he is now fully potty-trained (even at night). It was definitely a process but I'm thankful that the hardest part is over!
In January we butchered our pigs. We processed the meat ourselves and still have a lot in the freezer!
Also in January, Josiah started playing basketball. That's him in the middle of the picture. He didn't seem very interested in the game for most of the season. One game he pretended he was a robot, and if he didn't touch the ball he would "shut down", ending with his head dangling down by his knees. By the last game he was starting to get more into the game, and even stole the ball from the other team. It was an entertaining season! He had fun which is all that matters.
February 10 is Jason's birthday, so we had a fun night out on the 8th, but somehow failed to take any pictures! We had a delicious meal at a local place and then saw Lone Survivor at the theater. Intense and great movie!
This is our February-enduring-the-cold-weather entertainment: fruit loop necklaces. We also made charts of how many colors they each got. Fruit loops = big smiles.
Also in February, my parents came to visit and we had a fun time taking the kids to the Discovery Center for Cat in the Hat week. "It is fun to have fun but you have to know how!" -Cat in the Hat
In March we took a weekend trip to visit my parents. The kids had fun hanging out outside, and they were very excited to get these new Avengers hoodies from my parents.
Later in March, Jason took four cattle to the sale, which is an all-day event when you're selling steers and cows. So I took the kids to Sequoia park in Springfield for a really fun cave tour. This cave has water throughout, so the tour is by canoe. The kids did great and we didn't even capsize! :) We all enjoyed the tour, but especially Josiah, who got to hold his own flashlight.
After the tour we did some hiking around, had a picnic lunch, and played on the playground.
The beginning of April was Josiah's spring break from school, so I took the kids to Hannibal to visit my brother and his family. My brother and two of his kids were in The Music Man play, so it was really fun to see them on stage!
My nephew Kason was Winthrop (he's in the middle), and my niece Ava is just to his left, the one he's smiling at. :) They all did a great job!
Mid-April I noticed this new tooth in Josiah's mouth! At that time the baby tooth in front of it wasn't even loose yet. I'm sure I'm going to have an orthodontist on speed dial in the not-too-distant future! His tooth is now very loose, and he's hoping it falls out at school today (5/16) because it's his last day of school and he really wants that cool tooth necklace they give the kids to bring the tooth home in. We went to the dentist this week and he didn't seem concerned, but I am pretty sure I saw dollar signs in his eyeballs (I'm just kidding - we have a great dentist, and he doesn't do the ortho side).
I took the boys to Bass Pro for Easter pictures, and they had a new portion of the store open, so we did some exploring. They are adding on to that place all the time!
The boys love being outside (especially Levi), and love helping their daddy. Levi has learned how to climb the fence by himself.
Jason let Josiah drive the tractor! He was so proud of himself!
Dying Easter eggs.
Mi Mi and Paw Paw came over for Easter lunch on Sunday. We had a fun time hunting eggs, and the boys got to see Paw Paw's big truck!
On 4/24 our first calf of the season was born! The mama is Scarlett, so I named her baby heifer Pearl (reference from The Scarlett Letter). The boys didn't like that name, but thankfully it stuck. Mama and baby are doing great!
So that's basically Jan-April, with some fun play dates and visits from family mixed in. More updates soon! :)
