For the past several days, I was thinking I would just skip a month recap all together. Once I took a quick peek at my pictures I didn't think I could actually skip the month. Overall, it felt really quiet. But the reality was that we stayed super busy. So busy, I am going to dump more pictures into this post than I have in the past. Just so much good stuff.
This has been a reminder that we just fully embrace our quiet periods of time. Yes, extra activities and school and seeing friends and family make life so fun but life is really made in the moments of nothing. The times where you have no schedule, no agenda, and can do whatever you truly want to do.
Here's what we've been up to:
Animal Observing
We have been so lucky to live just outside of our small town. We saw a raccoon (during the middle of the day so we stayed far away from it), pheasants, and cattle (put in the field across our road for just a few months each year). We also spend so much time bird watching and spying rabbits. Our security cameras have also spotted fox in our yard so that has been so fun to see and talk with the kids about what they are up to at night.
Flooding
Our area got hit with so much moisture that our state has had major flooding issues. Our house was fine and we did not have to evacuate (which we are so thankful for) but we did have flooding issues for a few days on our property.
Baby Chicks
As winter ended and spring started to make an appearance, we decided to get some more chickens to add to our small flock (4 hens currently). 3 years ago we started our journey with chickens and I don't know that we will ever look back! We love our (very small) taste of farm life!
The Park
I have taken my kids for some random park trips and it is so fun to just throw on shoes and go. Random outings to the park and splash pad happens to be one of my favorite things about summer so I am so thankful the weather warmed enough to do this a few times in March.
4-H kid fun night
Every year we try to make it to the annual fun night our local 4-h group hosts. The kids have so much fun decorating cupcakes, making small toys, playing games to win prizes, and petting small animals (rabbits, goats, baby cows, chickens, etc). This year did not disappoint!
So much learning and school fun!
Since we do preschool at home, I love to share snapshots of this time slot. Our kids love to learn and our "school" really happens wherever we are and when the timing is right. I have learned with 3 kids, I can't guarantee school will happen at the same time each day or that we can get our stuff done before the baby wakes (if he even takes a nap that is). When it comes to school I have to be super flexible and, if necessary, keep things really light and fun. In a pinch, we just read books and call it good.
We did manage to get so many art projects done though this month. Making bird feeders and painting pine cones to be zinnias (to go with the letter Z) were the favorites of the kids this month.
Like the above picture, the kids just requested to be read to in bed. I agreed wholeheartedly.
I am finding that sensory games are helping to hold Jayden's attention long enough to get some school work done so I have been rolling with that more.
Quick 1 on 1 times
I know I have mentioned in other posts, but we work hard to do things with our kids 1 on 1 as we can and when we see they really need that time. Payton had gymnastics one night so I snuck off with Riley to the park while Jayden spent some time with his dad. Riley loved this outing and it's so crazy to see how big he is getting. Life can slow down at any time.
Payton also had some 1 on 1 time with her dad earlier in the month while I had the boys.
I hope that as life continues to get busier, we still make time for each other and our quick dates with our children.
Family came to visit
We did get a few days worth of visitors, so a much slower month for us with company. We had a blast cooking with cousins, showing them our baby chicks, and laughing too hard. We were able to visit a train depot on the last day and the kids had such a blast.
It was so much fun, our baby fell right to sleep on our way home from the train station:
I can never get enough of sleeping babies. They are just the best.
So much outside time
It doesn't seem to matter the weather as my family still gets outside on our little property. We need the fresh air daily and must get outdoors. The weather does play a role in how long we get to stay outside though.
As the month started with snow and so much rain, we didn't get out for long periods of time. But, by the end of the month, we saw temperatures rise and our time outside increased.
Sickness
I suppose a winter can not be had without someone getting sick. While we have had very sick seasons of life where we always seem to have something going around between our family members, we have stayed fairly healthy most of this winter.
Until we didn't. We got one round of a cold that just wouldn't give up. And then the baby got croup.
He got so sick I ended up in the ER twice and at the doctor's office all in a period of 3 days. I had never taken a sick baby to the ER before so Jayden broke my in well by making me go twice in 3 days. The first trip was because his stridor was so bad with his croup we could not get him to stop struggling with breathing. I tried all the tricks I knew. He had to get a steriod shot and a higher dosage in a breathing treatment. The next day I went to the dr and he had to get an oral steroid and some different meds. The third day we ended up at the ER as he had an allergic reaction on top of all the other stuff going on with croup.
We are good now and healthy for the moment. Sometimes life knocks us down and we are just reminded of how good we have it. I try very hard not to take our times of good health for granted.
Looking Fancy
I wanted to throw this in here so I don't forget this memory. This picture of my kids is how they love to get dressed, even for a day at home. They both love to dress up. Riley has gone to the grocery store in that vest and tie, he just loves to look handsome. Payton wears dresses majority of the time and pretends to be a princess. Both kids enjoy spending days at home, dressed up in their finest clothes, throwing dance parties and hosting tea parties at the royal palace.
Life is so fun with these 2!
Soccer
We rounded the month out with the start of soccer, our first time playing ever! Both kids are on the same age group and played against each other for the first practice. The kids had a blast and are looking forward to going again next week.
On to April!
Whew, what a wild and fun month! This was busy for not having much on the agenda. April picks up with kindergarten round-up (I'm crying already), doctor appointments, a birthday for our oldest (again, I am crying already), a spa day for me with a friend, Grandma time, and more soccer!
Hope your March went well, too, and your April is off to a great start!
