Three and a Half Years!

I start every single one of these posts the same, but I can't believe Archer and Lyla are already three and a half years old!  They are both growing like weeds and reading stories to them while they're both on my lap is tricky since I can't see over their heads anymore!  But I still manage.  I will let them sit on my lap as long as they like.  

They are both happy and thriving, despite spending the majority of the past year without seeing any other kids.  I have worried so much about their social development and how much they are missing out by us trying to do our part to end the pandemic.  I am so incredibly thankful they have each other.  They continue to practice (though not always successfully) sharing, being kind to each other, taking turns and creatively playing together.  Their relationship continues to blossom and they truly do love each other and enjoy spending time together.  Their favorite things to do lately are run around the house with their Paw Patrol toys, singing at the top of their lungs, riding their big kid bikes, doing any sort of craft and making tents out of blankets.  

They continue to have hardy appetites and I can tell exactly when it's time for a snack or meal based solely on their level of crabiness.  In an effort to think of things that are fun and can be done while still "staying away from germs," I took them to the donut store drive thru for donuts and the Starbucks drive thru for cake pops.  So now each and every time we get in the car, they request we go get a donut or cake pop.  I have to break their hearts quite often.  

We've kept our local library branch busy by placing lots of holds on books.  Picking them up at the drive thru window is a very exciting activity.  It's really important to me that Lyla and Archer be exposed to all kinds of cultures, lifestyles, people and experiences through reading.  So we get a wide variety of books and devour them all!  Both Archer and Lyla are starting to tell me what kinds of books they are interested in and I make sure to honor their choices.  I feel pretty clueless about being a parent when it comes to many topics, but I feel confident that I'm doing everything I can to help them grow into lifelong readers.   

We drive around looking for empty playgrounds several times a week.  Archer and Lyla love playgrounds!  And they are at the point where I don't have to constantly follow them around to make sure they don't get hurt on any of the equipment.  They also enjoy walking on trails and I can still convince them to hop in the stroller for a ride around the neighborhood.  I know my walks with the stroller are limited, so I'm trying to savor each and every one.  More often than not, they want to ride their bikes while we take Jazzy for her daily walk.  Now it's more like a daily run to keep up with Lyla and Archer, but they do a really good job of stopping before they cross any streets and waiting for me and Jazzy to catch up.  Grandma and Grandpa got them a new swing, rings and a trapeze bar to replace their baby swings on their swing set Adam built them.  It won't be long before they are jumping off the swing!  

Archer continues to be very active and agile.  He's constantly climbing and jumping off of things.  He loves to run around outside.  He also enjoys digging up the grass in the yard with his construction vehicles and digging in the mulch in the flower beds, despite how many times we tell him not to.  Archer is a big fan of his fire truck and ambulance, along with all of his other cars and trucks.  And he loves building complex train tracks with Adam.  Lately, Archer has been very interested in helping me cook and will tell me "I saved you a spot" when he wants me to sit next to him on the couch.  

Archer has started virtually visiting with a speech and language pathologist weekly.  He is working on a few sounds and loves getting to see his speech teacher each week on the computer.  He's also excited to complete his speech homework each week and we've definitely seen some progress in the short time he's had his visits.  We are very grateful our Parents As Teachers educator caught these speech concerns early and has helped get Archer the resources he needs to be as successful as he can be with speech.  We're hoping these early interventions will get him back on track before he starts kindergarten.  

Archer is such a sweet, silly, generally easy-going kid.  I love hearing him belt out his version of Paper Route's Tiger Teeth.  He still willingly gives me hugs and kisses.  I adore watching him continue to grow up!  

Lyla continues to know exactly what she wants and generally knows how to get it.  She's not afraid to show her sassy side!  She's also incredibly empathetic and loves to talk about how important it is to be kind and share.  Lyla is incredibly independent.  She loves to pick out her outfit each morning and enjoys vetoing any options I present to her.  She can get her coat zipped by herself and fasten buttons.  Lyla also loves to dress her baby dolls in all sorts of ensembles.  I've taken advantage of her independence and have her help me out with a variety of tasks like getting ingredients from the fridge while I'm cooking, feeding Jazzy her dinner and helping me vacuum.  

Adam and I have to be very careful what we say around Lyla these days.  She likes to pay very close attention to what we're talking about and asks all sorts of clarifying questions.  Lyla enjoys building tall towers and playing with her many stuffed animals these days.  Just the other morning she tucked her stuffed giraffe in bed with Adam while he was sleeping in and it melted my heart.  

Lyla is strong-willed, but kind.  I like to imagine she'll be the kind of person who gets what she wants out of life and will stand up for others.  When I ask her for a kiss these days, she'll give me her cheek.  But she's more than happy to snuggle up with me when I ask.  

These beautiful little people bring me so much joy and excitement (and exhaustion and frustration, if I'm being honest.)  Archer and Lyla continue to teach me as much as I (hopefully) teach them.  It's a privilege to watch them continue to grow up and I truly love my role as their mom.