Just as surprised as I am to have two three-year-olds, it's even more surprising to have two three-year-olds in the middle of a pandemic! We are extremely fortunate to be in the position we are in. I get to stay home with Archer and Lyla, while Adam gets to work from home. We have a roof over our heads and plenty of food to eat. We've been very careful and have made every effort to keep our family safe during this crazy time. Archer and Lyla haven't been to any stores or public places since March, with the exception of some nature trails and empty parking lots to ride their tricycles. We're very lucky Lyla and Archer are still young enough to not really grasp what's happening and just how small their little worlds have shrunk. And I am so happy they have each other to play with and continue to grow their social skills. I keep reminding myself this is a temporary situation, but I'd be lying if I said we weren't suffering from cabin fever.
Craziness aside, both Archer and Lyla are thriving.
Both are incredibly active and like to play "little monkeys jumping on the bed" (and couch and ottoman and hammock...) They enjoy racing and chasing each other and avoiding near catastrophic injuries an insane amount of times each day. They are professionals at getting stains on their clothes and are quite skilled at finding even the smallest trace of mud.
They both still adore reading, which is no surprise since I read to the kids every day and Adam and I make sure the kids get to enjoy books before bedtime each night. I would be lying if I said I'm sad when they pick the short ones. Both Lyla and Archer have mastered their alphabet, both lowercase and uppercase letters. They have even learned what sounds each letter makes and several words beginning with each letter. I wish I could take credit for these newfound skills, but they just enjoy watching educational shows on Netflix.
They've each memorized several books apiece and like to "read" them to us. I still have to brush away a little tear each and every time they do. I love how much they love reading. They miss going to story time at the library and picking out books to check out at the library, but we've taken full advantage of curbside pickup to bring some new reading material into our home.
I adore how their relationship continues to deepen. Of course they have their squabbles and there's a lot of "NO, MINE!" being shouted every day, but they do truly love each other. I catch little moments of their love all the time, of course never when I have my phone handy to record it. If one falls down outside, the other runs over to offer a helping hand to pull them back up. If one gets a boo boo while playing in their rooms, I'll hear the other one ask where they need a kiss. Archer climbed in his swing the other day and I looked over to see Lyla pushing him. Lyla said she was sad the other day and Archer retrieved her night night (aka her blanket) saying "this will make you feel better." There's a part of me that's sorry they will never get the chance to be an older brother and sister, but then I remind myself that they have a connection that not every kid gets to have.
Archer is a wild man and rarely sits still. Even when we're sitting together reading a book, he squirms and wiggles and has smacked me in the nose on more than one occasion. He will snuggle with me when he first wakes up for approximately 30 seconds and I eat up every second of it. He does like to give us kisses and hugs and his little arms wrapped around my neck are pure magic. He enjoys making tracks for his trains and playing with his cars and trucks. Archer loves to sing songs and I often hear him singing different tunes over the monitor when he should be napping. His naps are few and far between these days, but I still make him go up to his room to "rest." He'll still come up to me and say, "you snuggle me?" and it just melts my heart. I love him so stinking much.
Lyla continues to be confident and knows exactly what she wants. She doesn't always get it, which can lead to some screaming from time to time. Generally speaking, she's a happy girl and her favorite thing to do these days is take care of her baby dolls. She's a very good mommy and even requires that Adam or I help her put on her baby's pajamas each night before we put Lyla to bed. Lyla is always very curious about what I'm cooking for dinner. She'll wander in the kitchen and smile at me and I will give her a little bite of whatever I'm cooking. She also always asks to help stir if I'm mixing something up. She's very adventurous with her eating and will try just about anything. She's been waking up in the middle of the night lately calling for me. Even though I yawn a bit more these days, I don't really mind rocking her in the middle of the night. I know some day she'll be too big to rock with me, so I'm trying to just eat it up while I can.
They both got new big kid bicycles with training wheels for their birthday (thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!) since they have mastered their tricycles. Archer has taken off on riding his, but still needs to practice with the brakes! It's a workout when he rides his bike! Lyla has been more cautious with riding her new bike and still prefers her tricycle, which works out for me so I can run after Archer.
I decided to record a birthday interview of each of them and hope to keep the tradition alive in years to come. They didn't exactly sit still or answer the questions as thoughtfully as I had hoped, but here they are in all their glory:
Celebrating their birthday this year amidst the Coronavirus pandemic was a far cry from our celebrations in years past. Adam and I didn't feel comfortable with a big family get-together this year, so we spread out their birthday celebrations. Two weeks before their birthday, we celebrated with my parents. We had a small party with some low-key decorations and games. I raided the recycling bin and made a coconut tree similar to the one from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and let the kids run around the house finding letters to put in the tree. We enjoyed some pizza for lunch and cupcakes after singing "Happy Birthday!" Both Archer and Lyla were quite adamant that I make them chocolate cupcakes with blue icing for Archer and pink icing for Lyla. I was more that happy to oblige.
Adam and I celebrated with the kids on their actual birthday. The weather was unseasonably cool, so we took full advantage and went to a walk on a nature trail. The trail is close to some train tracks, so we got to see a real train, which added to their excitement. We went through the drive-thru at Lion's Choice and brought home lunch which we ate picnic-style on our front lawn. After lunch they had a socially-distanced visit from their Grandpa Dave and Sherry. Archer and Lyla were very happy to see them, but were bummed when we had to remind them we couldn't hug them. They requested stroganoff and broccoli for dinner, so stroganoff and broccoli they got.
This past weekend Lyla and Archer got to have yet another birthday party with Nana and Ted! The kids are obsessed with watching the video of them hunting for Easter eggs, so I decided to let them hunt for some eggs during this birthday celebration. Not your traditional birthday activity, but it made them happy.
I love these little knuckleheads so very much and am so lucky to be their mom! Watching them grow and learn is truly an honor. I can't wait to see what this next year will bring for them!
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