January 2018

January was a month of adjustment. There were several things to adjust to. I started sending Lincoln to school with a 6th grade neighbor. Thomas and Oliver have learned to get along wonderfully, I tried to adjust to minimal sleep, we adjusted to early church, we adjusted to not having a need to drive to Layton to visit my Grandpa, the boys are adjusting to helping themselves a bit more, and I'm still trying to adjust to the fact that I have FOUR boys!

Lincoln made this needlepoint for his grandma. He spent a lot of time doing it, and I had to remind him a lot. When it was finally finished, he wanted to keep it for himself. I talked him into taking a picture to remember it, and giving to his grandma only one week after Christmas.

And this is how these three boys spend A LOT of time

 My mom spoiled us to a trip to McDonald's mostly so I could have an excuse to get out of the house.

 The tradition to sleep under the Christmas Tree before we took it down, somehow made the books. Somehow, when I said sleep under the Christmas tree, they all took me very literally and tried to all squeeze their blankets, pillows and bodies under our small tree.

 Thomas is really warming up to Ezra. He is very patient with me when I am feeding him or helping him, and he has been the most gentle with him so far. Sometimes I'll walk into the room where I hear Ezra crying and Thomas will be sitting by him and holding his hand.

 Sometimes when you get 3 smiles at the same time, you have to post it!

 Both Lincoln and Oliver tried out Jr. Jazz basketball this year. They were both not great, and neither have any desire to play ever again.

 My two babies!

 We took a quick trip to the Seaquest Aquarium in Layton. It was a holiday, and it was packed, but the boys love new stuff.

 Here is Thomas' friends. We have a play group every Friday morning. I got to host in January. There are occasional minutes where all the boys are happy and kind. 

 The best part of playing Jr. Jazz was free tickets to a Jazz game. We were in our seats for almost 5 mintues of gametime between bathroom breaks, finding the free Jr. Jazz treats and leaving at halftime.

It finally snowed, so we had to take advantage of the 3 inches of January snow, so we headed to Sugarhouse park to go sledding. Somehow, I was talked into taking skis with us too. So, I pulled these 3 boys and all of their gear. The hills were packed, but everyone got some good runs in. 

Playing outside is ALWAYS refreshing!

I was determined to keep Thomas in diapers until he turned 3. Well, he had other plans. He started bringing me his diapers every time he wet them or pooped in them. It was clear that teaching him to use the toilet was going to be easier than changing a diaper every time he peed. Sure enough, he potty trained himself. Within 48 hours he was almost 100%!

Catching smiles from a baby has never been my thing. But this is as close as it comes. 

We celebrated all of the January birthdays in the Marler family. Grandma Poll also came and got to meet Ezra. She's always great with the tiny babies!

This kid doesn't care that Ezra is screaming. He just wants to hold him.

The end of January brought some sick kids. Lincoln brought a cough home from school and within a few days Thomas and Ezra had fevers and coughs. Ezra started throwing up every time he ate, so I quickly learned to keep a bib on him.