Watkins Women are my Favorite!

 We had wonderful visits this month!  First Aunt Jan came to town, and then Gammie came right after!

Jan stayed for a few days, and we made the most of it!

Right after Jan left, Gammie flew in.  They could almost high five in the airport!

We took Gammie's camper out for our first family camping trip around Las Vegas, enjoying Lake Mead and the cute little town of Boulder City.

Daniel got to spend the day with us on Sunday, so we made that our lake day

Niko wasn't wild about the water, but he loved finally being allowed to throw giant rocks

Zoey and Alexander both clearly grew up in Florida, and took to the water immediately!

During Niko's naptime the next day, Gammie and Alexander went for a train ride

They both climbed to the top seat!

It was his first time on a train, and he enjoyed every moment!

Niko never knew he missed a thing

We only stayed in the camper one night, but we made lots of memories, and lots of notes for future camping trips.  We hope to take the camper to Zion, and even the Grand Canyon, but maybe when Nikolai is just a little older.

Gammie sent the boys an Easter present that was a huge hit!

While the box was sitting in our guest room waiting for Gammie's visit, Alexander saw a music box at Costco and said, "Hey Mama, do you think, maybe, one day I could have one of those?!"  Knowing he would have one by the end of the week, I just shrugged my shoulders and told him I just didn't know.

With strobe lights that move to the beat of the music, we have rocked living room dance parties every day since we got out music box!

Even Gammie was gettin' down!

We ended Gammie's visit with a cookout at Aly's.  Such a good time!

We love our Watkins Women and hope to see both of them again soon!

Easter Celebrations

 Christ is Risen!

We has a beautiful weekend with lots of outside time celebrating Easter

The boys enjoyed dressing up as Easter eggs on Good Friday at school

On Saturday, we had a neighborhood Easter celebration with an egg hunt, cookie decorating, bounce house, and water fight. I continue to count our blessings in this neighborhood!

The kids enjoyed squirting Maverick with water more than each other.  The pup was loving all of the attention, and the water!

Water break!

After the neighborhood fun, we decorated dino Easter eggs

On Easter Sunday, we went to church!  It was our first time being to an in person service for over a year!  The service was held outside and the weather was perfect.

After church, we spent time outside, bouncing and playing foosball, and enjoying the gorgeous spring weather before cooking up a big Easter supper.

Happy Easter!

Viva Las Vegas....Well, Sort Of

 

I got to kick off my spring break with this beautiful lady!!

Rachel and I have been trying to plan a trip for over a year, but with COVID precautions, it just wasn't in the cards.  Now that we are both on our way to being fully vaccinated, and while Delta is still leaving an empty seat, Rachel scheduled her flight and I could not have been more excited!

Y'all, I can't even begin to express how much this woman means to me.  She is one of my oldest friends.  She stood by my side on my wedding day, after making our grooms cake, doing my hair, taking over day-of-coordination when things started to go awry....she co-hosted Alexander's baby shower, and hosted Niko's, even with a last minute venue change.  She has always been there for me in the biggest sense.  We may not talk every week, or even every month, but when we get together it's just like being back in college....except for all the things that come with having kids.

Like trying to share her attention with my boy who loves getting attention from pretty ladies

I didn't even get a picture with Rachel until the third day of her trip because this little rascal kept stealing her away!

In a real plot twist, poor Nikolai developed a horrific stomach bug within twelve hours of Rachel's plane landing.  He was in good spirits, but was exploding from both ends.  This halted our hiking plans and kept us pretty much homebound for much of Rachel's visit.

Unfortunately, while the rest of the Martin crew avoided the bug, Rachel managed to catch it.  It was awful and there was pretty much nothing I could do but load up on Pedialyte and crackers, but thankfully it passed quickly and we were able top venture to the strip for Rachel's last night in Vegas.

The Bellagio gardens are always so beautiful, and a better photo op now with the limited occupancy

We had fun catching the fountain show and getting drinks at the Chandelier Bar at the Cosmo.

The trip was definitely too short, but we managed to squeeze in some great times and new memories, including Rachel running me into the ground as I tried to keep up with her on a run.  She was literally dancing and spinning in circles while I checked my watch to confirm my heart rate was at 180bpm.

Until next time!  Love you, girl.

Can We Slow Down Time?

Our 'baby' is 18 months old!

He still smiles all the time and brightens our household with his silliness and loving nature

Working on fine motor

The snow was too soft and got into the boys' clothes so our sledding this year was not a huge hit with the little ones...

Niko went into the closet and pulled out the scooter and the helmet.  He loves all things with wheels!

Somehow our princess rounded out her ninth birthday this week.  How can this be?

Niko loves his furry sister so much and can often be found sitting with her, hugging her, filling her water bowl, or playing with her.  She has come to love him, but Alexander is still her everything.

Two peas in a pod

From snow to sunshine, Las Vegas has it all!

Ouch

Daniel tore his shoulder skiing with Alexander last week.  He is fairly certain it was dislocated, but he popped it back into place on the slopes.  He somehow managed to ski down the slope with Alexander, carry the gear back to the car (with a little help from his Bro), and drive himself to the hospital.  We are waiting to see what the orthopedist says, but the recovery time is long and the boys are already struggling without their main rough house buddy

Milestones

Nikolai has so many more words from a few months ago when he was only saying, "MAMA!" usually in a loud, agitated tone

Niko is now saying Dada, Duh for dog, NahNah for banana, Tuh for TV, and he has three animal sounds, Bah Bah, Roar (the cutest little whisper growl), and trumpeting like an elephant.  His babbling also has a much bigger variety of sounds than it used to

He and Alexander continue to get closer and closer.  They play so well together!  Alexander made up a game where he hollers, "Leh Go!" and takes off running across the house.  Niko runs as fast as his toddling legs can to catch up.  When he gets close, Alexander cries, "Leh Go!" again and they take off in the other direction.  Niko loves to build, bounce, and hammer with his brother, as well as to pass or kick a ball, or spin in circles.  The neighborhood big kids all include Niko in games whenever possible.

He loves to climb still, but has slowed down his death defying feats, choosing the slide instead of dancing with one leg hanging off the top of the playground, and sitting on the couch instead of running on it or diving over the side of it

He is our cleaner upper.  He puts his laundry in the basket, puts his shoes and toys away, helps feed Zoey, and in general, just notices mess more than big brother

Niko runs into class every day without looking back, carrying his jacket to his cubby before starting to play

He loves music!  He is always dancing, and prompting us to sing.  His current favorites are Five Little Monkeys, Wheels on the Bus, Baby Shark, and everything CocoMelon

He still loves his farm books, but is not as crazy about Old MacDonald as he was when he was younger

He is sleeping much better, usually waking up between 4am and 5am, wanting a bottle and usually needing a stinky diaper change

He isn't eating as much right now, preferring milk to real foods.  I couldn't even name a favorite food, or anything I can 

I got my second COVID vaccine yesterday and Daniel gets his Friday!

I cannot believe how fast my babies are growing and am trying to hold onto every moment.