Slow and Easy

I think I enjoy the weeks where I am a home body.

Don't get me wrong, weeks fly and we have awesome times when our schedule is full of errands, and play dates, and fun adventures... but honestly the aftermath is a little overwhelming. Heaps of undone laundry, no quality dinners, messes everywhere. And if I get in the routine of being busy it is really hard to break out of it! I feel like I need a million things to do to keep me busy and satisfied.

But honestly, the weeks where they are slow and simple are actually so much more fulfilling. I find that my house is clean almost always (without lots of time or effort). There are no pile of laundry either dirty, or clean and waiting for weeks to be folded. My kids take regular naps, and sleep better at night, which allow me to have lots of time with Jesse when they go down at a normal time (6:30-7:00). My kids get home made treats like chocolate chip cookies, and whole wheat bread straight from the oven. The weeds are non existent in the front and back yard. I actually read my scriptures regularly. I cook healthier meals for my family, which is a big deal for us, and makes us feel better, and the kids seem to have a more even temperament. I get to spend LOTS of time talking and being with my babies. We sit and do puzzles, read books, build forts, go on walks and bike rides. We jump on the trampoline and play in the sandbox... but most of all we laugh. I interact with them more on their level instead of mine.

We have been pretty home bound out of necessity and circumstance lately, and it has been wonderful. When I am home I realize all that there really is to do here! Play and work both abound without ever leaving my little haven! Except for the occasional trip to the grocery store or park, we have been quite content to stay at home. The more I stay at home the more I love it.

(we started having them share a bed... this is the first morning after, both of them slept all night 12 hours straight! It was amazing!)

Just so I don't forget

Spencer is quite the talker these days... here are some of his favorites:

Stand- (word for headband)

Istuck- (meaning I am stuck)

DinDin - Dinner

Eat

Ball

Money- (He especially loves this one and says it whenever he sees his piggy bank)

Monkey

Nana- Banana

Mama

Dada

Lyla

night-night

Bathtime

Jesus

Iwan- ( I want)

BaBa- (Sippy cup, variation of the old BooBah for the breast...)

ChickChick- Chicken

PooPoo- (whilst pointing to anyone on the toilet : )

Well he has tons more, but these are the ones I can think of at the moment. He loves to talk, and if you lend a listening ear, he will gladly oblige with conversation.

On another note... He is weaned! Hallelujah! I just broke down and did it about a week and a half ago. He did great. He goes to sleep quite easy as long as I lie down next to him for about 5 to ten minutes.... So much better than the 30 to 60 minutes it took for me to get Lyla to go to sleep when I weaned her!

Funny story, at about the 48 hour mark of not having the breast, he pretty much knew that even if he asked politely I would tell him No, the Boobah is tired and it's all done giving you milk. You are a big boy now. So he went up to his dad, and he cuddled up in his lap, giving him the sweetest eyes you have ever seen, and in his most polite voice asked him "Boobah?" And low and behold Jess said, "Sure!" You should have seen the pure relief and joy that flooded Spencer's face. Then Jesse proceeded to lift up his shirt and offer Spencer the hairy man chest. At first Spencer leaned in with anticipation, and upon realizing that it was not a normal Boobah, pulled back with the most stunned expression on his face, which then turned to confusion to which he questioned Jesse with "Boobah?" Yep that's it bud! So Spencer gave it a pinch or two, and then decided it would be best not to try nursing this new foreign boobah.

For the first couple of days he would try to sneak a sip while I held him in the shower. So that had to stop. Now he affectionately pats my shirt and announces that I have boobah's but no longer asks for them, or seems to associate them with comfort or food. Sometimes he will even pat his shirt and tell me that he has boobah's too.

We love this kid... and even though he seems to terrorize everything, and has seriously made me consider buying like 20 baby gates... we wouldn't trade him for the world!

a little Tucson Love

So as we all know, my sweet husband is a Tucson native, born and raised. And he LOVES Tucson. I am not native. And oftentimes when people ask how I like it, I dramatically tell them I can't wait to leave. Which is unfair to Tucson. In fact when I say it people respond with "well where did you grow up? Do you want to move back?" To which I laugh, and say Yuma... and never!

I always saw Tucson as big, and crowded. Lots of graffiti, lots of crime... lots of people in general. It isn't anything spectacular, the traffic is horrendous, and the University makes it feel rather shifty at all times. The wards don't even feel stable. So I never really wanted to settle into Tucson. I always said... one day we would move (to that perfect place unknown). But sadly, I felt I was wasting time waiting for that perfect place, when there really are some amazing things about Tucson that can and should enjoy! Now that being said Jesse grew up East side, and while we know plenty of things East side to enjoy, I struggle with the West Side... which is way WAY different. They are like 2 different cities.

So I finally decided to dig my feet in and get cozy with Tucson. And this week has been amazingly pleasant.

It started off with Library story time... which as you know is free! And fun! I never went unless friends invited me (we have been about 4 times) and it was always at a "nicer library". As in, nicer than the scary south side valencia library closest to us. But I decided to try our story time, on our side of town. And what do you know?! It was amazing! And the preschool time backed right up to the babytime, so both my darlings got a storytime that fit them perfectly... all in one trip. I'm usually a home body, but I think this may just go into our routine!

Then we decided to try something outrageously new... the Santa Cruz River Farmers Market. Right near us, promoting homegrown veggies, with a promise of live music and slices of pie... what didn't sound fantastic about that? So I packed my kids up and went. It was in an old Mexican plaza/square, with live fiddler and banjo playing these great tunes. Kids were running around everywhere dancing to the music in the grassy central area as mothers meandered around buying organic produce and carrying their babies in canvas packs. Hippies were abundant. Which I don't mind, I find myself wanting to run up and ask them where they bought their flowered skirt and which midwife they use for their homebirths (totally stereotypical... I know). There is something deep inside me screaming to be a hippy. I suppress it most days : ) Although I do nurse in public, I prefer to not let everyone see my breasts. I did see a few breasts at the farmers market. So while I munched on lard free tamales with homemade salsa, prickly pear popscicles and a decadent slice of pie, I watched my kids dance with the hippy ladies kids and put flowers in their hair (okay only Lyla did that... Spencer doesn't have hair), and let them run to the top of the adobe buildings and look out over the city through the old rusty railings. In 3 words: It. Was. Perfect.

We also decided to go to the community food bank... also on this side of town, because I had heard they have lots of free classes on gardening and composting (2 of my loves, which I am actually horrible at, but wish I was good at). It was so cool! They gave me free seeds and free compost, and lots of literature on how to have a great garden in the desert! Then we walked out side to the food banks marvelous garden and snooped around, looked at the chickens, and played on the coolest playground I have been to in a long time! It even had a complete shade over it (which is rare on the west side of town). We will return. I want to help on the gardening days, and give back to the community.

So now I am on a quest to find all the hidden gems my side of town has to offer! And I can't wait! I've always known about the zoo, the childrens museum, the desert museum, the splash pad, and other things like that around tucson, but I always felt they were too far. But they aren't! I was house sitting for the inlaws on the east side, and it took me just as long to get to the zoo and childrens museum from their house as from mine. Now I feel like I don't live in the middle of nowhere! But my side of town does have community events and things that would be closer to me, and I am excited to learn about them and try them out!

So Tucson, I hope our little love affair turns out to be a full on relationship, because I have an inkling that our family won't be going anywhere for a very long time (courtesy of the hubby : )

If this doesn't scream Spring....

The Hens have started laying.

My apple, peach, and nectarine tree are blooming.

My lettuce is having a growth spurt!

Lyla girl picked me wildflowers from the desert.

And last, but not least, naked babies playing in water.

So while it isn't actually Springtime, Tucson begs to differ. And the Tuckers are loving every minute of it. In fact we even got our garden planted (seeds in a plastic green house, inside until the weather is sure it is Spring!) Happy Spring everyone!