Okay, I know that title is a mouth-full, but wanted to share a few quick things March has held for us. It is a little crazy to think tomorrow is already April. March always flies and feels packed with the start of baseball, birthday celebrations and spring!

Leprechaun Traps

Two weeks ago was St. Patrick’s Day and each year the excitement over leprechauns and trap making grows. It’s one of those funny holidays where I often don’t have the energy to go all out, but still want to make it feel magical and special.

This year was probably the simplest but had the best reaction. Hudson left out his kid camera he got for Christmas and that gave me an idea to record a video! I had Lance use his best Irish accent saying: “Better luck next year, kids!” and it was a believable hit. The first thing I woke up to was: “Mom! We caught the leprechaun’s voice!” I was reminded on this day the truly magical season we are in. Yes, we are always running tired and there are some truly long/exhausting/frustrating days, but these really are the best days. To have three little kids that fully believe in all the magic and possibilities is so special. I want to bottle it forever and I know in a blink things will be different.

Baseball Season

Scrolling through my phone, the majority of my March photos and videos are baseball-related. Baseball season has officially started for both boys and that has filled up our weekends, but it has been a lot of fun watching both boys play. Even Declan is becoming obsessed with baseball and loves to take swings around the house and say: “Strike!”

A few thoughts on baseball:

1. 3 and 4 year-olds playing baseball is the cutest to watch.
2. Things have already gotten way more serious and competitive for H (he’s 6 1/2). It feels like real baseball and really fun to watch, but also a little intense for how young he is.
3. Youth sports should be fun. I hope it stays light and fun for as long as possible for our boys.

Power in Consistently Opening a Book

This is a bit random, but I was reminded about this the other day when I was on the couch reading. This past month has felt like a battle to rally the boys around reading. There’s been some resistance, mostly from my 1st grader. I think part of this resistance comes from me being a bit particular in what I allow him to read. Dog Man is a popular series for his age group and we’ve tried it once and I think it is awful. I feel a bit like a crazy person because it seems to be widely praised by parents and kids and even was the center table stand at his school’s book fair. My opinion is that content wise it is inappropriate and rude and I really don’t want H to be influenced by it. Just a reminder to myself (and maybe you): it’s okay to go against what everyone else is doing if you feel like it doesn’t fully align with you or your family’s values.

Because this series has been a no, I’ve tried to do research and find book series that still would be entertaining and engaging but have content more aligned with our values.

Here’s a few of what I’ve found so far:

• The Wild Robot series (this is also a wonderful movie). These books are beautifully written and make the perfect read-aloud. H is currently reading with me The Wild Robot Protects. It’s a little above his reading level but really great for us to work through together.
• The Dead Sea Squirrels. This is a book series from the same co-creator of Veggie Tales. It’s perfect for ages 6-9 and has enough silliness to entertain H, but still includes some biblical lessons in a fun, engaging story. This is a great alternative to Dog Man!
• The Imagination Station. Similar to Magic Treehouse series, but with a Christian perspective!

Anyways, back to my point. Even in the resistance, I am finding that consistently modeling what it looks like to just plop down on the couch and open a good book is being watched and will eventually be copied. I was delighted that as I was reading on the couch, H came over with his book and wanted to read together. There’s a lot of things that come more naturally to him: soccer, baseball, math, legos. Reading is hard and takes more work for him. One of my biggest goals is for him to develop a love for reading. Not just read his 15-minute requirement or read out of duty, but to get lost in the pages and devour and delight in words and language. This will be a process, but I think modeling what it looks like is huge (picking up a book more than I pick up my phone). So here is to continuing to open the book, even in the resistance!

Hope you too had a good March! Looking forward to April and celebrating Easter!