my Thatcher-roo

As always...I can't say enough about how much I love my little man, but here are some reasons why:

-Lately he likes to dress himself. He is very determined and has strong opinions about what he wants to wear. He has two "Nemo" outfits, robot pj's, a Buzz costume, and a Mr. Incredible costume. If he is wearing one of those outifts...he is a pretty happy kid. Here he is in his robot pj's with his Nemo clothes on top.

-My mom got Thatcher a basketball hoop for Easter. It has been quite the hit. Thatcher loves playing basketball and has come up with some other creative ways to play with his basketball hoop (like hanging animals from it...strange, but clever too).

-He is so creative. .He loves to have his toys talk to each other. One day his two airplanes were talking to each other about colors and how there were not yellow or green or red, but explained to each other that they were black and blue. The other day he told me that the circular things left on the kitchen counter were wheels, then he told me he was going to build a car.

-Thatcher still takes a nap. Sometimes I feel bad forcing it on him, but he always sleeps and seems to still need it. The other day he really didn't want to take one so I let him get out of bed and just hang out with me. Then I found him like this:

-Thatcher gets excited about EVERYTHING. It makes life so much fun. Here he is showing off his Easter "stamp". We call them stamps even though they are really tattoos. He thought they were pretty cool.

-Thatcher likes to compare things to James. The other day I was showing him some ants and explaining that they are little and are always busy getting food. Thatcher said, "the bugs are like James, they are little and crawl all around." Then at Out of Africa when we saw a bear standing up and Thatcher said, "Look, the bear is standing just like James!"

-Thatcher loves people. He remembers their names and talks about new friends all the time. He really loves his family and has talked about Kelly, Josh, and Nana nonstop since they have been here.

-Funny things Thatcher says or has said:

"Is that gross?"

While discussing Nemo characters...Me:"Who is Nana?"

Thatcher: "Nana is a whale"

Me: "Who is papa?"

Thatcher: "Uhh...Papa is a whale too. Look mom, there's two whales!"

"Mom, I'm so excited to see Logan"

"No, we don't eat frogs, they're too spicy"

Thatcher: "Where'd Guy go"
Me: "He went Utah"
Thatcher: "Is Guy in Utah with Santa?"

Thatcher: "Where's Papa, Kelly, Josh"
Me: "They're in Utah too"
Thatcher: "Are Papa, Kelly, and Josh, in Utah with Guy and Santa"

"Mom, we don't read stories we watch tv, ok, is that a big deal?"

"Guy, we don't hit."

Me: "Why is your foot wet?" (after going potty by himself)

Thatcher: "It went swimming in the potty like Nemo"

Thank you for making me laugh Thatcher. You are the sweetest almost-three-year-old that has ever lived. I am convinced. Now we just need to get you to stay in your bed at night...and you just might be translated.

Easter

Easter was pretty low-key but nice this year. The boys woke up to their baskets. The Easter bunny had decided that everyone had enough candy already so each of the boys got a book and a little toy instead. Ty and I went to Stake Conference without the boys while my family stayed home with them and itt was heavenly. I got to hold Ty's hand and actually hear the speakers...I almost didn't know what to do with myself. Then we had a fabulous ham dinner before Keith, Kelly and Josh jumped in the car and headed back to Salt Lake.

the cabin

With my mom, Kelly, Josh, and Keith at the cabin, we got to spend a couple days there too. The boys had so much fun playing in the grass, throwing sticks and rocks in the creek, stripping down and splashing in the water, and going on hikes. We also managed to slip in some trout farm fishing, an easter egg hunt, and some egg-dyeing.

out of africa

Last week I took the boys to Out of Africa with my mom, Kelly, and Josh. My cousin Whitney and her two kids (Crew and Elizabeth) met us there and we had a great time. James went crazy for the animals and after he saw everyone else feed the giraffes tried to feed other animals too. Thatcher got a good lick on the hand from one of the giraffes and thought it was pretty cool too. We started heading back to the parking lot before Thatcher got to touch a huge snake and he was pretty disappointed (i.e...threw a ridiculous fit) so we ran back and he touched it right before leaving.

family pics

With my family in town on a Sunday I couldn't resist taking some pictures. We never get pictures of the four of us!

And here is one of my cute mom, Kelly, and Josh with the boys.

4 eggs!

We took the boys to a community Easter egg hunt. We ate hot dogs (Thatcher's favorite) and chips on the grass, Thatcher was insanely brave (and cute) in the bounce house, the boys had a blast on the dinosaur, Thatcher and I participated in a balloon toss, and then for the climactic event...the egg hunt...Thatcher got 4 eggs. And that was good enough for him! He was so excited and so proud!






If only my camera had been placed a little better... I could have gotten James's head and missed Ty's arms at it would have looked like James was flying.

spiritual shorties

I was going to title this post 'spiritual giants'...but James and Thatcher are the opposite of giants, even if they are spiritual. So here are the spiritual stories of the week:

On Sunday Thatcher came home from church talking about how "Jesus was resurrected" and he says 'resurrected' perfectly, enunciating each syllable. A little later while he was laying in bed with his dad about to take his nap, he told me that he was in a cave like Jesus was. He is so smart. It is amazing to me how well he listens and how much he understands. He is such a good kid.

Then...tonight James surprised us all with his own level of understanding. He has been pretty good at folding his arms the last couple weeks when we ask him to. It lasts only a second or two and he doesn't understand closing his eyes...but he does fold his arms. Tonight we were having family prayer before bed and James was sitting on Thatcher's bed. He folded his arms when Ty asked him to...then he threw himself on the bed with his arms folded and started talking. From there he wiggled down next to Thatcher so he could be in the same position as Thatcher. He continued to move around, but he would move somewhere, fold his arms, then throw himself against the bed and start talking like he was praying. It was the cutest thing I have ever seen. I need to stop underestimating my kids and how much they are capable of. They really do amaze me. I love them and need to better for them...they're definitely watching!