Turning 3

Mason officially turned three this weekend even though we already celebrated his birthday. Our experience with the three's so far has instilled a deep and penetrating fear into both Dave and I. We had always heard that two's were the hard age. The terrible two's, ya know. But his two's weren't that bad. But toward the end and now the beginning of the three's...oh my! If this is only the beginning, I am afraid. There are temper tantrums, talking back and complete refusal to listen or do anything we ask. Now if I just had to deal with him and these behaviors that would be one thing. But it is much harder with a six month screaming every time I put her down to go deal with him. So some days, I have both kids screaming at the same time for various reasons. After talking to a friend of mine with some kids a little bit older than ours, she said, "Oh yeah, haven't you heard of the tantrum three's?" No, no I hadn't. But I understand now. In Mason's quest for independence, autonomy and control, parenting becomes even more delicate and important. Dave and I certainly don't want to "break his will" or his spirit but also want to set clear limits and boundaries to keep him safe and keep us sane! Hey, being a stay at home parent is not an easy job...and certainly doesn't pay monetarily. DOn't get me wrong, I love staying home with my kids and am so thankful that I am able to do so. But it is challenging and only getting more challenging. I'm already praying for this year and for my patience and Mason's good attitude! We'll see how it all turns out!

3 years and 6 months

We've all been a little busy here in the land of the Boston's. Sorry for no updates. Since we last wrote, Willow has been rolling around all over the apartment, sitting up and staring down all our food. And Mason has been writing some letters in his name, wearing underwear all day long with very few accidents, and become quite assertive with the neighbor kids (and his parents)! So, we've had our hands full. In 6 days we'll celebrate Mason's 3rd birthday (a week early) and this past week Willow turned 6 months! I can't believe how fast it is all going by. It's like we blinked and she was rolling around and "talking". Mason is still all over her, giving her kisses, hugs, tugging on her ears, and generally just being in her face a lot! As you can see from the picture, Willow is not always a big fan of the closeness. This picture is one from our new family photos Gina did for us. I'll send them out to everyone soon. But for now, this is the update. We'll try to do more after the quarter ends!!