True to its reputation, March came in like a lion and is going out like a lamb . . . with a little turbulence along the way (thankfully our home was unaffected by the tornadoes and devastating hail that struck nearby towns). Spring was later in coming this year, but the bluebonnets are finally starting to appear, barren trees are showing signs of life, and we have had a stretch of warm, sunny days. This transitional month was one of busyness and also celebration; here’s a look back.

// READING LATELY //

Between spring break, two weeks of sickness, and a week-long visit from my parents in March, it was a light reading month for me. Highlights included this fun and charming read-aloud and this sequel that was just as good as the first book in the series (I couldn’t say the same for this, unfortunately). I enjoyed this memoir and this one, and I have recommended this book to nearly every parent I know (falling just short of forcing my copy into their hands in some instances). I am reading this beautiful Lenten devotional that is incredible. As always, I’ll be reviewing all of these books in an upcoming Quick Lit post so stay tuned.

// LOVING LATELY //

Everyone’s playing Wordle, and now there’s a new game in town for those of us who need more than just one puzzle a day. Quordle is essentially Wordle 4.0: instead of one word, you guess four words at once, with a goal of identifying all four words in just nine tries. I still love Wordle for its simplicity and brief daily commitment, but I’m really enjoying the challenge of this new game. There is just one daily puzzle but the game also has Practice mode—great for those who want more play time, not so great for those of us who can easily waste far too much time guessing those words.

Our family is becoming gardeners! Rather, Luke is becoming a gardener and our family will hopefully get to reap the fruits of his labor (literally). Luke has spent the past several months researching and building a gorgeous garden in our side yard, and last weekend he planted. There are a lot of seeds: tomatoes, peppers, beans, marigolds, greens, corn, and carrots, just to name a few! Our first sprouts popped up just four days after planting and we are looking forward to seeing even more growth soon.

// MONTHLY KID-ISMS //

Charleston really turned a maturity corner this month. I’m encouraged by the emotional and spiritual growth I am seeing in him, and treasure our conversations and time together. Here’s a sampling of some of the memorable things he said this month:

+ “Mom, next time try not to drop your hair in our food. It’s becoming a habit.”

+ On the first morning after Daylight Savings began: “I know that you said it would be lighter later at night time, but you didn’t say it would be so dark in the morning!”

+ Explaining why he couldn’t start a new comic series before finishing the previous one: “Say for example Daddy and I are going on vacation. And our flight got delayed for a year. So it would just be you and the twins and Arlo. And you’d have to adopt someone new, but you wouldn’t want to because it would make you forget me or he would remind you of me and you’d be sad, plus it would be hard to get used to the new adopted boy. That’s how it is with comic books. So I don’t want to adopt a new series.”

+ Reading how it was prophesied that the younger brother would serve the older with Jacob and Esau: “Does that mean I have to serve Kali and Sully?”

+ Me: “Charleston, please listen. I’m losing my patience.” Charleston: “Well that’s a good opportunity to practice your patience. What I call turning bad things into good things, what God wants us to do.”

+ When he misread a sign written in a strange font: “Well, you know, letters are hard these days.”

I had a lot of fun writing up the twins’ two-and-a-half year update last week. Even though it is so hard to see them growing up so fast, they are an absolute joy (most of the time). Here are a couple of cute things Sully said this month:

+ Seeing rain falling on the window outside: “Oh gosh. Oh no. Daddy has to clean it up!”

+ Luke: “Sully, did you forget?” Sully: “No, I get.”

And from Kali:

+ “No, I don’t want one chocolate chip. I want one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten!” (Counting out on her fingers as she said it.)

+ “I’m a princess. And Sully’s a brother. And daddy’s a Luke!”

// HAPPENINGS & HIGHLIGHTS //

I turned 38 on March 2, and unfortunately our celebrations were limited because our family was all sick. (I joked that because I was sick on my birthday I should get to postpone it until next year. . . so I guess I should say that I turned 37 again on March 2 :-)). Despite needing to have a low-key birthday, I loved all the text, messages, and calls I received from family and friends throughout the day. I felt so loved! And by the following day I felt well enough for some birthday Menchie’s.

Every year our church celebrates Pajama Day for the first day of Daylight Savings. The kids got a kick out of wearing their jammies, robes, and slippers to church and it was fun to see all the other kids in their best nightwear, too. Out of curiosity, I took a poll among my Kindergarten group to see how many of them came to church in the PJ’s they’d worn the night before—every one of them admitted they’d changed into “Sunday pajamas” that morning. My kids did the same!

Luke’s sister gave birth to my first NIECE on March 11, and she is a beauty! The birth went smoothly and Luke and I loved getting to meet precious baby Brooke Rose soon after they got home from the hospital. I’m so excited to be a tía again, and I’m sure Miss Kali will appreciate having a girl cousin to hang with in our sea of boys.

My kids got to meet Brooke the following week and the introductions were precious. The twins were obsessed and couldn’t get enough of their little cousin. Brooke sure is one loved little girl!

My Mom and Dad visited for a week during our spring break and as always we had an amazing time with them while they were here. They joined us in all of our usual activities (church, gymnastics, library, playgrounds) and my mom even tagged along to my women’s Bible study. We also did a few extra fun things, like lunch at Main Street Social (a local food hall) and a day trip to a new-to-us play place that was SO much fun. We also played ALL THE GAMES, shared stories and snuggles, and just enjoyed being together. I hate that we live so far from my parents, but it really makes us appreciate the times that we get together.

I’ve never been one to make a big deal out of St. Patrick’s Day beyond dressing myself and the kids in green, and maybe sticking some green food coloring in their milk. This year Charleston got the idea to make a leprechaun trap (after reading about them in a book). I was impressed with his creative strategies; unfortunately he was unsuccessful, but he’s already making plans for next year’s trap.

How was your March? What are you looking forward to this April?