Weston

Weston might be the coolest kid I know. I cannot say enough good things about this guy. He wakes up every morning with a smile on his face, the first words out of his mouth are always kind, and without fail he has a huge hug in store right when I see him. He is always up for adventure, ready to play with anyone at any time, and loves to help. He is extraordinarily curious, and is always asking pertinent and insightful questions, some of which are difficult to answer. Weston is very observant and always says what's on his mind, which can be inspiring, hilarious, and wildly embarrassing. He is incredibly smart and well-spoken and continually impresses people when they find out he's only three. He is loving and tender, and will, out of the blue, say things like, "Mom, you look so beautiful today!" with a huge grin. No one in the world can make my heart swell like my little man.

Lest this list of accolades lead you to believe that Weston is a refined, well-mannered, mature-for-his-age prodigy, I must add a few more of his defining characteristics. He LOVES potty humor. I  suppose I use the word "humor" loosely. He pretty much just loves the words poop, fart, booger, butt... you get the drift. He is painfully loud. Lately he has taken to screaming high-pitched at the top of his lungs like a girl for whatever reason he can find. He will often start babbling random thoughts loudly while Ryan or I are in the middle of a conversation or phone call. He takes pleasure in pushing his sisters' buttons until they reach their breaking point. He spends 30 minutes on the toilet for a number two. He wipes boogers on the wall by his bed.

Dubbs is getting more interested in sports every day. Although once they get going his attention span is pretty short, he always jumps at the change to play soccer, catch, or t-ball in the yard with Ry. He is getting very good at riding his bike, and will most likely learn to ride without training wheels as soon as it cools off. He took two weeks of swimming lessons this summer, and went from being afraid to leave the pool steps, even with a floatie, to swimming halfway across the pool on his own! He started karate a few months ago and is enjoying a class full of boys where they get to yell, hit, kick and wrestle. And speaking of wrestling, his favorite passtime might be beating the snot out of Daddy.

The world would be less bright without you, Weston. You make every day better. I hope that someday I can bring as much joy to the life of another as you bring to mine. I love you Dubby, and I always will.

Just limbering up before batting practice.

You do NOT want to mess with this!

Oh, the joy that face brings to my life!

Dapper Dubbs all dressed up for his Mother's Day concert at school.

Walking the balance beam at the La Casa Olympics.

It was crazy hair day for Layla, and W didn't want to be left out.

Mrs. Harvey and Mrs. Bauer and their favorite student!

Swim lessons with Coach Taylor.

Brave little guy!

Layla Turns 6!

One problem with going back and blogging about things that happened months ago is sometimes you forget things. Big things. Like your oldest daughter's 6th birthday party. I blame it on getting old.

Layla turned 6 on March 28, 2012. We gave her several options for her birthday party, and she chose a small sleepover party at our house. I kid you not it was the most exciting thing that ever happened to her.

She literally counted down the days over a month in advance. Before we sent out invitations she would spend time writing and rewriting the list of friends she was inviting. After the invites went out she turned her focus to planning the party. She surveyed all of her friends that were coming to decide what would be the best flavor of cupcakes and frosting to serve, and what toppings to order on the pizza. We went through a list of a dozen crafts before deciding on the perfect one. Chose party games that everyone could enjoy. Picked out the pajamas she would wear a week ahead to make sure they were clean. She had everything figured out.

We made tee shirts, played "pin the sunglasses on Barbie", Twister, ate pizza, had cupcakes, and opened presents. The gifts were perfect (something tells me the girls asked Layla what she wanted at school), and she came away with a couple of new Barbies and lots of arts and crafts. Then pajamas and a movie (Barbie in A Mermaid Tale 2... a classic) and off to bed. Sort of.

The girls were all sleeping in Layla's room, but two of them had to sleep on an air mattress on the floor and one could sleep in bed with Layla. Oh, the drama of deciding who got to sleep with the birthday girl! 45 minutes later I was ready to separate them into different rooms when Layla miraculously reached a decision. I only had to go back into the room 80 times to solve petty problems and tell them to go to sleep. By 11:15 they were finally out.

At 6:30 the next morning they were up and giggling. Fortunately I didn't keep them around long enough for the joy of waking up in a room with three friends to wear off. We had cinnamon swirl french toast for breakfast and everyone was gone by 10. Lay crashed and burned around noon but was in a decent enough mood to go to Easter High Tea with Ryan that afternoon. Sort of.

We are so proud of Layla, who has grown into such a smart, talented, loving girl and an incredible big sister. I am lucky to have a daughter who is so full of life. She is more helpful every day, and I am constantly amazed at the things she can accomplish. She is a talented artist and a phenomenal gymnast. She is a good friend and a great daughter. I love you Layla Joy. Always and forever.

Birthday Decor

I frosted them myself. Fancy, I know.

Vanilla cupcakes with purple cream cheese frosting

Who has one thumb, some chocolate milk, and just turned 6? This girl!

Victoria and Layla

Your hands stay cleaner this way.

Caption contest: what is Weston thinking?

Party girls

Angelica, Victoria, Layla, Ashley, Ella, Keira

Pin the sunglasses on Barbie

Time in the Mountains

After my canyoneering trip over Christmas Weston was asking me a lot about the mountains. He wants to know what I do up there, and I happily tell him story after story about the amazing adventures I've had.

One day he said to me, "Mom, I really want to spend some time in the mountains with you." I was thrilled, and told him that when he was a bit older I would take him canyoneering with Grandpa and me. But he persisted, telling me that he wanted to spend some time in the mountains with me right now. Being late May and already hitting highs in the 100s I was a little hesitant, but I decided that if my son wanted to spend some time in the mountains with me I was going to do it, Phoenix heat or not!

After packing sunscreen, snacks, a baby pack, hats, diapers, and plenty of water, we drove out to Pinnacle Peak Park, about fifteen minutes away from our house. The trail is 3.5 miles round trip, but I decided that we would go until Weston wanted to turn back, no questions asked. After all, it was his first hike, he's only 3 1/2, and I had run six miles that morning and would have Dylan in a pack on my back. And it was approaching 90 degrees at 9 am.

Weston was so excited that I could hardly contain myself! He was scampering around the parking lot itching to start our hike while I strapped Dylan in and adjusted the pack. When we were ready he took off at a steady trot up the gentile incline. After a few yards we reached the trailhead and it immediately became steep. Weston just plugged away, asking questions about other hikers, runners, cacti, rocks, and signs. He seemed totally in his element up there, to my complete and utter delight. We stopped to look at the beautiful vistas and to climb several large rocks. He always remembered to drink his water when he got thirsty, and was friendly and courteous to other hikers.

We made it just past the one mile marker where we found a nice place to stop for a snack. We sipped water and ate granola bars, and Weston decided he was ready to head down. On the way back he noticed the signs marking the different foliage that he had apparently missed in his excitement on the ascent. He asked me to read every sign and listened intently, repeating the name of the bush or cactus and asking intelligent questions about each one. At one point he told me that he really liked hiking and learning about science, and he can't wait to do it again.

I am so proud of my boy! I want so badly to instill my love of the outdoors in my children. I can't wait until they are older and can go backpacking, rafting, climbing and canyoneering. I plan to take them hiking often when the weather cools down and am excited to do some family camping as well. Nothing is better than spending time in nature with the ones you love. Nothing.

Ready to hike!

My little climber

Stopping for a snack

We did it!

Springtime in Phoenix

Let me start by saying: OH MY GOODNESS COULD MY KIDS BE ANY CUTER?!?

Now that that's out of my system I can tell you how the kids and I have been spending our spring. We've had some super hot days, but mornings and evenings are still great for playing at the many parks in our area or right in our own backyard. One of the kids' favorite activities is "water buckets", when I fill up our three large toy buckets with water and they play/sit in them. It is guaranteed to buy me at least 45 minutes of uninterrupted time. Another favorite is sidewalk chalk or paint (often followed by water buckets, for obvious reasons). The kids have decorated the entire cinder block wall on the west side of our house and often play school or art class there.

In late April we went in the pool for the first time. Or rather, the kids went in the pool and I laid in the sun, ready to jump in if needed. The water is still pretty cold, but it's refreshing for a quick dip on a hot afternoon. Layla swims like a fish and would stay in the pool all day. Weston is extremely tentative in the water, and gets nervous away from the steps even if I am holding him and he has his float pack on. Dylan doesn't understand enough to be afraid yet, and will jump in the pool at will. We have to keep a close eye on that one.

One day I woke up to find a swamp in our backyard. There was literally eight inches of water in some places. It turned out the auto-fill on our pool broke and it didn't shut off when the water reached the right level, so it continued to fill and spill out into the yard. It took roughly a week for the water to soak into the ground, during which time the kids took full advantage of it. At first I protested, but it actually looked like a lot of fun, so I let them loose out there every afternoon, and just stripped off their clothes before they came in the house and threw them in a warm bath before dinner. The most fun came when the water was gone and the fresh mud was plentiful. I found all three kids out there one day covered from head to toe. Layla and Weston were completely naked and Dylan had lost her pants. My initial reaction was to freak out and clean them up immediately, but they were giggling so much that I just let it ride. It's not like they were getting any dirtier. I can be pretty uptight at times, but I try to remember to relax and let my kids be kids. My mom is really good at that, and I find myself thinking of her when I'm more worried about keeping something (usually the kids or my house/car) clean than having fun. I realize that Grandma wouldn't care if they got in the wet sand at the park. She would smile and watch them play (and probably get in there and play with them), then strip them naked and throw them in the car, transferring them directly to the bathtub. And then take them to Chucky Cheeses. I don't remember if she was like this when I was a kid, but I sure appreciate her example now.

Dylan in a bucket.

Doesn't that look like fun?

Sidewalk (or baby) paint

Chillin' at Police Park

Spiderman, Spiderma, does whatever a spider can!

I finally organized our tool bench in the garage! I am very pleased.

Making s'mores on our camping night.

Mmm...

"Camping" in Weston's tent. These two really have fun together.

Pool time!

My little fish

She's not quite sure about the carousel.

Dylan and me at the train park

All aboard!

Mud!

A Very Sweaty Easter

Since our third child joined our family we have made the conscious choice to spend most holidays at home, just the five of us. There are many factors in this decision, not the least of which is the hassle and expense of getting five people anywhere besides our house. But it's also about starting traditions of our own. Even if they are pretty generic (turkey dinner on Thanksgiving, tree, lights, stories and gifts at Christmas, and egg hunts on Easter), they will grow and evolve as our kids get older and they will become our own. And I very much look forward to that. We still love spending time with our extended family and will always set aside quality time for them, but I think that the Hatch Family Nuclear Holiday has become the rule and group gatherings the exception. These are my four favorite people in the world, and I can't think of anyone with whom I'd rather celebrate.

For those of you unfamiliar with life in the desert, springtime here is hot. Very hot. By the time Easter rolled around this year we were already limiting our outside time to mornings and evenings and had our AC running full throttle. I don't mean to belabor the point throughout the annals of my blog, but I really doubt that God intended the Sonoran Dessert for human habitation when he placed it on this earth. That's why javelinas live here.

Despite the high temps, we had a lovely Easter. To kick off the festivities Ryan took Layla to a special Easter High Tea at the Ritz Carlton (swanky, I know). They wore their Sunday best and were treated to finger sandwiches, plenty of fancy-schmancy tea cakes and chocolates, a parade around the grounds, and a special visit from the Easter Bunny himself! I hope that one day my children realize just how lucky they are and how few kids get a chance to experience once what they often take for granted.

On Easter morning the kids came downstairs to find little notes from the Easter Bunny. They each had a set of clues to follow to find their baskets. Apparently the Bunny did a fine job, because it was almost impossible to get them fed, dressed and out the door to church. I think the only reason they finally acquiesced was that Ryan explained that the Easter Bunny wouldn't come back and hide eggs for them to find if they didn't leave. Well played, Daddy, well played.

After church they had a great time hunting for eggs and bingeing on candy. We had a nice family dinner, played a few games, and relaxed together. No one worked too hard (not even me!) and everyone had fun. Now that's a perfect holiday!

Ryan and Layla off to High Tea

Weston and his Yoda Easter basket

Layla found her loot

Dylan digging right into her new Elmo book

Best. Kids. Ever.

Happy Family! If you look closely you'll see that I forgot to put on my heels that were by the door and ended up wearing my ratty flip flops to church. Oops :)

There had better be something really good inside these eggs, 'cause it's hot out here!

Layla was so sweet and left the easier eggs for the smaller kids.

That's one of my all-time favorite Weston faces.

It took her a few minutes, but once we opened up and egg and showed her the candy inside she went looking for more.

Taking a break in the shade

They were not too pleased about posing for this picture.

Dylan keeping cool with some candy and her Elmo phone.