We're Back!

We went to North Carolina last week to visit my brother and his family.

We had so much fun.

Skateboarding.

Tree swinging.

Trampoline jumping.

No ER visits.

We have no food.

Lots of laundry.

Kids begging for Christmas decorations to be put up.

And awesome memories.

Sage asked many times if we could move to Uncle Brad's house.

I'd say that means it was a pretty successful week.

Magical Horse Drawn Carriages

Levi doesn't really like me anymore.

If Drew is around, he dives for him.

If Drew gives him to me, he cries.

My only redeeming times of the day are bedtime and in the middle of the night when he wants to nurse.

That might be the exact reason that I am not trying all that hard to wean him totally.

I need those snuggles and loves from him.

Speaking of weaning. Oh, you weren't? Hm, you don't have to read.

Levi easily dropped the 11ish am nursing and will take a bottle wonderfully for that. Most days, he will also take one around 4. But sometimes, he throws this fit and squirms his body into The Position.

I haven't even tried bedtime, middle of the night or first thing in the morning.

I keep praying that he will sleep through the night with no work on my part. And by work, I mean listening to him cry. Do you think that could happen?

Maybe you shouldn't answer that. I might not be ready for honest answers.

Seriously, for my other two, around age one, they just started sleeping through the night. So, he has turned the magic age. But the pumpkin is still a pumpkin, it hasn't turned into a horse drawn carriage.

Maybe when he's two.

My Wallet is a Little Lighter

Kirsten is on her way.

What can I say? The people have spoken. And they spoke very convincingly.

Even Drew said I should order it.

In fact, he told me last night that I should order it. And he almost ordered it today but didn't want to impose on my convictions. Is he not the sweetest?

I love my husband.

Spew of Confessions

I get the American Girl Doll catalog.

I look at it.

They are retiring Kirsten.

I want it.

I did not order it.

I was very tempted.

How is my future daughter supposed to have a fulfilling childhood without a Swedish American Girl doll?

Drew pointed out that my future daughter will quite possibly not be coming from my womb. So, she won't look like me. Or have Swedish blood.

I still kind of want it.

I wouldn't display her. I would just know I had her.

That is pathetic. All of it. I disgust myself. How materialistic can I be?

You didn't fool me this time, American Girl.

I don't need Kirsten to be happy. Kirsten will not give me a fulfilling life.

Dear Sage,

I'm proud of you. I want you to always know that. I will always be proud of you. You are my son.

I'm proud of the way that you were always excited for soccer practice.

I'm proud of the way that you tried new things when Coach told you.

I'm proud of the way that you interacted with the other boys.

I'm proud that you were presented with opportunities to turn the other cheek.

I'm proud that you are learning to do that.

I'm proud that you have self-control.

Last night, is a night you will probably remember into adulthood. It is a night that I won't soon forget. My heart hurts for you, buddy. I want you to know that. I wish that it wouldn't have happened. I wish that the trophies would have gotten double checked. I wish that there were nine total instead of eight. I wish that your name didn't get left off the list. I wish I didn't have to hear you ask "Why is my trophy smaller?" and "Does this one say Sage on it, like the others?" I wish I didn't have to explain to you that mistakes happen.

My heart hurts when I think about how excited you were all day for that one evening. An evening that wasn't totally ruined, it just didn't turn out the way it should have. Man will fail us. God will not.

1 Corinthians 9:25 "Everyone who competes in the game goes into strict training. They do it to get a prize that will not last; but we do it to get a prize that will last forever."

Press on for the trophy that will last!

I love you to the moon and stars, back to earth, back up and back down again.

Love,

Mama

Levi ~ 12 Months

20 lbs. 15 oz {10 - 25%} you little peanut!

30 and 1/4 inches {75 - 90%} I mean string bean!

size 3 Pampers

size 4 Huggies overnights

size small Fuzzi Bunz {yes, still!}

size 12 month clothes, with some 18 month thrown in but rolled up

size 12 - 18 month shoe

has six teeth, 2 bottom and 4 top

drinks two (sometimes) 5 ounce bottles a day

nurse 3 or 4 times a day: 3 or 4am, upon awakening, before bed and sometimes late afternoon

squats from a standing position and stands back up again

loves to take things out of cupboards and drawers

and relocate items

favorite rooms in the house: bathroom and kitchen

says uh-oh

waves bye-bye or nigh-night

raises arms for "so big"

gives air kisses and real kisses, complete with smacking noise

loves his ugly doll

walks really well

crawls really fast

climbs up stairs

repeats sounds like bababa or papapa

knows how to annoy his brothers

throws incredible fits

makes truck and gun noises

growls

gives the sweetest, best hugs

cries every time I drop him off in the nursery and then is completely happy

naps once a day for about an hour and a half

makes me want more babies

Happy Birthday Levi!

I have so many words floating around in my head and no time to sit down and let them flow out. I doubt there would be much flowing, right now, more like lava erupting from a volcano. Not pretty or coherent.

I want to write more. I will write more about this sweet boy.

He loved the cupcake! As if you can't tell. He was the perfect one year old devouring it. I can't believe he's one.

Now, I'm going to go cry. Or get all three boys to the tennis court for Sage's first lesson. Probably the second option.

Funny Things I Saw at the Mall

Standing in line at Chick Fil-A, a teenage boy with long blue hair, holding a Hot Topic shopping bag, wearing a black shirt, black jeans and black underwear with holes in it. How do I know he had holes in his underwear? Because he was kind enough to wear his pants right below his butt cheeks and his shirt right above his black underwear.

Would it have been kind of me to point out that his glaring whiteness was showing to the whole world?

I didn't. Okay, it wasn't funny, haha, more funny eewww.

Then I saw a mom driking from her son's sippy cup. And she saw me watching her. I smiled knowingly. It was our little secret. And now, it's the internets little secret.

Happy Friday!

Finally A Halloween Picture

I try to be a good mom and plan ahead for things. I decided Sage and Kolby were going to be Super Sage and Super Kolby. We already had capes and masks so I searched for a super suit. I found blue long underwear that I thought would be perfect.

Sage had requested to be a knight but he wasn't upset when we talked about Super Sage and seemed genuinely excited.

Halloween Day: Sage and Kolby are excited to be Supers and to go trick or treating for the first time. Sage mentions that he would really love to be a knight.

20 minutes before we are to leave for our friends house: I whisper to Drew that I feel bad that Sage isn't a knight and that he has had such a good attitude about being Super Sage. We decide to switch it up. We have the knight stuff from a Christmas gift, so we find it and announce that Sage can be a knight.

Then we ask Kolby if he wants to be Super Kolby, a firefighter or an astronaut (all costumes we own). Astronaut. Figure out that the zipper is broken. Firefighter it is!

Levi was a frog. He didn't care and even kept the hood on the whole night.

The helmet doesn't fit Sage, he held it for the picture only and then ditched it. A lot of people commented how he was a Christian soldier because this was an armor of God set.


Oh, Levi. He rode in the stroller the whole time. He was so good.

The boys loved trick or treating. Sage was running between houses. Kolby walked a while and then would ride and then walk to the door and then ride to the next house.

We let them eat candy for breakfast Sunday morning and for dinner. I offered food both times but didn't get any takers. I am so tired of getting asked about when they can have candy.