Leap Of Faith

~ Officially on Christmas Break ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 01:36:00 +0000

Jaidyn and Addy had their Christmas parties at preschool today and they won't return until the beginning of January, so we are officially starting our Christmas break. Yeah! I am looking forward to a couple days of down time...I really need to clean the house, it is a disaster. I would be so embarrassed if someone happened to stop by right now.

How many more pictures is my mom going to make me take this morning?

How much longer do I have to wear this stupid Santa hat?

The Reindeer Pokey, "You put your antlers in!"

Christmas Carols!!!

"When Santa comes to our house, I'd like to take a peek
but I know he'll never come until I'm fast asleep."

Daddy had the day off so he was able to come to the party.

A Christmas snowflake ornament for the tree.

Cookie decorating

Lots of sprinkles!

Addy has been dying to wear this Christmas dress every day since I bought it. She was so easy to get dressed this morning. It was so nice to have her cooperate and get dressed so quickly. Usually my morning consists of, "Addy, get your clothes on. Addy, you need to put your shoes and socks on. Addy, go in the kitchen and pick out your cereal. Addy, hurry and eat. Addy, have you put your shoes on yet? Addy, you still need to brush your teeth." I'm usually exhausted before we even get out the door.

Addy was quite the caroler. She knew every word and all the actions. Too cute!

What Santa Doesn't Bring Me...

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 21:14:00 +0000

What Santa Doesn't Bring Me, Grandma Will!

The kids received these darling pj's in the mail as a surprise from their Grandma LaLa. Can you tell they are definitely spoiled. And I noticed that there is nothing mentioned about PaPa on the pj's...I guess that will teach him not to leave ALL the Christmas shopping up to Grandma.

This morning we braved the cold and misting rain to see Santa and watch the local parade. We first stopped off at the library so each of the kids could sit on Santa's lap. Jaidyn and Addy were prepared as they both had items on their list that they wanted him to know about. Jaidyn also asked Santa if he liked apples. Lately she has been very concernced about Santa and his big belly. She is worried that if he keeps eating cookies he won't fit down the chimneys anymore. She has decided that we are setting out milk and apples for Santa on Christmas Eve. Levi did not like Santa at all and wanted nothing to do with him. We did torture him for a few seconds just so we could get a picture of him on Santa's lap.

We haven't even made a dent in the Halloween candy and now after the parade we have refilled the candy bowl. Ugh! Levi wouldn't wear his gloves and his poor little fingers had to be frozen. He didn't seem to notice because he must have thought picking up candy and putting it in the bag was a game as it completely occupied him.

Yesterday, I was able to spend some time with my college roomate, Kristin and her daughter Elise.

Jaidyn and Addy always raid Nana's dress-up clothes closet (clown and cheerleader outfits) and also dressed Elise up with a little pink cape.
It was so nice to spend time with the two of them. And I am so glad to see that Elise is doing so well. Her family is currently living in Florida so it may be several years before we are able to get together again. We had planned that we would live with our backyards connecting after college so our kids could grow-up and play together, but it just quite hasn't worked out that way yet. :)

Jaidyn is 5, First Snow & Ugly Sweaters

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 03:10:00 +0000

Jaidyn turned 5 this past Wednesday. I can't believe she is 5 and that a little over 5 years ago Wes and I were childless. It is crazy to think how much our lives have changed in a 5 year time period.

Jaidyn is a very sweet, caring little girl and we are so proud of her in so many ways. Jaidyn, We love you so much...Happy 5th Birthday!

We celebrated her birthday at McDonald's the night before her actual birthday with many of her preschool friends.

Where there's food, there's Levi!!

We let her open her gifts from us on her birthday morning.

On her birthday she received a sweet little surprise text on my phone from her preschool friend (who she also tells me she has a crush on).

We had an hour or so of big fluffy snowflakes so Wes took Levi out on the deck and let him experience his first snow. He was fascinated by the flakes and would hold his hand out catching them. I am guessing we will have much more of this to come and we have his snow boots and gloves ready for that day.

This is Wes and I's darling spirit-filled sweaters for the Ugly Sweater Party. My sweater had a huge sequin bow across it and I added the big bow in my hair to go along with the theme of my sweater. Definitely 80's. Don't you just love Wes's glittery holiday sweater accented with his turtle neck? It was a women's petite so it had 3-quarter sleeves and fit him across his stomach. He also wore some matching socks. Yikes!

If anyone has one of these parties coming up or actually think they are "Purdy", we would be more than willing to part with them.

December is here

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:49:00 +0000

Third time is a charm! It took 3 different times trying to get a good photo of Papa and Nana with the kids for their Christmas card. One of the kids wouldn't be smiling, eyes would be closed (usually my dads), sun light was beaming in right on Nana's neck making it look like she was wearing a huge bandaid, and a car drove past the house looking like it was coming out of Papa's ear.

Jaidyn's 5th birthday is this week and she received an early present from relatives. Aunt Charlene made this darling card...she's so crafty.

She got a Musketeer Barbie doll and then made-up her own Musketeer costume. Jaidyn has some serious creativity going on!

Here is Addy-Dancerella in her cheerleading outfit.

I think the high heeled shoes are a nice touch.

I had to use a clothes pin to cinch up the back so it would stay on her.

Levi's Smile is contagious!! I love it! As usual, I can tell that he has been snacking on something.

~ Stuffed ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 20:03:00 +0000

With three Thanksgiviving dinners in the last week, I am officially STUFFED. At any given moment, I believe Wes, Jaidyn or I could start gobbling. Since there wasn't peanut butter & jelly yesterday, Addy & Levi ate like birds. They missed out! I can't really complain as when I stepped on the scale this morning, I weighed 1/2 lb. less that I did on Thursday morning. WTH! We had a great time getting to visit so much of our family over the past week and Levi met more of his relatives for the 1st time. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful, supportive family and are glad that so many of us get to be together over the holidays.

We celebrated Thanksgiving a week early with Wes's mom and extended family. Jaidyn also reminded her Grandma Penny that her birthday was coming up so we did some early 5th birthday celebrating as well.

Jaidyn and Grandma Penny

Jaidyn got to wear the Sombero hat while eating her fried icecream.

Addy sucking up to her sister hoping that she will share. That bowl was huge so we all shared it.

These two probably played over 30 games of Old Maid, Go Fish and War. Jaidyn is actually very good at cards or maybe just extremely lucky with the hand she is dealt.

Levi loved the four wheeler. He would probably be content riding on it for hours. Anytime that I tried to get him off, he would throw a fit and start running after Grandma Penny on it.

One of Addy's favorite toys is her stick horse Flicka (some days she changes it's name to clifford). She can gallop like no other. It is funny to watch her stomp and snort like a horse before taking off in a gallop. Levi has also figure out how to run with it. I think that a smaller stick horse would work out much better for him. When we first brought him home he wanted nothing to do with the stick horse as it scared him. He changes so much everyday.

You can tell by the nose that she takes this outside with her often. Too bad they can't be washed.

Jaidyn and Addy really wanted to go on a picnic today and since it is only in the low 60's (that might be estimating high) we had a picnic on the kitchen floor.

I thought he might be better off eating at a table, but eating on the floor must have looked like more fun.

Tis The Season for Super Glue

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:17:00 +0000

Well, the Christmas tree is up and dazzling with lights and ornaments. If only Levi will allow it to stay that way. Hoping to make this a jolly occasion with the kids, I put on some festive Christmas music while decorating. Wes was able to help set up the tree and string lights, but then had to go to work, so it was just the kids and I. I should have known better and waited to try and put the ornaments on with the girls after Levi went to bed, but I kind of wanted him to experience it too. After about the first 5 minutes, I was already super gluing pieces back on Wes's Highway Patrol themed light-up and attempting to super glue Santa's arm back on one of Wes and I's first ornament together. Agh! Keeping him from pulling every ornament off the lower branches of the tree has really tested my patience with him tonight. He would look at me right before pulling the ornament off to see if I was looking. He is Ornery! Luckily, I have Jaidyn and Addy to put on Tree Patrol.

I did manage to get some cute holiday pictures of the kids in their new Christmas pj's from their Nana.

Last weekend I scavenged the local thrift store to find these beauties for the upcoming Ugly Sweater Party. Here is a sneak preview as the kids were having a ball modeling my finds! Sorry if anyone is offended and actually likes these sweaters...it is just my personal opinion that they are hideously decorated with Christmas spirit and bling.

Levi loves playing Peek-A-Boo. He will hide behind a wall or a door and then peek around the side laughing and grinning.

Then the best part...he comes running for a great big hug!

We are so excited for our bloggy friends, JoAnne and Dennis. They are leaving for the Philippines tomorrow to meet their son and bring him home. What a wonderful Thanksgiving for their family!

Rachel from Adventures in the Philippines blog, gave me this blog award. Take some time to visit her blog. She has a huge heart for the children of the Philippines and she captures the best photos of the children while caring for them at the children homes during her mission work stays. I also can't wait to find some time to sit down and visit some of the other blogs that she nominated for this award. I also get to now pick some blogs to receive this blog award too, so I will soon be sharing the love. :)

This week is the national collection week for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Jaidyn was really in to it this year and she helped me sort and pack each box. She was especially particular about the girl boxes and wanted them to be just perfect. This year we were able to print a barcode online and now we will be able to track which country our boxes go to along with information about Operation Christmas Child in that country. Operation Christmas Child distributed shoe boxes early to some of the Philippines hit hardest by the Typhoon. This is a wonderful ministry to participate in and it is a great way to start the holiday season.
Article: Ministry Partners Reach Out To Storm Victims

Halloween Fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 20:00:00 +0000

Whoa, last week was a busy week. The girls are at a great age and loved every minute of it. I am not sure what Levi thought of the weekend as he seemed to be trying to soak in all of the craziness...so many new things to him.

I have lots of pictures to share of our Halloween weekend.

Jaidyn, Addy, and Levi were completely freaked out by their Nana & Papa in these masks. I have to admit those masks are pretty creapy!

Ugh oh, they are loose, roaming the streets! Good thing they are a friendly ladybug and kitty cat.

Addy saw one of her little preschool friends in the neighborhood.

We had one tired little dinosaur who fell asleep in the stroller while trick-or-treating so we left him with Papa and Nana while we took the girls to a church Halloween festival.

Face Painting!

Digging for treasures and more candy!

Earlier on Halloween morning, Wes and my sister (different teams)participated in an Adventure Race...trail running, canoeing, wood splitting (mystery event), and biking. They had a great time and I think enjoyed most of the race with the exception of crossing the river chest deep. Brrrr! And I just love doing all of his muddy laundry afterwards.

And it is a sprint to the finish line!!

On Friday we attended 2 library Halloween parties. Here they are parading around the library and trick-or-treating for candy.

I keep having to whisper to Levi, "Yes, Levi, you want these treats...mommy really wants these treats, mommy loves chocolate".

Isn't he the cutest little Dinosaur?

Trying to get a spoonful of Smarties candy in to the Cauldron. Jaidyn is such a cheater...she kept using 2 hands, anything to get to go pick out a prize!

Friday night our friends were able to join us for dinner and some time over at the park "Spooktacular Walking Trail". This is the 3rd year in a row to do this together so it has kind of become a tradition.

Halloween Festivities Phlog Post

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Yes, it is time for another Photo-Blog post.

Last weekend both of the girls were invited to a Fancy Nancy tea party birthday. They had so much fun digging through their dress-up box to find things to make them "fancy". This picture was taken right before I found Addy rolling around in the leaf pile. Picking leaves out of a boa scarf is always so much fun.

Levi took off running as he didn't want any part of the "fancy" picture.

Addy is a little frustrated with her foam stickers as she is having trouble peeling of the backing.

Well aren't these sunglasses fancy?

All dressed up!!!

The girls love baking cookies with their Nana. I think they liked using the Halloween themed sprinkles the best. My mom (the health nut) used wheat flour to make them...that is probably why we still have some left in the container this week. Levi is actually the only one eating them.

Papa let the girls help scoop out the pumpkin brains and separate the seeds. I am not sure what is scarier, the size of the jagged knife he is using to cut the pumpkin or the face he is creating.

The girls both had their preschool Fall Flings on Wednesday morning. We are so thankful for the one day break in the rain and the overall nice weather.

Exploring the hay stacks.

Most of the other kids were satisfied with a festive pumpkin on their face, but not Jaidyn who requested a blue cat.

Silly face pumpkin decorating!

Making a bag of trail mix to take along on their hay ride. I finished her bag off on the drive home after the party. MMmm, a perfect mix of sweet and salty.

The hayride was a big hit with all of the kids.

Addy is searching for large plastic spiders amongst the hay bales. I think we need to also be searching for our missing red hair bow.

Addy is getting ready to leave on the hayride. Oh great, she is already sitting herself between two boys.

Hunting the corn pit for treasures to put in her treat bag. If it wasn't candy, she pretty much put it back. She definitely went for the good stuff.

Watch out, she's a serious sack racer!

Here's Addy with one of her good little preschool friends.

The best part of the Fall Fling was getting to spend time and enjoy the morning outdoors with my two favorite girls.

Jaidyn received a sidewalk chalk kit at her Fall Fling party as one of the party favors, so yesterday we took advantage of having a nice afternoon and drew all over the entire driveway.

We have a very busy next two days planned and after I told Jaidyn our plans for the next two days she said, "whoa, we have a couple of exhausted days coming up". :)

I Love Fall!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 21:24:00 +0000

Grandma Penny came to our house for a visit and the kids have been looking forward to it all week. Last night we carved our pumpkins and it was definitely a group effort. I hope they last until next weekend, but at least we will be able to enjoy the Jack-o-Lanterns all through the week.

I have no idea why they picked me to draw the face on the pumpkins. Drawing skills are not one of my finer qualities. It will be obvious when you see the pumpkin faces.

The tops are cut off and they are scooping out the Pumpkin brains. The girls worked hard to pick out all of seeds so we could have roasted pumpkin seeds, but I messed them up when I was cooking them up in the skillet. I guess I didn't cook them long enough as they were soggy and too oily to eat. Bummer!

Squishy, Ooey, Gooey!

I think they turned out really cute! Grandma Penny and Wes made up for my lack of drawing ability with their carving skills. :)

We have so many beautiful fall colors in our yard right now. We have reds, oranges, and yellows. The bushes and trees are gorgeous! If it would stop raining and the yard would dry up some we could actually go out rake a pile and play in them.

Early in the week we had a day in the lower 70's so my mom joined the kids and I on a hiking (more of a walking and stroller pushing) adventure to Ha Ha Tonka State Park. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day.

The girls are peering through the bars at what is left of the castle ruins. Jaidyn wanted to know where the dungeon was.

The girls with the Nana on an acorn hunt.

We have a busy upcoming week with the Halloween activities in full force. Halloween is my favorite holiday so we have been reading lots of Halloween/fall themed books all week. We watched the 1st Harry Potter movie this afternoon and I have Twilight to watch tonight after I get the kids in bed. Wes is working tonight, but I am looking forward to a nice relaxing evening!

What next...Mt. Everst??

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:20:00 +0000

Levi has found that he can climb about anything to get what he wants. He either pushes his little yellow chair, my rolling desk chair or turns my post office box or laundry basket upside down to climb up on something. Tonight, I secretly watched him climb up on the dining room table.

Wow! This is a little higher than the usual chairs that I climb up.

My mom took the 3 kids to eat and play at McDonald's earlier this week and she said that Levi just couldn't get his 2nd leg up on the first stair to go up in the tunnels and slides and she said she wasn't about to help him out in his efforts either for fear that he might get stuck up there. She definitely didn't want to have any part in that sort of rescue mission. :)

Finally, after being cooped up inside for several days because of cold rainy weather we had a chance to get outside today for a stroller walk and sit outside on our deck while dinner was cooking.

Levi is thinking he is pretty studly in his new Cardinal's Baseball beanie. It's a bummer the Cardinals choked in the playoffs.

These pictures were taken shortly after we had to hold him down and pull a huge splinter out of his hand from climbing down the deck stairs. Notice the snot from his nose and tears on his sweatshirt. Poor little guy!

He put the sunglasses on all by himself (upside down).

Cool dude!

On Saturday we spent the good part of the morning waiting in line at the doctor's office to get our seasonal flu shot. They had a Flu Shot clinic and we showed up only an hour after they started and yet our kids were the last young ones to receive the child based shot as they were then out. I am not sure what we would have done if they weren't able to get one as I know that the health department was out of them also. The bad part is they could only give Addy and Levi a half dose because of their age, so they have to return in a month to get the 2nd portion. Grrr, as if the 1st one isn't bad enough for a little one.

Tomorrow, after preschool, my mom and I are going to take the kids to Ha Ha Tonka state park. With the leaves turning and a day in the upper 60's it should be a perfect day for trail walking. I am looking forward to it.

Crazy Busy

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 20:39:00 +0000

So yes, I have been missing in action as far as the blog is concerned. We have been so busy and at times I almost feel like a duck on the water...calm & collected from the outside, but paddling like hell to stay afloat. Everything is going well, so no complaints, but it just never seems that there is never enough time in a day and my house would definitely show that. A tornado hasn't hit it, but it sure looks like it sometimes.

Last weekend the kids and I took a trip to visit my sister. On the way, we stopped to let both sets of my grandparents (Levi's great-grandparents) meet Levi.

Hmmm, Levi looks busy with his nose. We also got to meet Steel another new addition to our family. He was born the day before Levi's gotcha day.

I think Grandma enjoyed parading around the nursing home with her great-grandchildren. They also found her Butterfinger candy bar stash. Levi kept going back to the pumpkin basket for more.

After visiting for several hours we went to my sister's volleyball game. While we enjoyed watching them play we were glad they won in 2 games and it didn't go 3 as we were all starving and Levi was tired of being confined to the bleachers.

The next day my sister treated the kids and I to an afternoon at the pumpkin patch. I love these types of places and look forward to the fall season for this reason. Levi enjoyed it, but it was right during his nap time and I think he was just trying to stay awake through it all.

Snow Angel in the corn pit

The "special" ingredient's for a witch's brew.

Peeking through.

Train ride

I also went to a Cardinal's game with the guys (My dad, brother & uncle). My mom, sister, aunts and cousins all came to my sister's house for a night of Mexican food and margaritas, but sent me with the guys so that they would have the kids all to themselves. Levi is great with others, but if I am around, I am his 1st choice. So they all plotted against me to get rid of me for the evening. :)

Everyone hanging out at Jill's house.

On Saturday before heading home we went to Grant's Farm. After getting attacked by the baby goats last year, they knew what they were up against this year. Small and cute, but vicious when it comes to a bottle of milk. After a few minutes of being surrounded by goats they decided to stay outside the fence and feed them. I made a big mistake by handing Levi the bottle and it went straight to his mouth. He spit it out immediately...I am not sure if it is a powdered formula milk or if it was actual goat milk. Disgusting!

Tram ride through Grant's Farm

We teased my Aunt Charlene about wearing sandals when it was sub artic temperatures outside, so I had to include a picture of her wearing her sandals. She was a good sport despite all of our teasing. :)

An author was on site reading books to the kids as they excited the farm. We have 3 copies of his "I don't want to kiss a Llama" book, one for each kid. It is a really cute book.

Sunday evening Papa J.R. and Mama Lala treated us to dinner at Applebee's and gave the kids each these darling Halloween shirts. Aren't they cute?

Heading out the door to preschool.

Poor guy! Levi had to get 5 separate shots. I felt so bad for him as I held him down while the nurse administered each one. He fell asleep immediately when I put him in the car seat. Hopefully, the tylenol that I gave him kicked in. He is now caught up on his immunizations, but still needs a flu shot which I will probably schedule for all the kids along with Wes and I this week.

We also had family pictures taken this past week and I think we captured some great shots. I can't wait to get the proofs back and then order a new family picture for fireplace mantel. The family of 4 that we currently have in the frame is definitely going to be replaced.

Wes has been busy as he started working in a new county. He is also working the MU football games on an off day, so he has been busy working a lot. Thankfully, he hasn't had to work until 8:00am this past week, and has been wonderful help in getting the kids around so that we can leave for preschool by 7:30.

I have actually started running a little again. I really need to make a little time for myself as I feel so much better when I get a little exercise in each week. Since we have brought Levi home, my workouts have been non-existant. Hopefully, I will continue to get some runs in each week, but as the weather gets colder it gets harder. I really hate cold weather.

Monday we have our first post-placement visit and honestly I am excited about our social worker coming for a visit. I can't wait to show off Levi. He is doing very well. I still need to finish our questionaire packet (hand got cramped from writing last night) and get a few more pictures developed for the meeting.

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of the weekend.

~ Flood ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 23:23:00 +0000

It saddens me greatly to see that so many people suffering from the flooding in the Philippines. Media reports are saying this may be one of the worst flooding incidents for the Philippines. The metro Manila provinces are currently deeply effected. We were in so many of these areas less than two months ago. I just can't imagine these people who have nothing to begin with survive these horrific conditions. I imagine that the aftermath of the flooding will also be equally devastating. I am hugging Levi extra tight tonight as his orphanage (Malabon City) is in one of the areas hit by this storm outside of Manila. Please pray for the people of the Philippines.

Philippines Flooding YouTube Video

Gulf News Article and Pictures

~ Up, Up, & Away! ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 20:55:00 +0000

It doesn't take much to entertain us! The kids took turns letting Wes toss them up in the air during commercials of Dancing with Stars...ooh, I love that show! Levi would laugh hysterically when it was his turn and couldn't get enough of it. It was so fun to hear him laugh so hard. Jaidyn is getting to the age that she is a little harder to launch. However, Addy and Levi still weighing under 30 lbs were easily launched. They are 2 years apart, but only a difference of 4 lbs. in weight.

My turn! I didn't feel the need to share my "launch" photo as I will leave that to your imagination.

Levi's favorite toy is my postal shipping box. He will push it around the living room, crawl in, crawl out, & play in it.

Fall Festival & Teddy Grams

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:13:00 +0000

This past Sunday my mom accompanied the kids and I to Cider Days. While the weather wasn't sunny, it didn't rain and it was perfect for strolling up and down historic Walnut Street. My mom and I love the fall season, so spending Sunday afternoon at a festival to kick off the season sounded like a good idea. The girls had a good time and Levi seemed to enjoy it also. Although it was a nice afternoon, we both agreed that it wasn't our favorite festival that we have attended as it seemed to us that it should have been more than what it was, especially with all of the tv/news hype. Sadly, our main excitement was the bag of kettlecorn popcorn that we munched on.

We tried Teddy Grahams out yesterday and Levi has found a new favorite snack. I think I am going to have to get a lock for the snack cabinet as it is really hard to keep him out of it.

Pulling the box out of the snack cabinet.

Look what I got all by myself!

Mad dash to Mommy to see if she will give in and give me any right before bed. Who can resist that smile and excitement?

He has figured out how to ride his car, but only if he is standing. He hasn't quite figured out that he can sit and push too.

Well, I guess I need to get the kids rounded up so that we can get to gymnastic lessons. I am dreading sitting there with Levi. The last time I took him (2 weeks ago), he was a nightmare for the last 15 minutes. Trying to entertain him for an hour is tough. The snacks work for about 15 minutes and the bleacher area works for about 15 minutes, but then it all goes downhill. He just really wants to be out in the Kindergym area with Addy as there are so many fun things to do. I really like to watch the girls during their lesson, but I think tonight, I will leave for awhile and come back at the end. Anything to avoid a terrible baby moment.

~ They Look Harmless ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 18:09:00 +0000

They look harmless...

until they get a hold of their brother and wave their magic princess wands and

"POOF"

Poor guy! He just doesn't stand a chance with his sisters. :)

There was a yard sale a few houses down the street so I am sure all of the passing traffic enjoyed the princess display in our yard (I took Levi's crown off before we went outside).

Levi likes mowing our sidewalk. He is yet to push it out on the grass.

Wes captured these pictures of Jaidyn and Levi. Levi isn't too fond of the dogs and always wants to be held when they are out playing in the yard.

I love this picture of Wes and the kids!

Every Thursday, while the weather is nice, we walk to story hour at the library.

~ Just a Phlog Post ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 02:00:00 +0000

Yes, I am a copy cat. I am stealing Rachel's genius idea. I am taking the lazy way out and just mainly posting some pictures.

All of these pictures were from last night after bath time.

Jaidyn took the 2 pictures with me in them, so she had to capture a picture of herself. She is such a goon!

I have been trying to get a good picture of all 3 kids together, but Levi never cooperates. I promise he really does like his sister's, but I don't think he likes to share picture space with them and wants it to be all about him. :)

Just had to share Addy's afternoon outfit of choice. Don't worry, I dressed her for preschool this morning

~ Ear Aches ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:27:00 +0000

For about the 3rd night in a row we had another sleepless night because Jaidyn and Addy were having horrible coughing fits all night. So I scheduled a doctor's appointment for all 3 of them today (Levi has had some gunky congestion). We found out that they all 3 have ear infections. I never would have guessed ear infections, but the doctor said that they usually occur as an aftermath of a cold. Glad Wes and I took them and had them checked out as ear infections are so miserable. It was an expensive day...$60 co-pays, $100 medicine, groceries and had to fuel up the van. Glad tomorrow is Wes's pay day. :)

~ September Weekend ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:34:00 +0000

Before we brought Levi home, we were taking bike rides 2 or so miles several nights a week with the girls. And since we brought Levi home, I have had to follow the girls and Wes with Levi in the stroller and take different routes because I was much slower than they were on bikes or just hang out at home. This past week we bought a bike trailer from a friend so that once again we would be able to go on rides as a family. Both Levi and Addy fit so nicely in the bike trailer and it rode so well that Addy fell asleep. We weren't sure how Levi would react, but he just hung out and seemed to enjoy it. He would even wave at me everytime I would ride up beside his little window. Jaidyn learned how to ride her bike without her training wheels (thank you Papa Dave) while we were in the Philippines, so she is getting good at being able to ride several miles now. The weather in Missouri is just perfect right now, so tonight's ride was very enjoyable.

There is so much going on with everyone in Wes's Highway Patrol zone...a new baby, Levi, a wedding and Wes is transfering to a different county, so the Crabtree family threw a great big get together to celebrate everyone's newest ventures in life.

They had several posters hanging of Wes aka Rambo because of his hard charger personality. After seeing the pictures, don't you think that Wes could be Sylvester Stallone's stunt double? Yes, I realize that these next few pictures may be disturbing, but Wes was truly thrilled with the knife that he received as it is kind of tradition to receive one when leaving the zone. It is even lasered with "Rambo" on one side and the Highway Patrol Emblem on the other.

Jaidyn loved playing with all of the other kids all evening! I barely even saw her she was so busy playing.

We have been battling some sort of icky "bug" at our house the past several days. All 3 of the kids are sick and we haven't went anywhere for 2 days unless you count the bike ride. After several days of some over-the-counter meds, they seem to be doing a lot better today, but we still may be seeing a doctor this week. I know that Levi is having to work so hard to build his immune system to so many new things that he probably never dealt with in the orphanage. With all of the flu scare hype going around the slightest little cough and fever make me worry more than I usually might. Hopefully, they all will get over this soon and we can get flu shots done soon.

I though Levi looked so peaceful sleeping a few nights ago. My camera had some serious flash going to get this picture as it was completely dark in the room besides a small night light.

Family Birthdays & Meltdowns!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:25:00 +0000

The Labor Day weekend was spent with Papa J.R. and Mama LaLa and more of Wes's side of the family. While the weekend was packed full of activity, according to Jaidyn her favorite thing all weekend was the play house that Papa and Mama LaLa had been building and decorating the past few weekends. We also celebrated 4 birthdays as one family has 3 of their 4 family birthdays all on the same day and their son is only a week before. Crazy! Lots of family got to meet Levi for the first time so it was a very special weekend overall.

On your mark! Get set! Go! Jaidyn and her cousin both wore the dress-up dresses they have on all day long. Aren't they cute?

Levi kept trying to run in front of the vehicles, so I finally strapped him in beside Jaidyn and made her put her arm around him and promise me that she wouldn't go faster than the slowest gear. He loved the ride!

This little John Deere is just Addy's size.

I am not sure pairing the two of them is such a great combination. Addy is not the safest driver of the bunch. I write this as I remember a few month back her looking back at us while somehow managing to maneuver the Dora four wheeler between two trees.

Uncle Bear hung out with the kids while they swam in the hot tub.

Mama Lala gave Addy a bath in the sink after swimming in the hot tub. Papa J.R. gave Jaidyn a shower when she was done swimming. Getting out of bathtime with the girls was a nice little breal for me.

Aunt DeDe and Hudson.

Good morning! Look at the camera, Levi!

Levi loved spinning the toys on Hudson's exersaucer.

The girls playing in the playhouse...kitchen, chalkboard, manicure table, and babies. I can't believe I didn't get a picture of the outside of the playhouse. It is darling! Every little girl dreams of having a playhouse like this.

Jaidyn taking a morning cruise around the yard before we loaded up and headed to the lake for the day.

They were so helpful around eating time and would fill the girls plates for me while I fed Levi and then Ashley would eat fast so she could entertain Levi while I ate.

The kids got in a picture with the birthday family.

Addy, quit blowing out the candles, it isn't your birthday.

Trying to wait patiently for a piece of yummy cake. I love how they stair step down in size.

We got the girls picnic baskets filled with little treats for their birthdays. I am the worst Aunt in the world. I am not good at keeping up with all of the nieces and nephews birthdays and we are just now getting Hadley a gift whose birthday was back in July.

Family Picture! Wes came for a few hours earlier in the day, but had already left for work before we had a group picture taken.

Pinata Time! Happy Birthday!

It was a little bit of a reach for Addy to hit.

No Mercy!

Jaidyn and her "jump and hit" approach.

Pulling the strings at the bottom finally allowed the candy to fall.

These boys are going to have so much fun together in a couple of years. The boys are all born within about 3 months of each other. In fact, Levi and Hudson are born only one day apart. It is crazy to think that Wes's brother had an addition to their family the day before we did (we just didn't know it yet).

So while we had a wonderful weekend and the weather cooperated it didn't come without cost. When Levi's bedtime rolled around Sunday evening Levi had decided that he had had enough. Levi screamed for almost 2 hours before finally falling asleep in the pack-&-play. I tried everything to get him to sleep and even tried standing and rocking back and forth. While this stopped the screaming he wasn't about to fall asleep. I am really surprised that he didn't go to sleep on his own as he only took a 1 hour nap earlier in the day and that is only because I put him in a stroller and walked him around the parking lot at the lake until he fell asleep. Finally, he had exhausted me to the point that I was ready for bed so I made the girls come to bed with me and all four of us slept in one bed. Levi did finally fall asleep and I placed him back in the pack-&-play, but he would wake up almost every hour through the night. So neither of us got much sleep. The morning wasn't much better as he wanted me to hold him all morning and then even when I did this he was trying to pull my earrings out of my ears and throwing them. He also was trying to hit me in the face. Yikes! We packed up fairly quickly that morning just so I could get him home. Our first few hours at home weren't much better, but by the afternoon he was almost back to good little Levi. So this week has been spent staying on a schedule and keeping what is familiar to him. I completely blame his meltdown on us as he had just had too much stimulation during the weekend...short naps, meeting lots of people, not sleeping in the same place. With the exception of a few nap times, he has had a wonderful week. He has played so well and is even starting to interact with the girls so much more as before he would just kind of parallel play with them. Of course, he is still eating very well and when he finishes his plate, he wants to climb up in our laps and help us finish ours. Just yesterday he picked up his spoon that I left on his plate and put little pieces of Spagetti-O's on it all by himself before putting the spoon in his mouth. Then at dinner last night I would place food on his fork and then hand it to him. He was easilty able to feed himself. I could be wrong, but I don't think he was doing any of this a few weeks ago as he wouldn't even pick up food with his fingers and place it in his mouth. I was thinking that at the orphanage he was just fed by the caregivers as this was so much quicker and less messy than if they would have let each child feed themselves.

Jaidyn pulling Levi around the house in my postal box.

We went out to eat for the first time as a family of 5 the Friday before Labor Day weekend. We had several people comment on what a nice family we had as we were leaving, so I guess we can consider our first dining out experience with all 3 kids a success.

Silly Boy!

~ Enjoying the Weather ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:33:00 +0000

Yesterday was gorgeous and the kids and I took full advantage of being outside. I pushed Levi and Addy in the stroller to story hour at the Library and Jaidyn ran along beside us. We then spent some time at the park before coming home to eat lunch and let Levi nap.

Levi eating a popsicle for the first time (or at least with us). His face was so funny. The cold of the popsicle would make him make one of those sour puckered face looks. He really liked it as he kept coming back for more licks.

I must have followed him back and forth across the bridge at least 10 times. I think he liked the sound that the bridge made when he walked across it as he would almost stomp across.

Me: "Come here Levi!" Great, I am already getting the "just a minute" finger. :)

He likes to push the mower, but only across the driveway or sidewalk. For some reason he doesn't like to push it in the grass...maybe that is a sign that Wes needs to mow.

Levi checking out his reflection in the glass door.

The girls had their babies Lizzie and Sara Bella rocking them in the tree singing "Rock-A-Bye Baby". They had just finished riding their bikes and forgot that they were still wearing their helmets.

I hit the jackpot today at a few yard sales in our small little town. I think Levi is ready and will be decked out for the winter months. Between the clothes that he has recently received as gifts, clothes passed down from one of Jaidyn's preschool classmates (thanks Sarah), and the outfits that I scored today, he is going to be one stylin' little guy. I also bought this toy organizer for Levi's room once we move in to a bigger home. Jaidyn helped her daddy scrub it clean, while also taking the opportunity to spray him a few times. :)

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Labor Day weekend!

September is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:59:00 +0000

September is one of my favorite months of the year. I love that the weather is still warm, yet a little cooler. I am looking forward to the fall festivals and pumpkin patches (hopefully we will get to attend a few this year). Football and high school volleyball season is in full force. And my favorite holiday, Halloween is just around the corner.

Yet, as much as I like September, I am exhausted and am so glad to have survived the week so far. The girls had their first week of preschool as they only go Monday through Wednesday. While I knock out their preschool all in three days, it is somewhat hectic. Jaidyn goes at 8:00, Addy @ 9:00, Pick-up Jaidyn @ 10:30 and then Addy @ 11:30. I have one week down without forgetting to pick one of them up on time. In between time, I try and get errands done, groceries, and hopefully a walk with Levi in the stroller and my mom. On Tuesday, I also took Addy and Levi to story hour at the library and then the girls also started gymnastic lessons again that evening. My mom has been sooooo much help all week, as she kept Levi for periods of time, so that he didn't have to spend it all with me while I kept up with my taxi service for the two girls. Nana has him stacking toys, playing with puzzles, and talking on a play telephone. Won't be long and she will be pulling out the multiplication flash cards.

Levi has had a little bit of a rough week. I know much of it is due to the fact that our schedule is a crazy in the mornings and he is taking naps in other places besides his bed at home, so nothing still seems to be normal for him yet. He also has figured out how to climb stairs. Unfortunately, he hasn't figured out how to get back down and did have a fall this past weekend. He has a few little scrapes (which are almost gone)and a bruise on his cute little face (thankfully it was carpeted stairs so it wasn't worse). I would have thought that this would have cautioned him a little bit with steps, but he still wants to climb them whenever he has the opportunity.

Levi fell asleep on Aunt Jill. He really took to her well last weekend. We kept wondering if he thought she was me. :)

This afternoon, instead of falling asleep almost immediately for his nap, he just talked to himself for almost 20 minutes. It was so cute to hear his voice babble about who knows what. This was the first time that I have really heard him babble for a long period of time.

Jaidyn and Addy have had a great week at preschool and love being back with their friends and meeting new little friends. Jaidyn told me today that a boy and girl (I won't use their names)in her class aren't in love anymore, but just friends. Seriously, she's only 4 and already having these conversations with her little friends. ???

I was also asking her today if she played with everyone in her class as she kind of tends to pair up with one or two people and she informed me that "there is only one Jaidyn" and she can't play with everyone. She does have a point, I guess.

Jaidyn's first day of preschool as a Bullfrog! The mornings were really cool (50's) so we had to wear jackets to start out the day.

Addy's first day of preschool as a Little Fish!

I had to run Addy down to get a hug and kiss before leaving as she didn't take anytime getting involved with the rice table in the play room.

~ Toddler Proofing the House ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:29:00 +0000

Yes, I love that Levi is walking already and that he loves to explore but that also means that I am constantly following him everywhere keeping him out of most of the drawers and picking up after what I like to call the "Levi Trail".

Yesterday morning while drying my hair in the bathroom, Levi found out how the toilet paper roll works. This was shortly after I picked up a tub of the small Legos that he dumped(over 2000 in the tub) in the bedroom. He found and dumped these and unfortunately some of them scattered under the bed and those will have to wait for another day to be picked up.

This is a bucket of Jaidyn and Addy's gourds that they picked and have played with all week. Levi thinks they look better dumped on our sidewalk. :)

What can I find to dump next?

Mama's Boy! Levi follows me everywhere and is usually perfectly content when I am holding him.

Levi likes bathtime once he is in the tub. He usually takes off in the opposite direction and makes us chase him to get him in, but once in the tub he has a great time.

All clean!

Addy had her preschool open house last night and she is so excited to start next week. This will be a nice change from last year at the beginning of the year when they had to pry her from my neck while screaming. Jaidyn will go three days a week and Addy will go 2 days.

We have a busy weekend planned and an Open House set for Sunday afternoon...still trying to sell our home.

The Lake

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 20:45:00 +0000

This past weekend I took Levi and the girls to the lake house. While the girls loved it as usual, I am not sure what Levi thought about the weekend. There was just so much to take in. He wore his life jacket, but it almost swallowed him. I left the upper portion unzipped just so he would have some more space for his little face. We went to Captain Ron's which has a beach area outside of the restaurant so that he could play more easily in the water. He didn't want to walk out in it, so we instead sat in the sand and played. Levi didn't want to wear his sun hat, but since he is lacking in a little bit of hair on top of his head, we kept trying to distract him to place it back on his head and also covered his head in sunscreen. He did conquer the stairs inside the lake house. He kept watching us go up and down them and it didn't take long before he decided to follow us. Now that he can get up them, we will really have to work on him learning how to get on his belly and slide down them.

Poor guy! His life jacket is just a little too big! It is so hard to find a comfortable one for his size.

Jaidyn thinks she is the Captain of Papa's ship. Jaidyn and Addy both fight to see who gets to sit on Papa's lap and drive. Jaidyn's getting very good and even knew our way home on the water the other night.

Levi did not want his picture taken, but I couldn't resist. They were all too cute in their swim outfits.

Sitting in the sand. Levi is once again trying to pull his hat off.

All the lake fun and sun will drain you...he is on his 2nd nap for the day. He did take 2 naps a day at the orphange, but since we have been home, we usually only do one early in the afternoon.

Settling In

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 12:54:00 +0000

Wes and I are still trying to recover from our trip. So much to catch up on. I finally have the laundry done and have caught up on my online orders from when we were gone. Wes returns to work today. So today will be first day home with all 3 by myself. However, it was mainly the kids and I yesterday as Wes had a good case of some sort of stomach virus and spent most of the day in bed or lounging around. It has rained a lot here the past couple of days, so our yard is suffering quite a bit. With our house for sale it really bothers me that the outside looks so unkept, but until Saturday when the sun is supposed to dry things out, I will just have to deal with it.

Levi is doing fantastic. Much better than I could have dreamed. It almost feels like he has been with us forever. He is such a sweet little guy. He loves to be cuddled (which the orphanage told us) and gives the best hugs and little kisses. He even likes to give butterfly kisses (rubbing noses). Too cute! Levi has spent most of his time roaming from room to room in the house just exploring. It is amazing how much his walking has improved in a weeks time. He will probably be running before I know it. He likes to see how many toys he can pull out after I have just picked them up and some of his favorite things he carries around are some Lego's, a helium balloon, and a small orange car. Wes encountered a little surprise yesterday morning when he finally ventured out of bed around noon...Levi greeted him at the bedroom door with a Barbie in his hand. Yes, the girls are already corrupting him.

Barbies, Barbies, Barbies! I bet Wes puts a stop to this soon with some G.I. Joe figures.

He loves carrying this helium balloon around while exploring the house.

Levi is a great eater. He has eaten about anything that we have given him. He likes oatmeal, all fruits, cooked vegetables, waffles, rice, and spaghetti. He has adjusted well from his high chair to the Little Tykes table in our kitchen. Jaidyn loves to help feed him. He gets so excited when he knows it is time to eat. He waves his arms, makes high pitched noises, and runs to the table. The past couple of night he has hung out with me in the kitchen while cooking dinner. He will just follow me from sink, to stove, to refrigerator. And the excitement begins as soon as he sees me start filling his bowl. We have still been giving him his evening bottle of formula just to keep something the same for him, but I plan on going to whole milk next week. We will probably try that in the bottle for a little while and then go to the sippy cup with it.

It didn't take him long to figure out which cabinet has all the snacks.

Addy helping Levi with his bottle.

Jaidyn is such a big help. She begs me to let her feed him. It will be nice, if she can help me out on preschool mornings.

Addy wants in on the picture taking. She's too funny!

We think he is cutting some more teeth as he has been pulling on his ears a little and has been chewing on his fingers. I have been giving him tylenol a couple times during the day to help reliviate the pain. I tried to put my finger in his mouth to feel for any teeth poking out, but he clamps his lips down so tight not letting me poke around. We have a doctor's appointment for him scheduled tomorrow so we can get all of his current medical information on file with our doctor and get him a general check-up.

Other than his nap time and bedtime routine, the adjustments have went very smoothly. We decided to go straight to a toddler bed and we did have a few nights of sleepless nights, but now I am glad we continued to stick with our plan because he has adjusted wonderfully. We have pushed the toddler bed up against Jaidyn and Addy's bed on one side and have a pillow on the opening of the other side. He rolled out the first night, but this has taken care of that problem. I rocked both Jaidyn and Addy to sleep when they were his age, but since he has been used to being layed down to go to sleep, I didn't want change that. The first couple nights home I would hold him before laying him down as I could tell he was getting sleepy, but he really wasn't comfortable. The first couple of nights were rough. Levi would cry so hard that he would start hiccuping. I would go in every few minutes to try and sooth him and pat his back like his caregivers suggested. I swear he would fall asleep, but the minute I would leave the room he would start crying all over again. Wes slept in the room with Levi as he really just wanted someone in there and the girls slept with me in our bed. The past couple of nights have been so much better. He has only whimpered for a few minutes before going to sleep in his bed on his own. Levi goes to bed around 8:00 and then the girls follow around 9:00. Hopefully by next week the girls will be following about 15 minutes after Levi. They start preschool after Labor Day and we will all have to leave the house by 7:30 each morning Monday-Wednesday.

Jaidyn has been so helpful. She always volunteers to feed him or give him his night time bottle. Addy is doing well too, but sometimes becomes a little jealous. She is my little snuggler and now that she has to share me with Levi I can tell it bothers her a little. Usually I end up with both of them in my lap. It is kind of funny as Levi and Addy will look at each other with a little bit of competitiveness in their eyes. Levi has even pushed Addy's arms off of me or tried to pinch her to get her to move.

We bought the girls each a bubble gun on the baywalk one evening in the Philippines. Several of the kids were carrying these around and they looked like so much fun. We need to play with them at night as they also light up.

To welcome Levi, Grandma Penny and Jaidyn and Addy's Uncle Bear made these signs. We live right beside the park so one was placed there, one was at the beginning of our subdivision and one was at our house. They were a nice surprise.

This past Sunday the grandparents, my brother, and Carrie all got to meet Levi. We had a wonderful lunch with steak, chicken, salad, fruit salad, potato casserole, and lots of yummy desserts (courtesy of the grandparents). Despite how tired Levi must have been as I know Wes and I were, he enjoyed all of the company.

~ Welcome Home Gathering ~

noreply@blogger.com (Jenny) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 02:05:00 +0000

Will be posting about our first few days home soon. We are still trying to recover from the time change/jet lag. The time change adjustment has been hard on all of us. My mom also has great pictures on her camera from the weekend so I need to get those from her.

Wes and I have the best extended family in the whole world! My Aunts, Unlces, cousins, and sister Jill had a little welcome home party for Levi. Jill lives only about 15 minutes from the airport so it was nice for us to relax a little and eat great food before continuing our drive home. Levi was showered with gifts, balloons, and LOTS of attention. He loved every minute of it! (I know my mom and dad probably had to be a little jealous that they got to see him first)

Our drive home seemed so long. I am pretty sure that I didn't do my part in helping Wes to stay awake while driving. Wes's Mountain Dew and Coffee helped him through the drive. The exhaustion had set in and if it wouldn't have been for the excitement of seeing the girls, I know I could have slept through the night until morning with no problems.

I love this sign by our driveway!

Levi receiving plenty of Love from his sisters.