What we've been up to...

Two weeks have gone by, so it’s time to post an update!

Last week, I took a few days off of work to do some major house overhauling. We got new carpet in the living room and playroom, and put up new trim in the living room as well. And I cleaned…a lot! Not exactly most people’s idea of a vacation, but it needed done. The boys spent the day at the daycare, so I was able to have some uninterrupted time to do everything that I wanted to do. Well, almost anyway. I could have probably taken off 2 weeks and still found more things to get done! That list just doesn’t ever seem to get smaller!! =)

{The boys, enjoying our new carpet}

Poor Levi, and myself, and now Luke, have all caught some nasty bug. It settles in your throat and causes the fever and chills. No fun, at all! I think Levi and I are starting to recover, but Luke is just getting started. Uggg!

{Sicky Levi :( }

The weather the past couple of weeks has been really amazing. It’s been in the mid to high 70’s…a lot like Fall weather, which I LOVE! We’ve made sure to take the opportunity to get some time outside, with lots of walks and bike rides...and ICECREAM! The boys are also really enjoying their new swing set!

Some important milestones:

Levi is clapping…a lot! It is the cutest thing EVER! And he waves hi and bye, but only towards himself. Also super-cute! Levi is cruising furniture, and climbing stairs, but he’s not been brave enough to actually take a step by himself, yet. He just mastered the "actual" crawl this weekend, although he's been army scooting since Memorial Day weekend. He still army scoots to get somewhere fast! =) My favorite milestone: Levi has just started saying "Momma" this week. And he knows what Momma means, so isn't that technically his first word?! ;)

{Levi standing on "his" step}

Luke is learning his ABC’s, colors, and numbers. He can count to 5, assisted (if I start with 1, he'll finish by himself). His favorite color is blue. For the longest time, Luke did EVERYTHING with his left hand…even from a very early age. But recently, he’s started using his right hand to do some things (eating, throwing balls). When I hand him a crayon, he still starts coloring with his left, though, so I’m interested to see which hand dominates! Luke is also starting to say a lot of phrases, and when he does something new, he'll exclaim "I did it!". I love that =) He's also developed a bit of a bad habit...biting. So far, he's only chomped down on his brother...twice! He also bit my butt yesterday because I wasn't getting him his milk fast enough. Oh, my! What a monster we've created!!! I'm hoping this is a phase that passes quickly.

{Levi's new bitemark...compliments of Luke!}

Sept 7th, Luke starts Pre-School. Yes, already! He’s only 2 ½, but it’s only twice a week for an hour and a half, and I think he’s going to LOVE it! This is also the boys’ last week at Little Angels’, although Luke’s Pre-School will be there so he’ll still get to see some of his favorite Ladies! =) We’re very blessed to have a private sitter who lives "around the country corner". She’s very good with the boys, and they’ll start going back to her on Monday.

I'm getting more things together for Levi’s birthday, and working on something for Brad’s (whose birthday is even closer…Sept 3rd!). Brad always goes on a Kentucky vacation with his friends to ride 4-wheelers over Labor Day weekend, so we won’t see him ON his birthday. Annoying, yes. I’m really weird about celebrating things ON that particular day, but I also think since it’s his birthday, he should get to do what he wants (but don’t tell him I said that!). We may just have a shin-dig on Labor Day, when he gets back. More on that to follow!

Tomorrow's finally Hump Day! This week cannot get over quick enough! At least we have a 3-day weekend to look forward to. Some plans for Mommy-and-Me time are in the works for the boys and I. I'm excited =)

Our first week in August...

I wanted to post a blog real quick before I let another week slip by! Work has been very, well, exhausting in more ways than one! By the time I get home, get the boys fed and bathed, and have a little playtime, I'm whipped!

Levi had an important milestone...he got his first, and second tooth! His bottom right popped through on August 4th, and then his pair followed suit on August 6th. I tried my best to get a picture. His facial expression is kinda funny, but when he smiles his bottom lip hides his teeth!

Luke is getting so big. It amazes me how much he's talking, interacting with people, and really turning into his own little person. He is really a sweet boy...in unfamiliar situations he sits back and observes, but once he's warmed up he gets right in the mix of things! =) Luke has learned the term "mine", and it stretches from "my" cup to "my" Bubba and "my" Momma. He really has a good sense of what belongs to him...so much so, that he is not afraid to make sure that the Daycare kids know that Levi is "his" Bubba, and I am "his" Momma! It's pretty cute, but lends to an issue with sharing, of course. We're working with Luke on this.

The other day, I was feeding Levi and I got up to answer the phone. Luke had just finished his snack (a PopTart...Smores...real healthy, I know!). I was gone maybe 2 minutes, but I could hear the boys as our house is not entirely huge. When I returned to the kitchen, I saw this:

Luke was feeding "his Bubba". =) He sure is a big help with his brother!

So, I've kinda sorta been on this weight-loss kick ever since I had Levi. To date, I've lost roughly 35lbs, but that was all Levi's pregnancy weight. Somehow I'm still stuck with Luke's! My work-outs (for the most part) involve the boys. It's hard to break away, and honestly I would rather play with them than work out when I get home! Anyway, I purchased a bike. I had a pull-behind for the boys, but my bicycle was old and outdated and really hard to ride. I did take Luke and Levi for a ride the day I got the bike, but Levi was not exactly thrilled:

I'm hoping Levi will warm up to the pull-behind, and that the excruciating heat will subside soon so that we can go on more bike rides together!

Next week is going to be busy. I am scheduled to have Wed - Fri off of work (I NEED the break!), so we're getting new carpet. I'm going to take full advantage of my time away to Spring Clean (yes, I'm very behind!). Hopefully some Lukey potty training will begin as well.
I'll keep everyone posted on that...

I'm leaving you with this really cute picture of Luke (eating his unhealthy PopTart snack that Daddy has gotten him addicted to!). =) I heart him, and his PopTart smile!

Busy Bees!

Wow! What a weekend! It’s funny how we manage to keep ourselves busy, even with nothing planned! =)

Saturday started off pretty gloomy. Straight away it was raining, so I decided that we’d spend most of our day inside. We went to my Mom’s house for a visit. I try to take the boys to see their grandparents on the weekends, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out (last weekend). Anyway, we had a nice visit with Mom and Dad, and Shelbey and her family. Shelbey left around lunch, so Mom and the Boys and I ran to Taco Bell to pick up some lunch. Luke fell asleep on the way back, and slept away the afternoon! =) Levi and I caught a little nap, too!

After visiting with Mom, I stopped by my Grandma’s and picked her and Alexander (my oldest nephew) up to take a shopping trip to Kokomo. I got a few housy things, baby things (formula, diapers, etc.), and a few new shirts for Alex, as he starts school next week (already!!). We zipped back to Grandma’s to drop her off, and then met James (my Brother) and Brad in New Waverly for New Waverly Days. I had never been…we had so much fun!

{Alexander, Luke, and peeking Levi doing some retail therapy!}

So, New Waverly is an itty bitty town. I would say maybe 100 people live there. It’s one of those "blink and you miss it" towns. Every year they have a little mini-fair type of thing (New Waverly Days). This year (and maybe prior years, I don’t know) the Fire Station had a hog roast and a lot of really good food. They had a live band, and a handful of ladies started line dancing. Now, let me just say that Luke LOVES to dance. He doesn’t care where he is, or who is watching. If there is music, he will be dancing (or singing!). Sure enough, as soon as the music played, Luke was looking…and he found where it was coming from. As soon as he saw the ladies dancing, he made a beeline and started dancing along. SO CUTE – and of course, I didn’t have my camera handy... UGG! He was definitely part of the New Waverly entertainment, that’s for sure!

On Sunday, I took the boys to Daniel’s 3rd Birthday party while Brad stayed back and did some things around the house. Luke (again) fell asleep on the way to the party, so I let him sleep for a bit while Levi and I mingled. When Luke woke up, we ate, and played, and had cake and ice cream! Outside, Amanda (Daniel’s Mom and one of my favorite friends) had a bubble machine going, and Luke was in love! Here are some cute pictures:

{I love how Sarah looks like she's dancing in bubbles!}

{Daniel, Luke, and Sarah}

{Daniel and Luke}

After the party, we went back home to help Brad put together Luke and Levi’s new swing set! I had picked it up a couple of weeks ago, but it had just been too hot to put it together. Luke was a HUGE help…he handed Brad his screws, and even helped carry the wood! Luke really loves helping Brad (and myself) put things together. So, you probably think after reading this post, "Man, Luke sleeps a lot!". He is my better sleeper of the two, but last night I noticed that he is cutting his 2 year molars – all of them – all at once! So I think that’s made him a bit crankier than usual…and more tired!

I hope everyone had an eventful weekend! Work has been a little stressful lately, so I’m hoping for a smooth week! Hope, hope!

Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers. ~Robert Ingersoll