Welcome, Fall!

We welcomed Fall with a fun-filled weekend, celebrating Levi's 3rd Birthday!  Sunday was a beautiful Fall day...I believe it was 62 but sunny, so the sun helped warm it up a bit.  The wind wasn't too terrible, either.  The kids had a lot of fun bouncing in the bounce house and taking a swing at the pinata. :-)  It was nice to enjoy our friends and family...some of which we don't get to see too often.  I love hosting parties. :-)

{Birthday Boy First}

{Then, the rest of the kids took a swing!}

{The big boys had to get involved!}

{Finally, CANDY!!}

 I think the babies even enjoyed themselves. :-)

{Babies Knox and Libby with Sister-in-Law and Mother-in-Law}

In not-so-related Birthday news, yesterday, Libby had an appointment with her Pedi.  I know I've mentioned before, but she's been really struggling with her eating...moreso lately.  She'll take an oz of her bottle, and then scream.  She'll refuse feedings altogether.  Sometimes she'll even start eating, and then suck, scream, suck, scream until she's just too exhausted to eat any more.  I finally decided that enough was enough...I had done everything I could do at home (eliminated dairy from my diet, changed her fortifier, changed her nipple, started using gas drops at each feeding...), and things were getting worse.  She can't afford to miss any feedings, or to throw it all back up!  So, Doc said that he wanted me to change her fortifier to soy, for me to continue dairy-free, and he wrote her a script for Zantac.  We'll do all of this until she can get in to see the GI specialist.  Libby is gaining weight, but she still is small (0.6% for weight).  She weighs 9lbs on the dot.  Oh, and she's 22.25 inches long. :-)  Hopefully we'll see a drastic improvement in her eating, and we can just skip the GI doc appointment!  As always, I'm open to any helpful tips or suggestions, so if anyone's been down this road before or knows someone else who has, I'm all ears!! :-)

{No smiles for Momma at the Pedi, no way!}

I hope everyone's enjoying this beautiful weather we're having!  I'm soooo looking forward to Halloween, big pots of chili, campfires, beautiful Fall leaves, and PUMPKIN!!  :-) 

Speaking of Pumpkin... ;-)  Here's a recipe that I just have to share for Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars.  I just love Bridget!  I get lots and lots of cookie ideas from her website.  Did I mention that she's coming out with a book?  Yes, I'll be purchasing one! :-)  Happy Fall!

{Image}

Three YEARS!

Levi's up next!  Last week, I posted about Libby turning 3 Months old, and today, Mr. Lovey is 3!!  Don't blink right?! :-)

Levi is one of the funniest, most outgoing, loveable, smart, and charming little guys I know!  He is an absolute joy, and I must say that his big, gorgeous, blue eyes and long eyelashes get him out of a lot of trouble.  Yes, I have had to duck out of a room to laugh at his quick whit and sassiness.  T-R-O-U-B-L-E! :-)

Some of Levi's most recent phrases (that I have to write down so that I never, ever forget!!):

• "Don't hit the road, Mom!" (said as I'm leaving for work)
• "Momma, you're the best, best Momma in the whoooole wiiiiide woold."
• And the nickname that he’s coined for me…”Big Momma”.  I keep telling myself it’s a term of endearment, but you should see the looks on people’s faces when he calls me by my new name in public.  Only slightly embarrassing. :-)
• "I wike you." "You're my fwiend."  (You know if he says this to you, that you're A-OK!) 
• "What about me?!"  Levi loves to be included in everything.  As a matter of fact, he's just recently become okay with going to the sitter's while Luke goes to preschool.  He's decided that "helping with Libby" is fun, too! 
• "I'll do it all by my owwwwwn self."  Mr. Independent. :-)

Some Levi fun-facts:

• Levi’s favorite color is green.  
• He absolutely LOVES airplanes.  He loves the sound even more.  If we’re driving in a car and he sees an airplane overhead, he asks me to roll down the window so he can hear it. :-)  He can see airplanes from 50 bajillion miles away, and he can hear them from just about as far! 
• Levi loves to run around the house pretending that he’s on a 4-wheeler.  He even has the thumb throttle down pat.  And the noise, oh yeah!  We’ve had to ask him to put a muffler on it about a million and one times. :-) 
• Levi loves the dirt, and he loves digging in it.  
• Levi also loves riding on his Daddy's 4-wheeler with him.
• Levi loves vanilla ice cream. 
• Levi eats any kind of meat imaginable, but it’s all "chicken" in his mind.  Beef is “cow-chicken”.
• Levi LOVES clothes.  He will only wear jeans, and he has a select few of his favorite shirts that he likes to choose between.  He picks out his own clothes for the day, right down to his underwear, socks, and shoes!  I've never seen anything like it!! :-)

The past few years have just flown by, as they always do.  I always love looking back and seeing how much my children have grown...to reflect back on the special day that they entered this world, and to recollect all of the milestones they've reached over the past years.  Levi is a blessing to our family.  What a wonderful little boy. :-)

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

{Becoming a Big Brother is exhausting!}

 

I can't wait to see him in his Birthday shirt on Sunday. :-)

{Thank you, Lauren!  I stole your pic, too. :-) }

We love you so much, Levi!!

1-2-3

Shortly before Libby’s birthday, I ordered the boys shirts for her big day!  I thought it would be a neat way to include them in all of the excitement.  :-)

Finally, I was able to get a picture of all 3 kiddos in their shirts.  Not an easy task, at all!  The boys just got out of the bathtub, they refused to wear pants (so yes, they’re in their underwear!), and Levi was itching to put on his famous “monster shirt”.  I...well, I burned dinner in the process.  (What?!  I didn't realize it would take that long!!)

Yup, by the end, we had lost Levi to the Monster shirt. :-)