watch out!

A couple days ago Levi learned how to really maneuver with his walker, and now he just goes all over the place with it!  I remember what a relief it was when Caleb and Logan finally learned how to turn with it and not just get stuck against a wall and cry in frustration...  It seems like Levi hasn't used it as much until now, but I'm not sure if it's that he actually didn't play with it as much or if it's because it's one baby as opposed to two.  :)  Anyways, now that's pretty much all Levi wants to do!  Just walk around the house, sometimes turning in circles.  His other favorite activity is coming to the kitchen to play with cupboard doors.  I'm having a harder time keeping him out of there than I did Caleb and Logan when they were that age.  And, for some reason he always wants to grab onto the trash can.  Yuck!  This guy just wants to be on the move.  When I'm bringing him upstairs to his room he practically jumps out of my arms to climb up the stairs himself.  Of course, when we get to the top and he tries to come back down but instead I grab him to bring him to bed, I get some shrieks of protest.

brrrrr

(So, apparently this didn't publish when I thought it did...this was written on Monday...)

The temperature sure has been up and down!  Today is on the chilly and damp side.  Thankfully we stayed dry for the Memorial Day parade!  The boys loved the parade.  There were things Caleb and Logan talked about from the parade last year all year long - Logan always mentioned seeing Clifford the dog.  Levi even enjoyed it!  He actually sat on Grandma Krol's lap for quite a long time, which is pretty unusual.

Of course Caleb and Logan enjoyed getting lots of candy at the parade.  Logan was bolder this year than last year about running out to get it.  Logan's big score for the morning was a bunch of balloons!  We saw a float coming that was decorated all over with balloons, Logan said he wanted a balloon, and I said they weren't handing them out they were just for decoration.  Well, wouldn't you know, as the float passed by a bunch of balloons came off.  Logan wanted them SO bad.  I was waiting to see if someone from that group was going to pick them up and nobody did, so he went out and got them!  Got plenty of attention for that, too.  :)  On the way home when we were talking about it he even said something about all the people cheering for him.  Ha!

Backing up a bit...  Last week we visited my friend Jen in Kalamazoo.  She has a daughter about a year younger than Caleb and Logan.  I was a little worried the boys would play too rough, but they played nice.  They especially enjoyed playing with all "new" toys.  That night we had Mike's cousin, Joe, over for dinner.  Caleb and Logan were pretty excited!  And, they had a fun evening with him.

Friday my friend Amy came over with her kids.  The kids get along great, which is so nice!

Saturday morning we headed down to South Haven for a little camping.  My family spends the whole weekend there, but Levi and I went for the day, and Mike and the boys stayed until Sunday afternoon.  Caleb and Logan were SO excited about going camping!  They had lots of fun - helps that they get along so well with their cousins and absolutely love playing with them.  Thankfully Levi took a decent afternoon nap, and I had a wonderful time relaxing while Mike, Eric, my dad, and a bunch of the kids went to play at the playground.  It was a little on the cool side, but I found a spot in the sun, put my feet up, and closed my eyes - ahhhhhhhh.....  After Levi woke up I took him to go find the others, then we headed over to the lake.  Of course the boys get wet!  It was so cold, but I would have been incredibly surprised had they stayed dry.  :) At suppertime it really started to get chillier, so Levi and I ate and then headed out.  He was cold and he's not exactly a kid that wants to just sit and snuggle.  I missed Mike and the boys, but I was SO glad for my warm bed!  :)  They came back Sunday afternoon.  Sounds like things didn't go TOO bad - some 'normal' behavior issues from the boys for being overtired and overstimulated, but I think overall it went well.

hot

It got hot today!  And humid.  That's what really gets me.  Hauled the sprinkler out for Caleb and Logan this afternoon and they had fun with that for quite a while.

Last week was pretty normal busyness.  You know, just trying to keep the kids fed and clothed and not killing each other.  On Monday we met up with Lea Anne and Heidi at the Early Childhood Center in Zeeland for "Play and Learn".  It was nice!  Mostly just a fun time for the kids to play with lots of different things.  They sang a song, read a book, and then had free playtime where there were toys to play with and crafts to do.  Caleb and Logan got to use scissors and paint for the first time.  :)

On Thursday Levi got his first haircut!  It was getting a little too long in the back, and I'd been wanting to cut it for quite a while, but kept putting it off.  I definitely appreciate that Caleb and Logan can sit much better for haircuts now than when we first started!

Friday I ran a few errands with the boys.  Doing things like that are a LITTLE more manageable than they used to be.  :)  We went to the library, to Bath & Body Works for the soap we HAVE to have, and then to Lowe's for a couple things.  That's where things really started to fall apart...  Caleb (who is greatly skilled at pushing his brothers' buttons) kept making Levi mad, so Levi was screeching alot.  Then, when we were near the front of the store, Logan swallowed his gum.  His first reaction was to cry, but then he got mad and let out an ear piercing scream.  That was one of those moments where I didn't even look around to see who was staring, I just looked straight ahead, kept walking, and pretended I didn't hear a thing.

Friday night Eric and Lea Anne came over with their kids and we had a great evening together.  It is SO MUCH FUN watching the kids play together!  I just love it that they are old enough now to just go play and enjoy being together.  We were able to just sit inside and watch the kids run around out in the yard - they still had to make a few trips in, of course, but for the most part we actually had somewhat of a conversation.  :)  One thing in particular that was just hilarious to observe, was the kids were out in the grass over by the field and they all just started pushing each other around.  No one was angry, no one got hurt, they just had fun pushing each other.  And, no, Heidi was not exempt just for being a girl.  She has no problem getting right in there with the boys.  We have a pile of dirt in the driveway that we've been using around the yard, and of course the kids ended up playing in there.  They all ended up FILTHY, and Heidi went home one shoe short, but we found it the next day.

Saturday was a full day as we planted our first garden!  It's exciting and nerve wracking.  Everything is planted, fence is up - now we wait for the weeds to come and veggies to be harvested.  :)  We put the garden kind of behind the spruce trees at the end of the driveway, and Mike was easily able to put in a water hydrant back there.  That is SO nice.

Sunday morning we took the fam to church, but I didn't think Levi should be in nursery (more on that to follow), so he only made it through part of the service before I had to take him out.  In the afternoon I had a photo session with a family from church, and then in the evening I stayed home with Levi.  Ideally I wouldn't have a photo session in the middle of the afternoon, but this was a large family that is hard to get together, so I went with what they could make work!  We found enough shady spots to manage.

So, I don't know what's up with Levi, but I hope he gets back to his happy self soon.  He's been cranky, not sleeping the greatest, and has a full body rash.  He had a low fever a couple nights last week.  I guess some sort of infection he's fighting off.  His rash looked ever so slightly better today, so hopefully we're on the right track.

With Logan and Caleb it feels like one step forward, two steps back right now.  :)  There are so many things that are fun about this age, but, wow,  it is difficult, too!!!

ouch

Levi had his first bloody injury this afternoon.  :(  He was playing by the little plastic house outside, fell down, and bumped his mouth on Logan's tricycle.  Of course it bled a lot.  Now he has a pretty ugly looking wound on his upper gum.

rbr

Another race in the books!  This past Saturday was the Fifth Third River Bank Run.  Mike, my dad, my brother Eric, and I all ran the 5k.  My brother Mike ran the 25k.  We knew several others as well doing the 5k, 10k, or 25k.  It's such a BIG race - it's a little bit of a hassle dealing with the crowds, but it's fun, too!

My dad, Eric, and I all ran together.  I hung in there until the very end and then they finished 11 seconds ahead of me.  Mike is almost 10 MINUTES faster.  :)

The boys stayed at Grandpa and Grandma VanBeek's Friday night.  When they're a little bit older it will be fun to have them there, but we have to be there so early (leave home at 6am), and with both Mike and I running we can't really manage the kids.

two lips

Made a quick visit to Tulip Time in Holland last week.  Of course, the highlight for Caleb and Logan was seeing a train go by on the tracks up close  :)

little guy

Levi had a rough time at the doctor's office last night!  He had his one year check-up (can't believe it!).  Of course, yesterday his diapers were a little 'off', if you know what I mean, which gave him terrible diaper rash.  I had to change his diaper when I got to the doctor, and so that was the first round of crying because the diaper rash hurts him so bad.  Then, he was not a fan of the doctor checking him out.  Crawled back to Mom as soon as he could.  :)  While waiting for the nurse to come back in to give him shots, he shut his thumb pretty hard in a cupboard door.  Screaming again.  Got him calmed down, he wanted to get back down to play, went right back to the cupboard door and pinched his finger a little bit.  (I know, maybe at this point I'm starting to look like a bad mom...)  Finally the nurse came back to give shots and, oh boy, his lungs still had enough energy to SCREAM!  :)

Well, after starting out off the charts big, Levi is now 75th percentile for height and weight - he's practically a little guy!  He's 23 pounds, and 30 1/2 inches long.  Doctor is pleased with his health.  I'm doing a half-and-half mixture of formula and whole milk now, and he said to keep doing that for another week to make sure he's tolerating the milk okay.  Not sure if yesterday's digestive issues were due to milk, something else he ate, or just some bug...

Levi is doing lots of "talking".  He seems very purposeful in his jabbering.  Lots of times he points and jabbers.  He says "uh-oh" with regularity, and most of the time properly.  He doesn't seem to mind drinking milk, I thought maybe the temperature change would be a problem.  He'll drink some from a sippy cup, but not as well as if I give him a bottle.  Levi loves the little plastic playhouse we have outside - he plays with the door, and the other day he even went down the slide (on his tummy, looking surprised, and then rolled at the bottom), and climbed in through the window.  He knows enough to stop and look at me before putting something in his mouth, and sometimes he even obeys when I tell him 'no' - it seems to easy at this age!  :)  He takes two naps a day - sometimes he doesn't fall asleep good for the morning nap, but it's too early to give that up, I'm not ready for that!  Levi seems to like to do some climbing - in the playroom he'll climb up on the tramp, then up onto the chaise, and then I have to stop him before he climbs up onto the little tray table.  He's definitely a thumb sucker, but for the most part he only does it when he's tired or upset (like last night when things weren't going so well at the dr), so I'm hoping it won't be TOO much of an issue as he gets older.  For the most part he's a happy guy, just watch out when he gets frustrated - like when we're out in the yard and he's trying to push one of the boys' trikes around and it gets stuck, he gets MAD.

What a joy to have him in our family!  Love watching how he's interacting more and more.  It'll certainly be interesting to see how he fits in.

oh no

Levi's been playing in the other room for a few minutes - I just walked in there and he had his pants off.  Please don't tell me we're already at the point where I need to duct tape his diaper!!

party like it's cinco de mayo

My baby is one year old!  Wow, that is just crazy!  We had a party on the 4th, since the 5th was a Sunday this year.  Since we love all things Mexican here, of course we had a Cinco de Mayo themed party.  :)  Grandparents, and a bunch of aunts, uncles, and cousins came, and it was a good time!  The weather was beautiful, so we were able to be outside for a majority of the time.

Mike REALLY wanted a pinata, so we did that even though it's just crazy with a bunch of kids, and it's surprising no one got injured.  :)  (When I went shopping for bday stuff last week he said to get a pinata only if it was $10 or less.  They were all $15 or more, so I didn't get one.  Of course, a couple nights later when he went out with the big boys for some stuff he came home with a pinata because he just had to have one.)

We are blessed with generous family and Levi got some cool new toys - that his big brothers are having lots of fun playing with...  :)  Levi likes them, too!

Levi did a great job eating his cake!  He dug right in and really enjoyed it.  Made a mess, but I opted for white cake and white frosting so clean-up would be a little easier...  :)  He wasn't really into opening his presents, but that's okay, big brother's were MORE than willing to help.

I'm feeling so blessed to have three healthy little boys!  Many times I want to pull my hair out, but it's still great.  :)

Levi and Mike

 A happy birthday boy!

 brothers

 great grandma's and grandma

 Levi checks out his pinata

 Uncle Harold finishes off the pinata

 digging in

Our fam!

uh-oh

Levi started saying "uh-oh" last night!  And, actually using it properly part of the time.  :)  He was playing with stacking cups in his high chair, dropped one, and said, "uh-oh".  He did this a couple times.  I think he kept saying it extra because he saw how much I liked it.

talk

Levi is definitely a very vocal member of our family!  He's loud and makes sure he's heard.  :)  I remember being in the hospital with him after he was born and when he was in the nursery, even though my room was way down the hall, I knew when he was crying!

He's getting better at saying "mama" and "dada".  He gets very excited when Mike gets home from work and says, "da-da-da".  :)  Also, last night I was gone running errands, and Mike said Levi was looking around saying, "mama".

Within the last week or so there have been an increasing number of squabbles between the big boys and Levi.  It's either pertaining to a toy or the boys are keeping Levi from doing something he wants to do. Levi gets a hold of a toy he wants and gets a VERY firm grip on it - of course he usually has a toy that the boys don't want him to have and when they try to take it away he gets MAD (same response when I try to take something away at bedtime).  He also loves to play with doors, and if one of the boys gets in the way he gets very upset.  For those of you who saw my comment on Facebook the other day, this would be why I think I need a referee shirt and whistle - I can only imagine it will come in handy for many years to come!  :)

Yesterday was a near perfect day outside - the only thing missing was my honey.  All the boys played nice outside and it was lovely.  It is AMAZING what some sunshine and warmer temps will do for your outlook!  Anyways, in the few seconds that one of my boys actually sat still and came to sit on the blanket with me, I asked Logan what he wanted to be when he grows up - I wasn't sure if he would even have an answer, but without hesitation he said, "A daddy and a deacon!"  :)