toddler

I guess I was so overwhelmed dealing with two preschoolers that I forgot what it was like to have two toddlers, and now I have one toddler and I'm wondering how in the world I survived with two?!?!  Levi is pretty proud of himself walking all over the place.  And, even though we've got a bazillion toys to play with, he just wants to walk right to what he's not supposed to mess with...the diaper champ in the playroom (I mean, really, you'd think the smell would overwhelm him, but he doesn't stop...), the tv/dvd player/etc. in the living room, the trash/cupboards/etc. in the kitchen.  He's also been very bad about throwing food and his cup down when he's in his high chair (he's gotten picky lately!).  He's gotten much more 'outspoken' when he doesn't want to do something (diaper change, bedtime) - while crying and screaming he really wrestles to try and get out of my arms and he almost succeeds, I can barely contain him!  He IS much better about spending some time in his pack'n'play, so that helps.  And maybe I'll have to get the gate down that I used when Caleb and Logan were this age to keep him just in the playroom.

Despite Levi quickly becoming a big challenge for me, he is such a joy!  There are so many things that are fun about this age.  I love watching him interact with the older boys, and I love watching him learn and try to figure stuff out.  It's so much fun to listen to him jabber, and getting to interact with him.  He likes to do 'nosey-nosey' and sometimes he'll give kisses when asked.  Seeing the look of joy on his face after he successfully walks down the hallway is pretty cool.

Oh yeah!  I guess Levi fell out of his crib.  :(  I wasn't here - I was out 'getting my head on straight'.  :)  He was waking up from nap, and all of the sudden Mike heard the loud thud and was up there in a flash to get him.  He was okay, but pretty upset about it.  Hopefully that means he won't do it again!  I think Caleb was close to this age when he did it for the first time, and then didn't do it again for a long time.

tubers

Caleb and Logan both went tubing for the first time Saturday!  Harold and Kara have a big three-person tube that is nearly impossible to tip over, plus Harold was nice enough to go fairly slow.  :)  Neither of them wanted to go at first, but after seeing some of the other kids go, Caleb said he wanted to do it.  And then after seeing Caleb do it, Logan decided he wanted to go.  They both enjoyed it and want to do it more - I think Caleb especially has mentioned doing it again.  Which doesn't really surprise me since when we were at the water park Caleb wanted to go down the slides and Logan would rather just swim.  It was pretty funny, when Caleb was getting ready to go the first time, Harold said something like, "You all said you wanted to go really fast, right?" and Caleb right away said, "No!  My mom said to go slow!"  I hadn't said that, but I love how Caleb figured he was coming out with his trump card "my mom said..."  :)

We had a great time at the cottage.  The water was PERFECT.  Levi loved it this time - took him a minute to relax, but he spent a lot of time just floating in his tube thingie.  He had fun playing "catch" with a ball.  Logan and Caleb pretty much swam all day - even when it rained for a bit in the afternoon!  They were tuckered out by the end of the day and fell asleep pretty quickly on the way home.  Levi, on the other hand, did not fall asleep in the car and was fairly cranky about it.

Caleb ready to go for his first tube ride!

Logan excited to go tubing for the first time!  (I don't think he was blinking, he just wouldn't open his eyes for the pic...)

Levi just chillin' in the water.

walk!

Levi has really started walking now!  He's been taking just a few steps for awhile now, but on Wednesday he decided to really give it a go.  Right before Mike got home from work he walked across the room, and then when Mike did come home Levi walked several steps for him.  Now he'll often go from the couch to the train table, or from the pantry cupboard to the dining table, etc.

Did I mention before that 'no' is one of the words he says?  Kinda funny, he hasn't learned yet to try and hide what he's doing wrong - if I hear him saying "Nnnnnno!" I know he's doing something that he's not supposed to.  :)

Last Saturday was our babysitter's wedding.  We're sure going to miss having Miss Michelle around!  She's moving to Detroit.  :(  The boys were in the wedding, and it went great!  Of course, the bride was beautiful, I love the color of the bridesmaid dresses, and it was a gorgeous day, but - wow, were my little ringbearers HANDSOME!  ;)  All three boys were dressed up for pictures before the ceremony, but only Caleb and Logan went down the aisle.  I had been worried they would either run or not go down the aisle at all, but they ended up walking soooooo sloooooow...I guess they wanted to really soak up their time in the limelight.  :)  At rehearsal the night before they went slow the first time, then we talked about walking the right speed (not as fast as Lightning McQueen, but not as slow as our turtle at last year's Fourth of July turtle race...), and they did it perfect the second time.  We talked it over again before the ceremony, then I sent them down the aisle, saw they were going slow, but there's nothing I could do about it at that point!  The only reason it kinda ended up being a problem is because nobody was cueing the pianist and she couldn't see them, so she switched to the bride's processional song a little early.  But, considering all that could go wrong with two three-year-olds, I'm happy with how they did!

Sunday was a busy day at church.  Mike had Deacon duty, so we didn't get to see much of him.  I got sick with some crazy bug or something Sunday evening - it was awful!  My stomach started feeling funny partway through church, of course this would be a week that Mike's doing Deacon stuff and wasn't available to help until he got home later - and, boy, was I glad when he did get home later and that this happened on a weekend instead of during a weekday!  I barely made it home - managed to get Levi out of the car and in the pack'n'play before "losing my lunch" - poor Logan was a witness, but he doesn't seem too scarred by it.  Then I pulled it together enough to get Caleb out of the car (he had fallen asleep on the way home), put Levi in bed, and turn on the tv for Caleb and Logan.  As soon as Mike got home I went straight to bed.  Woke up feeling almost normal the next morning!  Mike's mom was lined up to come get the kids in the morning, but I felt good enough to handle it.  Crazy!

It's been hot here this week!  We've spent some time in our little pool, visited Mike at work on Tuesday (he's been working long days and had to go straight to a meeting that night), gone to the library, and the boys went to a friends house yesterday so that I could get groceries by myself.  :)

please

Now that Levi is starting to actually talk he'll do some signing for us...  :)  He still won't do "more", but is pretty good about signing "please" (and very emphatically, as you'll see in the video!).  He often also says his version of "please" while signing it (kinda sounds like "beeeee").

ham

Levi was hamming it up the other day!  And he started totally on his own - he came walking (with his cart) into the room with a blanket on his shoulders and then started being funny with it.

Last week when we went to Lansing we were on our way back and he was getting pretty fussy (instead of just falling asleep!!).  I gave him a blanket to play with and he would put it on his head and scream and laugh like it was the funniest thing ever.

zippy

We found out that Hudsonville Christian has a really cool playground - I mean, they have a zip line, how awesome is that?!  Caleb and Logan love it, and of course Mike and I tried it out, too - we can just barely do it without hitting the ground...  :)  Oh yeah, I did take Levi for a little ride as well, he has no concept yet of having to hold on, so it'll be a while before he's ready to go on his own.

family time

Last week my sister and her family were in town, so it was like Christmas week in the summer for us.  LOTS of fun and great seeing everyone, but by the end we had overtired, overstimulated, and oversugared kids.  :) On Monday my sister-in-law came and picked up Caleb and Logan to play at the park with the other cousins - that way I could stay home for Levi to get a nap.  I think it was Tuesday she took the kids so I could go on a quick shopping trip with my sister and older nieces.  Nice!  Tuesday evening was our adult night - we went to Wild Chef for dinner (yum!) and Biggby for coffee.  Wednesday my sis and her kids came over to watch all the boys so I could go to a luncheon for my friend that's leaving for the missionfield soon (said our good-bye's last night - gonna miss her!).  Wednesday evening some of the fam went to the beach at Holland State Park.  What a beautiful night!  All three boys had fun playing in the sand.  Levi really seemed to enjoy the feel of it - and apparently didn't really mind the taste either...  Thursday afternoon/evening was a 4th of July party at my brother's house.  Water play for the kids/kids at heart (my husband and my brother...), and plenty of good food for the rest of us.  After we got home Mike took Caleb and Logan out back to hopefully see some fireworks.  Some of my family showed up as well.  Mike wasn't sure what they'd be able to see, but he said they saw quite a few fireworks - plus there's the fireflies, having a bonfire, being in a beautiful setting, and having family around.  :)  Since I didn't go to the fireworks party, I ran over to my parent's the next morning to say my good-bye's and give them some zucchini - we have plenty to share!!

Friday evening I had a photo session in Lansing, and Mike and the boys came along.  It was at a beautiful park with a nice play area for the kids so they could have fun while I worked.

 

the men in my life

*7/9/13*Adding a few things I forgot yesterday!
Logan
This morning I dug up some papers that Logan won playing Bingo at my family's Christmas party (he remembered that, not me) - they are info sheets on a bunch of animals, and he just loves them.  He and Caleb have spent quite a bit of time studying them, and he had to bring them with him when we went out today - he especially seemed to enjoy showing them to Miss Heather when we visited Mike at work.  :)  I need to find a notebook to put them in.

On Thursday Logan and I went on a little date.  It's been awhile since we've been able to do one-on-one time and we both needed it.  :)  We went to Meijer for a couple things, and then to Culver's for some ice cream.  He got to just talk to me the whole time about who knows what with nobody interrupting him.  Oh yeah, Mike gave him a few dollars before we left and told him to buy something for me.  He picked out some pretty flowers.  :)

Caleb
What a thinker!  My sister and her family were in town last week.  Usually when they're here in the summer my brother-in-law borrows a bike to go for a ride.  So, one day last week when the boys came down for breakfast they noticed Uncle Chad and Auntie Shell's van parked in the driveway.  I told them Uncle Chad was borrowing a bike and had to drive here from Papa and Grammy's house.  I also told them that later Auntie Shell would be coming over to play.  On his own, Caleb thought it through and asked how she was going to get here!  Today I gave Caleb and Logan hot dogs for lunch.  I had a package that my mom gave me after she used a couple out of it.  The package was out on the counter, and awhile into lunch Caleb asked if I had given Levi hot dog for lunch.  I said, "no", and he looked at the package and asked why there were three missing if only he and Logan had a hot dog!  (There were actually four missing, but you get the idea...)  He's always trying to figure things out.

Levi
So stinkin' cute.  I could kiss his cheeks all. day. long.  His main mode of transportation is still crawling or his push cart, but he has gotten up to about 6-8 steps unassisted now.  I think I mentioned before that he was saying "uh-oh" - we can add "ball", "hi", and maybe "bye" to that list (I'm not 100% on that one).  He also loves to cruise around with his push cart and say "Beeeeeep!"  :)  After months and months of trying, he is finally doing some sign language, now that he's on the verge of talking...  He still rarely does "more" (even though he totally knows how), but he'll often do "please" now.  I'll take it!  If we can get him to communicate without whining I don't care about perfection.  :)  I am ALMOST done with his baby book!!

After hearing it a couple times I remembered today that Levi is also starting to say, "no".  Oh, goody.  :)  It'll happen right after I tell him "no" for something.  Which, by the way, we're in the stage where I have a hard time not laughing when correcting...  He's just so cute!  You sternly say "no" to him and that bottom lip curls out, his eyes fill up with tears, and he starts to cry - so much more enjoyable now than when they get a little older and more defiant.  :)  Right now his offenses mainly consist of throwing his cup and food on the floor, and playing with the trash can (yuck!).  Back to his talking, I think he's saying "book", too.  He says it without a "k" on the end, but he often reaches for a book and says "boo", so I think it's legit.

Mike
Celery harvest started last week, and Mike's packing shed started today.  Can't believe another harvest season is upon us!  Mike started back at Schreur's in July 2008, so this is the start of his sixth season already.  He has mostly the same crew working for him again, just a few new people.  Hopefully not too many problems.  :)

bedtime

Overall, bedtime with Caleb and Logan is going SO MUCH BETTER.  About a month ago or so we started letting them have a stack of books to look at in their beds.  That has really seemed to help them calm down and eventually fall asleep without it being a big production every night.  Not every night is perfect, but most of the time things go really well.

One of Caleb's favorite books in all this has been The Circus Ship.  It's a fun book with neat illustrations - it's cute to see him have a favorite like that and want to look at it every night.

With the nicer weather and all the outdoor playtime I was getting lax at enforcing separate playtime, but I've been doing it more again the last few days and the boys have been doing great with it.  I hardly get a complaint, and they play nice on their own for quite a while.  They must need it as much as I do!  :)

Logan especially is observant of and curious about my flowers and plants outside.  Caleb notices some and asks questions, too, but not as much.  Logan is good at remembering the names of different plants, and when he picks a "flower" (a weed out of the grass) he wants to plant it by my flowers.  He's also the one that is always seeing a stone he wants to pick up, or some cool leaves, or helicopter seeds, etc...  :)

garden

Our garden is really taking off!  I can't wait to see how big some of the sunflowers get, there are a couple plants that already have stalks almost as big as my arm.

We are getting zucchini like crazy.  Definitely going to end up sharing some of it.  :)  I have several yellow squash coming, too.

We've gotten some peppers.  None of our tomatoes are ready yet.  It does look like our cucumber plants are going to be okay even though they got hurt a bit in the last frost.

Pumpkins are spreading out alot.

It'll be interesting to see how this year goes and see how we decide to change things up for next year.

clean

I didn't hear Levi say anything bad, but apparently he felt the need to wash his mouth with soap.  :)  Which then meant that I made my first (and hopefully last) call to Poison Control - so glad I keep that magnet on the fridge!  Levi really only had a few seconds, and I don't think he got more than a taste, but I figured I'd better call anyway.  (There was one bathroom door open and he found his way in there while I was getting socks from the other room for Caleb - got right up on the step stool and was sucking on the soap bottle...)  After asking a few questions the lady said to just make sure I wiped out his mouth and then give him something to drink.  Said he might just have an upset stomach.

He is SO curious, and SO fast!  And, of course I think he's pretty smart.  Yesterday while I was in the bathroom getting ready for church, he came in, climbed on the step stool, grabbed a comb, and started "combing" his hair!!  I never comb his hair, I rarely comb Caleb and Logan's hair (and when I do it he's usually not right there to see it), and Mike doesn't comb his hair.  How did he know to do that?!  I know it's something small and simple, but I love watching all this development stuff.  Levi is at such a fun age right now.

Levi is definitely saying "ball".  He's taken 2-3 steps here and there, but still generally wants to crawl or tear around with his walker (which is too cute to watch because he goes around and picks stuff up off the floor to put in his walker).  He's all boy and is a natural at making tractor noises when playing.  He loves playing with books - he sort of looks at pictures, but mostly likes to flip pages.