Christmas

Last Thursday morning Mike got up and the house was rather chilly.  Furnace needed a major fix.  :(  Thankfully it was fixable and we didn't have to replace the whole thing, but it wasn't a small fix.  We limped along (found out the oven does a pretty decent job keeping the kitchen, dining room, and living room warm!) until Friday afternoon when it was able to be repaired.

Friday evening Mike and I went to the church council Christmas dinner.  Nice dinner at a camp on Dumont Lake down in Allegan.

Sunday Mike was Deacon on duty again, so he missed out on a couple good Christmas services at church.  In the morning was a music presentation which included the adult choir, youth choir, and children's choir, plus the orchestra.  It was very nicely done.  In the evening was a carol sing along with some special numbers.

With the holiday it was a nice short work week for Mike - woo hoo!  We had a fun family day on Christmas Eve.  Each of the boys had been given a gift card to Build-A-Bear, so we headed to the mall to do that.  Caleb chose a Batman bear that he also got boots and rollerskates for.  :)  The bear's name is Sam.  Logan chose Olaf (the snowman from Frozen, in case you've been in a cave for the last year...).  He didn't get any clothes for Olaf because then he would melt.  :)  Levi chose a bulldog, and a little tent for him to live in.  I believe his name is Rex.  After that the boys had some playtime at the mall, and they still had to do a little shopping for each other.  The night before I had taken Logan out to choose something for Levi.  While Caleb and Logan were busy playing at the mall, Mike took Levi to get a present for Caleb, and after lunch I took Caleb to choose a present for Logan.  The logistics of helping three boys shop for presents gets complicated!  In the evening we let the boys open one present from us and their presents from each other.  The present from us was The Lego Movie, so we watched that.

Christmas Day we had a nice family breakfast and had fun opening presents together.  My boys spoiled me with lots of 'relaxing' gifts - slippers from Logan, cozy pants and robe from Mike, new coffee mug, and a bunch of candles.  :)  And, Caleb chose a pretty, sparkly bracelet that I can wear out on a date.  :)  In the evening we went to my parents just to hang out.

This morning we went to my parent's for breakfast as my sister and her family got into town last night - the boys needed no "warm up" time with their cousins.  :)  This evening is Mike's family party, and then we have a couple more parties coming up next week.  Really hoping everyone holds up through it all this year!  (Since the last couple years or so we've ended the holiday season by being sick.)  I really don't need another scene like last year - Caleb puking in front of everyone at the Krol party....!

weekend

We had a somewhat busy, but fun weekend.  We are REALLY enjoying having Mike home from work on Friday's!  Actually, this past Friday the boys and I had a playdate, while Mike and my dad talked over some things for our upcoming house project and did some farm work, but it was still nice that he wasn't at work.  :)  Friday evening we went as a family to our church's live nativity.  It was great!  I enjoyed running into an old school friend, the weather was great for walking through the nativity, and of course the boys enjoyed the cookies, hot chocolate, and crafts at the end.

Saturday was our annual cookie bake day at Mike's mom and stepdad's.  Lots of work!  Add that to Caleb bumping over on their wood floor a container of little balls for decorating cookies and we had quite the day.  :)  We cleaned up as best we could, but I'm sure they'll be finding those balls for awhile!  I suggested we use them as a game at our family Christmas party - like whoever finds the most wins, or whoever finds one the furthest from the point of origin wins, etc.  :)  Despite all that it was a fun day with family!

That evening we ended up having a last minute get together with some friends.  They had attended our church, but recently felt it was time to move on, so it was nice to have a chance to catch up with them.  We stayed WAY too late, but the kids were playing so nice and it was great to actually have a conversation!

The next morning we all had to be up bright an early as Mike was Deacon on duty for the 8:30am service, and I had to be in nursery during that service.  It was a little rough getting the boys up and going, but not TOO bad.  I pretty much spent the afternoon in a haze as I wanted to just nap, but "quiet time" for the boys isn't exactly quiet, and Caleb was in the playroom playing the keyboard nice and loud.  :)

In the evening we didn't have church due to the live nativity, so the boys and I just stayed home while Mike went in to count the morning offerings with the other Deacon on duty for the day.

And then, all of the sudden, the weekend's over!  Seems so nice and long at the beginning, then it's all done so fast.

Just remembered a couple other cute things the boys say.  Levi calls cats, "kitty-ats".  He frequently uses the word "actually", and with meaningful hand motions.  There's also been a few times lately that he's been upset over being told not to do something, and he'll say to me, "I'm mad at you!"  I sure hope he's not through with being my little sweetie pie!  :)

lots to say

As most of you know, my three boys each have PLENTY to say.  (That certainly couldn't be from their genetics....hmmmmm???)  I just wish I could record it all!  I'm really trying to soak it up and enjoy the things they say now, because I know someday I'll miss the way they are now and I won't be able to remember how they said certain things and what they sounded like.

So anyways, one of my favorites that Levi says right now is "lasterday" when he's referring to something that happened in the past.  He's also gotten into using his hands when he talks - yet another clear sign that he is most definitely Mike's son (not that there was any question!).  ;)

I believe I've mentioned in the past that we often listen to The Phantom of the Opera while we're in the car.  Incredible music that I have loved for years.  The other day there was one point where I told the boys I had goosebumps from the music.  A couple days later we were listening to Phantom again and Logan asked, "Mom, are you getting freckles??"  Took a minute to figure out what he was asking about.  :)

One of the boys' favorite evening pastimes is playing "Kid".  This is where we pretend to be a family (pretty crazy, huh?), but our roles are all mixed up.  Mike is "Kid", I am "Sister", Caleb is usually "Grandpa", Levi is "Dad" or "Mom", and I can't remember what role Logan is usually in.  Love it.  And they usually stick with it pretty good for awhile.  When Levi is playing "Dad" he'll even talk about how he went to work in the celery, etc.

quick sick

Caleb and Logan have both been 'blessed' with some quick moving stomach bug.  Sometime during the night last Wednesday, Caleb threw up (from the top bunk, down the ladder, onto the floor...) and of course we didn't find out about it until the next morning.  Mike and I were supposed to go to Grandpa Wesseling's funeral, but I stayed home with the kids so that Mike could go.  Caleb did throw up one more time (We were upstairs in Levi's room and I saw it coming, so I quick got him in the hallway so it landed on hard floor instead of carpet - whew!), but after that he was fine.

Things were good for a couple days and I thought we were in the clear!  However, Saturday afternoon we went to the Tiemeyer Christmas party in Charlotte, and when we were almost home Logan threw up in the van.  (I was in the truck because we had picked Mike up there on the way to the party.)  He got sick a few more times that evening, but then got a good night's sleep and was fine in the morning.  After much consideration, Mike took Caleb and Logan to Sunday School for rehearsal because the Christmas program was in the evening and we had all been very much looking forward to it.

I'm keeping a close eye on Levi!

So, yeah, last night was the church Christmas program!  A much anticipated event in our household (mostly by Mike and I, the unabashedly proud parents).  This was Levi's first program.  Mike's been coaching him for weeks to say, "Hi, Dad!" from up on stage, and we've been encouraging him to sing, but he was as stoic as ever up there.  Partway through he spotted us and gave us a smile, and he did ring his bell when the time came, but otherwise did not make a peep!  Oh well, could have been worse...  :)  The 2's and 3's were definitely not a very lively group this year.

Caleb and Logan on the other hand...  First, their class was sitting on benches at the very front waiting for their turn in the program.  When Levi's class came walking in Caleb was waving to Levi and MADE SURE Levi saw him - as in, stood up, leaned over the bench in front of him, and waved and waved right in Levi's face.  Really wish I had gotten a shot of that.  Then when it was their turn, they went up on the steps and everything was good.  Well, I could tell right away that Caleb and the boy next to him should not have been allowed to be next to each other, but both Caleb and Logan were standing nice and singing.  We got a few waves and smiles.  Partway through, Caleb had an issue with his tie.  It was not on anymore, and at one point he turned around so a teacher could try and put it back on.  She was not successful, so, he took his tie and clipped it to his chest pocket for the rest of their songs.  There were a few chuckles over that one.  :)  We were worried about Logan for a minute because he was standing there looking blank, but all was well.

Logan doing the motions.

Caleb's 5 year interview

Logan's 5 year interview

FIVE

Somehow, I blinked, and now I have two five-year-olds!! On November 29 we celebrated Caleb and Logan's fifth birthday.  We hosted a big family party at my parent's house, and I think they loved having cousins from both sides together in one place.  Logan was helping introduce Alyssa and Heidi (they've been together at a couple things before, but it's been awhile), and said something like, "These are my two best girlfriends!"  :)

We had tacos for supper, then Mike had a treasure hunt for the kids up in the hay loft.  After they were finished with that, they came in for cake and ice cream.  Then, finally, it was present time.  :)  Caleb and Logan got LOTS of Legos and they are really enjoying them!  I knew they were each getting a bucket of Legos from Grandma and Grandpa VanBeek, but unknowingly, the aunts and uncles all gave some Legos as well.  :)  At one point when planning the party I had considered doing a Lego theme, I didn't, but I guess it kinda turned out that way anyways!  I have high hopes that the Legos will be something they enjoy for years to come.

The only mishap (that I know of) was when Caleb got his fingers pinched in a door.  Mike was asking Caleb about it at the end of the night and he claims he was the one shutting the door...so, he pinched his own fingers?!  Not quite sure how that happened, I may need to ask him to do a re-enactment.  Anyways, I hear the boys scream all the time, but this was a scream that was different than normal and you knew something was actually wrong.  :(  Wasn't sure what I was going to see when he came in the room, but thankfully there was just some broken skin on one finger and the other had a big dent in it - no bones sticking out and no major amounts of blood.  Good thing we had a doctor in the house, though!  :)  The injury slowed him down for a little bit, but not too bad.

For quite a while now Caleb and Logan have been practicing headstands and handstands and Mike kept telling them he wanted them to do it for their party - Logan seems especially agile with this kind of stuff, Caleb seems more like a Steenwyk...  :)  Anyways, Caleb didn't want to perform, but Logan did and after a few tries he nailed an awesome handstand!  Held it for probably 5 seconds.

Also, afterwards Mike and I noted how well Levi did kind of fending for himself throughout the evening.  :)  I know I saw other people helping him from time to time (thank you!), but he didn't seem to mind that Mike and I were quite preoccupied most of the time.

I am going to try and do an interview with each of the boys soon.  Because, of course, I sit down to write something about them and what they're up to now at 5-years-old and my mind goes blank...

winter

Well, I guess it's winter! Being outside you'd think it's January, but we haven't even had Thanksgiving yet! The last few days we've been blasted with snow, wind, and cold. But, I wasn't going to let that stop me from my plans for an overnight solo getaway! Last Thursday Mike found out that he wouldn't have to come back to work until this Thursday - I was thinking maybe we should do an impromptu family trip, but he suggested to go away by myself!  No arguments here.  :)  I hopped in Mike's 4WD truck yesterday morning, made my way to Holland, did a bunch of shopping, stayed in a hotel, and have done some more shopping today.  Right now I'm camped out in Panera for awhile.  Soon enough I'll have to head out for groceries, and then make my way home.  This has been such a wonderful time and I'm so thankful for Mike suggesting I do this and for his willingness to stay home with the boys.  :)

Last weekend was a nice family weekend.  And, looking at the calendar, the last 'slower' weekend until after the holidays.  Friday evening we had supper with my parents and started making plans for our vacation with them in March.  I already had an RV rented, and now I think we have a general route somewhat nailed down!  We're getting very excited about this.  I'm just a little nervous about the sleeping arrangements in the RV.  :)  Saturday Amy came over with her kids.  They played outside for quite a while, then got wild and crazy in the house.  It was nice that we could do a Saturday, since her oldest is in school during the week and the boys enjoy playing with him.  Saturday afternoon we went to see the RV we have rented, and then made a trip to Cabela's, and then Culver's for supper.  Sunday we actually made it to church as a family!!!  This is a rare occurrence this time of year.  Normal church responsibilities + winter sickness = we don't get to sit together in church much.  Levi "sat" through the whole morning service.  He's still a 2-year-old, so there's not much sit in his pants, but you gotta start somewhere!  Mike led our adult Sunday School class, and if I must say so myself, did a nice job.  :)

The boys have really enjoyed playing in the snow so far this year.  Definitely a big change from last year to this year in Levi.  Last winter it was just hard enough for him to get around that he wasn't a huge fan, but he's having tons of fun this year.  Mike is working on a fort in the woods and the boys enjoy 'helping' with that and playing in the woods. Roxy loves the snow, too.

Speaking of Roxy, she is growing LIKE A WEED!  Took her to the vet last Friday for a shot, and she had put in about 3 lbs in 3 weeks.  She's also not as innocent as she looks either.  She swiped a piece of pizza off the table when no one was looking.  And, she has a thing for socks and shoes, which she has access to because I just have a curtain instead of a door in the hallway closet.  She is doing VERY well with commands like "come" and "sit".  Probably the biggest thing we need to work on right now is not jumping.

Levi has been doing very well with potty training!  There were a few hit or miss days there, but now I think it's been a few days since he's had an accident.  Because of how things were going for a bit there we started putting him in pull-ups instead of underwear, but he's been staying dry.

Caleb and Logan will be 5 soon, and I can't believe it!!  It's exactly like they say, "The days are long, but the years are short."  SO TRUE.  Love my boys so much, but sometimes I wonder how I'm going to make it through the day, with all the fighting and disobedience and all, yet how has it been almost five years since they were born?!

end in sight?

After THOUSANDS of diaper changes, we may just be nearing the end!  For about six months now Levi has been good about doing his #2 business on the toilet - I believe there were two separate times that we had slight set backs, but now it's been a wonderfully long time since I've had to change a dirty.  :)  Anyways, I wasn't pushing him with #1 and just figured that he'd do it when he was ready.  Yesterday we spent the entire afternoon at my parent's house visiting with some missionary friends.  At one point Levi told me he had to go to the "bafroom", so I brought him, took off his diaper, and ran out to the car to get a clean one while he was sitting on the can.  I had used up my stash in the car!  So, we decided to just let him go commando and see what happened.  :)  He did great!  Put some underwear on him when we got home, and then a diaper for bedtime (who knows, we could be using a diaper at night for a while yet, but that's okay!).  This morning at church I was in nursery anyways, so I decided to go ahead and keep going with the underwear thing, and I told him that if he made it all morning without an accident I'd take him to Meijer to pick out his own brand new underwear.  (Mike was home with Caleb and Logan.)  So, he chose some Lightning McQueen underwear.  We did put a pull-up on for naptime, but he stayed dry!  He did have an accident a little bit after that, but so far that's the only one (and it's almost bedtime) - so, over a day in underwear with only one accident, I'd say we're headed in the right direction!!

cupcakes

Yesterday I made cupcakes for Levi's half-birthday (which was the day before, but we were hardly home that whole day).  We don't normally do the half-birthday thing, but, quite honestly, I did it just to spite Caleb and Logan.  ;)  Birthday's are the topic of discussion quite frequently around here.  Also, Caleb and Logan are forever finding ways to upset Levi.  About a month ago once such discussion about birthdays was taking place, and Mike and I must have said something about Levi being 2 1/2 soon.  Of course, Caleb and Logan made sure to pipe up and say that Levi wouldn't have a cake for his half-birthday, hoping to make him mad.  So, I said, "Maybe he will!"  And, so we had some yummy cupcakes with frosting last night, and even sang Happy Half-Birthday.  :)  While eating his cupcake Levi said, "Happy Birthday to....Myself!"  :)

sick

I am home from church with a sick Levi this morning.  :(  He's acting fine, but has a pretty yucky sounding cough, and I was up once in the night with him.  He started with this latest cold two weeks ago.  It could be a long winter!

We had a pretty busy week, and then a nice, slower weekend.  Monday was a beautiful day, and every farmer in the area was harvesting soybeans.  I took in a load for my dad and waited THREE hours to unload!!

Tuesday evening we headed to the Wayland Livestock Auction with my parents.  My dad had several cattle to sell, and the boys hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing the auction yet.  :)  Going there is like stepping back in time - the place is the same as it was decades ago except for the digital scale read-out.

Wednesday night Mike and I enjoyed hanging out with Levi while Caleb and Logan had Gopher's.  Thursday evening Mike had a committee meeting at church.  Friday Mike had the day off work again!  In the late afternoon we took the boys "trick or treating" to Grandpa and Grandma VanBeek's.

Yesterday was a chilly, but beautiful day, and we were finally able to get some fall yard work done.  Leaf raking and lawn mowing, and Mike and my dad were able to finish up with soybean harvest.

project

I recently completed a fun project.  A while back I found a $20 coffee table that I intended to paint and put up in Caleb and Logan's room for building Lego's, etc. on.  Now that the table is done, we're liking having it in the living room.  :)  So, we'll see what we decide to do with it long term.

Forgot to take a "before" pic before I started work, but this gives an idea of the color it was.  I turned the garage into my workshop, and could get used to having that space...  :)

Midway in the project.  On the left is the top drawer, which is full length and pulls from both sides.

One of the bottom drawers almost complete.

Done!

moving on

We found a new home for Pixie yesterday!  It's such a relief to have this taken care of.  She's a good dog, just not the right fit for our family right now, so it was causing extra stress here at home and the situation really wasn't fair for her either.  I think her new home is a much better fit for her - no small children, no other dogs, and she'll get lots of attention.  :)  I talked to the new owners today and they are just thrilled with her.  I guess this whole experience is one of those things we have to come to terms with as an expensive life lesson and leave it at that - at some point I hope I can stop kicking myself over the money spent...  For some reason this situation reminds me of the plane ticket to Mexico that I didn't end up using my senior year of college (LONG story!) - there's a good chunk of change that I'll never get back!  :)

Roxy is growing like a weed.  She put on about 6 lbs in three weeks.  I could definitely feel it, she's like a brick when you pick her up!  She's doing pretty well with training.

It feels like I've been more "referee" than "Mom" lately.  Fighting, fighting, fighting all. the. time.  I've gotta figure out how to deal with this because I don't think it's going to get better any time soon!  (At least that's what the expert, my hubby, says...  I think maybe he and his brothers kinda started getting along by the time they were in their mid to late twenties???)

Levi's finding out that sometimes it just stinks being the little brother.  His big brothers get to do things he can't do, and he feels bad about that.  Mike was "Deacon on duty" this week, and when he locks up on Wednesday nights he takes Caleb and Logan around with him.  Levi was bummed that he didn't get to do it.  And, the next night, Mike took Caleb and Logan with him to help with soybean harvest, and Levi got sad about missing out on that, too.  But, I took him with me to run a few errands, and then we went to McDonald's for a treat, so that helped him feel better.  :)

Last Saturday I got to pretend to be a Soccer Mom for the morning.  It's just too bad that the weather then wasn't as gorgeous as it is now...  :)  My niece and nephew spent the night Friday, and I took them to their soccer games Saturday.  Brrrrr!  At least it was dry for Boden's game, it was nice and rainy for Heidi's.  Then, when Eric and Lea Anne came to pick up Boden and Heidi, they took Caleb, Logan, and Levi home with them because Mike and I had a wedding to go to in the afternoon.  It worked out nice to do a swap like that!  Took several times explaining it to the boys to get them to understand the logistics of it all.  :)  Mike and I went to our friend Aaron's wedding - we all worked together at Schreur's way back when, and Mike has actually known him since they were kids because their moms are cousins or something and they grew up going to the cottage on Barlow Lake together.

It's a beautiful day and there's lots of outdoor work that I'm not getting done.  Oh well!  We're off to a "harvest party" at my parent's a little later.

treasure

This past Saturday was our annual skeet shoot.  What a beautiful day we had for it!  Mike hid a little "treasure box" in the woods, and the kids sure had fun with that.  It was especially fun that Alyssa, the only girl, was the one who found it.  :)

Tuesday we visited Mike at work for lunch and it was POURING.  The boys were having a ball running around outside, and I just let them go.  But, of course, when we got home there was lots of complaining from them how they were all wet.  :)  That was the last day for Mike's shed this season, the other shed was supposed to finish up on Wednesday, but it ended up being too wet in the field to get the rest of the celery out, so they are finishing today.  Phew!  We survived another harvest season!

Last night Mike and I were able to go on a date.  We went to Peppino's in Allendale for supper, and then to Biggby for coffee.  The boys had fun playing at Harold and Kara's.

Caleb and Logan are almost constantly finding ways to upset Levi.  One surefire way is to call him "Levi Michael Krol".  Apparently he doesn't like his name...  He gets quite mad and is insistent that, "No!  I not Levi Michael Krol!"  Someday he'll think it's cool that his middle name is his dad's name.  :)

Both Caleb and Logan have had questions for quite some time regarding family relationships, but Logan especially is thinking things through and making connections.  Last night after leaving Harold and Kara's, and the boys were talking about playing in the basement, Mike was telling them about how his bedroom used to be down there and he shared it with Uncle Harold and Uncle Dan.  So, we got into how Uncle Dan is a stepbrother to Mike, and it was Logan that piped up and said that it's just like Grandpa is Daddy's stepdad.  And, this morning he was making the connection about in-laws, too.  Interesting to see them try and figure this stuff out.  :)

quiet

Nice, quiet, uneventful weekend at home.  We needed it!  The only bummer was that most of us were dealing with a cold, and due to the weather we postponed our annual skeet shoot party.  On Friday Mike's packing shed didn't run and he actually got the whole day off.  I was able to go out and run a bunch of errands by myself for the morning!  On Sunday, due to all the snotty noses, we did not go to church.  However, in the afternoon Mike and I both had meetings to attend at church, and he had to usher for the evening service.  So, I took the boys with me to my meeting and set them up in the corner with snacks and Curious George on my laptop.  After the meeting was done we just hung out in that room until Mike was done ushering and came to get us to go home.

I absolutely love listening to my kids learn different words and how to express themselves!  The other day Levi said something about the "pile" on his thumb.  :)  He has callouses on both thumbs thanks to being a thumb-sucker.

A couple months ago I hauled out my Phantom of the Opera and Fiddler on the Roof cd's and put them in the van to listen to.  The boys LOVE them!  I can't wait until they're old enough to go see the musicals.  :)  Anyways, if you ever hear one of them going around saying something like, "...and you've got your eye on the Rabbi's son..." (Like Logan was the other day...) now you know where it's coming from.  :)

thoughtful

Logan really is a thoughtful guy.  The other day he picked a whole bunch of mint leaves and spread them all over the rug on the side porch to make it smell nice.  :)  And, a couple days ago after a meal he said, "That was rockin', Mom!  It's rockin' in my tummy!"  He learned that word from Peg + Cat on tv, which is also where he learned to like Beethoven, which we listen to in the form of Trans Siberian Orchestra.  :)

Last week we had family pictures taken.  It had been a couple years, and I figured it would be neat to have some with Roxy as a puppy.  The photographer (actually a former photography student of mine back at the YMCA) came here, and we just did a quick session in our yard.  The boys MOSTLY did really well (they were great until near the end when their attention spans were just over it), and we had beautiful weather.

Remember how Caleb and Logan are in separate classes for Gopher's (Wed night program at church) this year?  The report from both of their teachers is that when their classes are together (story time and sometimes game time), they right away stick together.  For example, I guess the kids sit on carpet squares for story time.  Not only do the boys sit next to each other, they SHARE a carpet square.  :)

And, just because who can get enough of a cute puppy??  Here's a pic of Roxy in one of her fav napping spots.

flapjacks

One of our favorite songs, "Flapjacks" by Recess Monkey, came on during breakfast and Caleb said, "How do you do flapjacks again?"  I said, "They're pancakes!"  And then Caleb got down and tried to do jumping jacks.  :)

correction

Levi keeps pretty good tabs on things around here.  The other day Logan was praying before we started breakfast and said something like, "...Thank you that we could get Roxy..." (btw, Logan is often very thoughtful in his prayers, and it's such a joy to hear).  After he was done Levi made sure to correct Logan and remind him that he and Caleb were at Gopher's when we picked her up.  :)

Another cute thing from Levi and all his talking, apparently his brothers are a package deal to him.  Most of the time now he refers to them as "Caleb Logan", leaving out the "and".

Saturday Mike was gone all day on his annual pilgrimage to The Big House.  Every year he takes in a U of M game with the men of his family.  Of course it rained (it always does for them), but at least it was warmer this year than last.  :)  But, all the good food and good times make up for a little rain!

The boys and I had a nice day around home getting some things done, and in the evening went to a get together for our group at church.  Couldn't help reflect that maybe a year ago, for sure two years ago, I would not have attempted going to something like that without Mike.  My babies are growing up and getting slightly more manageable!

roxy

Our newest Golden is finally here! Last night we were able to pick up Roxy to bring her home. What a sweetheart! Doing my best to soak up this cute puppy-ness while I can, since I know she'll change fast. She has been doing really well so far. We have her cage in the house just for the first while.  She cried (loudly) for the first 5-10 minutes at bedtime, but then did great!  Mike let her out for a potty break before he went to work around 3am (Poor guy, had a church meeting that went to almost midnight the other night, and he's not getting a chance to catch up.), she cried for a few minutes again when he put her away, but then she was fine until I got up to let her out.  I was mentally prepared for it to be worse, so I'm really pleased that she slept well!  The only bummer is that I did still have to get up in the night - Levi woke up screaming, I'm guessing he had a bad dream. :(

I'm not a "animals are practically people" type of person, but it just about broke my heart to hear Roxy's mom crying and howling last night when we picked her up.

It will be interesting to see how things play out with Pixie and Roxy.  Right now Pixie is just a tinier bit bigger than Roxy, and of course, she's been here longer, so she's acting like boss.  Wonder if she'll be able to keep that up once Roxy is bigger.  Things have been improving with Pixie and the kids, but if she doesn't do well with Roxy we'll just have to find a new home for her.  Sorry Pix, Roxy gets priority!

I've finished up with the garden, and my latest project here at home (getting stuff ready for a garage sale, selling things on craiglist, etc.) is almost taken care of. So, I can focus on training kids and dogs!  Should be fun.  :)

overflow

How could your heart just not totally burst when you see this guy?? Last night after supper Mike was gone to a meeting, Caleb and Logan were having some tv time, and Levi came to me while I was doing dishes asking to have this cape on.  He kept running down the hallway, through the dining room.  He said, "I'm Superman. I can get Caleb and Logan. I can save you." Gahhh! And then he came out to the garden with me, and was keeping very busy digging and moving dirt around - all while wearing the cape. Love.

sick

Everyone else has started school so that means my family is getting sick.  Seriously, what is up with that?!  The kids were exposed to other kids that go to school (who weren't sick themselves) two times that I can think of and we're getting sick already.  I remember this happening last year at the beginning of the school year, too.  Ugh.  So, Levi came down with a cold first.  I'd say he, Mike, and I have had it the worst; Caleb and Logan haven't been too bad.  Levi was bad for a day, then seemed almost totally better the next, but the day after that it seemed to be bothering him again.  Friday night and Saturday night he didn't sleep well; I don't know if it was the cold, bad dreams, his attachment to me, or what.

Friday night Mike and I went to a wedding.  (Had a great time, by the way.  Our table was only Mike and I, Mike's brother Harold (Kara had to stay home with the kids), and their cousin Joe.  Our table was way in the corner and we were able to just enjoy hanging out.)  So anyways, when Mike and I got home close to 11pm, Levi was just crying and crying and the babysitter was trying to calm him down.  She said he was fine all evening, went to bed great, and it was just the last half hour or so that he had been crying.  It took quite a while for him to calm down, and I finally got him back to bed.  I had to get up once more during the night for him.  Saturday night Mike put him to bed because I was mowing the lawn.  He slept fine for a couple hours, then woke up crying and upset.  I was up with him for hours then.  If I stayed with him he wasn't crying, but he was very restless and would just not settle down.  I tried sitting in the chair in his room with him, laying on the floor in his room, sitting in the recliner downstairs, and bringing him to our bed (which I have NEVER done, but just didn't know what else to do!).  None of those went very well, but when I tried putting him back in his crib he just cried and cried.  What to do with a two-year-old who has slept through the night since he was about a month old and now won't??  Finally, after a few hours of restlessness, he did fall asleep in my lap in the chair, and I was able to put him to bed.  Last night I made sure that I was the one to put him to bed (just in case this is an attachment thing), and he has slept all night.  After he got up I asked him if he slept good and he stated, "I didn't have a bad dream."  Phew!

Yesterday morning Mike stayed home from church with the sickies, and I went to work in the nursery.  In the evening Mike had to usher and we decided Logan was well enough to go with him.  Mike loved having the one-on-one time with him!  It's so nice when we get a chance to do that, it can just be so hard to make it happen.  This guy is full of deep questions and wants to figure things out.  Mike told me that last night Logan asked him, "If a police car is going too fast will another police car stop him?"  Last week we had a good discussion with him about marriage.

We're getting very excited for our new puppy!  And, things have been going a little better with Pixie.  :)  Two more bedtimes until we bring Roxy home.  Last night Levi was upset that Logan got to go in the truck with Mike to church, so I reminded him that on Wednesday night he gets to go by himself with us to get Roxy while Caleb and Logan are at Gopher's.  He had no problem reminding Caleb of that later.  :)  The memory on this kid amazes me!  Awhile back I had a birthday card for my nephew sitting on our desk for way too long.  (He lives next door, you'd think I could get a birthday card to him!)  Once, Levi grabbed it and ripped the envelope.  Just a day or two ago I was talking to Mike about the garden and said something about ripping out whatever's left in there.  Levi heard me use the word "rip" and then said, "I ripped Jason's card."  That was a few weeks ago!  And, every once in a while he still brings up the accident we witnessed on our way home from West Virginia.  The other boys don't talk about it, but he does.  "That guy...upside down in his car...raining..."  Comments like that.

Love watching these kids observe, think, learn, and grow!

catch-up

Right after the fair was our annual canoe trip, and we had gorgeous weather for it!  The boys loved staying at Uncle Eric and Aunt Lea Anne's and playing with Boden and Heidi.  I guess Levi asked for me a lot, but he was fine.  :)

The next weekend was our last Saturday at Harold and Kara's cottage for the summer.  :(  We are so thankful that they allow us to share in their summer fun!

For Labor Day we got some small projects done around the house, relaxed, and went to my parent's for supper.  Labor Day is a much appreciated holiday here as it marks the halfway point of celery harvest.

Last Wednesday we went and picked out our new Golden Retriever!  We have been on a waiting list since April (who knew it was so hard to get a dog...), and it was finally our turn.  We had six females to choose from - they were all so stinkin' cute.  Mike felt partial to one, so we went with that one.  She'll be old enough to come home with us in one week!  We're all getting pretty excited over here.  Things with Pixie have been so-so.  At the moment I'm slightly more on the side of making things work rather than finding her a new home, but who knows, that could change.  :)

Saturday we went canoeing with Harold & Kara and family, Dave & Vonda, and some of the Koning's.  It was a beautiful day!  I wish I had some photos, but didn't risk taking my phone on the river.  :)  Most of the time Levi was in Mike and I's canoe, Caleb and Logan were in Harold's canoe.  Caleb and Logan did each take a turn riding in Vonda's kayak.  We saw tons of turtles out sunbathing.

Lately I've been busy getting clothes, baby stuff, etc. ready to sell.  We have TOO MUCH STUFF.  I'm so sick of it!

Poor Levi has come down with a cold.  I guess even though my kids aren't in school, the fact that other kids started school last week means that my kids are going to start getting sick.  :(  It was such a nice, healthy summer here!

Tonight Caleb and Logan start back up with our church's Wednesday night Word of Life program - we decided to request they be in different classes this year, it will be interesting to see how that goes!  Thought this would be a nice way to give it a try since they're familiar with Word of Life, and it's just a once a week thing for a short period of time.  And, they'll still see each other during song/story time.  We were telling them about it last night, and so far they seem fine, although Caleb has said a few times that he's going to miss Logan.  It's not surprising that he might be the one that has a harder time with it, given his homesickness when we were in WV, and just his general sensitivity (even though he acts like tough guy).

I SO WISH I could have a camera running all the time!  Just to hear the things Levi says at this age are my favorite.  I can't remember what types of things Caleb and Logan said at this age like I wish I could.  Last week the boys and I watched some "old" movie clips of them that I have on the computer - there was one of Logan holding Levi as a newborn that was especially funny.  Why didn't I record them more?!?!  After watching that I did sit the boys down and do a little interview time - I'll have to get that uploaded and on the blog.  :)

fair

This week is fair week!  And, of course, the boys have been looking forward to it since last year's fair.  We were able to make it two different nights.  One night to look at the animals and have dessert with my parents (tradition!), and another night to go on a couple rides and play a couple games.  

Face painting!  Caleb and Logan both got the Batman symbol on their arm.

Mike, Caleb, and Logan rode the ferris wheel while Levi and I watched.

This is Lucy, the goldfish I won this year.  :)

genes

So, we got into a discussion about genes at supper tonight.  Mike and I were trying to simply explain that each of the boys is half me and half him, but with a slightly different make-up of genes.  I did say at one point that "genes" in our bodies are different than "jeans" we wear.  I decided to make things a little more complicated and mention how I'm half Grammy and half Papa, and how Daddy is half Grandma and half his dad.  Logan said something like, "Wait.  Now I'm really confused.  You're not wearing Papa's pants!"  :)

WV photos

Sleepy guys.

Logan woke up for the tunnel, Caleb was too sleepy.  He DID get to see it on the way home, though!

Somebody with a crocodile tear after being cranky...

With Corrine in Baltimore.

The boys loved playing with Micah's car!

Best buds.

 Taking four boys to the park = crazy.  :)

In the hammock with Logan.  I am again determined to find a spot for the TWO hammocks I have stored away!

Levi helping Jenna bake brownies.  He has a few things to learn about food safety, but loved helping.

Figuring out the design for the front doorstep.

New sidewalk in process.

Hanging out with Levi at church after he was too sad to stay in nursery.

Katie's party.

Dad had trouble staying awake to watch Katie open her presents.

At the Potomac.

 Bring on the awkward family vacation photos!

Levi did a TON of "mowing"!

Sweet Frog.

My beautiful nieces didn't want their photo taken with their crazy aunt.

The accident on the turnpike.