Holyoke Trip

We made a quick overnight trip to Holyoke to see Great Grandpa.  The kids always love going to Holyoke.  Holyoke is a little like The Andy Griffith Show.  It is a small, small town in the middle of nowhere and there isn't much to do except explore outside, which is the best kind of fun if you ask me.   Everyone knows everyone and you walk to the grocery store.  It is a slow, laid back kind of life. 

 

Every good road trip starts out with a coffee from our favorite local shop, Lost Coffee. 

 

Levi was so tickled to have his own "coffee" juice.

 

 

Since the beginning of Fall the kids have been looking forward to jumping in a pile of leaves.  When we saw all the leaves in Grandpa's yard we found some rakes and they got busy raking.   

 

 

 

 

Joshua found a spider and let it crawl all over him.  ACK!!!  

 

Then we did a quick photo shoot.

 

 

 

The babies are done.     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lunch with Grandpa.

 

Papa and his princess.  

Levi's Big Kid Bed

About 2 months ago Levi started climbing out of his crib like some sort of baby ninja.  The first time he did it I had put him in his crib for a few minutes so I could get something done.  When I went to get him he was reading books on his bedroom floor.  I was stunned! He did it again a few weeks later.  He slowly started to do it more and more.  We wanted to drop his mattress to the floor but it didn't work with our crib but we were able to turn his crib around since the back side was higher and then push the crib into a corner leaving only one side to climb out.  This bought us another week of time before he figured out he could climb out the side.  Soon he was climbing out almost every time we put him in his crib and sleeping on the floor.  One night when we checked on him we couldn't open the door because he was sleeping in front of it. 

 

Napping on the floor.

 

We were so not used to this.  Joshua climbed out ONE TIME, fell and never tried again.  He slept in a crib until he was 3.  Kayla started climbing out right before her 3rd b-day with my permission (I hurt my back and couldn't lift her out).  She too slept in her crib until age 3.  We were not ready to switch this little guy to a bed at age 2. 

My last resort was a sleep sack and he hated it.  He screamed and cried when I would put it on.  It worked but it was torture for him.  I couldn't continue to put him in it. 

I took everything out of his room.  He literally had a dresser and crib in his room and nothing else.  There was no incentive to climb out yet he was still doing it. 

It was becoming very clear that Levi flat out hated his crib.  He cried when I would lay him down, he was taking short naps and waking up miserable!  I honestly think he hated his crib because he knew he was the only one in the house with a crib.  He wanted a bed just like Joshua and Kayla has. 

With much dread, we finally decided to take his side off his crib.  We thought for sure it would take weeks to get him to stay in bed but we were wrong.  Switching him to a big kid bed was the best decision and every night I am amazed at how well the transition has been.  He loves his new bed!  Putting him down for naps and night is a breeze.  He happily climbs in his bed, lays down and stays put.  He is taking much longer naps, waking up happy, and stays in his bed contently until we go get him.   

Along with a big boy bed he also got a clock like J and K have (it turns green when they are allowed to get up).  I thought for sure that when it turned green he would be yelling for us to come get him but he doesn't.  He stays so quietly in his bed.  When I go into his room he tells me in the most excited voice, "Green!!!"  After I get him up in the mornings and from nap we go and check J and K's clocks and each time he gets so excited to see their clocks are green too!  His reaction is great!  It is like he is seeing it for the first time every morning!

First night in his new bed. That face says it all.  He was so excited.  For about a week after taking his side off he would point to his bed and tell me, "Daddy make."  Translation: "Daddy made this new bed for me."

I can't help but check on him every night before I go to bed.  Nothing cuter than sleeping babies. 

 

 

 

My baby is growing up!

Estes Park Family (minus 1) Trip

 

This past weekend Daniel and I took Joshua and Kayla on an overnight trip to Estes Park.  The weeks leading up to our trip they were so excited.  They talked so much about going to Estes.  J even had a countdown going.  They couldn't wait to sleep in a hotel.  It was their first hotel stay so I wonder what they thought it was going to be.  We decided to leave Levi with Omah and Papa where he had blast being the center of attention.   He is still at the age where he can't handle staying up late and missing a nap very well.  He would have been a ball of crankiness.  We sure missed our little buddy and can't wait to take him next year!

Daniel and I used to take an annual trip to Estes every fall and so it was a lot of fun taking the trip with the big kids. 

Fall is the best time to go because of the Elk rut when the males are rounding up their females for mating season.   Unfortunately we must have gone one weekend too late.  Every year we have gone there are literally 100 elk on the golf course.  But this year we had to hunt them down and when we spotted them there were only a handful of them together.

We told Kayla is was going to be cold in the mountains so she had to get all her snow gear on.  We were able to convince her to take her snow jacket off for the 2 hour car ride up but this hat she wore for most of the trip.  She told me it was for the elk. 

 

 

Checking into our hotel.  They were so excited!

tic-tac-toe and Hang Man while waiting for dinner.

Taffy Shop.

A stop at our favorite treat spot!

In Estes, deer and elk have the right away. 

 

One of their favorite things from the trip was swimming in the pool.  J was so excited about being able to swim in a 9 foot deep pool.  I have to admit, I was a little nervous the first time he showed me his new trick when he and Daddy would together and then jump in but he did awesome! 

 

 Another favorite thing was jumping from bed to bed. 

 

 

Kayla's babies are tucked in.

Another favorite (I think everything was a favorite on this trip) was watching cartoons in bed.

 

 Family hike.

 

J sound a cave. 

 

 

We finally found the elk!!! We saw several on the golf course the next day.  We saw some locking horns while in the water which was super cool.  The two smaller males kept locking horns and then would approach the bigger male who had a herd of females.  Then they would back off once they saw they weren't intimidating him.  Dan played some bugling elk on his phone and the largest elk bugled back, and then got up and started moving his herd. 

 

  

Joshua and a rattlesnake.  Boy loves snakes.

 



Meanwhile, back at home Levi had a blast with Omah and Papa going to CFA, having his first McDonalds experience and going to Touch a Truck.  

While at the swimming pool at the hotel we saw a little boy who was Levi's twin.  WOW!  When I pointed him out to J I said, "Doesn't that look like Levi?"  J said, "Yes...is it?" We couldn't get over how much he looked like Levi.  The next day I completely forgot about all that.  Then Omah sent us this picture and right away all I could see in this picture was the boy from the pool.  Daniel said the same thing. 

 

 

 

 

Such a fun, fun time for all of us.  Since being home the kids have been playing Estes and going to Haley's (the treat shop).  Love seeing them create such fun memories.  



Happy B-day Levi

Dear Levi,

Happy, happy 2nd b-day to you.  It is so hard to remember that you are 2 because you do everything your big bro and sis do.  Nothing slows you down.   

You are so funny and silly.  It isn't hard to make you laugh and you love to have the attention on you.  When company comes over you put on quite the show by doing random silly things for attention. 

You love cars, trains, swinging, running, climbing and demanding me to, "watch!" right before you do something crazy!  You also like to wrestle Joshua and Kayla.  You are almost always the one to initiate a wrestling match and you have absolutely no problem holding your own. 

You are such a sweet boy always saying hi to people and giving out hugs which can easily be mistaken as choke holds.  You adore Joshua and Kayla and are always so happy to see them in the mornings. 
 
I joke that you have a very serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) which the doctor even noticed at your well check up appointment.  When you wake up from naps and in the morning you usually wail until I come and get you and then are fine once I bring you downstairs.  You think everyone else is up having a party without you.  You will not be treated any differently than Joshua and Kayla.  Age is nothing but a number to you ;)

We love you and your tenacious personality.  You are so strong, crazy and wild but also so tender and affectionate. 

I pray that your unstoppable personality will be used to do many great and mighty things for the One who loves you and His kingdom!

I love you my spirited, sweet boy!

Love,

Mommy

Well baby stats:
Height: 36 5/8 inches (95%)
Weight: 28 lbs (65%)
Head: 19 1/2 inches (85%)

Pediatrician office full of kids and my three were the loudest.  And when I say my three what I really mean is just Levi.  He just couldn't get over those fish. 

Told him the nurse was going to come in and give him a shot and he immediately climbed up on the table.  He is a trooper. 

 

He kept telling me his Jersey was cute. 

Always smiling for the camera.

I finally updated some pictures around the house to include Levi.  He couldn't get over seeing himself in the pictures.  He would just sit and smile at them. 

Notice how he pulled a chair over so he could sit and look?!