Happy -b-day Levi

Dear Levi,

Happy 5th b-day to you. Levi, you are my sugar and spice full of life child. Boisterous but also tender. You are sweet and salty all at once and we couldn't love you more! 

Today you turned 5 years old but age is just a number to you. There isn't anything you think you can't do.  You are brave and full of courage.  You wise and oh so smart.  You are a rule follower and love justice.  

You are a snuggle bug and I love your random hugs, especially the ones that seem to last forever.  You are kind and helpful.  

You love to do hard work and work on projects with daddy.  

God sure gave us a gift when He gave us you.  We love you to the moon and back.  

Birthday cookie tower.

After his borthday party at the skatepark with family, he got right to work putting togehter his new circuit board.  

He sat here for most of the afternoon.  

He was SO thrilled to receive this new circuit board. 

Birthday breakfast.

 

Saying Good-Bye

Saying goodbye is never easy.  Especially when you are a Mom watching your son say goodbye to is best, best buddies.

We have lived next door to these guys for 5 years and the boys have been playing almost daily ever since the day we moved in.  They really were the best of friends.  I have loved watching them grow and mature.  They got along so well and were into the same things.  They would play all day almost everyday and hardly ever fought.

I am going to miss my doorbell ringing at 7:30am, having them over for pancakes, the boys bouncing back between houses on snow days, and just watching them play.

Going away party.  

We were leaving to go out of town a few days before they headed out.  Joshua was playing in their house while we loaded the car.  Kristin said they were all having fun and then when she called Joshua to go home because it was time for us to leave, they all went silent and then came down crying.

Right before saying goodbye.  They are all three sobbing.  Broke my heart watching this.  

There just is no easy way to say goodbye to your best freinds.  My heart broke into pieces for these guys.  Watching your kid's heart break is one of the hardest things as a parent.  

August

Kayla and Levi both passed the swim test this summer and they were SO proud.   

When you homeschool you get to have the pool all to yourselves.

First day of their homeschool co-op which they totally LOVE!  Joshua always tells me, "you don't do even an ounce of paperwork."

Joshua started his own snake removal business.  He put some flyers on a few door steps, the mailbox and I posted it online in our community Facebook page.  So many people thought this was just great and a couple of people told me they have saved my number in their phones as snake hunter.  He got a call from someone in another subdivision.  When I asked how he got my number he said he posted for recommendations online and someone gave him Joshua's info.  The snake was about 3 feet long.  The guy said him and a neighbor spent 45 minutes trying to catch him.  Joshua caught it in about 15 minutes.

The best part about his busniness is that he charges by the foot.  $3 a foot, haha!

I got a call from someone who owed their own business.  I believe it was a well cleaning business.  He thought Joshua's business was so cool and said he sees a lot of snakes when he is out in the field and wanted to know if it was okay if he saved my number.

Lunch duty!

The oldest and youngest cousins.

His first library card.

September

Helping me make dinner.

I just love watching my kids out on the sports field.  Having all 3 in sports at once makes for busy Saturdays but I really love being at the field all day watching them.

Trying to get a good picture of my 2 soccer stars be like...  #reallife

Cleaning our shower is quite the operation.  

Oh Levi.  He spent most of his spccer time making sure his teammates were following the rules and wrestling them.  Soccer is not the sprt for him and the biggest lesson he learned this season is that we don't just quite something because we don't like it.  When we sign up for something, we see our commitment through.  Funny story, onetime during a game someone from the other team lost a shoe.  I saw Levi go up and say something to him.  When I later asked what he said, he told me he said, "We are in the middle of a game!"  LOL!

Kayla didn't love soccer either but man that girl played her whole heart out each game.  Every game she gained more and more improvement and it was so fun to watch.  She also has some great hussle. 

We had a little getaway and this was perhaps one of our highlights.  We ordered room service late at night and enjoyed a yummy burger in bed while watching a movie.  What can I say, we like food!

Kayla presenting her science experiment to her class.  

Family flag football game didn't end so well.  

"Mommy, can I buy this?!?!"  He told Joshua, 

"we can put out water bottles in it and ride our bikes."