Fun Festivities!

Christmas Day may have been calm and relaxed for us Boyers, but it has been busy since then! On Sunday Philip's sister Tamara and her family came over for Christmas gifts and a meal and we had 4 adults and 4 kids running around our house! It was wonderful chaos :). All the gifts seemed to be big hits and we enjoyed eating, talking by the fire and bathing all the kiddos in one bath tub!

this is our best effort at a shot of all the kids (5yrs,3yrs,18mo and 5 mo!)


Levi and Aunt Tamara (don't they look like family!)

On Monday we had Christmas with my side of the family at my parent's house. We went over in the morning, opened gifts and then had a yummy meal. After we were done with all the eating my Mom and Dad babysat the kiddos and all us adult kids went to see "The Blind Side" at the movies. It was so nice to get out with out Levi and the movie was REALLY good (probably one of the best I've seen in a long while). I highly recommend it...it will make you reconsider what you do with your time and money, and it is just well acted and enjoyable too. After the movies we went to have dinner with my Dad's parents at their very nice retirement home.


Nora helping Levi with his new toy

Tuesday I worked and then on Wednesday Levi and I went over to my sisters for a brunch with some good family friends the Gibsons. The oldest Gibson (now Gahan) Amanda and I became friends when we were 5 years old and lived very close to each other. We were great friends all through elementary and it was a very sad day when their family moved to McKinney! I am so glad we were able to keep in touch and our families still see each other every now and then. Amanda and I have a lot in common and we actually had sons 2 days apart! Her little Luke was at the brunch too. He is soooo cute and has the most handsome sparkling big blue eyes! (you can read more about this brunch at the link to the right for my sister Kate's blog)

Amanda with Luke, Kate with Nora and Jocelyn with Levi


Aunt Molly getting her some Levi snuggles

Well, I always have to put in a little update about Levi. He now has his first tooth! Just one little sliver on the bottom, but I can't believe he is grown up enough to have a tooth!! He is also sitting up really well now and can push up onto all fours. I think we are still far from crawling though. He has added nanana to his vocabulary :) And is really laughing a lot these days and enjoying his stunts with Dad even more.


Happy New Year Everyone and God Bless your 2010!!!

Frozen White Christmas!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Ours turned out to be a little different than planned. One of the only draw backs to my job is working on holidays. This year I had to work on Christmas Eve (I was actually scheduled for Christmas Day, but a good friend switched with me so I could be home with Levi for his first Christmas...thanks Angela!!). As most of you know it started snowing in Fort Worth at about 10am and continued to snow until about 8pm. We accumulated about 1-2 inches of snow which made for some pretty views from my patients room all day, but some yucky iced roads (not enough snow to drive on...just enough to make it really slick!). It took me an hour and 15 minutes to drive my usual 20 minute drive home due to all the wrecks, spin outs and just having to drive slowly. I was lucky though...some of my co-workers got stranded on the highway for hours! Our church's Christmas Eve service was also cancelled.

On Christmas morning all the snow was still on the ground and the roads were still icy. Philip's family was supposed to drive from Abilene to our house for lunch and gifts . Unfortunately Abilene got more than 6 inches of snow and I-20 was closed so they were not able to come. We didn't get their final decision until about 10:30 am and we already had all of the meal in the works so we decided to just keep cooking and have TONS of left overs :) We did enjoy or day with just our little family and had a yummy meal and lazed around with Levi all day.


Levi seemed to be mildly interested in his new toys and enjoyed watching the fire glow in our fireplace. We left him in his cute snowman pjs all day and stayed snuggled inside. We missed our family and going to church, but it turned out to be a good memory for our first Christmas as a family of three.

5 Months Old!

Today Levi turned 5 months old! I can't believe we are getting close to the half way point of his first year! This past month has been one of a lot of change for our little man. He is sleeping MUCH better...but still not through the night (although he has done it twice from 9pm - 5:30am) He now usually just wakes up once and I can just pat his back, tell him night night I love you and he will fall back to sleep. He hasn't eaten during the night for over a week now. I think we may be on the verge of a breakthrough :). He is really such a sweet easy baby right now and is very smiley. He also laughs a lot and happily screams at Penny or his toys. He is very vocal and "talks" all day long. His newest sound is dadadada (much to Philip's delight!)

He is now an expert at rolling over (tummy to back and back to tummy) and enjoys rolling all over the living room! He is able to push up and almost get onto all fours and he scoots around too. While on his "activity mat" he loves to roll around and pull down all the toys to chew on. In the picture below he started out on his back with his head near the dog picture.


Everything goes straight to his mouth if he has the choice and he loves to drink water from a big cup. He will reach for it very excitedly and take little sips of the water, he hardly even spills.


Despite all the drool and chewing he has no teeth yet (I think this is great!) and he has not quite mastered sitting up either. He can sit very well but has to always have his hand(s) out to prop himself up. If he lifts both arms he will tump right over.


His favorite things to do right now are; read books (especially Christmas in the Manger, Musical Bible Songs - yes it plays music!- First Words and In My Pond), chew on his toys, play on his activity mat or in his exersaucer, watch Penny and play stunt man with Daddy. I may have been a little hard on Penny yesterday...but she sure did have me mad! Levi sure does like her though and sometimes there is nothing sweeter than a little kid and their doggy!



I hope you all have a Wonderful Christmas! Isn't the way Jesus came to earth amazing!

Dog For Sale!

Oh how I used to adore my dog, Penny. She is beautiful, that's never going to change...but I used to think she was smart, funny, snugly, loving and just all around wonderful (most of the time) and now those thoughts seem to rarely cross my mind.

Every Tuesday morning Levi and I have a 1 hour long exercise class together. Last night I made Philip one of his favorite meals, fried fish. You can't just dump the oil down the drain. Although I had cleaned up all the rest of dinner I was too tired to mess with the oil so I left it sitting in the cast iron skillet on the back of the stove top....you might see where this is going. When we returned from class the skillet was empty on the floor and there was oil on the cabinets, dishwasher, floors and of course all over Penny...YEESH!!! I was quite angry to say the least. I threw Penny outside, put Levi down for his nap and hopped in the shower, hoping it would some how clean its self. Of course it didn't and I had some fun lunch plans with my good friend Amy. So...Penny got to spend the whole day outside, alone (this never happens to her). I just now - 6pm - finished bathing her after I mopped the kitchen twice and scrubbed the cabinets etc while Levi is taking his evening nap.

Ever since Levi was born I have liked Penny less. Sometimes I still love her and Levi does get a big kick out of her, but today I just about gave her away. I don't think I am the only person that feels this way...other Mom's have told me their pets became way less fun when they had kids too. I hear it gets better when the baby gets older...we will see! Some how Philip still loves her...I guess that is because she is his running and hunting partner...oh well.

Fun at Church!

We LOVE our small group! Last night we had a Young Marrieds Christmas Party up at church. There are 2 small groups out of our Sunday school class (which is called Young Marrieds) and we both got together and had yummy food and an ornament gift exchange. We had a good time talking with everyone and eating too much food! The ornament we ended up with is really pretty too! It's a white ceramic dove (thanks Natalyia!). Our group is really growing these days as more and more of us keep having babies and turning up pregnant :) There were 5 kiddos there last night (2 were missing) and there will be at least 3 more next year! This time last year there were only 2! Philip and I say this all the time, but it is such a blessing to have wonderful friends at church who are going through the same life changes right now! We are so lucky to have them all to talk with and pray with! We love you guys!!! Here are all the cute kids!

Levi (5 months) and Gracie(10 months) with their Dads Philip and Brock

Gavin (3 years)

Autry (7 months)

Evie (17 months)

Deck the Halls

I always really enjoy Christmas and this year it is just a little more fun with my new little guy in the mix :). I am also really enjoying our church this holiday season, the front is filled with bright red poinsettias and we have been singing the good old classic Christmas hymns (I would love to sing them year round...and we do every now and then). I am really looking forward to the Christmas Eve service! Our house is all decked out and we are having Christmas at our house this year with Philip's family. I think it is going to be really fun and I am pleased to spend Levi's first Christmas in our home.

If you read my sister Kate's blog you have already heard all about our crazy family stockings. My Gran started the tradition with my Mom and her siblings and now all or almost all of us grand kids have continued the tradition. You make the stocking by hand from felt (or I use fleece of the body of it) and you add a new little decoration each year that represents something big that happened to the stockings owner that year. I love this tradition and hope our kids will enjoy it as much as I did! Here are our three:

I have decorations on the front from my mom and the back from Philip, he hasn't added mine for this year yet...wonder what it will be about :)

Philip has 6 decorations because the first year I put 2 on there...our dog and wedding were both too important

Since this is Levi's first Christmas all he gets is his stocking with the main big decoration in the middle

I must say, our tree is really pretty this year! It must have been only the 4th or 5th tree we picked up and we just thought it was the perfect shape! I love looking at all our ornaments, we have some of Philip's from when he was a baby on up and lots of others we have collected over years we have had together. Levi has enjoyed looking at the lights and the sparkly ornaments.

Philip did a wonderful job on our lights again this year! He is really festive when it comes to Christmas lights and I love driving up to our house at night! I'm sure Levi will love the lights when he gets older!

Chunker Man the Second :)

Levi had his 4 month check up today. It was 2 weeks late due to the Thanksgiving holiday. I am so proud of my little guy! He tipped the scales at 17 pounds even (90%) and measured 27 inches (97%) with a 43.5 cm head circumference (80%). He has doubled since birth! My Dad used to call my little brother Seth his "chunker man" and I think we may now have a new chunker man in the family! His doctor said "he is ahead of the game and looking great." He also commented that "he is very interactive for his age." Levi's assessment was perfect and he did well with the shots (he still cryed, but not as much as last time).

Here are some changes in Levi's world since I last posted: he screams (happily), he has rolled from back to tummy a couple of times (but not mastered at all yet), he had his first cold (so sad he felt terrible and had a 101.3 temp!) he scoots all over the place (usually backwards, but sometimes in circles or forwards too).

Well, we have almost all of our Christmas decorations up and I am in the process of making Levi's stocking. Christmas seems a little more fun with a baby around...I can't wait 'til next year when he can get into it himself! Here's my cutie in his little baby sized santa hat!

Snow!

I know it's a little crazy and silly...but I couldn't resist getting some shots of Levi in the "snow"...especially since he wore his cute new snowman pjs last night and he has a hat that matches!

Crazy Thanksgiving Weekend!

We had three (that's right...3!) thanksgiving meals this year. Philips mom was in town so we had our first meal on Wednesday night with the Boyers (everyone was there...even Levi's great grandma and the Longs!). It was a nice meal and the kiddos always enjoy playing with their Uncle Philip and Levi.

Kamryn is a cutie full of energy!

Kadin playing with a stamp...make-up remover did the trick ;)

Kynlee loves to be Levi's little mommy she "helped" bathe him

...and she loves to hold him


On Thursday we had lunch with my Mom's family then dinner with my Dad's. This was probably the most laid-back Asher family Thanksgiving ever and the food was really good this year! We just all relaxed, chatted and napped after the meal.

Everyone enjoying the yummy meal

Levi enjoying the bouncer during the meal

Dessert...do you think 4 pies and a cheesecake was enough for 13 adults?


The Knochel side is always a little more hectic because there are many more people usually. This year was at my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Mark's house, which is extra fun because they live on land and have fun animals to look at. Levi was a real trouper and did great being passed all around from family member to family member!

Cousins Ellen, Tory and Ali were three little baby hogs! (I remember being just that way when they were babies!)

Big Boy CousinZane holding little Levi

Aunt Cindy and cousin Lauren show Nora a donkey named Jenny (they also saw chickens, pigs and cows...and dogs of course!)

To top the weekend off we went to the TTU v Baylor football game at Cowboy Stadium on Saturday night. We met my Mom, Dad, Auntie Anne, Uncle Mickey, Aunt Mary and Uncle Buddy at the game. We had a lot of fun and although it was closer than we would have liked we came out with a win and got to see the stadium in action...wow is that screen huge and distracting!

Levi spent about half of the game sweetly asleep :)
The adults after the win

The kids (ok...i guess since we have a baby we have to be the adults too!)


ending with a random fact: there are 2 men named Levi in the lineage of Jesus...I learned that this week, cool huh?!

4 Months Old and First Zoo Trip!

Today Levi turned 4 months old! I will say it again, I can't believe how quickly time is passing and how fast he is changing! He is such a wonderfully sweet little boy and I love him more everyday...somehow! It's hard to believe that he will some day be a pre-teen that sometimes drives me crazy, but I know it will happen.

Here are some new things Levi can do since last month:
sleep for up to 6 hours at night (usually just 4-5, but this is a big improvement!)
roll over from his tummy to back
grab things with both hands at once and bring them to his mouth
enjoy a nuk pacifier (yeah! no more soothie!)
add new sounds to his coos such as ahahah and mmmmmm
enjoy watching and moving his feet on purpose

This afternoon Levi and I went to meet his friend Evie and her mommy Erin at the Fort Worth Zoo. We had a wonderful time. The weather was perfect and there were lots of animals out playing. Evie enjoyed the animals a lot more because she is 16 months old and was so smart pointing out all the animals! Levi just enjoyed being outside and taking a nap in the stroller. We are planning on going again once Levi is a little older and can appreciate all the animals more. Thanks for planning a fun day Erin! You mean so much to me!

Levi in his cute monkey outfit with me in front of some monkeys (the dark blob to the left and above Levi's head is one)

Evie and Erin with one of the Elephants

Evie pointing out the really cool and cute swimming penguins

All four of us enjoying the sunshine with a rhino in the background

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving! This year I am especially thankful and more aware of my wonderful family and friends...us Boyers sure are blessed!

All About Philip!

Today was Philip's 27th birthday. In honor of his birthday, this blog entry is going to be all about him for once. He is out of town all weekend on a really neat/hopefully fun hunting trip with his Dad at a preserve called Hagerman where all you can use to hunt is a bow. I sent him off with cookies and candy since we would get to be together, boy does he have a sweet tooth!

I'm going to take this opportunity to brag on Philip. I don't think he ever even reads the blog, so I'm pretty sure he won't see this, but I feel so blessed by him I just have to share :)

I'm convinced that God placed Philip in my life and that He knew that Philip would be a wonderful balance for me and give me great help and joy in life. I really think he is neat and am so proud that he is my husband. He may not be perfect, but he is certainly a wonderful husband, father, and man. Philip is one of the most relaxed and calm people I know (most of the time) yet at the same time he is also one of the most hard working determined people I know. He is passionate yet restrained. He often knows just what to say when I am stressed out or at the end of my rope (such as during a 30 hour mostly medication free labor!). Philip really knows how to enjoy life and loves to laugh, play, be active and try new things. He has helped me to be more adventurous and to relax and not take things so seriously all the time. He has helped me to learn that God really wants us to enjoy our life here on earth and to bask in all the amazing things God places around us. He makes me smile everyday and laugh most days and I know that he loves me no matter what.

He believes he can do anything if he works hard (I'm not exaggerating, he really thinks this) and usually he is right. I don't even think I could list all the things he does, but here are just a few: hunting, fishing, running/triathlons, cycling, brewing, cooking, backpacking/hiking, camping, gardening, building things (tools, furniture, smokers) etc...etc. He is smart, funny, handsome, kind, loving, playful, motivated and full of faith. I am so glad he is here with me because he makes my life better. If you are reading this, Happy Birthday, I love you so much! As always I'm going to finish with some pictures;

Here he is with Levi the night he was born. He cried for about 6 hours almost non-stop with me nursing him about every hour. We had been without any sort of sleep for about 2 days at this point and the nurse said to stay awake with Levi if he was awake and to let him sleep on his tummy but that one of us needed to stay up and watch him...Philip let me sleep for about an hour while he somehow propped his eyes open and watched Levi sleep on his tummy! What a trooper and how great it made me feel that he was willing to sacrifice like that for me! Being parents has made us so happy and really brought us even closer!
Philip loves to do tricks with Levi and he is so confident that Levi doesn't mind the stunts one bit...he actually enjoys them...notice in his picture that Levi is actually mid-flight! I really enjoy watching the way Philip loves Levi and interacts with him, I can't wait to watch their relationship grow!

The following pictures are from one of Philip's recent adventures; making homemade sweet and hard apple cider. He built (or should I say engineered) the apple grinder (yes, that's a clean garbage disposal) and also the press. It made some really yummy cider and the hard cider is still fermenting. As you can tell, Philip was having a blast. He loves to make things, especially when he can eat or drink them later!>
Thanks for reading and for putting up with all my wifey bragging!