Very Thankful!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! This year we have a lot to be thankful for, and friends and family top the list. Luckily we were able to spend a lot of time with each for the holiday. On Thanksgiving Day we spent the day with my family and shared a delicious meal at my parents house with several members of my extended family. I have such a wonderful family and it is always special and a lot of fun to spend time with them and catch up! My cousin Beth brought a very cute craft for the kids, pine cone turkeys. Levi had fun making his and is very proud that it is on display in our house now. My camera died about 30 minutes after we arrived...so I don't have many pics :( I stole a few from my sister though :)

my two favorite turkeys :)

the beautiful table my mom created!

last picture before my camera died...the pies :)

Levi and his turkey

my best friend/sister and...

...our awkwardly hairy husbands (not one bit creepy)

my wonderful (and good lookin' parents)

That evening we stopped by Philip's Dad's house to see his sister and her kiddos and Allen's girlfriend and her daughter who were in town as well. Levi had a blast running around with his cousins during the quick visit and Joel got lots of love from his cousin Kynlee as usual :) I had to work on Friday so Philip and the boys had a calm (well... as calm as can be with two busy boys!) day at home.

Joely Poly is getting pretty good at pulling up...yikes!

 On Saturday we headed out to the Boyer's long time friends the Oldhams' ranch for a second Thanksgiving. We shared another yummy meal, a quick hay ride and some wild time in the house (7 kids ages 7 and under!). Unfortunately the weather was cold, wet and windy, so we were not able to go see all the animals like we usually do at the ranch. Levi was pretty dissapointed, but had a blast running around the house with 4 other little boys (a change from his usual girl dominated days). Thank you Oldhams for another nice time and the ranch!

last few moments before the weather turned yucky...a quick hay ride

Happy Birthday Philip!

Yesterday was Philip's birthday. We are so lucky to have him as the leader of our family! Levi and Joel are blessed to have such a wonderful father and I an amazing husband! He works so hard in everything he does and never stops trying to better himself. I am so thankful to God for placing Philip in my life so that I could have a wonderful partner who loves the Lord, his family and is someone who loves life and all the adventures it can bring. Philip is a special man; watching how Levi adores him reminds me of that daily :)

Here is Philip's birthday cake I made Sunday. I must say it turned out awesome :)

We have small groups every Sunday night. 5 families from our Sunday school class meet to study the Bible, discuss the sermon, have fellowship, build Christian relationship and eat dinner. This ministry has been a huge blessing to us ever since joining our church. Almost all of our friends are from church and they are so wonderful to us! We are so lucky to have them in our lives to support us, pray for us and serve us (many yummy meals when both boys were born etc). Since this Sunday was the day before Philip's birthday I brought a homemade cake for us to share.  The kids all loved singing happy birthday and having cake too!

Philip and Levi blowing out the candles at small groups

When Philip got home from work Levi raced to the door yelling "happy birthday to you Daddy!!!" and then insisted that he open the card he made him and gift he picked out.  When we were at the grocery store last week we saw some camo hats with double Ts on them. Levi exclaimed "it's Daddy's favorite hat!" and so when I asked if we should get it for Daddy for his birthday of course he said YES! My favorite thing that Levi wanted to me to write in the card was "My favorite thing is at Home Depot he holds me." He sure does love his Daddy! All I had to do was prompt him with simple questions like, what do you like about Daddy, what is your favorite thing about Daddy and what do you like to do with Daddy and he said some pretty cute things :)

inside of the card

Levi proud of the card he made

I asked Philip if he would like to go out to eat or have dinner at home on his birthday. I loved that he chose for me to cook for him and it always makes me feel good that he loves my cooking :). I decided to make him one of his favorite cuisines, German. So we all feasted on rouladen, red cabbage, hot potato salad and roasted asparagus. I splurged and purchased him some fancy stout beer as well to complete the German theme. He said the meal was "restaurant worthy" and I do think it was pretty tasty, but the compliment may have been over the top :). We finished off the evening with left over cake.

My love digging into his birthday grub :)

Weekend with the Rents :)

This weekend Philip was hunting at Hagerman Nature Preserve (you have to enter and then get drawn to hunt there) so I headed to my parent's house for a couple days to see the fam and have some help with the boys. We had another wonderful weekend at Moe & Pops! Joel and Levi got to have lots of adventures!

Moe treated Levi to some yummy breakfasts and both boys enjoyed 

some snuggle time in their jammies watching some "toons"

  

My Parents have had my Gran living with them for the past 11 years. This has been a wonderful blessing in many ways, but at times it is a lot of stress for my Mom to try to keep up with all of Gran's daily needs (help with cooking, cleaning, dressing etc) as well as all her medical needs (appointments, meds, concerns etc). I know my Mom is happy to return the wonderful care she was given as a child to her mother in her old age, and that she feels blessed to have these years together in such closeness. I also know that it must be exhausting for her. I think my Mom is amazing for all she does for her Mother! She is a wonderful caregiver. For me, the biggest blessing in Gran living with my Mom is that the boys and I get to see her every time we visit my Mom. It's a two for one special!! :)

This trip Levi helped Gran make some gingerbread man cookies for her upcoming Christmas Tea. I helped make (read; made) the cookies because Gran cannot see well and Levi is VERY easily distracted which led to a few spills, "miscalculations" on measurements and "creative" faces on the cookies. Some how they actually ended up being some what tasty and cute :) I love that Levi is getting the opportunity to make memories with Gran. I have so many wonderful memories of cooking, baking, sewing and crafting and much more with Gran! She is a wonderful grandmother and great grandmother!

making the dough

my silly goose

cutting out the "mans"

putting on the craisins and raisins for their faces

 Saturday morning Pop took Levi to the park and they had a blast! They spent some time throwing rocks into the creek (the most fun thing ever!!!) and found some sticks while there. Levi has a hard time with the "st" sound and it usually comes out as a "d" sound instead. Pop got a big laugh out of Levi being so excited about his "big dick" and told us how Levi kept explaiming "Pop, your dick is bigger than my dick!" and things like that. They had a sword fight with their sticks and when part of Pop's stick broke off Levi shouted "Oh no Pop, I broke your dick!" too too funny :) Levi sure is lucky to have such a wonderful man to share potty/body part humor and fun times out doors as well. I know they will make many more silly memories together as well as go on many out door adventures together!

the men and their "dicks"

Later that day Moe, the boys and I met Kate, Nora, Asher and the kids Great Aunt Mary at a park to play and eat lunch. We had a great time (despite Levi having an odd poopy accident...yuck!) and the kids had a blast swinging and running all over the place. Levi and Nora really love each other and I'm sure Joel and Asher will be best buddies soon as well :)

two cute baby boys...not big enough to get into too much trouble, yet!

Lucky cousins with their super involved Moe!

Joel getting some loves from his Great Aunt Mary!

 I am so blessed to have such wonderful parents who are amazing grandparents as well. I don't think I could survive hunting season with out them. As much as I love Philip, and am happy that he and his Dad share the passion/hobby of hunting (as well as my Dad and brother), it is hard to have several weekends alone every October, November and December. Now that I am a Mom to two busy boys it can be down right exhausting. I look forward to the days when the boys can go on some of the hunting trips with their Dad and grandfathers and I can have some quiet weekends alone :) For now I will enjoy the extra time with my family and the empathy of my Mom (who has also endured time alone with kids while my Dad went fishing and hunting). It was a great weekend, and with out the hunting trip it probably would not have happened!

Adventures in Canning

Well....I just finished canning most of the jalapenos, serranos and green tomatoes that I harvested from my little garden (you may not remember that my garden is only about 3 feet wide and 14 feet long). For such a small space I am always surprised with what I can get. After one cut thumb, a couple of time-outs for Levi (I felt a little bad because it is interesting, but he had to know he could not get near or touch the canning supplies...too hot!) a couple of spills and some experimenting I finished some sliced green tomatoes for frying this winter and spring, some dill pickled green tomatoes and some pickled hot peppers! Start to finish I would say the project took 4 hours (including picking) and I happened to have all the spices and supplies needed already on hand. Not too bad. I still have to make my pepper jelly, but I didn't have enough jars to do that today. I hope they taste as good as they look!

all set up and ready to can!

spices in place...ready to fill!

boiling away the bacteria :)

Some of the finished product. I love the way the sliced tomatoes look.

Garden Gone Wild

I have completely neglected our garden the last month or so. I have not even gone out to look at it more than once or twice. Today I decided to go out and check on the plants. I now have  SHOCKING amount of jalapenos, serranos, bell peppers and green tomatoes to use! The plants were all toppled over and growing in heaps on top of each other, but had produced a TON since the weather turned cooler. There were a few ripe tomatoes and Levi and I ate them on the spot. They were super sweet and yummy! Levi had a blast picking all the fruit and kept saying "dis is so dun Momma!" I think I will be spending a lot of time chopping, freezing and canning this produce the next few days. Even with giving some away I will have a surplus!

Trip to Lubbock

This past weekend we drove out to Lubbock to see my little brother who is a Junior at Texas Tech, visit our good friends, the Fellers and go to the TTU v. OSU football game. The game was miserable (worst score in Tech history) and the weather was windy, but we still had a great weekend.

Seth took Philip duck hunting Saturday morning and then sat with us during the game. After the game we all went over to Seth's house for a bit and met his room mates and got a little tour of his college home. It is such a great house with wood floors through out and big bedrooms with lots of storage space. He lives very close to the little house Philip and I lived in our first year of marriage, so it was fun to drive by and see our first home. I love my brother and Levi thinks he is pretty cool too. He has been having a pretty stressful semester, so it was nice to be able to give him a hug and spend some time just hanging out.

"Uncle Deaf" and Levi

Littlest Raider getting a ride from Daddy

my baby brother is not so little any more!

Whenever we are able to make it out to Lubbock we always stay at the Hotel Fellers :). Kameron and Jason have been our good friends since Freshman year at Tech 10 years ago. Luckily we have been able to stay close despite living 300 miles apart. The Fellers have an adorable daughter, Mollie, who is about 6 months older than Levi. As well as having our first children close in age, we also share a love of Tech, our Christian faith, and the boys both love hunting and running/triathlons. Having these things in common helps us find good excuses in our busy schedules to make a point to see each other; usually twice a year. This visit was especially fun because Mollie and Levi could really play together for the first time. They had a blast jumping on the bed, playing with cars, destroying Mollie's room and running in circles together! So cute! The Fellers made us feel right at home with delicious meals, relaxing evenings and Mollie even let the boys sleep in her room! We can't wait til it's our turn to host in February when they come for the annual Cow Town Marathon get-together :).

little jumping beans :)

before the game...GOOOOO Raiders!

The whole gang at the Tailgate

This is what they looked at most of the time!

silly kiddos...lots of pretend play, dress up and general chaos :)

On The Go!

I finally got a little video of Joel crawling. It's not the best, his big brother seems to always interfere :) but it gives an idea of how mobile he is getting and how crazy it's been around the Boyer house lately! Enjoy my cutie scootie.

6 Months Old!

Joel is 6 months old! This is making me a little sad. How he is already half way through his first year is lost on me! I really do feel like I was just pregnant and still have vivid memories from his birth and it all just seems like yesterday! It's hard to imagine that he will be walking and talking soon, but it will happen so soon. Joel continues to be a wonderfully calm, happy and easy baby. He (and his temperament) is such a huge blessing, sometimes I just look at him and squeeze and kiss him over and over because I love him so much and he is just the cutest little thing! It's amazing to think that God considers me his child; I don't feel like I deserve for him to feel the way about me as I do about Joel (and Levi too!).

This morning Joel had his 6 month check up at the doctor and passed with flying colors as usual. He is above average physcially (his motor skills are advanced) and is right on track developmentally. He is a little smaller than his brother {Levi at 6 months: 18 pounds 9 ounces (60%), 28 inches long (95%), head 46cm (90%)} , but is keeping up with him as far as mobility goes. If he continues to track with Levi he will be walking in 3 months...crazy!

looking cute waiting for Dr. D

New Stats:
weight: 16 pounds 13 ounces (40%)
length: 27.25 inches (80%)
head circumference: 44.8cm (80%)

New Skills:
sitting up (but he prefers to be on his tummy where he can move)
can get to sitting from his tummy and back onto to his tummy too
crawls in short bursts and army crawls quickly all over the place
adding some consonants to his babbling (I swear he is saying Mama, but I feel like I might be imagining it)
blows rasberries
pulls up to a stand when sitting in his tub or if you give him your hands while he is sitting
can eat cereal and some veggies, seems to tolerate them but not too excited

seemed a little happy about squash

LOVES:
music
Penny
Levi
baths
being outdoors
being down on the ground so he can move
chewing on his toys
tricks with Daddy

Not So Much:
diaper changes (or having to lay still for one)
being put down suddenly and left (usually when Levi has to potty etc...causes an angry cry)
his face cleaned

Normal Routine:
wakes up between7 and 7:30am and nurses right away
plays with Levi and crawls all over until he's ready for his nap
9ish-10:30ish Nap
Nurses again when he wakes from his morning nap
plays some often in his saucer while Momma and Levi eat lunch
12:30ish goes down for Nap #2 usually lasting 2-3 hours
3ish wakes up and nurses again
plays more usually with LOTS of attention from Levi
4:30 or 5 takes Nap #3 lasting about an hour
6ish nurses before the rest of the family eats dinner
7ish eats some "solids"
7:30 bath (every other night) with big brother :)
7:45 or 8pm nurse one last time and then bedtime
sleeps about 11 hours and usually wakes up to nurse between 3 and 5 am. (for the last 2 weeks..yipee for more uninterrupted sleep!!!)

6 month picture with Momma!

We sure do love our Joely Poly and thank God for him often! Our family wouldn't be complete without him and he keeps us all smiling and laughing.

Thing 1 and Thing 2

We had a wonderful (and busy) Halloween this year! Levi and Joel were Thing 1 and Thing 2 from the Cat and the Hat by Dr. Suess. Levi loves the cartoon on PBS and the book too, so he was excited about pretending to be Thing 1. On Sunday night we went to our church's annual Trunk or Treat. Levi was FREAKED out when we spiked and sprayed his hair on arrival (didn't want to do it at home and get his car seat all blue). So it took him about 45 minutes to warm up to the idea and he whined and wouldn't speak or smile at anyone for quite a while...fun. Once he calmed down and got to play with some of his buddies from Sunday School he had a grand time. Joel was his happy self and a very cute Thing 2, I must say. Their costumes were a hit and everyone thought Levi's personality fit his costume perfectly (I can't believe they think he is anything like those wild little guys!...hahaha)

best attempt at a family pic

Levi and Joel with their best buddies Evie and Amelia...tough to get a pic of 4 kids distracted by costumes and candy!

This was our 3rd Trunk-or-Treat and we have just happened to get a pic of Levi and his friend Gracie each year...it is so cute to look at how much they have grown! I think I will have to make it a tradition to get a pic of the two of them each year!

On Halloween morning we enjoyed the treat of a visit with 3 of the 4 Valentines who were in town from Florida visiting family. Charlotte and Eloise are both such sweet and pretty little girls and are very close in age to Levi and Joel. We wish they were closer by so that we could play more often...but Lauren and I agreed that it was a little chaotic with what was basically like two sets of twins :). Most of our play dates would be at home because getting out with those four would be a bit of a beat-down! I always love spending time with Lauren and it was fun to just spend the day letting the kids play and catching up! She is such a blessing to me and I thank God for putting her in the dorm room across from me 10 years ago when we were freshman pre-nursing students at Tech together...it's been a special friendship ever since!

all four kids in a pile :) Levi and Char both love THEIR babies!

cute 2 year olds eating some lunch

sweet babies (both 5 months for a couple days)

The best friends/mommas :)

When Philip got home from work we carved a jack-o-lantern on the back deck and Levi really enjoyed scooping out all the "goo". Once the inside was clean he picked a favorite face out of some sketches and then ran off in the back yard to play with no interest in the actual carving.

Joel just chilled in his bouncer while we carved

finished product

After dinner we got the boys back into their costumes and Levi tolerated the hair much better this time. We went to 8 or 9 houses on our street and Levi loved running up to the door and ringing the bell! He even said "trick or treat" and "thank you!" to everyone. We have a ridiculous amount of candy, much to Philip's delight.