Sick of Winter

I feel like this year has been one of the worst for cold and flu! Everyone I know has had a rough year with sick kids and illness themselves! We seemed to be avoiding the worst of it; only having never ending colds alternation and overlapping with the boys. Neither had fever or anything more than slight discomfort or annoyance. We did have someone with congestion and a runny nose from about Thanksgiving until today though. Sheesh!

Well, on Saturday Joel woke up with a fever and it didn't go away until Wednesday! I never took him in for a flu test, but I think he may have had a mild to moderate case. He only threw up once, but was very lethargic, whiny, clingy and went three days with eating very little. Luckily he kept fluids down well and was thrilled to have unlimited gatorade and juice. I called and spoke to my doctor twice and he agreed he didn't need to come in unless he started throwing up more and wasn't keeping down liquids. He started eating better on day 4 and his fever was gone when we woke up from nap on day 5. Philip happened to be in Canada for work all week, so I was feeling extra stir crazy. Thankfully, Levi never seemed ill and was able to go to preschool on Tuesday so I spent most of that time just snuggling Joel. It's so sad when they are too little to tell you how they are feeling and you can just tell they are miserable!

one of the only pictures I took this week...Levi just woke up and was happy to watch some George...this is VERY unsual for Joel! He never sits still or lays on the couch to watch tv :(

I am so thankful that he is well now and that my kiddos are generally healthy. I am hoping and praying that this is the last of illness for our family this season. Several of my friends have had it even worse in their families, so I am praying this flu is on the way out in general!

all better! bath time tonight he seems 100% normal :)

Levi is 3 and a Half!

I'm in denial! Levi is three and a half years old and seeming more like a big kid by the minute. He is thriving in his routine of preschool Tuesdays and Thursdays, Bible class Wednesday nights and small groups Sunday nights. It makes for a busy week! Luckily, Levi enjoys being busy and one of the first things he asks me each day is "what are we going to do today?!" He is starting to consistently know what day of the week it is and remembers that Tuesday and Thursday are for school and Wednesday and Sunday are for church. Consistency and schedules really help him stay well behaved. We had more issues with discipline over his winter break, and I think it was because we were missing our routine. Philip and I are really enjoying Levi at this age. He has us laughing all the time. His sense of humor is great, and he is so happy and silly most of the time. We are just a big bunch of goofballs! Here comes a lot of words, only a parent would want to read...Sooo, what's Levi like at three and a half years?

Levi's Favorite Things:
color - blue and green
book - Rhyming Bible, Veggie Tales Bible and Curious George Collection
song - Oh God You are My God, I Will Call Upon the Lord, Jesus Loves the Little Children, Veggie Tales and Mumford and Sons
activities - playing outside (park or yard), bible class, riding his bike and scooter, play-dough, bubble baths, reading, helping Momma (cooking, unloading the dishwasher, putting wet clothes into the dryer)
foods - pasta, hot dogs, mac n' cheese, pbjs, fruit (ANY kind), broccoli, tomatoes
drink - milk, water, apple juice or Gatorade
treats - candy, lollipops, cookies (really, anything with lots of sugar or sweetness!)
shows - Curious George, Wild Kratts, Sesame Street, Veggie Tales
clothes - boots, sweat pants, graphic shirts (trains, cars, Texas Tech, George, helicopter), his camo footie pjs
toys- train set, cars (or other vehicles big and small), his gears, stickers or temporary tatoos

 
Random Facts:
-he weighs about 36 pounds and is about 39 inches tall
-he asks for candy about 100 times a day and often even before breakfast
-he thinks it is really funny to answer questions wrong on purpose (ie, what's your name? L- George! hahahah!)
-he is very particular about what shoes he wears (if he wants to look good; boots, if he wants to run fast; sneakers)
-he likes to have things in groups of three (because he is Three!)
-he is a risk taker, therefore injures himself daily (how we've stayed away from the ER this long is lost on me!)
-he gets croup several times each fall/winter...we've had 2 episodes so far this season
-he thinks being naked is amazing
-he wants to be just like his Daddy when he gets big - "I'm going to be big and have a beard and go to work and hunt when I'm old!"
-he wants me to have lots more babies (usually the number is between 5 and 7 more) and would really like me to get working on that ASAP and to have twins or triplets...he often says "Momma you and Daddy need to get married again and have another baby" random.
-he wears 4T clothes and some of those are starting to get small.
-he wears a size 9 shoe (in most brands)
-if he is given praise he often responds with, "can I have a candy now?!"
-He can be caught singing any where, any time, sometimes even in public
-he is very outgoing and demonstrative with his friends and family, but can be very shy too
-he can now dress him self head to toe and usually gets his shoes on the right feet
-he can brush him teeth (including putting on the toothpaste) all by himself
-he happily takes his plate to the sink every night and his clothes to his hamper

-He is so smart! Levi has become a deep thinker. He asks me questions about God, and how things work and why things happen on regular basis.  Even though he is the youngest kid in his class he keeps right up and is doing a great job learning all his letters and numbers. Often when I watch him play I can see the wheels turning in his mind while he tries to figure something out. He is like a little sponge. More and more Philip and I are noticing that we can't talk about things around him with out him picking up on the conversation even if we are talking in "code."

-Levi is very observant, he will notice tiny details as we drive or go for a walk. He seems to have great vision so far and will point out little details that I had not even noticed. He has a great appreciation (with an attention to details) for pretty things in nature as well as in his favorite shows on tv :).

-Levi talks NON-stop! Unless he is very distracted playing or watching tv he will basically talk without ceasing. He will explain his every thought, observation and concern. He still replaces most F and S sounds with a D (such as doot for foot and dake for snake), but if he really tries he can say the words correctly. I'm pretty sure he will drop these speech patterns pretty soon, and even though I'll be happy that he is improving his language skills, I know I will miss his sweet "baby" voice. Every day when Philip gets home he will talk to his Dad in such long stings of words that we all get lost :). His vocabulary is quickly expanding and he will ask me what words mean daily and use  new surprisingly big words often.

-Levi has a HUGE heart! Every day he grows more and more sensitive and aware of his feelings and the feelings of others. For example, about a week ago a family in our church was in a serious accident. We happened to drive past the wreck on our way to church and Levi was very concerned with the people in those cars. Later at church they stopped the service for us to pray for the family, especially their son, who were injured in the crash. Levi immediately asked if the "peoples in the broken cars we saw are the peoples we are praying for?" He was visibly upset knowing that our friends were hurt. Ever since that day he will ask at random times about the little boy in the hospital and say prayers for him "to get all better and have no more ouchies." Levi is also very affectionate with his family and friends. He thinks about his loved ones often and really loves to spend time with them. He is especially fond of his baby brother and Daddy. Throughout the day he will think of something one of his friends or family would like or need and will tell me about it. Such as, he bring me his crayons and ask me if he can make Daddy a card because he would "really like it and feel so special" When my Mom was in the hospital he found a flower at the park and asked if  we could "take it to Moe, she will love it and it will make her feel all better!"

-Levi is in constant motion. He keeps us busy, young and on our toes! Even when he is watching tv or reading books he is moving. To say he doesn't stop moving unless he is sick or asleep is not an exaggeration. Every time we go out to get in the car he will literally sprint around the car in our driveway, completing several laps, while I strap Joel in his seat. His physical abilities continue to improve and develop. He could ride his bike without training wheels if he wanted to (he panics when he realizes that Philip let go and just stops pedaling, but rides well when he's not paying attention). Moe and Pop got him a scooter for Christmas and he has quickly mastered his new toy and speeds around the park or neighborhood. He's starting to get the hang of swinging on his own and can scale any play-scape he encounters. His fine motor control is starting to improve as well, just in time for a lot of train building :).

-Levi is SO silly! Our little guy loves to laugh and be goofy! I think this trait comes more from his Daddy who LOVES to laugh. He notices funny things all the time and points them out to Joel and I to make sure we notice how crazy something is. He loves to silly dance and tickle or be tickled. His favorite form of comedy would be slap stick. He is always putting something on his head and running into things or accidentally falling down. Like any good comedian, if he notices we think he's funny he will run with it and get even more silly :) However hard he tries, he will always be the most funny when he isn't even trying. He says the most random hilarious things! Ex.L:"Momma my friend says God lives in your head! I told him He lives in our heart!" J: "God does live in our heart, but your friend is right too, God is in our head too, he helps us think, right?" L: "I think he lives in my tummy too." J: "Ok, He does help all of our body work." L: "and he lives in my Nipples!" He is are also very expressive. I often find myself laughing or smiling when he is being naughty because the expressions on his face and his body movements are just so dramatic!

Ok...this is getting a little long, but Levi is just full of life and I love him so much I could go on and on! I'll finish up with some admissions of imperfections :) I'll admit it, even though Levi is near perfect in many ways (ha!) sometimes he annoys me...here's a few examples of Levi the stinker:

-every time he is receiving some type of discipline he will tell me, "No, Mom, don't make me have a time-out, I'm GONNA be good!" It doesn't matter how many times I tell him, "You are being punished because you did something wrong, I sure hope you will be good now, but you don't get rewards just because you are GOING to be good. You have to actually BE GOOD."
-He will randomly walk through the room and knock Joel over for no reason at all
-Joel will be crying or yelling "stop it Levi!!" and he acts as if he can't hear him until he receives a threat from me or Philip
-He makes a big mess almost every time he eats dinner
-He is not a good sleeper and wakes easily at nap time as well as gets up 1-3 times a night at least 4-5 nights a week...usually for no reason, or no good reason (his blanket is crooked, he needs to potty, he wants a drink etc etc) often he won't even talk to me when I ask. I'll just walk him back to his bed and he will go right back to sleep. We are starting to think he is sleep walking.-
 Even though he can listen very well when he wants to, he is often so focused on what he is doing it seems impossible to get his attention without some form of physical contact. It's as if his ears can turn on and off!
- He seems bi-polar at times and can be sent into hysterics over the most random things (wrong sock given to him, getting water when he wanted milk etc) He can go from sweet and snuggly to crazed and angry in seconds! I expressed myself with anger or frustration very often as a child so I should have seen this coming :)

All that aside, what a blessing it has been to have Levi in our life these last 3.5 years. Life is so much more fun with him in it and he has taught me so much already! I'm so glad God planned on having him in my family and am overwhelmed by the task of raising him in respect of that gift! Thank you Lord for our Levi love! Help me be the best Momma I can be!

Park Weather!

After a couple of weeks of cold, wet and rainy weather yesterday and today's weather seem like pure bliss! We have been enjoying lots of time in our yard and at the park and oh, does it feel good! I was going a little crazy with my two hyperactive little guys cooped up in the house!

I managed to got some pretty cute pictures of the boys playing at the park on with my phone, and couldn't resist sharing!

 

 

Just Me and Joel

Now that Levi is in preschool every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-2pm I have some time to spend with just my little Joely Poley. The first semester I didn't do a very good job of actually spending time with Joel during those hours while Levi was away. Instead, I took advantage of having much more freedom to get things done, and ran errands or did chores at home. Joel is a much more independent and content kid than Levi (most days), so it is easier for me to ignore him and let him play by himself while I do things I "need" to get done. During the winter break I realized that this is not very fair to Joel. So, I decided that when Levi went back to school I would make more of an effort to spend more quality time with my little guy.

So...these past two weeks we have:

played pretend with dinosaurs
read LOTS of books
played in the snow with sticks
colored with crayons
read some more books in his tent
sat on the potty (lately all his does is sit, so I haven't been always letting him when he asks)
snuggled with "coverds"
stomping on and popping packing material

I know that I won't be able to focus all of the hours while Levi is at school on Joel. I have to be honest. It is MUCH easier to get things done while Levi is out of the house...grocery trips are smoother, laundry can (sometimes) be folded more quickly, and Joel likes to "help" put the dishes away :) But I am going to try to give him a little special attention each day. He deserves it, and it's fun for me too!

Trains and Dinosaurs!

Levi and Joel have been LOVING their new toys! Two big indoor/creative favorites have emerged over the last few days; trains and dinosaurs. Their intense interest in these toys is wonderful because for the first time ever they will play together for enough time for me to get a little uninterrupted work done (unload the dishwasher, start a load or laundry, prep dinner etc.). I sure hope it lasts!  Levi's "big" gift this year was a wooden train set and at first he didn't seem very interested. However, once he got the hang of putting the track together he became obsessed! He has made several impressive set-ups and today even made a whole city and farm with the little pieces that came with the set. It is so cute to see him get creative and explain what is going on in the scenes he creates. I won't mention the arguments/wrestling matches it also causes when Joel destroys one of Levi's creations, or the frustration when he can't make it just the way he wants.

 Joel was given some really cute pliable little dinosaurs from his Aunt Kate and Uncle Dustin which added fuel to his already growing dinosaur love. He will line them (as well as Levi's larger ones) all up in a row and "count" how many he has. Next he has them take turns roaring and fighting. Sometimes he will have an emotional moment and pause to give them some hugs :). My parents gave Levi an adorable book called "Dinosaurs Love Underpants" last Christmas that Levi was obsessed with for a long time and Joel has now taken over the obsession. Every day at nap time, bed time and several times in between he requests we read "Dine-saur" and is usually obliged. Luckily it's a pretty quick read with really fun, colorful illustrations and a great story, so I don't mind the repetitive reading sessions :). I feel a dino themed 2 year birthday party in our future!