:: Merry :: Merry :: Joy :: Joy ::

Wishing you all a Merry, Merry Christmas....Enjoy this season of giving....and take a moment to slow down amongst the hustle and bustle and reflect on the True Meaning of the Season: Jesus' birth.

Thanksgiving!

So much to be thankful for this year! As always, God has blessed us in so many ways throughout 2008 -- 2 incredible boys! a great home! great family and friends! Tim's dream job! He has provided in ways beyond what we could have ever asked or imagined!

So, as we reflected on Thanksgiving Day, the words grateful and thankful just hit the tip of the iceberg for us. More like: PINCH ME--IS THIS REALLY HAPPENING??!--HUH??!--HOW??!--WOW!--AND THEN DEAFENING SILENCE FROM THE AWE OF GOD'S TIMING AND FAITHFULNESS THROUGH IT ALL! SERIOUSLY!? THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

And, we were able to share a wonderful Thanksgiving with Tim's mom and John and Aunts Britt & Lindsay -- Levi's first and Mason's third! Tim was off this Thanksgiving and the entire weekend afterward -- which is a first in a very.long.time!!! So we soaked it in!

Tim's mom and John came over along with Aunts Britt and Lindsay for a wonderful dinner --courtesy of Heinen's. That's right, we took the "low stress, more fun" approach and picked up a full dinner at our upscale grocery store on Wednesday. Heat and Serve--that's what I'm talking about! And it was delicious!! Of course, we made some appetizers (can't live without Grandma Bella's deviled eggs) and I threw in a dessert or two to top off Heinen's pumpkin and apple pies! We couldn't go wrong.

After gorging ourselves on the delicious food, we watched CARS and Grandma Bella brought over a new toy for Mason--POINGO--where you have a magic pen that reads the story to you and does sound effects. He loves it! And we couldn't get over how Levi understood how it worked!! He was pointing up a storm. And chewing on it in between.

I slacked in the picture department....missing Levi on his 1st turkey day--how did that happen?? I guess all of the heating and serving took over. I think Bella got some pics, though. I also missed a pic of Aunt Linds....sad, but true. Levi had a blast showing off his walking and talking and eating skills. He gobbled down some turkey and sweet potato casserole. Mason, on the other hand, wouldn't touch a thing (what kid does not like MASHED POTATOES??) and I ended up making him Dino Nuggets and frozen veggies...ridiculous!

I did a bit of early Black Friday shopping and then we went over to my mom's sister's house (Aunt Karen) to see all of the cousins and their children. Then, we high-tailed it over to Uncle Brandon's hockey game--Levi's first hockey game--and then relaxed the rest of the weekend!

Is that Levi's teenage babysitter?? NO! Is that Sarah Palin? NO! That's Grandma Linda!

Hockey--a family tradition!

Grandpap and Mason -- true love!

(EMILY--when you figure out photoshop, can you get that other guy out of the pic?

Second cousins Hannah and Eric. Little E has spinabifida and is a true inspiration.
Mason LOVED playing with him!

Snow Day!

Grandpap brought over an antique sled and Tim took Mason out sledding in our neighbors' back yard. They had a great time and Mason did not want to come in. The hill is bigger than I thought it was and they were going quite fast, but there was no fear in our almost-three-year-old. Mason was yelling, "Look at me! Look at me!" the whole way down!

Grams found this wonderful full snow suit at one of her rummage sales and it fit perfectly....for a bargain price!

Free sled + Free snowsuit + Daddy + Snow = Lotsafun!

Life Happens

Love this expression...

Is this normal for 10 month old??

Sweeping Boy!

Life's a puzzle....and I like it!

Playgroup....

Fun times! Reading with Grandma Linda!

www.adventconspiracy.org

Boy Wonder Walks...

Boy Wonder (aka Levi Matthew Best) is now walking. He has been taking steps since the end of October when the bros were in town....at 9 MONTHS OLD! And, I was reluctant to write anything b/c I was sure no one would believe me....but now, at a young 9 1/2 months, our little Hulk is walking....I mean, REALLY WALKING!

He can walk, turn around, stop and restart, bend over and pick something up and keep going....and, as of yesterday (although Tim says this has been going on longer), he can stand up and begin walking unassisted. It is his favorite mode of transportation now...and you really have to see it to believe it!! Mr. Levi is quite proud of accomplishment...as you can see by the look on his face!

See for yourself. I will get better video of this, but I am so busy chasing after him that I keep forgetting...plus, I think I have been in denial...my baby is too little to walk.

And, not only does this happy child walk, he falls asleep on his own, sleeps through the night (YES!), eats (& throws) pretty much anything like a champion, hams it up for the camera, and has the most wonderful squeal of delight that I have ever heard....I LOVE THIS BOY...and am so thankful that I couldn't find the receipt to return him when he was in, what we now lovingly refer to as, his 'freak out stage'!!!

And, before I appear biased in any way, I LOVE, LOVE my big boy Mason, our resident puzzle pro, CARS fanatic, lover, fighter, inquisitive, sharp 1st born. It is truly remarkable how two children with the same mother and father can be so drastically different and it is even more remarkable how the Lord just pumps your heart full with LOVE to the point that your pretty sure it will burst with the mere thought of them!

Our boys...gush, gush, sigh, sigh....God's perfect provision for us....may we love them well!

Post Playgroup

Yesterday, we had 13 moms and 18 kiddos over for a large and in charge playgroup! It was super fun and actually a lot less crowded than I thought it would be thanks to the 70 degree weather. Mason played the whole time with his "new best friend girl"....aka Ashley...which was awesome because he wasn't picking on the little kids. Actually, Mason did great sharing his toys...and we loved getting to know our new friends a little better!

And, after everyone was gone, Mason was pretty tired:

This boy has never, ever, never even come close to falling asleep at the table....I mean, he couldn't even focus when he looked at me. I wanted to wait for him to put his head face first into his lunch, but the loving mommy side of me won out and just wanted him tucked in to a nice cozy bed.

KETCHUP

During my elementary years, I was in an enrichment class once a week (I think we were picked at random, so don't be jealous, Ms. Ironical). The wonderful teachers broadened my horizons, challenged me to think creatively (a near impossibility for this Type A), and got me out of the drudgery and boredom of 'regular' school for a whole day!!

It was one of these beloved teachers that would write on the board "KETCHUP" and draw a Heinz bottle and then post the items we needed to catch up on during that time .... unfinished assignments, projects, etc. For some reason, this simple, witty idea has stuck with me and, although I don't know how to draw a ketchup bottle, I do make my ketchup list from time to time....

And this blog is one of the items on my KETCHUP list:

It has been a fun and busy fall. From the moment the brothers booked their flight to OH (and the subsequent booking of the sister and nephew flight), I began RUNNING with excitement in happy preparations.....more cleaning out, washing, planning where everyone would stay, possible outing ideas, conversations to have, faces to soak in.... I mean, the brothers only come around once a year now that they live "TOO FAR AWAY!" in Washington State.....that this is a BIG deal...

We thoroughly enjoyed our visit with Matt & Phil ... I love these guys! They were total troopers, hanging out and playing with 3 sometimes delightful (more often fussy, teething, whiny, demanding messes) children in the confines of our home because the Ohio weather surely did not cooperate with my grandiose ideas for pumpkin picking, Aurora Farms, the zoo, parks, walks, hikes, museums, etc. And, our one attempt at going to Fun n Stuff was foiled as they were CLOSED....Of course, it is 70 degrees and sunny here THIS week....go figure.

The brothers are fantastic uncles...playing on the floor with the kiddos, trying to eat all of Mason's macaroni and cheese, teaching Mason how to cannonball, going trick or treating. We had so much quality time together that I just don't believe they could possibly wait a whole year to come back....hint...hint...wink...wink!

So, here is one of my famous photo essays of the past couple of weeks (in no particular order) .... Again, I realize this is the easy (and lazy) way out, but I can't possibly do individual blogs on everything that has happened....and I need to cross this off my ketchup list!

I love this kid! He gives new meaning to the word JOY!

Matt thinking about how much he loves the great state of Ohio!

Uncle PHILLY!

Levi the Lion ... only pic with the mane on!

Professional Trick or Treater

A rare "brothers-playing-together" moment .... instead of Mason tackling or pushing Levi

Luke, go get your candy!!

Enjoying the fruits (or chocolates) of his labor!

I love this face!

Trick or Treat with Uncle Philly

I love this kid! He was binge eating all week....can you say GROWTH SPURT??!

Floor time with Uncle Matty

Uncle Phil bulldozing with Luke

Trick or Treat

Pumpkin ... completed 5 minutes before trick or treating

Carving with Daddy ... Mason was still grossed out by the insides .... he wouldn't touch it at all!

Mason slept on the floor in our room so Auntie Em and Lukey had some space... Here he is totally passed out with exhaustion after another late night...

A warm welcome to Uncle Phil

Classic. Another Auntie Em find...she is dangerous with a Kohl's 30% off coupon!

Spooktacular

Tim had to work at a local Halloween event, so I got the kiddos all dressed up and met Grams at the Spooktacular. My friend let me borrow a lion and a bumble bee costume for Mason this year and since Mason prefers the lion, that's what he was. Levi was a pumpkin....

Mason rode his first pony, got a tatoo of the temporary variety, had a deep talk with the fire dog, and got to see Daddy. So fun. Levi chilled in the stroller looking cute and watching big bro.

"Pair Hockey"

We headed out to meet Grandpap, Maw Maw, and Uncle B at a local restaurant. Our dear friends were also there. We got to sit right by all of the video games, tvs, and air hockey table...I was a bit over-stimulated from my normally quiet life, but it was so nice to see family and friends.

Mason LOVED playing what he lovingly calls :: Pair Hockey :: with Daddy and Uncle B. And Levi loved snuggling with Maw Maw. We had to eat and run because of the time and having pushed Levi past his limit, but there was plenty o' time for multiple games of pair hockey.

1986

This past weekend, we had our Clique Gathering at Grandma K's house....and, being such wonderful grandparents, they had their home fully stocked with [not only all things Longaberger;-] but with fun toys and cribs and changing tables, etc. It was perfect for the boys.
And, in their preparations for their first-born grandson, they went digging in their basement and found this:

At first glance, I had no idea what this colorful fruit loop lookin' thing was. I saw a very cute Baby Z in it and thought it was just a 'holding tank' of some nature. And then I saw the wheels [GASP!] It is a cross between an exersaucer, walker, and a bumper car....and Levi LOVED it.

After things wound down at the party, I got a little more information. It was manufactured circa 1986....which blew me away b/c it looked brand.spankin.new. They must have had it sealed in a special cryo-machine for cool toys. It has two holes for legs and the child can move freely about...and if they bump into anything, there are no tears, they just bounce right off. Why, oh why, do we have such safe safety regulations these days?? Do you realize how much our kids are missing out on because of choking hazards and falling-down-steps hazards???


The following video does not do it justice because Levi was all over the room...and when he was jumping around, he practically bounced right out of it....maybe that is why they don't make these anymore. Anywho, we are going to try and bring these back to pay for a nice Clique Vacation with lots of babysitters....