December is here and we are waiting!!

Well it's December 3rd.  Baby Girl is due!  We are waiting!!  In the meantime, life is happening as normal!  

Glitter, our sweet little elf, showed up yesterday morning.  Piper was thrilled.  Briggs is scared of him!  Piper talks to him and tells him all kinds of things.  She has been cracking me up with all her questions and comments.  One thing she said was "Mommy, his eyes look so fake but I know they're real!"  Hahahahahaha!  I could hardly stand it!  She was very pleased to read the note from Santa that Glitter brought.  He explained that Christmas is about the birth of Jesus and Santa doesn't bring her presents based on if she is naughty or nice because we all mess up and God gives us grace.  The reason we get Christmas gifts is because God wants to share in His goodness with us and presents are fun so Santa helps out with that.  Glitter just tells Santa about all the stuff that happens in our house! And so on and so on.  At the end of reading the letter, Piper said, "Oh!  So Santa loves God!" with an exclamation in her voice!  She was happy to know that!  And I'm sure she has told her teacher already about that! And anybody who will listen!  Briggs just looks at the elf with a suspicious glare and moans.  Today he asked me if I moved him!  I lied and said "No, he flew there!"  The kid is on to me!

 Yesterday was my last preschool day before the baby for sure arrives that I could surprise Piper for lunch at school.  She was happy, happy!  Bringing chick-fil-a didn't diminish her smile either!

 After I picked Briggs up from school we went to the mall so he could play a little.  He loves doing this and we don't go as often as he'd like!

And to end it...I just love this picture of Michael!  He's been a great helper in this pregnancy and he's a great daddy to our kids!  Can't wait to see him holding another little one very soon!

Thanksgiving Week

Piper was out of school for Thanksgiving Break an entire week this year!  I enjoyed breaking from the schedule and relaxing.  But I did feel like "Ahhh--what are we going to do to occupy our time!"  It ended up being a good week with some special bonding with the kids before baby arrives.  There was a little more sibling arguments than I care for but nonetheless, it was a good week!  

Shortly before the break began, I rewarded Piper with ice cream at Sweet Firely because she scored a 100 on her math test for the first time ever!  We have been working hard on math!  So proud of her. Also, the beginning of our break we celebrated Piper learning five verses in Proverbs during the month of October by getting donuts!  I didn't get a picture of this!  She worked really hard and had to miss out on the church donut party so that was a fun way to start our break!  We like food rewards around here!

 I took the kids to the Dallas Zoo on Wednesday of Thanksgiving.  My parents have gifted us with this membership for two years and we really enjoy it.  However, the day I decide to take the kids is also the day they did Dollar Days for the entire city!  So it was crowded!  So silly to go on that day but I had no idea!  The kids enjoyed it and the weather was beautiful!

We also enjoyed the Perot museum on another day of our break!  Daddy was able to join us too!

 Thanksgiving morning was relaxing!  Michael and I were thankful to relax a bit!  But the kids got a little stir crazy so Michael and Piper biked to the neighborhood park and Briggs and I walked.  It was a beautiful morning!

 We fed the ducks and walked the trails!  This area of our neighborhood is a little gem!

 In the afternoon, we went to Grandma & Grandpa's house to eat some turkey!  It was yummy and low key!  Just perfect!

 Our cousin, Jonah, came over for a little bit and the kids were excited about that!  They talked him into watching Mike the Knight with them at the bar!

And, I just love this photo of Piper.  She has such a beautiful smile and beautiful eyes!  And is a sweetheart not to mention!  

Thankful

Well I'll admit, I haven't done such a great job focusing on "Thankfulness" with the kids this month. We do discuss it and pray prayers of thanks to God but I haven't gone out of my way to consciensly tie in Thanksgiving and the act of being thankful this year.  However, they're getting it here and there so I won't worry to much about it this year!  I took Briggs in to the doctor for his well check and they asked each child if he/she wanted to fill out a 'Thankful Leaf" and Briggs did.  So I said, "Briggs tell me what you thankful for and I'll write it on your leaf!"  His reply, "Ummm, I'm fankful for pipuh!" Oh Melt My Heart!  Now, today at school he told the teacher he was thankful for "Red.  Because red makes orange, orange, orange."  ?????  Orange is his favorite color.  But that wasn't nearly as deep and encouraging to hear as being thankful for his sister!!

A few weekends ago, we made a trip to my sister's home in Oklahoma to spend the weekend one more time before baby girl arrives and celebrate Thanksgiving with my parents and sister's family. We had a great weekend and ate like kings!  I took this one picture of Briggs sitting on my Dad's lap.  Neither seem to be able to pose for the camera properly!  Ha!

Piper did this little assignment in class.  I just love it and am so thankful for Piper!  She wrote "I am thankful for GOD because I love him.  I am thankful for Jesus because I love him."  Her little heart is definitely being stirred right now in all things God and Jesus.  She has a desire to talk to others about loving God and making sure they are going to church.  It is really sweet to see and funny at times.  Also very convicting too because I need to be just as passionate.  She has asked every one of her teachers and classmates if they go to church and where and if they do not, why?  We have encouraged her to ask them if they love God and if they love Jesus and to tell them why she loves God.  And if she wants to, she can invite them to church with us.  She hasn't done that yet but I'm sure she will soon!  I am praying that she continues to be drawn to Christ and to be called into a relationship with Him.  Right now, in my bible study we are discussing how to know the will of God and watch for where he is working and when we see him working, go there to work.  It really hit me this week while involved in the study, that I see him working in my home with my child and that is just as important to cultivate and be involved in as being a missionary in Africa or serving in a ministry nearby.  I'm just in that stage of life and I have a great responsibility to lead and teach these kids. (which I'm not always perfect at might I add!)

And to end on a much lighter note...thankful for this boy who makes me laugh a ton!  What a goofball!

Fall 2014 Daddy Daughter Campout

Last weekend was the Daddy Daughter campout for the first grade girls and it was FREEZING!!  I was so thankful that the Moms do not have to do this!  Michael purchased a special heater for their tent to help out and I sent every blanket we had with them!  Brrrr!  Sadly, Nora's dad, Dustin, came down with the stomach bug the morning of so Michael and Campbell's dad, Ben, offered to take Nora with them!  The three girls and Michael and Ben shared a tent to help stay warm!  They only spent one night and I do not blame them!  Piper had fun.  They watched a movie outside on a sheet, made necklaces, hiked and played!  I'm thankful Michael and Piper have this opportunity.  Hopefully, it will be a little warmer in the Spring!

 Piper, Campbell, & Nora about to leave for their fun weekend!

 First Grade Girls.  Piper is in the back with a navy hat and a big pink pom pom on top.

Emme, Campbell L., Piper, & Nora in a cave.

Fall Soccer 2014

Piper had another fun soccer season!  She's played with this group of girls for three seasons now I think.  Maybe four? She absolutely loves it!  This season, Coach Sarah and Coach Pop really worked on their techniques and positions on the field.  The took turns being goalie, forward, and defender! Piper seemed to like the forward position the best. We had our end of the year party at Coach Sarah's home.  She was awarded her trophy and the "Miss Hustle" award!  And she did hustle every game!

First Dental Visit

Another milestone in the books!  Briggs had his first dental exam!  I always wait until they turn four for this special occasion because I never trust that my kids will cooperate.  Even when Briggs was being a little stubborn, I couldn't stop laughing!  He kept doing crazy and funny things.  There was a few moments that the hygienist and myself thought this was going to be a less than successful visit because Briggs was less than thrilled about the noise of the polisher and a few other things.  But I was able to gently bribe coax him into it and we had success!  Limited success anyway.  She didn't give him flouride or take x-rays because she thought he might be traumatized and they want to ease the newbies into it! Later that night Briggs said, "Mommy, we can go to the dentist again together!" Smile!

Best Buds

I love these two boys!  They always have fun together and are just super cool!  

Halloween Week 2014

So let me start by stating each year I want to do some kind of matchy/theme kind of costume idea for both kids.  And, so far they've been cute and I've been able to talk the kids into my idea. It's like I have this standard that I'm not a great mom if I just go purchase something for them to wear.  Dumb, I know!  I may be rethinking my philosophy for next year already! So, this year I thought matching clowns would be really fun and adorable.  I had to convince Piper to go along with my idea, but Briggs seemed pretty on board...until the costume was put together.  And he kept growling and saying he wanted to be Spiderman!  Looking back, I probably should have let him.  But I'm stubborn so changing my mind can be tough!  As soon as I put the clown costume on Briggs, I couldn't stop laughing and he couldn't stop looking miserable!  hahahaha!  See picture #1.  He is upset!  But Piper really loved how hers turned out!

 We dressed up for the Halloween carnival at Michael's company on Tuesday of Halloween week.  Somehow I got a silly face out of Briggs.  And I will enjoy pulling this photo out in years to come!  Especially when girls begin coming to our house!

 The kids always have a lot of fun.  There's food, face painting, games, pumpkin decorating, candy, etc!  Briggs asked for a dinosaur to be painted on his face.  I said something little on his cheek would work.  Holy Moly!  This girl was no joke!  That was his first successful face painting experience!

Briggs mostly played on the bounce house with a slide!  He had loads of fun!

Our elementary school has a pumpkin decorating contest each year.  This year there were a quarter of what I saw last year.  So each student that decorated a pumpkin received some kind of special award.  Piper's pumpkin won the "Super Sparkliest" award!  It was sparkly with all the glitter she poured on!

 Red Ribbon Week was happening the same week as Halloween.  The last day was crazy hair!  She had braids all over her head!

 Friday night was Halloween!  I would like to say that I love Friday night Halloween!  Can we make it that way every year??  It cooled down a lot so we bundled up to go around the neighborhood!

 Briggs had enough of the clown wig so Daddy decided to wear it that night!  And thanks to Grammy, we were all sporting some fun glow-in-the-dark accessories!  Especially our glasses!

 We had a fun night in our neighborhood.  We ran into different friends along the way and were able to join them.  Piper told me she was more excited about seeing all the people than she was about the candy!  Love my social butterfly!!

Piper with her friend, Campbell.  We hung out with them for a few streets!

Celebrating Baby!

My sweet friends took me to lunch one Sunday afternoon to celebrate Baby Levy, or as Grammy likes to call her "Little Miss No Name" and gifted me with a prenatal massage gift certificate!  I love massages!  And will be making my appointment soon!  I am very thankful for their friendship and love!

Mommy/Daughter & Father/Son (and Grandpa too!) Weekend Date

Piper and I had the pleasure to spend a Saturday morning together, just the two of us!  We dressed up cute and went to a Dallas donut shop known for it's great donuts!  Hypnotic Donuts. It was fun to try something new and popular.  But it wasn't hypnotic, mesmerizing, or out of this world awesome! Just another donut!

 Then we headed to the beloved American Girl Store!  If I'm going to be real honest, I'm not a huge fan of the American Girl store.  It's so overpriced and makes your sweet little angel get the wantsies really bad.  BUT it is special and is fun and I am glad to have had opportunities to share with Piper at this place.

 She was trying to be tres chic in the Parisian hat!  Adorable!

 Piper has had a gift card to spend since Christmas and we're just now using it!  She chose to have Isabella's hair fixed at the special salon and she also picked out a new puppy for little Isabella to play with!  This doll has gone through a few name changes in its two years of life!  And on a side note, could you imagine working in a 'doll hair salon' everyday???

 While Mommy and Piper were enjoying fantasy land, Daddy, Briggs, and Grandpa made their way to Ft. Worth to an air show.  Apparently it was fun but really hot and Briggs was scared most of the time!  He is sensitive to noises!  And wouldn't keep his head phones on!

October Catch Up

Our October has not been one bit boring!  We have been having a lot of fun and especially enjoying the beautiful weather!  

 One weekend, Grandpa & Grandma invited us to their neighborhood Fall Festival.  It was pretty chilly that day but the kids loved it.  We decorated pumpkins, received balloon animals, ate yummy food, and played in a bouncy house!  A kid's dream!

 For the past eight weeks, Piper has been playing tennis at our neighborhood country club.  We are not members but they allow non-members to participate in their tennis sessions.  Piper has really liked it.  Michael can play tennis so I'm hoping this may turn into a daddy/daughter thing!  I took tennis lessons when we were first married!  Ha!!!  I was a disastrous tennis player!  More lessons are definitely needed!

 Briggs loves, loves, loves animals!  One night we were playing together.  Do you see all the pretend play happening here!  My job was to be the two turtles.  He was in charge of every thing else.  I love seeing my kids use their imaginations!

 One big project I finished right before October was this table and chairs.  Oh. My. Word. Ridiculous!  I do not think I'm made for DIY any longer!  I purchased the chairs from Craigslist a long time ago!!  The spring maybe.  I painted them and recovered the cushions.  The table was free from a friend.  And I think I received it in February maybe.  Way too long ago!  I had grand plans to re-do it!  Oh my!  The indecisive person I am caused me to go back and forth on what to do, then the hot summer and pregnant girl thing got in the way of progress and finally I got started in August and had a major staining problem.  Long Story!  So the procrastinator came back!  And Michael spilled hard resin on it accidentally at some point along the way, might I add!  So once September hit, I got busy and it turned out beautifully despite all my challenges!  The chairs are not my favorite and one of them is breaking already.  They were inexpensive and used keep that in mind.  I'd really love to purchase ghost chairs in their place.  Good thing Christmas and Birthday is around the corner!  wink, wink!  Still despite all that, I love it and am thankful to have it!

Piper is quickly understanding how to use your bracelet loom she received as a Christmas gift last year.  Look at all that jewelry she's sporting!

 Briggs has the hardest time not pestering Piper and her friends after school!  Even when they resort to shutting the door to keep him out!  Ha!  Here he laying down on the floor in front of Piper's door growling over and over, while laughing!  Just to bother them! The friend playing at the time of this play date has a big sister and a baby brother who is not old enough to be "weird" yet.  So she thought Briggs was pretty weird and crazy!!

 Piper's First Grade pictures!  Don't worry Grandparents.  You should get one as soon as I stop procrastinating and get around to it!

 The weekend following Briggs' birthday we had a lot going on!  A lot of fun things going on!! Friday night was the Fall Carnival at Piper's school.  Saturday the Roush's came into town for a fun, fast, overnight visit.  And on Sunday, we had Briggs' birthday party!

 Piper and her friends Campbell and Nora at the carnival!  Sweet girls.

 Piper had a blast on this trampoline bouncy thing!  She loved this event!

On Sunday, at the church the dads lined up the Levy kids and the Roush kids!  Piper and Lilly at six years old.  Lilly is almost three months older than Piper.  Sophia and Briggs at four years old.  Sophia is nine months older though!  And Evelyn at three years old!  Sweet friends that are family to us even if it's not by blood!