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!

34 Weeks!

This picture was taken at 31 weeks!

Well, Baby Girl Levy, who is yet to be named, is due to arrive in six weeks!  Eek!  Not long at all!  I'm measuring right on time and feeling bigger by the day!  We have slowly been getting things prepared for her arrival but the two major things left to do are Christmas gift shopping and redecorating Piper's room to make it big girl/baby ready!  They are going to share!  I have a plan.  I have the the bedspread but we haven't purchased Piper's new twin bed or sheets or anything!  So that's what I'm working on this week!  But I am not panicking just yet!  I feel like I need someone to step in and take over though!  Ha! Michael and I toured the hospital on Monday.  I will deliver at Baylor Dallas, which is downtown.  The facility is great!   So there's a few things left to accomplish but it'll all get done and be fine.  I have heard that you have to relax a little more and go with the flow once you have your third or fourth so I'm just getting a head start and trying really hard to just chill out! This is my last pregnancy and I want to enjoy these last few weeks!

Lightning McQueen Party!

Several months ago, Briggs told me that he wanted a red birthday party with Lightning McQueen cupcakes.  For the months following he never detoured away from wanting that exact thing!  If anyone else would ask him what he was going to do for his birthday, he'd say the same thing!  I think we have a kid who knows what he likes and is not wishy-washy! Except in the food/eating department! So, Briggs got exactly what he wanted!  Red Cupcakes and Lightning McQeen!  And it turned out great!  He was so excited to see the cupcakes. I think he gasped, then grinned from ear to ear!  So sweet and easy to please!

 I asked him what friends he wanted to invite to his party.  He told me "Asher.  He's my best brother!" He has been referring to his buddies as brothers lately!  And he wanted to ask Tribb, John, Jadon, Davis, and Weston!  So we invited those six boys along with their parents and siblings.  This was our first time to host a big party at this house.  I was kind of nervous that we didn't have enough space, but the Lord blessed us with beautiful weather and the kids ran around playing for 2+ hours!  It was great!  And it reminded me once again that you can serve others out of your home in all kinds of ways, whether you live in a huge house or a small house!  And, so hopefully, I'll be doing stuff like this a little more!

 And, let's not forget big sister and her love of all things social!  She didn't mind that the party wasn't for her.  She had just as much fun playing with her friends in attendance as well!  That night, after everyone left she sat on the couch and said, "That was so much fun!"  Her social love tank was full to the brim!

 Ignore mommy's weird face!  Briggs loved everyone singing to him and blowing out his candle.  He especially loved eating the sugary treats!

 Here he's holding his Lightning McQueen ring while he has his two Lightning McQueen cars sitting in front of him!

Fun was had by all and after the crowd left, Briggs enjoyed playing with some of his new toys!  It was definitely a fun day celebrating our fun boy!  We were thankful to be able to share his special day with others and thankful that he is already blessed with some great buddies!

Happy 4th Birthday Briggs!

Briggs turned four years old on October 15th!  We had a fun day celebrating! We kept it simple that day because we had planned a bigger friends party for him the following Sunday. He is just now understanding the excitement of a birthday.  Piper and I were awake before him getting breakfast ready and he ran out to the kitchen with a big smile on his face because he knew it was the big day!! He was all smiles most of the day! 

 I made biscuits because they are his favorite and Piper helped make scrambled eggs!

 He had a candle to blow out in his biscuit!

 After breakfast, we opened presents from Mom, Dad, and sissy.  He loves opening presents and mostly said, "Ohhhh this is sooo cool."  or "Ohhhh this is awesome!"  Fun!  He had been asking for a red Lightning McQueen remote control car and I found one the day before at Target!  I was doing the happy dance!

 He also received a Ninja Turtle kit.  His favorite turtle is the blue turtle, Leonardo, because he likes his swords!

After we dropped Piper off at school, his friend, Tribb, came over for a short time because his mom needed help getting him to school that day.  Briggs was excited to see his buddy on his birthday.

 Briggs received several phone calls and video text messages and loved every one of them!  He would smile the entire time!

 After we dropped Tribb off at school, Briggs and Mommy went to the zoo!  One of his favorite places!

 I splurged (and entire $5) and let him feed the giraffes!  I don't usually let the kids do this!  He was a little nervous but really enjoyed it.

That evening, we invited Grandma & Grandpa over for pizza and brownies!  Leonardo decided it was time to show up for dessert!

 All day, Briggs had been asking for his Lighting McQueen cake and I kept telling him "You'll get your Lightning McQueen cake on Sunday at your birthday party."  But he didn't quite get it.  He was a little disappointed I could tell but he still enjoyed the brownies!

 After food, came presents and I just have to show you what Grandpa did to make us laugh!  The gift was a mini kids size trampoline and it had a picture of a girl jumping on it but Grandpa taped a picture of Briggs' head on it!  Briggs kept saying "It's blue Briggsey."  There was a blue tint to the picture.  And Piper kept saying, "That's Piper's body jumping!"  Funny kids!

 He's FOUR!! God has blessed us with this sweet boy!  We love him to the moon and back and are so thankful for his sweet, ornery personality!

Colorado Vacation 2014

Michael had a class to attend in Denver for 1 1/2 days so we made a family trip out of it!  The last time we flew with both kids, Piper was three and Briggs wasn't even one!  So it was a new experience for Briggs.  They did really well traveling, going through the airport, etc.  We flew Southwest so Briggs was adamant to carry around his personal Southwest jet toy that Michael purchased for him a long time ago!

Our first morning in Denver began really early!  Both kids were up before six because of the excitement of vacation!  Michael went to his class and we went to Denver Biscuit Company for Breakfast!  Yum!!  I wish we'd have gone back for the cinnamon rolls!

 After breakfast we went to the Denver zoo.  It was chilly outside compared to Texas but my kids insisted to be bundled up to the max compared to the locals who were in shorts!!!  Shortly after we left the zoo, the kids immediately fell asleep in the car and it began pouring rain!  Perfect timing.

 Below is a polar bear that we were so excited to see; however, he/she would not come out of hiding!

I always forget that being in the hotel room is just as exciting to them as going on an adventure!  The kids were hyper throughout our stay!  

 The second morning in Denver, we didn't have all day to explore so I took the kids to Washington Park that a friend suggested.  We had fun playing and feeding the ducks.  The weather was beautiful!! And so was the park!

 Once Michael was finished in his class and with a little catch-up work we drove almost two hours to Estes Park.  We stopped in the town center to view a herd of Elk.  This is the season they are out and about roaming freely.  I was disappointed to not hear them bugle our entire visit!

 We stayed at the YMCA of the Rockies, just outside of Estes Park in a little cabin!  Elk were roaming throughout the grounds, as well as deer and turkeys.  The setting was beautiful!

 The campgrounds had tons of amenities that were perfect for our family and the ages of our kids.  Horse back riding, roller skating, indoor/outdoor basketball, gaga pit, arts and crafts building, game building, scheduled activities like parachute games, bubbles and chalk, survival skills, trail art hikes.  Piper was in heaven!  Briggs, was of course, content staying in the cabin playing!

 The kids loved the arts and crafts building.  Piper went twice and begged to go about ten times!

 We had scheduled horse back riding several weeks in advance and that's the main thing Piper was excited about doing in Colorado but when it came time to saddle up, she wasn't so sure about being on that massive horse all by herself!  The wranglers did everything possible to help her feel safe and comfortable but she could not make herself do it.  I know she was disappointed but she'll gain more confidence in time and be able to try again some other time!  Briggs did enjoy his pony ride on the horse named Strawberry.

 Even though, Piper didn't love riding on top of the horse, she did love petting the horses and talking to them!  She and Briggs and petting her horse named Apache.  He, along with the other horses, were very gentle!

 We visited Rocky Mountain National Park one day.  It happened to be the coldest day we were there along with twenty mph winds!  We were freezing!!  The scenery was mostly enjoyed from the comfort of our heated car!!  Piper was thrilled to see a dusting of snow!

We had a great trip and even would like to go back to this same place in the future!