Happy Valentine's Day!!

It's not Brenley's first Valentine's Day, but just look what the difference a year makes!

It has been a wonderful day so far. Beau celebrated Valentine's Day with his class yesterday. Girls got Princess valentines with big "faux" cocktail rings, and the boys got NASCAR Valentine's with a small notebook. He had a great time.

And this morning we all exchanged Valentines with each other and then headed to Beau's ball game. Great day as a family!

Brenley May is ONE!!!

Are you kidding me? A month has went by already and nothing to report between 11 months and 12 months. Well, not exactly. I guess I've just been saving up. Here goes.......

On January 8th, my oldest brother Troy celebrated his birthday. Then we welcomed our 5th nephew (#11 grandchild on the Levings side) into the family on January 10th. Carter Lee Levings is the son of my middle brother Travis and his wife Julee. He joins big brothers Dylan Kyle and Brady Aaron. We got to meet Carter Lee this weekend. Check out our 11th cutie!

Okay, let's see......January is really birthday central. We have Alyson's birthday on the 17th - she was 7. And my Mama's birthday was on January 19th. She came up to Wichita on her special day and we got to eat dinner together. That was more of a treat for me than it was for her and Dad, I'm sure. Then on January 22nd, Jordan celebrated her 6th birthday. Whew! Lots of fun.

We had a mini super bowl party with Brian's brother Kyle, and his son Luke last weekend. It has become kind of an annual tradition and we thoroughly enjoy it, especially because we had two babies to add to the "party" this year! Check out the little NFL fans in action.

Okay, and now on to an event that I gotta tell you made me cry a little - or honestly - a lot. My baby girl turned one on Friday. I took the day off so I could spend the day with her. We got her picture taken first thing that morning. I had visions of tutu's and crowns and a big girly pageant dress, and my precious birthday girl was going to have NONE of it. She cried and pushed those things away. So we opted for a very casual outfit, and they turned out super cute. And of course all my Mom could do was laugh and reminisce about her own daughter that shucked anything girly and itchie! :) What comes around, goes around, I guess.

Then Brenley and I went to my work so I could show her off, headed to daycare to have cupcakes with her friends, and then had lunch with Dad. Finally it was home for a nap and party prep.

We celebrated Brenley's birthday with Brian's family at our house that evening. She got lots of great toys and super cute clothes. We got her a sterling silver ring, a pink and brown beaded bracelet, and a Cabbage Patch doll named Armida Merilyn! Yes, yes, those are all Mama's favorites!

Then on Saturday we headed to Oklahoma to celebrate with my family. Wow. Good times all around. Beau got to ride a horse for the first time. Sister got lots of lovin' and more cute clothes and trinkets. Me Ma and Pa Pa got her a beautiful bookcase that Pa Pa handcrafted. It's gorgeous. And I think she might like it too!

Between last month and this month, sister has gotten so big. She is diggin' her food more and more, although veggies are out. And she violently shakes her head no at the veggies. She loves meat and starch and dairy. We are working hard on getting her to transition to the sippy cup full time, and she is doing really well. She walks around everything and can stand on her own for a quick few seconds and then she realizes what she has done and falls to her butt. The funniest things she does besides the big "no" head shakes we get is when she is done eating or drinking, she says, "ah dun." C-U-T-E! That's about all the words she has added to her vocabulary, but let the record show she wanted me today and she said, Mum Ma. First time the name and me went together! Yeah.

To recap the month, her first year, and my feelings right now.........I have to tell you, this time went by so fast and has been a blur. I'm so glad I have been able to capture a lot of it in this blog. She is the light of my life (along with her brother) and it makes me very sad to see my baby move into the toddler world. Yes, I am so happy and proud to watch her grow and so blessed that she is healthy and happy. But it hurts a little. But I'll get over it, just like every other mother does. I guess the saying goes.........they'll ALWAYS be our babies, right?

Brenley - 11 months old!

Our baby is 11 months old today! What a big girl we have. In addition to pulling up, she is walking around objects, moving across the floor really quick, and she loves to "walk" if you hold her hands. Isn't that too soon to be doing that?! I'm having a really hard time with this. I am going to be a basket case on her birthday (which I have already started planning!! I'm insane).

But let's see.........a bit about Brenley from 10 to 11 months old.......... She is saying a lot more "sounds" instead of just Da Da. She says Pu Pu, and Ba Ba, and she does say Mu Ma - but still never directed at me. She can clap now - which is a special treat for her and me! It's super cute. She hasn't got any new teeth, but they ones she has are getting so big! She has a great gap tooth smile!

And she is starting to eat more table food finally. LOVES her Gerber cheese puffs. Likes starches of any kind - french fries are a fave, bread, and mashed potatoes. And of course, she has a sweet tooth for ice cream.

She got a lot of great new toys for Christmas and is enjoying playing with them. Her favorite, however, is her brother's box of markers, which we keep on the floor under a table. Why we do that, I am not sure, because it is inevitable that she will find it and dump it over. She loves playing with those markers. Fridge magnets are also a favorite.

Well, that's about it for our Princess.......30 more days and our doll turns one!

Cowboy Basketball

The fam and I headed to Oklahoma on Saturday, January 3rd to meet up with my dear friend, Stephanie and her family - husband Casey and son Talon. We got to see her amazing new home for the first time, had lunch, and then headed to the Men's Cowboy basketball game that afternoon. The Cowboys came up with a big win over Northwestern State, and Beau got to enjoy his first Cowboy Basketball game (Brenley got some special love time at Grandma and Grandpa's house). Many memories from that arena for my friend Stephanie and I, so it was nice to watch the game with them, and share that arena and history with Beau. Go Pokes!

Happy and Healthy 2009!

Well, Christmas has come and gone and looking back on 2008, the only thing I can think of is.......where did it go? Our year started off the best way possible with Brenley joining us on February 6th. My mother had a pace maker installed the day after Brenley was born. To this day, she has flourished - thank the good Lord. Then we kicked off the NASCAR season with a Daytona 500 party the following weekend. Spring brought Beau and T-ball together for the first time, and a star was born! Mom then had another turn of events and broke her knee cap in early August. She was operated on later in August, and continues to struggle with the pain that comes from that. August also had us at the bowling alley to celebrate Beau's birthday on the 6th. Beau started kindergarten later that month - went through two teachers in the first two weeks - but got off to a great start regardless. Summer turned into Fall and Flag Football at the Y, which led easily into Y Basketball this Winter. Our guy loves his sports. But he also loves to practice his weekly spelling words. He is reading short books already! And now we are in the middle of winter having thrown my Mom a retirement party in early December, and now having celebrated Christmas and New Years! Whew! And all the while, Brenley kept getting bigger, funnier, and more lovable with her mouth full of teeth! Beau kept getting taller, smarter, and definitely more charming.

I tend to always get reflective at the beginning of a new year, or from a major change in my life. This year and time is no different. I read the papers and witness what is happening in the world around us and it makes me scared and sad. I hope I can protect my family from any fall out this war and recession brings. But I know that I can only control such small pieces of what God has in store for me. So I'll put my faith into Him, and just thank Him daily for the pleasures and blessings of my life, which are my family and friends. This year I resolve to try to live in the moment more often and stop worrying about all my "lists!" That is going to be a tough one - just ask my husband! But one thing this year has taught me is how precious our time is with each other. I want to soak up every kiss and hug and funny comment that are in store for me.

Have a blessed and healthy 2009!

Christmas, Christmas, time is near

Time for toys, and time for cheer!

Brenley's first Christmas and a 5 year old geared up for Santa.......it was a beautiful day.

We headed to McPherson last night (Christmas Eve) to celebrate Christmas with Brian's family. We had a great time exchanging presents and playing with the kids. We got home late last night in time to let a sleepy boy put out his cookies and milk for Santa and carrots and dip for the reindeer. And instead of waking up at the crack of dawn, Beau got us up around 8:00 - not bad!

It was a wonderful morning, full of surprised and happy faces. Sister was more thrilled with beating on boxes, but she had a good time, nonetheless.
Beau can't tell me which is his favorite present - he says all of them. And I believe him, because he has been in non-stop play mode all day. Brian will tell you Beau's favorite gift is a NERF air gun, that Beau just happened to get two of. Those boys played forever this morning. Not sure which one had more fun?!?!?

Brenley May wasn't much into opening presents, but Santa brought her her first 2008 Holiday Barbie. Mommy got her an OSU Cheerleader doll. I guess the bigger news for miss Bren was the fact that she pulled up for the first time today on one of her new toys. She has been trying for days, but she got up today. Big girl! And finally, finally, she is saying Mum Ma on a more regular basis, although not directly at me. Each time I tell her to say Ma Ma, she says Da Da. Everyone thinks it's funny but me!

As we are now more than halfway through our day......we are still in our jammies, toys are scattered EVERYWHERE in this house, and I finally have a minute to reflect on the holiday season. We are very blessed to have these healthy, beautiful children. I couldn't ask for a better gift. We are so thankful for them, and our loving family. We are fortunate we got to spend time with Brian's family already, and we anxiously await our trip to Oklahoma on Saturday to spend time with my family. I can't express enough what family means to me. I really don't even know how to put it into words.

So I will leave it in the words of my son........Happy Birthday, Jesus!

The Baller

Beau has been playing basketball at the Y this fall/winter. He has improved so much since the first game! We are so proud of him. Dribbling is a lot tougher than it looks. And when you are a lefty and you watch right handed guys dribble and shoot, it's even harder. But practice in the basement with Dad has paid off. And of course the most important thing.....he loves it, and he is meeting new friends. Here is our guy in action (red shorts).