Little Man is Walking!

He took his first steps a few weeks ago and now he's really getting the hang of it. He loves walking around the house and does it quite well. The boys like to count his steps and keep track of how high he can go before he falls. You can tell he's really proud of himself and we love cheering him on as he cruises. Way to go E!

Thanksgiving in Our New Home

After three weeks in our new home we hosted Thanksgiving. It was so fun! The extra space was wonderful and it didn't feel crowded a bit...even with 25 people. The boys loved having their cousins over to play and it was great to have so many kids around this year. Mike, Desiree and their five little ones plus Desiree's niece joined us this year as did Lou and his caregiver Dora and her husband Jim, my mom, aunt Judy, grandma, Chad, Liz, Emma, Cara, Aiden and our good friend Doug. Now we're looking forward to hosting Christmas Eve!

The Christmas Play

Today was Fellowship Preschool's annual Christmas play. It is so cute to see all those preschoolers singing (or standing around while the music plays) and saying their lines for their proud parents. As usual watching Ryan on stage was an absolute delight! I told my mom he was beyond adorable. I got there just in time to see him head toward the stage. I called his name and gave him a quick knuckles as he walked by. When it was his turn he slowly walked over to the large number five and picked it up. The kids holding numbers one through four held their numbers high above their heads but this number five was really big for Ryan. He decided to hold it in front of him instead. Then he figured he could just peek his eyes through the curved part of the 5 while saying his lines...totally funny and totally Ryan. Everyone got a kick out of it and I think Ryan got a kick out of the laughter. Later when it was his turn to come back on stage with a maraca he was rocking out and having a great time. What a precious little ham.

Hoops Levin

Today was Ryan's first basketball game at CCV. He did awesome! It was adorable to watch him run up and down the court at full speed then slide when he got to the basket. Kind of like basketball meets baseball. Even though the basket is lower, it's still surprisingly high for little ones. Luckily Tyler got a portable backboard for his birthday so the boys can practice at home. Ryan loves that daddy is one of his coaches - yea dad! I have a feeling daddy's going to be very busy with three little boys playing sports. Ethan watched from the sidelines with Tyler, grandma and I and cheering the Sun Sharks on to victory (or so we think). We celebrated Ryan's first game with a Reese's and M&M Blizzard. Go Ry!!

Old MacDonald's Pumpkin Patch

Today all three boys and I went to Old MacDonald's Pumpkin Patch with Ryan's class for a field trip. We had a great time picking pumpkins, taking a hay ride and having a picnic in the shade. Most of all I think the boys loved running through the hay maze. When they got stuck they just stepped over the "wall" to get where they wanted.

One of Ryan's best pals Luke was there with his mom and younger brother and the boys played together all morning. Ethan loved his first hay ride! I couldn't tell if he loved the motion of the ride or seeing the horses pull us. He babbled with delight as we rode through the desert in the blazing sun. When it came time to pick pumpkins, the boys found a small one perfect for little E. He was so happy to hold it and play with it. Probably because it resembled a ball. He made it clear he did not want to part with his little pumpkin when I set it down. What a fun day with my boys!

Football Season has Begun!

Yesterday was Tyler's first football practice. He...or should I say we...were all so excited. At the last minute his practice day & time got changed so went straight to practice after I picked him up from school. The first thing Tyler asked after he got in the van was, "is it time for football practice?". On the drive there he asked "if I'm the quarterback will they have gloves for me to wear?" and "will I get my uniform today?". Tyler was so fired up he gave 100% and had a big smile on his face the whole time.

Rob left work early and mom joined us too so we could all watch his practice. Coach Chris seems to be a great coach with 7+ years experience coaching and 5 kids of his own. His wife Leah is very involved and enthusiastic too. All the boys on the team, with the exception of one, seemed to be totally fired up to play ball!

We Carpool

This week Tyler started riding to school with Elena and her dad Weining. We've been taking Elena home from school for a few weeks now but I was finally (almost) ready to have Tyler carpool now. Sunday I talked to Irene about having Tyler start carpooling but then talked to Rob about it and decided I didn't think Tyler was ready. Rob listened and then said "Laura, I don't think you're ready". Yes, that was exactly it. I am so afraid something will happen to him that it's hard to let go sometimes. I know it's not realistic for me to think that he'll never travel in someone else's car or be in someone else's care but it's just so hard to trust that he'll be safe and okay.
I had a chat with Tyler about carpooling with Elena's dad Monday morning over breakfast. He was faking crying and saying that he didn't want to go because he was scared. He couldn't really say why he was scared, just that he'd never been in anyone else's car before besides grandma's. I explained that I could continue to take him to school for a while longer but at some point he would have to carpool. When I told him it was just part of getting older and that eventually he'd have to carpool with his friends to and from games, he became more relaxed. Immediately he told me he was ready to carpool. I asked if he meant later in the week and he said "no, today". After praying over him for protection and safety, we waited outside for Weining. Tyler was ready to go, no tears, no clinging. As he drove away, I felt nervous but at the same time a huge relief that we didn't have to load all three boys up and rush off to school. Ryan and I still had a whole hour before we had to leave to take him to preschool. I'm still amazed at how freeing it is to carpool. The drive to and from Valley Academy everyday was wearing me out. Now, it's not bad at all.