Houston, We Have Problem {Part Deux}...

Someone has learned a new momma-is-crying-a-river-'cause-keeping-up-with-two-boys-may-prove-to-be-impossible trick!  I'm seeing flashbacks of Logan running out one door while the dogs ran out the other, and times when Logan...well...RAN  EVERYWHERE!  That boy had Nike knocking at the door to be their spokesperson.  Of course, I had to say no due to child labor laws. 

Both Merisa and Logan walked by the time they were one.  Heck, Logan was off and running at 10 1/2 months...and hasn't stopped since.  As Levi approaches the big ONE, I couldn't decide if I should be worried that he hasn't tried to walk or rejoicing for another day without chasing two children in opposite directions as the leave the house via two different doors all the while the dogs go out a third.

So I sucked it up and told Levi he could try walking if he really wanted.  Guess that's all he needed.  Well, a garden hose on a hot day may have helped a little, too. 

He took a few steps prior to these pictures so I knew I had to grab the camera the next time we headed outdoors.  Ya know, it's always good to learn to walk outside where the ground is hard and pavement is DANGEROUS! 

Okay, I had the camera with me just because I always do.  I was taking pictures of the kids like normal when I heard Merisa say "LOOK WHAT LEVI'S DOING!"  Worried that he tried to eat some lovely dirt or the forbidden rock, I stopped everything and turned around to see my baby STANDING with the garden hose in hand!  WHAT?!  How did my sweet, innocent baby go from the sitting position to full blown standing without the aid of a table, chair, or the occasional sibling to use as a lift?

I HAVE NO IDEA!

Thankfully, he performed his new trick again...and again...and again...just so I could capture it on film.  Okay, SD card.  I just dated myself, I know.

So there ya have it.  The baby is up and...deep breath...WALKING!  This is a good thing even if my sanity doesn't agree.



Not So Little Anymore...

So here's the thing...our BABY is about to turn ONE!!!  The big O. N. E.!  You might have heard me say once or twice...okay, a million times...how I might go into complete shut-down mode moments before his first birthday. 

Well, I'm there! 

My sweet, little, beautiful baby boy will no longer be a...gasp...baby!

I. Don't. Think. I. Can. Handle. That!  sob...sob.

He has changed so much since he was born.  Yes, I know...that's the point.  His personality is shining through, and I love watching him discover life.  It's so easy to forget how beautiful everyday moments are, and I thank him (and all my children) for reminding me.

He's a smart little man full of life and curiosity.  He's adored by both his big sister and big brother.  He soaks up all the attention he can get, and he gladly shares a loving baby hug to anyone who's yearning for some cuddle time. 

His eyes are a beautiful blue.  His hair is a golden blonde.  He loves greeting people with a gentle wave and a sweet "Hi" that could melt anyone's heart.  He wants to do everything that his big brother does...even if it isn't always kosher with a certain someone. 

I'm sadden that time has gone by so quickly.  It seems like he was just born.  I hope he knows how much he's loved.  Our sweet, precious, little one.

We love you, bebe bubba!

Houston, We've Got A Problem...

Despite my constant discouragement and unwillingness to help speed things along, a little certain someone has learned a new *trick*...and momma is NOT happy! 

Yes, I realize that the last picture looks a little phony, but it was difficult to capture the moment while dodging a toddler and an ever so happy you-got-on-floor-to-play-with-ME puppy!  Any one who dares to sit on the floor in our house will be ATTACKED by one three every living soul!  These pictures all happened within a minute or so...this boy knows how to move! 

Okay, so he's not completely crawling.  More like...

Up on all fours.

Wriggle his little hiney.

Rock back and forth.

Blow bubbles that result in a giant slobber puddle on the floor.

And LEAP forward like a toad jumping away from a wild dog!

I know it won't be long, and my world will turn upside-down all over again!  Watch out America...a crazy lady might be running through your streets looking for a place to hide!

It's funny because with Merisa I couldn't wait until she started moving.  Every new milestone was SO exciting.  I was all like "Come on...You know you can do it!  Crawl...Walk!  Who cares that you're only 3 months old?!"

Now I'm just like "Oh, poor baby. You want to be held EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT. Okay!"  So maybe I've purposely tried to keep him an infant...but he's NOT getting the point!  Guess that was bound to happen! 

Somehow my babies keep growing even though I've had NUMEROUS talks with Father Time!  So by the end of the week, all of my children will probably be moving...which translates to a frustrated little Logan screaming "No, bebe bubba! MY tractor!"

Da-da...Da-da...

Little Levi has a favorite word!  And when I say "favorite" I mean he says it ALL. OF. THE. TIME!  I'm starting to get a complex 'cause he has no interest in saying anything else!  See if you can tell what he's saying...

Yes, he is holding a small piece of paper.  I know...big no-no, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity to record his cuteness!  Usually Logan runs up and starts grabbing the camera anytime I have it out, but since he was sleeping, I knew I had to capture the moment while it was possible. 

These boys really know how to keep me hopping! 

Side note...I tried taking some sweet pictures of my wonderful children today!  Ha, the joke was on me!  Not even Photoshop can help this time.  I'm starting to think that climbing Mount Everest with a 300 lb. donkey tied to my back might be easier.  Who am I fooling?  I KNOW it would be! 

I should borrow someone's kids and take their pictures.  Then, print the images and hang them all over the house. When my kids are 30, they'll wonder why they looked so different as children.  They'll think it's crazy what time can do!

Maybe this is why frame companies put such lovely pictures in their merchandise...so you'll at least have one pretty picture.  (And yes, I've been known to hang frames displaying unknown people in my living room!  I'll have you know that after 3 years these frames are now showcasing MY own children...just in case you were wondering.)

Back to the main reason of this post, isn't Levi a cutie?  He's so proud of his new talking abilities.  Oh, he does have another sound that he enjoys making...well, besides the Mommy-you-thought-you-just-put-a-fresh-diaper-on-me-ha-ha-I'll-show-you sound!  He has a unique talent of growling.  Yep, that's right, growling!  He sounds a bit like Chewbacca.  Once I capture that moment, I'll share it with you since I'm sure you won't be able to sleep at night until you hear him growl in all of his cuteness!

Our Little Bebe {6 Month Edition}

Once again, time has gotten away from us!  Our little bebe is now 6 months old!  Next thing you know I'll be posting that he's 5 or even 13...{insert sobbing mommy here}!  Anyway, I thought I'd give you some updates on our little man.

• He now weighs 18.5 lbs. and is 27.5 in., which means that his 6-9 month clothing is getting a little snug.
• He sits on his own, and he's ever so proud because the idea of laying down for just one second is NOT on his to-do list!
• He rolls ALL OVER the floor allowing him to wedge himself under a friendly couch or a nearby table and then, screams to no end since the only direction he can move is backwards.
• He has somehow figured out how to get up on all four, which can only lead to...ugh...CRAWLING! 
• He has finally started SOLID food, and he thinks it is some sort of torture!
• He LOVES his brother and sister to the point that he is constantly rolling their direction and trying to hug them ever so sweetly (and with a face full of slobber, which they totally love).

About his version of torture, the poor boy was just given clearance to eat rice cereal.  The other two started cereal at a much younger age, but this go around the medical field has decided that food before 6 months leads to childhood obesity.  Okay...guess I should inform Merisa that she's overweight! I'm COMPLETELY joking, of course!  This girl barely weighs more than her 2-year old brother.

Although I'm one of those people who typically doesn't listen to doctors, I did this time.  Not intentionally, but more because I couldn't remember to pick up cereal when I got the motivation to go to the store!  (Okay, so it could have also been due to the fact that I couldn't find a COUPON for the said cereal.)

Nonetheless, Levi started solid food the other day.  And let me tell you that introducing food to a baby who's 6 months is not as easy as with, say, a 4 month old.  Not only did most of the cereal end up on his face instead of in his belly, but he also decided that it was the MOST disgusting thing...ever!  It might even rate as #2 on his Things-I-Will-NEVER-Put-In-My-Mouth list....with, of course, his binky being #1.

The few times that I was able to get the spoon in proximity of his tongue, he would gasp, cringe and gag! Is it really that bad? Yeah, probably so! 

In addition to despising the texture and taste of cereal, he was able to pull the spoon out of my hand EVERY TIME and dump the contents anywhere but in his mouth!  He did decide at one point that the spoon made a better chew toy than food provider...at least that's some sort of progress! Guess we'll be moving onto finer foods sooner that I thought!

I'll leave you with a few images of how Logan decided to *help*.  I had to video tape the event since I did with the other two.  I wouldn't want him to feel left out when he sits down to watch old videos with his wife and family.  Who am I kidding?  He's a boy...he'll never care about adorable home movies (aka: old and embarrassing movies worthy of blackmail)!

At first, Logan was completely amazed that bebe bubba could *eat*, and he wanted to feed Levi.  I assured him that he would just get completely yucky and messy.  So he decided to help capture footage of the said feeding process instead.  Notice how the camera lens becomes Logan's *viewfinder*...too cute!

What's Your Opinion...

I've been working on some recent photos of Levi, and it's so hard for me to decide if any of my editing is going in the right direction.  I know some of you out there have a GREAT eye so I would love to have your opinion.  Don't worry...you won't hurt my feelings!  I'm as tough as nails.  Okay, not really, but I need some help.  I've always been a "picture hoarder", but I think I'm getting worse!  So please keep me from printing off 562 versions of the exact same picture...all because I can't make up my mind as to which one is best! 

The first image in each group is straight-out-of-camera (SOOC) and the other(s) is the edited version...in case you were wondering!  After taking these pictures, I came to a realization.  My child NEEDS a hair cut!  I bet you're wondering why he has a random chunk of hair growing out of one side of his head.  Genetics!  Seriously, my kids have the CRAZIEST hair...EVER!

Here's pic #1...

And pic #2...

Finally, #3...

So go ahead.  Let me hear it!  Do you prefer any of them or should I just start over?  Or maybe you have a few tweaking suggestions.  Any input would be great!

Now You're In The Know...

1)  I turned on my camera in order to find a pretty picture for the blog, and this is what I found instead...

Oh, that girl!  There's always a surprise around every corner!

2)  I went to the store to pick up my pictures that I had printed.  The lady behind the counter asked me if I had copyright permission to print the pictures.  She wanted some sort of proof that I had the rights to the pictures.

I was a bit confused and said I took them myself.

She was like...uhhh, ohhh! We thought you stole them!

I laughed and told her thanks for the compliment! =)

3)  When we decided to take the plunge and move to Crazyville Farms, we inherited this beautiful koi pond complete with a cascading waterfall and live fish!   I know...just another thing destined to parish! It's been a challenge trying to keep Logan from swimming with the "doggies!" (Despite the constant "No, they're FISH," he still refers to them as "doggies.") 

So I was feeling bad for the fish since I knew there were leaves floating in the bottom of the pond.  It was extremely cold out, but I wanted to give them the best chance of survival seeing how decomposing leaves and ice aren't a good recipe for fish during the winter.  So here I was doing my good deed for the day week year...cleaning out the pond while the temperature was barely above freezing.  And guess what happens...

I fell completely into the pond! 

I was soaked!  My shoes were holding at least a gallon of water.  And not to mention, I was frozen... solid!  Really! All this time we were worried that Logan would fall into the watery abyss, but no...it was ME! 

4)  Levi's in the rolling over phase. Ya know...

OH, LOOK MOMMY!  LOOK WHAT I CAN DO ALL BY MYSELF! I CAN DO A REALLY COOL TRICK! ISN'T IT AMAZING?!

Followed by...

WHAT EVIL PERSON PUT ME ON MY BELLY?! I CAN'T MOVE! I CAN'T BREATHE! I'M STUCK!  I'M GOING INTO FULL PANIC MODE!  DON'T LEAVE ME HERE!  WOMAN...HELP ME NOW!

All of five seconds pass, and I return him to his back...only to repeat the said process over and over again for the next 24 hours! Silly boy!

5) I've been meaning to mention that you may want to bookmark this page or you can even "join" the blog by clicking "Join This Site", which is found on the right side of this blog.  That is, if you're an avid reader and can't live a moment without knowing what's going on around here!  For you might be sadden if you can't find our blog anymore! 

Yep, I had that problem.  See, I read certain blogs every morning.  And before I joined sites and/or bookmarked pages, I made the mistake of cleaning my computer.  Got up the next morning, and was all like...WHERE ARE MY BLOGS?!  I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY WENT!  WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT MY DAILY GOSSIP!  I CAN'T FUNCTION!  It was a sad day, but then I learned to bookmark! 

But really, I know some of you link to the blog from Facebook, and, though, I don't foresee any future problems, you just never know when the links will stop showing up in your FB feeds.  So if you really want to, you can add crazyvillefarms.blogspot.com to your favorites (or join the site) and check back every once and awhile. I'm trying to keep it updated on a regular basis.  And I'd hate for you to miss out on anything! =)

Little Levi...

My little Levi is 7 weeks old today!  I can't believe it.  He's almost 2 whole months!  Where did the time go?  (And don't get me started about the ages of my other children.)  Well, he's the last of my children.  It's hard to believe that we're done, but that's the facts. I never would've thought that I'd love babies so much, but I do...Well, at least I love mine since they are the cutest ones on earth, of course!  And who would've thought that I would have three beautiful children?  Certainly, not me!

Anyway, Levi is a lot like the other kids and yet so different.  He's a cross between the two...in both looks and personality.  Funnier yet, is that all three kids have different eye colors!  Crazy!  Not sure if his will stay blue, but for now they are. Merisa's hoping for them to change to green like hers did one random day when she was three...but that's a whole other story!

Well, he's a great little baby.  At times, he can be quite fussy, but aren't we all.  I'm must go for now seeing how it's late, and I'm quite exhausted...