Jack, Emily and Holden

Small little hands

2012-02-15T22:44:00.004-05:00

To me it is the best thing in the world to have a newborn in your home. The smell, their little cry, the sweet way the curl up under your neck and go to sleep, the way they sleep, just about everything. I love the fact that I have these two sweet boys to love on every day!

Earlier I was loading pictures from my phone onto my computer and was noticing how these two boys sleep EXACTLY the same way when they are babies! It's so funny to me that Rylan sleeps just the way Holden did when he was a baby. I can swaddle him to the best I can and, just like Holden did, he will pull those little arms out and put those hands right up by his face.

I love those sweet little arms and can't believe that my sweet little Rylan will be one month old tomorrow! Love these sweet boys like CRAZY!

Top two pictures are Holden, Bottom two Rylan

From Holden and Rylan

2012-02-14T22:27:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!!

Holden's color book

2012-02-12T14:34:00.001-05:00

So I have a confession to make. I am slightly... Ok VERY addicted to Pinterest! I have 685 pins right this second and that number grows by a bunch every day. It probably doesn't help that I can just look it up on my phone and pin away! Ha!

So most of what I pin is recipes, crafts and stuff for my boys. Holden has become a little sponge lately and learning a ton super fast. I wanted him to work on learning his colors a little more so I found this adorable and sime idea! All you do is pick up some paint sample cards, punch holes in the top, and tie together! This was seriously the easiest this ever and took no time.

And now let's hope he learns more colors and everything isn't "well-o" or "bue" anymore. : )

Big day

2012-02-09T10:32:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a big day around our house. Well maybe not that big but it was to me. Jack caught Holden's stomach bug and started getting sick Tuesday night. So I decided that yesterday it would be good to get Holden and Rylan out of the house to try and prevent this bug from getting to Rylan and I. Holden was seeming back to his normal self so I loaded the boys up by myself and off we went!

When you have the stomach bug in your home, you run out of a few very important items. So I went to Walmart to get what we needed, WITH both boys by myself! Big deal? Probably not but I have been on 24 hour mommy care to a newborn by myself since this whole sickness started and then when you add a two year old you get wore out super fast big time. I have a whole new appreciation for single moms!

Turns out Holden wasn't 100% yet so we just stayed at my moms house long enough for him to nap then headed back home. I am really hoping that the bug has stopped and Rylan and I don't get it now!

Sick boy

2012-02-06T12:34:00.001-05:00

My poor sweet Holden has his first stomach bug. Poor guy made it thru our "super bowl party" aka pinterest recipe appetizer party/ commercial watching party and then as soon as everyone left he started getting sick. We decided it was best for one of us to stay with him downstairs last night and the other to take Rylan upstairs and stay away from each other the best we can to try to keep us all from getting sick. So I ended up upstairs with Rylan and came this morning to my moms while Jack was taking care of Holden. But there is nothing worse in the whole world than knowing one of your babies is sick and you can't get close to them. Hopefully he will feel better soon and the rest of us don't catch his bug!

Who's, who?

2012-02-02T14:51:00.000-05:00

So since Rylan was born, I have heard many different opinions on who he looks like. I get a lot of "Jack's clone" {which we got with Holden too- and yes Holden does look a LOT like Jack}But I have also had a lot of people tell me that Rylan looks like me. I do think he looks more like me than Holden did as a baby. For Rylan's first doctors appt, I dressed him in Holden's coming home outfit and took a pic of him just like one I have of Holden at almost the same age to the day.

So the question is can you tell whos who? : )

To me they look a lot alike but VERY different at the same time.

What do you think?? Can you tell which is Holden and which is Rylan?

Love, love, love

2012-01-31T17:21:00.001-05:00

I just love these boys soo much!! : )

Two weeks

2012-01-30T21:48:00.001-05:00

Today Mr. Rylan Levi turned two weeks old! It's still so weird to know that we have a two year old AND a two week old! I was just thinking today how amazing it is to have these two perfect boys.

When we found out I was pregnant with Rylan, we had thought we wanted to have a girl. Having a boy and a girl just sounded so fun. But now, I can't even imagine not having two boys! They are our world!

Rylan is such a good baby. He is sleeping like a champ and as of last Friday he was up to 8 lbs 2 oz- still not his birth weight of 8 lbs 6 oz but getting better. {He came home from the hospital at 7lbs 10oz}

Happy two week Rylan! We love you sweet boy!

Due date

2012-01-29T21:26:00.001-05:00

Today marks Rylan Levi's due date. We have loved spending the past {almost} two weeks with him! He is such a good baby and is a perfect fit in our family! It's amazing how your love can grow so much so fast! Holden still isn't quite sure what to think of "baby" but he is coming around to him a little more each day.

Rylan we love you so big and we are so lucky that God gave us you!!

Rylan Levi is here!!

2012-01-16T15:39:00.000-05:00

Rylan Levi is here!

He was born at 2:33 p.m.

8lbs 6 oz

21 3/4 inches

We are both doing wonderful! More to come later... : )

Pregnancy second go round

2012-01-11T17:02:00.001-05:00

I just wanted to take a little time and talk about how I'm feeling and how things are going this pregnancy. I seriously think that being pregnant is the coolest and best thing in the whole world. I LOVE being pregnant so much. I love the feeling of being able to feel every move Mr.Rylan makes both the little and super big. I love trying to guess is that his leg or arm or elbow? I love the anticipation of what he will look like or what his personality with be like. I love being able to get out his tiny little clothes and diapers and just getting ready for him to get here. I LOVE how Holden walks around going "Baby Bro-ber, Baby Bro-ber" and knows hes in my belly! : )

With all that being said, I am so ready for Mr. Rylan to get here. Maybe it has to do with the fact I have been measuring about 4 week ahead for over a month and at 35 weeks{2 and a half weeks ago} I had an ultrasound where they estimated him to weigh 5lbs 14 oz already. {Also I should insert here Holden was estimated to weigh 8-9 lbs at 36ish weeks and he was only 7lbs 7oz}

I also love when you walk into the doctors office and the doctor looks at you and says how are you still pregnant. True story y'all! Good thing I LOVE my doctor and just laugh at him. Yes, this the same doctor where I walked into his office today and he was jamming out and singing to some songs from the 80's. Awesome! HA!

SO with all this being said.....

This sweet baby boy MAY make his appearance on MONDAY!! I have been having some contraction-like pains with not really any contractions. SO when I was at the office today Dr. B said that if I am still feeling these pains at 38 weeks{Sunday I hit 38 weeks} he MAY let me go ahead and have him. So we are super, super excited that we may be welcoming this baby sooner than later and now it's time to get all the last minute things done. Like his car seat in the car and batteries in his swing. But we are almost there y'all! Stay tuned to see if he gets to come Monday or on the 24th. Either way is fine with us as long as he is a healthy boy!

Eggplant anyone?

2012-01-09T21:10:00.001-05:00

I tried it last night.

It didn't work.

I'm still here huge as ever just waiting for the day we get to meet our sweet boy.

My c-section is scheduled for 2 weeks from tomorrow but my doctor told me last week that he didn't think I would go that long at all and boy do I hope that he is right.

So now we just sit back and wait.

Everything is ready and our bags are packed.... just need to put the car seat in the car.

Ready whenever you are sweet boy!

We love you so much already!!

2012

2012-01-04T21:03:00.000-05:00

I can not believe that 2012 is already here!! I feel like we have waited soo long for January to get here and now it is here and we are just days away from having two sweet little boys!

We rang in the new year like we did last year having a fire in our fire pit in the back yard with all of our neighbors and it was perfect. Now we are just sitting back and enjoying our last few weeks as a family of 3 and I am soaking up every minute I can with this sweet boy! He has become so funny and talks ALL the time!

And so I remember, here are his 2 year check up stats:

Weight 27lbs {30-something %}

Length 37 inches {60-something %}

Still such a long and skinny thing!

2012 is going to be such an amazing year I know already! So let's get this year started!!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T20:34:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas
...From most of us! Ha!!
{I totally stole that line from a friend of mines who son was doing the same thing in their Christmas card last year! }

34

2011-12-22T20:35:00.000-05:00

34 weeks 4 days

Happy Birthday Holden!

2011-12-16T20:38:00.000-05:00

Today we celebrated the birthday of the sweetest little boy ever! Jack didn't have any work today {which is a totally different story-he totally got laid off today for lack of work} so he was able to spend the day with us. We started off the day going to Mr. Cooper's house for the day. BUT he woke up sick so his Mommy came home from work and we spent the day just the three of us.

One of Holden's favorite things in the whole world right now is choo-choo twains so we knew we wanted to do something to do with trains for his special day. Well I have been having EXTREME back pain that nothing helps so I didn't really wasn't to go to far in case we needed to head home. Our neighbors had told us about this local train store that they take their son to and he loves. Well it turns out this store is the same place that I had my very first job but we worked out of the guys basement and now he has a store. So we headed there and while we were there he comes running thru the shop saying a train was on its way and to come see it. They are right off a main street so we were right next to the train tracks. Holden was in HEAVEN! I took him outside and sat him on the curb and he just stared the whole time the train went by. This was really his first time seeing a train so close and not in the car and he loved it so much and it totally made his day and mine just knowing how happy he was!

After we left there we ran around and did a few things and visited with his Papa and Mema before heading home. That night we took his to see Santa{which he HATED} and then went over to my parents house for dinner.

It was such a perfect day for such a sweet boy and I know he had so much fun... minus the whole seeing Santa ha!

32 Weeks x's 2

2011-12-04T20:16:00.000-05:00

Today marks 32 weeks for me with sweet baby Rylan! It is super exciting to be this close already but weird to know my sweet Holden will only be the only child for just a few more short weeks. Holden was born at 38 weeks and about 3 days so we will have to wait and see when Mr. Rylan comes to join us. Not much longer until I schedule my c-section either!

The rest of this year is going to fly by with Holden's birthday and Christmas and our hospital tour{I'm having Rylan at a different hospital than I had Holden at} coming up in a few weeks!

Today we hung his curtain in his room and my Mom stopped by and helped with a changing pad cover problem I was having.... it was making me crazy! HA! His room is coming together and we just have a few more things we need to get for in there. I also had a friend come over and I helped her make a few Christmas presents for some of her friends and family so I am sooo tired. I am heading to bed as soon as my sheets are dry. Don't you just LOVE clean sheets?? I know so random but whatever! So night all I leave you with a side by side of me pregnant with Holden at 32 weeks and 32 weeks with Rylan.

This and That

2011-12-02T16:46:00.000-05:00

I can not believe that in TWO weeks from today this sweet little boy of mine will be TWO!! I can remember so clearly TWO years ago just waiting for him to get here and being so excited for his arrival. He has been the light of our lives for almost TWO years now and the best thing that has ever happened to Jack and I! Lately he has the funniest little personality and I just want to bottle it up and remember and keep it forever.

I also can't believe that in less than TWO months we are going to have another little boy to share our love with! I think it still seems so unreal that God has blessed us with another boy! I always thought with Jack and I coming from families of almost all girls we would have girls but I can not even imagine not having these boys!

It has been so much fun making all of this fun stuff for Rylan! When I was pregnant with Holden, I hadn't really gotten into sewing yet so my Mom made most of the stuff that I used like his bumpers, curtains and boppy cover stuff like that. And this time I am learning how to make everything and it is soo much fun!

A few weeks ago my biggest new sewing adventure was making a boppy cover for my boppy. SUPER easy, yes- installing a zipper on the back, something I had never done and was not as easy first go round with the fabric I has on the back. I REALLY want to make another one to have using different material so I can see how that works. Then maybe sell them on Holden's Hut : )

So here it is! Rylan's boppy cover with his name on it of course : )

Car Seat Recover #2

2011-11-28T19:56:00.000-05:00

A while back, my sweet cousin Keri asked me to recover a car seat for her. She had been given a car seat from a friend to use as an extra for her husbands car and wanted to know if I would recover it for her. Of course I said yes!

I love doing new projects like this and learning along the way exactly how to do it. The actual car seat part was super simple and I just took the pieces apart recovered them and put them back together. The top canopy however gave me a little trouble since I had never done one before but turned out better than I expected!

So here is the before pics:

{I had already taken the straps off so I could wash the cover before recovering it}

And after:

Much better if I do say so myself : )

With the straps put back in and sweet little Kinsleigh's head support

I am really happy with how this turned out and hopefully they are too! : )

Most fun project EVER!

2011-11-27T20:49:00.000-05:00

For ~~weeks~~ months now I have been working in and on getting Rylan's room ready for him. From getting his clothes washed and put away to little things like his diapers all organized. A few weeks ago, I went to one of my fav places ever Hobby Lobby and got the letters for his name to go above his bed. Holden has the exact same letters we just spray painted his black. Well this weekend I got around to hanging them above his bed. Love it! I do need to go back and shorten his ribbon some but I still love seeing his name up there.

Holden thought he should try out Rylan's bed for quality : )

So here is where my most favorite project EVER comes in to play. So ever since I picked out the fabric for Rylan's bedding, I knew that I wanted to paint his walls grey and add white polka dots all over the room. So for awhile Jack and I have been looking everywhere in stores for the wall decals/stickers to go up. We could not find these in a store anywhere! Sure of course we found them online but I decided today that I really needed them. So after searching online again this morning for any store that might carry them, I found on my fav website right now Pinterest {By the way if you have not been on here yet.. beware! It is SUPER addicting and so much fun I can't even tell you!}where you could just apply some wonder under{thats how I make all my shirts just iron it on the back of fabric, cut out and iron it on a shirt then sew and oh la la you have a shirt} to the back of fabric and you could IRON IT TO THE WALL! Brilliant!! So of course I have a ton of it laying around so I decided to give it a try! So I ironed my wonder under to the back of some white fabric, traced some kitchen items like a lid to a pot, cut them out and peeled off the backing and ironed them up! SO much fun!! Here is the start

I didn't have nearly enough and knew I wouldn't cause I have an order that takes up lots of wonder under but I love how it is starting to look! I CAN NOT wait to make some more to put up! And that spot over his changing table.. I 'm hoping to put a name sign up there that either I make or his Nana can make him{hint, hint, wink, wink} : )

This seriously was so much fun and I am so exciting about finishing! I am super tired tonight but I just HAD to get on and share this!

Last weekend I also made a boppy cover and a bumper for his cradle so stayed tuned for those to come this week too!

NINE more weeks until our new sweet boys due date! : ) Night all!

Holden's Turkey Day shirt

2011-11-20T19:24:00.000-05:00

It seems like lately, I have been super duper busy sewing a ton of stuff. From Rylan's bedding to a billion shirts for Holden to birthday presents and many orders.

Holden and Rylan I do have to say have some of the CUTEST shirts and onesies right now that I have ever made!

Here is a recent one that I made for Holden to wear for Thanksgiving

Mr. Turkey shirt he loves and if you ask him what a turkey says he will say "obble, obble".

Love it.

I'll try this week to post some other cute ones that I have made for them lately but that's it for now, I have made tons of things this weekend and have been on my feet for way too long. It's bed time for me! Night all!

6 years

2011-11-19T21:03:00.000-05:00

Six years ago today was the worst day of my life. I woke up to find out that Michael was gone.

Just like that. He was too young and had so much living to do.

The same brother who I had just asked two days before what to buy someone for Christmas and now he was gone.

The same brother who would sit at the table for dinner every night and make noises just to make everyone laugh.

The same brother who had the BIGGEST heart of anyone who I have ever know.

The same brother who would keep us up all night playing his guitar until the wee hours of the morning.

The same brother who could and would do anything for anyone.

He was amazing.

He wasn't really my "brother" by blood but my step-brother- which I have never called him and still don't.

What I would do to have to just a few more hours with him.

What I would do to have had him at my wedding.

What I would do to have him meet Holden and soon Rylan. I know he would LOVE them so much.

What I would do to see him again.

And I KNOW one day I will!

I'm not sure the pain ever goes away when you loose someone.

But it does get "easier" to make it thru the hard days.

I still think about him every day.

But days like today are the hardest.

Days when you know it's been another year that he has been gone.

Of course I made a guitar shirt for Holden to wear today but somehow never got a picture of it.

But every time I looked at that sweet little boy{even when he was screaming at dinner after not having a nap} I was beyond thankful for him and having him in my life.

And that simple little guitar reminded me of his amazing Uncle Michael.

We love you and miss you so much. But know you are rocking it out our with Jesus.

Until the day we see you again..

Michael Jones 5/7/87 - 11/19/05

The boys rooms

2011-11-18T12:52:00.000-05:00

Remember when this little boy had a baby room?

Well that sweet little boy is now almost TWO and with another baby on the way it was time for him to get a big boy room! So last weekend, that is exactly what he got!

And now Mr. Rylan has a room of his own that is coming together!

For the most part all the "big" stuff like painting, his bedding, and washing his clothes is all done now I just have to finish his curtains and decorating. So excited that in 10 weeks we will have another sweet baby boy to bring home!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

2011-11-12T21:07:00.000-05:00

Holy Moly have we become busy lately! I have so many things and pics to post but tonight, that's just not going to happen. We spent the day moving all the "baby" furniture that was in Holden's room {changing table, rocking chair and dresser} to Rylan's room and setting Holden's room up with a new dresser and some toy to get them out of my living room.

The past week I also had to re-take my blood glucose test at my doctors office because I failed the first one by 6 points.... they called yesterday and this one came back just fine. On top of that Jack and I are working full time and have picked up another "job" being the property managers of our townhomes we live in. Oh boy. Super easy job just trying to get a bunch of things caught up on and getting some renters in.

Holden is doing wonderful and talking more and more each day. And seriously my baby will be TWO in less than FIVE weeks!!

We both are finally over our colds that lasted for what felt like forever..... which we may or may not have passed onto my Mom... sorry Mom!

Well that's it for now! I'm heading to bed but am going to try my hardest to post Halloween pics and some others that I have on my camera tomorrow and I'll link them up when I do!

Night all!

Now I have to go save my child now who is chasing a light from a flashlight on the floor where my oh so dear husband is shining it. Oh boy....

Some Ice and a phone

2011-11-05T13:39:00.001-04:00

So being pregnant, each time I have reached a point where I could eat ice all.the.time! And crushed ice.. oh my! This go round, I have a little shadow who has grown to love ice as much as his Mama. Every time he sees me crunchin down on some ice he comes running going ice, ice, ice until I give him some.

He only gets the small pieces or ones that will be easy for him to chew. But to him he thinks that he is getting gold.

And then there is the phone. Oh lord. My baby thinks that he must "talk" on the phone as much as he can. And I can't just hold it up for him to talk in the phone on speaker anymore he insists on holding it and walking around just like his Daddy does.

And hes off!

I may never get to have ice to myself or my phone again ever. But as long as I can share with someone that is this cute, I am just fine with that!

This little Monkey

2011-11-01T13:02:00.000-04:00

We were excited to dress Holden up this year and take him trick or treating. Unfortunately, Holden got my sickness and was sick. I took him to the doctor in the morning but his medicine hadn't really kicked in yet so he wasn't feeling much better. We really wanted to take him trick or treating at least to a few houses just to say we did but decided it was best not to.

So instead we headed over to my Mom's house and let him do a little trick or treating over there. Well their neighborhood doesn't really have many trick or treaters so they had all their lights off and were hanging out watching tv in their room and couldn't hear this little monkey ringing their doorbell. So of course I had to text them.

I'm not sure Holden really got the idea of trick or treating at all but he was VERY ready to get out of his monkey costume and eat some candy that Nana gave him

Harris decided that he loved Holden a lot and really wanted Holden to share! HA!

Holden and Papa

Holden never did share his candy with Harris but it did make for a cute picture!

Here is a pic from Halloween 2010 and my uncle and aunts farm.

On Halloween Eve...

2011-10-30T21:41:00.000-04:00

Tonight before bed, I took these pics of Holden in his halloween jammies. Poor baby has caught the funk that I have had now for two weeks and he is not feeling well at all. I ended up at the doc last week with a sinus infection and tomorrow I will be taking him. Why is it that our babies have to get sick??

He wasn't so crazy about taking any pics at first...

Layin on Baby Rylan

Then he just kept saying "eese" "eese" {cheese}...

and posing! This crazy child of mine : )

So yes, maybe there is a million pics of my sweet boy but I am soaking him all in since he won't be my only baby for much longer! Tomorrow we hope to take him trick or treating at least to a few places just to say he went so we will see how that goes. : )

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

Choo- Choos are the best! : )