Some Family Pictures

 This past weekend, we went with my parents to pre-select our Christmas trees.  It was a nice day to wander around the tree farm.

The lucky boys got to sit on the big, orange tractor!

Ten Months Old

 Micah is ten months old now!  I can hardly believe it!  His personality is blossoming.  He's still really cuddly, but now he is more vocal about what he likes and dislikes.  It's fun to listen to him babble!

Halloween 2013

 We had so much fun on Halloween Day!  Since it was Thursday, we went to Bob's house for lunch and play time with the cousins.  After Stephanie, Ethan, and Garret decorated a ghoulish gingerbread house, the boys all put on their costumes for a photo shoot.  Here is Ethan as the young Harry Potter and Garret as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode 3.  Levi was a fireman, and Micah was a tiger.

So cuddly!

Levi is ready for the 2014 calendar

Fire Chief Levi says, "Lampshades must stay on lamps."

Next we changed back into our play clothes and headed back outside.  Although it had been raining lately, Bob had gathered up a huge pile of leaves and covered it with a tarp to keep it dry.  So much fun!!!

Ethan looks so innocent and so menacing at the same time!

Time to relax

Micah LOVED playing in the leaves!

Next we came back inside and carved pumpkins before heading home.

In the evening we went down to Jill and Randy's house.  Levi went through the motions of trick-or-treating, but I guess I hadn't explained that after he says "trick-or-treat" he should stand on the porch and wait for the treat.  Instead he kept walking through the door, tripping over his extra large boots and falling into the house.  He didn't look quite as smooth as he did when he posed for photos at Bob's.  :)  We had a great little visit with the gang.  The little guys sat nicely for a photo: Micah, Avery as Berrykin, Maddie as Strawberry Shortcake, and Levi.

We finished the day at my parents' house for dinner.  It was so great!

Pumpkin Time

We had a big weekend of festivities!  On Saturday Bob joined us as we went to a Fall Carnival at Our Savior Lutheran.  We had heard that a contractor was bringing his excavators to the church, securely parking them, and letting kids run them.  How cool is that!?!  Levi only ended up watching the diggers, but we still enjoyed it.

 We went inside to participate in some games.  I wanted a picture of the three of us in this cute little fall scene.  Just prior to this shot, Levi actually threw himself on the ground, crying, because he didn't want to sit on the hay.  I think the crowds were a bit too much for him, although my own stubbornness probably wasn't helping.

 

 Next, since it was still light out, we went to Picha's Pumpkin Patch.  Levi was absolutely fascinated by this particular tractor.  (In fact, he basically refused to look at anything else on the farm.)

 We tried to get Levi to pose for a picture with Grandpa, but it ended up just being a solo.

Then on Sunday morning, we stayed after church to participate in Reformation Day, an annual celebration where we learn about great reformers of the church.  This year was all about C.H. Spurgeon.  There were several booths with activities and crafts and candy prizes for the kids.  Most of the activities were a bit too advanced for Levi, but he loved "fighting the dragon."  He could have swung that foam sword for hours!

Then Sunday afternoon, just after the boys' naps, we rushed down to my parents' church for the end of their fall festival.  Levi felt much more comfortable this time.  His favorite activity was cookie decorating--and, of course, eating--but my favorite was this pumpkin decorating station.  It was great to just peel off the stickers and let Levi place them wherever he wanted.  It was quick and clean, and even toddlers could be successful.

9-Month Doctor Visit

Micah's latest stats: 28.25 inches tall (exactly 50th percentile), 19 lbs. 7 oz. (30th percentile), 45 cm. head circumference (45th percentile).  He's little!  Levi wasn't overly large during his first year, either.  He started getting extra tall and sturdy after he turned one.  Now my 2.5 year old is wearing size 4 and 4T clothes!  I am excited to see how big Micah will get.  Of course, I'm in no rush for him to grow up yet!

I was so proud of Levi and Micah for hanging in there during an exceptionally long wait at the pediatrician's office.  Our appointment was at 10:30, and we were finally seen at 11:20.  They were such troopers and very well behaved!  The rest of the day, not so much....  But Levi enjoyed demonstrating his knowledge (and nearly-correct pronunciation!) of the otoscope, opthalmoscope, and sphygmanometer.  The doctor got a kick out of it, too.

Nine Months Old

 Micah is nine months old today, and we just love our littlest boy!  He has six teeth (four upper, two lower), and he pulled himself to standing in his crib the other day.  He likes music, dancing, walking while holding onto my hands, and eating.  For the last few weeks, he has been napping regularly, and he almost always sleeps from 8:45 P.M. to at least 7:15 A.M.  Life is good with Micah!

Going for a walk this afternoon.  Levi was trying to tell me something.

Nathan's clodhoppers

Mr. Fix-it

Brothers at Play

We took our time getting dressed this morning.  Levi loves watching Micah get his diaper changed.  In this photo, Levi is screaming at the top of his lungs, but I like the shape of his vowel.

Then I thought Levi would like to play with his new fireman costume. . . . maybe not!  Fortunately, he's got a few weeks until Halloween so he can warm up to the idea of wearing it.

 Check out those front teeth!  Micah has five teeth, and a sixth is just waiting to cut through the gums.

After naptime we went for a walk.  Levi wanted to run with the jogging stroller (like Mommy), and I allowed him to push Micah (with close supervision).  Levi decided that we should go to the neighborhood playground.  There's not much to do there, but he had a great time on the tire swing.

By the way, this is Micah's second day in a row of having a nap over an hour long!  Levi didn't take one, but I'm hopeful that tomorrow will be one of the four times per month when he actually sleeps during his 90-minute "quiet time" in his room.  Oh, but Micah's nap overlapped entirely with Levi's quiet time!  It was awesome to have all that time to myself!

 Micah is so good at standing!  He stood like this for several minutes without so much as a wobble.