Summer

Of all the seasons, it is my least favorite. Don't get me wrong - there are some things that I do love about summer, but somehow being hot and sweaty and the electric bills to keep from being hot and sweaty are not on that list!!! One of the things that I do love though is a good thunderstorm. And as I sit here typing this, we are getting a whopper of a storm. I am fully expecting the power to go out any second...which is why battery power on a laptop is such a wonderful thing!

As of Thursday, I am 34 weeks along. As it gets closer, I am still in awe of the whole thing. We all just can't wait to meet our Toby. Ayden, at least once a day, comes over and lifts my shirt up to my belly button and says, "Hi, Baby Toby. See you in September...see you tomorrow. Love you!" (We don't quite understand the concept of time, apparently!) He is slowly getting the whole potty thing...it is taking so much longer than I had hoped for. He is currently wearing big boy underwear. I have got to say, though, that if it weren't for Shawn and his level of patience with the whole thing, I would be bald from pulling all my hair out. (There's always time and patience for a little silliness around here though!)Ayden is such a perfectionist that if he doesn't do something exactly the way that he thinks it should, then it severely upsets him. I am pretty sure that this will present some issues when he is in school if there is ever a subject that he doesn't pick up on the first time. I'm gonna start praying about that now! Next week, we are signing Ayden up for soccer for fall. I can't believe it, but he really needs that outlet! The amount of energy that boy has just blows my mind! He is now in a big bed, thanks to Dad and Mom Bates. When they came out a couple of weeks ago, they brought Shawn's old bed from when he was a kid. It is working out great and Ayden just thinks he's something special...which, of course, he is! He is so affectionate and several times a day will just walk up to me and say, "I love you, Momma," or just climb up in my lap and ask me to rock him. What a sweetheart!

Levi is already 13 1/2 months. He started walking on July 1st...he had been toddling around and would take anywhere from 2-10 steps for about a month or so (much earlier than Ayden showed interest in walking). But, on 7/1 we were upstairs doing some stuff in Toby's room and he just stood up and walked into his and Ayden's room. Then he turned around and walked back into Toby's room. We were so blown away. It is so cute though, because he really isn't that big. Let's just say that when you put him and Mia (11 weeks younger than Levi) next to each other, Mia is definitely taller and if she doesn't weigh more, she's right there with him. He's such a little squirt just marching around the house like he owns the place. It is so cute. He says "doot" (rhymes with foot), out, down, "Nayden" for Ayden, Mia, Daddy, Momma, ChiChi, kitty, and his first sentence is, "I want dat." The thing about it is that it starts out kinda quiet and then he just repeats it getting louder and louder with each time until, of course, he is full out yelling! He definitely gets his point across. He is such a cuddle bug and has such an awesome sense of humor. He will definitely be our prankster...I can already tell! He is laid back and I couldn't ask for a better sleeper!

He and Ayden are the best of friends, and I couldn't ask for better kiddos - thank you, God!

I am finishing this post at least two weeks after I started it, so I am going to end this one and start another with some more updated stuff. I am finding myself more and more behind lately with the blog, but at least the laundry's done and I know what I am going to make for dinner!!! I am trying to stay positive here!