Christmas post in February

I can't believe I am going to post pictures from Christmas in February. I really want to do it, since I want to be able to use this blog as a way to look at all the great things we have done over the years with the kids. I have thought about writing this entry over 100 times and something always seems to take priority, usually snuggling with miss Sydney or trying to run Sam to the bathroom (yes we have begun potty training!)

Right before Christmas we went to Bass Pro shop for the kids to take pictures with Santa. This place is AMAZING, and could have been an entire day for Samuel. He rode 4-wheelers, looked at fish, saw stuffed animals and then got to see Santa. Last year was a bit scary for him (we couldn't get him to sit on santa's lap) and so were unsure how this year would be but he was a champ. He loved it and went right up to Santa and sat on his lap (maybe because he had candy canes!) They took great pictures and both kids were really cute. Here is a few pics I took.

This Christmas was a great time. Samuel got really excited. We had Jiji and Papster and Nana and Papa here to join us for the holiday. We had a great holiday spending time with the kids and relaxing. It was crazy that on Christmas day Sam and Ben went out for a bike ride, I never thought I would be saying that. Samuel was really excited and after opening each present he would want to play with it immediately and stop opening presents it was really cute. Then after opening just a few presents he laid down on his new Cars - Mater blanket and looked at us and said night-night. We were shocked but it was really cute. So we opened up more presents on Christmas day and the day after. It really made it a true Christmas week. This year with so much changing the presents were great, but just being with family made us thankful. Each year things change (good and bad) but our friends and family have always been there for us. We feel truly blessed with our family and friends and just tried to soak up that time with all of them.

Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures we took during Christmas.

2-years old!!

Samuel is 2, and he could not be prouder of it. He loves to tell you and show you how old he is, its really cute. We weren't sure how much he would get it this year, but when people started ariving and then his Elmo ballons got to the house and then Ben brought home his Elmo cake he got more and more excited. Samuel got to get together with his friends for gymnastics in the morning, had lunch AT McDonald's which we have never done, but he LOVES fries. If you ever ask him what he would like to eat he says "fry?" so we decided that was a must for his birthday and then we had his party with family and a few close friends that night for an Elmo themed party. He really enjoyed opening up his presents and his buddy Conner helped him open them which was really cute, until his Bouncy House came out and then he was done with opening gifts. Conner, Wes and Sam spent the rest of the night bouncing in the house and eating cake.

It is amazing to us that our little guy is already 2. He is such a sweet boy, and becoming so independent we can barely do anything for him these days. He has to do everything himself, or he tries. Putting on his clothes, making his food, or reading to himself (thats pretty funny.)He has also tried to push his limit with mom and dad, which is a big learning experience for us, and so hard to keep a straight face when he is being so cute or funny and we are trying to get him to stop doing something.

And as a present from the pediatrician Sam got his last shots for 2 years at his check-up which is great for us, he has never really taken them to well. He continues to grow and is over 3 feet tall now which is crazy!! We are learning new things all the time, doing our ABC's and counting to 15, 13 is our favorite (is that bad?) but we still can't seem to figure out colors, every time we ask him all we get is Yellow, which is actually pretty cute. His favorite word these days is "NAKED" he loves to run out after a shower or bath and yell naked and laugh really hard (should we be nervous that he likes to be naked so much?) Mom's favorite word he says is "Bless You" it is so sweet when he walks up to you after you sneeze and says bless you!

With each stage in his life I keep saying its the best yet, and I think its because they are becoming their own little person which is so amazing to see. Can't wait to see whats next!

Here are some birthday pictures from the party and gymnastics!

I think I liked gymnastics almost more than Sam did!

Extreme Sharing

In my last post I talked about all the amazing ways Samuel was interacting with Sydney, by holding her, talking to her and even putting a boat on her head, but this past Wednesday it went EXTREME! Samuel and I were playing with change that he had and he was putting it in his pockets and moving it from one pocket to the other, and then he decided to share it with his sister. Sam looked at me and said "Sydney, money mommy." I looked at him and I am not sure why thought/realized he had just put some of his money in Sydney's mouth. Sydney was laying flat on her back, and quicker than I could say "oh *#!p)" my finger was half-way down her throat pushing a penny against her throught and pulling it back up. I don't know who was more scared her, or I, or Samuel who began crying because I was screaming. I got the penny out, thank goodness, and she began crying and screaming. As a mother I have never been more scared, and nervous about what just happened and was she going to be okay. Sydney calmed down after about ten minutes and then passed out. I don't think she had ever cried that hard, we actually had our 1st tear during this event. As the day progressed she was unable to be settled, and wouldn't eat (which is very unusual.) So we went to the doctor and they sent us to Children's hospital because they thought she may have swallowed more coins. I had never been to Children's before and it was more than I could have expected. Every person there was wonderful and so good with the kids. Sydney had to have 3 X-rays and they were so gentle and actually gave us a copy to take home. After the x-ray I was pretty nervous about what the results were going to say, but the doctor came in and explained that if there were other coins inside she would lite up like a christmas tree, and thankfully she did not. She was free and clear of all coins, but they did say she had lots of bruises on her throat. She has recovered well and gotten tons of love from us and her brother (who has no idea he did anything wrong.)

As an fyi.. I learned nothing smaller than a toilet paper role for Sam when he is around Sydney.

Here is Sydney's 1st X-ray scan, such a scary day!

One Month!!!

Sydney has turned 1 month and Samuel only has 1 month until he is to, we can't believe it. The last 4 weeks have been (tiring) but the best of our lives. Ben and I constantly are smiling from ear to ear watching our children grow, and interact with each other. Samuel loves his little sister so much, the first thing he asks in the morning is "baby??" and then he runs downstairs without doing his usual routine, runs in our room and climbs up on the bed and looks at her in her bassinet and says "hi baby!" and then just watches her. Throughout the day he asks to hold her, sit by her, and lay with her. He gives her hugs and kisses, and now has picked her up and tried carrying her (something that makes us very nervous, he doesn't go far!) He tries to share his drinks and food with her to, I don't know if this scenario could have gotten any better. It almost feels like Sam thinks she has been here the whole time so nothing is different.

Sydney turned one month last week, and is really beginning to grow. She is a lot more alert during the day, beginning to sleep better at night, and starting to see our first real smiles from her. She is such a wonderful little girl (I can't believe we hoped for a boy, she is just what our family needed.) She is very different from her brother, she likes to sleep in her bassinet and he hated it, she is a babbler non-stop and he was mute, she smiles, he was stone face and the list goes on. She has already got her daddy rapped around her finger, if she makes a peep he jumps up, which is so cute to see.

And Samuel turns 2 years old in just under a month, where has the time gone. These days you can usually find him, climbing and jumping off any and everything, eating non-stop, ordering his dogs around, watching you-tube video's, riding his tricycle around the living room and playing with his sister. Samuel is in love with Sydney and tries to carry her, role her over, and feed her all the time. While he usually always has a bruise somewhere from jumping off something he never seems to mind, this kid is the happiest toddler on the block (pun intended!) Since I am now able to work out again I have been doing work out videos at home and it is hilarious to see Samuel join in, he thinks he is a natural. I am still amazed at his capabilities with the iPad and iPhone. Sam can turn it on, find the you tube videos and play them, select new ones, and stop ones he doesn't like. He loves horses, phonic videos, and anything with kids especially America or England's got talent he never stops laughing. But FYI moms, if you leave them for even a minute they can click to things I didn't know you tube would have, horses mating...... enough said!

Ben's parents were also able to come and meet Sydney over Thanksgiving. It was great to see them and they really enjoyed being with the two kids. It is sad that they live so far away but great when they come they get to spend good quality time with them. Samuel got to go on daily walks with his Jiji and Papster, and Sydney couldn't get cuddled enough from her Jiji. We will get to see them again in two weeks when they come for the birthday and Christmas.

Here are some pictures of the kids together and the top two are Sydney at 1 month and Samuel at 1 month, can you tell that they are siblings?

They look a lot alike but Samuel has Ben's eyes and Sydney has mine. And yes, that is a boat on her head that Samuel put there for her!

This kid loves to smile for the camera now, and tries to walk around taking pictures as well. She loves to just lay on her back and look around.

Ben trying to stay interested in the 4-year old Shakira dancer for England's got talent!

Sydney in her bassinet all swaddled up

Samuel trying to pick Sydney up, she doesn't seem so pleased!

Samuel and Sydney sitting together listening to books.

Sam's up in his bed taking a nap and here is the rest of my family a typical Sunday at the Levy's!

Sydney Jean

Sydney Jean Levy joined our family on October 26th, 2011 and the time is flying. I remember with Samuel that we used to be able to sit and watch his every move, smile and coo but this time around it seems to be flying by with Ben and I looking back at the day asking each other what happened that day and what did we miss. Sydney was born at 9:51pm, weighing 8lbs 7oz and 20.5inches long. She has been amazing every day. Sydney looks a little more like me, but still has a lot of Ben and definitely looks like Samuel's little sister.

From the beginning we have been on our toes, forgetting the simple things and learning the differences between boys and girls. This time I didn't get peed on as soon as we got home, Sydney smiles all the time (even if it is gas) and talks jibberish all the time. She has been eating well, sleeping good, and a joy to be around. We feel so blessed with our new addition, she has expanded our hearts beyond our dreams.

Samuel has also adjusted well and seems to really enjoy being a big brother. He loves to hold her even for a second, give her hugs and kisses and is a very protective older brother. Anytime anyone gets near her he says "my baby" and then looks at them like "what do you think your doing with my baby" it is really cute, I hope that continues when she is in High-school (will be great to have someone protecting her) and keeping the boys away. I am sure we are going to see other sides of the big brother but I am loving this side and watching them interact.

My mom and dad were able to be here to help with Samuel and see Sydney right away. It was great to have that help right away and Samuel didn't seem to notice I was busy with a new baby. This time around Ben and I are a little more relaxed and a little less nervous about things so it was great that we were able to do stuff together and allow them to spend more time with the kids. Ben has once again continued to amaze me as a father. He has really taken to having a little girl and has been such a help with her and making sure Samuel is getting tons of attention. These kids are so lucky to have a dad like him!

We had Sydney's newborn pictures done three days after we got home, and it was a great experience. The photographer we used was amazing and so good with kids. She is so creative it really took the stress off of me, and Sydney didn't have any accidents on her things yippee!! Our friend Katie made her a red and white tutu for her pictures and it turned out awesome, matching Samuel's husker pictures! We hope to get her announcements with some of our favorite pictures soon.

Here are some pictures of our new little bundle of joy, that has truly completed our family.