all holidays

Even though we have already decorated for Christmas, that does not mean we skip all the other holidays. We did go to that pumpkin patch...so Nathan and Levi carved the big pumpkin we picked. Granted, this is the first time we've ever carved a pumpkin for fall. I asked Nathan if he knew how to do it...which he scoffed in reply to.

Levi was his assistant of course. But, he wasn't into touching the pumpkin guts. It turned out really well, but I didn't even get a picture of it for some reason. Nathan carved out a fish, because we're Christians and because Levi is obsessed with fishies right now. And also he carved a Christmas tree. ;) Cause we're honest about where our real holiday priorities lie. Anyway, we put it out on our front step, under the covering of the roof, and yet within a day or two is was moldy and collapsing. So, it's in the trash now. We tried.

Halloween or not, it's really all about Christmas anyway. Levi gets a new tree ornament every year. This year he picked "Cars" of course. Here he is hanging them on the tree.

He was very excited and proud of himself.

I want to make a side note about the stuffed doggy he's holding here. Ever since my mom left he has been very faithful to carry around this dog. He calls it "Cute Doggy" and I think he must have learned that from Grammy. They played in his room allot, so I don't know what all was said in there. But, I think she must have seen this dog and said, "That's a cute doggy" and ever since then, that has been it's name and he has carried it around hugging it and sleeping with it. There are two that look the same, but one is bigger than the other. So he assigned the bigger one to me and calls it "mama's cute doggy". And then he picked out a different stuffed dog and named it "papa's cute doggy". It's pretty funny.

When I was little my family had a plastic nativity set that went outside in the front yard. It was just Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus sleeping in a hay-bed. They were pretty big, since they were to be seen from the road. Baby Jesus was able to come out of his bed, so every Christmas I always stole baby Jesus from the scene and carried it around like a baby doll. I would sleep with it and everything. I couldn't resist. And now it seems it has passed on to Levi. This is the baby Jesus from our little table top nativity set. He also comes out of his hay bed, thus Levi can not resist snatching him up and cuddling him. He doesn't lose it and he always handles it...like a baby. You can tell from the picture. At first I tried to tell him no, leave it where it goes. But then I realized that was silly. I should let him love on baby Jesus.

With the milk mustache and the Christmas shirt it was too good to go un-posted. We went out to get the mail with him wearing this shirt. And the mail lady, who is very friendly and always stop to chat with every house, commented on how we're skipping the other holidays and going straight for Christmas. Then she read his shirt and said, "I'll bet that's 100% true too, isn't it."

I thought that was a sweet thing for her to say. People always comment on everything, but it's not always sweet. It's usually a complaint of some form.
I caught Levi and Papa watching TV in this position the other night.
My boys really are so precious. They're both so fun and affectionate. And I get to be treated like the adored queen. It's a pretty nice little set up.

Here are some pictures of Levi getting to hold and love a real baby. This is Carleigh, my friend Chloe's baby. Anytime we're around a baby, he always asks to hold them. She looks distressed in this picture, but she really wasn't. Levi is pretty good at holding babies, for a toddler. He doesn't move once they're in his arms. He just hugs and kisses them and stares into their little faces. And they always respond the same to him. She kept looking in his eyes, and reaching up to pinch his cheeks. And he just sat there with a smirk on his face and let her pinch away.

He's pretty good at making her smile and giggle. If she starts fussing in her mama's arms he runs over to stroke her head and say, "OK baby." And it usually distracts her from why she was crying.