holidays

I just wanted to say that we are still here and alive. All is well and we are just preparing for the holidays. First Thanksgiving then Christmas, then the time will be over and all will be back to normal (not all that excited, but I will get there, just a lot of "red tape" with the holidays isn't there?). Still working slowly, but surely on the toy room. It is taking longer than some think it should, but it is consistent with our plan of slow but sure. We want it to be just right, so I like that it is taking awhile so I can think of how I want it done. It does, however make my house always messy, but honestly what difference does my messy house make, I doubt anyone will take my kids away, or throw me in jail....So I will probably post more later...

My sweet Benjamin, and his CARING brother

I realized while reading Freezerbuns (keep holding on) that my NICU experience was not bad. I had the "best case scenario" all of the time. Enjoy-the pictures they don't start until Benjamin is 3 weeks old. The hairy chest is Jacob, Levi is the other male in the pictures...

The blue outfit is the day we came home. It is Preemie and was still TOO BIG.

Happy at home a couple of months later...

Some say Benjamin is a miracle, however the real miracle is that my family stayed together and Levi LOVES his brother-I could not ask for a better husband, kiddos, and nursing staff during these last 2 years. He is TWO no more adjusted AGE!!!!!!!!!

VOTE

I voted today. It took me 30 minutes-in a town of 3000, seriously?! Even now I am undecided if I voted the way I "should" have...Really what role does experience play? Does anyone have enough "experience" to be pres or vice pres. What prepares you for that? And if you have "experience" being president than you only have one term left-right? I will be glad when the polls close. I am grateful that I have PTO tonight as much as I HATE PTO (it used to be PTA), but at least I won't be home hearing about the election every 2 minutes. Either way this election will result in the first...and either way I fear for the president-what you don't think that someone would want to kill the first minority president or kill to make the first minority president. Either way I believe the secret service has their work cut out for them...
On the non-political front...this weekend we get pictures done with my whole family. Sunday we will then do what I have grown to look forward to, and never thought I would ever do...we sight in rifles for deer season-no I don't hunt- not because I think it's wrong, but because I think it would be BORING and COLD! However I do love to shoot a gun-mainly the 9 mm. LOVE IT. Levi shot the 22 last year and will again this year. We go with John, Keri, J, R, K, G and we always take my little girl Sadie (dog) who loves to try and retrieve what ever we shot-mainly she runs around and never manages to find anything that does not stink nor does she ever get shot-amazing...Every year (well the last 3) I have gotten a picture of Jacob and Levi walking to the targets-they hang in my office, each time I manage to catch them in the same part of their step. This year we will add Benjamin. Both boys have their own ear muffs for the noise and both know to stay out of the way. It is important to us that they understand gun safety...
Levi plays hockey and I think that my parents are coming for that game (actually I think they will be here all Sunday-but we really "have" to get the guns sighted in deer season starts 11-15). I never ask and honestly I don't know why we have to do this every year, but it is a day outside in the wilderness...
and still not pictures, some day...

mostly levi

Halloween is over, soccer is over, and November is here.
Halloween was very busy. Benjamin came to work with me as usual for a Friday, but he was all TWO when it came to his costume. He did not want it on when it was on, then he wanted it on when it was off. So he put his costume on and off about a million times. I was a Hershey's Kiss, which is nice when it is cold, however it was so hot in the facility (I am guessing about 3 degrees cooler than hell) so the day was hot and stressful. Benjamin was hot, I was hot, Benjamin was whiney, I was easily annoyed by whining. Once we got home and cooled off then the evening went much smoother. I will post pictures sometime...
Levi's last soccer game was Saturday and we had the team over after the game for cake...Levi scored 3 goals and was very prooud that he "slammed the door on Q". The other team had this little (not really little) boy that used his body to push everyone out of his way. Levi got pushed once, then "slammed the door on him". (I don't know and I didn't ask-I have never said it, maybe his coach did).
Last night we had hockey. Levi goalied both games. The league does not have many kiddos so they played 3 on 3 and the other team did not even have a goalie (because no one wanted to be goalie). Levi does a good job, but he can't stop all of them and when there are 3 coming at him he does good to keep the score down. His team was missing one of their best players, so the White Ducks got creamed, even with no opposing goalie. His teammates just could not overpower the 3 on 2 situation, so Levi got lots of practice defending his goal...
Benjamin is good, he has entered the "I'm two so I am always right" phase of life. Although he is cute when he says no and runs the other way, he is more adorable when he just comes and does what he is asked.