8 months later...

So, it's been way too long since I have posted anything. Life has been a bit of a whirlwind in the Leavell household this past year. I can honestly say, I am happy to start 2011! Here is a short summary of what has occured since June 1st. In June, my older brother, David, married Jessica Hammer. It was a small family wedding at our family's lakehouse. It was a perfect setting for a perfect couple. Miles was their ring bearer, and he was pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself. Jessica brings out the best in David. They are a beautiful couple inside and out! We are so thankful that the Lord brought Jessica, not only into David's life, but into our's! She is an amazing, caring person and I feel so lucky to call her a sister and an aunt to my three kiddos! In July, Maggie had eye surgery. God is so good! We were a little scared about the surgery, with the cutting of the eye muscles and all, but she came out of it, just as we knew she would. Maggie is such a fighter! Since day 1, she has amazed me! Going straight to the NICU due to not breathing, she showed those doctors who was boss! She is our sweet spirited, little fighter that never surprises us! So, why would we doubt that she wouldn't bounce back from a silly eye surgery? Well, she showed us! By the time she got home, she was running around with her Bubba and Sissy, laughing as she always does. She is the happiest little girl, especially now that she can see! Our surgeon did an amazing job fixing our little one!
Miles started pre school in August. He was so excited to meet new friends and be in school. That kid is one little sponge! He remembers everything, which makes mommy have to be very careful about what she says around him! He loves his teacher, Mrs Marino, and has such sweet classmates. Miles is a great kid. Always wants to help me, loves his little sisters, and has the most tender heart of any three year old I know. He loves to read, play dinosaurs, and has such creativity. It's like a new adventure everyday, waiting to see what he comes up for us to do. Boys are so much fun!
In October, Marley got glasses. She is pretty stylish in them! She loves wearing them and I can tell she feels pretty sassy in them. Marley, being our middle child, 1 minute older than her sister, is a ball full of fun! She wakes up every morning with a huge smile on her face, ready to play, play, play! She makes friends with everyone, wherever we go, she is giving high fives, hugs, and smiles to whomever she meets (I have not clue where she get this :)) She is in go mode all day, except for when it's nap and bedtime. That girl loves her sleep, which I think has a lot to do with when she is awake, she never stops! I love that the kids have each other to play with and are so close in age. I know there will be hard days when they get older, but right now, it's like a 24 play date in our house!
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday with our families, surrounded with the people that we love! It was such a wonderful time for Chase and me to look back at the year and thank the Lord for how blessed we truly are.
I have months of pictures that I could share, but I think this post has turned out to be a little longer than I had planned, so I will keep the pictures for the next post. I promise it won't be 8 months again before I post. You all know me- I have too much to say to wait 8 more months :)

Sprinklers are my friend

Wow! I can't believe it is already June. Where has the time gone? I can already tell it is going to be a very hot summer, so I am trying to come up with some fun activities for the kids to do where we do not all get heat exhaustion. Plus, not sure if you have noticed but I have a very fair bleach blonde little girl, that just the sight of the sun gets her some rosey cheeks. I guess if they are ever casting for a baby for the Twilight series, Maggie might at the top of the list for the role!

We loved having Daddy home for three fun filled days filled with the spray park, pool time at my parents, and lots of popsicles. There were three sad little kiddos today when Daddy had to go back to work. I guess being at home with them all day, there is not too much excitement when I walk through a door, but with Daddy, well that's a different story. Chase walked in the back door this afternoon and the looks on the three kids face was pure happiness. I think he could probably have the worst day, but it all goes away when he walks in the door because of all the smiles, clapping, and hugs he receives when he gets home. I love watching it!

Our backyard has seen some sad days with this horrible heat, which means that the sprinklers need to run as much as legally possible. Now we are law abiding citizens, usually :), but when the idea of turning the sprinklers on a little early today came up, we jumped at the idea for some sprinkler fun! The girls aren't ready to run, even though sometimes they think they are, so they stayed in the kitchen to help me cook dinner while their big brother ran non stop for 12 minutes through the sprinklers. He was exhausted by the end, but had the BEST time! So, if you ever drive by our house during the day and our sprinklers are on, please don't call the city- it's for the sake of our children!

Marley and Maggie enjoying some fruit. They can not get enough watermelon! I finally learned to take their shirts off when they eat it because we have ruined many a white shirt already!

Miles running...

Taking a little breather...

Spray Park Fun

Summer has officially started! We headed to the spray park today, which is one of Miles' favorite summer things to do. The girls were a little skeptical at first, but after a few minutes, they were loving it! Miles was running around with the big kids, while Marley and Maggie stayed in the shaded area trying to figure out where the water was coming from. Oh, to know what was going on in those little heads of theirs! We did have one casualty, but Miles took it like a champ. He and a 10 year old little boy collided with one another and the funny thing was Miles was still standing, but the big kid was the one that fell to the ground. Maybe a potential lineman in the future ?!?!

Marley and Maggie

Marley loved it by the end!

Miles kept his hat on for maybe 5 minutes. At least I tried!

Maggie is all smiles

Marley at the beginning not so sure about this

Team Leavell is back!

I know that it has been forever since I have written anything about anything, but can I just say, life with three mobile kids is crazy! Where did the days of the bouncy seats and exersaucers go? This past year has flown by! Chase and I were just talking the other day about the day we got the phone call from the NICU saying that we could finally bring Maggie home. It was one of the best days of our lives! She was so small and fragile- wow, how things have changed.
Miles turned 3 at the beginning of May and has the most amazing imagination. I have no clue where he comes up with these things! At night, he loves for one of us to tell him a story, which he ends up constantly interrupting to put his spin on the story. He really should be the one telling the story!
The girls turned 1 at the end of February. They are saying a few words that we understand, but they sure do have lots to say to one another. Our pediatrician said that if we had a linguist come in and study the two of them, he would tell us that they really are communicating with one another. Amazing! Maggie is walking now and Marley is RUNNING! She spends most of her day chasing Miles around the house, which is hilarious!
So much has gone on these past few months, I am not really sure what to tell and what not to tell, but the most important and wonderful thing is that we are healthy, happy, and truly blessed!


Miles cruisin' on his new plasma car


Birthday cake!

Marley


Happy Maggie

Sweet Sisters!

The End of 2009

So, I know that many of you think that I forgot that we had a family blog, but it has been a crazy past few months and I just finally downloaded pictures from Halloween. I know, you ask, what have the Leavells been up to? Well, here is a short recap... packed up and moved out of our first house in September, moved to Lake Athens, TX for a month, where Chase commuted to and from work every day, moved into our new house on November 9th, enjoyed our first Thanksgiving in our new house, and then Christmas arrived. Here are a few pics from those couple of months. Next blog I'll get to the good stuff- the holidays!

Life at the Lake

Well, our time at Lake Athens is almost over. It's really kind of bittersweet when I think about it. I can't wait to move into our new house, but living here has been fun in a different way. Doing dishes while watching the water go by, watching shooting stars at night, no traffic, people waving when you drive by- life in a small time sure is nice. My favorite part of the time that we have had here is watching Miles and his experiences. There are no fences here. We "go down lake" every day(many days 3 times) and watch the fish swim or feed the ducks. Watching his eyes and his expressions while all of this is going on are memories I will not forget.
The girls have enjoyed the lake as well. Both have started to crawl and Marley is ALL over the place! Maggie will move a little, roll over, grab and toy, and then be content. Marley will be just like her mommy- on the go! Maggie got her first tooth while we were here and both girls have truly found their voices. They are talking back in forth to one another and even though I have no clue what is being communicated, I have a feeling they know what is being said to one another.
I have had a lot of "think time" while being in Athens. There have definitely been days when I wanted to scream and throw my hands up in the air and tell the kids that their screaming won that day. Then, I would walk away, take a deep breath, look back at the three of them, and tell myself I was crazy. Why would I give up ever on being their mom? I have three beautiful, healthy, amazing children that I love with all of my heart. No matter how many tears or how loud the crying gets, I would rather have all of that then no tears or crying at all. I have had a lot of time to reflect on how generous God has been in trusting these three kiddos in Chase and I's hands. We are truly blessed.
Life in Dallas will begin again on Monday, and even though I am really excited to start our life in our new house, I will miss the small town life. It has been good to us city folk.

Pajama Day

Fall has finally arrived in Dallas (at least for a couple of days) and so I thought what a great way to spend a cool cloudy day than by staying in our PJs all day. We had the best time. Miles was wearing his favorite "aminal" PJs which made it even more of a bonus. We watched a movie- Lion King, of course, baked muffins, colored, built a fort out of blankets, and just had an all around perfect day! The girls had a great time too! No car seats, all their toys, and attention from their big brother, which they LOVE! It was a tiring day for me, but so worth it, just to see the smiles on all three of their faces. Enjoy the pics...

Maggie putting any and everything in her mouth.




Miles decided it would be fun to hang out with Marley in the bouncy seats.


Crib time


Baking muffins

The girls assisting in the kitchen.

Marley

Cheese!!

Happy Maggie

Popsicle time