Mario Kart Levi

so we've been a little obsessed with Mario Kart at our house & Levi figured out how to really bring it to life. yes, we are having quite an exciting summer around here!

another birthday - the BIG 3!!!!

Wow, it is a good thing we keep having birthdays around here. Otherwise, this blog would get not attention. Pathetic, isn't it.

Today is Naomi Joy's 3rd birthday. And what a day it has been for her. She started off the day with a trip to the "doughnut store" with her good buddies Roger and Rhonda, and got a doughnut with a side of cookie (Oscar the Grouch). Then she had a great time playing with her church friends at Luker and Matthew's house. And this evening, Oma, Opa & uncle Marc came over to have the final of the 2010 birthday celebrations. The menu of choice - macaroni & cheese and cake. (I may have added a few other items to the menu...) And now at last, she is sound asleep and happy as a clam after her wonderful day.

I continue to be amazed how I fall in love with my little girl, day after day. And I continue to be more amazed at how quickly she is growing up. She certainly has her moments and is quick to remind us she is 3. But as we ate supper, she was telling Peter how "you made some delicious hamburgers, daddy." If I'm looking for a compliment, I'm going to find Naomi. At 3, it's so easy to find joy in the smallest of things - which seem sometimes hard to recognize at 30.

I so enjoy the moments where Naomi goes about her business and just sings to herself, clearly absorbed in her own little happy world. I pray that she is forever able to take on the world with such ease and grace.

I love to see the way that she is helping to teach and shape her little brother (most days it's positive...). Levi clearly admires his sister like no one else, and in most cases (depending on the day of course!!) she returns the favor. This morning, I heard them fighting in Naomi's room only to walk into the hallway to see them walking together and holding hands. Levi is all about "daddy's lawnmower" but thanks to Naomi, he can squeeze and rock his baby with the best of them.

Naomi asked me as I getting ready to put her to bed when she was going to be 4. I said, "When do you think you'll be 4?" And she said, "In a couple days?" While I was amused, I had to think that it seems like time is flying by just that quickly! It's crazy! So, that simply means I have to hug, kiss and snuggle my baby girl as much as I possibly can. That is a task I am up for!!

I love you, Naomi Joy.

Happy Birthday Oma!

One of the wonderful things about living in Goshen is being close to Peter's Grandparents - lovingly called Oma & Opa by Naomi and Levi. Today was Oma's birthday. Naomi and I decided to make some "special birthday cupcakes" for Oma. As we were beginning that project, Naomi felt pretty strongly that we "need to make some paper flowers as well." So, we got to work and the end result was "just beautiful mom." She's a trooper!!

(I'm sad to say that in some cases it is difficult to tell which chicks I frosted and which ones she did!)

Happy Birthday Oma! We love you!

Levi is 1!

I cannot believe that one whole year has already passed.

He is quite the boy. Some of his favorite things at the moment:

• playing with his trucks and tractors - anything with wheels
• his sister
• playing in the snow
• taking whatever his sister has and rrrrrunning as fast as his little legs will go
• wearing hats and coats around the house (yes both of his at the same time & Naomi's when he can get ahold of it)
• his broom
• playing hide-n-seek with Naomi and dad
• playing with his red bouncy ball
• dancing while his sister sings her crazy songs
• feeding himself with his fork & spoon (apparently tastes better coming from his little paws)
• getting into bed with Naomi when she wakes up from her nap (he begs!)
  
• practicing saying words like: thank you, juice, cheese, daddy, mama, uh-oh, but mostly uh uh uh uh uh uh uh... (translated: I want whatever I'm pointing at!)
• green beans - he'd eat them for every meal
• stealing his sister's sippy cup (with the less diluted apple juice)
• "researching" what is in all of our drawers! (best examined by spreading across the floor and carrying around)

One thing hasn't changed with our sweet little boy since the day he was born. At the end of his busy day, when he has all the toys and junk he can find strewn across the house and all the bookshelves are cleared off. He holds his navy polka dot blanket to his left cheek, puts his right thumb in his mouth and snuggles close. He is one of the best little snugglers I know.

I can't wait to see what the next year holds. I love you Levi Benjamin!

Legendary Longhorns

Friday the 1970 Class D State Champion Shickley Longhorns are being honored.

Since we will be in Indiana and unable to make the trip honoring the first state title of The Little Big Town, I commissioned Springer Design to create some T-Shirts for the occasion. As usual they did an amazing job, graphic design has come a long way in 40 years!
Dad (Grandpa Schlegel) I hope you have a great time with the gang, watching the Championship game and telling stories. We love you and are proud of you far beyond your basketball lore.

brrrrrrrrrrrmmmm....

Levi was certainly excited to get toys with wheels around this joint instead of just babies. and he knew immediately what to do with them.
(the video is kinda long, so if you're not a grandparent you may lose interest...)

Christmas 2009...

we're back from holiday travels & wedding travels and all that fun stuff... it was a great time, but we're happy to be home now for awhile.

i'll get some photos posted of the last few weeks. here's the first batch from our little family - decorating the tree, Naomi making cut out cookies with Grandma Holsopple and the kids opening presents.

Levi gets his walk on...

those of you who said this weekend that Levi would be walking soon - he decided to give it a whirl today. here we go!!!

(pay no attention to the sharp objects in his hands. oops! they have been put away grandmas!!)

a tribute to her favorite trio

if you aren't Tyler, Craig or Caitlin you may not totally appreciate this. if you listen carefully she attempts to insert their names into "if you're happy & you know it."


(i just got cables for our new computer which is why all the videos are coming today...)

on the phone again...

throwing seven kinds of smoke...

well, yesterday was one of those days that makes me think - wow! i am so incredibly glad that i get to stay home with my kids! Naomi had me cracking up most of the day. She was seriously on fire - really i don't know where she comes up with this stuff.

here are a few highlights, which probably won't be quite as funny, but i'll do my best to share them...

• we were eating breakfast and Naomi looks up at me and says, "would you like a salad and two diets?" (i tried not to be completely offended.)

• we were playing in the basement and she had her crayons all lined up and i bumped them (big mistake!) so i started picking them up and kept knocking them down so i said, "nuts!" so she repeated over and over and over, "oh my nuts! oh my nuts! oh my nuts!" (until i could compose myself and suggested that she say "oh my goodness" instead.)

• we were reading books and i started to leave her room and she said, "hey little lady, you want to come back in here?" (little lady?!?!?)

• we have a little deal going on that she gets this baby (which she named potty baby) when she starts using the potty regularly. the baby is sitting up very high on the shelf in the bathroom. we were talking about potty baby yesterday & she told me "she's just up there relaxing." (i think she's going to be relaxing up there for a very long time.)

• i threw her poopy diaper in the garage & when i came back in she said "will the garbage man throw up?" (fair question.)

and as it goes - today of course was a new and less amusing day. but it's good to have those yesterdays.

(she's wearing one of my old flower girl dresses in the photo. fun dress up!)

not very impressed

with the book


or the kisses.


but it's fun anyway. (pardon the cheerios you can see in Naomi's mouth.)

what to wear... what to wear...

one of Naomi's newest joys in life is picking out clothes... not for her to wear, but for me to wear. pretty much she wants me to wear this purple sweater all the time. so today i told her that i wasn't going to wear it. when i came back in my room, she informed me that if i wasn't going to wear it then she was.

perhaps someday we will share clothes. but today it just made me smile.

my my my...

i really should be ashamed of myself here. i am a complete disgrace to bloggers everywhere. it has been so long since i have posted. apologies. i'd like to blame it on the fact that Naomi & Levi have just been keeping me so incredibly busy. so we'll go with that.

we are well here in the Schlegel household. we've had some colds & mild flu, but nothing that has stuck around long. Peter has started wrestling once again, so we'll see what that season brings. Naomi is 2 going on 12. so that is a joy some days and not so much others. Levi is almost 9 months and is crawling and pulling himself up and getting into everything! he is very much boy - so much different than Naomi was. it's fun to see the two of them starting to enjoy playing together - though they certainly have their moments.

and as for me, well... i have been home for nearly a year now and i would say that i enjoy nearly every day. it is a larger test of patience and choosing battles than i think i ever would have imagined. but for now, i am quite content. i will do my best to be better at sharing some of our tidbits here.

today we spent much of the morning outside enjoying this amazing fall day! we played on the swing set. and Naomi & i carved a couple of pumpkins while Levi crawled around and tried to eat the leaves laying on the deck (and then his pumpkin). hope you're all enjoying the day!

summer... flying by!!!

here's a little glimpse of what the Schlegel's have been up to this summer. It seems to be flying by all too quickly!

Levi is almost 6 months old! Peter loves these pictures, if you can believe that.

The official Schlegel brother/sister look.

We spent a week in Nebraska and Naomi had a great time with cousin Sam.

And as always - safety first. Helping dad mow lawn in the backpack with the bike helmet on.

sum sum summertime!!!!

i sat poolside for quite some time this afternoon. it's a rough life. :-)

Naomi likes to make sure Levi's hands are full of toys.

He just kinda goes with the flow. You reading that look..."whatever big sister."