October Happenings

 The kids had school pictures in October.  How adorable are they?  You might think, "Ashley, you are amazing in your color coordinating and planning for such events as picture day."  I hate to disappoint but no, I forgot it was picture day until that morning.  The Bowtie was an obvious choice for Mr Levi but what about Miss Gracie?  I found this dress in a box of hand me downs and gave her the choice between this and a pink dress.  She was the one with a vision of sibling cuteness.

 Then we made our first trip as just a family of 4.  We had an amazing time!  We stayed in a cabin in Helen/Cleveland, GA.  This was our first and only HomeExchange swap and what a fun way to travel!  THis cabin had an amazing view that drew us to the porch for hours at a time.  We enjoyed Oktoberfest in Helen, Babyland in Cleveland where Gracie adopted a new Cabbage Patch baby, wineries and mills.  There was so much to do!  We even spent the day at a private zoo near the cabin.

And then there was the time that I tried to pan fry a fish and pan fried my face, chest and hand instead...

IceDream!

Sweet Levi has started to get a little irritated with us when we eat in front of him.  Last week when Blake brought the kids by after school (Gracie's daily request) the 3 of us with teeth had ice cream cones.  Levi was fussy and reaching for the cone so Blake gave him a taste.  Levi had never tried anything as good as that.  Yummy

August 2013

A lot has happened in August 2013.  We have started Gracie's last and Levi's first year at Noah's Ark, Levi turned 6 months and has started doing lots of new things, Gracie is learning how to write, I am redecorating the house, and Blake is learning to be the "keeper of the keys and grounds" and the Gill home.  We have embarked on a fun new journey this year that is both exciting and scary.  More on that later.  Check our month end review:

Levi had his 6 month photos done.  He is sitting up, eating, and trying to crawl.  Levi is alway moving- active, active.  He will be thrilled when he starts to crawl.  i will be a nervous wreck.

First day of school together!  Gracie really loves being in the 4 year old class.  She is doing exceptionally well and looks forward to going to school.  last night she told me that her least favorite part of the day is nap time. "But if I nap I will have energy"

We had a big Spirit Day at Chick-fil-A the Saturday before the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.  Gracie loved the cheerleaders and even stood beside them and started to dance during their routine.  Levi just wanted to eat the pom poms and Big Al's hand.

Levi is learning to be gentle.  He adores the dogs.  I will find ChaCha nestled up next to him like this.  

Welcome September!  May you bring cooler temperatures, less colds, teeth for Levi, and potty pooping for Gracie!

4 month check up

Levi had his 4 month check up! The little squirt did good. 

25.5 inches long. 50th percentile

16lb4oz. 75th percentile

17 inch head

They were happy with how healthy he is and how nice his incision looks. He got 3 shots and has suffered more from that than he did surgery! Poor kid has had a fever for 24 hours and is not as happy as usual. We are getting extra snuggles :) 

Surgery

Levi did great with his surgery. Such a tough little fella. Here are pictures from the day:

He came back from recovery with a big smile. He was so sweet all day and has not been the least fussy since the surgery. I am in awe of this blessing. 

Levi is 3 Months!

Gymnastics 2013

At school, Gracie is taking gymnastics through Tumbling Tides.  She had an end of the year program on Wednesday and she was remarkable!  It was a vast difference between this year and last.  Gracie was confident in what she could do and amazed me with her courage.  Last year she was afraid to do a front roll, but this year, she even flipped over the high bar!  Great job sweetie!

Levi's Baptism

We had a beautiful baptism service on Mother's Day for Levi at St. Mark.  Michael Miller did a great job of illustrating why we baptize our babies and how they confirm their faith in later years.  Levi and Gracie (and Blake) were perfect angels while we were up there.  

I had my eyes closed for the actual baptizing but I am sure it was perfect.  As we give our son to the Lord, I pray daily that, even though I know he will stray from time to time, that he always comes back to Jesus.

Levi could not believe what just happened but he didn't cry.  And yes, he is wearing an outfit with whales.  His cute outfit to match Gracie's was too small.  It was like trying to stuff an elephant into a mouse hole.  He is a big boy. 

Since it was Mother's Day, I also got some pretty flowers from my big girl.  (That she quickly took back and declared them to be her flowers)

St. Jude Trike a Thon

Gracie participated in the St. Jude Trike a Thon at her school.  She loved decorating her bike and showing off her helmet.  

Gracie and Blake did a patriotic theme for her bike.  It even involved red and blue twinkle lights.

The mass start

Sydney was a fast little rider.  She will drop her training wheels this summer.

Date with Gracie

G has been such an amazing big sister! She is kind and generous. Understanding and patient. But her mommy needed some Gracie time. So we went to Waffle House. It was such a fun morning. I love this girl. And she loves eggs and cheese.

Sweet Siblings

Gracie Meets Levi

Gracie has never been so excited about anything.  She finally gets to meet her baby brother!  After Blake and I had some time alone with Levi, Blake went to get our Gracie so she could see him before anyone else.  It was the most beautiful moment.  These photos don't need captions- you can see it all in her eyes.

Welcome to the World, Levi

Levi Nicholas Gill was born on 2/7 at 3:10pm.  He was 7lbs 9ozs and perfect.

Something about knowing that your family is about to change forever, is so sweet and so scary all at once.  I am grateful for the time Blake and I had to enjoy the experience together.

Blake was such an encouragement throughout the process.  We make a great team.  

I can truly say that he was the most beautiful thing in the world.  When Dr. Myers handed Levi to me, I was overcome with love and joy, and I wept at the blessing of being his mommy. 

Thank you God for this miracle