Our two big boys!

Here are a bunch of pictures from the past month or so. The biggest event that occurred was Devin's first birthday--it's hard to believe he's already a year old! Now we don't have two babies...we have a baby and a toddler. Although I don't think that is any easier than two babies, because Devin's not as dependent on us anymore but he's on the go 24/7, whereas Levi isn't mobile at all but he's totally dependent on us. We thought we knew the meaning of "exhausted" before we had kids, but we had no idea what it really meant! We collapse into bed at the end of every day now, and with good reason!
His birthday and birthday party went well. On his actual birthday we went to a parade (his first ever!) and he loved it. He was obsessed with all of the wheels on the vehicles that went by! We didn't get to stay for the entire thing, though, because it started late and was lasting way past the boys' bedtime. Devin was doing alright staying up a little later that night but Levi wasn't--he was tired and hungry, so we went home.
Devin's birthday party was an Elmo-themed party (that's about the only character he cares about at all right now) with lots of balloons because he LOVES balloons! Lots of friends and family members came and he had so much fun walking around and seeing everyone. He got lots of toy trucks, which he also LOVES (anything with wheels fascinates him). He didn't really care for the cake or ice cream; he would have much rather had a big bowl of lima beans or bananas (which is fine by us!). His birthfather Russell came up for the weekend and they had lots of fun playing together. They also spent some time together outside on a walk and wagon ride, and Tye's dad took them on a horse-and-buggy ride!
Devin had his 1-year checkup last week and he's about 23 lbs. and 29 inches tall. That puts him in the 50th percentile for height and weight, which isn't surprising to us since his birthparents are both pretty average in height and weight. His eyes are also a really interesting color right now, and we can't really decide on what color they are. We agree that they look almost identical to the color of the middle of sliced black olives...kind of a mossy brownish green. His hair is whitish blond right now and so light that people comment on in constantly! He's also morphed into some kind of goat baby over the past couple of months--he eats ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that he can get into his mouth, and the more NON-edible it is the better! Rocks, scraps of paper, grass, the remote control, diaper rash cream tubes, diapers, hair brushes--you name it, he's tried to (or succeed in!) eat it.
Levi is almost 15 lbs and 23 inches long, so he's in the 90th percentile for weight and the 72nd for height. We figured he'd be longer and thinner than he is (like he was at birth) because of Tye's height, but so far he's growing out and around rather than long! It's funny that the boys are only 8 lbs. apart in weight but they are 9 1/2 months apart in age! Devin was chunkier as an infant, too, though, and started to even out as he became more mobile, so we'll see if Levi does the same. Who knows! His eyes are still deep blue and what little hair he has is medium brown, but it's much thinner than it was at birth. He's started sleeping longer at night in between feedings, too, which is a blessing for me since I go back to work in 2 1/2 weeks! Last night he slept 6 1/2 hours between feedings...that was HEAVEN! I felt totally rejuvinated this morning! :) The best development he's had, though, is that he started smiling (lots!) last month and spends quite a bit of time "talking" to people, especially in the morning or right after he wakes up from a nap. It's so awesome to see him express his happiness with a true smile and coo! :)
Now for the pictures...

Checking it out...

He was trying to eat the icing off of his hands but lost interest quickly.

His bath in the sink after eating cake and ice cream!

Checking out the balloons!

Mingling with family (I love the party hat he's wearing!).

Our new bathtime routine--Levi sits in his little tub inside the big tub and Devin sits in the big tub! It saves time and the boys seem to enjoy it!

Reading a bedtime story with Daddy. :)

Heartwarming!

"Hmmm, which toy do I want to play with next?"

"This looks like an interesting toy...I'll take a closer look."

"Pretty boring. It doesn't really do much..."

"...except cry!"

Checking out his baby brother!



I absolutely LOVE this picture but I'm not sure why! It's so sweet and innocent the way Devin has Levi's hand in his...aww, both of my babies and their chubby hands!






Two boys with big ol' round bellies. We feed them well! :)