I haven't disappeared!

I have had several people ask me what happened to my blog, and I haven't had a good answer. I guess I'm not sure what happened to it. In fact, I'm not sure what happened to my time the past 2 months. I was going through all of my pictures and realized that we've had a lot going on since school started. So here's a quick update and maybe an explanation of why I haven't had much blogging time (if anyone is still reading!).

We took a quick trip to Wichita over Labor Day weekend to visit family, and the boys had so much fun at a small amusement park.
They LOVED the go-carts. Levi rode with Daddy, and Ben rode with Uncle Steven. Something tells me that the big boys had just as much fun.
I felt sick just watching them on the tilt-a-whirl. We all had a great time hanging out with the family all weekend. Here's the boys with Papa right after bathtime...We also got to celebrate Daddy's birthday. Of course, there was some wrestling. Why can't the boys just sit still and keep their hands to themselves?! Ben and Aunt Casey...Levi with Daddy, Uncle Steven & Aunt Jes...

Someone in our family turned 2 on September 24th...
I can hardly believe Graham is already 2. I have no idea what happened to the past year. We celebrated on the 24th with cupcakes and a few presents.
He doesn't like to get his hands messy so he just dives right into the cupcake. No hands needed!He loved his personalized Sesame Street book. He still reads it every night.
That weekend we celebrated Graham's birthday with Grandma, Mimi & Papa and my sister and her family. Graham is a big Sesame Street fan so we had a Sesame Street celebration.
The kids had a great time playing outside together, eating pizza, and of course, eating cake and ice cream. I had a lot of fun making his Elmo cake... He had some help blowing out the candles. And he used a fork this time...
He got to open a few more presents...I think he liked having some toys all to himself, although I don't think it was very long before he was ripping them out of his brothers' hands.
Here I am with my 2-year-old and his very serious face...
His smile is pretty sweet too.

We had to say good-bye to some very close friends and neighbors a few weeks ago. It was so hard to see them leave. Things just aren't the same around here without them! Here's Levi with his buddies Davis (in the middle) and Timmy (on the left) on one of their last play dates before they said good-bye to Timmy. It's a good thing Wichita isn't too far away.

We have spent most of our weekends at the soccer field watching Levi and the Cowboys. Levi has absolutely fallen in love with the sport and has so much fun playing. It's fun for us, too!

We visited the pumpkin patch on the first weekend of October. We go every year with our community group and it is one of my most favorite activities of the year. I just love fall and everything that goes with it. Here's our attempt at a family picture. (Can you tell who was NOT cooperating?)Playing on the hay bales...Picking out our pumpkins...In the corn maze...Watching the pumpkin launcher...

We have also been remodeling our kitchen the past month. It has been quite the process. We had Leroy, a painter, in our home all day everyday for about 12 days. I am so happy with the outcome - we absolutely LOVE it. I'll post some before and after shots soon - I promise!

Levi had his first field trip a couple of weeks ago - they went to a local pumpkin patch. I got to go along, and it was so much fun to watch Levi with his new buddies.

We just got back from spending a week at the beach in Seaside, Florida. We had the greatest time! I would post pictures here, but there are a ton and I haven't even looked through them yet. I think the trip will require it's own post so I will do that soon too!

Lastly, I've also been doing a lot of research about this...
As of today, I am gluten-free. Here's a bit of history about why...

Last fall I developed this awful rash on my knees and elbows. I tried to ignore it, but it kept getting worse and spread to my torso, arms & feet. A few months later and it was almost everywhere. I finally went to the doctor, and our first guess was psoriasis, but after a few biospsies and blood tests we discovered that I have Dermatitis Herpetiformis (DH), which is basically a fancy word for a gluten intolerance. This came out of nowhere. As far as we know, there is not a history of any gluten allergies or autoimmune disorders in my family. I immediately went on a medication that quickly took the rash away but also left some big side effects. I had my blood monitored weekly for several months and then moved to every other week. This drug can not be taken long term so in the back of my mind I knew that I would need to be gluten-free at some point.

At first, going gluten-free was too much to even think about. I was mad and annoyed. The thought of it completely stressed me out. No more bread, cookies, cake, pasta, etc. Ugh. But God has done a huge work on me and right now I can honestly say that I'm not that bummed about it. I know it will be a lifestyle change, and it will definitely take a while to get used to. There is a lot to learn and a lot to think about, but I know it's simply not an option for me to ignore this any longer. It gets a bit difficult when I think about the foods that I won't be able to have for the rest of my life, but there are also a lot of foods that I CAN have, and right now I'm choosing to think about those.

Gluten is a really tricky thing and is a secret ingredient in the most unlikely places. Did you know it's in almost all canned soups? It's also in things like yogurt and sour cream. People who are gluten-free have come out of the woodwork, and I have had lots of support and advice. I am so thankful to be getting some great inside tips. My prayer is that I will be able to go off the medication sometime in the next 6 months.

OK, that's it for now. I'll be back soon with a recap of our Florida trip and pictures of the kitchen remodel!

My life purpose has been defined

A few days ago, as I was getting Graham out of his seat after lunch, I made the comment that I seem to make after each of this child's meals...

"Graham, you sure did make a mess!"

To which Levi commented...

"Moms are the cleaner-uppers, dads go to work and kids play and make messes."

At least everyone in our family has a well-defined role.

Look who's in school now!

Today was another milestone day (they seem to be happening often these days). Ben started preschool! For the past few weeks Ben has told anyone and everyone that he's going to be an "eager elephant". He thinks it's pretty cool to be in a class named by his favorite animal! And he was really excited to find out today that the class mascot is named "Elliot", which is Ben's middle name!

Ben was more than anxious to go to school today, especially since he now gets Levi's old Thomas backpack. (sorry for the squinty eyes - the sun was so bright this morning!)I tried to take him in the backyard where there was more shade, but I couldn't get him out of this fake smile mode.
He has a great teacher and lots of good buddies in his class so Ben went into school and the classroom with a big smile on his face! Doesn't his teacher look like she's a lot of fun?!
I think it's going to be a great year!

A big milestone

Goodbye long, lazy days at the pool.
Hello KINDERGARTEN!!
Seriously, is my baby really in kindergarten? I know, it's just kindergarten and he's only gone for a little over 3 hours, but it still feels like a BIG milestone. I'm certain that Levi was excited and more than happy to be going off to school - I'm very thankful that he didn't have any tears or hesitation. He woke up happy and ready to go!
The entire family walked him to his classroom with camera in hand. Here he is in the parking lot...
And in front of the school...
With his brothers...
In his classroom...
And with his new teacher...
Ok, enough already. Put the camera away!

I'm not quite sure how I'm feeling this morning. I have definitely shed some tears. I feel like my little guy is growing up way too fast! But I'm also grateful that he is growing up, and I'm so proud of who he is. I know Levi is going to love kindergarten, and I can't wait to see how he grows this year. This is also such a good reminder that these boys don't belong to me. I have to give them to the Lord daily, and I need to do a lot of praying!

And with these 2 little guys at home, I'm certain that the 3 hours are going to fly by!