Smiles

This adorable smile made its first appearance a few days ago. I spent quite a while today trying to get this picture!

Friendship

Mat and I are both thankful for the friendships we have had throughout our lives. While we were home for Thanksgiving, we got together with some great friends from high school. Some of them we keep up with on a fairly regular basis and some we hadn't seen for years, but we enjoyed getting together and catching up. It was great to hear what everyone is up to and what's going on in their lives. We got to meet my friend Keith's son, Austin, who is only a few days older than Levi!

It was also our first night to leave Levi and be out on our own for a few hours. We left him in very capable hands- Gran and Grandad's. They had all 3 of their grandchildren tonight, and I'm sure the enjoyed their time. I'm also fairly certain they were glad that they got to hand the kiddos off to moms and dads at the end of the night! Mat and I missed our little guy but enjoyed our time with our friends.

Thanksgiving

We spent this Thanksgiving in Kingwood with Mat's family. It was a wonderful long weekend. We loved seeing everyone and getting to introduce Levi to a few family members who hadn't had the chance to meet him yet. I have so much to be thankful for, but this year I am especially thankful for these two guys:

My plan for Wednesday was to get Levi and I packed up so that we could leave as soon as Mat got home and packed. Of course, Wednesday worked out to be one of those days when Levi wanted to eat and cuddle with mom all day long! Mat and I both eventually got packed and got the car loaded up. Packing for this trip was a little different with George and Levi! I felt like I was taking so much stuff, but we used everything we packed for Levi. Our car was packed full! We had the trunk, the passenger seat next to Levi and the floor in the front of the car loaded down. This is what we looked like:

Do you notice anything odd about this picture? Yep, that's right. George rode shotgun, and I rode in the back with Levi. We don't think we can trust George in the back with Levi just yet. We got some funny looks from cars passing by! Once George figured out how to get comfortable, I think he loved getting to spend so much time right next to Mat. Levi did great on his first road trip! He slept almost the entire way (as long as the car was moving).

Levi did well being in new surroundings. He enjoyed having new fans and different shadows to stare at. The family enjoyed getting to spend some time loving on Levi. We stopped by my parents' house so that they could get a little bit of time with him too. We had a great time this weekend with family and friends. It was a great reminder of how blessed we are!

1 Year Old

Today is George's first birthday! Mat calls George the miracle puppy. We got George from my aunt and uncle (they breed labs). They didn't think that George's mom was carrying a litter, but one day Amy came home from school and heard some strange noises coming from the backyard. She thought maybe the dogs had trapped a bird, but when she went back to investigate, she found George barking and the other puppies laying next to him. The other puppies weren't breathing, so Amy did something I don't think I could ever do- clean the puppies off and give them mouth to mouth! She saved the puppies, but George was the hero that let her know something was going on in the backyard.

George LOVES socks, going on runs with Mat, swimming, and being chased. His favorite pastime is to find a sock and have us chase him around the house trying to get it back. George used to love chewing up Bibles, but we've recently found out that he likes Levi's pacifiers. George's most favorite thing though is Mat. If Mat is home, George wants to be right next to him! George can sit, stay, lay down, fetch, drop (but ONLY when there's a treat involved), and go to the hearth and lay down on command.

George and his sisters (Dec. 2008)

Mat and 2 of the puppies (Dec. 2008)

The day he came home with us (Jan. 2009)

Feb. 2009

Camping in Junction, TX (Easter 2009)

Mat and George wrestling (Oct. 2009)

George looks crazy in this picture!

We love George and are so glad that he is part of our family!

1 month

Today Levi is 1 month old. I can't believe how fast this month has gone by! Things around the Kelso house have changed drastically over the last month. We get a lot less sleep, we've only had a handful of meals that we were able to eat together and poor George has had a few less walks, but we love having Levi here with us and feel blessed to be his parents.

We won't see the doctor again until his 2 month appointment, so we don't have any official measurements. He is growing, but he is still little. He is still able to wear his newborn sized clothes. His favorite things right now are to eat and be held! At night he usually sleeps 3 to 4 hours between feedings. (We have had a few nights where he went longer.) During the day he likes to eat every 2 hours and doesn't like to sleep unless someone is holding him. While I do enjoy holding my sweet baby boy, we have to break him of this habit!

**Update** We went to the doctor today (11/19) to have Levi weighed. He now weighs 8 pounds, 3 ounces. The doctor was pleased with his weight gain.

George doesn't seem to mind Levi. The first few days Levi was home we don't think George even noticed there was another person here. Levi's crying doesn't seem to bother George- even in the middle of the night! Some nights, George has slept right through Levi's screaming. The other day, Mat had Levi in the carrier while he was getting George some water. When he looked down, George was sitting next to him licking Levi's foot. I think eventually George and Levi will be good friends.

Here is a picture of Levi and a teddy bear Mat gave me the very first Christmas we were together. You can tell that it was difficult to get a picture of Levi and that he did NOT enjoy the photo session at all!

Brooklyn

Last weekend, our friends Jeff and Mindi, welcomed their baby girl Brooklyn Paige, and we went and visited them in the hospital. We're so excited for the Tipps. It is fun that we have kids that are so close in age. I think that Levi and Brooke will be good friends. (I don't think they'll have much of a choice!)

Mindi and Brooke, Me and Levi

What a Dad!

Mat gave me a little break tonight. He vacuumed the house for our guests and took care of Levi. Levi enjoys the baby carrier, and apparently he likes the vacuum cleaner too. He fell asleep and took a great nap while helping Dad clean up.