We have a niece!

And Noah and Levi have their first cousin - Rylee Jo Schmidt Stapelton, born this morning just before 6. Erica did an AMAZING job of enduring over 24 hours of labor with no pain medication. Rylie weighs 8 lbs. and 1.5 oz. and is 20 inches long. Noah and Levi were pretty enamored with her and both wanted to hug and kiss her a lot. Congratulations Erica and Sherri!!!

Mission Accomplished

For at least a week, if not two (maybe three), I've been trying to get both Noah and Levi haircuts. Noah's hair got cut a while back, but poor Levi's was getting so long. Two old ladies called him a girl on Sunday, and I was finally ready for it to get a bit more under control (remember the crusty hair smeared with pizza?). So, this morning, on our way to Debbie's, we stopped in at Bill's Barber Shop and Levi got a haircut. He aged several months in a matter of minutes. He didn't like it much, but thankfully he calmed down and sat still just long enough for Bill to get the job done.



In the picture below, Levi had horrible red eyes, so I tried to take it away, but instead of totally fixing it - it looks like his left eye has no pupil. Hmmm...



Just to review what he looked like with crusty pizza smeared in his hair. :-)

Glimpses

Levi started smearing food in his hair lately. This only highlights the fact that he needs a haircut.

Noah turns 3

On Feb. 15, 2006 at 4:17 p.m. Noah came into the world. So much has happened since that moment.

Noah makes me smile even when I shouldn't. He's fun-loving, independent and very observant. He learns by watching and then trying on his own. He loves to laugh and is as ornery as his father. He's terrible at sharing with his brother, but sometimes protects him from danger. He can count to ten and pour a glass of juice. He can swing a golf club and actually get some air under the ball. He loves to sing and run and jump. He brings joy to my heart and humbles me. He teaches me and makes me laugh. Happy birthday Noah.