This past weekend was just a plain fun weekend with family! I loved every minute of celebrating our big C's birthday this weekend! Here's a sneak peak of our fun at the Clemson game on Saturday and our apple picking trip on Sunday at Sky Top. I have many many pictures to post! I'm still living in the moment of all of the fun that we had!

 Priceless! C just loves her girls!

Caroline also loves big group hugs so she caught

C and K by surprise by pushing them together!

She was all about helping pick Aunt Rhonda's

Granny Smith's!

I just love these two precious twin babies! Nicholas and Nataleigh are eight weeks old. The twins have both doubled their weight! Nataleigh weighs 12 lbs and Nicholas weighs 10 lbs. They are sweet babies! I can't wait to love on them again!

This sweet miracle baby girl just turned three in mid August and we had a blast helping celebrate her 3rd birthday! The theme was based on the very popular Children's book "The Very Hungry Caterpillar". The theme, food, decorations, and the fellowship were all very fun. It was so much fun and I believe Morgan Kate had the most fun, rightfully so! I loved watching her twirl in her new tutu, blow out the candle on her cupcake, and laugh when anyone wished her a happy birthday! Morgan Kate is just a delight and we love her so so so very much (including her precious mommy and daddy). She's a pretty special baby girl and I'm so glad that she is apart of our lives, especially Caroline's!

The Birthday Girl!

MK's mama, Heather, and my C wearing the party gear! 

This precious boy, Luke, was such a gentleman!

He is already a lady's man, look at his arm wrapped around my C!

Heather, Melissa, and Micki enjoying the birthday festivities!

Morgan Kate twirling in her new tutu! Dance might

just be her thing, she's already so graceful!

C having the best time celebrating!

The girls and their makeup! Fun stuff!

Melissa, Heather, Erin, and Micki!



A girls gotta have her laptop and cell phone!

How else is she supposed to keep up with her social biz!

This summer (yes I'm still in summer mode), Caroline participated in our library's reading summer program. For every two hours that she read she earned prizes. So we charted it in incriments of 15 minutes. So after she (I) colored in eight 15 minute picture book boxes on her reading log card we'd go get the next level's prize. She loved it! When she had her sheet completely filled and went to the library to get her last prize, she was hoot! She stood at the children's department desk and waited paitently for her reading medal, stickers, and coupons for treats. We had to wait awhile since the children's dir. was assisting other friends. When it was C's turn she pushed her book record card over the desk to the lady nicely and grinned from ear to ear. She giggled when the lady began talking to her about how many books she'd read and even noted the list of favorites that we added to the favorite side of her card. She was so proud of herself that she was beyond tickled. My only regret is that I wished that I had signed her up for last year's reading incentive program! We have added going to the library as a reward for when she has great days at Ms. Leah's! My hope is that Caroline will love books and become an avid reader like her mommy!

Here's big girl adding her last star sticker by her name!

Yay, baby! I'm so proud of you!

All grins while showing off her new medal!

This summer we (well C) have spent a lot of our time in the "waterpool" as C calls it! She loves the big waterpool (the 1st pic). She loves that daddy can "jump in" like her. She loves that she can "swim" all around daddy and always says with a "watch mommy" for any new tricks that she can do! Since school has begun our waterpool time is also a reward or an incentive for having a great day at Ms. Leah's (along with going to the library, McDonald's, etc). It's hard to think of a two year old already having rewards and incentives when I teach first grade but yep we do! This little one is a hoot and keeps us on our toes fo' sho'!

C and daddy in C's waterpool!

In early August we celebrated our friend, Amy's, birthday at the big waterpool! C, and Amy's son, Cooper had a great time swimming with their daddy's!

Miss C had a blast with these swimmies...

her daddy...

and this float!

I am way way behind on my blogging. With getting a new school year started and being a mommy and a wife, somethings take precedence (but you know how much I love to blog)! I thought that these two pics of our girl were cute and wanted to share. I am not quite sure what she is pointing at in the first picture but I am sure it was something that caught her eye and wanted me to see it too! She is showing you her big smile in the second picture! This is what she now does when we try to take a picture of her. Most of my pictures of her are when she's like this or she has her face turned etc. She's so busy that it's really hard to even good a good one of her standing still (and posed pictures are not always the best ones, so I love to take pictures of her playing too).

Our big C moves into Clemson tomorrow! WOW! It's been 13 years (August 16, 1998) since that day for me (I'm old, ha)! I'm super excited for C and I know she'll enjoy this whole new college experience. Courtney is a pretty special girl and yes, I did get a little teary talking to her this afternoon about her day tomorrow. She's excited! She absolutely can't wait! In my mind she's still playing band in her high school's marching band, she's still volunteering hours at her local dog shelter, she's still participating in Special Olympics, she's still spending her school lunches helping in her school's special education department, not going away to college to learn her career. She's fabulous and Clemson will be a better place because of her! I love you Courtney and we wish you all the best in your new home away from home!
Mute the playlist at the bottom before hearing a very special message from the big C's little C!

This little girl loves to sing just like her daddy! Even when the water drained she was still singing away (mute the playlist at the bottom before playing video)!

As a new school year is soon approaching I am reminded of the type of job that I do, and quite frequently. A dear friend sent me this link and I wanted to share it with you! I know as a teacher mommy it put a smile on my face but it also made me a little teary. Many thoughts ran through my mind as I was watching the clip, thoughts about my own C and how much she seems to grow and develop daily (and how now when I try to look and think back about her being just a baby its a blur, how sad for me). It also heavily reminds me of my job as a teacher and what many roles I have to be for so many of my students. At the start of each school year, I become excited and very motivated all while the nervousness sets in about what the year will bring. I'm constantly thinking about what can I do this year to be an even better teacher. As teachers, we are constantly trying to prescribe what strategies and skills are needed to help our students learn and sometimes we have to try more than once before we get it right, even still it can be difficult, but I love to try new things and I have a love for learning professionally. I also have a great team at my school and we work very well together! 
I am excited about the upcoming school year but thinking about all the fun that I've had with Miss C this summer and saying goodbye to some of our daily activities makes me very sad. I have to keep telling myself that she needs to be with her friends at Ms. Leah's, and I have to work!
Enjoy the clip!

There is nothing like having a birthday party in the summer time! Our dear friend's little girl, Ansleigh turned four on July 29th! Here we are helping celebrate!

Ansleigh and Caroline!

Ansleigh's little friends!

C loved this swing! In the past, she hasn't been a huge fan!

C and daddy having a conversation while swinging!

A girl could never have too many friends!

We do a lot of our outside play after dinner! Sometimes we are still playing and having summer fun well after nine o'clock!

Caroline and Cooper in what C calls the "water pool"!

Miss C having a great time!

Recently we celebrated our niece, Anna, turning 8! Here's some pics from her fun party!

The birthday girl!

Seeing if Cinderella's slipper fits!

Having fun at the party!

This little one loves water time!

All the Leviner grandchildren watching a movie and

being very quiet! Rare moment!

Samantha showing her bling and Silas!

Ever since Melinda announced that she was pregnant with twins I would get asked the question, "are you jealous?". I have to admit that I was just a smidgen but only for a half second! The memories of C as an infant came flooding quickly back and altough she was a great infant and baby, I just could not ever imagine two of her. Looking back, I don't remember it all but I do remember those feedings and my worries. My worries consumed me! As I answer the question to the person that has asked about my being jealous I repsond, "The Lord gave the better twin the twins"! He did. Melinda is the most patient person I know (besides our mother) and she's so laid back. Those that know her, know exactly what I am talking about! She's great and unbelieveable all around! Of course now we have our moments of disagreements and reality and at the end of the day moments too but all in all, she's a great mother to her twins! My whole family is still revealing with the fact that they are here, healthy, and thriving little ones! I can't wait to see what their little lives will bring to us as well as to each other! I just love them!

Here's some more pictures of them from when they were born and first brought home! 

Being introduced to the twins and making those first phone calls!

Me, C, and Raven!

Jennifer lets Miss C open up the twin's oatmeal bears that she gave!

Nanny with the twins! My mom has this same picture

of her holding Melinda and me just like this when we were babies!

Pops and Nicholas!

C is now the big cousin loving on one of her little cousins!

Gran holding the precious ones!

Uncle Sam after swaddling Nicholas!

The two C's are delighted!

Mommy kangarooing Nataleigh!

Grandmother and Nicholas!

Aunt Rhonda!

Kelsey!

Our two big C's!

Miss Nataleigh!

Baby girl!

Baby boy!

To go along with the monkey theme in their nursery,

Uncle Sam painted this mural!