It's a boy!

We are so exited to announce that our third baby Lockett is a boy!  He looks healthy and beautiful, and we are so thankful for him.

He was a little shy at first, but eventually we saw Obi Juan's lightsaber.

Ava took the news like a champ, even though she was hoping for a sister.  Lev is not really sure what is going on, but he loved the cupcake to celebrate and likes to pretend "my have baby in my tummy too!"

We've had our boy name in mind for a long time.  Josh picked the first name and I picked the middle.  Like Levin, our first name has a literary tie (Levin is from Anna Karenina), and our new baby will be named after the author of one of our favorite books-turned-musical.  The baby's middle name comes from the founder of our new hometown, and an old name that I've loved for years.  

(Not everyone will like our name, we've already had some odd looks and comments.  That's okay.  No one else has to deliver him or stay up with him at night.  I'm sure his dimples will win over any name haters once he arrives.  And hopefully those hateful folks will just hush and not say anything.)

Now that you have the background and ground rules, I'm happy to announce that his name will be Hugo Abner Lockett. 

Hugo means "bright in mind and spirit" and Abner means "the Father is Light."  

We look forward to sharing more about our new baby Hugo and his big brother and sister.  Many shenanigans to come!

Obi Juan

Josh, Ava, Levin, and I are so excited to announce that we are adding a sweet new baby to our family in early January!

 I saw two pink lines on the morning of May the 4th (Star Wars Day), so I started calling the baby Obi Wan.  Later that evening, I talked Josh into taking me out for drinks, a "just because" Monday night date.  He ordered two Russian Donkeys (Josh's version of the Moscow Mule) at the bar, and returned, handing me one.  I gave him a card when he sat down, and he jokingly said, "If you weren't drinking that, I'd think you were about to tell me you're pregnant."  I kept the straw in my mouth, of course not drinking a thing.  He opened the envelope, saw the card announcing the baby, and was so surprised!  Then he grabbed the drink away from me, and took one for the team - finishing both drinks by himself.  In the past, he has given me a hard time because I always announce a new pregnancy by holding a pee-soaked stick over him at 6:00 in the morning, crying and shaking and totally questioning my ability to handle it.  I felt like a total rock star keeping this baby a secret all day and telling him in a fun way!

In the weeks that followed our baby discovery, my cravings for queso got a little out of control so I started calling the baby Obi Juan.  It stuck.  So far this pregnancy has been pretty easy.  I've been nauseous and tired, but haven't gotten sick at all or had any troublesome miscarriage scares.  We've seen Obi Juan on ultrasound twice now, both times baby was kicking and waving.  At 11 weeks, when the little stinker wouldn't cooperate with the Doppler for a heartbeat check, Dr. Anderson checked in with an ultrasound.  Obi Juan was kicking off one side of its little home and backstroking across!  I'm always so relieved to see a healthy baby on the screen.

Ava and Levin are excited about having another sibling.  Ava insists it is a girl.  Levin insists it is a "brudder."  Josh would like a boy, mostly because he likes our boy name best.  I am torn.  I'd love to have another little girl, and since Ava is a January birthday too, I would be able to use all of her darling little clothes again.  I'd also love to give Levin a brother so close in age.  I know the two of them would have such a fun brother relationship.  Either way, we will be thrilled.  My sweet, former "law school widow" sonographer friend is going to sneak a peek for us on August 3.  Ava won't be in town, so we'll wait until she returns home to announce the baby's flavor.  

My official due date is January 12.  Ava and Levin both arrived exactly seven days before their due dates, so I'm guessing we'll have a baby very soon after the New Year!  The due date does throw a bit of a wrench in our traditional "to Texas for Christmas" plans.  Six hours in the car at 8 and 3/4 months pregnant is a no go.  So Josh and I are going to celebrate our first Christmas morning with our kiddos at home.  It will be different, but we're looking forward to starting new holiday traditions with our family.

 I'm sure some of you local folks have been wondering about my expanding waistline.  I've seen the side-eye from a few of you.  No, I haven't been binging Swirls at The Mont.  I have a legitimate excuse for this belly-that-is-determined-to-be-seen.  Fourth pregnancies are tough to hide, y'all. 

We are all so thankful for this sweet little gift, and so happy to finally share the news with everyone!

Presenting Obi Juan Lockett

image captured at 10 weeks

Spring into Summer

Our sweet Levy Bear turned two on March 22!  We had a small Curious George themed party, and he enjoyed a banana split to celebrate.  Watching his little personality develop has been so much fun.  He is way less serious than his big sister, and is the king of making goofy faces when he feels like he's accomplished something.  He loves any activity involving a ball:  soccer, t-ball, balloon ball, jingle ball, or "back and forth" more commonly known as catch.  He is thorough.  He can make a mess like no other, but will work diligently to clean up every last little piece.  We love our Lev!



Easter bunnies

 

Even though she decided not to continue with soccer, Ava finished out the season and continued to improve and learn new skills.  She went to her second tournament in Tulsa, where tornadoes and mud-soaked fields made for an interesting weekend.  Ava enjoyed playing a team sport and developing sweet friendships with her teammates.  We are proud of her commitment and positive attitude!

 

Sometimes parents have to take a timeout.  Our 10th wedding anniversary passed in January, without much fanfare.  It's just a wacky time of year with so many birthdays and Christmas and new semesters starting.  We decided to delay our celebration until the summer.  A work trip for me happened to fall at the perfect time in Josh's trial schedule, so we spent an amazing workcation in sunny San Diego.  We loved the Hotel del Coronado and enjoyed some quiet days together, but were eager to return home to our babies at the end of the trip.

 

After almost six years of Oklahoma living, we finally have a bonafide tornado shelter!  I can't even tell you the relief this little piece of happy underground has brought our family.  We should have done it years ago.  Shout out to Smart Shelters for a wonderful purchasing and installation experience.

This summer brought some challenges in chess strategy style childcare.  The amazing Uncle Nate went back to school (Boomer!) and started working, so it was time for us to find happy places for our littles outside the house.  We were so thrilled to keep Lev at home for the first two years of his life.  It took sacrifice, gymnastic flexibility, and a fair amount of bargaining but we made it work.  I know I'm weird, but it was important to me.  When we tried group care for Ava James around 2-years, she wasn't ready.  Levin is a different story.  He loves the nursery and Gymboree.  He was ready for experiences with kids his age.  The solution for him came in the form of a small in-home care option.  The children garden, care for farm animals, go on many field trips, and have two loving grownups who share just as many kisses as early literacy skills.  We are so pleased with Lev's little school.

Ava is at a tricky age for childcare.  She's an independent homebody who isn't old enough to stay home alone yet.  No one solution seemed to be the right fit.  I don't want her summer to feel like the school year.  In the end, we decided to patchwork a variety of options to make a fun summer extravaganza for her.  Her summer will be spent with wonderful friends, fun baby-sitters, at acting camp, with grandparents, at work with mom and dad, and anyone else who wants an adorable 8-year-old (seriously, text me). 

Here's a little peek into her summer so far:

 

Here's a little peek into Levin's summer so far:

We are thankful every day for these two little gifts.  Some days are hard, and some nights are long and filled with two-year molar pain.  Sometimes we roll our eyes at each other, and argue about who exactly made us late to church (spoiler alert: it's always me.  Always.)  But the good times together always shine brighter than the sputtering storm clouds.  Here's to the rest of the summer being filled with sunshine!

February and the Future

Do you ever notice glimpses of your kids as grownups?  I see it more with Ava J, now that she's 8 going on 48, but every now and then teenage Levy Bear catches my eye and it takes my breath away.  See it?  It's buried there beneath the chunkamunk cheeks and dandelion fluff hair, just above the baby bear paws folded so sweetly.

Anyway, my dreamy darling mermaid darlings were thrilled with some outside time during a spring weather sneak peak.  A Saturday on campus at OU was a glorious reminder that warmer days are coming.

 

Because our kiddos are so far apart, it's taken them longer to act like siblings.  For the longest time, Ava was more of a third parent to Lev.  Now that he's able - and willing, oh so willing - to get into her stuff and drive her crazy, they rumble and fuss like real siblings.  Josh and I stay out of their tiffs as much as possible, allowing them to figure it out unless one is in danger of being hurt, usually Ava because Lev doesn't know his strength and Ava would never lay a hand on him.  Even through the squabbles, I love watching their relationship develop.

I distinctly remember watching TV with my sister and brother in a total sibling dogpile, being able to feel Nate laugh at Michelle Tanner's sing-song comebacks through Sarah and down to me at the base of the pile.  Sibling love, trapped in my memory bank forever.

Josh escorted Ava to her fifth Daddy Daughter Dance, and they danced the night away.

 

Ava tried out for a role in the 2nd grade musical, and was so excited to get a speaking part.  She took total responsibility for learning her lines, and absolutely rocked her role.  She's hoping we can fit some acting classes into her busy summer plans.

Levin is such a tiny troubadour.  He loves to play the piano and guitar.  There is a wooden alphabet block with a tiny violin etched into the side opposite the letter 'V,' and he'll pretend to strum it and sing.  He loves anything Ed Sheeran or Taylor Swift, The Noble Duke of York, Skinamarink, Elmo's World, or "How I Uppa" (Twinkle Twinkle).

I know I take more pictures of Lev than Ava these days.  She is more camera shy as she gets older, and I always want to respect her privacy and requests for "No pictures right now, Mom."  There are so many stories I'd love to share, but keeping her confidence is the most important thing to me.  For now, you'll all just have to deal with a few more Lev pictures per post.  I know it's hard.

Our spring weather preview didn't last long.  Cold settled in and we welcomed the flurries with wonder and excitement.

 

I love our cozy house, especially when it's warmly lit against the nighttime snow.

The weather on Saturday could not have been more perfect.  Powdery chicken feather flakes fell, but the temperatures weren't unbearable and there was hardly any wind.  We all bundled up and enjoyed the snow.

Lev's tongue was out trying to catch stray flakes all morning long.

"But Mom, we don't want to stop for pictures!"
Yeah, that doesn't count as a privacy request.  Mama needs snow pics!

Seriously, one of the best Saturdays ever.

After a few days at home, we were all ready for an outing to church this morning.  Somehow, we were actually ready on time (oh yeah, because they canceled Sunday School) so I had time to snap a quick picture on our way out the door.  We could not love these two any more or we'd probably burst.

As we begin this month that will mark Levin's second birthday, I can't help but think back to Ava's second birthday.  I remember the night I posted this blog marking the occasion.  If you read the blog you'll see that we had our lives all mapped out.  Josh was planning to start law school at Baylor, I would keep teaching 4th grade, we'd be living in our newly-built house in Central Texas near all of our friends and family.  Happy, safe, comfortable, easy.  

My kids' birthdays always make me sentimental and introspective.  Something about motherhood and hormones, I'm sure.  I could never have imagined all the changes coming our way within the first few months after Ava's second birthday: moving to a new state, leaving our lovely house for sketchy student housing, a complete career change for me, and a total leap of faith for all three of us.  Maybe we were just young and dumb, but at every turn our move has proven to be an adventure in the very best sense of the word.  We've found the best friends, traveled extensively, both discovered our professional dreams, and welcomed the sweetest little Okie baby into our family.  

Still, I can't help but feel a little antsy as Lev approaches his second birthday.  Once again life is happy, safe, comfortable, easy.  And I'm so okay with it.  But, am I naive enough to think this is the end of our adventures?  I'll admit it, I really hope not.  

(Hey God, see how I'm not even trying to guess about tomorrow?  It's like I'm maturing or something.)

THIS SPACE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK, BECAUSE REALLY, WHO CAN KNOW?

Midwinter Ramblings

Look at me blogging twice in 2015!  We've been doing a lot of sprucing around our house, and I hope to post some really dramatic after pictures in the next few months.  

Once again, I'm thankful for a job that allows me flexibility to pop in and out of the daily lives of our little ones.  The other day Uncle Nate and I took Lev on a field trip to Atwoods.  We were hoping to see some baby animals, but the weather is still too cold.  Lev was begging for some of the store's display balloons and I told him no.  A kind, older gentleman overheard his plight and quickly used his pocket knife to free the balloons.  He handed them over to Lev, who had picked out the perfect hat for balloon wrangling.  We rambled around the store for half an hour with balloons in-toe.  I returned them to the decorative sign before we left, and he was just fine with leaving them.  And don't worry,  I have made a mental note to go back and get that darling hat for his birthday in March.

Ava James continues to rock elementary school.  She's happy, confident, and has precious friends.  She earned a citizenship award, and Josh and I were so happy to celebrate her at the morning assembly.  

 

It's so hard to believe she turned 8 this week!  Here's a quick look back at Ava over the years.  I love that she cries "happy tears, no really Mama, I'm so happy I can't help it" when she watches a movie with a sappy ending, goes from wanting to smack Levin and trade him in for another model to holding him and smothering him with kisses in four seconds flat, gave up hairbows but still lives for a sparkly, twirly skirt, and that she'll still crawl into bed with us when the thunder or her dreams are spooky.  We love her to pieces!

Levin is a boy who loves hats and directing.  Of course, we are happy to oblige him.

And keeping with the theme of babies growing up, our Levy Bear moved into his own room this month.  The transition has been seamless and I only sneak into his room and sniff the dandelion fluff on top of his head a few times each night.

Sister talked a big game about how it was high time for Lev to sleep on his own, but then she was super concerned about him falling down the stairs or being afraid if his nightlight went out.  Being a big sister is such a paradox.

I'll end with a shot of my sweets enjoying some homemade whipped cream. 

This week has been rough, and I'm so thankful for these two little bright spots, caring friends, and the most doting husband.  I had a little medical scare over the past few weeks that resulted in my first surgery ever, a few days of anxious waiting for test results, and a longer recovery than I wanted to submit to.  I was so relieved when the doctor called yesterday to let me know the results all looked normal, and I'm on my way to a full recovery.  Doing my best to rest (not my forte), keep up with work, and spend as much time with my littles as possible.  

We are looking ahead to spring days, and maybe one good blizzard before those warm days settle in for good?  We have cute snow clothes and a lovely fireplace, and we'd really like to use them!

Auld Lang Syne

 Hello friends.  I'm going to blog in 2015 or bust!   There won't be the same lengthy, picture-laden posts of yore, but there will be memories and a few photos.  Maybe a little blogging will help assuage my blog-atrophy guilt.  My write-a-novel-or-nothing mindset wasn't working so, I'm going to revamp.

Because moments like this are few and far between:

And this building and its occupants (and prospective occupants) now pulse in my veins 24/7:

And I spend every spare moment soaking up the happy that is this:

My blog has been neglected.  But I still have a voice, and a story, and I want my kiddos to have these memories somewhere other than FB.

So, what's up with us these days? 

Levin Alexander will be two in March.  Give the boy a ball, a book, or a blueberry (or 20) and he's a happy camper.  He has opinions about everything, from what cup he'll use for each beverage to where I stand when he kicks the ball to me.  He is a snuggler, but is infamous for his kicks and throwing blocks with cannon-force.  We work on "gentle touches, especially with Ava (who he calls "sista").  We were all praising Jesus when his head-butting days subsided.  (Three of four family members were concussed by his head force.)  He has hair like dandelion fluff and absolutely perfect pitch and timing.  He loves to sing along with the new Taylor Swift album, and never misses one "Hey!" with each track.  Every minute I think he needs to stop growing, but then he morphs into an even more fun, engaging version of himself and I'm okay with the growth.

 

Ava James will be eight this month.  She is a passionate reader, currently tearing through a 15-chapter Baby-Sitters Club book every other night.  (BSC fans, in case you were wondering, she sees herself as a cross between Stacey and Mary Ann.)  She's a math wiz who loves PE, proving she's at least 50% Josh.  She's been playing soccer on the more competitive circuit, and it's been a serious time commitment.  She has decided to drop soccer for a while once this season is over and plans to pick up piano again, and maybe add in some dance over the summer.  Ava is a serious, silly, starry-eyed dreamer all in the same moment.  She asks why, argues her point, and keeps us all in line with kind, gentle guidance.  Josh and I love watching her grow up, and can't believe she is the same little pink bundle we held in the hospital eight years ago.

Josh is in his third year working as Assistant Attorney General for Criminal Appeals for the State of Oklahoma.  It's a great job, that allows him to be a law dork all day and still be home in time to help with dinner and play with the kiddos until bedtime.  He spends his weekends watching European soccer and playing indoor soccer.  He listens to history-themed podcasts that I don't consider entertainment, paints, plays guitar, and can actually fold a fitted sheet.  We just celebrated 10 years of marriage, so he's obviously the most patient man in the universe.

I'm the Director of Admissions at OU Law, which basically means it's my job to make sure the best and brightest law students wind up at OU Law.  I'll spend days in Excel, or coding for a new web-based project, or splicing graphics in Photoshop, then spend the next  two days hosting brilliant students and planning fun events to make them feel welcome.  I travel to recruit and spread the word about law school, and work with a team of the loveliest people on the planet.  I see my babies at lunch and make dinner every night.  Sometimes there is mommy guilt or wife guilt or work guilt or all of it at once, sometimes Lev is cutting molars and no one sleeps, sometimes Ava can't find her shin guards and people yell, sometimes I run late and drive Josh insane, sometimes Josh doesn't gush with the chatty emotion I crave, but the sun comes up and the coffee is brewing, so who can complain? 

Here's to more time together and memories shared in 2015!
(And if you're still reading this, you deserve a hug.)

September through December

Just a picture catchup blog post.  Enjoy!

A comparison shot:

Ava

 

and Levin

Levin's favorite part of our NYC trip, his fluffy hotel bed.

Amazed by the lights in Times Square

 

Charlotte and Wilbur for Halloween