This Is Me: Children

It's been a few weeks since I conquered another chapter of my This is Me challenge, so I figured I better get on it!  Luckily, this week's topic happens to be something I have absolutely zero problems talking about: my lovely children.  Let's get started, shall we?

Give your children's full names, birth dates, and places.
Oh Internet, I love you, but my super-skeptical husband would have a fit if I gave out our children's full names.  So, we'll just go with first and middle!  Colton Hoyte was born March 26, 2010 (at 10:19 AM if it matters) at Virginia Beach General in Virginia Beach.  Levi Shane was born on January 4, 2012 (at 8:14 AM) at DePaul Hosptial in Norfolk (boo for Beach General shutting down their maternity ward in between my two boys' arrivals!).

Colton

                             

Levi

How did you choose their names?
Both boys are named after relatives of ours.  Colton's first name is for my grandmother (whose name was Constance (Connie)...C for C in case you're not making the connection), and his middle name, Hoyte, is a handed down middle name from Josh, his father, his grandfather, and maybe even further back than that.  Levi is named after Josh's grandmother, and his middle name, Shane, is for my other grandmother (Shirley).  We knew we wanted to honor those people, so purposely limited ourselves to names with those letters.  Middle names were fairly easy for both, but we went back and forth over first names for quite some time with each of them.  Funny story: I actually had an epiphany while watching The Real Housewives of Orange County while I was pregnant with Colton...we had yet to agree on a name, and I realized I loved Jeanna Keough's son's name (colton).  Josh had previously thrown out Colt, so I figured it would be an easy sell...it wasn't, but we see who won in the end, right?!?
What were the circumstances of each child's birth?
At 36 weeks, we discovered Colton was breached.  He never turned, so I had a scheduled C-section with him. Honestly, it was pretty nice that way, so instead of pushing the envelope with Levi, we just did another scheduled C-section.
What are some funny things that each child does or says?
Holy moly...I could write a whole book, and now that I'm under pressure, I can't think of anything!
Right now, I love when Colton says "silly me" after he makes a mistake.  Honestly, though, most things a 3 year old says are pretty funny!  He's really into singing these days and will spontaneously bust out a "Baa Baa Black Sheep," "Wheels on the Bus," or even his own creation.  Colton is also starting to sing along with regular radio songs, especially Justin Timberlake's "Suit and Tie."
Speaking of singing, Levi joins in with "Wheels on the Bus," particularly the "bump, bump, bump" part!  He also really likes to bark like a dog!  He's very talented, y'all!  Levi also gives the sweetest kisses on demand...big mouth wide open ones.  Levi loves to show his belly, and does so by proudly lifting his shirt to reveal the big ole white space, all with a huge grin on his face.
What do you love most about your children?  What are their strengths/weaknesses?
Love most about them?  Not to cop out, but I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here.  I hate those kind of questions...about anyone!  I don't feel like I love parts of someone...I love their sum.  And that obviously holds true for my children.  Sure, they have strengths and weaknesses (which I will elaborate on in just a few seconds), BUT I truly love the people they have already become...each and every part of them!
So on to those strengths and weaknesses.  Colton is a very easy-going child.  He is usually the laid back, well-behaved one in a group (although at home that is starting to change).  Colton is a fairly independent child and can play well by himself.  He is shy and has a  hard time with new things and people.  I don't have much to compare him to, but I feel like Colton is pretty smart and has incredible recall ability.  He can be shown something one time and remember it forever.
Where Colton tends to stay in the middle, Levi is our child of extremes.  For a 14-month old, he's pretty wild and crazy.  He's up for anything, and generally has a blast doing it!  He laughs a lot.  He's also a very loving child, constantly insisting on hugs, kisses, and cuddles.  Levi's pretty needy, though, and has a temper of sorts! The boy knows how to work some tears and a good temper tantrum.
What are your children involved in?
Nothing yet, really.  Colton goes to school and is about to start swim lessons.  Levi has a play group that he goes to on Fridays.  They both tend to be very active and keen on things like throwing, kicking (balls of course), shooting hoops, etc, so I'm thinking sports fields will be in our future!
How do you spend time with your children?
The boys and I are always up to something (honestly sometimes I'm running summer camp around here or something)...play dates with friends, bounce house trips, beach/pool in the summer, and parks are some of our regulars.  I also make our seasonal to-do lists and have a good time trying out new places/activities with them.  When we're at home, we like to play outside if the weather allows it!
What are your favorite family activities?
We take the boys to a lot of sporting events...football games (both live and on tv) in the fall and basketball in the winter. We are also big beach people in the summer (although I have to persuade Josh to join us most of the time).  We do a lot of eating out, and while that may not seem like a "family activity," it is something Josh and I really enjoyed pre-kids and I'm happy that we have been able to work the kids into it instead of giving it up!