White Birthday?

So we have had quite a good share of snow here in Corvallis. Granted, it keeps melting instead of piling up, so its no big deal. But people here seem to freak when we have the slightest snow flurries. You would think that with as much snow as we've had the last five years or so, they would clue in and become more prepared (salting the road, plowing, etc.). Anyway, we've enjoyed the little snow we've had, and Levi has grown to love it too. Now when he looks outside and its snowing he gets excited and chants 'Snow!' over and over again. We've taken him out every chance we've gotten, which has been quite a few. Justin had to miss school on Friday because they hadn't salted or plowed the roads, so it was a mess out there. Then on Monday it was a little icy (it all melted by 11 AM) and they canceled school. Today Justin missed his first class again due to poor road conditions (however they didn't cancel school).

This past Friday I had an amazing opportunity to attend the American Mother's Inc. Gala in Portland. A while ago I had nominated my mom's mom for the Mother of the Year award for Oregon. Due to paperwork and time constraints, my grandma opted to accept a Mother of Excellence award instead of the Mother of the Year. But I was simply glad she was honored! She is truly an amazing woman who has done so much with her life! Her life is so dedicated to the Lord and He has truly made more of it than anyone could! If anyone has a chance to meet her, their life will forever be improved! Yes, she's really that amazing! This is her at the banquet.

When it wasn't snowing, it was sunny. I tried to take Levi to the park since when its raining we don't get to go. He loved it. He was always bundled up until he could hardly move, but he still enjoyed himself. Here are some cute shots I got while he was playing.


Some other cute Levi moments this past week were a potty event, and a grab and go! First the potty. So we are trying to get the idea of going to the bathroom in a toilet into Levi's head. We aren't trying to potty train him, but we would like to start getting the idea in his head. So Justin took him for the first time into the bathroom with him to go potty. Justin said at first Levi kept looking at him giggling. Then he tried to grab the stream of 'water'. Needless to say (for those who know him), Justin freaked. He didn't flip out, but it definitely caught him off guard. I'm trying to convince Justin to keep taking him with him, but we'll see. The other event happened at Sunday dinner. Levi was sitting between my mom and me. He first reached over and was pulling on her dress by her legs and waist while chanting 'Pull!' over and over again. Then, out of nowhere he grabbed my mom's chest area and giggled! Both my mom and me were thoroughly embarrassed. That's Levi for you! Anything to get attention.

In other news, I filed my taxes the other day (which is always wonderful to see what my return will be). Justin and I pretty much already have the money spent with our tight budget. Actually we have a lot of it allotted to different things that we are anticipating coming up. We were going to go to Chicago this summer to visit my sister and her new baby, but after some things came up we discovered we will only have around $500 for a vacation this year. So, off to the coast we'll go!

I am getting ready for Levi's party this weekend. I am trying to keep it as low cost as I can, so I am making most of the decorations. He is having a train theme, so it shouldn't be too hard. I am making the cake on Friday, so that should be fun. Other projects I am working on are my mom's birthday present (a week old I know!), an art desk for Levi (we bought the materials this past weekend), a picture collage for my mom, and an oil painting of a cat for my mom. Hopefully I can complete one of them before the week is through!

Have a warm week!

It's Been Too Long

I have been so busy lately, and I just kept putting off writing this... so now I have three weeks worth to write about! I'll try to still keep it brief. These are just a bunch of stories that go with the pictures. The stories are in chronological order.

Levi and I have had many opportunities to bake together. He has seemed to really enjoy it from time to time. Well he enjoys licking the spoons anyway. He is so cute! I even put a little chef's hat and apron on him once! We've made cookies, pies, lemon squares, and cakes together!


A while back we all went sledding with my parents up at Mary's Peak just west of Corvallis. Levi was unsure most of the time, and we had to put a thicker hat on because he was so cold; all in all though he enjoyed it! He really didn't enjoy sledding, but I think if we had stayed out there longer he would have. We built this snowman for him, which he named 'Bubby'.

Levi has gotten more and more into coloring and painting. I don't have any shots of him painting, but here is one with him coloring. We found some crayons that are really bright and have thick lines. He loves to color with those the most. He also can't chew on them like he does with normal crayons. We have his artwork from home and church on our fridge. I hope he has a flare for art like his mommy!

This is a shot of Levi in a cape that was a gift from my brother's wife. It is really neat; it is Superman's cape on one side, and Batman's cape on other. Levi wears it occasionally, but I know as he gets older he'll love it!

One of my presents from Justin for Christmas was a massage pad you put on a chair. I have it on our recliner in the main room. Levi has learned how to work it and will jump up in the chair, turn it on, and turn on the heater and just sit there and watch a show. It is so cute to see such a little man in a big chair!
A few days ago I took pictures of Levi for his second birthday. He loves trains, so I went with a train theme. Nothing fancy, but I didn't have a lot of time or resources.

A friend of mine left some of her sunglasses at our place a long time ago, and Levi has taken to loving them. He'll find them and put them on at least once a day! He is so cute in such huge glasses!

Here is one of Levi in my mom's OSU clogs. Just a cute shot.

My mom celebrated a birthday this last weekend, and we all got together for pizza and then games. Here is Levi, while all the other cousins were playing, with his little combine chanting 'tractor!' over and over.

Today was a beautiful sunny day, so we took Levi to the park near our place. However, it was below freezing outside plus whatever wind chill was. Levi was cold, but wanted to stay outside and run. We let him do so until we were both Popsicles, and then headed home.

As for us in general... we are all well and happy. Levi got over his nasty flu, Justin just got over his cold, and I have been sparred so far. Justin is getting back into the swing of school, and realizing this term may not be as bad as he originally thought. He seems to be managing his time a little better. I am getting full swing into my calling at church of the Young Women's Camp Director. I have a fundraiser set up, and a few meetings with my committee and the girls/parents. I am also prepping for Levi's birthday party, and trying to set up play dates with his little friends from Nursery. It's been busy, busy, busy. Hopefully I won't wait so long to write again! Hope you all are well!