Easter Week

Well my week was full and wonderful! Justin had all his finals Monday - Wednesday. He did as well as he thought he did (although he doesn't give himself enough credit). But next term should be more of a cake-walk. We were able to change his schedule so he could be home more often. He accepted a new shift at work that will be from 5 AM to 1:30 PM. I then was able to get all his classes in the afternoon with the latest one ending at 6 PM. This will allow him to be home for dinner and some quality family time, which we all have been wanting. I am just worried about next fall. He has to take biology, chemistry, and physics, and I am not sure we can get all those classes in the afternoon. But we'll see!

Some excitement started on Thursday for our family as my brother's wife went into labor. This would normally just be wonderful, but she was one month early. After her 42-hour labor (you heard me right) she had little baby Benjamin Alma Carleski. He was born at almost 10 AM on Saturday March 22nd. He was plenty big enough (6 1/2 lbs.) but his lungs weren't fully developed so he had to be connected to some tubes and such to help him out. However, I spoke to Katie today and he is off all the tubes and she is able to feed him. Such a wonderful blessing! Thanks to all for your prayers! It was a special event also because my brother's birthday was on Saturday as well. So we now have two Benjamins with the same birthday... and their father and son!

Also on Thursday Levi and Justin had eye appointments. Justin picked up a prescription for glasses (which we are picking up tomorrow), and Levi went nuts! He did not like all the tests they did. However, we found out his vision is better than normal for his age. Considering neither Justin nor my eyesight went bad until we were in our early 20's, it is not surprising. Justin wasn't thrilled about getting glasses, but he doesn't have to wear them all the time, so he is fine with it.

Saturday morning I took Levi to an Easter egg hunt. He loved picking up all the eggs, and just ran around screaming 'Egg-ies!' Later on we went to my parents and dyed eggs. She had one kit that allowed you to dye the egg and then put foil on them. These were my favorites! That evening we all went out to a Japanese Steakhouse (think Bene Hana's) for my brother's birthday and celebrating his son's birth. We left all the kids with babysitters, so it was nice to get out just adults.

Sunday went well. Levi found his Easter basket pretty quick, but Justin took at least ten minutes to find his. He only found it when I did the 'hot, cold, warmer' thing with him. We hide Easter baskets instead of eggs, as tradition. Church was nice, with wonderful talks. Justin got a surprise from my dad who asked him to sing with the choir a song he hadn't rehearsed. He was a good sport and agreed. He did just fine, and it kept Levi quiet for a time. After church I offered to "trim" Justin's hair. He said I could do whatever I wanted. So I had wanted to shave his head for a while, so I did. So he is bald once again. I think we'll do this once a year, but next time not so early in the year. I am trying to convince him to grow a goatee, but we'll see. Dinner that evening was delicious! The company was wonderful, and it was nice to have my grandma down there.

We hope you all are well!

Busy Full Week

Well our week, mostly weekend, was full and fun! Justin's sister Nia and her family were in town so we spent a lot of time with them. On Wednesday I took them and his other sister Jessica and her kids to the OSU lambing barns. The three kids who were old enough, loved it! Lincoln is still just five months or so, so he couldn't really appreciate it. The kids ran around yelling "Baa!" at the sheep and waiting for them to reply. Levi and his cousin Bentley really love each other and ran around holding hands and getting into trouble together. Nia's daughter, Madeline, joined the fun too, and Levi held her hand at times as well.

Thursday I spent the day with my mom since we haven't had much "fun" time since she got back from Chicago. She or I have been sick most of the time. But it was nice to have a day to spend with her. We also made some pants for Levi. He wears size 3T, but the waist never fits him. We've tried the adjustable ones, but with how tight we pull them, it bunches up too much to wear comfortably. He's not skinny either. He is actually on the pudgy side for his age, but he is also on the tall side for his age. So he needs the length, which is why I made him some pants on my own. My mom also made him some shorts from the scraps of material left over. He should have plenty of bottoms now! This was also a big day because we got a dog! Yep, you heard me right, a dog. We've been looking for a small dog to get for Levi to play with for quite some time. We had finally decided not to get one since they were all so expensive, then this one seemed to fall into our lap. It took some convincing to get Justin back on board, but I think he is really warming up to her. She is a 9-year-old fox terrier/chihuahua mix. She is black and tan in coloring, and looks like a mini doberman. She is very sweet, and great with kids... even a lot of them together. Her name is Lala. I don't like the name, but she is so old that we can't change it, so Lala it is. When I got her home, she sniffed everything and then curled up next to me on the couch and slept. Ever since then she follows me everywhere. She likes Justin, but I am definitely her favorite.

Friday started early, we headed to Justin's parents around 8:30 AM. Justin had to go to class, and we didn't want to drive out there twice. So I went to his parents while he was at class. Our little dog was scared of Nala (his parent's dog) at first, and it took them a while, but they warmed up to each other somewhat. Our original plan for the day was to go to the beach, but that had to change because Skipper (Nia's husband) had an interview of sorts with Nike and their main contractor Kelly Services. He said it all went well, so we'll keep him in our prayers. So, in the early afternoon we all headed up to Salem to spend time with Jessica and the boys. We first went to the Riverfront Carousel. Levi loved watching it, but once he was on it he didn't like it too much. By the end of the first ride he was okay, but not loving it. So we went again, and I think if he did it on a regular basis, he would love it! Then we let the kids play in the field where they ran and chased geese. It was the cutest thing! We then headed back to Jessica's where we hung out for a while. Jessica and Braydon (her husband) had a dinner for his work to go to, so we let the boys play for a bit before heading home.

Saturday we decided to go to the coast. We went to Mo's first, where Justin was thrilled he got his clam chowder. On the bay front in Newport they have a new place called 'Mini-Donuts'. They are homemade mini-donuts with cinnamon and sugar on them. Very similar to ones you would get at the fair. They were delicious! We may have to make that a tradition when we go to the coast. We then tried to go to the beach, but it was cold and wet. I lasted maybe two minutes before I took Lala back to the car; we both were freezing! The rest of the gang came within five minutes as well. So we headed to OSU's Marine Science Center to let the kids have some fun, and they did! We even got a good shot at the octopus being aggressive! They also had a sea turtle on a table that they were going to do an autopsy on to find cause of death, but we couldn't stay the extra hour to watch it; too bad, it would have been cool! That evening was a family dinner where everyone could say goodbye to Nia before they left. We left earlier than we thought we would, but with Lala and Levi both getting restless, we had to go.

Sunday was a bit more relaxing. After church we headed to my parents to help my mom make dinner. Lala loved having all the space to run around. I made a grasshopper cake that was delicious! It was mint and fudge and yummy! Lala loved the kids and they were very good with her too! We had a scare when my oldest sister left, we couldn't find her oldest daughter Sofia anywhere, inside or out. We all were outside screaming for her, looking everywhere. My heart was racing so fast and my mind was whirling around so many bad ideas of where she was or what happened; I feel I only got a glimpse, though, of what her mom must have been feeling and thinking. We did find her, she had wandered off (which isn't like her at all). All ended well, but I was really scared for a bit there.

Since I started out with a messy story about Levi, I'll end with a cute one. He has really learned his A-B-C's, and loves to point out the letters he sees. His favorite is 'W', for whatever reason. But if you are wearing a shirt with large letters, he will spell what is on your shirt. We got a video of him yesterday spelling 'Wyoming' from Justin's shirt. It was so adorable!

That's all from us, hope you all are well!

And So It Begins (or continues??)

So today was eventful for Levi and I although we didn't leave the house. In the morning I built a fort for Levi with blankets and chairs. The only entrance was through the coffee table. He loved it, and even pulled me in there with him at one point. He loved that he was hidden and could play.

The other event was not so much fun for me. I was on the computer trying to get Justin's Spring school schedule squared away and Levi was going back and forth between the living room and dinning rooms. I had taken off his pants because he kept pulling them off, and since we were staying in I didn't think he needed to keep them on. I had also just barely taken off his shirt because I was about to give him a bath when Justin reminded me that I had to register him for classes. So he had on his socks and a diaper. While, unbeknownst to me when he was in the dinning room playing with trains he took off his diaper. Then, also unbekownst to me, he came and sat on our recliner in the buff. I heard him grunting and groaning, so I knew he was going #2. However, I didn't know he was naked. I cannot see the front of the recliner from the computer since its back is facing me. So I just was waiting for him to be done before checking on him. He then got up (when he was done going potty) and went over to our vacuum and tried to stuff his poop down the tube. I turned around at this point and saw what was happening. Levi, in his cuteness, just looked up at me and said, 'Thank you!' Indicating he didn't want the poop on his hands. When he doesn't want something he will hand it to you and say thank you... this is what he was trying to do with the poop. Thank-goodness he did this because it kept me from flipping my lid. I just told him that it was not okay and took him to the shower. While he was in there I cleaned up the recliner, vacuum, and floor (as I carried him to the bathroom little droplets of poop kept falling). I then met him in the shower and finished cleaning him, explaining again that what he did was not okay. I know I need to get going on potty-training him, but this does not make me feel encouraged at all!

More Sickies

This past week was full of nice weather again... but mostly sickies! Levi and I were quite sick and spent most days laying on the couch watching TV. I started out with a sore throat and Levi was flu-like sick. Then Levi got my mom and dad sick, and he then got me sick. My mom is still trying to get over her bug, but Levi and I seem to have it beat now. We both still have some nasal congestion and a cough, but we are feeling much better.

We went to my nieces' Karate Extravaganza on Saturday and it was so fun to watch all the little kids be tough and disciplined. I can't wait for Levi to get involved in those sorts of things. Justin and I got talking about all the organizations we want to encourage our children to be a part of: karate, gymnastics, t-ball, football, soccer, basketball, girl/boy scouts, 4H, etc. I am so excited to have Levi doing all these things (if he is interested).

Sunday brought wonderful weather, and a trip to Albany for dinner with Justin's family. It is always nice to spend time with them, and we are so lucky to be close enough to drop by. We watched some old family videos which mostly made me laugh at Justin as a child. He kept claiming Nia (his older sister) was out to get him. Yet as I watched the videos I noticed that about half of what he claimed was malicious behavior was an accident or misunderstanding (I got your back Nia). But the times Nia was a little on the feisty side, it was hilarious to look back on. Justin didn't think so, but I think he was just being a stick in the mud!

Today started out nice, and still is, but it is sprinkling too (but 65 degrees isn't bad, huh?). I took Levi to the OSU Lambing Barns with some friends from church. OSU has sheep for their agriculture and veterinary schools, and every spring they have lambs. They open it to the public for about 3 weeks so school kids and little toddlers can come and see the animals. If you're lucky you'll get to see a sheep give birth! We couldn't stay long, but he loved it. They are open until the 28th, so we'll have to go back again sometime.

Open Doors

Well he's done it! Levi can now open doors! Luckily for us our front door is tremendously hard to open, even for an adult. Even so, I always keep our front door locked anyway. But, when he gets up in the morning, no more whining until momma or daddy comes... he just opens his door and comes into our room. It is kind of cute now, but I am sure that will wear off.

Levi is also sick again! Same old flu symptoms. I'm going to stick hard core to the BRAT diet and his medicine, so hopefully we'll kick it sooner this time. I am not flu-sick, but I have had a sore throat and my voice was gone for a few days. I am still hoarse, but I sound a lot more like me than I did before.

Well with my mom's absence last week Levi got to play with all sorts of friends! We went to the park with his cousins as well as a friend of mine's daughter who Levi loves! Her name is Lucy, and Levi loves to say her name over and over again. They had a blast in the beautiful sunshine. I also had a friend come into town and I spent some time with her. It is nice sometimes to break away from the norm. However, I am very glad to have my mom back. I missed her, and I know Levi missed her!

Thanks to all for your ideas for a silent auction! I forgot to mention to you all that I already had my ideas and actually had everything planned out. But I did appreciate the input! I have passed out forms in my ward for people to bid on services offered by our YW, such as mowing the lawn or babysitting. Our bishop wanted to do it in conjunction with a ward activity, but didn't think the turn out would be enough for the silent auction to do well. So he asked if I would make forms and pass them out instead. People seem to really like the idea, and I hope we sell all the services listed! That is all from us, have a great week!