My Project

So I finished my sample of the project I will be teaching for Enrichment Super Saturday. It is two wards worth of Relief Society, and they think my class will be packed. So if you are in the area, and want to know how to do these, you'll have to come to the class!

Are You Ready For Some Football?

So on Friday night we went to Neil's game vs. Corvallis. They won 33-14! Neil had a lot of tackles, and just did an all around great job. They play my old high school, CVHS, this week.

On Saturday we were a little upset because some of our teams weren't doing so well. Notre Dame won... boooo!! But Michigan won! Oregon and BYU didn't play this last week. But the biggest upset was USC losing to Stanford. No offense to you Stanford lovers, but seriously... Stanford?!? It was a huge shock! Justin and I went to the OSU game and watched them play for the first time in their orange jerseys (which we both think look the best out of all their jerseys). They beat Arizona 31-16! The first half was a great game to watch, but they didn't score at all in the second half, and so that was upsetting.

Sunday was General Conference for my church. We loved it. There were so many great talks! Elder Eyring became our newest member of the First Presidency, and Elder Quentin Cook of the presidency of the seventy became an Apostle. The Relief Society President gave an amazing talk for women. It was very moving and touched me greatly! There were so many other talks well worth mentioning, but you'll have to look them up on LDS.org for more! We had Justin's choice meal with all my family over that evening. He had asked for a hot dog bar, so that's what we did. I called my sister who lives in Chicago to ask what entails a true Chicago hot dog, and we made ours as close as we could. Everyone enjoyed it and they tasted great! I just wish we could have had someone to tell us how close to a true Chicago dog they were. We ended the evening by watching the Extreme Makeover: Home Edition because it was the episode they filmed in Corvallis where Justin, me, and my brother-in-law helped out. Justin was hoping he would be on TV, but they seemed to just barely cut him out of every shot he could have been in. Still a great episode to put Corvallis more on the map!

Our week was great, hope yours was too!

Catching Up

On Monday night Levi and I went to a group FHE that some of the young families in our ward at church were putting on. After this one, which was a great success, they decided to have it once a month! It was great getting to know the other young families from church, and the kids that Levi will be playing with at church. Levi had a blast and I think he really enjoyed playing with all the kids.

Tuesday was laundry day, but Levi was pretty cute. Every time I would lay down he would jump on my back and ask me to take him around like a horse. He would got nuts every time I did it!

Wednesday I babysat one of my friend's little girl. She is just a few months younger than Levi and quite the little doll. She made me miss my niece from Chicago, although her personality is nothing like Ashlie's. The little girl's name is Lucy, and she is so peaceful and yet so fun! She didn't fuss at all while her mom was away! Besides, Levi was in heaven to have a playmate at home.
With my new calling I am preparing to teach a class in November to the ladies of the church in my area. I will be teaching them how to decorate clear glass ornaments. I've done it before, and it is fun learning new ways to do it. I am also self-appointed to be in charge of a playgroup for my ward. I am excited about this one, because with the rainy months coming, Levi will need to get out more often. I hope to have it twice a week, but we'll see how my response is from the young mother's in the ward. I think I am also going to suggest that if anyone wants, they can bring kids they are babysitting, grandkids who are visiting, etc.

Thursday was Justin's birthday and it was a full day! I let Justin sleep in (which is only about an hour past when he normally does) and made him breakfast in bed. I served a egg scramble with tomatoes, turkey, cheese, onions, and well, eggs! Then once we were up and ready we went for a hike as a family, one of Justin's favorite things. We then came home, relaxed, Justin did some homework, and Levi napped. My mom then treated us to lunch. Afterwards I took Justin fishing. He has been dying to go fishing for a long time now, so I thought it would be perfect! He had a blast, even though he didn't catch anything. Perhaps we can go a little later when the steelhead and river salmon are more in season. After fishing I made chicken fajitas for dinner (Justin's favorite meal). We then just relaxed and ending the evening with a movie of Justin's choice. All in all, I was pleased with how smoothly the day went!
Today, Friday, Levi and I spent some time with my mom, as we usually do on Fridays. Justin came home from school and crashed. We all had a few busy days, so I am catching up on some blogging while he sleeps. We have another game for his brother to go to tonight, so we'll see how it all works out! Go Bulldogs!

Same Old...

So as a quick update, Justin's brother Neil won another game (yea!) against their rival team (31-0). He had several great tackles, and after the game another scout stopped by and chatted with him, as well as the local newspaper. He had another article on Saturday in both the Albany paper and the Oregonian. As for college football Oregon and OSU lost. But then again, Michigan, Nebraska, and BYU won. And, Notre Dame lost! So it wasn't a horrible day. We had Justin's younger siblings over for the afternoon, and it was nice to spend some time with them. Levi loves seeing his aunt and uncles.

On Sunday Levi had fun trying on my shoes and walking around. He was quite the big boy! He now knows how to count to ten by ear. If you go through it with him, he will count with you. He is quite proud of himself too! His vocabulary seems to double daily! However, his tantrums seem to double too. He usually does alright in nursery at church, but yesterday he just kept throwing a fit and wanted me or Justin the entire time. I have a feeling we'll see more of this before we see less. We did start some new Sacrament meeting rules yesterday, and although Justin still took Levi out three or four times, I think it might actually work! I was impressed with his behavior while he WAS in the meeting!

Well I am preparing this week for Justin's 25th birthday. I have a few great ideas, and I'm sure this will be a birthday he won't forget! (And I don't have to try and top it until he's 50! Just teasing!)

Through His Eyes

We all have heard the sayings 'Children are gifts from God' and 'Children are blessings' and I would have to agree with both. However I think we often forget why these sayings are true. Children are here to help us be better people. They humble us. They teach us patience. They teach us tolerance and unconditional love. They remind us there is more to life than fancy cars, diamond rings, big fancy houses, and designer clothes. They remind us what it is like to be a child: teachable, peaceful at heart, non-judgemental, sweet to the core, humble, submissive, compassionate, and kind. Their smiles can brighten the darkest of times. Their laugh can make any foul mood disappear. And their sweet spirit is enough to overcome even the lowest of self-esteems. They don't care if your vacation is to a villa in Tuscany or to the local park. They can play with a balloon, straw, and plastic spoon for hours. In their minds, no matter where you are, no matter when, the possibilities are always endless. I look at my son and am constantly reminded how closed minded, proud, stubborn, grumpy, and selfish I can be. Today Levi came up to me while I was napping and crouched way down by my face and said softly, 'Mama.' It was enough to wake me out of even a deep sleep (which I was was not). He has never called me that to my face, I have always been 'Daddy', so to hear those words made me smile so big! It made my whole day! And if that wasn't enough, later on we were listening to country music from the TV, and a picture of Faith Hill came on and he pointed and said 'Mama' again. It made me smile to think that he could see a little bit of me in her. I would love to see how I really look to Levi. To see things through his eyes for one day would probably change my perspective on a lot of things. Instead I think I will just try harder to see things the way He does (my Father in Heaven that is).

My Little Model

I discovered my son like to eat sunlight. Seriously. He will chase the beams of light in the house and try to eat them. It is an adorable thing to watch, and I wish I could capture it on video or photo, but it would just look silly!

I took Levi hiking today and he had a ball! I brought my camera and got some shots to take home and edit. I really like how they turned out!

Words Levi Says

So I am compiling a list of words Levi knows how to say and knows their meanings. This is more for records than your enjoyment, but have fun!
Daddy, Nana, Papa, click, push, pull, pat, clap, bus, car, truck, tractor, yummies, ni-night, one, two, three, Choo-Choo, train, cow, moo, baa, kitty, pretty, please, thank-you, doggie, woof, up, down, done, cookie, chip, candy, tree, roar, go, bye, hi, hey-you, blue, red, purple, yellow, pray, boat, plane, wow, cool, yes, no, yea, ball, baby, neh (horse sound), oink, silly, bird, tweet, and outside.