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!

Yeah for Tax Returns!

Well this last week went alright, but most of our life was put on hold until we got our tax return. Luckily we are able to put a lot away in savings so we don't have to skimp along any more. So yeah for tax returns!

My mom headed out to Chicago to visit my sister for the week... leaving me jealous with her daily updates. I loved Chicago when I went the first time, and I would love to go back someday! Just to hear her talk about the food she's eating makes my mouth water. Those of you who have been to Chicago know what I am talking about. She comes home in a week, so just one week of torture coming up!

We have been looking to get a small dog as a pet for Levi, but to no avail! Levi loves animals, so it only seemed fit to get him a friend. Unfortunately we need one that is free, fixed, and potty trained.... VERY hard to come by. So we'll keep an eye and ear open, but I think we'll just have to keep waiting.

Levi got to try out his tricycle this week, and he seemed to really enjoy himself. He couldn't fully reach the pedals at times, so I think I'll have to add wooden blocks to help him out. We were mostly trying to help him learn how to use the pedals, and I think he might be getting the hang of it. We'll see how he does over the next couple weeks after I add the wooden blocks.

Another Levi adventure was the baseboard heater. Over the summer he would put things into the heaters, which was no big deal since they were off. However I foresaw a problem in the winter and tried to deter him all together. I thought I had succeeded, but the other day he found his ear thermometer and put it in the heater. Luckily the heating elements are fine... but our poor (and only) thermometer is not. Just one more expense I guess.

Levi has been quite cute lately in playing and entertaining himself. He loves his trains and will randomly sit and play with them without wanting mommy or daddy to help. He makes up stories and situations all on his own, and it is really cute to watch them play out. He also likes to scream and run into the back rooms (indicating he wants to play with you, and you should chase him). He is recently learning his body parts and loves to point to ears, heads, and noses (and tell you what they are). He also loves to point to yours or his nose and say 'honk!' It is the cutest thing!

My big endeavor is my calling as Camp Director. We have been trying to plan a fund raiser for the girls, and we had a couple great ideas. Unfortunately after I had done a lot of planning on one the bishop and YW President decided it wasn't the best idea and canceled it. So now we are doing a silent auction that I am trying to get going. I have the list made and set, but now I have the execution and that is where the stress will come I'm sure.

These last shots are of a project I finished a couple weeks ago for my mom. They aren't anything fancy, just something my mom can hang in her house. I also made them so she could add more grandchildren as they come (since I know I'll have more, and two of my siblings are currently expecting).

We are all well, and we hope you are too!

Sickness and Valentines

So it has been a couple weeks again. Both Levi and were pretty sick for a while there, so that is the reason for delay. Nothing serious, just the flu or something. I will try and touch on some things that happened the past couple weeks, but I may forget something (medicine can do that).

About a week and a half ago Levi and I went to watch two of my nieces in their karate class. Levi behaved a lot better than I thought he would. He was very entertained by the kids chopping and kicking and saying 'Hi-ya!' In fact, about half way through he caught on to when they would grunt and yell, and he joined in every time. It was the cutest thing. I looked into it, and he can start a class called Little Dragons as early as 3 and a half years, so I may enroll him in that when the time comes.

Levi also had his 2-year check up last week, and we found out he looks great! His imagination is wonderful, his motor skills are great, his vocabulary is right on track, he has tons of teeth, and his height and weight are still in the upper percentiles. He is almost 3 feet tall (35 inches)! We love our pediatrician, and I'm glad Levi actually enjoys these visits (until the shots that is).

Our Valentines Day was split up over a couple days. Justin had to work that evening, so when he got home we spent some time together. On Sunday my parents took Levi to family dinner and Justin cooked me dinner. We had a wonderful meal and watched the movie 'No Reservations'. It was a good movie. It had some funny parts, some sad parts, and some happy parts. I'm not sure what genre it was, but I still enjoyed the movie. After Levi came home we all ate a special cake I made for Justin. It was yellow cake with cookie dough ice cream in the center. Everyone loved it (especially Levi). I'm really glad my mom got me the special cake pan so I can make these kinds of cakes!



Justin and I are big 'Monk-a-files'! For those who don't know what that means, we love to watch the TV show 'Monk'. It is about an obsessive detective who has several quirks and numerous phobias which ultiamtely allow him to solve the cases. It is a good clean show to watch for those interested (Grandma, think of a modern day Murder, She Wrote). It is on the USA network, and you would have to look it up online for local listings. Anyway, I share this simply because most of Justin and my evenings after his work are spent watching re-runs and such. This has resulted in us picking up some of his traits. So if you see us picking a speck of lint off something, remind us we are not Monk!

I think that is all from us this week. Hope you all are well!

Birthday Week

You how sometimes you feel like nibbling but then once you taste it, you bit off more than you can chew? That was my week! I love projects. I love crafts. I love making things myself. So at first I was planning to just draw and color some Thomas things for Levi's party, but my week became a mass amount of projects that all seemed to culminate on Friday. This week brought more snow, so I could not go to my parents house, where most of my supplies were to my projects. This meant I had to wait until Thursday and Friday to do all my projects that needed to be done by Saturday. I had to blow up balloons (which never got done), bake and decorate a train cake for Levi, build Levi his art desk, draw, color, and cutout trains for the party, create a Thomas DVD for the party, do some touch up work on his railway, wrap his presents, and do any last minute shopping needed. All of this with my house slowly getting more and more dirty. In fact my clean laundry is still waiting to be folded from Thursday.


Although I was pressed for time, and very stressed on Friday, Levi's party was a total success. More than I could have wanted! He has several friends from church show up, as well as his cousins, and various family. My brother found his ride-along train which was the hit of the party. It is a mini train that kids can ride on. We also had Thomas shows, coloring pages, and Levi's railway for the kids to play with. All the kids had a great time, and I am so glad he had so many friends to play with. Levi was so excited he didn't know what to do with himself. When he opened all his gifts he was completely overwhelmed, as was I by the amount of gracious gifts he had. I can garauntee he loves each and every toy and item he recieved. I think he has play with each one at least twice since yesterday! My sister-in-law took pictures, so I hope to get more soon. Next week will probably have some left-over birthday pictures for you. If anyone else took pictures, please send them to me!!

Levi has had many cute moments this past week, but here are a couple! One night he didn't want me to leave him alone to go to sleep (which is unusual because he loves to go to bed at night). So I laid next to him and put my arm around him. Every time I would pull my arm away he would grab it and put it back. I had laid there for about fifteen minutes and decided I should leave. So I whispered in his ear 'Good night. Momma loves you.' To my surprise and utter delight he whispered back 'Ni-Night.' And I then left him alone. What a sweetheart.

Another time he was in his room for some quiet time (he was supposed to be taking a nap, but he decided to play instead). He was in there playing and having a good time when all the sudden he broke out into the A-B-C song. He only knows a few letters, but he has the tune down perfect! It was so cute to listen to him sing. He also knows "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", which is the same tune, but he knows the words to this one. He can be so cute!

Justin recieved a letter this week inviting him to join the honor society! We were very excited for him, as this would be the first time he made it to an honor society. We are going to join, since we know it will look good for him down the road. He's been doing well in school, and seems to be managing the term quite well. I know he'll keep his GPA up!

Well that was my week in a nutshell. Hope you all are well!