Long Time Gone

I know it's been a long time since I've written, sorry. I'll try and recap everything, but mostly its just going to be tidbits. The picture of Levi making a weird face is a new one of his. He does it randomly, but I think it's his 'surprise' face. We got all dolled up for the Sunday before Christmas, as is tradition with us, and I think our outfits looked great!


A few days before Christmas Levi became quite sick. He remained so, and still is sick. He is doing much better now, but still has some residual sickness. He was vomiting, coughing, he had a sore throat (we assume), a fever, and some serious head congestion. We tried a few different medicines, and even took him in to be seen after a nurse gave me a scare and said she thought he was wheezing and it could be bad news. Turned out he was fine, just the flu or cold or something. Better to be safe than sorry. But if Levi looks a little pale or sad it is because he wasn't feeling well.


For Christmas Eve we spent the whole day with Justin's family in Albany. His older sister and one brother weren't able to make it, but we look forward to seeing them in the future! Levi played a lot with his aunts and uncles, as well as his cousin Bentley, who is right around his age. They are always so adorable together.


Justin's family does the Nativity story every year, and acts each part out (while video taping it all). Justin was a wise man, and I played one of the hosts of angels. Levi was supposed to be a sheep, but since he didn't feel good, he wandered off a lot. Here are some shots of us all decked out!


Christmas morning we spent at our house opening gifts and such, and then headed to Justin's parents for most of the day. We then ate Christmas dinner with my sister and parents and played some games in the evening. It was a wonderful Christmas, and I look forward to many more happy times with our families!


This past week has been recuperation mostly. Levi is still trying to get better, and I am mostly trying to get myself motivated. Justin is not looking forward to this next term, which will begin in a week, but he is basking in these last few moments he has off.
We took down all our Christmas decorations today, and started getting our apartment back to the normal look. Although, I think I liked having all the decorations up better.
Levi has progressed a lot in his vocabulary lately. In fact the other morning he came into the bedroom where I was sleeping and cuddled up with me. Then Justin came in and pulled him away to let me sleep. Well Levi wriggled and screamed 'Help me Mommy! Help me!' So Justin let him come back and he snuggled again. Justin waited a bit and then tried again to pull him away. Levi repeated the same phrase. So Justin let him snuggle a bit longer, and then picked him up. He seemed fine, but when Justin left the room Levi squealed and asked for me. So Justin let him get down and Levi came into the bedroom and shut the door behind him and said, 'Bye-bye Daddy!' It is so cute to watch him understand and comprehend sentences now! Also, he is counting up to 12! And he is actually counting, not just repeating words. He will sit and count his crayons, blocks, anything really. He is getting better with colors, but still gets a few confused. I'm still working with him, and persistence is key! Another cute thing he loves to do is sing along with his favorite shows. He knows Little Einsteins, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Wonder Pets. He likes other shows too, but he sings along with these the most! I have tried to catch it on video, but to no avail. I'll keep trying and hopefully send one to you all!
I hope all of your Christmases were merry and bright! And to all a Wonderful new year!

Christmas Prep

Wow! What a week!

On Monday I had a meeting in the morning, and Levi played with other kids of parents I was meeting with. Its odd, sometimes he is so social, and sometimes he just wants to play alone. A stage I am told. I noticed he was starting to get really sick, so we took it easy that day. In the evening we went to Christmas Storybook Land in Albany. It is just what it sounds like. Think of every story you were told as a kid, all Disney stories, all Mother Goose and Grimm Brothers stories, and all nursery rhymes. They had a display for probably every one. The walkway was lined in Christmas trees and lights. Towards the end they had three model train sets. This is where Levi fell in love! He couldn't get enough of the trains, even when we had to leave. I decided I would take him back later on in the week.

Tuesday we found out Justin's grades. He thought he got a 'C', two 'B's and an 'A'. However, he got three 'A's and a 'B'! I am so proud of him! I knew he could do it! It is so nice when all your hard work pays off. He is still dreading this next term, but I know he'll do great!

We found out on Wednesday that our scary crazy neighbor finally moved out... completely! He hadn't given us any problems since that one weekend, and the ducks are even starting to come back! We are glad to be rid of him, but I do feel bad for his whole situation and living in denial when he really needs help!

Friday morning Justin and I got our new camera in the mail. We had some store credit at Best Buy, so we have been searching for a few months and finally found a great deal. It is an 8 MP, with 5x optical zoom, 3x digital zoom. We got it for only $127!! Plus it came with free shipping, and a free 2 GB memory card!! We are so excited. I have been spending a lot of time checking it out and looking at all the features. That evening Levi and I got all dressed up and went to our ward Christmas Party. He looked great, and was probably the best dressed little man there!

Saturday was another busy day, as most Saturdays are! In the morning I ran all over town doing stuff for church, and running errands. In the afternoon, once Levi was awake, we headed to Albany. We bought two loaves of bread and went to a popular lake there to feed the birds. There were seagulls, geese, ducks, and regular birds. Levi was in heaven! He loved it. He even heard trains go by and was yelling 'Choo! Choo!' frequently. We then took him back to the Storybook Land and let him watch the trains longer this time. On the way out we stopped and let him sit on Santa's lap. He didn't scream, but he did reach for his dad, as you'll see in the picture. After that we dropped Levi off with Justin's parents and went on a mini-date. We don't get to go out much, our dates usually are when Levi is asleep and after Justin gets home from work. So it was nice. We tried a new restaurant in North Albany. It is called the Smokehouse Cafe. It had southern style food, and bistro style food. We both enjoyed our ribs, and really liked the fact that they had a 'BBQ Sauce Bar' so we could add as little or as much sauce as we wanted. Not only that, their prices were all around $5! They also had smaller portions for people like me. It was good food, good price, and great company. That evening we attending my sister and brother's ward Christmas party. My sister was in charge of it, so we got invited. She did 'A Night In Bethlehem' and it was a hit! I was very impressed, and loved the feeling there. The ward members dressed up for the time period too. They had little shops and such all over the cultural hall that you bought things (food, goodies, etc.) with some pebbles everyone was given. It was well thought out and well put together. My hat goes off to you Alicen!

Sunday night Justin performed with our ward choir (that my dad conducts) in front of the Stake. I think he really enjoyed himself and had a great time. He really enjoyed at the end when they all sang the 'Hallelujah Chorus' from Handel's Messiah. They sounded wonderful too!

Well that's our week, and after all I've done today I know this week will be busy too!

Bulldogs Win!!

This past week was crazy but great! Justin and I got a lot done around the house, so that was nice. Justin also had all his finals last week, and is thrilled to be done for a month. We think he did well, and I am glad he finished and passed all his classes!

On Saturday Justin's brother, Neil, played in the Oregon State Football Championship... and won! They beat Glencoe 34-7! Neil looked amazing too! He even had an interception towards the end at a crucial point when the other team was about to score. We are so proud of him, he is such an amazing football player. We're sure he'll be All-State Defensive Player of the year again. We then went to Justin's parents for a steak dinner in celebration. His brothers from Wyoming and California came to see it, and his sister came down from Salem. It was nice to have so many there in support of Neil, and I know he loved having them there too.

Neil's high school gave out awards on Sunday night, so Justin and I went to a banquet for the team. Unfortunately the event was a big waste of time. They didn't hardly talk about the players individually, and all they said about Neil was his name. We were really upset and annoyed with the coaches for their lack of appreciation and recognition. Justin and I plan to write a letter to the principal, athletic director, and coach about the poor quality of the event.

Well, that was our weekend in a nutshell... hope yours was great!

My Schmoo!

We decorated our tree on Sunday, and I am pleased with how it came out. Justin wanted more color, but I liked it the way it was. We are also done decorating our home as well. I love this time of year, and I really love decorating!

This morning I was up at 5 AM (ugh!), so I was awake when I heard Levi stirring in his room. I went in there and he was tossing around on his bed. So I cuddled up next to him and he laid there cuddling with me for a little bit. Then, ever so softly, I hear, 'Hi Momma.' I gave him a squeeze and said hello back. We then played name tag and he kept softly chanting my name, to which I would say his name. It was a sweet little moment that I will cherish for ever!

Yeah for Football!!

Justin has been preparing big time this week for finals coming up next week, and I'm sure he will do great! The highlight of our week happened on Saturday, which was a very full day. Levi woke up at 5 AM, so it started early. We then prepped our house to get a Christmas tree (making room and what not). Justin sat and played trains with Levi who was in heaven! Since he woke up early, Levi took an early nap (9:30 to be exact!). While he slept Justin and I tried to relax a bit. But as soon as he woke up we went and got our Christmas tree. We brought it home and then headed out to Salem. We spent the whole afternoon and evening at Justin's sisters home. Levi had a blast with his cousin who is just six months older than him. There were some disagreements about toys, but all in all he had fun! They even wrestled around together (which neither of them have done before!) It was so cute to watch them. Justin and I also watched the Civil War game there, and for the first time since 1993 the visiting team won... and it was the BEAVERS!!! They pulled it out in double overtime, it was a tense game to watch. The final score was 38-31. Towards the end of the game Justin and his sister's husband went to watch Neil play in the semi-finals. We all were planning to go but the weather wasn't being friendly, so his sister and I stayed behind with the boys. Justin and Braydon came home shortly after half time when the score was 40 - 0, West Albany winning. Neil won the game 46 - 0. So now on to State next week to play Glencoe (a high school up by the Wilsonville area). Another full weekend coming! After they came home we ate some pizza and headed home. We got back around 8:30 or so, and Levi fell asleep on the drive home. Justin and I caught another game or two on TV and headed to bed ourselves. Busy day, but a great time!

Finished!

I am finished (for now) with the railway I made Levi, and I thought I would share with you!

Also, I wanted to let all know concerned (because I sure was) that Levi has completely broken out of his 'Daddy' phase. Don't get me wrong, he still adores his dad, but I think the split is pretty even now. He gets excited to see me, and sometimes when he with his dad or my mom or someone, he'll ask for me. I'm thrilled to have my little boy back! He is speaking a lot more now. Although he still has a long way to go, we are very slowly progressing into two word or three word sentences. He knows one to ten really well, and he knows the alphabet tune, just not all the letters. Justin wants him to be able to know his whole alphabet, all his main colors, and one through ten by the time he is two. He has one out of three so far (he calls everything green right now). I told Justin good luck! Another cute thing Levi has done lately is he has emptied the shoe rack by our door and climbed on it to try and reach the keys so that he can unlock the door and go outside. No worries though, he can't reach the keys, and even if he could, the key holes are on the outside and he doesn't know how to unlock them from the inside. Anyway, I still think he is pretty smart to know to use keys to open a door! Here is my evidence...

Thanksgiving

Well I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings! Our family did, stressful but good. We were all gathered at my parents and my sister was in town too. We came out with a broken toe and a phone call to poison control avoided! The day started out with the oven being too hot and parts of the turkey getting singed. Things seemed to move a little more smoothly after that, and the turkey turned out wonderful (thanks to Mirinda). Everyone was able to get all their assigned food done and it all turned out yummy! After dinner is when the mass chaos began. The kids were playing downstairs and adults were periodically checking on them. Well, a short amount of time went by and my niece managed to get into 409 (cleaner similar to Windex) and drink some. After looking things up and reading what to do, we didn't call poison control and just fed her bread and water to dilute it. She's doing great now, so that was the right thing to do. Shortly after that Justin went outside for a bit and as he walked past the logs the back side of the axe fell on his small toe. It hurt really bad all day yesterday, and although the pain isn't there anymore, it is black and blue and still swollen. I'm pretty sure he broke it, but there isn't anything they do for that, so he just keeps taking pain meds. He also played football yesterday (and did pretty well I'm told) and is sore from that too. Later on Levi was playing on the landing of my parents stairs and fell off a chair, no one saw exactly what happened, but from how he was laying I don't think he hit his head or anything. We gave him some Tylenol, and he was alright. No bumps or bruises. So, as I said it was a stressful day (especially with noise levels exceeding the sonic boom), but it was so nice to have family all there.

Today (the Friday after) I was up at 4 am heading to Wal-Mart to shop. I got Levi and Justin's gifts there. Then the women in my family all headed to Kohl's, where I stood in line for one and a half hours (I'm not kidding, I timed it). The line winded all through the store, it moved fast though. While I stood in line with Alicen, my sister Mirinda and my mom went to Target to get stuff there. They returned and stood in line with us for the last 15 minutes before checking out. Then we went to K-mart, which was empty compared to everywhere else we went. It seemed like any other day at K-mart. So, now I am holding my eyes open while I wait for Levi to sleep so I can. After my nap my day was still full, and I went to see the movie 'Enchanted' with my family. It was really funny. I thought it would be dumb because they were trying too hard to be funny, but it really unfolded and was great!

Saturday we spent all day at Justin's parents watching football and playing video games. BYU was playing Utah (otherwise known as the Holy War of football). It was kind of boring for the first three quarters, but then the fourth was tense. BYU pulled out a win though (sorry Skipper). The Ducks are really stinking it up now that they have lost so many valuable players to injury. It is looking more and more that the Beavers will win the Civil War!! Neil's team won the quarter finals on Friday, so now they are on to the Semi-Finals in Salem next Saturday! Way to go Neil!

Sunday we were all sick. We missed church and stayed home in bed. We just had the bug going around. We all still have a touch of it, but I can tell it is on the mend.

Well, Happy Holidays, and I hope it all went well for you all!