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!

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!