Our life together

It's Snowing!

2011-12-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

Levi is very excited for snow, so excited, he decided to make a little of his own. Check it out!

This is what happens when parents are a little too busy packing and baby powder is left out!

Two Photo Tuesday!

2011-11-22T11:29:00.000-08:00

With our new house about to close, our lives are full of boxes, newspaper, and packing tape. However, we find the time to play with our two best packers!

Two Photo Tuesday!

2011-11-15T17:16:00.000-08:00

Learning to play together

Vegas Picture Blog

2011-11-09T10:32:00.000-08:00

So I've started a blog about our trip to Vegas three times now and have gotten overwhelmed each time. We did so much and had tons of fun, but I don't have time to share all of that right now, so here are some pictures to hold you all over until I can write more.
Our first morning, we went to Mandalay Bay and visited the Shark Reef. Levi went when he was a few months old. Needless to say, he enjoyed it much more this time!

We also went to Bellagio and visited the room they decorate for each season. Although it was warm outside, it was fall inside the Bellagio. It was beautiful.

We actually got Levi to sit still for a second!

I love these two!

I can't even handle the cuteness. Ethan wants to be just like Levi!

They had this awesome tree that spoke. Levi loved it!

After that, we went out and watched the water show. Levi really like it until the end when it got really loud. The water was crashing and Levi grabbed our hands and said that we needed to leave. Poor thing. For the next couple hours he just kept saying, "I'm scared of the blue water. It's too loud!" Loud of not, it was beautiful! The show was to the song, "I'm proud to be an American". Everybody was watching with amazement and even singing.

Ethan watching from the carrier. I think he liked it as well.

Jeff and I even spent a night out. Thanks Meema and Grandpa! We stayed at the new City Center at Aria. We were 35 floors up. It was a beautiful view.

Even though we had so much fun, the trip had to end. The last days we took some great pictures with Meema and Grandpa.

Thanks for such a great trip!

Two Photo Tuesday!

2011-11-08T08:52:00.000-08:00

The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

Halloween

2011-11-07T10:23:00.000-08:00

This year Levi and Ethan dressed as Tigger and Pooh for Halloween. We thought Tigger was perfect for Levi, since he never slows down; and Pooh would be adorable on Ethan who's content just sitting or being held. It was quite the night.

Our friend's Jeremy and Taleah came with them with their little dinosaur Caleb.

Last year, Levi didn't quite understand Trick-Or-Treating, but what a difference a year made. Once he got the first piece of candy, he knew exactly what was going on. It was so cute. He said "Trick-Or-Treat" each time and even remembered to say Thank You.

Levi loved choosing his candy. He liked the blue ones (Crunch Bars) and yellow ones (Peanut M&Ms). He even chose blue ones for Caleb.

We had so much fun. All the kids did great and they all got tons of candy!

A New Post?

2011-05-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

I know what you are all thinking...you thought we forgot how to post a blog. Well, we didn't, but the lack of posts should show you how crazy our life has been since Ethan came along. Not only are we adjusting to a new baby and all that brings, but a child in the midst of the TERRIBLE TWOS! AHHHHHH!
Life around our house has changed quite a bit. We had a good routine going with Levi and that has had to change completely in the last 3 months. It is a good change though because we are loving being the parents of two boys!
Levi is still adjusting. He has gotten over most of his initial hatred and has become actually pretty protective of Ethan which is fun to see. However, the jealousy is still there. He has started acting out a lot more, has completely lost the ability to listen to us, and has even regressed in a few areas. However, between the terrible two and dealing with a new baby, I think this is all normal.
Ethan is a great baby. He has started to smile and laugh quite a lot, which is adorable! When he is awake, he is a doll. He only fuses when he is tired and easily goes to sleep on his own. Speaking of sleep...this kid is amazing! He sleeps 11-12 hours at night and then takes 3 one hour to two hour naps during the day! Can you believe that? I have never heard of such a thing!
This is nice because it gives us some extra time with Levi which he really needs right now. We have been spending these last couple weeks playing at the park, riding one of his four bikes, and kicking balls around. Levi loves to be outside and it's great because we have a park right outside our front door. He has really mastered his bikes and loves doing laps around the park. What a great way to get those extra wiggles out of a two year old!
So, life is growing and changing a lot right now but we are enjoying every minute of it. At 9 PM when the kids are asleep, we usually collapse on the couch, or just head straight to bed. What happened to the nights when we used to hang out with friends and stay out past midnight? We barely stay up past 10 these days...I guess that's what happens. I used to make fun of my mom all the time for going to bed early. I am now eating those words as I struggle to stay awake until ten!
Thank you to all of our family and friends who have helped us through the transition of growing our family. We couldn't have done it without you!

Here are some of the more recent photos so you can see how big Ethan is getting. It happens so fast!

My boys Easter morning

Checking our his Easter loot!

Ethan is his bumbo chair

Levi all dressed up for Easter (the tie lasted about 2 minutes!)

Ethan's Easter Outfit

Playing on Ethan's mat

Kiss!

Giving Ethan his binky...what a great big brother!

Levi and daddy went hiking at Multnomah Falls

Posing for pictures!

Having fun near the edge

Zooming around on his bike

Practicing for Gymnastics

Riding his new red trike

All smiles in his jumper

2011-03-19T12:54:00.000-07:00

Since my sister has Levi for the weekend, I had some extra time to be creative and have fun with our new camera. I have never taken newborn photos or edited pictures before, so don't expect perfection, but here is what I have so far.

We're still planning to get some professional pictures done, but I enjoyed experimenting with my little guy. Thank you Mom, Melissa, and Nathan for taking Levi for the weekend so that I had some great one-on-one time with Ethan. It's hard to do that with a 2 year old!

"New Baby Ethan!!!".... Part 1

2011-02-23T22:44:00.000-08:00

For a while now, Levi has had a distinguished way of discerning between kids his age (baby) and littler kids which he affectionately calls new baby! Our friends had children recently and it was "New baby Caleb" and "New baby Charis" so when it was time for Levi to have a little brother he also stays true to his rule - "NEW BABY ETHAN!!"

So we would love to introduce you to our newest addition

Ethan Zachary Wiedemann

HORRAY!! I am born!

I get my curly hair from the Watkins part of family!

SMUSH Face!!

focus... FOCUS!

I love my binky!!

This is my intellectual pose...

Sooo tired!

This is a comparison shot of Levi (on the iPhone) and Ethan...

Do you see a resemblance?

I have to admit Levi has not been the most happy with the fact that there is someone else to share our time with, however, he seems to be taking the new adjustment really well! He keeps tabs on which binkys are his and which ones are Ethans. Every time he finds one of Ethan's binkys, he immediatley goes over to Ethan and tries to cram it in his mouth, in an affectionate "i am almost a two-year-old" sort of way... and its adorable!

Stay tuned for "New Baby Ethan!!!" .... Part 2

coming soon

Two Photo Tuesday!

2011-02-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

This is the last week that these two special little boys will be the only grandchildren in our family. Baby Wiedemann #2 will join these two next Monday. So, in honor of that, this Two Photo Tuesday is all about them!

I can't wait to see them with the brand new baby.

Two Photo Tuesday!

2011-02-08T14:13:00.000-08:00

It's finally back! Two Photo Tuesday! Our computer has been out of service but we're up and running again. So, here is the long awaited Two Photo Tuesday!

The Weekend of Christmases!

2010-12-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a big Christmas this year. It was the first year that the boys really understood what was going on, and we had so much fun. Here is a quick synopsis of our Christmas this year.
Jeff had to work Christmas Eve, so after he got off, we loaded the van with 2.5 million pounds of clothes, food, presents, etc and hit the road.
We arrived at Grandma's house around 9PM Christmas Eve. We had planned on Levi falling asleep in the car, but of course that didn't happen. So, we showed up with a rambunctious toddler excited to see Grandma (or Meema as Levi says). So, with a squeel, Levi jumped out of the car and ran to Grandma.
After getting the car unloaded and Levi put to bed, we started in on all the Christmas jobs. Levi's big present this year was a bike, so Jeff started putting that together.

After the bike was put together, the stockings were stuffed, and there were Cookies and milk set out for Santa, we decided to head to bed.

Levi didn't get to sleep until 10 PM so we figured we would be able to sleep in a little. But...NOPE! Apparently, even though Levi has no understanding of Christmas, Santa, or presents, he was up at 6AM. So, we drug ourselves out of bed, and headed downstairs.
Levi, still with no understanding that this morning was any different than any other morning was shocked by what took place next. He immediately saw the bike and ran to it yelling "bike". He climbed up and started riding around the living room. He loved it! The next 2 hours was filled with stockings, gifts, cookies, candy, and pictures.

Next, as Grandma made breakfast and started a delicious Christmas dinner, we went outside to take Levi to ride his new bike. Levi had a blast!

After this, Levi had a much needed nap while we worked on dinner, cleaned up after the Christmas tornado that had come through, and waited for Melissa, Nathan, and Corban to come over for dinner. Once they arrived, and we had dinner, the presents began again.

As we looked around, the presents were almost all opened, except for one giant present, behind the couch from Santa to the boys. As they opened it, they were excited to find a vintage Mercedes Benz peddle car. What a great gift! Grandma Santa did great! So, we took out the car and started playing. Although, having to share one car caused a bit of a problem, they eventually took turns had had a lot of fun.

After this crazy day, we knew that it was time to put these tired boys to bed because we had another Christmas the next day with Grandma and Grandpa Buechler. So we all went to bed and dreamed of all the great things we had gotten and the day to come.

The next day, we met the Buechler/Jamieson/Smith crew at the Old Spaghetti Factory for dinner and presents. It was a little crazy with 13 people, tons of presents, and two toddler, but we survived and had some great time with family.

Finally, after dinner was done, we all went to Zoo Lights. We had a long drive ahead of us and figured that Levi would love to get some energy out. It was great to look at the Christmas lights, but the boys liked the aquarium and shark tank the most. They both love fish so we walked around and looked at every fish they had!

That was the end of our Christmas! At 9 PM, we loaded Levi in the car and headed back to Portland. It definitely took a couple of days to recover from that whirlwind Christmas, but it was great to see everybody. Plus...we must have fooled Santa because I think we all got way more gifts than we deserved!

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-12-21T20:16:00.000-08:00

On Sunday Jeff's brothers came over to watch football and visit. Levi had a blast with his Uncle Vic and Uncle Casey so this Two Photo Tuesday is for them!

Levi giving Uncle Vic a high five!

Levi giving Uncle Casey low fives!

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-12-14T14:27:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of pictures of Levi with his Grandma Lynda for our trip to Tacoma last weekend.

Two Video Tuesday

2010-12-07T17:33:00.000-08:00

This week, I decided to do Two Video Tuesday instead. Daddy has started playing the Wii with Levi. They love sword fighting and here are a couple of the videos I took on their first time playing.

Two baby dubs... Two Photo Tuesday!!!

2010-11-30T20:59:00.002-08:00

That's right, we are doing a special two photo tuesday for each of our children, Levi and (the not yet named) baby dub 2!

Levi has to bring his pillow and bear with him where ever he goes! He especially brings it in the morning to our room in hopes that he can also "sleep" on our bed with us. Sleep at that point means jumping up and down and all around, bear and pillow in tow.

During Thanksgiving, we were all in my grandfathers "man - cave" and Uncle Victor was teaching him how to ride a razor scooter.

Hot off the PRESS!!!!! These were just taken yeseterday! These are the most recent of Baby dub 2!

This is baby dub 2's face from the front... he looks a little like a skeleton, but still kinda cute!

Dress Up Time

2010-11-28T19:39:00.000-08:00

I know I have spoken many times about Levi's shoe obsession. We have taken many pictures of him and I decided to post them here for you all to see.
We also found out at a recent play date that Levi loves to wear princess shoes and girl's hats as well. Apparently, dress up is becoming Levi's new favorite game. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-11-23T13:33:00.000-08:00

A little update...

2010-11-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

So, I know I am not the best about updating our blog, especially with more than pictures...so here is an update on us!

Jeff is still working at Costco, splitting time between two stores. He is also a private contractor for a pharmacy staffing center and fills in days with them. He has been very busy between these two companies and it's great to finally have some money coming in! Jeff has also been busy with getting licensed. He is now a licensed pharmacist in Oregon and Washington.

With his busy work schedule, Jeff was able to get a couple days off to go fishing for our friend Jeremy's birthday. They did a chartered fishing trip in the ocean one day and spent the next day finishing in a local river. Although they didn't catch much, they were able to get some much needed male bonding. Here are a few pictures from their trip.

As for me, the pregnancy is going well. We know that we are having another little boy and are very excited. Jeff's family is mostly boys, so I think his mom and grandma are secretly hoping the technician was wrong about the sex, but they are just as excited as us. We have not decided on a name yet, but still have a few months to figure that one out. Baby Dub 2 (or Ditto as my sister lovingly calls him) is due February 26th. I am having a c-section this time due to complications with Levi, so that has been scheduled for February 21st. This is my mom's birthday so she is very excited for the arrival of this grandchild. Here is the only belly picture we have for now.

Outside of the pregnancy, there is not much excitement on my side. I am still loving being home with Levi and trying to find ways to wrangle his energy now that the weather has turned. I have joined Bible Study Fellowship and MOPS which give me some great me/adult time which is always needed. Outside of that, we are finding all of the indoor play areas that we can.

Now that I have bore you with the updates on Jeff and me, I'll get to the real reason you all read this blog...Levi.

Levi is still growing like crazy. At his 18 month check up, he was off the charts for his height and 75% for weight. He is 3 feet tall and weighs 28 lbs. For those of you without kids, that's the size of the average 2 year old. He still loves to eat. I ofter hear "chewy" (cookie), "nanny" (banana), and "babble" (apple) as Levi is asking for food.

Levi still has a shoe obsession. He always has to be wearing shoes and insists that most people have shoes on as well. A couple of weeks ago, we were visiting my sister in Tacoma and they had a house full of high school kids over. They all took their shoes off at the door and were visiting when Levi began passing out all the shoes to the kids...it was pretty funny. His favorite new shoes are his "Melmo" (Elmo) boots. He also loves to wear Jeff and my shoes. His favorite are my knee high (or thigh high on him) leather boots. He is pretty good at walking around in them, even with the 3 inch heels!

That is the update on us. Here are a few last pictures from the last couple of months.

The big brother

Levi playing in his toy closet

Levi sleeping in the "car bed" at Grandma's house. Can you see him at the very top of the bed?

Two Photo Wednesday???

2010-11-10T13:01:00.000-08:00

Two Photo Tuesday!

2010-11-01T22:49:00.000-07:00

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-10-19T08:55:00.000-07:00

This week is a very special Two Photo Tuesday. This is the most recent ultrasound picture we got of our darling baby boy. Below, you can see Levi at the same time. They look alike to me, but maybe these all look the same. Enjoy!

All About Us!

2010-10-11T14:12:00.000-07:00

I stole this from my friend's blog (thanks Jen) and thought it would be fun. Since our blog is always about Levi, here is some information about me and Jeff. See what you think you know about us!

1. When is your "engagement" anniversary?
April 21, 2006

2. When is your "marriage" anniversary?
January 12, 2007

3. How long have you known your spouse?
Almost 5 years

4. How long did you date before you were engaged?
1 year 2 months

5. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time?
We worked together. He was a manager at The Old Spaghetti Factory and I was a server. He thought I was somebody else, called her name, and I turned around...the rest is history.

6. What is your spouses full name?

Jeffrey Dana Wiedemann

7. Do you have any children?

We have a 19 month old boy named Levi and another due February 26th.

8. How many? Boys/Girls

Not sure how many we want to have.

9. Do you have any house pets?

We have a cat that we had to get rid of because our son has allergies. Her name is Sierra.

10. Do you own a house or rent?
We rent a two bedroom townhouse. It has two parks right outside our front door. Great for little boys with lots of energy. (This includes Levi and Jeff)

11. Do you live in the country/town/city?
City

12. What is one of your favorite activities to do together?
We like to go to the movies about twice a year. Otherwise, we take a lot of family walks which I think are lots of fun.

13. Do you have a favorite vacation spot?
We went to Cancun for our honeymoon which was great but Jeff really wants to go to Hawaii.

14. When did you first kiss?
Don't remember the exact date but it was a few days after we started dating.

15. What church do you attend?
We just started going to Southwest Bible Church.

16. Is this the church you were married in?
No, we were married in a little chapel in Tacoma.

17. What town is current address at?
Hillsboro

18. Do you work or stay home?
Stay at home.

19. Where did you go on your honeymoon?
We went to Cancun and stayed at this beautiful all inclusive resort. It would have been amazing except I was really sick. It was still fun and relaxing, but I could barely do anything. We definitely need another honeymoon.

20. What was the funniest gift you gave while dating?
I can't really think of any funny gifts but I did make Jeff a quilt with pictures of us on it.

21. How long have you been together?
Total: 5 years Married: 3 years 9 months

22. How long did you know each other before you started dating?
I think about 4 months. We would go out after work, Jeff would always pay, and then he'd drop me off at the dorm and tell me that he doesn't date people at work. So, we did that for awhile until he stepped down from management and we officially started dating.

23. Who asked who out?
He asked me out.

24. How old are each of you?

I am 27 and Jeff is 32.

25. Where do each of you go to school?
We are both done...finally!

26. Which situation is hardest on you as a couple?
PHARMACY SCHOOL! Not the best way to start a marriage but we survived.

27. Did you go to the same school?
Nope.

28. Are you from the same town?
Nope

29. Who is smarter?
I'll have to give this one to Jeff. I can't believe the information he knows.

30. Who is more sensitive?
Me.

31. Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Usually wherever we have a coupon.

32. Where is the farthest you two have traveled as a couple?
Cancun

33. Who has the craziest exes?
Definitely Jeff

34. Who has the worse temper?
Me

35. Who does the cooking?
Mostly me because Jeff gets home right at dinner time. I know, convenient right?

36. Who is more social?
Me.

37. Who is the neat-freak?
I am

38. Who is more stubborn?
I say him and he says me and neither of us are willing to budge. Is that an answer?

39. Who hogs the bed?
Jeff says I do but it's not my fault, I'm pregnant!

40. Who wakes up earlier?
Depends on the day

41. Where was your first date?
We went to see Oceans 12 with a group of friends.

42. Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends?
Jeff has had more girlfriends and I have had more boyfriends.

43. Do you get flowers often?
I used to.

44. How do you spend the holidays?
We usually do Thanksgiving with Jeff's family and Christmas with mine.

45. Who is more jealous?
I don't think either of us are really jealous.

46. How long did it take to get serious?
Probably 6-9 months. We were both a little afraid of commitment.

47. Who eats more?
Probably Jeff or Levi

48. Who does the laundry?
Me.

49. Who is better with the computer?
Jeff

50. Leave a piece of advice for other couples.

Marriage and life keeps changing and you have to be willing to change with it.

Nap Time Mishaps

2010-10-06T14:27:00.001-07:00

I would like to start off this post by saying upfront that I do not have any pictures. You will all be disappointed by this fact as you read the story, but I decided I should still share it. So, as you know from our previous posts, Levi is now in a toddler bed. Well, the first few weeks in the toddler bed went great. We'd lay Levi down and he would roll over and go to sleep.

However, within the last week, Levi has realized that he has a lot more independence and has been taking advantage of that independence. He goes to bed at night great, but nap times seem to be another story. All last week, instead of going right to sleep, he would play for about half an hour quietly and then go to sleep. At first I was putting him back to bed, but then I realized it wasn't a big deal. If he wants to play a little and give me a little more free time, that is not a problem.

Famous last words, right? Monday this became a problem. After an hour and a half, I was getting frustrated because he wasn't going to sleep. Then, I heard the crashing. I ran upstairs to see what was wrong, getting more worried with each step because I heard nothing. I opened the door and found...

All the drawers to his dresser/changing table open and empty, Levi sitting on top of the changing table, the diaper stacker and wipes warmer on the floor, clothes everywhere, his hamper empty, one shelf of his book case on the ground, the book case completely cleared off, and Levi sitting ON TOP of his changing table saying "Hi!"

I was shocked. This is where I should have thought to grab a camera, but instead I took him down, put him back in bed, and told him not to get up again. Shortly after that he finally fell asleep. What a nap time, huh? Let's hope this does not continue.

Our Little Dare Devil

2010-10-06T14:05:00.000-07:00

Although Levi is only 19 months old, he continues to run, climb, and destroy everything in his sight. Along with being adventurous, he is fearless. Here are a couple of the latest videos of him playing at the park in front of our house.

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-10-05T13:15:00.000-07:00

Our son's continued shoe obsession...

For those of you who are not aware, Levi has a little bit of a shoe obsession. He wakes up in the morning and puts on shoes before he even comes out of his room. As soon as he is done taking a bath or with a diaper change, he wants his shoes right back on. If we don't put them on, he just sits there, crying, saying "Shoes? Shoes?" It is the weirdest thing. So, these are two of the most recent shoe pictures that show his obsession. Enjoy!

Catch up!!!

2010-09-11T22:27:00.000-07:00

We have been a little incognito lately and for all of that, sorry. Sometimes life throws a few curve balls and we get busy...

So....
Its catch up time!
In lieu of forgetting a few Two Foto Tuesdays, we are posting the following!!

Thanks for enjoying our little one with us.

Tonight is the first night Levi gets to sleep in his "Cars" toddler bed... wish us luck!

Levi out climbing up with his friend Conner.

He...

Climbed....

All...

The...

Way...

Up!!!
All by himself too!

Yes, Levi... This is the best place to put your chair. Good view huh?

Levi at the petting zoo!

Levi really liked the petting zoo! He tried to kiss a lot of animals!

Levi Vs. the Landry.

Guess who won!

This concludes our little edition of Catch up!

We will return to our regularly scheduled programming next week!

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-08-24T11:50:00.001-07:00

Although our camera is still MIA, we have another Two Photo Tuesday brought to you via the IPhone 4. Enjoy!

Levi loves daddy's shoes and putting things on his head. What could be better? Notice the haircut as well? Daddy cut it last night. We call it the "Rodenbeck Buzz". For those of you who don't know the Rodenbecks, they have two boys that get this haircut from daddy all the time. Levi decided after seeing them last weekend, it was the perfect choice.

Beach Trip Photo Blog

2010-08-18T22:14:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday (8/17/10) we took Levi to the beach and took over 300 photos and videos on my iPhone... the following photo blog is a sufficient summary of the day.

When we first got there we took a look at the beautiful day.

Exploring the beach both near...

...and far

Found a rock

Let the digging begin.

And Continue

Levi likes to help daddy make sand castles.

"This is how you make it smooth daddy"

"And how to destroy them when you are finished!"

Half-pint half buried!

"Mommy, that's not how you wear it."

"this is!"

Family diggin

Downward facing dog - yoga pose

Beach bum!

More diggin

Splits!

"Wa wa?"

"Ccccccoooold!"

one second after this photo, Levi took a head over heals plunge into the water and, thus ended his water fun for the day!

After a day at the beach, no beach trip is complete without dinner at Camp 18 on the way home! It is a restaurant/old logging museum and I think used to be a site for a logging mill decades ago. When I was young we used to always stop here on the way home and eat, so we took Levi.

Levi liked to color (which means he dumped the bucket of crayons then picked them up and put them back in only to redump the bucket. This went on till most were on the floor and the waitress had to help pick them up because they were in her way.... Sorry waitress!)

Outside they had many carvings from wood, and Levi found Smokey the Bear, and learned that only HE could prevent forest fires!

He also found a new friend, the logger!

Levi stared at this guy and wouldn't look a way for a while! (there is a video at the bottom too that is funny!)

And of course Levi didn't let this guy out of sight! (another funny video at the bottom)

Bigger view of the restaurant.

Old machinery

An old crane.

An old mill I think....

Other ancient pieces.

Big ol' Wagon.

Little ol' Levi

Old fire engine!

Over all, our trip was a huge success, we played on the beach at Cannon Beach, then looked at shops. We then went to Seaside and walked around and went to the beach. When Levi looked like he could handle no more, we left went to Camp 18 then home. It was a wonderful trip for the three (or four) of us and was relaxing too! Thanks for checking in on our little trip, hope you enjoy the videos below as well!

Two Photo Tuesday: iPhone edition!

2010-08-17T09:44:00.001-07:00

Levi with his trying on his Great-Grandfathers reading glasses!

Levi saw me using the oven mitt and spent the next day putting it on and walking around the house!

Todays two photo tuesday has been brought to you by the iPhone 4, Photoshop: iPhone app edition and by the letter P.

have a blessed day!

Two Photo Tuesday?????

2010-08-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you wondering what has happened to our Two Photo Tuesday...I have bad news. Our camera is currently MIA therefore we have no way to post new pictures. However, once our camera is located we will be back on track!

Keep checking back and see what we found!

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-07-27T13:09:00.001-07:00

This is a very special two photo Tuesday. We are announcing the newest addition to our family, Baby Wiedemann 2!

The newest addition is due February 26, 2011...Levi's 2nd birthday. Stay tuned for more updates and information coming soon.

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-07-20T13:30:00.000-07:00

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-07-13T12:52:00.000-07:00

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-07-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Why is it so quiet?

2010-06-29T21:29:00.001-07:00

So those who have toddlers know that silence is always bad. I was in the living room and I thought Levi was in the dining room playing. Suddenly I realized that I hadn't heard him for a little while. I went into the dining room and he wasn't there. I looked down the stairs (his favorite place to throw things and wonder down to) and he was not there either. Suddenly I realized he was in the bathroom with the door closed. I open the door I found this:

Just a reminder that silence is never good!

Water Wednesday

2010-06-29T13:11:00.000-07:00

There is a park near our home (Shute Park) that has a free lunch everyday during the week and every Wednesday is "Water Wednesday". Levi loves water so I decided to take him to check it out. I have to admit, it was not quite what we expected but we had fun anyway. The "water" part consisted of two slip and slides, one sprinkler, and 3 kiddie pools sitting in the shade. Levi was not interested in any of that since he is too young for the slip and slides and the kiddie pools were in the shade.

However, there was a huge field full of balls which Levi loved! Levi could play for hours there. So, we had fun running around, pointing out every ball and throwing them around the field.

There were also a few other random things to play with...Safety Dog came to visit, there were long tubes to crawl through, a fire pit to run around, and dirt to throw.

Levi decided to keep his distance from Safety Dog but kept his eye on him

Time to move on to the tunnel...

And finally running, climbing, and playing with dirt. What else could a boy ask for?

Even though the water park didn't work out, Levi still had a lot of fun. After all the fun, we headed home for a long nap and a list of chores for mom. Oh well...maybe we'll check it out again next week!

Two Photo Tuesday (Take 3)

2010-06-29T13:06:00.001-07:00

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-06-22T16:32:00.000-07:00

Two Photo Tuesday

2010-06-15T10:01:00.000-07:00

My sister does "Photo Friday" every week on her blog. I always joke that I will do "Two Photo Tuesday" so that I can "beat" her. Well, what started as a joke, I have decided to actually do. I realize that maybe it will encourage me to update our blog more often. So, today is our first Two Photo Tuesday!

Danielle took this picture of Levi right before leaving for the zoo.

Levi at the water park near our house.

Dr Wiedemann I presume?

2010-05-27T13:21:00.000-07:00

For those of you who do not know, Jeff is finally done with school! He graduated May 22, 2010 from Pacific University with his doctorate in Pharmacy. It has been a long three years, but I am excited to say that we are done!
The graduation was really a weekend event. It started with his Hooding Ceremony" on Thursday evening. Due to weather concerns, they "hooded" the students Thursday instead of at the graduation. At the ceremony those also gave out awards. Jeff received the Professionalism Award given to one student for integrity and leadership among their peers. I was very proud of him!

Before the "hooding ceremony". You will notice...no hood!

Jeff walking in...do you see him in the back waving?

After the hooding ceremony, holding his award

Jeff with his proud mom and step dad.

Then Saturday was the actual graduation. We arrived at 1 PM when the doors opened. We got great seats on the floor right in the middle so we could see everything. The graduates even walked right by us! So, there we were at 1, sun shining waiting for the graduation to begin.
About 10 minutes before the graduation was set to begin, the storm clouds set in and it began to pour! The graduates began to come in amidst the storm, all dressed in ponchos. Then, the clouds parted and it was sunny again...just as it was time for Jeff to walk in. So there he was, with clear skies and sun beaming down on him.

I wish I could say that the sun stayed, but it didn't. Soon the clouds rolled in again and it began to pour. But, there we stayed in our ponchos. Nothing was going to stop me from watching my husband graduate. We had worked way too hard for this! So, we put on our coats and ponchos and watched. At least we got some pretty great pictures.

Finally, the time had come. Jeff's row was standing up and heading to the stage. And once again, the rain stopped. Jeff walked up and received his diploma in the sun! What an amazing day. We run to the front to get pictures just in time for the to call "Jeffrey D Wiedemann".

I was so proud of him in that moment. It all hit me right then...how hard he had worked, everything he had done. This was it! We were there. He was done. He has worked so hard and has earned that diploma five times over. I never knew that doctors got such big diplomas, but they should...they work very hard for them.
So, once the diplomas were all handed out, there was a quick thank you and the graduation was over. We dropped by the Alumni Dessert to great the newest alum of Pacific University as well as his professors and then back home to meet all of our family for dinner.
It was such an amazing day. I have to say, I worried so much about it because of the weather. The day before the graduation I was driving to Fred Meyer to get rain ponchos for our group and was fretting and complaining about the weather and suddenly, through my whining, I heard one of Levi's songs on the radio. "He's got the whole world in His hands...He's got the wind and rain in His hands" and suddenly I realized, why am I so worried? Got holds everything in His hands. The weather was far from perfect, but every time Jeff had something to do, the clouds parted and the sun shone. What an amazing God we have. Just as He carried us through Pharmacy School, He carried us through graduation.
Praise God! He truly has the whole world in His hands.

Happy Ressurection Day!

2010-04-07T16:50:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Levi's 2nd Easter this year. We attended church on Saturday night and had an Easter brunch Sunday morning. Levi shared this Easter with Grandma Lynda, Aunt Melissa, Uncle Nathan, Corban, and Mommy and Daddy.
Brunch was great, although Levi slept through all of it. We had egg casserole, Belgian waffles, fruit, AMAZING cinnamon rolls, sausage, and bacon. Each spot was set with a small Easter basket and yummy candy.
Right after Melissa, Nathan, and Corban left for Idaho to visit Nathan's family, Levi decided to finally wake up and join the party. So, we decided to do some Easter egg hunting with Grandma Lynda. Levi did a great job "finding" Easter eggs cleverly hidden on the couch, floor, and counters.

It was a great Easter shared with great family and we had a wonderful time. Amidst the fun and festivities, we also were able to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and the relationship that we are able to have with God because of Him. What an amazing day and reminder of what He did for us and the life we are able to live because of Him. It is my continual prayer that we live a life worthy of His gift and live each day fully aware of the price for which we were ransomed. What a blessing!

Blowing Bubbles

2010-03-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Jeff has been trying to teach Levi how to blow bubbles underwater to help get him used to his face being under the water. Last night during his bath Jeff started blowing bubbles and Levi started copying him...it was super cute. Here are a couple of short videos showing Levi's new talent.

Levi's first haircut

2010-03-30T07:14:00.001-07:00

As many of you know, Levi has had a full head of hair for while, including some adorable baby curls. Although, I love those little curls, his hair was getting a bit out of control. So, alas, we decided it was time for his first haircut. Not knowing how it would turn out, we waited until after his first birthday party. We took him to Fun Kuts by the Tacoma Mall.
For those of you who have never been to a kid salon, it is quite the experience. We were greeted by a lego table and inside play structure. We waited just a couple of minutes and then they called him back. The actual salon was even better. Multi color streamers hanging from the ceilings, chairs in the shape of different characters, and a personal TV/VCR combo at each seat. Levi sat in Thomas the Train.
His hair stylist did a great job! Not only did she do a great haircut but did a great job at distracting him. She let him see the clippers, hear them and feel them, before she started the haircut. Every time he got a little upset, she'd pull out another toy or some animal crackers. She did great and so did he. After about 20 minutes, it was all done and our cute little baby looked like a handsome big boy! What a difference a haircut can make.
Although I'm said to see the curls go, I am glad we did it. It looks great and it's a lot less work to take care of. Here are some pictures to chronicle the experience.

Here's a before showing off the curls

Some more befores at the hair salon

Playing before the hair cut

Thomas the Train

Some great after shots

1 Year Check-Up

2010-03-04T11:29:00.000-08:00

Levi had his one year check up yesterday and the news continues to be good!

First of all, as we were heading into the room (Levi practically running into the room) the nurse asked, "Is this really his 1 year check up?" I told her yes which she replied, "Are you late on scheduling it?" I told her no and that his birthday was last Friday. She just responded, "WOW!". I guess she was surprised that our little boy was only one year. Although that seems to be pretty normal so I'm used to it.

Levi's check-up went well. No problems or concerns from the doctor. His allergies are much better and we were able to take him off all of the medication he's been on the last couple of months. He also appears to have grown out of his egg allergy so that is great as well! He is now ready for milk.

Developmentally he continues to be advanced; walking, running, rolling/throwing balls to people, shooting a basketball in the hoop, sliding, swinging, and his favorite...playing with rocks. Levi loves being outside and loves throwing rocks, eating rocks, and putting rocks in my car tires. I even found some in the pockets of his pants...I guess that's boys!

Here are his 1 year stats:
Height: 32 1/2 in (98%)
Weight: 25 lbs 2 oz (80%)
Head: 18 3/4 in (82%)

Here are a few pictures from the last couple of weeks so you can see how you has grown.

Levi playing with his Christmas present from Grandma

Let's go mom...I'm heading to the toy store!

Levi with Grandma's birthday balloon

These are from Levi's first beach trip. We spent a few days at Owen's Beach which he loved!

Wresting with Daddy

See that bucket in mid air? Yeah, that was a mess!

Low riding in the high chair

The End!

1 down, 17 to go!

2010-03-03T11:03:00.000-08:00

That's right...Levi had his first birthday last Friday February 26th. I can't believe our little boy is already one year old! As most of you know, it has been a crazy year, but we have survived. Since it was such a huge milestone, we celebrated in style.
On Levi's actual birthday, we had a dinner at our house. Jeff's mom came up from Vegas and my family came over as well for Levi's Jungle Friends birthday party. We had pulled pork sandwiches, coleslaw, salad, and birthday cake. His cake was a monkey cake to go along with the jungle theme. It was so much fun to have everybody there celebrating our little guy, even though he slept through the first half.
Once he woke up, it was time for cake and his birthday cupcake. We lit the candle, sang Happy Birthday, and Levi dove in. Boy did he like that chocolate cake! Then came the presents. Levi started opening them but then got distracted and started playing with some old toys we had upstairs. That's right, he passed up the 21st Century toys for the ones made in the 70s! Oh well, it was great fun and so nice to have so much family together.

Then Sunday we did a big family party with Levi and Corban. We had grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins galore. Corban and Levi both had missed their second naps and were a little cranky but we still managed to have some fun. Uncle Nathan and Aunt Melissa made some special Treasure Chest Applesauce Cake. For those of you who know the boys well, we figured Levi would dig in while Corban completely ignored the cake. But, we were wrong! Levi wanted nothing to do with it and Corban couldn't stop eating! It was hilarious.

Then came the craziest part of all...the presents! The boys got some great toys, books, and clothes. Then, once they were all opened, all of the kids descended and tried all of the toys out. It appears that they all passed the test.
All in all, it was a great couple of days and a great way to celebrate this past year. Both boys have grown and changed so much and are really becoming their own person. It was really fun to watch and I am excited to see what this next year will bring!

Levi's New Grin

2010-02-09T10:03:00.000-08:00

Now that Levi has five teeth, he is starting to show them off more. He has this new smile that cracks us up. My friend Erika calls it "The Most Beautiful Smile" but it is anything but cute! We have caught quite a few great pictures and wanted to share them with you all. Hopefully he loses this smile before school pictures!

We should have some more updates to come shortly. Levi is changing and growing so fast, I don't have much time to blog...but with his first birthday coming up, there is plenty to share.

Teaching the basics...

2010-01-24T20:20:00.000-08:00

There comes a time in life when you are faced with teaching your child the basics in life. I am not talking about the birds and the bees, what it means to be man, or even to honor your mama and papa. But the very basics that are so ingrained in us, we probably don't even think about how we do it every day, day in and day out. Levi is a smart child, and at almost 11 months, his observations led to what he learned in the video below....

He typically watches me get ready in the morning, and one day, he looked up at me combing my hair, and picked up mommy's brush and tried to comb his hair. A few days later, he saw me brushing my teeth, and looked at me in amazement. He then, with is mouth wide open, found the nearest thing to him which was my comb and stuck it in his mouth. We had already bought him a tooth brush for his 6 teeth, so I handed it to him, and he started right away to put it in his mouth. Then he choked a bit and smiled ear to ear! Now it is his routine to come watch daddy get ready every morning and "comb" his hair and "brush" his teeth.

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas!

2009-12-30T15:42:00.000-08:00

Jeff and I got our Christmas present from my mom and step dad early. It was 2 tickets to White Christmas in Seattle. So, with Levi at Grandma's for the night we headed to Seattle. The show was amazing! It was a little different than the movie but we loved it. It even snowed in the theater!

The show didn't end until about 10:30 so we were happy that we were staying in Seattle. Our hotel was just walking distance from the theater so we walked back to the hotel looking at all the shops and lights on the way!

The next morning I had planned a surprise for Jeff, brunch at the Space Needle. He had never been before and was very excited. For those of you that don't know, the restaurant is at the top of the space needle and rotates as you eat. It was good food and a great view. Check out some of the pictures.

It was great to get some time just the two of us. Life has been so busy and all of our free time goes to Levi, a night away is always great! Thank you mom and Reggie. We had so much fun!

Deck the halls...

2009-12-30T11:20:00.001-08:00

with toys and clothes! Levi's first Christmas has come and gone and I think it's safe to say that he was nice this year. Santa had nothing on him...and boy did he shower him with gifts...Santa, mom, dad, aunts, uncles, and grandparents that is. Here are the highlights of our Christmases this year.

Our first Christmas was with my dad and his kids. Six kids, 2 spouses, and 1 girlfriend. That makes 9 kids total for my dad and step mom! We all went to my sister Melissa's for dinner. Loaded down with two desserts and tons of gifts, we traveled across town to begin our Christmas adventure!

We spent Christmas eve with my Dad, Debbie, Nathaniel, Haley, Melissa, Nathan, and Corban at our friend Dan and Michelle's new condo in Seattle. We have a Christmas Eve tradition when we eat paella, which is an amazing Spanish dish. We ate good food and spent time with great people, always leaving with Michelle's homemade chocolate and nuts.

Levi was afraid of my brother Nathaniel. Every time he tried to touch Levi, Levi would pull his hand away. Levi just kept staring at Nathaniel from across the room...it was actually really weird. By the end of the trip, Levi started to warm up to him but then Nathaniel put a bow on Levi's shirt and Levi burst into tears. Oh well Nathaniel...maybe next time!

Christmas morning was just daddy, mommy, and Levi. We had so much fun opening gifts, playing, putting together toys, and playing with the empty boxes and paper. His favorite gift was a rocking horse from Meema. The first time we put his on it, he started bouncing. He didn't need any help.

Christmas day was spent at Grandma Lynda and Papa Reggie's house with Melissa, Nathan, and Corban. After Christmas dinner, the presents continued. The hit being the trains from Grandma and Papa Reggie. They can be used as a walker or you can ride it. Plus, there is music, games, and blocks.

Our last Christmas was the Monday after Christmas with the Rodenbecks (our family friends). They have four kids, including their newest addition, a 2 year old girl from Ethiopia. I have to say, this was our crazies Christmas yet. Six kids + lots of presents = craziness!

So that was our Five Christmases...not quite as exciting as the movie but we enjoyed it. We are so blessed to have so many people who love us. Thank you to all of our family and friends and we hope your holidays were a blessing and the next year brings joy and blessings you could not imagine.

A Turtle and a Log

2009-11-25T14:38:00.000-08:00

Today we went to Washington Square Mall to get a picture with Santa. We tried last week but Levi took one look at Santa and burst into tears. So, freshly rested and fed, we hit the road to give it another shot. Much to our dismay, Levi still does not like Santa Claus.

So, we decided as long as we were at the mall, we would see what he thought of the child's play area. As you all know Levi has a ton of energy and is always on the go so we figured it would be a lot of fun. So, trying not to think about all the germs and diseases on the toys, we let Levi loose. He was a bit cautious at first and mostly watched the older kids run. However after about five minutes of "warming up" he was crawling and climbing like mad. His favorite toy was a turtle. He spent most of his time here trying to figure out how to climb him. Since he couldn't get on top of the turtle, he decided to use him as a drum...which is even more fun!

Although he spent most of his time at this turtle, he did wonder off a little. He found a giant log which was also useful as a drum.

Then he found out you could also crawl through it...that was the best!

After a quick stop at the lily pads, it was time to go home.

So, we loaded a then very tired Levi in the car and headed home. I don't think it's ever been so easy to put him down for a nap. If only we could get one of these play areas for our home!

Here are a few more random pictures we have taken in the time we have been here. Levi has loved exploring a new house. There are a ton of doors here so it is much easier to keep him contained. Without baby gates holding him back, he feels much more free and it is so fun to watch him play! One of his favorite things is the sliding glass door with a curtain hanging down. He loves to look outside, bang on the door, and hide behind the curtain. He loves to play peek-a-boo with the curtain which I think you saw in another video.

Levi's new walker...although instead of walking with it, he prefers to flip it over and see how it works.

Bath time is one of Levi's favorite times. Here he is waiting to jump in!

And some cute baby and daddy pictures. Like always, Levi is Jeff's little clone.

Video Blog - drumming, dancing, and a little more

2009-11-25T10:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a few videos that we have taken in the last few weeks that show Levi around the house here playing.

laughing!

2009-09-30T23:00:00.000-07:00

Levi has taken to laughing sometimes uncontrollably at certain events in life that seem not so funny to other people! For instance, when I put my head down and shake my hair at him, he laughs. When I just look at him some times, he laughs (no "i'm funny looking" comments). I have to wonder what is going on in his tiny little adorable head that makes him want to burst out in laughter. Does he think that hair is the funniest little creation of God's? Does he like it when he gets attention from mommy and daddy? Or is it just that he is excited to pull the hair if it ever comes close enough? I hear from his mommy and grandma that he does love to pull hair!
Well, in light of this, try to imagine what Levi is thinking while you watch this next video. Enjoy!

That's my boy!

2009-09-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

So I have been working long hours at the hospital and really enjoy my time at home with my son Levi. I think that he really likes it when I come home too! Here is a video that seems to say just what he feels! ( this was about 2 weeks ago)

I originally started this blog a few weeks ago, and was trying to upload another video, but it took forever, so i am posting this by itself! He loves his daddy... more blogs to come soon!

Just the two of us

2009-09-09T12:36:00.001-07:00

I always do posts about Levi to show what he is doing. Not too long ago, I decided to do a post about me and Jeff with some pictures. Only to find out that there are no pictures of me and Jeff. Apparently the last six months have been all about Levi. This isn't surprising but I figured it meant that Jeff and I needed some time just the two of us.
So, with Grandma Lynda watching Levi, we headed to Leavenworth for an evening. We stay at the Enzian Inn for a night and got tickets to the Sound of Music. The show was great. It is out the outdoor amphitheater and Maria comes out of the hills signing. It was a really great show. The kids were especially great and it was really fun. I don't have any pictures because they were not allowed but it was great!
The next morning we had breakfast at the Inn. The have a horn player that plays a HUGE horn during breakfast. It was pretty cool. We had never seen that before so it was fun. Plus, the breakfast was great. It was not the normal continental breakfast. It had made to order omelets, German pastries, and lots of fresh fruit.
After breakfast we headed to the mini golf course that is included in the stay. It was an 18 hole golf course with real greens. I had never seen such a thing. Unfortunately, we were stuck behind a large group of older people who were playing very slow so we skipped a few holes to get ahead of them. We played all the holes minus those few. I of course won, as long as you consider winning scoring the most points. However, if you follow the traditional rules, then I would have to say that Jeff won by nine or ten strokes. I still say the most points wins!
After some shopping and lunch, we decided to head home. We couldn't wait to get home to see our little boy. Although some time away was nice, we couldn't be away too much. It was a great night. It was fun to not have to worry about a schedule, not have to think about when to feed Levi and getting him home in time to go to bed. We got to stay out late and sleep in. It was amazing and much needed!

6 months old!

2009-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe it. We survived! On Wednesday August 26th, Levi was officially 6 months old. He had his check-up and we have his new stats:

Weight: 19 lbs 2 oz (76%)

Height: 29 1/4 in (99%)

That's our little boy...still growing like crazy. However, since he is more mobile he is thinning out a little. And boy is he mobile! Check out this video.

He is officially crawling and nothing is safe. The least safe things are daddy's computer, any cup with liquid, and Britten (Linda and Mickey's dog). Although Levi and Britten are sharing chew toys which is pretty fun. The other day I caught Levi chewing on Britten's flat cat. I know it's a little gross but I had to take a picture before taking it out of his mouth.

Levi has also recently taken an interest in Dancing with the Stars. He has been working on his audition. Here is his latest tape. He has great moves and really gets down with the music.

Here are a few pictures so you can all see how he is changing and growing. He is talking a lot, moving a lot, and so curious. He is even trying to pull himself up. I love being a mom and have enjoyed these last six months so much. I cannot wait for the next six to see how much more he changes. Here are a few more pictures so you can see our little man.

All smiles at the grocery store.

Levi has graduated to his next car seat. I can no longer carry the infant one around...he is just too heavy!

Pulling himself up in his crib. Is this normal for 6 months.

What mom? I didn't do anything.

Posing with his blocks

Working the Mohawk

Little Katherine Homemaker

2009-08-22T13:20:00.000-07:00

While Jeff is at work every day learning to be a pharmacist, I am learning a little
something of my own. Linda, the woman we are living with, has taught me how to can. That's right...I said it. I am canning. Who would have thought? Linda has an amazing garden and we have canned tomatoes, beans, peas, peaches, jam, and pears are to come!
I always thought canning was really difficult, but it's really not. Once you learn how, it's pretty simple, as long as you don't blow yourself up with the pressure cooker! So far so good though. Green beans were the hardest because there is so much prep work. Tomatoes and peaches are the easiest because you don't have to peel them. I never knew you could dip them in boiling water and the skins come right off. Pretty cool, huh?
So, I have been spending my days prepping, cooking, and canning. In addition, I have been making all of Levi's baby food. Applesauce, peas, beans, bananas, cantaloupe, and carrots. So far, he likes everything except for carrots. He has tried them a few times and spit them out each time. It's really fun and I really like it. I just freeze it and take it out as I need it.
I'm really enjoying being home with Levi and seeing what all I can do. It is so rewarding to see all of the food that I can make and everything I can do from canning to making baby food to making his diapers. It is really fun. Betty Crocker has nothing on me!

Fun Time with Friends

2009-08-10T21:45:00.000-07:00

This past week my friend Erika came to visit. Erika and I grew up together. We have been friends since we were born. Erika and I are 9 months apart and our kids are 9 months apart as well! Erika had her daughter Ryan about 15 months ago. She is adorable. She is walking all over, beginning to talk, and has such a fun personality. Levi was enthralled by her and could not keep his eyes off of her!

Even though they are nine months apart, they are surprisingly similar in size. Although nine months younger, Levi is only a pound lighter and a inch shorter! We always knew that he was advanced, but it is hilarious to see him next to a 15 month old! He is definitely our little football player.

It has been really fun being back in Tacoma around all of my family and friends. It is especially great being with Erika and raising our kids near one another. We always talked about having kids, walking on the waterfront, and sending them to school together. And of course, since Erika had a girl and I had a boy, we talk about how they will get married. It may be a little soon for that, but we can hope!

Cousins!

2009-08-08T09:18:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few of the most recent pictures of Levi and Corban. They are both getting so cute and growing so fast. They are now both sitting up and are even playing with each other a little bit. It's so fun being so close to them so the boys can play and we can catch all of these great Kodak moments!

Both boys sitting up

All smiles on the chair

Rocking away!

Corban, you're cramping my style...back up!

I love the taste of your shoulder Levi

I love you man!

Loving being outside

They are so much fun and I cannot wait until they are running around after each other!

He's on the move

2009-08-08T08:54:00.000-07:00

As Levi approaches six months old, he becomes more and more mobile. Daddy said he crawled forward twice, but I haven't seen it yet. Although he is not crawling much, he is close. As he gets up on all fours and rocks, so I know that it is not too far away.
However, Levi can scoot like a champ. As a tribute to Michael Jackson, he scoots backward to whatever he needs. Check out this before and after. The time between these was probably only a minute or two!

So, nothing is holding him back. His new found mobility can cause a few headaches as well. He is moving all over his crib, flipping over, banging his hands on the mattress, and screaming when he gets stuck in a position he does not like. This makes for not so fun early morning wake up calls!
Since he obviously wants to move, I bought his a walker off of Craigslist. He loves it! Check out this video...

So, now he spends a couple of hours a day cruising around in his walker. His favorite place to cruise is the kitchen. He loves looking at his reflection in the oven, pulling down all of the towels, and rolling into the pantry to grab a snack (okay maybe not a snack...but he's checking out what he will eat one day).
It is so fun to watch his explore and to see him trying to figure everything out. The first day with the walker he wasn't too sure what to do but before long he was scooting and crashing all over. He has even mastered turning to avoid obstacles. What a little genius.
Before long, he will be running all over this house. Just watch for updates.

Just a Quick Update

2009-07-16T21:18:00.000-07:00

Not only can Levi sit up but he is growing and changing in a lot of other ways as well. He is interacting and playing more and more. He has this great toy that has all these different toys on it and he can lift the pieces and play with them. I cannot believe the things he can do now.

He also is still loving his jumper. He plays with all the toys and bounces up and down in it. I like it because it can keep him occupied for 45 minutes or an hour at a time. This allows me to shower, eat lunch, wash dishes, vacuum, and any other random chores that need to be done. Here's a couple of pictures.

He grows and changes so much, I cannot wait to see what he does next. I get so tired and sometimes it feels like I won't make it through the day, but then he smiles and laughs and it all seems okay. Here are a couple more cute daddy and Levi pictures. Enjoy!

Levi is sitting!

2009-07-07T13:53:00.000-07:00

As most of you know, Levi has been a little ahead of the curve since he was first born. He grabbed the nurse's stethoscope when he was 5 minutes old, started holding his head up within 2 weeks, rolled at 2 1/2 months, and is now 4 months and sitting up. He's been working on it and finally can do it. He holds himself up some of the time and balances himself the rest of the time. I cannot believe it. I took this video today and it is great! He is so cute and happy.

It is so fun watching him grow up, explore, and do new things. He is such a doll and we have so much fun. It is a lot of work, but totally worth it. I can't wait to see what he does next. Stay tuned, we'll keep the blog updated.

Mr. Independence

2009-07-06T17:22:00.000-07:00

We just had Levi's first 4th of July and he had quite the day! We started with an early morning wake-up call at 6 AM. After some breakfast, we ran/walked a 5 k race in downtown Puyallup. Jeff ran, I walked, and Levi rolled! We learned that we are very out of shape, but we had fun and then headed home for a nap.
Auntie Melissa bought some cute overalls for Levi which he wore for the race and the first half of the day until he had drooled so much that they had to go. Here is a cute picture. He was a hit at the race and I'm pretty sure he came in first in his age group...although he may have been the only one in his age group.
After a quick nap, we got ready for the big 4th of July bash. Linda and Mickey Allen, who we are living with, take 4th of July very seriously. They have a huge BBQ of baby back ribs and chicken, salads, and desserts galore. After dinner the craziness begins. This involves blowing up everything in sight with sparkler bombs, $200 worth of fireworks, and they live on top of a huge hill so the whole valley is lit up with fireworks. It is pretty cool.
Such an extravagant party called for another cute outfit. And of course some more pictures.
As you can see there are no pictures of Jeff. This is because he was very busy. Linda's son Justin usually does all the grilling, makes the sparkler bombs, and lets off the fireworks. However, he had to work an 18 hour shift that day so he passed the torch to Jeff. So Jeff was busy all day, although it was all things he loves to do.
Overall it was a success, everybody ate, everything was blown up, and we all enjoyed the show. Levi even liked it and didn't even cry at the sparkler bombs. He actually slept through most of it. Wait until next year. He'll be next to daddy trying to blow things up and I will just have to not watch.

4 Month Check Up!

2009-06-24T23:34:00.000-07:00

Levi has a new doctor now that we are in Tacoma. He just had his four month check-up. This meant more shots : ( But, he did really well. He cried for a couple of minutes and then calmed down. So here are the new stats:

Weight: 16 lbs 13 oz (He was 8 lbs 5 oz at birth so he has doubled his birth weight)

Height: 27 in (compared to 21 inches at birth. He has grown half a foot!)

That puts him at 98% for his height and 87% for his weight. He is a healthy boy!

His new doctor said that he was doing great. He is growing, happy, and interactive. He talks all the time, makes fun noises, even coughs just because he likes the noise. He is rolling over, and trying to sit up. He also is teething! Can you believe it? I see one tooth ready to come which means he chews on everything and puts everything in his mouth. It is pretty funny.

One of the cutest new things is Levi now copying us. He tries to copy the faces we make, the things we do, and even the noises we make. Here is an adorable video of Levi copying Jeff. He loves Daddy so much. His face just lights up when he sees him and he has all kinds of fun. Check out the video.

He are a couple of pictures as well so you can see how much he has grown.

Born in '09 - a reflection of 5 generations

2009-06-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

Not everyone has a chance to in their life time to witness five generations together in the same room. I consider myself lucky to have had this pleasure. My wife has a great grandmother (affectionately known as Mammaw), who I have heard about since I first started dating her. I have heard stories of a spit fire woman who was in her 90's and still lived at home. She had been a widow for around 25 years and, usually being the oldest one in the room, she often felt comfortable telling everyone "just how it is!" When her husband 'Tata' died, whom she loved very much but was a penny pincher, she replaced all her house furniture for nicer versions. When asked what she did with the old furniture, she simply said in a thick southern accent "I took it out to the bayou and set fire to it!" I am sure everyone half-believes that she did, no one really knows. Upon a visit during my wives childhood Mammaw was cooking and turned to Katherine and said "I used to whip your grand-daddies ass, 'cause thats what asses are for!" I am sure that Katherine has benefited much in years since learning this valuable piece of knowledge. Being the spit fire that she is, she seemed to have maintained a clear mind most of her days, and that has enabled her to live on her own and get her drivers license renewed even at a young age of 97 - and renewed for 12 years. I have long heard all her stories, but never had the opportunity to meet her, but plans were loosely set to visit her in Louisiana in October for her 100th birthday.

Last month, a few days after we made our big move to Washington for the year, we found out that Mammaw's health was taking a turn for the worse, and if we wanted to see her alive we should come. We wanted to introduce her to our son Levi and take a 5 generation photo. We did get the chance, and in the picture that you see, Mammaw is in bed, Her son - Katherines grandpa is top left, Kat's Mom is top right, Katherine and her sister Melissa are next and the two babies on the bed - Levi and Corban, My son and Melissa and Nathan's son, respectively.
That is 5 Generations of family.

Mammaw didn't pass away yet but she was close, she had Congestive Heart Failure, and a Pacemaker that is doing 99% of the fireing for her heart, not bad for 99 I guess. She was eventually released and is in hospice care at her daughter's house, who we all know as Aunt Dee. The day before we arrived, Mammaw wasn't doing well and was only speaking in one word sentances. She said "Lynda?" (Kats mom)
"Tomorrow" they said.
"Babies?"
"Tomorrow" they told her once again.
"OK"

The next day when we arrived, and went to see her, we could see new energy in her for she wanted to meet these babies and say hello.
She was speaking in full sentances and it appeared as if she had almost made a full recovery. She seemed like this is what she had been waiting her whole life for, and yet the time had finally come and she could rest easy.
As an observer and never having met Mammaw before that day, I just decided to stand back and take it all in (as well as take pictures). I noticed that it was bitter-sweet because while this was the first meeting of all five generations, it might also be the last. When Tata died, he had just met Katherine for the first time, when she was not much older than Levi. This was kind of a comparison and a sobrity check. Everyone seemed to be overjoyed, yet fight off tears of remorse for another generation passing. As I took the picture above, I started to ponder the fact that Mammaw was born in '09 just like Levi, except 1909. I started to think of how the world had changed since she had been alive. She had known so many things in her life, such sorrows as the Flu pandemic of 1918, BOTH world wars plus many wars, the Great Depression as well as the current one, Pearl Harbor and 9/11. She had the joy of marrying her best friend and building a house and a life with him... but also the sorrow of losing him. Electricity and cars, telephones and cell phones... the list goes on. I wonder how much wisdom one gains over a century? But it is the passing of one generation and the beginning of another. Levi was born this year, and I started to think of what he will encounter in his life, what joys and sorrows he will know and eventually pass on to another generation. Life has never seemed so short in all my life as it did in that room. The things that seem to matter so much sometimes, like sports teams winning and my favorite TV shows or even the latest news, seemed to fade a bit and things like loved ones came more into view. When Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes

"1Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher,
"Vanity of vanities! All is vanity."
³What advantage does man have in all his work
Which he does under the sun?
⁴A generation goes and a generation comes,
But the earth remains forever.
⁵Also, the sun rises and the sun sets;
And hastening to its place it rises there again.
⁶Blowing toward the south,
Then turning toward the north,
The wind continues swirling along;
And on its circular courses the wind returns.
⁷All the rivers flow into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full.
To the place where the rivers flow,
There they flow again.
⁸All things are wearisome;
Man is not able to tell it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor is the ear filled with hearing.
⁹That which has been is that which will be,
And that which has been done is that which will be done.
So there is nothing new under the sun."

I start to see the knowledge that our Lord gave him.

I feel privileged to have been there to see the 5 generations, and that my son got to be apart of it. I wish so much for my son to understand this and even though he won't remember it when he is older, I have many pictures and photos to show him and I get to tell him storys about the time that he met his great-great-grandmother and she passed the torch from one generation to another.

My first Mother's Day

2009-05-11T20:22:00.000-07:00

I want to take a little time to tell all of you about the amazing husband I have and the great day he gave me. I had no idea what Jeff was planning but the day ended up great.
I woke up at 7 AM because Levi was awake. I didn't want to get up but Jeff wasn't moving. I was a little annoyed, since it was Mother's Day, but I got up to get Levi. As I entered the room, I noticed why Jeff did not get up. In Levi's crib, laying next to him, was a gift with a card for Mommy. I picked him up and took him into the living room. Jeff entered right after that and I opened my present. Levi went to Jared! Inside was a beautiful necklace with a Venecian glass pendant. It was gorgeous. The picture to the left is me wearing the pendant, although it is hard to see.

After this we left for church for our last Sunday before we move. Pastor had us come up front and announced us leaving and prayed for us as we begin this new journey. This is very sweet and it was great to say goodbye to everybody.
Next it was off to Saturday Market. I haven't been all year and wanted to go one last time before we moved. This trip was made perfect by some Portland made chocolate and then it was off to our house for a little break.

The evening was made complete by a surprise dinner at Saltys. This was amazing! We were right by the window overlooking the Columbia. They were having an all day Mother's Day brunch. And even more amazing...Levi was asleep for most of it so we were able to eat...both of us at the same time. This is a rare treat. Once Levi work up, Jeff took him so I could finish eating, what a guy. We enjoyed a great dinner and ended it with a superb dessert buffet complete with a chocolate fountain. I really need to get one of those.

So, it was a great day. My husband spoiled me and I loved every minute of it. It was also fun being with all of the other moms. It's like you are part of a new club. We all understand how much work it is to be a mom. But, it is worth all the work. I love being a mom. I love having a son. I can't believe how much my life has changed but I would not change it for the world! I am so happy and so content and so excited for the future.

Now he's really rolling!

2009-05-11T19:49:00.000-07:00

So as most of you know, Levi rolled on his side last week. Well, apparently that is getting old because he rolled all the way onto his tummy! This is really amazing because he doesn't even like being on his stomach! I uploaded a video. You will see that he is fussing the entire time. He hates being on his stomach but can't resist rolling onto it! Also, he hasn't figured out how to move his arm so he fusses about that as well. I think it makes the video a little cuter.

I am so surprised at how quickly he is progressing. He is only two and a half months and has already figured out how to roll onto his stomach. He is also interacting a lot more, smiling, and laughing. He is so much fun!
He is also more entertained by his toys which is great because it gives me a break. I can put him on his play mat and he'll play for almost an hour. We also got him a bouncer. The box says four months, but he is already using it since he is able to hold up himself and his head so well. Between these two toys I get a much needed break. (A break to a mom is a chance to cook, clean, or switch laundry. I sometimes miss when a break was actually a break. Oh well!)
Here are a few pictures of Levi with his favorite toys:

Levi in his bumbo

Levi in his jumper

Levi on his play mat

He's rolling!

2009-05-05T17:45:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Levi was playing on his mat. He was looking to the left to check himself out in a mirror when suddenly he rolled over on his side! Can you believe it? I can just see him saying "look at that handsome guy" and trying to get a closer look. Little did he realize it was him! He is a pretty handsome kid if I do say so myself. We didn't get the video camera out in time to tape it but we did get a series of pictures thanks to daddy's iPhone. I guess it really was a necessity for the baby! Here are the pictures:

After this, he rolled back onto his back so we don't have a full roll yet, but he's getting there. I guess I should stop putting him on beds and counters because soon he will just roll right off!

A Levi Update

2009-05-04T18:49:00.000-07:00

Just in case you haven't heard, Levi had his 2 month check up last week. He is 13 lbs 13 oz and 26 in! That puts him in the 95th percentile for his weight and off the charts for his height. He is a growing boy. He has gained 5.5 lbs since birth and grown 5 inches. We are so proud of our little boy. Here are some two month picture:

Also, I am making diapers for Levi. We have been trying them out and they are working great. Here he is styling in his home made diapers:

Levi and Sierra (our cat) are also getting along very well. Sierra is very protective of Levi and spends a lot of her time watching over him. We caught her watching him as he was playing on the floor and snapped a picture! Check it out:

So there is a quick update. We will be updating our blog much more often so keep checking it out so you can hear about all of our experiences. We love being able to share our lives with you all.

The Faces of Levi

2009-05-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

So one day Jeff was just randomly taking pictures of Levi as he was making some pretty crazy faces. Here are a few of the pictures. I decided not to publish all 35 but put some of the best on here. He is such a hilarious kid with SO much personality!

Levi's Dedication

2009-05-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

We had the amazing opportunity to, together with our family and friends, dedicate Levi to the Lord and His work. We were able to promise to raise him according to His statutes and do everything we can to lead him into a personal relationship with the Lord. This was an amazing day and we thank all of our family and friends who took part in it. It was great to see the church come together as well and promise to do what they can to support Levi and us. We are blessed to have so many family and friends that care for us and our son. Here is a video:

The whole group all together!

Levi and his cake:

Levi styling after the dedication:

We took the opportunity for some family pics as long as so many people were there. You will see

some people missing, but here is what we have.

4 Days Later!

2009-04-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

So many of you know this already, but for those who do not, my sister had her baby 4 days after Levi was born. So, at just four days old, Levi took his first road trip to Tacoma to see his brand new cousin. Since Levi was already 4 days old, he knew that he had a lot of good information and advice to share with Corban.
We did not get to Tacoma in time because my sister had a C-Section so by the time we arrived they were already in recovery. This means we were able to hold Corban right away. He was amazing! Although, I couldn't believe how different they looked. You would think that they would look alike but they obviously both looked like their fathers.
We only spent one night in Tacoma before heading back to Portland but we were able to visit with a lot of family in that time. It was great meet Corban and let so much of the family meet Levi. We also were able to get the first of many "Cousin Pictures". You will see these all throughout the blog. Often times in matching or at least coordinating outfits. Check out these pictures:

Dad and Debbie with both boys

Grandfather and Grandson

Mom and Corban

Haley and Levi

My first picture with Corban

The boys finally together!

And here is Levi!

2009-04-11T06:41:00.000-07:00

Okay so I know you have all been wondering why we have not updated this since Levi was born. The truth is that I haven't had time. But, here goes nothing. We'll see how far I can get.
For those of you who do not know the story, it all started February 25, 20o9 at 5:45 AM. I woke up having some mild contractions. I didn't think anything of it because I had been having contractions for weeks. However, the continued to come and were coming closer and closer together. It was 8 days past my due date so I knew this could be it!
I woke up Jeff to let him know what was going on. They were about 8 minutes apart at this point so I knew we had awhile to go. Jeff got ready and left for school with instructions for me to call him as soon as they were closer together. You have to wait until they are 5 minutes apart for one hour before going to the hospital so I relaxed and waited.
I took the time to call family. My mom headed right down from Tacoma because she was already planning to come down that day. I updated my dad as well who began making arrangements to come. He had to wait for my sister Haley to get home from school before taking off to head down.
Well, Jeff came home at lunch too excited to concentrate on school. My mom arrived shortly after that and we all watched August Rush while we waited. The contractions were getting closer and closer together and with about 20 minutes left on the movie, I knew it was time to go. But, we wanted to finish the movie which we did and right as it ended we left.
We arrived at Providence St Vincent at 4 PM and had to wait about 30 minutes for my room to be ready. While we waited, we walked the halls until as the contractions got closer and closer together. By the time I got into my room, the contractions were 2-3 minutes apart and much more painful! Then entered my best friend, the epidural! It was about 6 PM at this point. For those of you who have had epidurals, you know the joy they bring. It's amazing to watch the contractions on the screen and not feel a thing. This is definitely the way to go!
My dad and step mom arrived soon after that and we all spent some great time together waiting for this little boy to be born. It was so relaxing and joyful! Over the next 6 hours, we talked, played games, and even slept a little.
Then, around midnight, I felt the need to push. We called the nurse in and she agreed. I was 10 cm dilated and ready to go. We said goodbye to my parents and Jeff and I prepared to become parents.
The doctor came in and examined me and said to get ready to push. After about 45 minutes of pushing the doctor informed me that he saw the head. A full head of brown hair! I started to become more excited. After 18 hours of no food, this gave me the excitement I needed to keep going. I kept pushing for 45 more minutes until at 2:08 AM on February 26th, Levi Jeffrey Wiedemann was born! Weighing in at 8 lbs 5 oz and 21 in, he was finally here!
They put Levi on my chest and it was the most amazing moment! I could not believe that we had a baby. It was so scary and so amazing and so exhausting all at the same time.
We soon made it to recovery but were too excited to sleep much. I finally got to eat. That was the best sandwich of my life! We slept for maybe a couple of hours but soon my doctor came in to visit as well as Levi's doctor. The rest of our time at the hospital was spent with great family and friends visiting and helping us welcome this brand new addition to our family. Here are some of the first photos of levi.

The Offursary - half office, half nursary.

2008-12-10T22:32:00.001-08:00

The Offursary is going to my little area of "Zen" when our son comes into this world. The theory is that I will get lots of good studying done while still being able to help out with the baby.

Good luck to me, right?

So here is the joy that is the Offursary.

Half office,

Half Nursary,

All joy!

Our Summer.... (a photo Blog)

2008-11-13T09:49:00.000-08:00

So we want to take you on a tour of a few things that we did this summer, so that you can see what we have been up to.

As soon as I was done with the school year last year, Kat and I decided to take a much needed vacation and spent a week in Sunriver, OR. The first place that we visited, was the Deschutes Brewery. Some of you may be familiar with some of their beers (such as Black Butte Porter). It was really interesting to see how beer is made.

(By the way if you want to view any picture larger, just click on the picture)

Here, Kat is looking lovely next to a big canister of beer (or wondering why I am taking a pic).

And this is the previously mentioned Black Butte Porter beer container.

Next on our trip, I decided to let Katherine experience the joys of fishing, so I looked up where a lake was and we left very early in the morning to embark on fishing. Things happened a little differently, though, as you can see in this next picture.

It started to snow in June! Turns out the lake that I looked up was a little higher in elevation than I originally thought.

This is a different (non snowy) lake that we drove around and finally found, and we fished for about an hour before we (Katherine *wink wink*) threw in the towel.

As you can see she was really happy about getting to go fishing!

After fishing, we were near Smith Rock State Park and I was able to talk Katherine into actually hiking to the top to see the view.

If you look close, you can actually see her at the end of the bridge. This is just to give you an idea of how high it is.

The view from half way up.

I don't care what she says, I think she liked it!

Feels like the top of the world!

An impromptu portrait of us!

The rest of our trip was just resting, and we made it back ok.
A few weeks later we found out that we had a little surprise on the way.

This is an ultrasound at 9 weeks along.

This is at 19 weeks, what a difference 10 weeks can make.

19 Weeks also, just a closer shot!
(and in case you don't know, it is a boy!)

For Katherine's Birthday I decided to take her to a nice hotel on the Oregon Coast, to a little place called Lincoln City. It is a small town, and has a river that claims to be the worlds shortest river, the D river. Other than that, Lincoln City is just a small town.

This is the view from the restaurant on the top floor. We had a few nice meals there.

Our room was on the same level as the beach, so we could walk out our back door onto the beach - it was kinda nice!

Naturally this was the sunset from our back porch (i.e. the beach).

Another one!

Yet more pics,

Last one, I promise!

When we got back, Kat's mom came down to celebrate Katherine's Birthday with us, so here is Kat opening one of her presents from her mom.

Yay, a Sonicare, she has some pearly whites now! :)

Later on in the summer, Katherine's sister and brother-in-law bought a new house in Auburn, WA, so we decided to head up and help them move in.

You probably can't tell, but Nathan and I installed the chandelier. What master Craftsmen we are! Nathan actually did most of the work, I just held it in place... I'll take the credit though.

Nathan is looking very happy with Melissa in this shot. Maybe she mocked our chandelier. You tell her Nathan!

As you can tell, Katherine is really helpful! You can almost hear her say, "Poor me, I'm pregnant! You do all the work, Jeff."

A few weeks later, Katherine and I decided to go camping our last week before school started up for me again. Our good friends, Jeremy and Taleah, went with us and we had a great time! We camped in Silverton, OR at Silver Falls State Park.

There is an 8 or so mile hike that goes around the campground and you can see something like 10 waterfalls in this hike. Above is one of them! (No we didn't hike the whole thing).

King of the...er.... ...Waterfall?
I don't know... boys will be boys!

Another waterfall.

Us enjoying that waterfall.

The blood moon rises.....!
This was a really Eerie harvest moon that was really red and dark and dim...
I don't know how this says anything about our summer, but it was cool!

Thanks for going along on a picture journey with us. These were some of our best times this summer (that we have in photo anyway). The rest of the summer for us was just filled with me working at Costco on rotation in the pharmacy, and going to doctors appts for Katherine.

Hope you all are doing well!
Until next time!

Jeffrey and Katherine + 1.