1 down, 17 to go!

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

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...

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!

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...

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

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

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

laughing!

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!

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

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!