Levi's first haircut

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

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!

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.