Vegas Picture Blog

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!

The Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay

Halloween

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?

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

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

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!

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!

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!