is that a goiter?

i know, that's kinda gross, but there's a reason. last night, levi woke up around 4 am and was acting like he was frustrated and uncomfortable. he kept moving around like there was something agitating him. so i layed him on the floor to get ready for whatever a 9 month old can become annoyed with, and when i looked at his leg, there was this big bulge on the side of his thigh. it was so weird, and i'm thinking, hmmm i don't really know if i really want to find out what this is. but, like the GREAT mom that i am ;) - i unzipped his footie pj's and stuck my hand in...and somehow, before levi went to bed, he had stuck a lemon in his pajamas before we zipped him up and tucked him in for the night!! what in the world! i couldn't stop laughing. of course he was uncomfortable, he had a plastic piece of produce stuck in his footie pajamas and it had no way of getting out! i still don't know how clayton or i didn't notice this "goiter" before he went to bed, because this lemon was about twice the size of a ping pong ball. he does love playing with the them, so i guess he thought he could stash one away to play with while we were in bed! ha! i love what kids do...

discipline much???

ok, you should really watch the video BELOW first...i don't really know why, but it makes sense in my head that the other one should come first...so, ok. in this video though, listen to how much grunting he does to get this job done!! levi has ALWAYS grunted a lot! he growls too instead of crying...so, unique - i guess is the word. :) and at the end, you'll see a little disciplining going on...i don't know if you can see it on the video, but when i tell him no, he turns around a kind of smiles- not a good thing, but it sure is hard not to laugh...i'm sure i won't think so when he can really do some damage. enjoy!!!

little green hobbit

ok so i had to use the compact version to get the files to fit on the blog, so the QUALITY of the video isn't super, but it's still pretty cute! in this one, you can kind of see that instead of crawling on both of his knees, he keeps one tucked under him! i LOVE it!!! it's so fun to watch. so enjoy!!!

these boots were NOT made for walkin...

doesn't he make the most pathetic faces...:)

this has been a HUGE weekend for the walkers - so i must tell you about it, and then show you! yes, that's right, there will definitely be videos up today. lets see, i guess the biggest news is that levi learned how to crawl this weekend!! and i have to say - when you see it, it is not a "normal" crawl...but it definitely has style! i love it! it makes me laugh everytime he starts to move around. and he's pretty proud of himself too! we have also learned the art of the much needed high five...i mean what else does he really need to know? :) and of course, we are finally putting up video of him clapping. this video is kind of long, but he kept smilin and clappin for the camera, so we kept rollin! anyways, that was our big weekend of learning and growing. and yes, he is still sick as i'm sure you can hear and see on the videos. and soon to come - video of levi in his cowboy attire :0 if there is anything i believe ALL little boys should have, it is cowboy boots. and after potty training is accomplished, he must have cowboy boots and fun superhero undies. :) these cowboy boots are quite stylish i have to say. my dad wore them when he was little, my brother case wore them and now levi gets his turn!!! hand me down vintage is the BEST!!!!

kleenex anyone?

resting in his daddy's arms.



well we called levi's doctor today to get medicine. the munchkin has come down with a nasty cough and his nose is running like crazy. i feel so sorry for him...he seems so miserable! and in levi's case (and i think with most kiddos), sickness breeds clingy-ness!!! i feel like i have a monkey on my hip all day long, just hanging on with no intention of letting go. and as tiring as it is to take care of a sick, clingy monkey :) - i love that i am someone's "mommy." i love that i am the only one he wants sometimes and that he DOES want me to hold him and comfort him when he doesn't feel good...i bring comfort to my son. what an INCREDIBLE thought. he finds peace when we're together and that is such an indescribable emotion. to know that i fulfill that need for him and he is content when i do makes me feel like i am serving my purpose on earth, as a mom. i can't help but think that God MUST feel this same emotion when we find our absolute peace and contentment in Him. that when we do, all is right and exactly the way it was created to be. our relationship with the divine is serving it's purpose...our entire comfort being met by Him alone. God is so gracious to let us parallel our lives with the way he sees us, to let us have children or adopt children so that we have a small perspective of how he feels about His children. hmmm - i wonder, if like kids, sickness in us breeds clinyness to God. sickness being anything from physical to anything emotional, and most definitely spiritually. sickness being anything that cripples us from being well and healthy and effective. i know that the moments and hours that i cling to God the most are the ones that i have been the sickest spiritually. that is when i absolutely do not want God to put me down. i guess - just like levi being sick builds his antibodies and makes his little body stronger to fight sickness the next time around, our spiritual sickness really does make us stronger....in our clingy-ness to God we find His strength. interesting....:)

it's amazing what i'm learning through a 25 pound drool bucket :)

treats and eats...

levi decided the wipes didn't need to be in the container anymore :)

this is our little jamaican elf..!

last night, clayton and i had our first couple small group for the young marrieds at our church and it was a BLAST! we have actually never been apart of a small group together as a couple, so i am so excited to actually lead together. we had so much fun as everyone told how they met, courted, popped the question, and got married! there were so many cool stories of how God orchestrated lives to mingle together, for our enjoyment on earth, but ultimately all for His glory. marriage is such a blessing! God has definately been teaching us about the actual sanctity of marriage for a while now it seems. there are days when it would be so much easier to just not talk things out and just go on with life - but to what advantage? the only one benefiting from that is the father of all lies, deception and sin. sooooo, what did we talk about last night at small groups? turns out, every couple there wanted to pray that they would be intentional in their marriages and the way they spend their time together. it was such a time of refreshing to be able to pray that God would strengthen our marriages as we all "do life." praying together with other women who needed and longed for the same things in their life was such a blessing. we are asking that God would take this group and make eternal, lasting friendships from it...and i think He is more than willing to answer!!!

on a lighter note, i have discovered recently that this child of ours is the very very VERY typical boy who loves to play rough. the more dangerous it is, the harder he laughs. i'm really not excited about this attitude because i know that the only thing it can produce in the future is becoming so acquainted with the emergency room that we are on a first name basis. just for example, when levi is on our bed, he loves to be thrown all over the sheets. the closer to the edge, the better. the more tangled in the sheets, the better. the higher the height from which he falls, the better. such a little boy....

good news though...he ate baby food today. for those of you that don't know, levi has had no interest whatsoever in any kind of food. he'll eat oatmeal if it's not by itself, but anything else he refuses to eat. so this morning i thought i'd try again for the millionth time, and what do you know!!! he ate the entire jar! (pear and wild blueberry..yum!) so we'll see if this is the start of something new. maybe by the time he's in high school he will have moved out of pureed foods and onto cheerios :)

where's the tooth fairy when you need her?

levi has gotten SEVEN teeth in the last month (you can see his first two in the pic in the previous post). what in the world is going on? he got his first two when he was about 4 months old and then...nothing. no more teeth. just happy little levi who would occasionally act like he was teething, but no proof of any teeth - that is, until a month ago. we woke up on the monday after tech's graduation (yea kelsey and tanner!) and he had THREE of his top teeth - just as white as can be poking through. so great - new teeth and it wasn't bad at all. then he got another while clayton and i were skiing - alright...im thinking, another one down. but then - these 2 eye teeth on top decided to show up the week after that, along with another two on the bottom. i think i missed a call from the president of tylenol - i think he wanted to thank me for keeping them in business and in the black this past month. :)  but really - wouldn't it be nice if the "tooth fairy" could just magically place teeth INTO their head instead of just taking them away?!?!  no pain, no sleepless nights, no fever, no diaharea...yes. i think that would be wonderful. so what do you do when a munchkin stops sleeping temporarily for teeth? you thank God that it's almost over - and you blog. :)

lets see how this works...

well, we gave in. just like every other family, we subscribed to a blog. but really, what could be better? for family that doesn't get to see levi every day, week or month - this really is a way to see how he changes and what God is doing in our lives. so i hope that you enjoy this...and as i get more adjusted and comfortable using this blog, videos and pictures will soon follow! i have to say, i am pretty excited about writing and journaling what happens regularly so that i will remember! i have the worst memory and journaling online is definitely much easier than handwriting, so it's a win-win!! as for today, levi actually learned how to clap when he does something exciting, and clayton and i absolutely love it! hopefully we will have pictures or video - i want aunt kelsey to see :) but no promises!!!