oh hello...

*disclaimer  - this isn't actually a picture from levi's birthday party...but i'm working on it!!

well for all 2 of you that read this, i am sorry that i have had such terrible blogging discipline!! it hasn't been a "half-to" kinda thing around here, so it's kindof become a "not-at-all" kind of thing. but anyhow..everything is pretty much our day to day happenings around here. we are going to the feeding specialist and ot (occupational therapist) next week for levi's texture aversion. we had to fill out a REEE-DICULOUS amount of paper work for these appointments, so i'm ready to see what they have to say about all this. levi has eaten some donuts and actually chewed and swallowed them instead of gaging and spitting them out. but it is with the help of water that he manages to get it down. it's kind of funny to watch because he will hold it in his mouth until you give him something to drink!! thats our leetle pack rat for ya! '

i also saw this on another blog (she's kindof famous so i'm not going to mention who...i think name dropping is rather lame) - but i thought it was a good idea so i'm going to steal it! she would write a letter on her blog to her son on his birthday's so that she could always remember what was going on in his life at these huge milestones...so, here goes.

munchkin - 

you turned one about 2 weeks ago. i know this is supposed to be around your birthday, but you might as well know now that your mother is a procrastinator and is hardly ever on time for anything (except for your doctor's appointments which i am insanely anal about..ask your dad), so it's only fitting that i'm writing this 2 weeks late. ;) i want you to know how much i love you...how much you have grown your mom since you came to us a year ago. you have made me more selfless, more loving, more compassionate and more emotional than i ever thought i could be. it breaks my heart to see you cry when you get hurt, and it breaks my heart when i have to discipline your strong-willed little spirit (ok sometimes it doesn't break my heart as much as it enrages me..but i'm learning about this whole strong-willed thing still. dr. dobson..we thank you for this book ;) you have melted my heart everyday with your smile, the way you scrunch up your nose and show me your little chicklets. your dad and i have learned so much about God's love for us and his people through having you that we never would have understood otherwise. i worship our creator every time i watch you figuring things out, and when you laugh so hard you chuckle. you inspire worship in me like i have never known, and i can only think that Christ is good and gracious enough to let me know him more the more i know you. levi you have brought so much to my life. thank you for making it so much more about Christ than me. You are being used to bring glory to God, and you don't even know it. we pray everyday that your precious little heart would be softened to God and the salvation He has for you. we pray that you would have a tender and compassionate heart towards other people, and that gentleness would become a big part of who you will become as a man, father, husband and leader. (which, by the way, seems like a big prayer right now because you love for things to be loud, rough and ridiculously non-gentle...but nothing is impossible with God, right? :) God in his sovereignty, knows your future, and we pray everyday that we are leading you to Christ, to His salvation and his goodness. you are such a gift - i am so proud to be your mommy. thank you Jesus, for letting me lose myself even more to you through the gift of levi. you are such a good God - i am always humbled to see how you work. happy birthday levi....we have loved every minute of this first year with you!!!

now...

some of your favorite things...

1. playing with balls. we play catch all day - EVERY day.

2. looking in mirrors and seeing yourself or other people in the reflection

3. dogs...any kind.

4. kissing all the characters in your books, all the people in our photo albums, and any animal you see.

5. your praise baby dvd. 

6. climbing over our legs like an obstacle course.

7. taking things out of drawers, handing them to people, and then putting them back (esp. the dishwasher and dryer...you are such a helper!!)

8. banging on anything, with anything. the louder, the better.

9. playing chase around the house

10. making noises with your mouth like a little sound machine.

11. opening the shower door while we are taking showers ;)

12. your blankets...we joke that you are our little linus!

13. music and dancing...you defin have some rhythm. 

some of your NOT so favorites...

1. food. of any kind. of any texture...but we are working on it.

2. grass...defin don't like it to touch your hands or your feet.

3. changing your diaper

4. being up when your tired. it's seriously meltdown mode at that point. 

5. shopping. sorry kiddo...better get used to it. your future wife will thank me.

6. lots of attention at once kindof scares you

7. being touched by people you don't know very well. you pull away and make it really awkward for me...but i get you. aunt kelsey is the same way ;)

8. having your hair washed. 

9. not getting your way....not even kidding, it's WW3.

10. when it's play time, you get a little perturbed when we are on the computer, not playing with you, and you let us know it.

i'm sure i could think of more, but these are my favs. happy (late - but only in the blogging sense) birthday levi!!!!