Levi is 1 year old!!!

I can't believe our little boy is already the big O-N-E years old!! His birthday was yesterday and we didn't do much celebrating because we are having family and friends over tomorrow for cake and ice cream! Rick did, however, come home between work and class so we could sing a little happy birthday to Levi and give him a treat! Levi LOVES poptarts, but I try not to give them to him too much. Well, this seems the perfect birthday treat for him. We sang to him and he tried to touch the flame on the candle, but we blew it out before he could hurt himself. lol. He doesn't quite know how to blow out candles yet. We are working on it. Can't you see how much he loves these? So cute!

We went to have his 1 year check up today and he got his shots. That is getting harder and harder as he gets older and older. He got over it quickly since the nurse gave him a sucker! He is 24lbs and 29 inches! He is growing just fine and the doctor said he is one good lookin' kid. The doc said he should be saying at least two words about now. Usually "mama" and "baba". He says "mama" all the time when he is sad, but I have a hard time believing that he knows it means me. I'm so excited for the day when he finally calls me mama!! We love you Levi. Here's to a fun filled 1st year and many more to come!

Just some more pictures of Levi

As I said earlier, I was pretty sick last week. First trimesters aren't the most fun, but they are worth it. Levi was so good and sweet. He wasn't too hard to work with while I didn't feel good. I also scored some good cuddle time with him, which he doesn't give much anymore. I went to my cousin's house to hang out and laid on her floor while she made cookies. Levi came over with his bottle and cuddled with me. I had to make sure I documented it so he knows how much I love cuddles from him. The other day Levi was playing with his toys in his toy box and I couldn't help but snap this shot. He is so stinkin' cute in those pants.

Rick's cousin, Danielle, made Levi the cutest hat. It was perfecting timing too because he had just outgrown his old hat. He looks so studly don't you think?

One thing I need to make sure to write down so I don't forget is Levi's favorite thing. THE WASHER. He will sit there and watch it spin round and round over and over. He loves it. He will even yell at it sometimes if it isn't spinning.

He is an adorable sleeper. He either lounges out and takes up as much room as he can, or he...

Sticks that butt up in the air. This is is normal pose while sleeping. He is just so much fun. I love seeing all of the things he can do and is learning. He can wave, give kisses, and sometimes the occasional hug. He dances, hums, sings, and puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. What baby doesn't. We love you monkey!

Valentines Day Wreath

I saw this cute craft idea on a website and wanted to do it myself. The gal that made hers used pine nuts, but she mentioned others using other creative things like pinto beans and such. I found a cheap foam wreath at D.I. and I bought a bag of pinto beans and a can of spray paint. This is what came out! I thought it turned out cute. The best thing is that you can re-paint it other colors and add a new ribbon for other holidays. Next up: Green! St. Patrick's day.

When you get lemons... make lemon cake.

I had a bunch of lemons and I didn't know what to do with them. After going to the ever fabulous allrecipes.com I found a delicious looking lemon pound cake to make. I was super excited. It took a few hours to make. I even cut a couple corners because I didn't wait for some things to cool. That is why my cake looks all lopsided. Oh well, it still tasted the same. Rick LOVED it!! I LOVED it!! It was a success.

What has been going on here???....

I haven't posted in so long. It is about time I updated you on what has been happening with us. First off, I am expecting again. We are so excited for another addition to our family sometime in the beginning of October, maybe end of September. The only downside is that I have been 20xs more ill with this pregnancy than with Levi. That means maybe it is a girl?? Fingers crossed. I would love to have another boy so that Levi could have a brother close in age, but I would sure love having a little girl around!
Let me tell you a little bit about this last week. So last Friday I woke up feeling extremely sick. It was such a daunting feeling to think that morning sickness (although it is all day, not just morning) had already hit me. I tried to deal with it, but it just got worse and worse throughout the next few days. I was at my wits end the following Thursday and called my cousin, Cami, to come over to take care of me and Levi. She showed up without asking a single question. I just laid there on the couch while she got Levi dressed and changed his diaper, got him some food, and put him down for a nap. Then she immediately started cleaning. She did the dishes, wiped the counters, cleaned up Levi's toys, and anything else she came across. She went to the store for me and cooked my lunch. She was my lifesaver that day. That was the worst day ever and she was there to help me make it through.
That night after she had left and Rick was on his way home from school I pleaded with Heavenly Father to make this sickness more bearable. I was planning on having Rick and our neighbor, Chad, Petersen, give me a blessing when Rick got home. Having that in mind I just asked God that my faith would be enough to take this illness away through this blessing. Rick is prayerful when it comes to giving blessings and I know he wanted to say what Heavenly Father would have him say, but he also wanted to give me comfort and tell me I would be healed. Well the blessing began and the words were not what I was expecting. He talked about my being able to bear the illness and learn from this experience. He did not tell me I would be healed immediately, but said it would be shortened and that I would be able to manage. He was right, I was still sick that night and a little bit the next day, but from that moment of Amen at the end of the blessing up until now I have been feeling better and better.
I have had many priesthood blessings in my life and I would say that sometimes I feel disappointed in the results. I DO know, however, that I can't ask Heavenly Father to do something for me that isn't the best for me. He will always do what is in my best interest. I have a testimony that these blessings are direct messages of comfort and peace from God. He loves me and knows what I can and can't handle. He really reached out to me through the words of my husband. I woke up this morning feeling even better than yesterday and just fell on the ground with tears in my eyes and thanked Him for helping me! It has been an emotional and trying week, but I have every hope it will just get better. Even if I do have some sick days come back to me I will remember the comfort I felt with that blessing and be able to make it through.
I really am grateful for those of you that I was able to call on to come to my rescue. Jen Petersen, you watched Levi for me and let me sleep. Stephanie Thayne, you went and got me a Smoothie because that was the only thing I felt I could stomach. Cami Boudwin, you came on that day when I thought I would literally die and brightened my life and lifted me up!
Now, I have gotten all that drama out of the way I can continue on.
Levi is WALKING!! He has been walking for about a month now, but he would crawl more than walk. Well he hardly crawls now and just wobbles around on those cute little legs of his and step, by step, he makes it across the living room and around the corner to the kitchen. He is so daring and isn't afraid to fall. Even when he does fall, he gets right back up with a huge grin on his face and keeps going. He has finally started to wave hello and goodbye. He is so shy so he often doesn't do it much for friends and family, but every morning when we watch daddy leave for work he waves and laughs. He also gives kisses. He will only give me kisses and only if he feels like it. It is so adorable. I am constantly asking or kisses and about once a day he will decide that he wants to. It was so adorable, the other day he was playing by the couch and I was having a hard sick moment and was a little teary. He noticed I was sad and came over and gave me kiss after kiss after kiss. In the end I was laughing so hard at how cute he was being. He really cheered me up.
Rick's job is going well. He loves it and has been employee of the month twice now in the 7 months he has worked there. He is such a smarty pants. I am so blessed with a wonderful hardworking man to take care of me and my family. He is supportive and sensitive. I just love him with all of my heart!
I will update you with more pictures next time.