Some of Summer

I haven't blogged since January 1st? I'll make this my biannual update, that way if I blog anymore in the last part of the year it will shock all of you who still look at my blog.

Happy New Year!

January 1, 2009 Theres something about January that feels so crisp and clean. Christmas decorations get packed away to hide for another year, the last page of the calender is closed, and the hustle and bustle of the holidays slowly simmer down. I always look forward to starting a new year, renewing old affirmations and goals and adding to them. It's a great time to start over again. It's refreshing and encouraging.

Happy First of January!

The Mojave River

A few days after my due date Braden and I took the kids down the street to the Mojave River. Of course we drove the truck since we were "off roading". We bumped up and down driving around the river but I still didn't go in labor.

Just some pictures

What's In a Name?

I'm due October 21. Thats in just a few weeks. But Braden and I don't have a name picked out. Why is this so hard? I just want the perfect name for my little girl.

I've come to the point in my pregnancy that labor pains are starting to resurface in my memory. I think Heavenly Father blesses women to forget labor so they can have more than one child. But the thought just hit me-there's only one way out of this!!! This week I decided I should probably get ready for the baby so I dragged in the baby girl clothes from the garage and washed them. So cute. Olivia had a hard time with it because she thought everything was hers-which it was two years ago. She found her "shwimp suit" from last year and insisted on wearing it.

I also set up the baby's bed-which Levi and Olivia quickly filled with Olivia's dolls. I walked into my bedroom and heard Levi singing "baby mine". Every few days he asks when the baby will "come out". He is really excited for another little sister. This time around he really knows what it means for Mommy to have a baby. My sisters Ashley and Brittany both had baby boys earlier this year so my kids are around babies a lot-which I'm very glad because I've been able to help Olivia learn how to be soft around a baby (Poor Porter!!!!).

Dolls and Superheroes

As Olivia's older brother Levi feels it is his job to teach her how to be a superhero. His first rule is that a cape is always necessary. He has a speical radar built in his chemical make up that helps him find supplies wherever he is. Towels held together with rubber bands or clips are his favorite make shift cape. The second rule is sound effects. Swoosh, Caaa,-every move, sword, and gun has sound. And the sounds can't be "bang" or "bam", he only does "realistic" sounds.

Olivia follows Levi in all his superhero endeavors but she adds a "women's touch"- her baby is usually snuggled in her arm. In her chemical make up is the ability to take any object and pretend it's a baby. The other day I found her wrapping a dirty, 2 foot work brush in a pillowcase and singing "Baby Mine" to it. She then gently put it "to bed" on a 5 gallon paint bucket.

Green Smoothie

Grandma came down stairs a few weeks ago and made her signature breakfast-Green Smoothie. Its made of peaches, bananas, spinach, and romaine lettuce. I won't lie, it takes getting used to. Levi and Olivia have been drinking it their whole lives and love it. When Levi saw Grandma pouring her drink into her trusty mason jar he went to the pantry and got himself a straw. They enjoyed a Grandma-Grandson breakfast date together.

Working on the House

The first few weeks after we were given the key we worked on the house. New paint, new fans, new toilets and lots of cleaning. We're still fixing things up...Hal tells us that you're never really done fixing everything up. It's just like women's work, it's never done.
Dallin and Braden smile after successfully installing a new ceiling fan. A good ceiling fan is essential in the Mojave Desert summer heat. During the day that fan is on at the highest speed. We won't be seeing much of Dallin this summer since he took a job in Pennsylvania for 3 months. Notice the great paint job behind the guys. Gaila balanced on a ladder and got the edging just right. She did an awesome job.
Levi is a really good helper. In fact, if he sees someone working he wants to works with them. He was especially interested in painting. The first night we were working on the house we were walking out to the car and we noticed Levi wasn't walking with us. My Mom found him setting down a paint brush on the front patio. We didn't think much of it until the next day when the light of the sun showed his handy work- he primed under the family room window. After that we decided to keep the kids out of the house while we were painting.

Watering with Papa

Levi and Olivia love working and playing in Papa's backyard. This year Papa's trees are covered in fruit and the roses in the frontyard are in beautiful full bloom.

After a trip to Texas Papa Heywood gave Levi a shirit that reads:

"Life is Good When You've Got a Papa like Mine!"

How true that is.

Chocolate Bananas and my little kidletts

Chocolate Bananas. A few weeks ago I was craving chocolate bananas-before lunch time. So we froze the bananas, mixed up the chocolate, dipped them and spent the next few minutes enjoying the delicious treat. Well, I went a little overboard. It was before lunch...and I did finish off the "extra" chocolate. Lets just say I never want to eat a chocolate covered banana again.

Maps

It looks like Levi shares my enthusiasm for maps. I love looking at maps. Sometimes I curl up on the couch with "The Atlas".

Gingerbread House

One of Levi's favorite books right now is "The Gingerbread Baby" by Jan Brett. Grandma started reading it to him in October. He hardly could wait for December to come so he could make a gingerbread house. Early in December we spent a wonderful evening listening to Bing , eating gingerbread cookies and making the little house.

Pongo and Minnie Mouse

Minnie Mouse Olivia. Little Miss Olivia was fun to dress up this year. Thanks to my sister Bridey who found the fabric I was able to make Minnie's dress.
Minnie Mouse and Pongo (the dog from "101 Dalmatian"). No, Levi's not a cow. The fleece fabric was on sale and it was so cozy. Levi loves to have fleece next to his skin. At first he wanted to be Pluto, but changed his mind when he saw the Dalmatian fabric.

Levi still wears last years Peter Pan Halloween costume. On any given day he changes from Pongo, Peter Pan, his ORANGE shorts, or "Batman Super Dog" (he wears an orange mask and orange cape) and today he added "A Laker" by wearing a Laker Jersey. All day he would only answer to "Laker".
Levi wanted a "Truck with a trailer-like Daddy's" on his Pumpkin. You gotta love "The House of Bounce!" "You Pick the Day and the House of Bounce with Bring the Fun". Levi listens to me answer the phone all day long and he talks about jumpers, trucks, and trailers all the time. I am a firm believer that what you expose your child to, at least when he's 3, will become his tastes and preference.
"Daddy!" is one of Olivia's favorite words. She's in a really fun age right now. Thus far in her little life she's been a Momma's girl, but that is quickly changing.

No Longer a Lefty

I've been waiting to see if Levi was going to end up a lefty or a righty. He keeps changing hands on me. It looked like for awhile he was a lefty. But today I was watching him draw and I think he's going to join the right hander's world. He only uses his left hand if his right hand is really tired. Being a right hander is good because he'll avoid uncomfortable desk chairs and scissors. Ofcourse, unlike me, he'll never be in his "right mind".

A Toddlers Point of View

The world from Levi's point of view- closer to the ground. As a toddler Levi's goals in life are 1. Explore, touch and get into as many things as possible, 2. Have lots of Mommy-Levi, Daddy-Levi time, 3. Wear his "orrrrrange shorts" everyday of his life.

One of Levi's past times lately has been taking pictures with my new camera. At first he turned the camera around and took pictures of himself, then he figured out how to take them the right way.

If you can't tell, this is Olivia waking up from her nap. Levi ran into the bedroom, woke her up and took some pictures. He figured out that he could get himself and Olivia in the picture if he took a picture in the mirror.

More to come on Levi's favorite past times on a future post!