24 July 2008

Why?

Well...we have officially entered the "WHY?" stage with Mason.....it started two days ago with an occasional "Why?" and has progressed to questioning everything we say...almost like an automatic response....YIKES! Vaca should be interesting with this recent development.

22 July 2008

tradition

it is a family tradition on my mom's side to have all of our babies photographed in this christening gown....although we don't get our babies, christened....it is fun to procrastinate the picture and worry and worry that the baby is going to be too big to fit in the gown....

well, here's levi's pic....he fit just fine....you can check out luke's pic on emily's blog....and i actually took mason to wal-mart to have his pic taken in it so i can't post it here...well, i could if i scanned it and posted it...but that is a lot of work.




levi will be 6 months on thursday!!! unbelievable. i remember praying and praying when he was going through his rough time that by 6 months he would be my happy, healthy boy. i mean, i even dreamed of this chunky, happy baby...it is part of what got me through. i also prayed and prayed that levi would still be nursing...i was so close to quitting.

thank you, lord, for answering my prayers! i am so grateful...beyond words...and my prayers were answered without needing even one drop of formula.

levi has taught me so much about perserverence and patience and hope and pain with a purpose. thank you for growing my faith, levi. thank you for bringing me such joy. thank you for overflowing my heart with love.

being a mom is the hardest, best job i have ever had. it's a job that requires all of you....more of you than you thought you had. you must be present. in the moment. all.the.time. you can't quit. you don't want to quit. it changes you.

the other week, i was flipping through some pictures from christmastime when i was pregnant...and this wave of sadness came over me....sadness because i realized that in those pictures, i did not know my levi. and i remember having this same feeling after mason was born. from the first moment you see your baby, you simply cannot imagine life without them. i mean, sure, you can remember being able to sleep in and napping and not having to worry about packing everything but the kitchen sink every time you leave the house...but, you honestly can't remember what was so important before. what was your purpose for living before...

i love being a mom. i don't say it enough. but, today, i want to scream it from the mountaintops! I LOVE BEING A MOM!! I DO!! I CAN'T IMAGINE A BETTER PLACE TO BE THAN RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW! THANK YOU, LORD, FOR ENTRUSTING THESE TWO AMAZING CREATURES TO US!! GIVE ME THE STRENGTH, PATIENCE, WISDOM, AND WHEREWITHALL TO BE ALL THAT THEY NEED IN A MOTHER. AMEN!

Grandma Bella & Papa John

Grandpa John never ceases to amaze me -- reading Peter Rabbit to Mason (& Tim & Levi!)

Can't take my eyes off of you...


Mason loves Grandma Bell

4 bucks, 4 bucks, 4 bucks

We love craigslist.com....look what we found for $4!!!










Hours of fun and smiles from Levi: PRICELESS!!

18 July 2008

Creepy Crawly

Levi has been on a mission ever since Ella left. He wants desperately to crawl....this is a video of him getting up on his knees and toes...rocking...he just hasn't figured out how to move those arms forward without collapsing....

17 July 2008

Photo Update








On the boat at Grandpap and Maw-Maw's



Levi in our new sling


His first car ride!



Levi meets Uncle Pug & Aunt MaryLou

08 July 2008

Hood Girls are Good Girls

The group that is my friends from college is quite the special group...we are the chosen 13...and we call ourselves 'The Clique'...some of us have fought harder than others to be considered part of 'The Clique'...and luckily admission was reopened for a very short window of time to include the Classes of 2001 and 2002....because where would we be without The Iron Fist or FC ADA or yours truly??

Anyways, membership comes at a price. We must email updates, gather regularly, send flowers or chocolates for important additions/occasions. There is always a little drama going on amongst members....but our bond will never be broken...we are the SisterHOOD from Hood College and we have been through it all....we simply love each other.

Well, we went through a wedding season that took us near and far...New Hampshire, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Ohio...and we added 10 men to 'The Clique'. They also must attend gatherings and put up with our crazy love and bad karaoke dance parties, too much wine, reminiscences from college days...and they, too, have formed a bond. Now, it seems, as we all have either embraced or are about to embrace 30!!, we are in baby season. We already have 12 Junior Clique members...and are expecting another potential boom in 2009, especially with this past weekend's shocking announcement from Tina Sparkles and Jeffina....shocking since Tina has formerly been quoted saying, "Babies make my skin crawl..."

The reason that I am typing all of this is because, as part of my weekend festivities in Maryland, I was able to see most of my girls at Holly's backyard BBQ. Levi, again, was a trooper...going to sleep in a pack n play so mommy could talk and laugh and laugh and talk with her bestest friends until well after midnight! I will post some pics of all of us soon....and of the babies from the Baby Boom of '07-'08...and my visit with Rachers and Baby Z on Monday before my flight....

I love every minute I get with my girlfriends...I love how we love each other...I love that we are strong women with strong opinions....I love how we can make fun of each other and argue with each other like sisters....I love how we have multiplied....I love how we have watched each other become graduates, home owners, wifeys, mommys....I love how we can pick up right where we left off...I love how our differences blend together and how we are able to count on each other through thick and thin.

Trip in Photos

I even got to see my dear friend Chasity from Nebraska at baggage claim for 10 minutes..

Something cookin' in Emily's kitchen

Summer squash from The Ashby Garden



Dan making cheese




The Ashby Herb Garden....fresh basil, cilantro, beets, etc.

Sisters

Fresh mozzarella with fresh diced basil, balsamic vinegar, and oil...on crackers...YUM!!


The monstrosity


The Good Life

Levi and I are back from our LONG weekend to Maryland. Levi is now a veteran flyer and I felt like I was quite the 'expert' momma traveler. I got my shoes off, belt off, purse, diaper bag, carseat and stroller folded and up on the security belt without breaking a sweat or missing a beat. Nursed Levi in the bathroom on the plane so as not to freak anyone out on the completely FULL flight on the way back....much different than the whole row I had on the way there!

But that was, by far, the least memorable part of the trip.....I had a WONDERFUL weekend....staying with sister Emily, her hubby Dan, and happy baby or toddler or boddler Luke. And I must conclude after spending almost 5 days there that they live a CAPACIOUS life: Emily's homemade bread and delicious culinary talents, Dan's homemade cheese and beer, farm fresh eggs, raw honey, pure maple syrup, a huge and thriving garden, fresh blueberry pancakes, no tv, Dan's guitar, harmonica, and mandolin playing, surrounded by a great family, church, and wonderful friends....you can't help but kick your shoes off and meander through the garden or pop the top on one of Dan's home brews and take in the evening on the deck until it is way past your bedtime. No wonder Emily now drives like a grandma...life just slows down there. I have come back refreshed and recharged for life....I missed my husband and first born terribly, but the time away was a good break; time for a perspective change, a change in attitude....and I got to bond with my Levi Lunker...who continues to amaze me with his happy-go-lucky personality. He was a trooper and I can hardly remember those long, exhausting days of worry, nursing, frustration, screaming, crying...how can this possibly be the same baby????

01 July 2008

Boy Meets Girl

My dear college friend, Jaime, came in from Annapolis, Maryland this past weekend for a wedding in none other than beautiful North Royalton, OH...small world. Anyways, we finally got to meet her 7 month old dauther Ella Bean and catch up...there is truly nothing like a college friend. Someone that I lived with for 3 years, that knows me inside and out. The comfort level is just there and it feels so good to sit and talk and talk and talk and watch our kiddos playing together...and Levi and I will be flying to Maryland on July 3rd to visit with Auntie Em and fam and also see the Hoodies...

Levi meets Ella Bean


College Friends w/ Babies


Playing w/ Ella