.preschool.

First day of preschool (August 21, 2012) vs last day of preschool (May 1, 2013)

It's always a surprise to me how much these kids change and grow through the year!  Levi went to preschool with Mrs. Melzer on Tuesday and Wednsday.  When Jared and I lived with Jim and Ola Mae, after moving back to AZ, I met Kathryn.  She lives in their neighborhood and is in their ward.  Levi was super excited to start preschool (wanted to be just like his brothers) but as the year went on he would often (and still does even though he's on summer break) ask if today was preschool, and when it was he would say that he didn't want to go.  "School is boring!" (learned that one from Luke!)  He even tried telling me that Mrs. Melzer was mean.  I think he was just upset that he couldn't play with the toys the whole time!  Mrs. Melzer was a great teacher and she had some pretty extravagant parties.  The last day of school she gave each child a folder with pictures, drawings and stories of memories they made through the year.  Levi was really excited to look through the folder.  It was really fun having cousin Reed in his class too.  Levi and Reed really became great friends this year.  

.levi john.

Levi-isms

Age 2-3

• tells me, “In a minute”
• tells me, “I’m building” (loves to build towers with the legos and will yell for me saying, “mom, fall down.” and then “got it” when he fixes it)
• likes to watch Baby Einstein movies, especially the one with the frog (lizard) 
• more recently has been wanting to watch Scooby Doo and Thomas the train
• Levi wanted to watch Nacho Libre the other day, so I put it in and left the room.  A few min later he starts yelling for me.  I come in the room and he’s crying saying, “Nacho scary.”  Now he just wants to look at the cover and asks who each character is.
• loves to read books 
• knows his colors and can count (with a little help)...repeats everything clearly
• loves to point out “city buses”, tractors, trucks (“fwuck”), school buses
• likes for me to sing him Twinkle twinkle little star, ABC’S, Praise to the man, I am a child of God, Keep the commandments
• loves his Thomas the train book and sings along with the “Down by the docks” song
• jumps high and is very strong
• knocked out his tooth, lost his pinky nail, has had stitches in his chin
• knows the words to Praise to the man, I'm a child of God, twinkle twinkle, I see the moon
• calls grapes, “rapes”
• says, “cause”   Like when I ask him why he did something he just says “cause”
• Levi is very stubborn and strong willed.  On Sunday I had to take him out twice, so I took him into an empty room and talked to him about being reverent.  I asked him to fold his arms and then I’d let him down from the chair...it seriously took him like 10 min to fold his arms!
• whenever he spills or drops something he says, “that’s okay!”
• has the saddest “sad” face, but does it on purpose (because he knows it makes us feel bad)
• pretends to be sad and wants us to sing “if you chance to meet a frown” while trying not to smile
• makes me give him tons of hugs and kisses before I can leave the room and let him go to sleep
• has to sleep in Wyatt or Luke’s bed and room because he won’t nap in his own room, he just plays with his toys
• gets scared very easily
• loves to read (look at) books
• loves the song “old mcdonald”
• LOVES tractors, trucks, trains, city buses, school buses...and will point one out every time he’s in the car
• is a terrible shopper...he hates sitting in his stroller and is very noisy
• can get his arms out of his 5 point harness carseat
• loves shoes (especially Luke’s boots)
• Says, “what the heck?”
• says, “Don”t tell me no!” and “I’n the boss!!”
• watches Toy story 3 everyday!
• pretends his blanket all bunched up in a ball is a baby
• Does not care to be potty trained!
• says, “hey mommy!  I need a hug!”
• likes watching Cars 2
• loves the Christmas lights and every time we pull out of the garage he checks to see if they’re on...
• if he’s ever feeling insecure or afraid he says, (while looking around for me) “My mommy!”
• Wyatt asked him what/who was in my belly and he said, “Baby Jesus!”
• I said, “I love you Levi” and he told me that he loved me and then I told him that he was a good boy and he said, “Yeah, I’n a good boy and I’n smart!”
• loves Doritos
• was yelling from his room one morning: “1,2,3 open the door right now!”
• is very worried when he accidently pulls my hair or hits me...asks me if I’m ok and pats and hugs me
• I hit my knee on the table and was wincing in pain...he gave me hugs and said over again, “it’s otay mom, it’s otay...be brave!”
• We were talking about being polite and having manners for FHE the other day.  Jared was telling the boys that if an older person (or anyone) asks the boys a question that it’s polite to look at them and answer back.  He said, for example, Levi, lets pretend Grandpa asks you what you did today...what do you say?  Levi then says, “I tooted!”
• Levi has been missing mommy while over at G&G and cousins house (after I had Penny).  He cries for his mommy!
• Will now hide and look ashamed when he poo poos in his diaper...
• has been a little naughty recently and runs away or says no!
• can be caught with his light on reading books on his floor when he’s supposed to be asleep in bed
• Levi was telling me “no” one day and then he told me that I was in trouble...I asked him if he was the boss and he told me he was....I asked him what he was going to do and he told me he was going to “break my arm!”
• says he’s 4 and not 2
• Levi can pick out every garbage truck, cement truck, tractor, crane etc on the road.  He loves seeing them and will now make requests while driving.  If we ever see one on the road he wants to follow it.  He gets angry if it turns a different way.
• Levi wanted to go into Luke’s school on morning as we were dropping him off... Luke usually doesn’t want us to come in but he really did this particular day, so we came in to observe (me, Levi and Penny).  Levi didn’t want to sit and listen to Miss Greta at all, so he looked at the snake and turtles.  I didn’t want him to get into any toys, but after a while he spotted the trains and started playing with those.  Once Penny starting getting fussy I told Levi to put the trains back.  I took Penny out to the car and then started putting the trains back quietly.  Levi didn’t want to put the trains back and started getting noisy, so I quickly put them away and picked him up.  He then started to kick and scream and was trying to get out of my arms as I was trying to not drop him and open the door.  Luke looked horrified as we walked out.  All of the kids were staring at us...Levi was scratching and hitting me as I tried to get him buckled into his seat...well, he proved stronger than me, so I put him in the car while he screamed and yelled...we waited in the parking lot till he settled down...must have been 20-30 min.  What a tantrum!  Levi is very, very strong willed.
• At Costco we saw a small man (midget)...as we walked past him (I knew Levi would see him and say something) Levi said, “Look at that boy! ...Look mom, he’s funny!   Look mom!”
• asks “why”  all day long...when I say because, he says “why because”
• whenever I say “ok” he tells me “its not ok”
• has a funny fake laugh
• Levi is potty trained! (almost 3 yrs old) but was afraid to go poo poo.  He was constipated and we had to give him several suppositories and a couple enemas...talk about traumatic!  He sat on the toilet crying, “I don’t wanna go poo poo” for an hour and a half.  When he does go potty he asks if he should go “a big one?” or if he should get it “all out” or if it will be a “big snake”
• still takes a nap and thinks he has to have toys (he has to sleep in Wy and Luke’s room or else he will play with the toys in his room and not nap).  His favorite toy to have are his trash cans with lots of marbles.
• loves pie
• loves to help mom with the mixer or the blender.  He loves helping mom make cookie dough and loves eating it.
• At night he wants me to sing songs (made up songs) about tractors or garbage trucks, etc.
• has started hitting
• If anyone is paying attention to Penny or is holding her Levi makes sure they know she’s “my (his) Penny!”
• Levi’s 2011 Christmas list: tractor, woody doll, anything from the movie Toys
• We were eating at Firehouse subs and Levi put on the firefighter hat and said, “Look, I’m a fireman!  Yeehaw!”
• says, “Mom, I’m just kidding!”
• when he’s embarrassed he covers his eyes with his hands
• he yells hi daddy or that’s my daddy from our seat in church (Jared sits up with the Bishop)
• I gave Levi some tylenol in a cup after he told me his ear was hurting.  I looked down right as he was about to pour the tylenol in his ear! 
  

.easter 2013.

The boys woke up before 7 am thinking it was Christmas morning.  They lined up in the hallway beyond excited to find their Easter baskets.  Wyatt was a little disappointed that he didn't get a lego set. I'm not sure where he got this idea that the basket is filled with toys?  Our day and evening were a lot of fun anyway.  It was also Grandpa Williams birthday, so we invited them over for dinner.  Jared smoked ham and we at potatoes, gravy, rolls, and asparagus.  After dinner we joined family over at Jim and Ola Mae's.  We snapped a few pictures before Penny decided to get upset over nothing and then 30 min later she was as happy as could be.  We still don't know what made her upset!  

I am grateful for my little family.  I love being a mom.  I love the Gospel and my Savior Jesus Christ.  Earlier in the week we watched a movie about Christ, his life, death, and resurrection.  At the end when Christ is resurrected Levi yelled out, "Jesus is alive!  He lives!"  I know it too.  I'm so thankful for His Atonement and that we will all be resurrected some day.    

.goodbye trevor.

Cousin Trevor left for the MTC ( then Argentina) Wednesday, February 27, 2013.  We wanted to say goodbye so we dropped by the night before.  His family asked that he make cookies for the last time (since he makes them the best) so he made a batch.  See you in 2 years!

.rub a dub dub.

Every morning after breakfast and after the big boys head off to school, Levi and Penny take a bath.  Fun times!  Penny loves to look at herself in the bathtub drain, splash, scream, and attempt to get Levi's toys.  Levi loves to spray water in Penny's face, not share any of his bath toys with Penny, and laugh at Penny.  This particular day Penny was making some pretty funny faces.

.annual francom easter egg hunt.

3.23.13

I look forward to the Easter brunch/egg hunt at the Francoms each year.  The weather is always nice and the grass is green.  The food is delicious and the backyard is perfect for the kids.  It's a good time for everyone.  The kids played on the swingset, jumped in the bouncy house, and ate tons of candy.  The adults ate real food, visited and chased after kids.  

 I love this picture where Levi and Hannah collided.  The little kids were supposed to run one way and the big kids the other.  

.penny kat.

Taking pictures of Penny is one of my favorite things to do.  Here she is walking around in the backyard after church (3.17.13).  She's walking all over the place now.  A few things about Penny at  13 months.

sings

is ticklish

laughs at her brothers, also gives them the most hugs and kisses (she sometimes pushes mine and Jared's faces away)

takes 2 naps and loves to sleep (she'll sleep in till 8 if it's quiet in the house)

has 5 teeth (3 bottom, 2 top)

loves, loves jewelry

loves our neighbor, Brittny

prefers women over men

says mama, dada, baba, lala and tries to mimick the sound of uh oh!

eats all day long!  Not picky about her food

drinks watered down apple juice in her bottle (still has to be warmed)

is very sensitive and cries really hard if something as small as a toy is taken away

likes to dance to music (if she hears it she'll start waving her arm)

appears to be a leftie (that's 3 kids in a row!)

waves

is really happy when she wakes up and jumps up and down while holding onto the side of the crib

loves to make us laugh at dinner by making the funniest faces

sucks 3 of her fingers all together

loves to splash at bathtime

takes out her bow clips and headbands just to be funny and annoy mom

doesn't like to wear shoes

has the longest toes and fingers

has curly hair!

looks just like her daddy (everyone says)

.ward shower.

{January 2011} How lucky was I to have 2 fun baby showers?  A friend of mine in the ward, once she found out I was having a girl, was excited to host a ward shower for me.  I walked into her house and couldn't get over the cuteness.  So much pink!  Fun night.