Levi's First Halloween Party

Last night our church had the annual Halloween party. It was full of good moments. Our pumpkin actually won "Funniest Pumpkin"! Good job carving Patrick! Patrick was also very close to wining a pumpkin. He was only 4 pounds off the real weight. I made dirt and it was the first dessert to go! I got to talk to a new mom about her baby and poor Patrick had to stand outside in the drizzly rain for 20 minutes for trunk or treating! Here are some pictures of us in our Halloween regalia. P.S - I am an orange. Levi is a sweet pea.

Levi's 1st professional pictures

Levi went to JCPEnnys to have his pictures taken for his 4 month old pictures. He was really good until I changed outfits, then he was not happy. The photographer wanted to take his pictures sitting up even though I told her he doesn't sit up so well, and he fell back and thunked his head. Not very hard, but since he was already not happy, he pitched a fit and that was the end of the picture session. We got some great pictures though!

Patrick's Surprise Birthday Party

Last Saturday we had a surprise birthday party for Patrick. Not only did we surprise Patrick with a birthday party, we surprised him by having it in October, since his real birthday is in December!! Heehee! I was so sneaky! He had no clue, although he found his birthday present a day early! Drat his keen powers of observation!
It was really fun having his family and friends there to talk and have fun. I was really surprised at a present his mom made him. She made a scrapbook of all the pictures of him from when he was a baby sooooooo.... here are some awesome baby pictures of Patrick!




He is so cute! I totally see the man he is today!

Levi's First Professional Pictures

Today I took Levi to get his pictures taken. He did really good for the first outfit, but totally cried and was not happy for the second outfit, so I called the session to a halt!

To see the pictures, go here:
https://www.smilesbywire.com/home.asp?AC=LTPP0326125122JCP

and type in my name to see them!

Confusion at our house...

I call every one in my house baby. My cat is named Baby, Patrick is my baby,honey,darling,sweetie pie, pookie, etc., and Levi is literally my baby. So imagine how funny it was when I found baby in the baby's crib! I think I confused him......:)

I'm Rubbing Off On Patrick....

Daddy is teaching Levi all about the computer!

Anyone who knows me knows half of the things that come out of my mouth don't make any sense. Luckily, Patrick is there to translate what I really mean for people. It's not very often that my husband goofs up and does something funny, but as it happens this Saturday he did something really funny.

We were at the church and I was rearranging thr Primary closet and putting up the bulletin board. Patrick was playing the piano and watching Levi. I finished what I was doing and Patrick started turning off lights getting ready to go.

Patrick: Jenny, I can't find the last light switch. I've been looking for five minutes.
Jenny walks in the primary room to find "light switch" just as Patrick realizes he has been trying to switch off the skylights. Jenny proceeds to crack up for 2-3 minutes and brings it up 2 to 3 times every day since then.

I am a sissy......

Being a mom is hard. I always thought I'd be a cool mom who was pretty laid back.Welllll..... it turns out I am actually going to be a paranoid, sissy mom that all the kids complain about. Today illustrated to me how bad I am going to be.

I was at my friends house. Levi was on the floor. My friend's little boy went to jump over Levi, but tripped and fell on him instead. Levi started screaming, and I picked him up to comfort him. This is when a cool mom reassures everyone that things are okay and then they really are. Did I do that? NOPE. Not content with a screaming baby, I start crying too, probably scaring the poor little boy into thinking something is majorly wrong, so he gets upset too. Then his mom is upset because her baby is upset. (Actually, she was the cool mom here, and ended up reassuring me and her little boy.) So we all calm down, and I head for home. So far, I haven't been cool, but I haven't been that lame yet either. It gets worse.

I call Patrick to tell him what happened, and start crying again when I tell him what happened. He actually comes home from work because I am such a baby. Here's where it gets even better. Not only does he come home, he tells me to go take a nap. I guessing he wanted me to take a nap because I was blubbering like a tired 5 year old after a morning of grocery shopping.

So I take a nap, and when I wake up, I realize how lame I was and hope my friend's little boy wasn't still feeling bad. And here is how Levi was feeling:

If you loo on the right side of his face, you can see the little pink mark he got getting rough with the boys.

And later you couldn't see it at all!You can tell he was over the whole thing, and I am still kind of teary when I think about it...
So there you have it. I am officially a sissy mom....

Achievement Day Girls!!!

The Achievement Day Girls came over to my house last night for some pumpkin painting!It was a ton of fun and we had a blast!

Levi's First Trip to the Apple Orchard

I took Levi to an apple orchard yesterday. It was so cold! Luckily I had put his snow suit on that morning, and I had him snuggled up in his stroller with a blanket. This picture is literally all you could see of Levi all day!



Here is Levi and mommy on our first tractor ride! We got a squash and popping corn. Literally, you just let the corn dry, put it in a paper bag, stick it in the microwave, and soon you'll have popcorn!
Levi slept through most of the tractor ride......
Whoa.. how did that picture get here? And who are those stunning models?
The petting zoo was so much fun! This little pig got stuck in the pen of the calf next door, and was missing his lunch! So this nice woman picked him up to return him to the right pen. He set up such a squeal it woke Levi up, but it was really cute to watch him waddle over to his mum and dive into all the other piglets and make up for lost time.

My sweet baby!!

Levi is getting so big! Here are some awesome pictures!

Looking out of my window Monday morning.....

As you can see, it is winter here in Minnesota. WINTER IN OCTOBER! AHHHHHHHHH!!!!! I am not ready for eight months of snow!!!!

Levi's schedule

Here is what I do with my turkey every day. We have finally managed to has h out a schedule.

We usually wake up around 7 a.m. for feeding, and depending on when we went to bed, we stay up or we go back to sleep.

After we are up for the day, we give Levi a bath, and then I eat breakfast before showering while he sits in his vibrating chair or lays on his mat and kicks at the hanging toys. He also usually sleeps for 20 minutes.

After my shower, I get ready, and then feed Levi again. Then we are ready to go for the day. I usually go shopping for free stuff around 11- 12 p.m. He usually sleeps through this or looks around at all the stuff while I talk to him.

Around 2 p.m., it is nap time! Levi generally sleeps for 2 hours. I sleep with him usually, or try to get stuff around the house done.

Around 4, we get up and try to clean or cook food for Patrick, who gets home around 4:30-5:30.
Levi usually plays with his dad while I try to finish dinner, and they both seem really happy to see each other.

Patrick might go and do something, or we just might read books. We will usually head to bed around 9, but I usually try to lay Levi down by 8 p.m. Then we sleep, and do the whole thing over again!

I learned to can!!

I have been trying to do things to save money and this year I learned how to can! The tomatoes I canned all by myself, and the green stuff is homemade applesauce my relief society president made and showed me how to pressure can! Thanks Renae!!

You might be a new mom if.....

So I was pondering how my life has changed since I became a mom, and here is a list of things I think all future moms might need to look at before taking the plunge....

You might be a new mom if.....

1. Old ladies who can't see over the steering wheel are riding YOUR bumper now.
2. You don't consider spit up to be a form of throw up any more.
3. You can say I love you at three in the morning and honestly mean it.
4. All babies suddenly become cute. Even the ugly ones.
5. You are paranoid and have baby rescue plans for things that will never happen.
6. Burps and farts are amazing and wonderful.
7. You convince yourself that your baby really understands you. Even if they really do.
8. Deep down, you believe no one is as careful or can take care of your baby as well as you can.
9. You are trying to get rid of all your bad habits so you won't look like a hypocrite in front of your kid.
10. Being peed and pooped on isn't that gross.

That is all I can think of for now, but I might have to make this list again in another 3 months! :)

Here is this week in pictures in Levi's life!!

Levi hanging out with daddy!!
Levi sucking on my arm, an interesting new habit.
Levi hanging out at someone else's house, digging their vibrating chair!
Levi got up too early I guess!
The first day it was too cold to go out in just normal clothes! Hence the awesome jumpsuit!
Cute P.Js!!
I woke up in the middle of the night and Levi had both of his legs in one leg hole. How he did it. I have no clue, but he seemed to like it a lot!

Levi Update

My little turkey is growing so much! I was just thinking of all the things that are different now than they were a month ago and decided to write down some things about Levi so I would remember.

Levi is a little longer than a pillow now, and is in his 3-6 month clothes. He weighs some where around 12-13 lbs., and is over 100 days old! He loves baths, the blow dryer, and Aveeno soothing lotion. He eats every 2 hours, but can hold off for three if needed.

He loves to stare at himself in mirrors, and smiles much more than he used to. It is not just gas now! When he is tired, his eyes get red rimmed and I can rock him to sleep. He will take 2 hour naps if I lay down with him, but only 10-15 minute naps if I don't stay with him. At night, he has slept once from 11-6,but mostly he wakes up around 3:30 or 4 for a feeding, and then again around 7:30 /8.

He is starting to suck on my arm whenI carry him, and always keeps his head to one side. Iam constantly trying to turn his head the other way, with mixed results. He is an amazing pooper, and you have to change him right away or change him and his clothes. He also has an amazing ability to spit up on every new outfit you put him in.

He is starting to grab at things with his hands, and is learningto kick his feet. He cooes and focuses onyour face, and hates having his nails trimmed. He likes going for walks, and likes to lay tummy to tummy with mommy and daddy. He is starting to move his head around when we hold him upright, and he loves tummy time. He just lays there and doesn't even try to lift his head most of the time.

He hates diaper changes and changing clothes, and looks confused when mommy blows on his belly. He loves being talked to, and loves looking at bright lights. He farts like a high school boy, loud and proud, and you can hear him fill his diaper from 20 yards away.He doesn't cry loudly, usually, and doesn't cry for very long. He does on occasion let out a piercing shriek, but only very rarely. He loves his pacifier, and is starting to pull burp clothes and blankets over his head (ACK!).

He is such a sweetie when others are holding him, and doesn't seem to mind when strangers hold him. He still tells off mommy and daddy if we make him wait for food by making grunting noises at us. He doesn'tmind loud noises whenhe sleeps most of the time, as long as he has heard them before. He is starting to keep sleeping when mommy wakes up and sneaks off somewhere else.

He is such an amazinglittle guy and I am so happy we have him!

CRAZY WEEK!!!

Have you ever had one of those weeks where it seems like everything is going on? This week has been crazily busy for Patrick, and thus crazy for me as well.It started off last weekend. I was getting ready for the primary program and sharing time, Patrick had a huge project due Monday, we had people over for dinner and I had visiting teaching and Patrick had home teaching. Patrick pretty much spent the whole weekend when not at church working on his project which means I had my little turkey all weekend. I didn't really mind, because he's so awesome, but it is nice to hand him off to Patrick so I can get some cleaning done (think massive laundry pile on couch, I'm half afraid mountain climbers are going to show up and try to climb it!)

On Monday, it turns cold.I'm talking 50s, so I bundle Levi in his first ever jumpsuit which is so cute I took pictures!! We go to get free deals from Walgreens and go through our daily routine. Patrick comes home and is still working on the project. Tuesday me and Levi are still hanging out and finishing up my visiting teaching and going to a dentist appointment, and Patrick is busy working on his project and Boy Scouts, since they decided to have a Court of Honor on Wednesday. And heisstarting to feelsick. So it's me and baby all day again.

Wednesday is my grocery day, and I am double couponing like a trooper, dropping off a few things for a freind, and have absoluetely no time to put anything away, so al lfo the nonrefriderated items sat on my living room floor till Friday. On Thursday, I babysat for a couple of hours and realized how much work having four kids really is going to be. I went home exhausted and of course, Patrick hada boyscout meeting to go to, so I was home with the baby. The only reason I cared was because my house was gross. I desperatley needed Patrick to stay home and be able to watch the baby so I could get something done. But he is feeling yucky, so he naps and goes to his meeting,then comes home and is still feeling sick, so he relaxes.

Friday I get Levi ready to go and we go babysit again (when ther kids didn't all need something at once,it was fun. I took some great pictures of one of the little guys being funny), and get home the same time as Patrick. For once, we have no plans or anything to do, so Patrick takes Levi and I finally get the massive pile fo dishes done, make a nice dinner, and start to work on the laundry pile as we watch a movie together. Today, Patrick is still sick,so I have had Levi most of the day while Patrick is recooperating.

So that was my crazyyyyyyy week!