Practice Practice Practice

Lucy and I were driving home in the car today. I had the heater on. After a little while Lucy asked me "Do you want to know how I made the car warm?"

Playing along I responded "Of course"

"I make the car warm with my nose...see" and she starts blowing in and out of her nose really fast.

I said "Wow, that's really something."

She responded "I know. Maybe someday you can do it like me, but you have to practice."

I am grateful Lucy knows how to make the car warm with her nose.

Levi is 4 months and other adventures!!!

I can't believe Levi is already 4 months old!!! Crazy the way time flies... and I thought it went fast with Lucy!

He had his 4 month checkup this week and he was 17 lbs 6 oz and 25 and 1/2 inches long!!! Whoa!! He is in the 90th percentile and so are my biceps!!! (Well, at least the right one is getting big, the left one is still pretty weak!) I've just pulled out his 12 month clothes. Crazy!

He is much different than Lucy already. Last week he grabbed rice off my plate and shoved it in his mouth. Whenever we eat he smacks his lips and drools, so I started regularly feeding him solids this week ( I had let him have a bite or two of a few things before). He loved it. He smiled, he smacked, he swallowed. He seriously already eats better than Lucy did at 9 months old. She was such a pill, always gagging on everything. She would only eat if she had the spoon, so she couldn't possibly have eaten more than 5 calories per feeding. Levi even drank his Rotavirus vaccine. Lucy spit at least half of it out and freaked out! So funny! The other huge difference is Levi likes to play on the ground and practice his skills. He can push his tummy off the ground for a little bit now when he is on his tummy. Lucy would go down for a few minutes if I entertained her the whole time she was down. Levi is really very happy although he was still colicky (which doesn't seem to make sense, but he would be happy a lot and then I could tell when his tummy hurt and he was miserable).

Levi used to roll a lot between 2 and three months, but now he seems to be working on his push ups when he is on his tummy. He also kicks and paddles like crazy on his tummy. One lady at the park remarked "He looks like he is paddling for a wave" and he very well could be already working on his surf skills. He loves to look at things and grab them, his favorite being my hair. He also loves to growl like a dinosaur. He loves it when me and Lucy dance with him. His favorite activity is bath time. He starts giggling as soon as I turn the water on and he knows it's time. When he goes to sleep, I put him in the crib and he coos and sings himself to sleep ( If I get him down soon enough, if not I have to rock him in the blanket). I won't comment on his night time activities, I'll just leave you all thinking he is an easy baby!

Here is his little 4 month photo shoot I did yesterday in my parents backyard.


Levi looks like he doesn't have hair, because his hair is the same color as his head. So just to prove it (and to be funny) I put it in a little mohawk for you!

Is that both of my kids smiling at the same time? You have no idea how many pictures I took to get that!



We went hiking at the Torrey Pines State Reserve on Thursday. It was a beautiful day. We finished it collecting shells at the beach.

Two weeks of gymnastics lessons and she is a pro already!


I love living here! Winter is such a different experience!


Last, but not least we got a good family shot!

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What Language do babies speak?

The other day Levi was babbling. I asked Lucy "What is Levi trying to say?"



She answered in a matter of fact voice, "I don't know...he is speaking spanish."



Wow! What a smart baby I have!





Today on the way home from church Lucy started making a big fuss "Why did you put that in my face?!!" She asked angrily.



Both Dave and I answered in unison, "What did we put in your face?"



"The sun" she declared, and we laughed and then explained that the sun did what it wanted to.





I'll be honest...the other day I got mad at Lucy. She went in to Levi's room while he was sleeping and blew the recorder in his ear.

She started crying when I got mad at her and then said through her tears "You need to be nice. Why are you listening to Satan?"

Serious blow to me. Of course, I started crying and apologized. Then she came and hugged me and looked up at me through her tears and said sincerely "It's okay Mommy. I still love you."

What if everyone could be so forgiving instead of holding such grudges. I think this is what the scriptures mean when they say to be like a little child (as opposed to running around screaming and destroying the entire house in 5 minutes).

I am so thankful for the life and atonement of Jesus Christ, especially so that I can be forgiven, after getting mad at such a sweet little girl.

Smiles!!!

I finally caught some good smiles on camera yesterday. I got some on video a few weeks ago, but haven't really tried that hard with the still camera because the lighting isn't very good at our house and I don't stalk Levi with the camera like I did with Lucy...ha ha!

He sure is a smiley guy! He started smiling at 3 weeks and I'm not talking one measley smile. He was smiling all the time, right up at you. Now he smiles and babbles with you. I think he will be quite a social guy, although he is very independent. Sometimes he starts crying because he wants to be put down. Lucy never did this and it has come as quite a shock. I got in the habit of carrying Lucy everywhere, because she pretty much cried if I put her down. Levi just gets annoyed because I tend to carry him, then he stops fussing when he can wiggle on the ground. Wow! That's cool!


Lucy thinks it is hilarious to take pictures with her tongue sticking out. I guess Levi does too!



Yesterday I was struggling to get Lucy to take a nap. I finally said "Where do you want to sleep?" She answered "Right here" then I responded "Okay, then lay down" and she did! I was laying down on the bed and the next thing I knew I woke up an hour and a half later and she was asleep on the ground. She is always full of surprises!


Lucy Moment: At church on Sunday the topic in Sacrament meeting was Reverence. I was asking Lucy about it and then reminded her that while we fold our arms we also think of Jesus. Then I asked her "What are you thinking about Jesus?"

She answered "I think I will share my toys with him. Where is he? I don't see him." As she looked around the congregation for him.

Now that is true devotion right there! Hey, sharing toys is big in the life of a three year old! I love her!

Lucy and Levi

Caught some love on camera yesterday!








Lucy is really obsessed with her baby brother. She loves him sooooo much! The problem is she loves him soooooo much!

When he was 3 weeks she got him out of his swing and put him on the ground. I try not to imagine his little head flopping around. He did start screaming, but calmed down pretty quickly. Somehow I managed not to freak out and yell at Lucy (only because Dave was there to help me).

Last week Dave left Levi in his crib for a little while and came back and Lucy was sitting in it with him.

I have told her the rules - no picking up, no touching face and not to give him little things, but she still says "Don't worry Mom, I'll go get him" when we hear him wake up on the monitor.

She wants to help me wash him and change his diaper and smother him with cuddles! I keep telling myself "Babies were made to withstand siblings." Let's just say, Levi has already had a much different upbringing than Lucy. Lucy was only ever touched very gently and probably cried without help from a parent for a total of 30 minutes in her whole first year. Levi just has to cry sometimes and gets attacked with love, but I'm sure he will turn out fine!

I guess it could be a lot worse. She could purposefully be hurting him...

Here is a one month old pic, taken on October 14
He had a doctor's appointment on October 11 and he was already 11 pounds! I am so proud of my big boy! Wouldn't it be great if we all put on two pounds per month! Or better yet increased our weight by 20%!!!! (That was a very rough calculation)

Levi loves the bath. He gets really smiley, but of course I couldn't get it with the camera. I don't know if you can tell how he is getting chubby little arms and legs. He even has some creases. I love it! I really miss Lucy's chub and am excited to have some chub again.
I have gotten some great videos of his smiles. He started smiling really early, around 3 weeks. I kept thinking he was too young to do that, but he really did it in response to looking at him and talking to him. I guess he is just a happy little guy! Don't get me wrong, he screams when he is hungry. He goes from 0-60 in one second. He is smiling at you, babbling and then the next minute yelling "Feed me now."

He has been sleeping pretty well. He usually sleeps from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. eats and goes back to sleep until 7 or 8. Lucy would do 6 hours when she was about 2 weeks old, but then she was up for a long time. The going back to sleep part makes a big difference in my happiness! Actually I have been extremely happy this time around. 2 kids is way easier than I had anticipated (It's not easy, I just thought it would be completely overwhelming). I even catch myself thinking about how soon we could have another baby, which I'm pretty sure with Lucy at this stage I was thinking, "Maybe one child would be just perfect." It's not really Levi's personality vs. Lucy's, I think I just have accepted my role as a mother and already know how to take care of a baby. Now, I am not shocked when I have spit up in my hair and poo all over my clothes, instead I am pleasantly surprised when I don't have anything gross on me. I used to think I didn't like babies, but i loved kids, so i had to do the baby thing, but now I really do love having a baby. I love being a Mom. I am so blessed and so grateful for my sweet kids and awesome husband. He is always putting me first, even when he is dirt tired at 4:00 a.m. It's amazing!


I have so much to say, but so little time...so I guess this will have to do!

I love Halloween!!!

I think I have a post with this title every October...but I really do love Halloween. I am whimpy and don't like scary stuff, so it doesn't really make sense. I just love dressing up and carving pumpkins and eating candy. I am so glad Lucy is finally old enough to get candy, so I can eat it!

We painted pumpkins last week (which is much better than carving for a three year old), and made lolly pop ghosts this week. Halloween crafts are the best! Plus get a sneak peak of Lucy's Halloween costume. She wants to be Ariel, surprise...!!!! It's the one princess costume we didn't have, of course! She is insisting that Levi be Flounder, Dave is Prince Eric, I am Sebastian, her Papa is King Triton, and Heidi is Ursula. We will see how it goes!

Ever since we got this Ariel costume, it is all she will wear, and we have to call her Ariel at all times! She was disappointed that she couldn't wear her fin in the bath. What kind of fin is this? You can't wear it in the water? I have finally convinced her that Ariel has special waterproof panties that she wears under her fin because she wouldn't wear panties the first few days. She kept saying "Ariel doesn't wear panties. They will get wet in the water." I have always been a big believer in never lying to your kids to get them to do things. This doesn't really count, right? I think this one just goes in the imagination category. There is no proof that Ariel doesn't wear waterproof panties under her fin!!!



Whoa, Lucy just ate 3 whole apples, skin and all. Where did this kid come from?

First Outings

We took Levi to the beach for the first time on Saturday night. He loved it. Of course, who wouldn't?

I took him again today, since it is incredibly hot here! We had so much fun! He just ate and then napped in the tent for 2 hours, while Lucy played with a friend she had just made.

I am so happy to be raising my kids here. I felt very confused raising Lucy in the snow. I never really knew what to do, except stay in the house, which was kind of miserable (I am not a home body).

I also took the kids to the park on Saturday morning (since Dave had to work and I had to get out). I am so proud of myself when I leave the house, since it usually takes a whole hour to get everybody ready (and that doesn't mean looking good, we are talking fed and clothed, not necessarily matching).

Anyway, here are the cute shots from the beach:

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning I decided to sleep in with Levi and rest one more week before getting back in the full swing of things. After I couldn't sleep any longer, I did a photo shoot (What did you expect me to do in my free time?)



Lucy was really happy to see me and Levi when she got home from church. She wanted to snuggle Levi. Oh, precious.

Oh, I just love little feet...


Gotta love that little man!

Can we keep him?

Lucy is always thrilled to come see her brother in the morning. It's as if she is surprised every morning that he is still here and its all real. The first thing she said this morning as she came to look at her brother was

"Mommy, can we keep him?"

I answered "Yes, we will keep him forever."



How sweet. I am glad she loves him. I was wondering what stemmed that thought and realized we have recently been telling her the story of Rapunzel. Maybe she is worried someone will take him away just like the witch did.

Levi continues to impress us all! He slept 8 hours last night from 10:30 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.! Of course, he ate every 40 minutes from 6:30 p.m. to10:30 p.m., but I think it's a pretty good trade! Where did this child come from? I feel sooooo good and am soooooo happy!


I knew Dave would love having a son, even though he said he wanted another little girl. Oh, I love these boys!

The First Week

First, Here are some pictures:

Bringing Levi home on Wednesday night, September 15


Lucy welcoming her brother home


Me and my kids (I love saying "the kids")


I think they are going to be best of friends



Our first family car ride to the Pediatrician on Thursday Morning, September 16.


Lucy finds her own Boppy!! Funny Girl!


Levi's first tummy time! (I think it made his umbilical cord bleed a little, so we will wait a few days to try again)


Lucy is trying out Levi's bathtub. She is enjoying all the fun new baby things around!!


The first week has gone by in a flash! Surprisingly, I have loved it. With Lucy it was a really hard and shocking adjustment for me, but this time I love it. Maybe it is because Dave didn't even let me change one diaper until he was 4 days old (he is the best father there ever was!), or that I already know how to breastfeed, or perhaps it is because Levi just came home from the hospital sleeping at night. I kid you not, I don't know how it happened (okay, actually I prayed a lot for it while I was pregnant), but Friday night he slept 4 hours, woke up and ate and went right back to sleep for 3 more. Saturday he is increased to 5 hours, quick feed, back to sleep for 3. Sunday night was 6 hours (from 11:00p.m. to 5:00 a.m.), quick feed and awoke again at 8:00 a.m. Last night (Monday night) 7 hours!!! He went to sleep at 12:00 p.m. and woke up at 7:00 a.m., quick feed and back to sleep until 10:00 a.m.!!! Hallelujah!!!! With Lucy I am pretty sure I didn't want to have any more children after the first week of newborn care, but this time I am so happy, I am already ready to have another one! (Okay, not quite yet!)

My Favorite moments this week:

Watching Lucy hold her brother and kiss him softly and then rub her cheek on his head. She is so good at calming him. She even started calmly singing "I am a Child of God" to him when he was fussing. He stopped fussing and it was a very sweet moment!

Every morning when Lucy wakes up she wants to come see "her baby" and give him a kiss.

Levi spit up and Dave called out to me because he needed a burp rag, "He's spitting..." Lucy then asked inquisitively "Does he need a time out?" So funny! (She went through a little spitting phase and got time outs for it).

Answering Lucy's questions about birth. She asked how the baby got out. I told her he came out my bottom and responded "That's silly!" and hasn't asked again.

Telling Lucy stories about me and my little brother Brian and what we would do together. Lucy seemed kind of annoyed that she couldn't play with the baby yet, so I told her first they have to grow and then they will be lots of fun. I told her all the adventures I went on with my little brother and she loved it. Now she asks all the time "Can you tell me about your little brother, Brian."

Lucy found a neck pillow and used it as a boppy to feed her baby doll! Hilarious!

When Levi cries Lucy consoles him by saying: "It's okay little man." I guess she must have heard me saying that.

Lucy keeps asking if she can have some milk (as in breastmilk). I told her "Sure, you can try baby milk," but then she chickens out and says "That milk is for babies, not older sisters." I am so glad she came to that conclusion on her own without me forcing the issue or letting her try any.

Last night Lucy was helping me burp Levi, and he burped while she was patting. She was so proud. It was precious.

Levi had a weight check on Monday and was 9 lbs 5 oz. Yay he gained 5 oz! I am so proud he is on his way to becoming a big and tall athlete!

Yay! His umbilical cord fell off just a few minutes ago! (11:00 a.m. September 21)

I love being a Mom of two!