if you keep using that as a dinglehopper, i'm taking it away

this lovely laughable came out of my dear hubby's mouth at dinner the other night. levi's using his own fork now, mostly. but it mostly is used to comb his hair and nearly poke eyes out. it's pretty funny, really. but he's getting more independent every day. and so smart. when i ask if he wants to go outside, he goes into his room and brings me his shoes. he listens really well most of the time and is, of course, so fun. he hates flip flops and hats; he's loving my sunglasses right now, even though they don't stay on his face. he is phasing out his morning nap, which will take more adjusting for me than for him!! last week my grandparents and uncle and cousin visited for 5 days. it was so much fun. levi spent lots of time with gg pat and papa bob, as well as playing and snuggling with brittany and spent most of the trip to the zoo in uncle rob's arms. it was so fun, he really warmed up to them quickly and would readily go to them whenever they came in the door. we went to the zoo, lots of shopping, and lots of good eating. uncle rob, brittany, mat and i went to a nuggets game one night too, it was SO NICE to have a kidless night, without having to get up every thirty seconds to walk around, keeping wiggly fingers from pulling strangers hair or put his fingers in our beer. it was lovely. mat, brittany and i were supposed to run in a 7k that sunday, but i came down with a stubborn cough, cold and sore throat, so everyone decided i should just skip it and relax. which was better for me, i know. i just felt like i was whimping out. i'll make up for it, soon hopefully. it was a fantastic long weekend with family. we miss them already. mat's leaving on friday for indianapolis until wednesday, which makes me sad. i'm just hoping i feel better by then, that'll make the time much more enjoyable and easier on this mama.

clumsy

"i fell on my ear, i fell on my face
i fell on myself all over the place"

this is the story of this house lately. i broke my baby pinky toe, have an inch-long gash on my hand, and i've been struggling with this stinky cold for a week. levi is walking, spinning circles, trying to run and tumble. he's so busy that he's smacking his face and head on everything. lots of bruises and tear around here. though i'd expect nothing less with a toddler. he keeps us on our toes, that's for sure. he's awesome

don't put batman in the dishwasher

every day i say things that i've never thought i'd say. today, this is what it was :) levi is enamored with this tiny batman our neighbors gave him. it goes with him a lot of places, just the latest was being hucked into the dishwasher. he's figuring out that whenever the door opens, mom puts things in there, so now he hustles over to the dishwasher to make his deposit: tupperware lids (that are clean) sippy cups full of juice, and.....batman.

no worries, no superheros were harmed in the making of this funny.

he's a sweet boy, walking the majority of the time. he's teaching me to slow down. no longer can we hustle in and out of the stores. he likes to walk everywhere, holding my hand, getting distracted and spinning cookies, stopping in his tracks, dragging his feet. i'm trying to translate this lesson into other areas of my life..... as much as i want him to grow up "can't you just start talking so you can tell me what you want?" "you have to walk.... i'm sick of carrying you!" i just can't believe that he's already walking and signing and developing his personality. he's amazing and i love him to death, it's just hard to believe he's getting so big and old and...... not baby. he's a little boy. i'm working hard at remembering and relishing the every day moments we have together.

"enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things"
--robert brault

snow days

we have had a lot of self imposed snow days around here lately. i say self imposed since i don't really have to go anywhere to get to work........and it's not like levi's preschool is going to be cancelled. we just decide not to go anywhere, enjoy snuggling, playing and drinking lots of hot tea. (i'm drinking so much of it, whenever levi sees my coffee mug he says "hhhhhhhot") here's a peek into our days the last couple weeks. :)we stand :)
we read LOTS and LOTS of books (big red barn 3 times today!)

we do a little blackberry-ing ;)

we stand in the chair and watch it snow.

we practice flushing the toilet (and turning on the dishwasher....little goober)

we finally figured out "touchdown" during the superbowl :)

we figured out how to open the cereal cupboard and help ourselves to kix

we chill

we play in the magazine rack

i love this littel goober. he makes me laugh all the time. and sometimes i laugh so loud, he starts laughing. so funny.

catching up

i wrote a whole bunch of nonsense, and it all deleted it..... i'll write a longer post this afternoon. now, here are some pictures from our trip :) enjoy