Together Again!

Over the past week I have got to see some people I haven't seen in YEARS. Sometimes I forget just how old I am. Jason and I were talking the other night and I realized that by the time the next summer Olympics rolls around I will almost be 30. 30.
Those in attendance: Matt Haroldsen with Danny on his right and Jason and Levi on his left. We played a couple rounds of Mafia. It got a little heated. But in a good way.
Here is Angie Graves with Jay and Brooke (and Cameron)
Brittany......used to be Huffman.
Becca Meeker and bf Nick watching Brooke while she tries to convince us she isn't in the mafia. Yeah right. (no, she really wasn't. It is always who you LEAST suspect. She's too obvious of a target).
This pic was from lunch last week. Starting from the left: Jessica James, Becca Meeker, Kendra Goodrich. Finally we were able to get together. Go team Pup N' Suds! Maybe we should get back together.... hmmm...let me know.

Step 1:

During the last week Levi has been getting more and more confident in his walking. He has gone from being able to walk with someone holding both hands, to just one hand, and now is walking longer and longer distances. I'm terrified. Last night he hit his head twice and had dozens of close calls.


It took a while but I finally got this on tape, I had to trick him by playing fetch with my keys, which he loves. It's not his 'first step' but good enough.

Summer Sweets

A couple times a week Levi and I like to stop by my grandparents (Levi's great grandparents). Levi loves it because he knows he can always find something good that he probably wouldn't get at home. Like gatorade, dingdongs and....
Popcicles.

We always come home just a little messier than we came. But that's part of the fun.

My little water boy

Whenever the weather is good and grandma is around, she likes to take Levi outside to practice his walking skills. This time they found the hose and Levi got to practice watering the lawn. He loved it.

Little Germany: Leavenworth, WA

We just got back from our trip to Leavenworth, Washington. I have never been there before (or even heard of it). It is a "Bavarian Village" with German architecture and theme. The town was everything I would expect from what I have seen of small German Villages on TV. Very touristy. Good thing we were tourists.
This is on our way to pick up Jason from work. There was a lot of construction going on, I had my camera and Levi just looked too cute.
Grandpa Larry and Levi.
Jason stole my camera from me and insisted he take pictures. I was not in the having my picture taken mood because I was a a very critical point in the fourth book of the "Twilight" series.
I really wanted to get pictures of us floating down the Winatche River on tubes but I figured that my camera would get wet. I had to settle for a picture of the banner of the company we rented from. No. Levi did not go. Grandma was gracious enough to babysit.
Uncle Willy(6) and Uncle Al (8) fought over who would get to push Levi's stroller every time we went out. They did a good job despite the look Levi's giving me. They even brought him a bag of Cookie Crisp Cereal.Promptly after his Uncles purchased toy swords (for themselves), Levi had them both in his hands for the rest of the trip. It kept him from getting into TOO much trouble.
While we were watching the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, Grandpa came over and slyly handed Levi an Oreo. What a mess he made. We tried to clean it all up but the next morning he must have found a piece because his face was suddenly black again. I don't mind all the treats he gets (NO SODA ALLOWED THOUGH). I don't give him any sweet stuff because I figure with 4 grandmas, 3 grandpas, and tons of great grandparents running around, he gets more than his share. It's only downhill from here. So happy with Daddy!
So happy with Mommy (though a bit squirmer, she didn't have him strapped in a stroller)!

Everday Summer Fun

Summer is possibility one of my favorite times of the year. Despite the heat, it means outside fun and no rain, which is pretty much the forecast the rest of the year here in Oregon.

This weekend Jason and I got the opportunity to babysit for some of my favorite people, the Kings. More specifically Andrew (5) and Emma (3). They live right behind us, so we end up at each others houses a lot.

A picture gone wrong. It was a very sunny day and my camera was being difficult. This was the best picture I was able to get. The boy in the front is Andrew and his sister, Emma is behind him. Levi, as you can see, is about to dive off the slide.

A beautiful summer day in Aloha, Oregon. We played in the house, ate mac and cheese while watching Lilo and Stitch while Levi was taking a nap. Then off to the duck pond we went to feed the ducks. After getting throughly messy from picking blackberries, we finished the afternoon off with some good old fashioned playing at the park. It was a busy, but fun, day. After the kids were picked up, Aunt Rose came over to babysit while mom and dad got to go out to the first movie in a long time. We watched the new Batman movie (Jason's choice). It was kind of creepy and I don't know if I like it or not. I'm still thinking about it.

This stroller was the find of a lifetime (well, to me at least). I had been looking for a jogging stroller because our other one was just not cutting it. One Saturday morning Jason went out and got this red number for me. Someone was giving it away on craigslist. Levi has spent a good amount of time in this stroller knows how to get REALLY comfortable.

Since the day Levi was born he has found much more fascination with everyday objects rather than the expensive toys his grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles get him. Right now he has been crawling around the house with a spoon in one hand and a baby toothbrush in the other. It keeps him occupied.

The weaknesses of this gate have been tested time and time again. Maybe one day Levi.

One of my best friends, Brook Morin, and her 3 month old son, Cameron, at a wedding. We have known each other for longer than I can remember. As a teenager I practically lived at her house on the weekends.