Happy Father's Day at the Zoo!

For Father's Day we decided to take a trip to the Indianapolis Zoo! We had such a great time even though the weather was extremely hot and sticky!! Levi is so blessed to have such an awesome Daddy!!

We did so many fun things and we made sure to see ALL the animals as Levi LOVES, LOVES, LOVES animals!! He said just about every name of every animal that we saw. He really liked the elephants, seals, and penguins. Oh, and the monkeys, and the birds (a raven, turkey buzzards, and a bald eagle). Being a parent is so amazing! I loved seeing his reaction to all the different animals and watching him discover what the real animals look like compared to what's in his books. Since he loves animals so much, he knew what many of them were before we said anything!!

Daddy and Levi looking at the bears

Levi got to ride a pony! He was scared at first and kept his focus, but I think when it was all over he realized how much fun he had.

CHICKENS!! Levi loved the chickens and makes a "bock, bock" sound. And he knows the difference between a chicken and a rooster. It's so cute when he makes a rooster sound he wobbles his head and says "ooooo-oooo-ooooo-ooo", trying to imitate their crow!
It was a very, very hot and humid day! We're ready to cool off at this point!

Eminants!! That's how Levi says, "elephants"! The zoo has lots of elephants and the baby was super cute!!

Mommy and Levi looking at the elephants.
Baby elephant cooling off in the water!
We were so jealous of the elephant! We wanted to get in the water to cool off too!! It looked very refreshing! ;)
Daddy got some awesome pictures!!!


Time to cool off!! The zoo has a great splash area for kids to cool off! Levi always has to take his time to get used to the commotion and look at all the people. But eventually he opened up and had a good time in the water.


Big boy!
Levi wanted more ice cream!
I really wanted a family picture. I have learned my lesson though! Be sure to take the family picture as soon as you get there!! I was so extremely exhausted by the end of the day that standing up for this picture was painful!!

Hope you had a great day, Scott! You are an awesome Daddy! Thanks for all that you are to Levi!

Pregnant Mommy, Boat Day, Jumping On The Bed, and Bunnies

Pregnant Mommy

I have to laugh at myself in this picture, so feel free to laugh with me. I asked Scott to take a picture of Levi laying on my belly. You would think I could have smiled. Not sure what my problem was and why my arms look so gigantic. But doesn't Levi look cute?! This is very typical of Levi lately. He sure loves his mommy!! And mommy LOVES it! :)



Boat Day

Levi had SOO much fun out on Grom and Grandpa's boat! He loved the boat, the water, the fish, the ducks, the strawberries - EVERYTHING!! He's ready for more!! Levi was a little apprehensive about the fish Grandpa was catching at first, but he quickly became excited about each one. He touched almost all of them! He did a great job of carrying the bucket of crickets back and forth between the fisherpeople (aka Grom, Grandpa, and Daddy) while mommy relaxed on the boat!

Daddy and Levi driving the boat

Grandpa showing Levi his fish

Not sure what he's looking at, but he sure is cute!

Jumping on the Bed

Levi's learned a new trick from his play-buddy, Shooter, and that's jumping on the bed!! He really gets a kick out of it and almost daily asks to get up on my bed. Doesn't he look so grown up in these pictures? My he looks old to me.


And lastly, a bunny

Levi LOVES bunnies! Just after I put him down for his morning nap, I went into the kitchen, looked out the window and saw this tiny, precious, creature eating at my lilies. I wasn't mad because it was so cute!! I'm just sad Levi missed it!

Temper Tantrums

So, I am honestly surprised that we've been having a problem with temper tantrums, but to my dismay they are much more frequent than I would like. My parenting style can seem somewhat obsessive in my eyes. I am so worried that I will do something wrong that will create a bad habit that I will have to deal with at another time. I can deal with most temper tantrums, as I usually either ignore it and continue with what we are doing (e.i. diaper change, bath, etc.) or I will set him on the couch until he stops crying. However, when he throws tantrums during a meal I get concerned. My first instinct is to force him to eat, which I do not do as I do not feel it is right, that's just what my personality wants me to do. It's bad to admit, but I want to "win" and that would be for him to eat. BUT being the good mom that I am, I fight the urge since it's not the right thing to do and just ignore the tantrum. But what do I do when he's only eaten about 12 peas!?!? I know he's hungry as it was his idea to eat dinner as he was saying "eat, eat, eat" and pulling on the tray to his high chair. And then he refuses to continue eating?? I don't want to get him down to play only to be hungry again later, but I don't want to starve the poor boy either. Oh the stress! So I did what any good mom would do - Pass the Buck!! Good thing Daddy came home tonight and took over so Mommy could go to work and I didn't have to deal with the stress. The stress of ME not Levi! I told you I'm obsessive when it comes to my parenting style. I always have to tell myself it won't be perfect.

As for the other tantrums, I'm hoping they will eventually subside and that my patience will grow. I feel there is such a fine line with Levi and me and I am so worried to cross it. Sometimes I worry that I baby him too much. Anytime he comes to me whining, crying, or seeming upset 8 times out of 10 I will hold him and comfort him, regardless of his reasoning. I'm just hoping I'm not creating a monster!!

On the contrary, typically my baby boy is an angel and a complete joy to be around!! Here is a picture of him sitting in one of his favorite spots in the house. He's sitting on the step to our master bathtub. He's never taken a bath in there, but he spends alot of time with Mommy in there when I'm getting myself ready for the day. He loves to sit there because his feet touch and he can bang on the sides. It's like it's his little desk, his own little office, where he can do his business - PLAYING!! :)

And here's one of my favorites! Daddy and Levi reading Levi's favorite book!

18 Months and 30 Weeks

My baby boy is getting so big! Today marks his half birthday!! He's 18 months old...doesn't that just sound old?? I can't believe I have a toddler. Oh how the time flies!!

Levi is always showing off his intelligence, and his charm. His vocabulary is expanding quicker than I can keep track! He will pretty much say any word you ask him to. It may not sound the exact same way that you will say it, but it's usually pretty close. He loves to talk and read books. I don't know where he learns some of the words he knows. Like bunny and goat, they seem to have come out of no where! There are some signs that he's dropped and has replaced with words, but there are other signs that he still uses on a regular basis. Please, thank you, sorry, and our version of elephant (with sound effects of course). Occasionally he'll use the sign for "more", but not frequently. I'm pretty impressed with his ability and his desire to communicate, but I really think the sign language helped. A common misconception is that using sign language for babies will hinder their desire to talk. I believe it's the opposite because they learn what communication is at an early age and they realize that they can communicate with mommy and daddy. We've really enjoyed it and will teach our little girl sign language as well.

What's funny is that Levi is still working on his walking! He's not the best walker, but he gets where he needs to go! He hasn't really started running yet, unless he knows there is a soft spot to land as he always falls on his knees. And he is very careful and apprehensive when walking on new terrain. He's starting to go up and down steps and small ledges really well. He gets lots of practice on our back deck.

Levi is a goofball just like his mommy and daddy. He loves to make people laugh and will continue to do silly things just to get a reaction out of you. And he has the BEST giggle, ever. Sometimes he has a really hard, belly laugh that just melts your heart. Usually after a big laugh, he will get the hiccups. I used to get the hiccups after my brothers would torture me with a tickle-fest. Speaking of hiccups, Levi's little sister gets them alot too! ;)

So, yes, my baby boy is 18 months old.....he will be 2 in November. Doesn't that sound CRAZY??

And I'm 30 weeks pregnant today. Somehow over vacation I got myself mixed up with how many weeks I had left. I was thinking I would be 31 weeks along today and not 30. I'm a little sad and embarrassed, but I'm able to laugh about it now. I am slowly moving along in preparation for little girl to arrive. Well, I'm starting to think about what I'm going to do in her room! lol I haven't taken action yet, but I'm thinking about it!

All is well. She'll be here before we know it. I only have 10 weeks left!!

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity-Jig

My mom used to always say "home again, home again, jiggity-jig" whenever we would pull in the drive way. I would say "when I was a kid", but I think she still says it to this day on occasion!

Although it is Thursday, we "just" got back from our fabulous vacation on Saturday. I can't believe it's taken me so long to get things back to "normal". Then again, I really don't remember normal....We had a grand time in the Great Smoky Mountains! Lots of beautiful scenery, enjoyable company, and exciting activities all at our fingertips. We were blessed to have Brian (Scott's brother) and Nicole join us with their little angel, Isabella, along with Grandma (Scott's mom). It was a nice family trip and we stayed in a lovely cabin/resort.

We drove through the park a few times. We even had a day of picnicking in the park and the boys got to fish. I think Brian and Scott could have spent everyday in the park either driving, hiking, fishing, or just sitting around staring at the beauty of it all. I enjoy being outdoors, I really do. Aside from being worried about getting poison ivy and eaten up by mosquito's I enjoyed our time at the park. I guess I should clarify, in case anyone has never been to or heard of Gatlinburg. The "park" I'm referring to is the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Lots of trees, mountains, history, and bears! We saw two black bears and we were fairly close to them too!!

I enjoy doing activities like shopping, seeing the sights, walking around, and EATING!! All of which we were able to do. We took Levi to the Ripley's Aquarium. It was a great time and he thoroughly enjoyed it! We enjoyed seeing his excitement and enthusiasm. It just makes your heart melt to see your child discover new things and get excited about it all. We also took the tram up the mountain and boy did we enjoy it! The sights were amazing and so beautiful. You could see the whole town and all the mountains. We went on a day that was overcast, but still lovely. On the way done the mountain it rained and it was so beautiful! Levi LOVED the tram. Well, Levi loved just about everything about the trip, actually! He loved looking out of the tram and he got to stand up to look out the window. We stood in the front, so it felt like we were just gliding down the mountain with nothing in front of us, but some cables. It was a blast!

The resort we stayed at had an indoor waterpark that I had looked forward to from the day we set our reservations. The park was amazing and really cool. Sadly, though, Levi was intimidated by all the attractions and did not have a pleasant experience. I wanted to take him back and try again, but time didn't permit us to do so. Scott and I loved the waterpark. We relaxed in the hot tub and floated along the lazy river. I tried going down the water slides, but the lifeguard noticed my protruding belly and kindly asked if I was pregnant. Sadly, I had to admit it and reluctantly turn around and meet Scott at the bottom of the slide. I was pretty bummed, but don't worry, I honestly wanted to keep the safety of my child a priority. That's why I didn't try to lie about it or sneak back another day to see if there was another lifeguard on duty. And yes, I thought about both options. ;)

We enjoyed playing games and cards with the family. I enjoyed eating out! :) We had a really good time and are already looking forward to going back someday!!

Levi posing on the rocks. He learned to say "cheese" when we got the camera out. He's now a pro at picture-taking.

Here are the mom's on Mother's Day! (And that brown spot on my chest is a drop of chocolate ice cream that I discovered later.)

A nice family photo while visiting the old mill at Cades Cove.

Grandma and Levi in front of the mill.

The two black bears we saw on our way home from our drive through Cades Cove.

Yummy dinner at Bubba Gumps! Daddy's sharing his lobster with Levi.

But Levi decided just to stick with his french fries! :)
Here we are at the aquarium. We had a great time.Levi loved the fish and discovering new things.

The first time I had ever been so close to a shark! Kinda scary!

Levi loved the school of fish. He finally said the word "fish" and he makes a fish face.
Daddy liked the spider crabs.
Here's daddy and Levi playing with some of the cool toys they had.
Levi at our fun picnic day at the park!
Scott with his pole down by the water. He and Levi had a fun time playing with the rocks.
This is Levi's "funny face". He thinks he's hilarious when he does this! However, we do all have a good laugh everytime he does it!!
Aunt Nicole with Izzy! She was such a good girl on the trip!!
Levi playing in the dirt and with the fishing worm from Uncle Brian's tackle box.
What a lovely view! This is the view from the Tram on the way back down the mountain.
Scott and Levi enjoying the ride. P.S. That pacifier was a thorn in my side most of the trip.

This is what the tram looked like that we rode in. This tram was passing us going up the mountain as we were coming down.
Levi absolutely LOVED riding in the tram and looking at the mountains. Crazy kid.
This was before we headed back down the mountain. This is what happens when you give Levi a sip of Mountain Dew and then tell him "no" when he wants more. He gets it from his mom, what can I say. At least he gets it honest, right?
On one of the last days we took a drive through the park to get a family picture. We stopped here for a lovely photo shoot. Here we our with our beautiful niece, Izzy.
Grandma and her grandbabies.
Nicole with her princess.
Isn't she just beautiful! :) She was smiling, I just couldn't take the picture fast enough.
Funny story: Scott stood Levi up on the rock ledge and looked down to find this written on the rock. Can you see "LEVI" written in green marker. How ironic. It was right in front of Levi.
Uncle Brian and Levi on our last night. I had to get a pic of them in their crazy Hawaiin shirts!
Our last stop, our last family pic on our way home.
THE END