Graduated from Preschool

Its official:

Levi's ready for Kindergarten

box boys

We got the kids a basketball hoop and set it up in the backyard. This is how the little boys have been spending their days since.

Newest member of the Blumer Bike Club

We had a couple days of nice weather, so I thought what the heck, lets see how Levi does on a bike.

We had loaned out our littlest bike, so instead Levi tried the bigger size. Although his legs aren't long enough to reach the ground!

He is already really good at balancing because of his balance bike, so he just needed to figure out the pedaling motion. The ride to the park was a lot of stop and go, but the ride home from the park was completely non-stop. So cool!

Now the paths are covered with snow, so who knows how long Levi will have to wait before he'll get to use his new skills again. Hopefully he'll remember how!

When everything is quiet, I should know better

Sometime after 4:00pm
The kids were all playing nicely in their bedrooms. I had originally tried to convince them to go out in the backyard and enjoy the nice fall weather, but I wasn't going to interrupt their bonding time. I thought about washing dishes and spent some time staring into the pantry to figure out what to make for dinner.

Around 4:30pm
I was thinking things were awfully quiet and wondered what kind of trouble the kids were getting in to, but decided to just enjoy the peace instead.

About 4:40pm
Ashby came into the kitchen looking for something and I asked him what they were up to. He said he was reading in his room. I asked what Cody was doing. He said he didn't know because Cody wasn't with him. Hmmmm...I looked in the bedrooms...no Cody and no Levi.
The backdoor was still locked, so nobody was playing out there. The front door was unlocked, and I knew I had locked it.
I ran outside and looked up and down the sidewalks. Nothing. I ran around the back of the house and looked in the shared grassy area. Nothing.
I ran back inside and told Ashby and Paige to get their shoes, jackets, and scooters quickly because we had to form a search party to find Cody and Levi. I jumped on my bike (since I don't have a car) and we split up. Paige and Ashby were sent to knock on neighbors' doors that Levi may have ventured to, and I went riding around the neighborhood.

Around 4:50pm
I wished that I had thought to pull the big kids aside and take a moment to pray together before we frantically left the house. I tried to say a silent prayer while I sped around the block behind my house.
I wanted to call out their names, "Levi! Cody!" but every time I tried, I just started crying. I didn't know how long they had been missing already. It'd been at least a half hour since the house was quiet. I wasn't really worried about them being kidnapped, but Cody is only 2 and Levi is only 4 and walking for that long could get them very lost. But I also was pretty sure they wouldn't have crossed any big roads, so I focused my search just around the square block.
I saw a mom (Emily) I know only a little at the small playground. She waved and I pulled up closer, trying (unsuccessfully) not to cry. She asked if everything was okay and I said I couldn't find my boys. She grabbed her kids and said they would go look at the big park and I continued my loop around the block.

Sometime after 5:00pm 
Arriving back at home I saw my friend (Amy) walking down our driveway and I hoped for the best. But she didn't have them. Panic! She got in her car to broaden the search and I continued on my bike.
I was sweating and crying and my quads were burning (I didn't know I could ride my bike so fast - but it turns out its much easier when you're not hauling any kids).
I made another loop around the block focusing on areas behind homes and the back way to the park. Ran into Emily again, but she hadn't found them. I stopped by another friend's home (Jennifer) and asked. She gave me a cell phone so I could call if I found them and they got on their jackets to join the search.
I stopped by my house again and saw Ashby on the corner. He said that Amy found them and were in her car somewhere. Really?! I hustled back to Jennifer's to return the phone and tell her the news. I still hadn't seen my boys yet, but I felt fairly confident Ashby knew what he was talking about.
I went back home and Ashby said, "Bad news." My heart sank. "She has Cody and Levi but now they're trying to find you." Oh! That's okay! So I sat on the curb waiting for their return.

5:15ish
Amy's black minivan pulls up with my two little boys inside! No jackets, no shoes, just a sippy cup and a ball.
I don't really know the timeline of their adventures or where all they went, but they were found headed toward the school. 
Later I heard a phone message from a mom on another street informing me that Cody and Levi were outside her house saying they were lost. (One more reason I need a cell phone!) And another mom seeing if she should call the police.

I'm so grateful for all the people that were totally willing to drop whatever they were doing and help out a frantic mom. I'm grateful for Ashby who said his own prayer for help. I'm grateful for Paige who got everyone worried for me. I'm grateful that Cody and Levi were protected and watched over by their much more attentive parent, their Heavenly Father.

And now, I'm going to start using our front door security latch.

First day of Preschool 2013

Yah. This picture pretty much sums up Levi.

Splash Party!

There were friends!

 

 There were squirt guns!

 

 There were water balloons!

There were cupcakes!

There were presents! 

There was jumping and sprinklers!

There was slip 'n sliding!

And there was much rejoicing!

Levi is 4!

Wal Mart Bathroom Adventure

Three little boys accompanied me to WalMart this morning. That's an adventure on its own, right?
Well, it gets better.

During checkout the older two boys decided they needed to go to the bathroom and ran off before I knew what had happened.
As I was putting bagged groceries into the cart I could hear screeeeeaaaming and crying echoing across the store. Of course, it was coming from the restroom.
I anxiously waited for the cashier to finish up, swiped my card and hurried over to the restroom.
Of course... they had gone into the Men's Restroom. Now what was I supposed to do?
So, I stood in the entry way talking to the boys.

What's wrong?
Levi tinkled on me.
Why did he tinkle on you?
I don't know!
What do you need?
I need new pants.
Well, I don't have new pants for you. Why is Levi crying?
I don't know!

A couple of men walked out and I asked them if they knew what was going on.
Well, it looks like the littler one peed on the the bigger one. I'm assuming they're both yours.
Is there anyone else left inside?
Yes.

So, I stood in the entry way waiting some more. Trying to talk the boys into getting paper towels and cleaning themselves up. That was a no go.

Eventually I got the all-clear and hesitantly walked into the men's restroom.

There they were. Standing at opposite sides of a urinal. Pants around their ankles. Levi is dripping with tears, and Ashby is dripping with...you know...other stuff. Completely saturated from tummy to toes. Woh.

I grab a bunch of paper towels and start wiping them off. Trying to comfort and reassure them that we will quickly change clothes as soon as we got home. Levi was easy to wipe off. His pants were just a little bit wet. Poor Ashby. It took me two trips to the paper towel dispenser. Plus a few more trips to sop up the puddle on the floor (sorry WalMart, you had quite a mess to mop up today).

I think the boys learned a few good lessons today: Don't go to the bathroom without mom. Don't try to teach your little brother how to use a urinal when he usually sits to go wet. And most important, move out of the way if there is a stream of urine pointed at you.

Levi's first Primary Talk

Levi did a great job on one of his "firsts" - giving a talk in a primary. I don't know how hard it was for people in the audience to tell what he was saying, but he enjoyed speaking in the microphone. The topic was about the resurrection and so we talked all week about the people he knew that would be resurrected. 

This is my Grammy. She's really nice. But she died before I was even born.

This is my Grandad. He's really fun. But he died last year.

This is my brother, Jesus Christ. He died a long time ago.

But because Jesus was resurrected, I know that my Grammy and Grandad will be resurrected too. And we can play together again.

Reptile Preschool

 Highlights from preschool...

Using bubble wrap to paint scales for a snake.

Visiting our neighbor's house and having their son show us his lizards.

Ashby was the only one brave enough to actually hold the bearded dragon.

Watching them eat cockroaches and then having the kids feed them shredded carrots.

Such a cool chameleon! We were hoping to see her super long tongue, but she got stage-fright.

Thanks to Jeremy for answering all the kids' questions and showing off his animals.

Making stained glass sea turtles with tissue paper and contact paper. 

Levi is Threevi

It was hard to get the jumpers to hold still long enough for a picture.

Ashby was just a happy blur most of the time.

To start the birthday celebration we headed over to a new trampoline arena we'd been wanting to try - Hang Time.  The trampolines were really fun for the kids, but they were nothing compared to the foam pit. So awesome to be able to do whatever you want in the air and not have to worry about how you land. The foam pit was super fun for everyone - but man are they hard to get out of!

Anybody want to see me do a flip? I won't blame you if you don't.

After Hang Time the cousins headed over to our house for lunch and cake. Our original plan was to get together for a bike ride later in the evening, but the sporadic rain storms helped us decide to celebrate Levi earlier. Luckily, I was able to scrounge up some taco salad to feed all 18 of us.

Brian and I were up late the night before trying to figure out the birthday cake. Levi had seen a picture of this Lego cake and was excited to have it for his birthday. Its really a simple idea with frozen pound cake and marshmallows. But the frosting part of it kept us up til 2am. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out. Especially since Levi loved it and everyone said it was tasty.

Lego Cake!  http://www.bhg.com/recipe/pound-cakes/building-blocks-cake/

The gathering didn't end until 4pm which seemed too late to give Levi a nap, so we decided to continue the celebrating at Miracle Bowl. Levi promptly fell asleep in his car seat. We ran an errand on our way, so he was able to get a little cat nap in, but I really, really hate waking sleeping kids - it goes against everything I believe.
Bowling was a success! We had the whole venue to ourselves and the kids really enjoyed it. I think it may have been Levi's first time actually ever bowling. And Paige got brave and started putting her fingers in the holes and rolling for real.

The celebration ended with dinner at Pizza Pie Cafe. A very special treat indeed.

We certainly wore out the birthday boy, and ourselves.

Levi-o'-Lantern

This year we tried to carve a pumpkin that looked like Levi. We highlighted his long, long eyelashes, his toothy smile and his hair line. Pretty cute pumpkin.

"Happy Halloween. Daddy and Happy Halloween. Pumpkin and pumpkin hat. Treat. Go to sleep."

TRUCK!

Levi has made up his own little language. He starts a lot of words with "ee" or "fo", like "ee-pa" (Grandpa) or "ee-gone" (all gone). For the last year he has said "doo-doo" for any trucks he sees. "Tow-doo-doo", "dump-doo-doo", "big-doo-doo". I think it started because of the big rigs that looked like trains which he called "choo-choo". No matter how hard we tried he would not say "truck". It was very frustrating because I knew that he knew the right word. Finally, while reading one of his favorite books the other night, Levi surprised me by saying "kuck". At first I didn't realize what the word meant, but then I jumped for joy! I smiled and laughed and high-fived. Levi was, of course, very pleased with himself.

Negative Attention

I'm afraid Levi enjoys getting in trouble.

Unfortunately I think it may be the only time he gets any attention. I better start looking for more positive reinforcement, or we're in for a really hard time.

Levi's new freedom

I guess I should be grateful for how long it lasted, but I think every parent mourns the day their toddler learns to turn the doorknob.

What a CUTIE!

One of those yucky days

I'm sure many of you have had a similar experience.

My little Levi was having a rough day. Crying inconsolably and I wish I knew why. Maybe it was a new tooth? Naps were my only savior that day.

I had to present some thoughts at a stake auxiliary training meeting that night. I found the one outfit I actually feel confident in, did my hair and make-up and felt ready to go. Levi fussed and I picked him up. He puked all over me and him. I stood there in shock, feeling sorry for myself and wondering what I was going to wear now. He puked again and then I just felt disgusted - Brian is usually the one that deals with throw-up.

I gave strict orders to the big kids not to walk into the kitchen while I undressed myself and Levi and threw him in the bathtub. I quickly wiped up the floor and threw the clothes in the washer. I came back to the tub and found Levi poking around at some weird floaties. Throw-up? No....poop. Clean the tub, clean Levi, but don't have time to clean me. Just put on some less-cute clothes and go.

It was just one of those days.

Peek-a-BOO

Tour de Levi

In honor of Levi's birthday and Bastille Day and the Tour de France we had a "Tour de Levi" on Wednesday July 14th. Brian's family came over and we biked down the river trail to Utah Lake. Brian is so excited that Levi was born on the French Independence Day. I wouldn't be surprised if we had many "French-themed" birthday parties over the years. We all enjoyed dessert crepes and cupcakes and ice cream.

Levi has been a very good baby and I'm glad that this last year with a newborn didn't seem to last forever. I'm a little nervous about what this next year will bring though. I think it may be a long one. It always seems like 1-year-olds are the hardest - at least that is my experience.

Here's to new adventures. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LITTLE LEVI!

The rumor is that little Levi is crawling

True...It all started last night when he finally realized he can pick up his feet and hand and put them back down. He never did scoot really, but he was able to get around just by inching his bottom across the floor. Now he is up high on his knees and our lives will never be the same again.