Levi & Lexi

(This is a post I wrote back in January, but never got around to uploading the pictures.)  

January was a pretty mellow month for us.  After getting through another busy December, we needed an unexciting, dull, nothing-planned kind of month.  January was exactly that and it was quite nice.  So, here you go with some pictures of the kids doing nothing but growing, learning, playing, loving, and living.

 Levi is counting to 10 while Lexi hangs back and watches.

 This scene happens on a daily basis, and it happens multiple times most days.  Levi still loves to kiss and hug Lexi, only now his attempts to show his sister he loves her come off more as a WWF move than a sweet sign of affection. 

 He can't seem to give her a kiss with out knocking her over and body slamming her first.  Sometimes she's okay with that, and other times, not so much.  He's doing a good job toughing her up.

Lexi is finally old enough to enjoy a baby-sized breakfast, lunch and dinner at the table with the family.  Mealtime has become one of my favorite times of the day.  I sit in between Levi and Lexi while they eat and talk to each other.  Levi loves trying to make Lexi laugh from across the table, and Lexi thinks Levi is quite amusing.  It's such a joy to sit there and watch them interact and entertain each other.  I'm really looking forward to future meals around the table when they are having a conversation back and forth, and I pray they are always this fond of each other.  Here's a glimpse of them during one of their amusing conversations.

Now let me pause to just say this: I love that my kids are so close together in age.  No matter how much work it has been, we chose to have our children close in age because we wanted them to have each other.  We wanted them to be best friends and grow up together. We obviously didn't do for us! Ha!  We did it for them, and I am SO happy we did because they seem to be so happy together.

Lexi likes to sit and have a conversation with me while I'm getting ready in the mornings.  She's become quite expressive.  Her smile is bright as the sun, and she's just as calm and content as she's always been.

Oh, and her toes are still her favorite toy... including chew toys.

Flying high in the air and laughing at her daddy.

Here's a few shots of Levi in action.  He's still obsessed with playing ball.  Soccer seems to be the sport he's the most talented in.  Here he is showing off his shot-put skills with a soccer ball.

"Thank you, Jesus, for my food. Amen."

Nom nom nom!

Who said this girl doesn't look like her daddy??

 Silly boy! I'm sure he's thinking "Why should Lexi get all the good toys!?"  And the pacifier?  Well, he's been broken of his pacifier habit since about 13 or 14 months old, so now it's become a fun toy to chew on and mimic the baby with.

 

 

Happy January 2013 everyone!

January with Levi (Flashback!)

Levi, at 2 years, weighed in at 33.4 lbs and is 37.5 inches tall.  Anyone ever heard that old rule of thumb that says to double your son's height at 2 years old and that's how tall he will be??  Well, that would put Levi at over 6ft tall. Yay!  Moises thinks that's wonderful. He says being tall will make Levi a better quarterback. =)  Guess we only have to wait another 18-24 years to see if this will come true.

~~A few Levi stories I don't want to forget:
Levi's vocabulary is growing and expanding by the minute.  I love this stage; he makes me smile and laugh every single day.  It's quite fun to finally figure out what's been going through his little head all this time.  It's also the "sweetest thang you've eva heard" to hear him sing a long with you.  Try singing Jesus Loves Me.  When you get to the "Yeeesss, Jesus love meeee..." just pause and wait.  He'll chime in with "the Bible tells me so!"  SOOOO adorable.  Yeah, I'm the mom, but believe me, it's ADORABLE!  He's learned to answer by saying "Yes please, Mama," and for Moises he answers with "Yes please, Mama Daddy." LOL. He can also sing "You are My Sunshine" and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star," although he pronounces his twinkle-twinkle like gokie-gokie.

He's a tough little guy, who is ALL BOY!  Until it comes to his blanket, monkeys, and a sippy of milk.  Those 3 items make up Levi's trifecta of comfort and happiness.   

Did I mention how much his growth and development amazes me lately.  Who knew a 2 year old could be so much fun!  The other day at dinner time we had waffles.  While eating, he opened his arms wide, looked and me, smiled and said "HUG!"  I responded "No way, Jose! You're a sticky mess."  He then violently ripped off his bib, dramatically threw open his arms, and with a gigantic smile he screamed "HUUUUGGGG!!!!!"  I couldn't resist.  He got a super sized hug, and I became apart of his sticky, syrupy mess.  LOVE this boy.  I'll say it again:  I LOVE this little boy with all that I have to love. 

And let me just take a moment to brag, a little on Levi and a little on myself.  I have been letting Levi "help" me wash the dishes and load/unload the dishwasher for quite sometime.  Well, the other day I had began to unload the dishwasher then stepped away to take care of Lexi for a minute. When I came back a few minutes later, I found that Levi had unloaded all the pots and pans from the bottom shelf of the dishwasher and had correctly put them away in the drawer under the stove.  I also found him unloading the plastic plates and placing them on the counter directly below the cabinet where they belong.  Mind. Blown.  I had no idea he was paying that much attention or was absorbing so much information.  I think this is why the toddler stage has been so much fun for us.  As he's growing, and talking, and developing, we're finally seeing how much he is really taking in and learning.  We are seeing how deep his memory is and how much of daily life he is soaking in.  It's so much fun! And not only that, but now he knows how to unload the dishwasher!!  Score one for mom!!! Dance Party!!!!  (We reward good behavior and "doing the right thing" moments with high fives, and the "super big deal" moments with dance parties.  Yeah, we totally had a dance party after the dishwasher episode!)

 Levi is such a busy kid, with an energy level that never goes down.  He's at a stage where taking his picture requires some serious skills.  We are working on his ability to stop, look at the camera, and smile for a picture.  He will say cheese, and he will show us his teeth, and he will even smile when asked at times...but you gotta be quick to catch a good shot.

Eh, we're working on it.  Can't help but love his effort; he's just too adorable.  But I love these "not-so-perfect" pictures because they are full of his amazing personality!  Such a ham!