Fun in the Sun!

It's been great weather for swimming (like 105 degrees). Levi and I went swimming with his cousins, the Smiths. He has never been in a pool and freaks out about water. It took some coaxing and seeing the other kids having fun.... but then.... oh boy, did he love it!!!! We were in the water for an hour!

Such a helper!

What is it about big boxes that make children happy? Levi took a minute to rest while the swingset was being built.

Happiness in the form of a swing set!

Many thanks to Grandpa and Grandma for purchasing a swing set for Levi! He couldn't be more thrilled!!!! Thank you Grandpa, for coming up here to help Matt put it together! It was wonderful seeing you!!!

STATE FAIR!

We went to the state fair for a family activity and it was oodles of fun. I go for the sno cones. Levi goes for the animals, and Matt goes to see the fun things people are selling.
There was a cool toy exhibit that had trains in (much to Levi's delight). We just walked around and have a great time together.

The boys are watching motorcycles in a big metal ball, going around and around. It was cool, but definitely a guy thing. Matt became the "bongo drum" as Levi pounded on his head. Good times!!

Levi and his trains

It is amazing how much Levi adores trains! He constantly (I am NOT exaggerating) wants to play with his trains. We got the train set at IKEA and we play with it every single day and have for 2 months.
The first thing he wants when he wakes up is his trains. (second is cereal...) We continually create and recreate tracks and make tunnels. He LOVES his trains!!!

The Joys of Owning a Home...

So, our yard is huge and massively filled with weeds. We lack the time and energy necessary to keep it looking beautiful (oh ya... we lack the money part too...) Well, with the plan to set up a swingset for Levi next week when Grandpa Wanlass visits, we got our act together, with the help of our fabulous neighbors and started roto-tilling the ground. We have such lovely dirt!!! Really!! Under all the weeds, it is quite nice, thick, dark dirt. Nice.

Levi knows his ABC song!

Levi is so talented!

Levi sings songs all the time. It is adorable listening to him. Even when we aren't in the room, he is singing! His current favorite songs are "The Wheels on the Bus", "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "If You're Happy and You Know It". Have I mentioned I love my son?? He's amazing!

Levi

Lake Tahoe!

We had a very scenic view of Lake Tahoe as we drove to Nevada. We stopped there on the way home because it was so beautiful. Matt and I decided we could live there, although it would never happen... Levi was freaking out from the waves crashing on the rocks until we explained that the water was cleaning them. He was still terrified of the water (and for some reason always has been). It was peaceful and a nice way to end a day.

Teaching Levi to kiss

Levi is always giving us kisses. One day he started closing his eyes and giving the kisses very slowly. It totally made me laugh. So then I intentionally showed him how to kiss with his eyes closed. I think it is hilarious. Don't worry, he doesn't always do it anymore...

Our day trip continued...

We went on a real train ride. Levi clung to us most of the way, and was a little scared of the dark tunnel, although afterwards he had only positive memories of how fun it was. He, ultimately, loved it.

There's also a picture of his cute little face as he clung to Matt... I think this was after the dark, hot tunnel...

A family day trip

Matt made plans for us to go on a little day trip to Virginia City, Nevada. There was a train festival and Levi adores trains. We drove 3 hours to the historic city built on a hill. I was amazed at how run down it was. However, the place was built in the 1800's as a huge mining town and they wanted it to be authentic. The leaning brick building and old staircase were my favorite sites.

Levi wanted to take a nap upon arrival, so we waited to ride the trains while he slept in the stroller. We walked up and down "C Street", the main rode and looked at everything.

We have conformed!!!

Hello world! It is with great excitement that we now have a blog! Now we need to do something fun to tell you all about. Matt says that there is nothing to talk about. Levi says "No no no... mommy mommy mommy...choo choo trains". We'll get back to you. We are just glad to be here!
Many thanks to Karen and Jill for the inspiration!