The Pumpkin Patch Round 2!!

Levi and I are currently in St. Louis, visiting my family. Sunday was a beautiful day and our family took advantage of the weather, along with everyone else in St. Louis, and went to the pumpkin patch. The difference between this pumpkin patch and then one we took Levi to in OKC was unbelievable. First of all, everything is green in St. Louis. And the pumpkin patch had an abundance of pumpkins and activities for the kids. And...it was FREE! Each activity had a small fee, but it didn't cost a dime to get in. We had a great time and all the kids had fun. 

Alyssa rode the train with Levi...she said he cried the whole time!

up on the tractor!

Uncle Brian was nice enough to tote Levi around for awhile

first pony ride...he loved it!

Alyssa, Haley, Levi and Sean

The Pumpkin Patch

Fall is my favorite time of year. And going to the pumpkin patch is the perfect fall activity. The pumpkin patch in Lawton isn't open this year because of the terrible drought we had this summer...so we I decided we would just go to the one in Oklahoma City. At first Jason wasn't super thrilled with the idea of driving an hour and a half to go to the pumpkin patch, but he decided to the make the best of it. We set off after lunch and it literally starting raining the second Jason put Levi in his car seat. Remember that the Lawton pumpkin patch isn't open because of the drought? It hasn't rained here in month...and it rains the one day we want to do something outside. We decided to chance it and go anyway. We took the scenic route and enjoyed a change of scenery from Lawton. We basically outran the rain, but you could tell it was coming. 

As soon as we got to the Orr Family Farm, we paid our admission and set out to make the most of our time there before the rain hit. We visited the animals and then took the hayride out to the pumpkin patch. Levi was overwhelmed with everything but seemed to have a good time. Levi stood around and looked at all the pumpkins and then picked one up and then immediately threw it down. :) We snapped a few pics, grabbed a pumpkin, and then jumped back on the wagon to beat the rain. The rain started just as we got back to the main part of the farm. There were several other things I had hoped to do, but it didn't look like the rain was going to quit anytime soon. We visited the little store, bought some amazing apple butter and pumpkin butter and called it quits. I think we were there for a total of an hour, but it was fun and I'm glad we went. I thought it was pretty expensive to get it, but Jason said it best...Levi's face was totally worth the price of admission. 

Since we were in Oklahoma City and had driven 2 hours to get there, we decided to stay and find something else to do. Lawton lacks in restaurants...and really everything else. I looked up nearby restaurants and saw they had a Red Robin! Yum! After eating, we stopped at Academy so Jason could look at some hunting gear and then headed back home. Levi was a trooper, and slept most of the way home. All in all, it was a great day with the two guys I love most. I'm already looking forward to next year's trip to the pumpkin patch!

wordless wednesday

A Boy and His Dog

(i'm just going to pretend that it hasn't been months since i last blogged and just start again today.)

Levi loves Rudy. He spends much of his day chasing Rudy with his toys, laughing hysterically as he goes. He often gets in trouble...and by often I mean every single day...for feeding Rudy his food from his high chair. And lately, he tries to cuddle with him on his doggie bed. It's pretty cute. I am super thankful that Rudy is a patient dog. There have been many times that he could have snapped at Levi or bitten him. But he never does...he just lays there and takes it...or when he's had enough, he walks away. We are working with Levi on being gentle. But that's a work in progress. He has grabbed Rudy by the throat. Poked his eyes out. And as I type this he is hitting petting him on the back. At this point their friendship is fairly one-sided and I'm certain that Levi thinks they are better friends than Rudy does. I'm also certain that as Levi grows, so will their friendship!

one!!

so I'm behind, but this cute little guy just turned one on June 6!!

We had been in Tulsa for Jason's cousin's wedding reception, so since Levi's birthday was the next day, we just did a small family party at Jason's parents. It was really about the cake!! He tore into and was pretty funny to watch. I don't really think too much cake actually made its way into his mouth. At one point, he was taking it by the fistful and shoving it down his leg. We spent Monday, his actual birthday, at home reading and playing and doing what Levi's loves best. 

At one year old, Levi loves to read books. Really, he likes to listen to mommy read them while he is busy playing with toys or pulling more books off of the shelves. His favorite thing to do is to put small objects in and out of buckets, bowls, or whatever else is close by. He is pretty content to sit and play by himself. Sometimes I just sit back and watch and an amazed at his problem solving skills. He also has a pretty good attention span for a baby. He LOVES Rudy. He thinks that Rudy is funny no matter what is going on. Its of course, super fun to throw food down to Rudy during lunch and dinner, resulting in Rudy being put outside for mealtime. Levi also likes to clap his hands and wave bye-bye. He usually acts shy after he does it...but also seems proud of himself. His crawling like a champ and will walk anytime you give him the chance. He cruises around furniture and uses his little walker toy to go up and down the hall. I would say he loves to eat...but he can be pretty picky. One day he may like bread and the next act like its the most disgusting thing he's ever had in his mouth. 

We just got home from his one year check up. He weighs 18 pounds and 14 ounces!!! Thats 4 pounds more than when he came home. He's also 28 inches long and I forgot what his head is...but its in the 50th percentile. He's finally on the charts at 5% for height and weight. The doc said everything looks good and he's a happy, healthy boy! 

We love him to pieces and can't imagine our life without him. I often times think of his birth mom and wonder if she thinks about him. I'm so thankful for her and thankful that she had the courage to give him up. We are forever grateful to her. Levi brings us so much joy. We continue to pray that we will be good and wise parents and train him up in the way of the Lord. 

enjoy the rest of the pictures from his first birthday!

wordless wednesday

catching up

a lot has happened since the last post. we are now living in oklahoma and jason is no longer in the army. he has decided to part ways with the military and entered the business world. he is now working for state farm and after one week on the job, is happy and feels like he made the right decision. it was hard to leave ft. bliss because i've made so many wonderful friends there. the army family is like nothing else in this world. so it was hard to say good-bye to the friends and hard to say good-bye to the army. but, i am looking forward to this next chapter in our lives. levi is still a happy baby. he has entered full-blown attachment to mom phase. which is good. its great, actually. there are times when i wish that he wasn't so attached to me...like when i really just want to eat my dinner and someone is offering to hold him. but, i think its a good sign and very healthy. speaking of healthy, i took him to the doctor last week...and he now weighs 16.9 pounds!! he's growing and has a big appetite. we have pretty much skipped baby food. it only lasted for about 4 weeks and then he became not interested. he would rather have the real deal and he would prefer to feed himself. he's still such a sweet boy. most of the time you can find him babbling to himself and smiling all day. the move and transition has been hard, but he has done well. we've been at a hotel, at our new house, or at both grandma's houses since leaving el paso. and he has only slept in his crib at home 3 nights in the last two weeks. he has his moments...but really,  you can't blame him. we are currently in st. louis visiting my family. i'm enjoying my time here, but ready to get back home, finish unpacking and get settled into our new routine. Levi met my parents and siblings yesterday and was a big hit! everyone loves him!! hopefully, once we get settled back in at home i'll be able to blog more. here are a few pictures of the last few weeks!

levi...10 months old. march 6, 2011

levi's baptism. april 10, 2011

the new house

at cattleman's steakhouse in texas