Stormy Weather

The whole time we've lived here in the Midwest there has been abnormal weather for this area. Last summer was abnormally dry. All the lawns died and even our little pine tree in the front yard bit the dust. (They don't have sprinklers here, there's no need for them). This spring has been the opposite. I was told it has been twice as wet as normal. It seems like we've had storms at least four days a week since the beginning of April. Thunderstorms here are not like the storms I experienced in Utah. These storms are loud and fierce. They shake the house and are literally thunderous. There was a tornado warning the second week we lived in Kirksville. A tornado warning means there is an actual tornado on the ground. I will never forget the look of the sky that day, so mean and fierce looking, I've never seen anything like it.  We've been lucky to not have any other tornadoes. Today however, I was pretty sure there was a tornado raging outside my home. I woke up from a nap due to things blowing around and hitting the house. The power was out so I had no way to check to see if there was a tornado warning. (You can't hear the sirens at our house when it's stormy) It was really scary. I called Adrian and he told me the tornado siren at the school had gone off, so I yanked the kids from their naps and hurried downstairs. Needless to say it was just straight line winds. I will not miss the storms of the Midwest. Levi even gets scared of the loud thunder and pounding rain. He spent the night in bed with us a few days ago. There's just something that makes me anxious knowing there is a possibility of a tornado with these storms. Only 3 more weeks until our move back to Utah!!

Here's a link of some video of the storm damage today. I live only a couple blocks from the damaged businesses and church.

May 30, 2013 Storm

Here's a photo the news crew got today. I'm no weather man, but that looks like a tornado to me. I probably would have peed my pants if I saw this.

The next phase

Our two years in Kirksville have come to an end. We move from Missouri in less than a month. Adrian has completed his first two years of medical school. It has been the hardest two years of his life. He has worked harder and sacrificed more than he ever has before. We have enjoyed our time in Kirksville. We both have learned a lot and made friends we will miss. Levi lately has been naming two of his friends over and over to me and telling me he likes them and wants them to come play. I feel a little sad knowing that he won't understand when we leave that they can't come play anymore. 

Adrian passed all his classes. It is a great accomplishment for someone to pass medical school. He sacrificed so much to make it happen. He told me no one has any idea how hard medical school is unless you are in it.  He has been going full speed for two years and I am so proud of him.

The next phase of our lives takes us back to Utah. To Clinton to be exact. We have the opportunity for Adrian to do his 3rd and 4th year rotations mainly in Davis County. We already have a house lined up and we are excited for the opportunities that area will bring us. I am especially excited to go back to the familiar Layton/Ogden area we spent time in before. I will have to find work there. I'm hoping I can find a nursing job for just once a week. The higher cost of Utah living is the main reason I will need to work, but I think it will be good to keep up on my nursing skills and keep my mind stimulated. 

Here's for a good next two years!!

Malachi's 2nd month

Our littlest guy is almost 10 weeks. 

At 2 months he is:

12.6 lbs

23 1/4" long

He weighs exactly what Levi did at 3 months, so he is a bit bigger than Levi was.

He is starting to smile!! He will smile if you look at him and give him any attention. It's just the cutest thing and a big reward for his parents.

He's still got all his hair and his dark blue eyes. We'll see how long either of those last :)

He's pretty content as long as he's not hungry. 

He can focus his eyes on things and loves to look at the ceiling fan if it's on.

He sleeps really well at night only getting up once to eat. Every now and then he will eat twice a night still, but that's not the norm. He did have symptoms of reflux for a couple weeks and even slept in the rocker upright for those weeks. But it seems to have resolved. Not sure if it was my diet or he was sick.

Malachi is so lucky to have a brother who is so good to him. Levi shares his toys and gives him so many kisses and hugs a day. Levi also likes Malachi to be in the rocker and have Malachi watch him shoot hoops.

He smiles and kicks with excitement when we talk to him. He is also starting to coo and babble a lot.

We think he the cutest babe ever.

Levi turned 2

We've got a big boy in this house. Levi is now officially two and runs around like he owns the house!

His stats:

Ht: 2' 8"

Wt: 25.8 lbs

He is developing so well. He can communicate anything he wants and is starting to say 3 word sentences.

He is my big helper around the house and especially loves to mop and wash windows. He is also a great helper with Malachi. He loves to help me bathe Malachi, mainly to just splash in the water. 

Levi likes to build towers just to knock them down (what boy doesn't). It was really hard for him to leave this water bottle tower alone long enough to take a picture. He also loves to roll around in piles of things, like clean or dirty clothes, water bottles, diapers, basically anything he can put in a pile and hop on.

Such a handsome boy.

He got a basketball hoop for his birthday, which he loves. He did not like it at first and just kept shaking his head no and saying "no". But in no time it is all he plays with now.

He loves to have someone to play with, but he must always have this ball! He gets extremely frustrated when he misses the hoop. He screams and cries and sometimes pushes his hoop over. We're working on anger management at this house. He also gets upset any time a prayer is said. Not sure how that one started, but he moans and whines every time.

 Here's the birthday boy cheesing it for the camera.

Levi has perfected his bike riding skills. He zooms all about and loves to ride it up and down the entire street. He also loves to zip down the driveway way too fast for my comfort. I cringe every time he goes down. He needs a helmet just for my comfort.

Perfect modeling pose :)

The very first thing Levi asks to do every morning before he's even out of his crib is to lay next to Malachi. They have such good brotherly love. Levi was meant to be a big brother. He is so sweet and kind to Malachi. He will give Malachi kisses and hugs all day long.

Levi likes to have Malachi sit in the rocker and watch him shoot hoops. He'll push Malachi around in the rocker until he's in the perfect viewing position.

Malachi kicks his legs and moves his arms when he's laying flat and sometimes he hits Levi. Levi will let me know that Malachi hit or kicked him, but Levi never seems to mind, he's more amused by it. In this pic Levi put his leg over Malachi to stop him from kicking.

Levi is quite the artist. He will wear down an entire piece of chalk in one go!! He must be into purple and pink because those are the colors he always chooses. His favorite animal is a fish. When I ask him what I should draw, the answer is always fish, nemo or dory. 

He's also really been into nursery rhymes lately. His favorite is The Wheels on the Bus. As I sing the ABC's he will repeat each letter after me. When we get to the letter U he always says Levi for it. Or as he says his name -vi, as in violin.

He is also finding a bit more independence lately. He can now open the fridge and helps himself to anything in there. There has been multiple times when I'm feeding Malachi  and Levi will drag an entire gallon of milk to me, and then go fetch his cup. He can also turn door knobs and go into most rooms when the door is shut.

He's also caused some mischief. He's been really into ripping books lately. He loves to read books, but I've had to take half his books away so they don't end up shredded. He has also taken his diaper off and peed on the floor and in bed. He knows when he needs to go, I just haven't had the time to potty train him yet.

Levi is an awesome storyteller. He has a great memory and repeat the same story of events for weeks. 

Levi also loves Adrian to sing to him as he goes to bed. His most requested song is Old McDonald and the most frequent animal on the farm is a hissing bat.

Levi has grown and matured so much. He is such a joy to have in our family and we experience so much love and joy through him. We love being his parents :)