It's summertime

Spring in Kirksville was a wet one. It seemed like we got rain about 4 days a week starting in April until we left in mid June. It actually made for perfect temperatures to play outside in. And with the rain came puddles. We got Levi some water shoes just because he was always getting in the puddles in his sandals and they took forever to dry.

Check out the happiness a rain puddle brings this boy. This puddle was always here, it was the deepest one and just when it was about to dry up the rain would fill it up again. It even had a swamp stink smell to it.

Besides splashing in it, Levi liked to throw rocks in it, ride his bike in it and push the stroller in and out of it.

We were never able to make it to the pool in Kirksville because I did not think I could handle both kids there by myself. So, the next best thing was getting the sprinkler out. Levi never seemed to play in the water, but he played with it. He would hold the sprinkler and get things wet.

Here he is checking out a worm. Levi said the worm came up for a drink.

After we moved to Utah we went down to Cedar to visit my family. We had not been to Cedar or seen most of my family in a year. We had a really really fun time. Levi keeps asking me to go to grandma's house. I agree with him, it's more fun there than it is here.

We went to the Canyon Park and played in water. Levi loved the water. He mostly picked rocks out of the water and threw them back in. We also floated my shoes down the stream.

We spent a day with our niece Abby and her sister Ellie. We took them all to the aquatic center. Levi had the most fun jumping off the side into the pool and going completely under and having us pull him out. They also had a kid area there he enjoyed playing on. Malachi missed out on the pool action, but he got some quality time with aunt Cari.

While in Cedar we went to the Independence Day Parade, for a minute that is. After about 15 minutes Levi told me he was all done and wanted to go home, so we did. I could tell he was not into any of it anyway. After the parade we went up the mountain to our family's ranch. Levi loved riding the 4 wheelers and spending time at the lake. He saw so many animals and got to go fishing with grandpa. He had been asking to go fishing with grandpa for about 3 months. He then spent the rest of the day in aunt Stacia's trailer enjoying opening and shutting the door. 

Adrian and I had so much up the mountain. Mountains are the one thing we missed in Missouri. We enjoyed a yummy dutch over dinner complete with cobbler and homemade ice cream. 

Levi loved the fireworks in the sky. He loved how they popped. He was not into sparklers much but he got really excited every time we got pop its out.

While in Cedar we blessed Malachi in my parent's ward. Adrian did a wonderful job with the blessing. My whole family came for the blessing and it was the first time in a year we were all together. 

We got Levi's swimming pool out and he and Adrian took a dip. The weather was 100 degrees and the water felt refreshing. I have never seen Adrian cheese it like in this picture, but he looks just like Levi when Levi is having a good time.

Here they are blowing bubbles.

This is how Malachi spent his time next to the pool.

Kid update

Having two kiddos makes time go by twice as fast it seems. I can't believe Malachi will be 4 months in a couple days. 

Here's an update on Malachi:

He started rolling over on June 30th. He rolls from belly to back. He rolls any time he's put on his belly. I used to be able to put him on his belly and he would fall asleep on his own. Now, I lay him down and he immediately rolls. I've been having to train him to fall asleep on his back. Needless to say he's been sleeping a lot less during the day because he rolls all the time. But I have learned that he likes a blanket by his face to snuggle into. He stills sleeps well at night, getting up only once to eat.

He coos a lot and giggles and laughs. He easily smiles any time he gets attention.

He is able to grab things with his hands. I even caught him switching a toy from one to another. 

He likes stroller rides, as long as we are moving.

He nurses really well and I only give him a bottle when we are out and about. And even with a bottle he gags on formula so he hardly eats it.

He is content most of the time. He only fusses when he's hungry or tired. Or when I've eaten ice cream cause it gives him a belly ache.

He is entertained by watching Levi run about, which is a lifesaver to me cause I couldn't entertain them separately. 

Here's a pic of the little guy today :)

Here's how Levi's been:

He is talking so much. It amazes me how everyday he says more complete words and sentences. 

He has started to sing. It's the cutest thing. He mainly sings Twinkle Twinkle little star. He even will sing to Malachi when Malachi is sad to try to cheer him up.

He has started to scream loud really randomly. I hate to say this, but it is quite annoying. He will even purposely scream at Malachi when Malachi is sleeping so it wakes him up. 

He loves riding his bike. He hardly gets off his bike when he is outside. We have even let him ride his bike around in the mall when we go the mall. 

He graduated to a big boy bed (twin bed) when we moved. The first couple nights I found him on the floor, but that only lasted a few nights. He stays on it really well and he lays right down for naps and bedtime. He doesn't even try to play with the toys in his room, he just lays right down and goes to sleep. I do keep the door shut during the night though, I caught him once in the middle of the night heading to the kitchen saying he wanted some juice. Now he actually prefers the door shut, he will get up and shut it if it is not. We do not have the box springs under the mattress yet. We tried it one night and he fell hard right on his face :(

He is starting to eat a more varied diet. We cut his milk intake back from 3 cups a day to 2 because we found out he was anemic (milk inhibits iron absorption). We've been supplementing him with iron pills and have been trying to get him to eat more meat.

He still loves to read books.

He is still quite shy in social situations. If there is more than 2-3 kids he will more likely watch them play than participate himself. He still likes Adrian or I to hold his hand and play with him when there is crowd around.

He is so fun to be around. All he ever wants to do is play and he loves to play with Malachi. He is such a good big brother. He loves to hold Malachi's hand.

The big move

We've made the big move from Kirksville, Missouri to Clinton, Utah. The week we moved was one of little sleep. Adrian took his DO step 1 test on June 17th in St. Louis. After his test he picked my parents up at he airport at midnight and drove the 3 hours home. Having my parents help us move was a lifesaver, we could not have done it without them. They helped us pack boxes, clean the house and load the truck. At 2 am on June 20th we hit the road for our big move. My dad started out in the huge moving truck by himself while the rest of us dashed off to the Kansas City airport 3 hours away. My mom flew with me and kids and Adrian met up with my dad and they towed the car behind the moving truck. They set out on a marathon drive of about 20 hours nonstop. My mom, the kids and I landed in Salt Lake at 8 am and headed to our new house in Clinton. We were not impressed at the first walk through of the house and we ended up cleaning the whole house, including the carpets that first day. Adrian and my dad made it to Clinton that night at 11pm. The next few days we painted walls, got a fridge and a washer/dryer, and got a lot unpacked. The neighborhood is nice with a lot of families and kids about. The house is 4 level home, just like the one we left in Kirksville, this new house is bigger though, with a 2 car garage and big fenced in back yard. The new ward seems nice with a bunch of young families like ourselves. We think we'll enjoy it here and we already love being so close to family.  It took Levi a couple days to adjust to the new home. For a few days he kept saying "bye bye new house", wanting to go back to our old one. Both the boys did okay on the plane ride. They both had their moments where they were throwing fits, but it went better than we expected. Levi loved to look out the window during takeoff and landing. He was totally still and all he could say was "wow" as we were taking off. He stills talks about how he rode in an airplane high up in the clouds. As we've settled in Adrian started his rotations today at Davis Hospital doing internal medicine. This is suppose to be the toughest rotation and he gets 2 months of it right off the bat. He is super excited though to be out in the clinical field and not studying in the library every day. I am trying to finish unpacking and am desperately looking for a nursing job that will take me on just the weekends. I think I may just call my old job and ask if I can come back, it's only 20 minutes away. 

 Inside the moving truck. Levi would help push boxes from the back of the truck to the front.

No more couch, so we had to rest on cushions or the floor.

I did not think Levi would sleep without a bed because he has never fallen asleep anywhere but in bed or the the carseat. But he surprised me when I found him snoozing on the floor.

One last family photo in front of our Kirksville home. 

Levi in our new home, happy to be back on routine.