growing up!!

After many, many, ... many moons, I'm back to say, "Yes, we're still here" AND growing up. Ivy's hair is long enough to hold a little clip in it (not that she leaves it there). She started being able to crawl about a month ago and is now very confident and quick, quite the mobile little peanut. She love ice-cream, and her preferred method of consumption is from a cone.

 She is also, as of the 19th (Monday?), a professional at going up stairs. I mean, instant professional. She just decided to go up, and up she went. 

Tonight, she started learning, with Booboo's help, to go downstairs. Also a first, tonight she waved goodbye to Booboo as we were walking back to our house. I didn't even know she was doing it until I heard Mom calling to me to tell me to look at my rather amazing (and sweet) daughter.

Other notes: she stomps and claps when she's excited or sees someone she loves. She is a very good dancer and her favorite songs are "Bushel and a Peck" and "Mairzy Doats".  She scrunches her nose and/or grunts and/or yells when she wants something really bad.

Levi is also growing like a weed. He seems taller every day and is officially in 3T clothing (i.e. I finally put away everything else). He is learning to go potty in the potty rather than a diaper. He never has an accident when he's naked, and he's getting better when he wears underwear. He even remembers to go to the potty when he's wearing Pull-Ups. He loves Elmo (especially Elmo's Potty Time), Signing Time, Curious George, Little Bear, Star Wars, Cars (esp. Lighting McQueen and Mater), Buzz Lightyear, and most especially, Ivy. He likes to hug her, kiss her, giver her nose kisses (Eskimo kisses), carry her places, sit on her, stand over her, and other such things. We try to limit any potentially harmful activities.

One of their favorite things to do is take a bath together, and the favorite place to do that is in Booboo's kitchen sink. (Levi has outgrown our sink, but Mom's is deeper and slightly bigger.) 

They also will occasionally deign to bathe in our upstairs tub. They love to make themselves into ice-cream sundaes. Levi received this foam soap from Mom's friend Kathy Pitt, who's grandkids love it, so she wanted to share the love.

And here are some more that are just cute:

Cold swimmer

On the stars 2.July.2011

Self explanatory.

This one is almost a year old. Levi is modeling a shirt Mom made for Ivy. Cute, nicht?

This was in March.

Ivy was blessed March 13th: Ivy Fiona. Being held here by my aunt Becca Hogan.

Star Wars fans!!!!

Storm troopers at the Safe Kids fair. Notice the "pale green pants" and the very nice giraffe boots, too.

80's girl. She got this out fit from Auntie Zan and the headband from among the stuff I wore when I was a baby. 

Ivy and her friend Alivia.

Master Levi

Knight in shining froggy boots

Nose kiss!

Ahh!! Darth Vader's in my bathtub!! (Explanation: Levi is Darth Vader whenever he has something covering his face.)

Levi's birthday party. That's his friend Cade.

The hungry Caterpillar. Notice the super-cute socks Ivy is wearing that came from my Auntie Kris.

A boy and his grandma.

Ivy and Boo-boo

Ivy plays and laughs with Booboo, tee-hee!

Daybreak Hansens are headed to Boston

Yup! we're going to Boston. The kids and I are flying out on the 17th, Nathan's coming on the 21st. We are going out to visit my two beautiful sisters and my darling brother-in-law, and attend Suzie's graduation. I feel a bit nervous about flying alone with two small children, however I am also excited and looking forward to the adventure and the challenge. This is the first of many times we'll do this as is is VERY unlikely that either sister will live nearby anytime in the foreseeable future. I've got myself a sit and stand stroller and some good advice from aunts who have travelled alone with children. Your prayers will be appreciated and I'll be sure to blog about it.

Levi is growing up. He asked "why" today for the first time that I recall. We're in for it now. Crank up the creativity, right? He is tall enough to turn lights on and off, to peel into the pram when Ivy's still in it in the morning, to climb up on my very high bed, and so forth. He loves to "take care of" Ivy (giver her a hug, hold her, or carry her somewhere (careful there), alternately). His hugs often tun into wrestling matches, which Ivy is totally chill about, until it gets too rough. (Don't worry, I'm always there monitoring and intervening as required.) His hair is getting very long: probably the longest it has ever been, not that that's saying much, but it's combable (not that we ever comb it) and sticks out in funny places when he wakes up. He almost always sleeps with at least one sword from his growing collection of them. Today, he took his nap with a little plush bug, an elephant and his newest ... sword! He is very slowly learning to share and that, even though Sammy or Cade is taking a turn with ______, it still belongs to him and will be left here when they leave. Whew!

Levi still loves to read and a favorite lately is "Teach Us, Amelia Bedilia". Watching "a little bit a Avatar (or Panda, or ...)" is now part of the bed time routine with Dad and Levi runs through quotes from his favorite bits many times a day, often bewildering anyone who might hear him. Some favorites are: "So, Ugway was just a crazy old turtle after all". "Smart, fighting from the high ground" and "Not the Dragon Warrior yet!" He says that last one at every meal.

Ivy is getting more and more secure in her balance and will be able to sit up soon. Her favorite position is standing and sitting upright is a close second. She is super interested in food and I think I'm gonna break down and start her on solids tomorrow, if I manage to remember to go out and buy some rice cereal. Well, never mind! I could just cook some rice, put it through the baby food grinder or the blender and water it down! Much easier! Oh, I'm so glad I could talk to you about this! Thanks for the wonderful idea! Her pediatrician advised me to start with very thin rice cereal and go from there. Truth be told, she's tasted ice cream and applesauce, but I think they were a little too cold and thick, but she's definitely still interested. Look out! Here come the stinky diapers.

Speaking of diapers, I've been dragging my feet about moving on to the next size diaper, but I finally made the jump this week. My little girl has grown out of my smallest diapers!! Waah! She's growing up so fast! Oh well. At least with these diapers, I've attached velcro, so we won't be trying to keep track of Snappis for a while. I think I'm going to add velcro to those littlest diapers before I pack them away. That should make Nathan happy. He is so good to support me in my cloth diapering efforts and adventures. And he only complains a little bit, yet it is because of those complaints that I've come up with all of my little innovations. What an adventure. Still, I so hope that a certain little boy will get sick of diapers sometime really soon.

Nate's doing well. I don't think work is stressing him out too badly. He's working on a Star Wars campaign to run for his friends. He's promised that it won't be as long or committed as last time he ran a campaign for them. That one was Legend of the Five Rings and lasted no less than 2 years! Ack! He and a couple others are going to take turns running things on Wednesdays in a round robbin sort of fashion so each one runs his thing for a couple of months and then pauses for a few months and then picks back up again. Sounds like a good plan to me.

I, well, let's see ... I'm going visiting teaching tomorrow. I forgot to call one of my sisters today. Oh well. Oh, Ivy's waking up. Better go.