Smile

How could I possibly not smile when I get the joy of seeing this smile? Note: the two front teeth. Levi has five total now. This is the first good toothy photo I've been able to snap.

The Day After

Before the big meal...After playing with Aunt Annie...After "helping" Grandpa make bread (with the assistance of great-aunt Carol)...

Levi got to taste test...

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We had a lovely and blessed Thanksgiving. I hope you all had the same.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

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Cuteness

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Happy Belated Birthday!!

Happy Birthday, Nono Carlos! Sorry I'm a little behind on my birthday greeting. We'll miss you and Nona Any this year.

Tagged Again!

I was tagged by Mommy Knows for this lovely not so little meme! And since I just tagged 7 people yesterday, we're going to change the rules up a bit today. How about if you're reading this you're tagged!
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? My middle name is a family name. My mom thought Madeline went well with it, and I got the perk of having books with my name on them.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Last Saturday, Levi turned 1.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes, most of the time.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I don't like lunch meat.
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Yes
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? For sure.
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? On occasion.
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes. The doctor tried to tell my mom I might need to have them removed, and she didn't go for it. So, I am still blessed with all of my inner workings.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Not in a million years.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I'm not a big fan of cereal. Is that strange?
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? I don't wear shoes with laces. Generally I can be found wearing flip flops. Even in the middle of winter.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Like physically? No. Although carrying around a 28 pound munchkin is creating some pretty good arm muscles. Emotionally and spiritually, yes.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? It depends on what day it is. I'll take just about any flavor. I love raspberries mixed in to chocolate ice cream. And lemon juice squeezed on vanilla is pretty stinkin' fabulous too.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Different people have different things that stand out in a first impression. I can't say that I automatically notice anything in particular.
15. RED OR PINK? Pink.
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My insecurities.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My Peepaw.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Not if I have to fill it out again.
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? Black.
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Chocolate Chip Pie.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? My baby.
22. IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Robin's Egg Blue
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Earl Grey Tea, Rosemary, and Basil. Not all mixed together.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? My Dad.
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Well, I did just "meet" her, but she's seems pretty fab.
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? None.
27. HAIR COLOR? Brown with a fabulous grey streak-a gift from God.
28. EYE COLOR? Brown.
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? Yes. I'm blind as a bat without them.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Tabbouleh.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy Endings. I'm terrified of scary movies.
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? I can't recall the name, but it was really good. I could tell you the whole plot, but that would make this post insanely long.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Maroon.
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Both.
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate or strawberries. Oooo...chocolate covered strawberries.
37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? Respond to what?
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? I dunno.
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? A really good book. I can't remember the name of it either. But I stayed up until almost 1 am reading it. Hmmm...do we see a theme here? I'm so bad with names and titles.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? A mouse.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? I don't watch t.v.
42. FAVORITE SOUND. Levi's sweet noises.
43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? Beatles.
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Italy. I highly recommend it.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? Not that I know of, but that could be the aforementioned insecurity coming out.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Mississippi.
47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Anyone and everyone who lets me know they've posted. It's now tag yourself time. Feel free. I'd love to read your answers. Let me know if you do this one.

A Random Photo and 7 Things

Thanks to Leigh @ Marvelous Kiddo for tagging me for this fun little meme. If you've never checked her out you should. She's got quite a marvelous little corner of cyberspace there.

The rules:

Link to your tagger and list the rules

List 7 random facts about yourself

Tag 7 people (and make sure you check back and see what they say!)

If you're tagged, play along and pass it on!

1) I love to iron, but I don't like to get the ironing board out. If I had my druthers my home would have space for a permanent spot for the ironing board, so it would just be ready and waiting for whenever the ironing mood strikes.

2) In my head I love to garden. In reality I forget to water plants. I've learned to stick with very hardy drought loving species.

3) I don't mind doing laundry, but I detest taking out the garbage. That's one of my stranger reasons for cloth diapering.

4) I am not the mother I imagined I would be. In my head I had plans to be a non-sentimental no nonsense mom who let her baby cry it out and sleep in his own room. I thought mothers who took tons of pictures and kept every scrap of anything their child touched were a little silly. Ha! I am possibly the most sentimental mother I know. I certainly wouldn't dream of letting Levi cry it out, and sleep in his own room? Maybe when he's ten. Just kidding. Sort of. (By the way, I wasn't raised according to my first plan. I just got it out of thin air which is exactly where it returned once I got pregnant.)

5) I enjoy making stuffed critters and monsters for Levi and the few other kids I know. I think he might have enough though, and I don't know that many other children. So, I might start selling them. Otherwise we'll be drowning in stuffed critters.

6) I want to homeschool Levi. I don't want him to darken the doorstep of a school until college. And, even then, only if he wants to.

7) Last but not least, I don't own a t.v. which totally freaks out the cable salespeople.

Tag, you're it...

1) Bek @ Red Chocolate

2) Amber @ Our Love Story

3) Rebekah @ Crunchy Monkeys

4) Amber @ The Nutrients of Life

5) Crystal @ Crystal Wants to Share

6) Yana @ A Record of...

7) Damselfly @ Growing a Life

Enjoy!

Playing Around With The Nan

Bathy, Bath, Bath

Finally, bath time is fun time. It has taken Levi a long time to really enjoy baths. He's still a little hesitant about the hair washing part, but the rest of it he now enjoys. Yay!! Since there's only a shower at my house, I take the little fella' to Nana and Grandpa's when I don't want to get in with him just to get him clean. Now that he think baths are fun I can show off some cute pictures that don't involve tears and tortured facial expressions.He was feeling a bit insecure in this next one. It's the hair washing part. He just can't seem to get used to it.

First Haircut

If you noticed a new do' on the little fella' this week, you were correct! I've been debating for a month about that mop of his. I was so hoping to be able to wait until Levi turned two to cut his hair. I've never been so attached to hair--not even my own. However, it was getting out of hand, so something had to be done.
Before the partying got under way Saturday, we sat down with a pair of scissors and a camera. Of course, first I had to catch the little rascal as he made his way down the hall at Nana and Grandpa's house.He was actually really sweet through the whole thing. He moved a good bit, but there was no screaming involved. In the end I was glad we cut it. He looks so handsome with his new 'do. And, as if the pics weren't enough, here's a video for your viewing pleasure.

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Winding Down

A few final partying photos:Grandpa faux babywearing-The weather was a bit chilly, so Levi had to get bundled up for the walk home.:

Eatin' Cake

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Let Them Eat Cake

Normally, Levi isn't given sweets, but for his birthday, an exception had to be made. He got his own monster cupcake to smoosh and eat, and he loved it. My favorite part though is that the little fella' actually wore the hat I made for him. Normally, he rips hats off the minute they go on. I guess since I let him eat cake, he made an exception with the hat. Really, I think the key is to distract him while putting on the dreaded hat.

Pre-party Fun

Levi's first birthday was a fun and fabulous day. As usual there were so many pics I had trouble deciding which ones to post. So y'all can look forward to a quite a few posts with a ton of pictures in the week to come.

Aunt Annie, Nana, and I did lots of decorating and cooking in the morning. Here's Aunt Annie transforming cupcakes into monsters.Of course we had to take a few pre-party family pictures.

Happy 1st Birthday!

Happy Birthday to my sweet little boy! One year ago today, I held you in my arms for the first time. Now those same little arms reach up to hug me back, and I get the joy of waking up to the most beautiful grin I've ever laid eyes on. It's been an amazing 1st year, and I look forward to all the years to come.

And just to show you how giant my sweet babies hands were from day one:
He has grown into them a bit. I will admit that amidst the tears on first seeing Levi, I also laughed because I had never seen a little baby with such huge hands and feet.

One Year Ago Today

One year ago today, I got a huge surprise. I was having a baby! It wasn't the baby part that was a shock, it was the fact that it was going to be the next morning. I was sure he wasn't coming for another couple of weeks. When I went in for my regular pre-natal appointment, my doctor figured out that my body was running out of amniotic fluid, which is a bad thing. So that night I went to the hospital. I'm going to skip the painful and gory details because they really are painful and gory. Suffice it to say that Levi entered this world via emergency c-section after 10 hours or so of labor. Despite the pain and gore of it all, when they popped that little munchkin up above the curtain, my heart melted. I've never been so darn stinkin' happy to see anyone.

Recent Favorites

Aunt Annie, This One's For You

Since I know how much my sweet sister loves her baby, this post is for her. I thought this was one of the cutest pics of Maggie that you left on my camera this weekend.

Lovin' Those Sweet Hugs

My heart hurts a bit every time my little fella' grows out of an outfit or becomes a little more independent. I am grateful beyond words for these things as well, but what mother doesn't want to hold onto her baby just a little longer. The first moment I laid eyes on him is forever etched into my memory. Like most moms, I thought he was the most beautiful and perfect little critter I'd ever seen. I can't believe how much he's grown since then.
All that being said, there are perks to this growing up thing. There's nothing in the world like hugging your newborn baby but when he starts to hug you back...well, now, there's something to write home about.

Feeding Time

Levi has an awful cold, so for the next couple of days, I'll probably just post pictures from our weekend. Aunt Annie came up for a visit. We had a fabulous time relaxing, and concocting crazy schemes, oh, yeah, and taking loads of pictures. These are some of the photos from a walk to the barn for feeding time. Down here, Autumn color can be a bit spotty. We don't get the crazy fabulous array of colors that the east coast is blessed with. However, we do get a little, and I'm pretty partial to it.

The weekend weather was stunning.