I realize that this is very late coming, considering Levi turned one over two months ago. However, in the spirit of giving myself grace, I decided to still share some excellent pictures and facts about Levi that apply to him around June 8, 2016.

Prepare for an overwhelming amount of pictures.



We first celebrated Levi's birthday in a local park with family friends & coworkers of Clark's. It was very fun... except the high was 117 and by the time we rolled out the cake and candle Levi was ready for a nap. But then, what are first birthday parties but to snap some pictures, enjoy some company, and show off your baby... am I right?



We call Levi, "Mouse" as a nickname, so we did If You Give A Mouse A Cookie which was a lot of fun. We had way too much food, most of which melted in the heat, but everyone enjoyed it-- and that's what counts!


On Levi's actual birthday, we woke up early (per usual) and went downstairs. He was a little overwhelmed by all that he saw, but once he realized he got to rip the presents open he had way too much fun doing it. He also had no problem letting his big brother know that they were his.


Right around his birthday Levi officially started walking. Much like his big brother (who took his first true steps on his first birthday), Levi started cruising around (semi) gracefully just five days before his big day. He weight 18lbs exactly on his birthday, and was 27.75 inches long. Lover of cheese, grazing, putting everything in his mouth, and a bit on the small side-- this is why we lovingly call him "Mouse." (It has NOTHING to do with the fact that he's grown into his ears and made squeaky noises as communication when he was itty-bitty...or does it?)


On his birthday Levi:

- had six teeth (molars coming in-- this is still true)

- loves: climbing on the dishwasher, toys that make noise, bubba (Michael), mama and dada, clapping, playing "chase"


- first word: dada
- words he says/said clearly: this, that, ball, mama, dada, cheese, up, juice, nana, out


- favorite songs: if you're happy and you know it & what does the fox say
- favorite foods: tuna, bananas, snap pea crisps, cheese, spaghetti, black beans, Lima beans.
- favorite book: Baby Lit Books' Treasure Island


He's already grown so much since his birthday. I'm not sure my heart can handle it.

Planning Michael's birthday party was a blast. If you follow me on Pinterest, there was a board dedicated to it up for I don't know how long. Come the end of July, maybe August, I was jumping out of my skin trying to plan the party.

It started off with me planning to make all the food. Homemade pigs-in-a-blanket, red-white-and-blue cupcakes, Captain America cake, mini-chicken-salad-sandwiches, fruits salad, veggies in a cup with ranch, cute bags of popcorn... I wanted to go ALL out.

But as the time drew near, I realized that I could really only pick a couple of projects that were closest to my heart and do them as best I could. If I tried to do everything, not only would Michael's birthday be the price of a small wedding, but I would be killing myself over it all to the point I would lose all fun in my child's first birthday.

So, I bought prepackaged finger foods. I dedicated time to preparing veggies and fruit (or rather, my mom did), and I made the cupcakes and Michael's cake spectacular (or at least as close as I could).

So, for instructions on Red, White, and Blue cupcakes, follow the link.

To make an awesome Captain America cake, watch the video below. I watched it twice, practiced the cake twice before I made it for the party. I gave in, in the end, and bought prepackaged Wilton Fondant because making it homemade did not seem worth it to me.



What I learned from this, thanks to my mom, is that there is no way to be a crazy-perfectionist in situations like this. Things will happen how they happen, and all I can do is my best and let God handle the rest. After all, not everyone is going to get along. Not everyone is going to have a good time, but I hope that everyone who was there was happy to celebrate with Michael-- and that's what it was for!

So, please enjoy these pictures!

Thank you for being patient on this one. We had family visiting, friends coming from out of town, and so much going on that there was no way this post would have made it up Friday or Saturday.

In case you didn't know, Michael's birthday was September 7th. I still can't believe it's been an entire year. What happens when we reach five? Ten? Eighteen?

I don't want to think about it.

I can't even remember what I put in my last post about Michael's developments. It seems I turn my head, or blink, or snap... and there he is doing something that's completely new and entirely adorable. I suppose every mom can say that about her child.

Michael's one year check up is on the 21st (thanks to doing his last round of shots two weeks late due to this and that), so I promise to share his weight and length as soon as I know it!

If you hadn't noticed, Michael's growing a little tuff of hair on top. Luna likes to lick it in to the shape of a mohawk now and again. It only stays that way with dog slobber. Water does not work. Clark tries to get Luna to bathe Michael consistently just so he can have a mohawk. Boys.
(Photo from Courtney Valentine Photography (TN).)

Michael is exploring foods like there's no tomorrow. "Tu-nana-ish" has taken the back seat to things like grapes, blueberries, spaghetti sauce, and just about anything new he can get his hands on. Oh, did I mention cake?
(I will have another post dedicated to the making of this cake.)

As always, Michael's favorite remedy for anything is to be outdoors. Now it's even better since Mama and Dada got him an awesome swing.



However, bath time has climbed the list as well now that he has some awesome new toys (thanks to Marmee and Papa, and his friend Mackenzie).

We are desperately still waiting for Michael to take those first steps. While he has taken some one three at once, he has yet to repeat that or walk across the room without help via furniture or toys. He definitely cruises on his own, though, when he has a toy or something to hold on to near by.

On his actual birthday, not party day, we went to see Dada at work and Michael got his first real boo-boo. Truly. He was crawling and went right off the edge of the climbing mats, although previously he had been cautious when going over the edge. He fell on his face, and much to my dismay there was blood. It wasn't so bad until he coughed and it went all over the place. Not to mention how much he was crying. After nursing a bit, though, he perked right back up-- but you can definitely see the swollen lip in this pic!

After this, we went and got him his first ice cream (Rainbow Sherbert) to help his lip feel better. He was very appreciative of that.

His two top teeth are officially through, although they still probably have about halfway to travel down still. We also believe his two bottom teeth are starting to make an appearance. This is due to his attitude, clingy-ness, and swollen gums as of late.

Other things that Michael loves:

1. Llama Llama books of any kind, by Anna Dewdney.

2. Interactive books (such as prerecorded books, like the one he got from Marmee and Papa for his birthday), or the Hallmark books like those you can find with Bigsby or Scooby-Doo.

3. Going to the climbing gym and hanging out with Dada.

4. Spending time in Luna's doggy bed. (No picture, sorry!)

5. Getting into anything and everything.

That's all for now, folks! Tune back in with specifics about Michael's birthday party soon!

Today is Michael's birthday! What better way to celebrate than to ask you lovely followers to show your love and spread the word?

Yes, I became one of those parents. I entered Michael in the Gerber Generation Photo Search 2012 (Click the link to vote!). Who could pass this up when Michael could be the next Gerber baby or get a $10,000 College Life Plan?

I know it may seem silly, but please try to show your support! Post to come on all his developments on this very special day!