Fifteen Months

Our baby is all grown up! At fifteen months, I've got my hands full with this boy. He is a total ball of energy. If he's not running, climbing, or eating, he's not happy! He now has 8 teeth and constant banged up knees from playing outside. His favorite toys are still Scout, his lawn mower, and his books! Here's a little list of all the things Levi has been up to lately!

• Walking/Running. The day after Levi turned a year old, he took off and he hasn't slowed down since. It's actually funny because now and then I'll catch him crawling (usually when he's playing with his trucks) and I just laugh because I haven't seen him crawl in so long!
• Laughing at his own jokes. Levi babbles pretty much non stop when he's playing around here. Every now and then we'll hear him talk and talk, and then he'll throw his head back laughing like, "Wow, that was a good one, Self!" Kills me.
• Wrestles. I'm learning his love language is touch. The more we wrestle around by throwing blankets at each other or we're tackling him to tickle him, the more lovey and happy he gets. If we're not available to wrestle with him, he then recruits Sophie or Scout and jumps around on our bed or the couch until he finds something else to entertain him (or until Sophie's had enough!)
• Kisses. My personal favorite. The other day he actually stopped, grabbed my face, then pulled me in to kiss me. Heart melted.
• Waving "hi" and "bye" and giving high fives. He did all these things at 1, but now they're much more intense. What once was a calm little wave of the fingers is now a full out arm flopping around, and his high fives actually "clap" a little. Then when he's done, he claps for himself!
• Levi knows what a lion says, what a monkey says, how airplanes fly, and where his belly is. We're working on
  
  his nose and what a train says. I think he understands more than he lets on, and sometimes that concerns me ;)
• He has NO interest being in the stroller. Trips to the zoo have come to a halt after an all out war by the penguins a few weeks ago. He just wants to run in every direction other than where we'd like him to go. Fun times.

• Full out fits. These will strike at any time, so we must be on guard. ;) He will
  scream and clench his fists and grit his teeth while shaking his head "no." When we're at home, we just ignore it and after about 10 minutes the kid comes to grips. When we're in public, we....well, we're still trying to figure out how to handle that. These fits have me questioning my parenting ability at times, but I've been reassured fits are just something toddlers do to test boundaries, so I'm hoping  he'll just learn super fast that Mama always wins. :)

Seeing more and more of who Levi is and his heart just blesses my life. I'm so thankful for his sweet, adventurous demeanor. He plays hard, sleeps hard, and loves hard, and he keeps us on our toes! My prayer for him grows all the time. Every night we pray that Levi would "get a good nights sleep so that he could grow to know and follow You. Make him a man among men, that he would spread Your Word to the nations and be a leader in his family, his work, and in his community." It's been so fun to watch Levi discover more and more of the world around him, and I pray for the grace and discernment I need to be the best mom I could be to him.

We love you, Levi Jack, and we enjoy watching you grow more every day!

Happy Thirdiversary!!

Three whole years. It may not sound that long to most, but it really does feel like I just met Brett on my doorstep for the first time! Now we're three years in and elbow deep in diapers and grown up decisions! The day I married Brett, I knew I married a keeper. I knew he was the one God had for me and I was completely confident in our relationship. Looking back, it's like I barely knew him. Living with someone for almost 1,100 days will make you think that. But growing to know this man more and more has become such a blessing. It's an honor to wake up beside him, watch God work in him, and cheer him on every step of the way. A few years ago I blogged about what I learned after a year of marriage. Those things still hold true, but now I have an even bigger list of lessons.

• When you spend a little time each day doing something to make the life of your spouse a little easier, life at home becomes sweeter. Examples include having dinner ready when Brett gets home (something I'm NOT good at but have tried harder at,) making sure the folded socks and underwear make it to his drawer and not left in the laundry basket so he doesn't have to search all morning (sounds pretty elementary, but again, something I'm trying to improve on), transferring money at the ATM for him so he doesn't need to stop on his way home, having Levi bathed and in his jammies before Brett gets home so they get to spend quality time together before bedtime, etc...
• Say "yes" a lot. Really. If he asks for a drink or for me to run and errand for him, I just say yes. Brett doesn't take advantage of me with this, or that would be another story. But he appreciates what I do for him, and in turn, he says "yes" to me a lot too. It draws us closer, builds our dependence on each other, and gives us easy opportunities to serve one another.
• Pray for your spouse. I can't stress this enough. Pray. Pray. Pray.
  
• Don't fight God's work in the heart of your spouse. Brett and I desire to grow closer to the Lord as a couple, but also as individuals. There have been times Brett has been convicted about something or I've been convicted about something that, at first, we don't see eye to eye on. However, when we hear each other out and pray for each other like I mentioned before, it's amazing to see what God can do in us as individuals and as a family. Example: I felt strongly from day one the need to stay home with our babies. Brett was never opposed to it, but he didn't share the same conviction. However, he heard me out and we prayed about it, and we found a solution that fit our positions. Now we are enjoying the benefits of following God's call.
• I've said it before and I'll say it again: HAVE FUN TOGETHER. There are times we are stressed.
  
  We are tired and our hands are full. Be it a sick kid or bills stacking up or stress at work, it's easy to put your relationship on hold. But we really try not to do that. Whether it's renting a movie, going on a walk, or planning a date night, we really make the effort to stop and laugh and enjoy each other. Which really takes very little effort, really. Like I said, I married a keeper. Brett is so much fun and so easy to live with. I pray I'm as much as a delight to him as he is to me. And I am looking forward to the next 3 years and counting as we grow closer to one another and the Lord.