Levi's First Birthday-Part 3

Levi's First Birthday-Part 2

Levi's First Birthday-Part 1

Levi singing Spongebob Squarepants

well kinda

Levi Running at the Beach

Look at him go

Levi Dancing to 'Moondance'

At the store they started playing 'Moondance' on the overhead speakers and Levi just had to get his groove on.

Levi's Motorcycle

Easy Rider

Levi Eating Cottage Cheese

and loving it

Levi Dancing

He's a dancin' machine

Levi Reading

The Going to Bed Book

my new little brother

No one freak out (least of all, my mom). I did get a new little brother today, but this one is white and fluffy with pale blue eyes and walks on all fours. Wait...that STILL sounds like something my mom and dad could've made!

Actually, me and Daddy got Mommy a new kitten for Mother's Day! He's so cute and fluffy. I cant wait to squeeze him till his head pops off. He's half siamese and half manx, which means the parts of his face and tail that are normally dark are actually stripped instead. His eyes are blue, like mine, but lighter.

We named him Yeti, because he looks like a little snow monster. Right now he's so tiny, but Mommy says he'll grow quickly, just like me. I have a feeling we're going to be bestest friends.

Ryder Daniel Tapp

What a glorious day this is! Today, my best friend RYDER was born!

For those of you who dont know, Ryder's daddy is Kyle, who has been my daddy's best friend since they were 4. I guess they have some kind of romantic idea about THEIR boys growing up together and being best friends too. So everyone is very excited here.

When we heard that Erin was going into labor, we all piled in the car to go down to the hospital. Grandma Linny is here visiting, so she got to come with us too!

When we got there, though, we found Erin in tears and Kyle half freaking out. Turned out, my little buddy was all flipped around and they were going to need to do a cesarian. To ease her fears, Grandma Linny told Erin about how all of her kids were cesarians and its nothing to be scared of, which calmed Erin a little bit. But then in the next 10 seconds Grandma Linny fell off a rolling stool and flailed around on the ground like a bug turned on it's back. My guess is she might have lost a little comforting rapport with the mom-to-be at that point.

They wheeled Erin into surgery, and 2 hours later a proud new dad came walking out with a little Ryder in an incubator. In pure Kyle form, he tried to convince the nurse to stop in the hallway so he could take the baby out of the incubator and show off his son to his friends. Of course, the nurse had to forcefully protest and scuttled away with the baby into the nursery. Leave it to Kyle.

For the next hour or so, we watched Kyle fumble around the nursery like a bull in a china shop, holding Ryder and feeding him for the first time. Everyone kept holding me up to the window to watch this new little person, but honestly I dont get what everyone was making a big stink about. He didnt DO anything. He just sat. The most entertaining thing about that whole experience was watching Kyle look so awkward.

I gave up after a while and kicked a ball around the waiting room. At least I got to stay up late, right?

what's he got that I dont?

So, today I took a shower with daddy for the first time. And all I can say is....I hope I'm never THAT hairy.

Pittsburgh cousins turn my world on end

So, my theory about girls from Pittsburgh has pretty much been solidified. My mom's not crazy because she's crazy...there's clearly something in the water in that town.

My mom's cousin Katie came to visit for a few days with her friend Blair, who by the end of the trip was deemed "Cousin Blair Blair". We had so much fun together!

The first night the girls were were, we all went out to my favorite sushi restaurant. Well, it WOULD be my favorite sushi restaurant if I was allowed to have sushi. So I'll call it my favorite-teppanyaki-place-that-makes-great-sushi-I-cant-have. Has anyone ever really looked into the legalities of the gross age-discrimination that parents weild like a giant sword in World of Warcraft? Son of a biscuit, I want to try sushi so bad.

One thing that I *was* able to eat that night was this delicious little invention called "miso soup". I love this stuff. And what's even better, my parents went APE SHIT that I liked it so much. All night long..."Can you believe the baby likes miso?!" "Who ever heard of a kid liking miso with seaweed?!" By 9pm, I was thinking, Get over yourself. I like EVERYTHING you people put in my mouth, even the cat food I snuck off the floor last week. Accept it, and lets move on.

On the 7th, Katie and Blair Blair actually babysat me while Mommy and Daddy went out for their anniversary. I had been thinking up some really evil pranks to play on my unsuspecting babysitters, but since they had been so cool all week, I decided to take it easy on them. I did, however, punish them right before bathtime by peeing all over the floor when they stripped me down. It was so classic...I start my tinkle, and these two girls starts screaming, "Its peing! Its peeing!" I almost laughed so hard, I could have...well, peed some more, I guess.

The best part of the whole weekend, though, we our trip down to Tucson. Katie and Blair Blair wanted to see some of the wild west, so we decided to take them horseback ridiing. Mommy used to work at this horse ranch in Tucson and we combined a fun day on the trail with a visit to old friends. I really liked meeting the horse people. Their names were Nuja and Tim. We went on a ride with their son, Trenton. He was so funny. At first I really liked the ride, although it was kind of uncomfortable sharing a saddle with my mom. I even fell asleep for a little while. But, after a while, the sun started getting really hot, and I was sitting so close to my mom that my back got soaked with sweat. By the last 15 minutes, I had pretty much had enough. But seeing horses for the first time was really cool. And I really liked that guy Tim. I dont know what it was about him....but I think I might have cracked his tough, cowboy exterior when I gave him and extra-special tight squeeze before we left.

Then, as if that wasn't fun enough, when we were done w/ the horses we met some more of Mommy's friends and went swimming! I had never been swimming before. To be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about it. I mean, sure it was hot outside, but that water was COLD! My little baby parts couldnt handle the shrinkage!

All in all, it was a great visit, and I was sad to see the cousin's go.

two at once

It cant be. It JUST CANT BE.

I thought this whole "tooth" thing was bad enough. But now I'm getting TWO AT ONCE!

I'm not sure exactly how I'll make it, but I've got to. I've just got to.

Weeeeee!

Today Mommy, Daddy and I did a very fun special project. We met a group of people downtown to pick up these cool little things called Ben's Bells. They are these beautiful porcelain bells that are made in memory of Ben Packard who died when he was only 2. His mom is my mom's old teacher and friend. After Ben died suddenly, Ben's mom and dad started making these bells and would hang them around the city, just to make people smile. Now Ben's Bells has turned into a huge non-profit org and they pass bells out all over the state.

Today was my first bell distribution. We picked up about 60 bells and started driving around Phoenix, hanging the bells on any tree, park bench, and sign we could find. It was so great knowing that at some point in time, someone would find this bell, and it would just make them smile. What a random act of kindness!

While we were walking through a park, looking for the perfect tree branch to hang a bell, Mommy spotted a swing set with little kid swings. I was a little wary....I had never seen such a contraption before. What could this thing be used for? Torture, of some sort? Were they going to sling-shot me into the heavens and wait for a new baby?

I was terrified as they strapped me into this monstrosity. The chains were hot and my legs hung down....very unsettling. Then, Mommy stood behind me and grabbed a hold of my little seat. I thought, this is it. I'm done for.

Then....the most amazing thing happened. It felt like I could FLY! All of the sudden I was soaring through the air, my stomach rolling over itself, the wind blowing through my...peach fuzz. It was incredible! I was SWINGING!

Although I had a blast, I have to tell you...this whole experience has left quite a sour taste in my mouth. Why on earth did my parents wait so long to introduce me to something so insanely wonderful?! What ELSE are they keeping from me?!

The truth has come out. I can trust no one.

a whole new world

So, I've become fairly skilled with crawling. Sometimes I still get too excited and my back legs move faster than my front legs, causing me to do a really graceful face plant right into the floor, but in general, I rock.

However, I just discovered something that might change my life. Did you know there is a whole other plane of reality ABOVE the floor?! That's right...I know its a lot to take in all at once. Just breathe, and stay with me, okay?

Here's how I found it: I reached up to the coffee table, I grabbed a hold of the edge, and pulled myself up until I was standing. And....there it was. THE TOP OF THE TABLE. Do you know how much STUFF is up there?! Its incredible! It's like hitting the jackpot!

Now, I must warn you, DO NOT LET GO OF THE TABLE. The table, or couch, or chair, or whatever you're holding on to is completely magical. The moment you let go, you will find yourself back on the floor again within seconds, sometimes painfully. So hang on to that table at all costs!

I've got to go...I've got so much stuff to explore and destroy!

the worst day of our lives

I woke up this morning, Mommy and Daddy were both already awake and they both looked awful. For about 20 minutes I watched the two of them run back and forth to the bathroom. It wasn't until they started saying how they were so grateful I didnt have "it" that I realized...they're SICK.

Just at that moment, it happened. I puked. Now, remember, I still spit up after I eat, so regurgitating isn't a wholly uncommon experience for me. But this was a whole other animal. I was heaving and puking and I couldnt stop to save my life.

Mommy called Dr. Uncle Scotty and his best advice was for us to find someone to take care of the 3 of us, because he said we all had something called the "stomach flu".

Luckily, Mommy started feeling better by mid-afternoon and was able to take care of both me and Daddy. What a trooper that chick is!

I'm FREE!

FINALLY!

All of the sudden rockie rockie is archaic and trite. Who wants to rockie rockie when you can CRAAAAAWWWWWL!

That's right, cats and kittens. I started crawling today! All of the sudden, so much more of the world is right at my fingertips. That electrical outlet I've been dying to try? Can do, buckaroo. The sliverware holder in the dishwasher with all the sparkley knives? I'm all over it. I can even chase the dog and cat around!

My days of being an immobile beetle flipped on it's back are OVER! I'm a CREEPY CRAWLIE!

Revenge

I'm clearly being punished for something. Just as I'm starting to celebrate my hands and knees accomplishment, another freaking dagger appears in my mouth! Isnt one enough?! How many of the wretched "teeth" do people need?!

I think its all a plan hatched by my menacing parents. I think they noticed I'm getting up on my hands and knees, and they know the turmoil that their lives are in for as soon as I become mobile, so they induce great pain upon me, hoping to disable me with agony.

Well, I'll show them. The stabbing pain in my jaw only MOTIVATES me! This will be my comeback, my greatest challenge and success! I will overcome these "teeth"...oh, teeth will not win today, my friends.