:: Levi's 1st Birthday ::

We had such a nice party to celebrate your big day. Grandmama & Grandpapa, Uncle Tim's family, Uncle Tom's family, Uncle Greg's family, Uncle Jeff's family, the Wrights, and Aunt Meg all came over for dinner. We had a yummy feast in your honor...only the best for our son! You loved being the center of attention and were so cute!!! I want you to know that you are LOVED...you have so many people that adore you and will always be there for you. You are such a special little guy and have a great Spirit about you! I love that you are so loving, and the way you cuddle into people when they hold you. You give lots of kisses freely and make a "maaa" sound while doing it that melts hearts. I love it when you walk up to me and hold my legs while looking up at me and reach both hands out to me...knowing I will pick you up. You are such a good little eater, willing to eat just about anything...and mommy really needed that- so thank you! Levi, you are very mischievous and that's okay. You always want to get into everything, especially the stuff you know you are not supposed to (like the game cupboard, under the kitchen sink, the remote control, the toilet bowl brush/toilet paper/anything that has to do with the toilet, the big potted plant, etc...) You are walking like a pro these days, although you still have that cute baby wobble and still crawl from time to time. You can already go up the stairs all by yourself. My favorite thing to do during the day is chase you around the couch, playing peek-a-boo around the corner and catching you off guard...we laugh and roll around on the floor (I think it is your favorite activity too)! You are not as visual as your big brother (you don't love books and TV), you are more hands on. You like playing with toys, coloring, games, dancing, getting tickled, play dough, discovering, playing, but mostly just being in your mommy's arms. You love Tate and are such good buddies. You two love to follow each other around and play so well together, and I am sure that bond will only grow stronger with time! You are just starting to say little words here and there (like tank-u) and we can tell you understand pretty much everything we say...you are just getting so big too fast. You are the baby of our family and we all love and adore you!

Happy Birthday Boo-Bah!!!

No time for a nap on your big day, luckily this little snack held you over until bedtime.

Look how big you have gotten in just one year!

(Now I am going to cry...promise me you will always be my sweet boy.)

HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY LEVI!

You knew this party was just for you and clapped & bopped along as we sang to you.

We LOVE our family and were so happy everyone could come to celebrate Levi Lou's birthday with us!

Mommy LOVES you more than words can say! You are such a joy and sweet boy...I just can't get enough of my mamma's boy. =)

Tate LOVES you sooooooooooo much!!!

Mommy made you a delicious coconut lemon curd cake from scratch and you gobbled it up. =)

You have a sweet tooth...just like your momma!

You stayed pretty clean for your first dessert.

You loved all your presents...and all that attention too!

Daddy LOVES his beautiful boy and had so much fun helping you open all your presents.

Aunt Hilary made you this very special book with pictures of all the Weeks' family members in it, she wanted you to have a very thoughtful gift because you are named after Uncle Tim and have a special place in their family's heart.

You really are such a loving little guy, always giving lots of kisses and cuddles.

:: A very Happy Halloween indeed! ::

We had a fabulous Halloween at Tim & Hilary house, along with Grandmama and Grandpapa this year. Delicious soup and scones were served for dinner...perfect for a cold fall evening! Tate loved his "baby dinosaur" outfit that daddy rushed to the store just hours before to buy (I had planned on recycling his cute monkey costume but could not convince him to put it on) and Levi was squeezably cute as a little bear. My favorite part of the night was handing out candy on the porch with Levi, Hilary, Kenzie, and Grandmama. We always have plenty of laughs and good conversation for those couple of hours. Andy had a blast with Tate and the rest of the gang going trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Another perfect Holiday I am sad to be over!

:: 4th of July ::

*click image to see larger

One of our families' favorite holidays is the 4Th of July. What is there not to love? There is always plenty of family & friends (Jude & Eliza), delicious food, fun games, incredible fireworks and fun smaller fireworks, and of course the reason we celebrate...our independence. Our family has had the tradition of spending the 4Th of July at Tom and Sandy's house...and each year they deliver another memorable occasion! Luckily for us, Tom has mastered the art of smoking BBQ ribs and we contributed this pasta salad and smoothies (I learned how to make these as a waitress at Los Hermanos)...I'll share my version of this super easy recipe below. =) We had a blast playing a competitive game of Frisbee golf (a first for me...but not the last)...even little Tate joined in the game! Some of us need a little practice before next time, but we had plenty of good laughs due to our poor Frisbee skills so I think it was a good trade off...don't you think mom? I had to go in to tend to the baby while the others worked up a sweat playing ultimate Frisbee, and then it was time for root beer floats and fireworks...the best part! The kids got fun goodies from Grandmama and Grandpapa: glow sticks, bubbles, and little popping fireworks that they could do themselves. Despite Lagoon canceling their usual fireworks show, we really loved watching the city fireworks just as much! As I was getting all romantic (as I do with fireworks), Andy turned into a kid again tickling all of us with grass in our ears...and yes it was still funny after the 12Th time. ;) The drive home was fun too as we were able to see straggler fireworks along the way! Thanks again, Tom and Sandy for an AMAZING time!!!

Purple Smoothies -about 2 servings

about 1/2 c. crushed ice
about 1 c. sprite
2-3 scoops vanilla ice cream
about 1/2 c. (or more) frozen strawberries
about 1/2 c. (or more) frozen blackberries
(I was able to find a frozen bag mix of the two of these fruits on sale at Kholers)
top them off with whipping cream...preferably non-dairy

Put all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth! Add ice or ice cream if it is too thin and add sprite if it is too thick. And remember, you can't mess up a smoothie so don't worry about measuring...just eyeball it. ENJOY!!!

::Easter 2009::

A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E...I know! =) Levi's very first Easter was such an amazing one. He loved every second of it! My only regret is that I forgot to get the boys a new outfit until Saturday and by then it was too late, but they still looked cute in their hand-me-downs. =)

This is the ONLY pic I have of Tate alone and looking at me! The rest are of him running around, having a ball and finding eggs etc. What an important and FUN holiday! I forgot how much fun Easter could be, but with kids 2 and older it is such a memorable holiday. Tate had so much fun being outside and finding his basket/eggs on a gorgeous Spring day. And then we had the BEST time at Grandpapa and Grandmama's house! We had a delicious meal of ham, deviled eggs (that was our contribution), Aimee's to die for granola rolls and homemade raspberry butter (still need that recipe), Sandy's yummy jello that all the sister-in-laws were excited to have on their plates, potatoes and gravy (a Weeks must have), and corn. And then we devoured Hilary's out of this world dessert...a fresh berry sauce with a kick served hot on top of homemade chocolate chunk ice cream cake. Oh, yeah BABY! I am going to have to share the recipe for the dessert and rolls for you guys later. =)

We actually did a really good job on their Easter baskets this year. Probably too much if anything, but we knew Tate was old enough to get really excited. After church we hid the died eggs that we made the night before with Aunt Meg around the side of the house for Tate to find and with much help and prompting he was able to find them all. Then we gave the boys their baskets and tried to quickly get a cute picture (it was too cold and the grass was a little too wet to prolong the process.) *Don't worry he is not choking his baby brother...it's a love hold! =)

Every year we pile all the Weeks grandkids on a blanket in front of grandma's big pine tree and try to get the money shot. This was the best one I got (hopefully, uncle Tom got one with Levi looking up.) And every year the blanket gets a little more crowded. =) What CUTIES!!! Next year our family will be pleased to add Jeff and Trina's new baby boy to the mix (due to arrive sometime near the end of July!)

happyvalentinesday!

::fluffy buttermilk lemon pancakes with lemon syrup, turkey sausage & my V-Day plant::

We started the day off right with this yummo breakfast! I love all things lemon, but this recipe was much too complicated for the end result so I am not going to bother sharing the recipe. Andy used to buy me the ever popular "mixed spring" bouquets back in the day because he knew how much I liked a variety of flowers. I had to gently explain that I do love variety, but prefer one type of flower at a time. These days I prefer plants (especially the Costco Orchids...my last one lasted almost 2 years in full bloom!) The next portion of our day was dedicated to finishing the master bedroom paint job. Can I just say, I LURVE the color...it is exactly what I wanted. After painting, we went over to the Teppanyaki Restaurant for lunch and had the most delicious meal...we just love that place! Then we made our way back home so that we could watch my sister's kids while they went on their date. We had a very yummy/productive/fun day!

These will be so much fun for Valentines Day this year!

Just looking at my new vintage fondue pots makes me happy! I know I am on a FUN-Do kick recently...but look what I found the other day while shopping at my favorite vintage shop. Aren't they CUTE!?! The color looks great against my green walls in the kitchen! I got all three for $30 (the top one is a double), at the other shops I went to that day I saw much less appealing ones for $45-$65 each.

Tate's Birthday Celebration: Part 1

Happy 2ND Birthday Tate!

Our sunshine!

I am so glad we decided to go out for dinner with just the four of us for Tate's birthday, it made it so special and fun! The simplicity of the evening made it one we will never forget. We had a delicious dinner at the Olive Garden and ordered a yummy chocolate cake and strawberries for dessert. Tate must have known it was his special day as he was the main attraction at the restaurant that night! He was a little ham to all the waitresses and tables around us (everyone was saying how they wanted to take him home.) Tate is really becoming a social butterfly every where we go- he waves, smiles, and says "hi" to everyone around. Andy and I are so blessed to have him in our home and for all eternity! It amazes me how much he means to us and how much joy one little person can bring into the world.




At the beginning the waitress asks Tate, "Do you speak Italian?" to which he replied, "yeah."

An aodrable reminder

Did you make a New Year's resolution this year and need a cute reminder to keep you on track? Dogeared has these wishbone necklaces in silver or gold...aren't they cute!

There is nothing better in this world than family!!!

It was Big D's birthday around Christmas time so we decided to celebrate both his birthday and Christmas in one night.

These two have been close buddies since T was just a baby, despite the age difference...and I love it! I think Tate will always feel like he has a big brother.

The first part of our evening together was dedicated to Dallin's birthday party. He has grown up sooooooooo FAST, I can't believe it! Dallin is the oldest cousin on my side of the family and has always been so special to me!!! He requested a Stouffer's Lasagna (the best...and a Pearson family favorite), raw carrots and garlic bread for dinner...yummo. Anna made his cake with wild blueberries in the cream cheese frosting and it was out of this world good. I might just have to get that recipe and share it later.

Tate and his cousin "Mema"...BEST BUDS! These two have been more like brother and sister and I hope it stays that way. =)

For our Pearson family Christmas portion of the evening we exchanged gifts for those of us that had them and then went over to Thanksgiving Point. We wanted to go see the lights for a fun and simple activity, but the wait must have been at least two hours so we moved on to the next activity. My plan was to have home made hot chocolate by the fire pit, unfortunately that was diminished as well...they must have closed minutes before we arrived. Luckily, Santa's reindeer were still out so we ventured out into the FREEZING cold to take a look. Levi slept through the whole ordeal tucked away warmly in his car seat and covered with a leather jacket to protect him from the frigid air. The kids got a kick out of the reindeer and we all got really cold fast so we came back to my house for some yummy hot chocolate.

We are a very touchy-feely family, as you can see! =)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Something to get you in the mood...for Christmas! It took me a while to narrow down my flickr favs for this one, but here they are in all their glory. =)


1. Nestled Snuggly???, 2. So this is Christmas..., 3. so had to try this...., 4. O Christmas Tree, 5. ho ho x 2, 6. The best gift of all, 7. By the Chimney with Care, 8. 345/366 {kiss-okeh}, 9. today we turned the tables on murphy's law, 10. Christmas Cake, 11. 'tis the season, 12. Santa's Cheer, 13. Santa is very jolly because he knows where all the bad girls live. ~Dennis Miller, 14. Untitled, 15. After joyfully shouting, "Yo! Ho! Ho! And a bottle of rum!!!"... Santa blushed, looked around and realized it should be, "Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Christmas!!!", 16. Dashing through the snow..., 17. frosty and me, 18. On the way to the North Pole, 19. Red Leaf Studios, 20. Christmas is a time when you get homesick - even when you're home. ~Carol Nelson, 21. To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that's when the stars shine brightest, 22. My Christmas Card Photo for 2008, 23. winter beauty, 24. little elf, 25. "Snowflakes are so pure and white, The special thing about them is No two are alike." ~unknown, 26. 24 Days of Christmas - 12/24, 27. C A L O R I E S - W H O . C A R E S ?, 28. “Let's be naughty and save Santa the trip.”, 29. candy cane sweetness, 30. the tree :), 31. Happy...um, I mean Merry Bokeh Wednesday!!, 32. this year's christmas wrap..., 33. Christmas Bokeh, 34. have yourself a pretty pink christmas..., 35. I see stars, 36. holiday bokeh 2008 (1)

...and for your viewing pleasure.

Oh, how I love the 50's...what a delightful decade!

Our red and silver Christmas tree.

Tate's first Christmas ornament from last year...we had his name inscribed on the bottom.

I love our monochromatic tree!!! In the near future (maybe next year), we will have a finished basement and be able to have the fun family tree with all the sentimental and homemade ornaments.