Another giveaway...

and this one's a doosie!

The Secret is in the Sauce is giving away this spectacular bounce house:

Here's what you need to do:

1. Stop by their blog, grab the code for their button (found on the right sidebar) , and throw it up on your blog.

2. Post about the contest on your own blog.

3. And last but not least, "roll call" (leave them a comment). This counts as your entry.

*Important: If you're new to SITS, when you leave your comment, please mention that I referred you! Thanks!

My first fondant cake...

My Mom's birthday was on Saturday. This gave me a great opportunity to bake a cake! I decided to try fondant for the first time! We like the way it turned out but the best part was working together (Joe-Z helped knead the color into the fondant)...we had a blast!

I've decided that while fondant might not be as nummy as buttercream icing, it sure can make a pretty cake.

That's right folks, 20 fabulous days of giveaways! Go check it out!

A giveaway from Today's Creative Blog...

Have you visited Today's Creative Blog lately? Lots of fun features. Make sure you stop by and leave a comment to be included in the latest giveaway!

*Note: You must have the "Today's Creative Blog" button in your post in order to win.

Alphabet Friends

So, through a friend, I found the great site, Letter of the Week. It's a wonderful resource for homeschooling, and has been a great help in finding ideas for Levi's age range.

This one stuck out to me, and I just had to do it. Levi loves them. I'm only taking them out at "Learning Time" and the rest of the time they'll hide away (as to avoid losing half the alphabet, lol).

It was super-easy, very cheap, and I think it'll be a great way to introduce him to the alphabet.

Here's what you'll need:

Googly Eyes

Foam Letters (the kind for the bathtub)

Hot Glue Gun (and a glue stick)

The Before:

The After:

Ta-Da!

In about a half hour you have yourself a whole alphabet (and 1-10) of little Alphabet Friends! Enjoy!

Happy Father's Day!

What did this daddy get for Father's Day this year? Why, what every dad wants...

Flowers, of course!

When our conversation turns to this, we know it's past our bedtime!

Maybe it's because it's so late /early. Maybe it's because he was so darn cute. Maybe I don't really know why, but we had this conversation tonight, and I thought I'd share...

{We're sitting on the couch. Levi's asleep, John Morgan is sitting on my lap with his feet hanging over Joe-Z's leg. We're admiring how cute he is and what a little blessing he has already been to our family in his short 9 weeks here.}

Me: I really love having a house full of boys!

Joe-Z: Yeah, a house full of little missionaries. A little army of Helaman, little warriors. {Trying to be sneaky} A bunch of football players...

Me: Ummmmm, no.

Joe-Z: Oh come on.

Me: Ummmmm, no. Too dangerous.

Joe-Z: That's okay. Levi's chosen baseball anyway.

Me: That's true. Baseball is so much better anyway. Less injuries. And, when was the last time you saw a really fat baseball player? Sometimes you see those really fat football players.

Joe-Z: Maybe that's what I should do...start playing football....beef me up...Scotty. {chuckle chuckle}

I caught his eye, followed by: " (cricket, cricket) ."

Then: Hysterical laughter.

An update on John Morgan and a little bit of Levi...

Well, results are in and he's okay! Woo-Hoo! The kidney ultrasound showed he has Hydronephrosis. It's an enlargement of the renal pelvis in his left kidney. They're not suggesting any follow-up treatment, as mild cases usually resolve on their own...phew.

And the GI doc said that if he were having any new blood in his diapers, then he would want to do an endoscopy, but since he hasn't, he thinks the risks would outweigh the benefits (at this point, I feel like a thousand pounds have been lifted off. I was terrified by the thought of such a little guy having to be put to sleep...yikes). So, he said to give the new formula another few weeks to kick in and heal his insides (which he says he feels is the reason for all the crying).

On a wonderful note, he hasn't had a 3-hour long crying spell for the last 10 days!!! Hallelujah! In fact, it has been quite dreamy around our house as far as he's concerned (Levi on the other hand, not so much, but that's another story).

And the reversal of his torticollis is coming along rather nicely! He doesn't mind the stretches too much anymore! And he love, love, loves tummy time on the Boppy and especially on the exercise ball! His head is still a little flat, but they say that can take up to 18 months to "grow out."

Take a peek:

And an update on our Levi...

...there isn't enough time in the day to share all of his new happenings! He's at that age now where he's learning something new everyday...actually, like 50 new things everyday! Seriously, he learns to say at least 1 new word each day and he recognizes like 10 new things each day! His newest accomplishment is to say "There it is" whenever I ask him to point to something. It's absolutely adorable!

I love being a mom. And I love little babies. But thus far, (in my vast parenting experience) I have to say that this age is by far the best. It is just so much fun to see him becoming a little man. He is such a joy. He does this super-cute thing. When you pick him up (especially if it's first thing in the morning or after a nap) he wraps his arms around you, puts his head on your shoulder, and pats your back. This is followed by a little rub, then more patting. It's just so sweet. He's the best.

Here's a little video:

Our Saving Grace

This has been all Levi has requested at every meal time for the last day and a half. He just loves it! And asks for it by name ("Soooop!") as he points to the exact spot on his tray that the soooop needs to be placed! What a cutie! As for picking one food to stick with, I guess it could be worse...

A little perspective...

So, we've been having an extremely hard time with John Morgan. His crying borders constant. The past few days have been dizzying. He'll cry for hours at a time, until he loses his voice, then he whimpers until he falls asleep, tears still dripping down his cheeks. He gets little bits of sleep at a time, every once and a while he'll be able to sleep for 2 or 3 hours.

It's so strange...sometimes he'll lay on his blanket and stare up at you, just smiling and cooing like crazy, and 20 minutes later he's in hysterics. It's hard to see him so happy, and then so in pain the next minute.

We took him to his pediatrician yesterday who ordered a kidney ultrasound (scheduled for this afternoon), and told us to consult with our GI specialist from Children's to have an endoscopy done. So, we'll meet with him on Thursday and go from there.

With all of this going on, last night I'm on the computer perusing blogs, and came across this great "mommy interview" on the gab blog. From there, I went to this post about her daughter Rachel, who is handicapped. This story really put me in my place. I can't imagine going through something like this. I was left feeling so grateful that I was able to catch a little perspective in the midst of my so-called "rough" day.

I'm also really grateful for both of my boys, who teach me so much about patience, selflessness, and love, and remind me that if I feel this way for them, how much greater are those feelings that our Heavenly Father has for us. I know that he loves us and that he wants us to be happy, and will never give us trials greater than we have strength to bear.

Funniest commercial we've ever seen!

Not sure if this is "ha ha" funny or

"oh my gosh, I'm so embarrassed" funny!

Either way, we LOVE it!

John Morgan's future: Already Decided?

Our sweet baby boy: 7 weeks, 5 days.

7 weeks, 5 days, 1 minute...

What??? When did this happen?!?!?!?

Is this any sign of what's to come?

Let's hope not...