For Levi’s first birthday, we decided to try camping again. We used to car camp a lot but we’ve only gone once with Nora. It’s a lot more work to pack for the kids and deal with their sleeping or not sleeping arrangements. But we still enjoy it and want to get the kids to enjoy it, so we just gotta do it.

Overall, it went well. Nora and Levi stayed up a little later due to the evening light and woke up a little early due to the birds…but that’s camping.
Nora modeling her tent

Fruitless attempt at trying to get Levi to nap in 85 degree weather.

It was kinda lame that our site was mostly gravel but then again, I’m sure it’s easier to brush off gravel then mud. Levi spent his time cruising around with his ‘walker’.

Out on a hike

The family even came out to celebrate with us and watch Levi have his first cake and frosting!

But it was hot and the sugar crash came quickly.

However, he perked right up when we took him to the public bath, a.k.a. campground water station!

On another note, I’ve also made progress on our wainscotting in the kitchen…finally! It’s all installed now, just need to fill the nail holes and paint.

But the biggest news is still Levi’s walking. He usually just takes a few steps then switches to the faster crawling, but he can walk. Today I had his milk cup and he walked across the room to get it, smiling the whole way. Here’s an early clip.

Speaking of milk…now that he’s a year old, he’s trying even more new foods. He loves milk, which is great. He does really well with most types of bread too, which is very convenient. Now we need to work getting him to hold his own spoon.

Oh wait, I forgot the biggest news…Nora is officially potty trained! Boy is it nice. A lot less diapers to wash and no more lifting her up to her changing table! She’s adorable with her new underwear.

She’s also really proud of herself. Our upstairs toilet is a little lower and she is so happy to climb up and straddle, not even bothering to use the little Elmo booster.

My new astilbes are growing, and one of them has a flower already.

I’ve finally attacked the weeds in the back garden. Here’s a close up of the main culprit. I still have about half of the garden to do, but it might have to wait until next year.

That garden has been neglected since we’ve moved in, because the front gardens have demanded all of my attention. Someday I’ll sit on the back patio and look out at my backyard escape. If I could only win a dream landscape contest or something! And find someone to wipe the pollen of the furniture every few days.

The children are “blooming” as well. Here they are looking out the front door.

Levi is now standing on his own. He’s been crawling for a couple months, and he’s into everything. Light fixtures, cords, curtains, Nora’s crayons, etc. He’s really a happy and social baby. He loves to be talked to and played with. And he lets out a huge belly laugh whenever he’s tickled.

Four teeth!

Trying to get into the dishwasher

Nora is now 3 years old. She’s turning into a beautiful little girl. She loves to learn, like it’s her job. Which I guess it is! She tries to be a mother to Levi and to me. I pinched her by mistake the other day when I put her in the carseat, and she said calmly, “Mom, say you’re sorry.” And today when I was carrying her teddybear and shoes down the stairs, she said, “Good job carrying them, Mom.” But most often she’s correcting Levi. Yesterday she and Mike were playing with the toy trains. Mike did something wrong, so Nora yelled, “No, Levi!” She says that about a hundred times a day! Nora is also working on potty training. We just started, but it seems to be going well. She’s really liking her Fancy Nancy underwear.

Opening a birthday present

Working with Mike on a craft project. A poodle for Gram!

Mike is in the middle of his mountain biking season. As always, he really enjoys the competition. He’s in a race series, so the points are totalled over the whole season. He is always complaining about how poorly he does, but then at the end of the series he does well. That’s because he’s so consistent. He’s one of the few that goes to all or most all of the races. He’s definitely a hard worker!

Sorry our posts are becoming less frequent. I guess life is keeping us occupied! You’ll notice in the picture of Nora’s crafts, that our kitchen project still isn’t finished. I have the wainscotting purchased, but still need to paint it. I pulled the wallpaper off the walls before Nora’s first birthday! Ridiculous! I guess I hope that it stays this busy, because it would be boring if it wasn’t.