I Need Ear Plugs

In the past few days, Bethany has learned to squeal - very loudly! She will go on and on for a while, squealing in delight or just to hear herself. It is fun that she is discovering her voice, but it is not that fun for my ears. She gets very high pitched with some of her sounds and will crack up after a noisy few moments. I am lucky to have this squealy girl and wouldn't trade all the deafening noise for anything!

Has It Really Been 5 months?

Bethany is 5 months old today. She is growing and changing everyday it seems. I took her into our backyard this afternoon for a few pictures. The month of April has flown by and I realized that I hadn't taken very many pictures of Miss B. I really like the one of her looking down at her round tummy . . . cute!

At 5 months old, Bethany's favorites include: her Merry Moose toy, mushy peas and green beans, stroller rides at the park (or in the house) books, playing with mommy and daddy, bath time, hanging out in the exersacuer and her comfy burpie.

She doesn't like: afternoon nap time, rice cereal and being on her tummy very long. Good thing she has learned to roll over.

I am happy that the favorites list is much longer than the dislikes . . . she is a VERY mellow and easy going baby for the most part and I feel extremely blessed. She does have an occasional screamy-mimi fit when she is overly tired or hungry but not that often. Bethany is even sleeping from around 9:30 pm all the way until 7:00 am! I feed her a little bit to top her off and then we don't hear a peep the rest of the night . . . life is good at the Leavitt's!

Any Suggestions Would Be Helpful

I am having a garage sale next weekend and really have no idea what I am doing. It is my official first one. Please, pretty please tell me any and all advice and counsel on what I should be doing to have a great, successful sale. I have at least cleaned out all the things I want to sale . . . now the hard part - the actual Garage Sale. Let me know what you know about the world of "one person's junk is another person's treasure!" Thanks ~ I really appreciate it.

We Have Liftoff

I know to all of you this pile of dirt & land may not be that interesting but for us this is VERY EXCITING! There is finally some activity on our plot for our new almost home. Thank you to my amazing and wonderful real estate agent who also happens to be my sister, Angie for going over and documenting all of the fun for us. We are so lucky that we will have my sister and her family only 10 minutes away! She was instrumental in helping us secure this home and get what we wanted and where we wanted. Thanks to Angie again! We LOVE it!

In case you are wondering . . .

• Our house is going to be in McKinney, TX (North of Dallas for the non-Texans)
• We will be in Fricso ISD - there is an elementary school just down from us
• We will be in the Frisco 4 th ward unless they change the boundaries
• The neighborhood is called The Heights at Westridge - off El Dorado and Independence

More to come!! Hooray!!

:-)

I Need A Secretary

In the past two and half weeks since returning from our Texas trip I have been extremely BUSY! I really so need to hire someone to help me out with all the projects I have undertaken, not to mention all the mommy and wife duties that I have responsibility for! Geesh!

Here's my list of all the craziness that I have been up to just since April 1st . . .

• Doctor's appointment for Bethany
• Doctor's appointment for me
• Baby safety classes x's 3
• Getting our taxes done
• Teaching card stamping at a Relief Society event
• Going to play group & the park
• Spring Cleaning = getting rid of all our junk in preparation for our GARAGE SALE! TBA.
• Working on a family project - lots of coordinating, emails and phone calls
• Talking to mortgage/loan people to get all things ready for our home in TX!
• Helping Ryan with his professional portfolio for his job interviews and job search - This is a full time job in its self.
• Going to visit family in & around town and going to birthday parties
• Working on my stamping business
• Multiple trips to the post office, Kinko's, Wal-Mart and other frequented must go places around town

I AM TIRED! This may just explain the earlier post from a week or so ago about losing my brain. Now you can all understand why. I am taking applications for a personal secretary. Of course, you will have to work for free. Actually, if you want to pay me then that would be even better . . . Just send me your resume!

:-)

Funny Girl

This picture cracks me up! We started Bethany on rice cereal and you can tell by the expression on her face how she feels about that. I just don't think she's ready quite yet. I will be doing a redo on solids here pretty soon.




In the dictionary next to "daddy's girl" you may find this picture. Ryan got her laughing pretty hard last night and again tonight with all his silliness!

Tonight when I put her to bed she was making loud raspberries and spitting all over the place. I captured the moment for your viewing pleasure. Funny baby!

Happy Birthday To Matt

I am pretty much 100% sure that he won't even read this, but I wanted to wish my ONLY brother a very Happy Birthday! My big brother is 39 this year - Old Man! Here is a picture of Matt with all of his sisters! Love you bro - and miss you too!

Happy Birthday!

Last Minute Spring

This week I have been trying to take advantage of the few precious days of spring that are left here in the Vegas valley. Sad but true, the forecast for this weekend is supposed to be around 90 degrees! Tragically this means that from that point on it will just be HOT and will keep getting HOT until around October when it goes back to the 80's. For Halloween last year it was in the mid - 80's and everyone was sweating in their costumes at our ward party. Last summer the hotness peeked at around 114 degrees and I was pregnant at the time. Miserable! I so don't look forward to being here in Las Vegas this summer. And on top of that we'll be moving at prime hot time in July/August! Ugh! But I am SO HAPPY for the move - hallelujah!



Yesterday I took Bethany to the park just to feed her! I was looking for any excuse to enjoy the breezy, sunny and cool 70-ish weather. It was a PERFECT day. One of only a few reached out here each year. We just sat on our blanket in the grass and people watched. Well, I people watched and Bethany just flapped her arms and legs and played with her toys. We are lucky (and sometimes unlucky) enough to live across the street from a neighborhood park. So this week I will be at the park pretty much everyday to grasp at these last minutes of spring that are left.



Oh how I wish spring was more like six months long instead of just two or three. Sigh!

Where Oh Where Can It Be?

. . . My Brain. I have lost it this week and would really like to have it back. I like being able to function calmly and I can't do that with it missing. Here is what my week looked like the past few days without it.

Monday - Mistakenly left my debit/credit card at home but didn't realize it until I had gone all the way through the grocery line at Wal-mart and had no other means of payment! I saved myself from complete shame and embarrassment at the last minute when I figured out that I could write a check! Minus two more brain points for not remembering that in the first place!

Tuesday - Went to Bethany's doctor's appointment and forgot to bring her insurance card with me. It was still all cozy in Ryan's wallet from the last time we used our insurance card for my surgery in February. Good thing they had a copy of it in the office. ~ I then proceeded to leave Bethany's shot records at the doctor's office and didn't realize it until the next day. I called and they nurse had put them in her file. - WHEW!

Wednesday - Made a yummy new recipe for dinner for Ryan and I. There were left overs that I had planned to let Ryan take to lunch with him the next day. I left them out on the tall kitchen counter in a Tupperware container to cool down and we went on a short walk around the park. When we returned I sensed something was wrong but couldn't put my finger on it. I had completely forgotten about the food and didn't remember until about 2 hours later when I walked back into the kitchen and kicked something on the floor - the container of now EMPTY food. Dulce doggy had apparently had a yummy snack while we went to the park. Sneaky dog!

Friday - In between going to another doctor's appointment for me, going to the bookstore and filling up my gas tank, I somehow managed to lose Bethany's favorite toy! We call it Merry Moose and she LOVES it! SAD! What kind of mother looses her baby's favorite toy?!?!?! I can't find it anywhere and the last time I remember seeing her with it was at my doctor's office. I am going to have to go to Babies-R-Us and get her a replacement Moose right away!

Maybe my brain will find its way back to me very soon. I really hope so - at this rate it is only a matter of time before these little things add up. Hey! I bet I know where I can find it - a nice relaxing spa getaway - does anyone want to send me there to find it? Please let me know if you do - that would be peachy!

<: -)

FOURS

I have been tagged for a lot of these kinds of things and now I am finally doing one . . . here we go!



4 Jobs I have had:

• Snow Cone Maker


• Waitress - total of four different eating establishments


• Recreation Specialist - City of Garland


• Special Education Teacher - Plano & Las Vegas

4 Movies I watch over and over:

• Pride & Prejudice


• Sound of Music


• Anything Audrey Hepburn


• Hitchcock classics

4 Places I have lived:

• Texas - Vidor, Bryan/College Station & Dallas


• Alaska


• Nevada


• TEXAS again this summer! YEA!

4 TV shows I watch:

• CSI


• Ace of Cakes


• American Idol sometimes


• Ugly Betty

4 Places I have been:

• Mt. Rushmore, SD


• Hot Springs, AR


• Chicago


• Europe

4 Favorite things to eat:

• Chips & salsa


• Reese cups or any chocolate


• Bread - I love carbs, what can I say!


• Pasta

4 Places I would rather be:

• getting a massage


• in my new home in McKinney, TX


• in Hawaii on the beach


• in bed getting some rest

4 Things I look forward to this year:

• Bethany's 1st Birthday in November


• Ryan's graduation for his master's degree in June


• Moving back to TEXAS this summer!


• taking things as they come

4 Months & Growing

Bethany had her 4 month checkup today. She had a screamy-mimi fit that followed the shots. Ouch!

She is now a whopping 14 lbs and 11 ounces. Holy moly! She is 24 inches long and currently ranks in the 75th percentile. Wowzers! She is my precious chub chub and I am so happy. We start her on solids this week. Wish us luck!