And we have COLOR!

Unfortunately, this picture is REALLY dark! It must have been the light that threw it off. My walls don't look that dark in real life. The next one gives you a better idea!










Just a quick picture of the wiring that's going on. We've moved the switch for the dining room and garage to the same place and we're also adding a receptacle to make it easier to vacuum and iron!

Why didn't they think of that when the house was built 50+ years ago? :)

Now for the next step...wainscoting! :)

Why did my living room look like this?

Well...we had to put the stuff somewhere, because we were getting ready to paint! Yippeeee!













We hung plastic to make sure the dust didn't get all over the place. At least we TRIED to contain it!











The holes were cut for the electrical stuff. :)













And...my nice new floor looked like this! EEEEEK! (Poor Sponge Bob - he ended up in the garbage...)

Hey!

New banner...what do you think? :)

(I guess since we're not giving Megan back, we should include her in the banner! About time, huh?)

In Memory of Uncle Dean

It was exactly one year ago today that we lost our Uncle Dean (Kollet) whom we loved and cherished so much to various complications from infection and organ failure. Dean (pictured on the left with his wife Debbie) was 51 years old and was pretty much my "big brother" and mentor for a long time in my teens and beyond. Although he and his family lived in Florida, we always made at least one yearly trip to be with them as often as possible. I can't ever remember a time when I didn't make a trip during vacation to be with him and he was always there for me at any time I needed him. There was never any second thought to naming our son Ryan Dean Levett after our wonderful uncle who himself was a awesome family man and loved by all who knew him. We miss you so, Dean!

Ric

Who is this kid? Call him SPIKE!!!

Ryan had an eventful day today...can you tell?

Mom just started taking him to a weekly class called "Creative Kids." It was put together by one of my Stamping customers and her friend. I thought that he needed a little mommy & me time, so we've signed up for 6 weeks. We left Megs at home with a neighbor, and took off for a few hours!

He had a BALL! First, he colored a little and played with stickers. Then we sang songs and read stories about colors and danced! After that we had a painting project where Ryan took squishy toys and dipped them into paint and colored a white bunny. (I'll put up a picture of it when it dries - it's a little goopy right now!) After that, more songs and we said goodbye!

He just loved the books and projects. And he's not shy at all about other kids! I think it may be something we continue doing after the 6 weeks are through.

I decided that he also needed a trim, so off to SnipIt's we went! This was the result! SO CUTE! He looks so grown up now!

Now all he does is talk about the "monsters" he saw. (The cartoon "animals" that were all over the place where he got his hair cut.)

Don't you love the new look?

Who is this kid??? Can't imagine!!

(No, we aren't abusing him...the nice little bruise on his head is self-inflicted. His new thing lately is banging his head on the floor or wall when he's frustrated. Yes, I've looked it up - it's most likely a phase and will grow out of it when he can express his frustration better. Thank goodness!)

Watching the clock...tick...tick...tick...

I'm sitting here at New England Tech with two students left. Class today is an open lab/makeup day, so I'm just here to answer questions if they have them. I've finished updating my assignments for next quarter, so now I'm just poking around the web.

I found this cute thingy - I'm not going to tag anyone, but feel free to copy if you want to and put your own up on your site!

Marni's New Names... :)

1. YOUR ROCK STAR NAME: (first pet & current car) -BB Dodge

2.YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (fav ice cream flavor, favorite cookie) Strawberry Peanuh Buttah

3. YOUR ?FLY Guy/Girl? NAME: (first initial of first name, first three letters of your last name) -M Lev

4. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color, favorite animal) - Green Dog

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (middle name, city where you were born)-Hmmm...I don't have a middle name, unless you count my maiden name - then it would be Wadley San Jose. Nope - doesn't work!

6. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first) - MarLe

7. SUPERHERO NAME: (2nd favorite color, favorite drink put ?The?) The Blue Dew

8. NASCAR NAME: (the first names of your grandfathers)- Harold Leonard

9. STRIPPER NAME: ( the name of your favorite perfume/cologne, favorite candy) Romance Snickers

10.WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (mother?s & father?s middle names ) Anita Bruce

OK Guys - are you done yet? My "Megan" alarms just went off! hehe

Temple trip Saturday - philisophical question to ponder

Saturday, we took our youth from church to the Boston Temple for a 7:30am, session in the baptismal font. It was a terrific turn-out and including adults and youth, about 25 people made the early trip. Each youth stood in for 10 names for both confirmations and baptisms. Everyone agreed that despite the weather was gray, wet and cold, there was something special about our work and time spent in Boston. We passed up taking the kids into Boston for pizza after the trip and settled on fast food on the way back home about 11am.

Anyway, while leaving the temple (in the hallway staircase), our second counselor from the Bishopric and myself spotted a rather large spider on the wall and debated if we should kill it. Then we pondered the spiritual and philosophical implications of our actions. The question is..."is killing a spider in the Temple a bad thing?" We left it alone and and had a laugh about it on the way out. I need all the blessings I can get in my life, and the spider wasn't worth the risk for me / us.

Ric

Progress!

YAY! We're getting closer and closer to a new floor AND a new dining room!

We spent Tuesday (Ric's day off) scraping up the old tile and putting down new (self-stick) tile. It's not the real thing, but good for us until we remodel.




Look what else we found! Pretty wallpaper - circa 1953! I actually like the color combination. I'll probably use those colors it to make a card! (You never know where I'm going to get an idea!)




Here's the closeup.













Ryan had to help out too...insisting that he use the "big boy tools" just like Dad.











Yes, Son, why don't you pick up that old Asbestos tile! :)

See how they grow!

This picture was taken when Ryan was 2 months old. (He's the one crying on the left.) His little girlfriend on the right is Maddie - who was born just 12 days before Ryan.

You would think that Maddie's mom and I planned our next babies together when you look at this next picture!


Same chair, same kids PLUS TWO! Megan is just 5 weeks older than Ellie - Maddie's younger sister. It almost looks like the two older kids are saying "My Baby!," while trying to keep them away from each other!

One more picture in their cute matching dresses!

It will be fun to see how they all grow up together! :)

Knuckles...

Ryan has unofficially become the Young Men's mascot. He goes with Ric to the activities a lot and the times that he "flunks" out of Nursery, he's there with Ric in their classes on Sunday since I'm in the Primary playing the piano.

A couple of weeks ago, Ryan made a fist with his hand and put it on top of my hand and said: "Knuckles." Actually it took me a few times to figure out what he was saying, but when I got it, I laughed and wondered which young man had taught him that.

Today...he made a fist, knocked it against Megan's fist and again, said "knuckles." Great, now my kids are doing some "hip" greeting that I never did when I was younger! hehe

Megan - so cute!

I just put up a picture of Megan on my business website - check it out!

Lookie What I Did!

I've been waiting 3 1/2 years for this! OK...so it doesn't look all that exciting right now. BUT, I've finally started to pull off the paneling in the dining room! WOo Hoo! We're also replacing the carpet we had put down when we moved in and replacing it with tiles. (We're keeping the carpet in the living room though.)

I can't tell you how often I sit in the living room - usually feeding Megan - and I look at the dining room with "visions" of the changes I want to make! Right now, it's all cosmetic. But someday, we'll blow the back wall out and make it and the kitchen MUCH bigger. Maybe we'll add another floor while we're at it!.

(The picture showing the kids toys...consider that "before".)

A couple of wedding pictures

The wedding we went to last weekend was so beautiful! We didn't take too many pictures - so we just have a few to share.








The wedding was at the Dunes Club (I was going to put a link to their website, but it's just a front page with a members only login! It was a pretty posh place, with a STEEEEP price to belong! The only way we'd ever get to go again would be if someone else had a wedding there! It was gorgeous though!)



Congratulations Kerry & Glenn! We had a fabulous time!










PS. One thing I was just amazed at. When the wedding party was on the beach taking pictures, people had no problem walking behind them, getting in the middle of it! No consideration at all! *sigh*

Ryan's 1st Kayak Ride

It's not a long video - and it's at the tail end of the ride, but at least Ryan wasn't screaming! :) (Actually, he had a ball! He almost lost his hat because he threw it into the water...but Dad rescued it before it was gone for good!)

Labor Day at Prudence Island

There's a little known gem in the middle of Narragansett Bay called Prudence Island. Most people, when they talk about islands in RI or Mass think of Block Island, Nantucket, or Martha's Vineyard.



Prudence Island is further North inside of the bay. (See Map.) We are lucky in that Ric's Aunt owns a house on the island, and we usually spend Labor Day taking the ferry (1/2 hour from Bristol) and spending the day there.



This was Ryan's first ferry ride - all he wanted to do was look over the edge and run around. It was a little nerve racking! But we kept a close eye on him!






The weather couldn't have been more beautiful - and the view was even better! (That's Mt. Hope Bridge in the background. It connects Bristol to Portsmouth and Newport.)





Of course Megan decided to catch up on her beauty sleep during the ride over. Doesn't she look cute in her little pink sweatshirt? (Thanks Steph!)






So what does one do on Prudence Island? AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE! :) Ryan wanted to try kayaking, so Dad and "Uncle" Scott (Ric's cousin) took the kayaks out with Scott's boys. They went part way around the island and came back just in time for lunch. Yep - They were all soaked in the end! Good thing we planned ahead and brought clothes just in case!

(Can you see Ryan in the front of the kayak?) Look for a separate post for kayak video!











While the boys were playing on the water, "Auntie" Christine (Scott's wife) and I chatted, and relaxed. We did work on lunch too - but it was more fun to just sit!








Just a couple more pictures....















Doesn't the weather look fabulous? It was... :)











Megan and Dad - wearing matching outfits! hehe



















I love this face!













On the ferry going back to the "mainland", Ryan just wanted to sit next to his cousins, Jake and Zack. In fact, when we were loading up the cars, he threw a tantrum because he wanted to go with the big boys instead of go home with us! It didn't last long - he fell asleep just as we hit the highway. *whew* BIG day for us!

Thanks Arlene, Jan, Scott, & Christine for inviting us - he had a blast!

Child Abuse???

Is it considered child abuse if I keep my terrible two-year-old in his crib all day? I promise I'll feed him! Yep - I'm definitely going for Mother of the Year today!

(This after Ric "implied" this morning that I don't clean up anything around the house. Hmmm... let's just see what the house looks like when I REALLY don't clean anything up!)

It's going to be a "great"day!

Spanx Me!

OK girls...have you seen these things? They come all different ways, but I guess the most popular are the "footless" pantyhose that you can wear under your pants to make everything "smooth."

I picked up a pair or "top to bottom" Spanx to wear with a skirt I made. (I thought it might be nice to be a little "pulled together" as I went to this wedding.)

So Sunday, as I was getting ready for Church, I decided to put them on.

Ummm....what the? These things are the tightest tummy shapers I've seen! I was halfway through getting them on when I wondered if I had accidentally bought the wrong size! I was literally squishing everything into them inch by inch! I'm so glad that Ric was giving Ryan a bath, because it wasn't the prettiest scene!

While double-checking the size, I re-read the features of these things...and I quote:

• Look slimmer with extra tummy control. Smooths entire midriff, thigh, and rear. (OK, I can handle that)
  
• Soft waistband comfortably stays in place with special design (if you can get it UP to your waist that is!)
• Avoid VPL. (Visible Panty Lines) (Not a problem for me with the "brand" of underwear I happen to sport!)
• Comfortable body shaping offers perfect smoothing control. (Who writes this stuff?)
• Cotton double gusset (crotch) opens to make life easier when Mother Nature calls. (That's when I lost it! Apparently, these things weren't made with Temple-attending Mormon's in mind! hehe)
• Etc etc...
  

So anyway...after my 15 minute workout getting these things on. (Yes, I HAD purchased the right size.) I have to say that they are pretty cool! I was definitely body shaped and smoothed! I just prayed that I wouldn't have to go to the bathroom and repeat the entire scene again!

Sunday: A Timeline...

(All times are approximate...)

7:00 am - Wake up and get out of bed. Tiptoe around so we don't wake the kids yet!

7:14 am - Mom takes a shower and then starts to get ready, hoping that Megan doesn't wake up so she can at least finish her makeup. (Hair can dry a little on its own while Megs is eating.)

7:35 am - Megan wakes up - HUNGRY! Mom sits down to feed her.

7:45 am - Dad gets into the shower

8:00 am - Mom irons two blouses - one for Church and one for the Wedding we had to attend later in the day. (I know, I know...Saturday is a special day...)

8:15 am - Ryan wakes up with his usual "daddy daddy daddy." Dad is still shaving, so mom gets him up and changes his diaper. (Meg, fortunately, has finished eating, for now...)

8:25 am - Ryan is strapped down into his high chair and given "something" for breakfast. When that "something" ends up on the floor, we try "something else" until "something" is eaten. Meg dozes a little on the couch.

8:35 am - Mom dries her hair and starts to get dressed (knowing that she may have to get undressed if Megan decides that she didn't have enough to eat!) Dad has been getting ready and helping with Ryan's breakfast too.

8:50 am - Mom struggles with her "Spanx" - more on WHY she was wearing them later!

9:00 am - Dad brushes his teeth and mom is still struggling...

9:05 am - Dad gives Ryan the quickest bath in history, then dresses him for Church.

9:15 am - Mom dresses Megan, who was just so cute in her little dress! Luckily, Meg hasn't decided to eat again, so Mom finished getting dressed.

9:20 am - Dad starts to load up the car with the diaper bag, toy bag, Church bag, etc.

9:21 am - Ryan starts to cry because Dad went outside without him. Ryan gets over it when Dad comes back in.

9:35 am - Somehow, we're all loaded up and in the car on the way to Church. (Mom is sucking down a Mountain Dew - the only way she's going to get through the next 3 hours! hehe)

9:45 am - The Levett's arrive at Church. Ryan insists on climbing the stairs by himself, and he's getting pretty good!

9:50 am - Mom starts the prelude music while Dad "wrangles" Ryan into the bench. Megan is just dozing in her car seat.

10:00 am - Church starts. Ryan is somewhat quiet, Megan is sleeping, so far so good...

10:10 am - During the Sacrament, Megan starts to fuss. Luckily Mom had already played the hymn, but we wait to see what happens.

10:13 am - Mom leaves the organ while the water is being passed, scoops up Megan, and spares everyone the screaming by sneaking out the door. (She couldn't have waited until AFTER the Sacrament was all over, right?!)

(At this point, Mom isn't sure what's going on with Ryan because she spends the next 40 minutes in the Mother's room feeding Megan! For all we know, Ryan is tearing the place up!)

10:55 am - Megan is finished, and seems to be happy so we leave the Mom's room and head towards the Chapel.

10:56 am - Megan starts to scream. Mom starts to pace the hallway and eventually runs into Dad, with Ryan at the water fountain.

11:04 am - Mom hands Megs to Dad and goes back into the Chapel just in time for the closing hymn - whew! Tag team at its finest! Dad goes into the Mother's room with Ryan (who is now screaming) and Megan to muffle the sound a little bit.

So we make it through Sacrament Meeting, then it's on to Primary, Nursery, Young Men's etc. We made it through all of that, Ryan even stayed through all of Nursery again! Yippeee! Right after Church (1:05 pm) we met with the Bishop to change our recommends over to the new bar code system, then ran home. Of course, Ryan fell asleep in the car on the way.

Once home, we had an hour to let Ryan sleep, get him something more to eat, drop him off at the neighbors, give the babysitter all the info she needed for Megan, and get back into the car!

No rest for us on THIS Sunday!

My good friend's daughter was getting married, and we were attending the wedding (the reason for the Spanx, more about that in another post.) So...at about 3:00 we're out the door again. Ryan had hardly slept and was not to happy to be dropped off! Oh well....

The wedding was gorgeous - held at the Dunes Club in Narragansett, RI. Right on the water. This is the kind of place where you would expect to see "Lovey and Thurston Howell, III" come around the corner! Anyway, we ended up getting home about 9:20pm or so - and that was only because we left the reception early!

Fully expecting Megan to be screaming her lungs out - we were surprised to find her sleeping. What a nice surprise it was too! She was definitely hungry when she woke up since she had refused the bottle the whole time we were gone. (One of these days she'll just get hungry enough and take it! Right???)

Ryan hadn't slept at all, but did collapse about 15 minutes before we picked him up.

So....after reading all this, anyone want to trade? :)

PS - it didn't end there though! We spent Labor Day on Prudence Island! (Why do all these events happen in the same weekend?) So we had to pack stuff up since we were planning to catch the 10:00 am ferry. We'll put pictures and stuff up about our Labor Day trip next!