Wesley's baptism

Wesley Jared Wilson was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

He was so excited to get to the church building. This was a picture of him posing in the backseat of the car in his new suit, Book of Mormon in hand. He was not nervous at all and had a sweet demeanor during the morning. Friends and family were in attendance. Glenn Wilson gave the talk on baptism and Jared (dad ) performed the ordinance.

We celebrated afterwards at Macayo's, as well as the winter birthdays for the cousins.

Wesley said he wanted to be baptized so he could follow Jesus' example, and to become a member of His church.

Gavin's visit

Tio Gavin came to visit us from Utah for a week. The boys LOVED his company, often begging him over and over to play football, tetherball and to go on bike rides. I know Gavin felt their love for him, and they kept him plenty busy!

Spoiled baby

I am spoiling little Levi. He refuses to leave my arms...ever...for...more...than...10...min.
I have turned into "one armed Wanda" as I call myself. So hard to do things like cook dinner, email, scoop out pasta onto a plate, do my eyeliner, etc.

He is 6 months old and 17 lbs...85% and healthy...all good reasons to start sleeping!

The angel side of me tells me that it's okay b/c I am enjoying him, he is secure, he is happy and well fed.

The devil side of me tells me that I am not letting him form self soothing methods, that he is lacking sleep, and that I am going to be stuck with a clingy toddler.

I have got to figure something out with the nighttime routine. I have tried to let him cry it out, but he has NEVER cried himself to sleep...even after an hour of sobbing and rolling around with a sweaty head :( Last night I tried the "pick up/put down" method, but he wouldn't calm down after I picked him up...would arch his back and start deep screaming. Jared went in around 3am and tried to soothe him, which made him MORE upset...sounded like someone was beating him up! You can hear his sweet little belly grumbling for food, but it's more out of habit. I really wanted to give in and just nurse him, but he somehow fell asleep with Jared, only to wake up crying 30 min. later (in which I did give in b/c it was 4am by that point and I figured he had earned a snack).

Right now he is up in his crib wailing away, after only being asleep for an hour (it's 8pm). I put in ear plugs, I leave the house, I distract myself with a movie...but my heart is aching for my sweet baby. We even bought a musical night light to help him out...if only Mr. Turtle light had all the answers!

With the AZ Ragnar Race approaching in 5 weeks, I have GOT to figure something out or give up my running spot. Levi refuses formula, won't eat cereal, doesn't sleep through the night, and only wants mama mama mama.

Every baby is different, and this particular Mr. Levi is going to take a lot of time to figure out.

Here was an article from Meridian magazine my aunt Estela sent me:

People ask me all the time, “Is she a good baby?”

The real answer is, there is no such thing as a “bad baby.” All babies are heaven-sent. But I know what they’re getting at. Some babies are just, well….higher maintenance than others. Spirited, if you will. Some babies simply know what they want and won’t take “no” for an answer. Prized qualities in any well-rounded adult!

So let’s just hope Jane grows up to be a well-rounded adult.

Jane is as good as gold when she’s being held. Even better when she’s being nursed. All I have to do is hold her and nurse her all day long and we don’t have any problems!

Obviously, we have a problem.

“Just a minute, my darling! Mommy has to use the bathroom!”
“Just a second, sweetheart! Mommy has to strain off this gallon of boiling, hot water from the pasta!”
“Momentito, my angel! Mommy needs two hands to chop these vegetables!”
“Honestly. Jane. Life if not that bad.”

We’ve tried slings, wraps, backpacks, and crying it out. But like I said, she’s a woman who knows what she wants and won’t take “no” for an answer. So we nurse and giggle and coo and the house is a mess. My left arm is disproportionately muscular and my left hip sticks out at a weird angle now…but my baby is happy. A good baby.

Sleeping in locations other than my arms is not her strong suit either. She doesn’t “transfer” well. That’s why all the shushing and the blatant threats about being quiet when she’s napping. Hey, I wasn’t kidding. Keep your voice down.

My little, ol’ grandma of a neighbor cast a loving look at the bundle on my left hip as we chatted out by the mailbox the other night and asked,

“So, is she a good baby?”

My answer, “Yes. If she’s being held.”

And with the wisdom that can only come via years of experience, she said,

“Then just hold ‘em. Just hold ‘em.”

Okay. I will. But can we invest in a sound-proof door for the nursery too?

Point of View from Austin

I found in my camera the other day some pics that Austin had taken from his "point of view." What I really liked was seeing things from not only his perspective, but his height! The cabinets seem so tall, or how he loved his new Mesa Temple photo from primary, or the food from Costco on the counter.

The best is the picture of screaming baby Levi in the carseat. I often see Levi from the rear view mirror as he sheds those tears, but here I could see what his brother thinks of his crying!

Austin has really made a best friend with Isaac these last few days of Christmas break. He gets up with him in the morning, gets him dressed, makes his bed, makes him his toast or cereal for breakfast, plays ALL day long with him, encourages him to finish his meal (which Isaac won't do for me, but he will for Austin), goes potty with him, gets excited to watch movies together and has really just been a little BFF for Isaac. I love their friendship. Isaac is equally as happy with Austin and is constantly asking for him if he is no longer in the room. I hope they can maintain this strong brotherhood as they get older!

He is very tender with Levi and can calm him down pretty quickly (unless mama is in the room, then Levi cries to be held by me!) I also LOVE his "heart men" that he now draws, and I also included a letter he wrote to his favorite babysitter that I thought was sweet.


We keep telling Austin what a great builder or engineer he is. This morning he told me he only likes to build, grow muscles, eat candy, go to fun places like Disneyland and Sea World (to buy drinks). I asked him if he liked to read or sleep or eat...nope. He also told me a few days ago how he can speak three languages: English, Spanish and toddler.

Austin just told me today at the park, "Isaac is like my wart. He keeps sticking to me wherever I go."

Jared 32 and Wesley 8 Birthdays

The holiday season is a crazy one. For our family, it's ESPECIALLY crazy. Throw in three birthdays, as well as Christmas and New Year's...all within three weeks...and things tend to get overlooked!

Jared's birthday was celebrated with his HS best friend Joey Darnell and his new wife Perla. We met them for burgers and a movie up at the Desert Ridge Mall. I nursed Levi the entire time or held him as we walked around.

Sure is fun to see old friends, especially as newleyweds and to remember what it was like back when we were "before children." The movie projector broke, so we ended up just getting our money back, but it was a fun date and we made it back before it got too late for the babysitter.

Happy 32nd birthday honey.

Love, jellybean.

Ps...Thanks for the extra movie we watched at home :)
Wesley had a pizza lunch with Pipa and Grandma, not to mention 2 days at his favorite cousin Jaden's house in Rio Rico, AZ. He loved the big birthday cookie we ordered him, and his new Game Cube video set was a great surprise!