Longest Roadtrip of Little Levi's Life

The title pretty much says it all!!  We had a long drive made longer by our sweet little baby.  Although the trip went exceptionally well for taking an almost 4 month old on a normally 13 hour drive, I don't recommend it on a regular basis.  However, I have gotten rather efficient at changing (poopy) diapers on my lap.

I find that Levi adds about an hour and a half for every five hours of driving in the car.  This varies from trip to trip and the time of day (or night) that we are driving but that is our general experience.  I have also learned that babies are not like adults.  They can snooze just before bedtime and still go to sleep at their normal bedtime.  However, they can also be very tired and want to stay awake for no apparent reason.  I suppose both of those things can be true for adults as well..but maybe its just magnified with a baby. 

We stayed near Pittsburgh with Kevin and Jennifer on our way to Illinois and on our way back.  Kevin is one of Clay's best friends from college so its a nice time for us to all catch up.  Here they are with Levi:

Thanks so much for letting us stay with you again!!..and for being willing to work with Levi's need for sleep :).

Our week in Illinois was so nice:  Levi (and me and Clay) finally got to meet his little cousin Casen!  Uncle Peter and Aunt Kelli got to meet Levi for the first time.  Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunt Kari got reacquainted with Levi.  Several people from church (that had been so generous in welcoming him prior to being born) got to meet Levi.  Grandma Rabenhorst came to visit.  Easter was celebrated.  Family time was plentiful!  I so wish we could somehow bypass the roadtrip to get there and spend this time together more often!!

Levi (looking like such a big boy!) sitting in Casen's Bumbo will start off our week in review of pictures:

Casen and Levi meeting.  There isn't a picture of this but it was so cute - Levi wasn't up very long the evening we first got in.  He was fading quickly and Uncle Peter wasn't able to get home from work any earlier but he and Aunt Kelli wanted to at least see him!  Levi was upstairs having a bottle with Clay before bed.  I told everyone just to be calm because I didn't want Levi to get over-stimulated.  So quietly Dad, Peter, Kelli, Kari, and I (Mom stayed downstairs with Casen) parade into Levi's room where everyone stares at him while he has his bottle.  It's a fun memory to have of their first time seeing Levi :).

I don't think Levi was really wanting to share Dad here:

Kari snuggling Casen:

Levi's first trip to Chick Fil A:

Yes, I suppose we are that family:

Sisters!  And Levi's 'high waters':

Levi and his ketchup:

Out on the porch swing with Dad:

In the rocking chair with Grandma:

Reading a book with Grandpa:

Representing Liberty:

Clay, Kari and Dad visited the Caterpillar museum and visitor's center:

Levi's Great Grandma Rabenhorst flew in from South Dakota to meet him and Casen.  She now has 8 great-grandsons:

 Clay and I hadn't gotten to see Grandma since our wedding day in 2010! 

Watching March Madness basketball:

Easter morning:

 Grandma and Grandpa with their grandsons:

 Matchy matchy:

Attempting a family picture but the wind was not helping:



A few years ago my parents started inviting a variety of people over for Easter lunch - basically anyone they or my sister knew of who didn't have family in the area.  Along with this, my mom started some random tradition of breaking confetti eggs over people's heads.  I think its basically a made up game that gives people an opportunity to crack an egg on someone.  My mom blows out the yolks and then tediously stuffs confetti into the hollow eggs.  This year everyone's name was on a single egg.  Everyone then picked an egg and they had the rest of the day to crack it on that person.  For example, Peter picked Clay's egg.  During lunch, Peter innocently came over and offered Clay a lemonade refill.  Before he knew it, Clay had an egg cracked on his head with confetti everywhere.  I know it sounds rather..stupid..but it does provide many laughs. 

Kelli and me after someone getting us:

Grandpa had been working hard to have the Model A all finished by Easter.  Levi thought it was pretty cool:

I know I'm about a month late in posting this but we had such a nice visit.  Levi loved his first visit to Illinois!!  We are so thankful for the blessing of family :)