Because we flew back to PA rather than driving, we couldn't take with us some small luxuries, like our camera. So there are few pictures of our time with family, and Levi seemed to feel the lack of photo documentation rather keenly. So much so, in fact, that he has decided the next best thing is 1,000 words for each photo he wishes he had. He keeps repeating the highlights from the trip over and over and over. Here are some of the moments that made the biggest impression on Levi*:
"Ride airplane.""More airplane, please.""Sky!""All done airplane."
Our little jet setter has taken four trips via airplane this year, but this was the first one where he seemed to understand the concept of the airplane and could actually be excited about it. And excited he was! He could hardly wait to get on the plane, and once on the plane, he loved to see all the other airplanes around the airport. Unfortunately, about halfway through the flight, the cramped quarters of the airplane had taken their toll on Levi, and he was ready to be done. But he soon forgot his airplane fatigue when presented with the opportunity to ride again.
"Ride Mule; steering wheel."
Perhaps the best thing for Levi about visiting his grandparents in East Brady is the chance to ride the Kawasaki Mule. And perhaps the best thing about the Mule is that it does indeed have a steering wheel, which brought Levi unlimited joy.
"Paw Paw, Grammie."
Maybe the next best thing to riding on the Mule while up at the river was seeing his grandparents.
"Miiiiiko. Aaaaaannie."
And when you see Grammie and Paw Paw, you get to see their dogs, currently Annie and Smokey (Though since I began this post, Annie has left this world. It was a long time coming, but still very sad). Smokey, in his 10-week-old youthfulness, left an impression on Levi (who pronounced his name "Miko) by repeatedly attempting to gnaw on him at their first meeting. Levi quickly picked up, "No bite" and tried to use that command with Smokey often.
"Uncle Dale, lawn mower, steering wheel, big step."
What's better than having an Uncle Dale? Having an Uncle Dale who lets you sit on his riding lawn mower and play with the steering wheel! And if you have to climb a big step to get into the lawn mower, even better.
"Happy birthday."
Levi had his second birthday celebrated twice with family. These were the times when I really wished I had my camera. Unlike his first birthday, this time Levi understood what was going on. He loved the singing, blowing on the candles, and opening presents.
"See Audrey; see Carter; see Courtney."
Cousin time is always fun time. It means someone(s) else is begging to watch after Levi's every step and make sure he doesn't get in to trouble. Levi loves it, too.
"Play park."
Pretty self explanatory.
"Grandma; Grandpa work."
One of the hard realities about living with someone under 2 is that people are easily pigeon-holed. All it takes is one questioned answered with, "Grandpa's at work," and now in Levi's mind, Grandpa only does one thing. Work. If Grandpa were to spend the next 12 months doing nothing but spending time with Levi, the child would probably still say, "Grandpa work." Lindon gets it, too.
"Bubbles."
It's amazing how one experience on one day can leave such a profound mark on Levi. When Levi was visiting my parents back in June, he had the chance to blow a few bubbles. Guess the first word out of Levi's mouth now whenever we enter my parents' house?
"Ride car; steering wheel."
Not a real car. Those are lame. This was a Fisher-Price car, just Levi's size. He could not get enough of it, and if the weather did not cooperate for riding in the driveway, he just drove around the house. This is one instance (of many) where I was so thankful for grandparents. Levi did need a bit of supervision when riding the car, mostly to make sure he didn't run over himself, and if I had had to spend all the time watching him that others spent watching him, I would have gone mad. Instead, I got to sit back, read, and enjoy the look of pride on my son's face because he was in a car all by himself!
"Uncle Nathan"
It always takes Levi a little while to overcome his uneasiness with my brother's giant mane of blond hair and unruly beard. But after the shock wears off, Levi just loves his Uncle Nathan.
"See KK, see Avery, see Craig."
Ok, there is documentation of this one in the form of a video. But Levi's cute little voice is just the background. The REAL action of the video is when my sister's boyfriend, Craig (with little Avery in his arms), in front of friends and family, asks my sister to marry him. She said yes, and we were so thrilled to be able to be there for the big surprise. We are looking forward to the wedding, too!
Well, there you have it. That was our trip back. After one week of being home in St. Louis Levi will still pull out these phrases. The trip certainly made an impression on him, and we are so thankful for loving, generous families who provide so much fun for our kid.
*Note: These are grownup interpretations of what Levi is saying. The words that come out of his mouth often bear little resemblance to my transcriptions, but I know what he means.
