Levi is a "good kid."

I have to say, I've always wanted my boy[s] to be "good kid[s]."  I don't want Levi to worry about being cool or tough (not that I want a sissy or a dweeb).  Of course, he's 5, so there are not many kids who aren't "good" at this age, but I really can see him staying a good kid forever.  Maybe that's wishful thinking; maybe I should knock on wood.

My bug smasher

He's a normal boy in that he likes weapons, sports, etc.  But he's never gruesome, he's easy to teach (the easiest kid in joyschool, I assure you), he's not off the wall, he's respectful to me and his sisters most the time (sometimes when I don't really deserve it, too).  He's sensitive to the needs of others.  He really wants to do what is right.  The other day he was talking about choosing the right and said, "Well, it's hard to choose the right all, ALL the time."  But what really blows me away (and everyone away who sees it) is how he responds to the diet we're on.

Would you believe he hasn't had any sugar in 8 months? ANY.  None, zero, zip.  We have honey occasionally, and fruit as our only sweeteners.  We haven't had any processed food in 8 months.  NONE.  That means I bring our own food wherever we go.  If the primary teacher brings a treat for the kids, I bring something for Levi to eat instead (and sometimes it's just cucumbers, and he's totally fine with it).  Anyway, there are a lot of things we can't have (will spare you the details), and he never, ever complains.  In fact, at every meal he stuffs his face saying, "mmm."  Or, "for dessert can we have an apple?"

*side note: I have to be strict with this diet.  Although I've been health conscious for a long time, I was never strict like I am now, because I didn't see the point. The diet we are doing is a healing diet, and any "cheating" messes it all up.  So we don't.  One day, when the diet is over, we can relax a bit.

Anyway, I think my good-sport little Levi needed a blog post about him, because he really is a trooper.  His attitude about the diet is the only thing that's been easy for me (Dana has been pretty good, too, I might add. But Levi trumps).  When we first began the diet, the primary pres. brought a treat and Levi passed it up saying, "I can't have that.  I'm on a diet."  The entire primary staff thought that was pretty amusing.  And Levi didn't even think to tell me about it.  He wasn't proud or anything.  He was just following the rules.  The adults told me.

Many times primary teachers or substitutes tell me what a good kid he is, and how he knows his scriptures so well.  The primary pres. was giving a lesson on Jonah, and had a brain stupor as to where Jonah traveled to.  Levi shouts out, "Nineveh!"  I probably spend 3 min. a day on family scripture study, so it's not that I'm drilling him here.  He just remembers the stuff.

Captain Hook

Here's another thing.  I'm sure if you know me well at all you know I hate video games.  With a passion, actually.  He just got a camera from his grandma for his birthday, and what he didn't know was there are some games on it.  I toyed with the idea of taking it back for a different one, but decided to keep it.  I told Levi not to ask very often to play it.  And he doesn't.  He asks maybe once a week and says, "Can I play a video game for a few minutes, I'm wondering?"  (I love the "I'm wondering" part, and how he acts so casual in his asking).  After 5 minutes he turns it off.  He really loves to play, but doesn't push the issue at all, because I've told him how much I hate them and how bad they are for his brain, and how addictive... :)  Ha ha.  I'm just so impressed he accepts rules without a tantrum.

Halloween was the craziest.  We were actually doing an anti-candida portion of the diet where we could have no sweet things at all - no fruit, no honey, not even sweet veggies like squash.  The kids were such troopers.  Not one complaint at the halloween parties we attended, or at all.  They went trick or treating, and spent an hour or so smelling their candy before they put it in a bucket for the "Switch Witch" to come and switch it out for Hungry Hungry Hippos.  So all of this - in the trash.  They look unhappy in this picture, but they really didn't have a problem with it at all.  I am glad the anti-candida portion is over.  

Sometimes with the things that come out of his mouth, I think to myself, "Are you for real?"  He really is "perfect" in a way.  Not that he's perfect.  I use that term loosely, as we all know that person we'd describe as perfect.  He certainly has his quirks and his shortcomings (2 major ones I can think of:  peeing his pants, and being 100% non-self-entertaining, ha ha).  But I really couldn't have asked for a better little boy.  I just love him to pieces.

Oh, yeah, with peeing his pants.  So I have reason to believe that his pants peeing is physical, so I've been giving him a glass of water with a big scoop of magnesium citrate in it before bed.  It is GROSS.  Really.  But he always drinks it, saying, "I don't like this, but I'll drink it so I don't pee anymore."