Roses are Red, Violets are Blue, I have a perfect husband, How About You?

Tonight Andy surprised me and came home with two dozen gorgeous red roses. He said it was just to let me know that he loved me. No relationship is perfect, but I have a pretty dang good one. I've never known anyone that tries harder to think of the little things. I am lucky to have such a sweetheart of a husband.

6 Month Check-up

Today was Calvin's sixth month check-up. The doctor said he's doing wonderfully. He's very healthy and well proportioned. He did really well until the shots and then he lost it. The nurse this time wasn't as good as the last one. Usually they keep all of the shots in the same general area, but this lady was all over the place. He had a rough evening and cried a lot whenever we accidentally bumped his legs. His stats are as follows:

- Height 27.25 inches - 90th percentile
- Weight 20 lbs 14oz - 95th percentile
- Head - 18 inches - 90th percentile

We love our little munchkin and hope that tomorrow is a better day for him.

In better news, tonight I turned in my final project for this semester, and I only have 3 days left of work. Life is about to get so much better!

6 Months Old Today

Calvin,

Today is a big milestone - 6 months old already! Tomorrow you're up for another round of shots, you've managed to sleep through a few nights, and you look so different every day. You just keep changing. We love your precocious little personality and we can already barely keep up with your energy level. Some milestones for this month:

• You are so close to crawling. You can roll across the entire floor and push yourself backwards. We're just waiting for you to figure out how to propel yourself forward. Daddy is really trying hard to teach you, but mommy holds you back because I can't handle you screeching with frustration, so I pick you up. Sorry to stump your growth already, little guy.
• You have an infectious laugh, and the funniest things strike your funny bone. We often look like idiots as we try everything we can think of to get a giggle out of you.
• You love being outside. You and I have started going outside right when we wake up. The world is still quiet and sleepy, but the yard is full of birds and squirrels. You will laugh as they come up close to the back steps, and then you yell loudly at them and look disappointed when they fly/run quickly away.
• You are now able to stand up while holding on to furniture. When we hold your fingers, you can walk with one foot in front of the other. You love being mobile, and get so impatient with us any time we try to make you sit still. Especially in your car seat, at church, or when we don't have any energy left to play.
• Whenever you get excited, your whole body stiffens, your arms pump up and down, and your little fists shake from being clenched so tightly. It is so incredibly adorable.
• Since your half-birthday is on Cinco de Mayo, we had a little fiesta and let you have a tiny sip of a pina colada (virgin, of course!)

You are so different than anything we ever imagined. You are spunky and fun and so particular about who you want and what you want to be doing at any given moment. You get impatient sometimes with us and want us to move you on to bigger and better, but a dozen times a day, you'll wrap your arms around our necks, lay your head on our shoulders, and give us a big open-mouthed kiss on the face. It's like you're trying to say, "I know I'm a pain, but remember how cute I am too?" It works every time.

Happy half-birthday Calvin! We're so thankful that 6 months ago today you came to live in our home.

Love,

Mom and Dad

Great Falls

We're trying to get in as much as possible before Carrie leaves in 1.5 weeks, so today we went for a picnic at Great Falls Park. The weather was perfect, which meant that the park was packed, but we got there early enough that we beat a lot of the rush. By the time we were leaving, cars were lined up a couple miles back to pay to get into the park. We had a fantastic time and took lots of pictures. Here are my favorite of the lot.

Trip Down Memory Lane

When my dad and brother came to visit VA, they brought the rest of the stuff that I'd left at my parent's house. My parents have moved twice since I left home, so all of my stuff has just stayed in piles and moved with them. They've been kind enough to store it for me, but I think I've now been officially kicked out (good for them).

We brought home half of it in the company van, but the other half wouldn't fit. It's kind of an embarrassing assortment of crap, so I made a list of everything in the FIRST load. A lot of it was wedding stuff that we didn't bring because we couldn't fit or didn't want it, a nice chest that my brother-in-law made but would never fit on a flight, and a lot of safari elements because all of my life I have had an obsession with Africa, and my room up until I was 20-something was always decorated accordingly. I wish that I had been able to sort it before they brought it all 2,000 miles, but I was amused by the randomness of it all.


4 buckets of wheat
1 wooden chest
1 hope chest
1 bridal tiara
2 sets of drinking glasses
1 set of wind chimes
1 salad dressing mixer
1 computer keyboard
12 empty milk containers made into preschool bowling pins with monster faces
2 lamps
3 ceramic canisters
1 honey bee cookie jar
1 flower cookie jar (2 dozen stale lemon cookies)
1 electric can opener
2 cast iron jack o’ lanterns
3 pottery barn ghost candle holders
1 globe lamp
1 ornate wooden frame
5 black 5x7 wooden frames
2 black 8x10 wooden frames
1 tile mosaic picture frame
1 red potato peeler
1 Best Friends scented candle
2 leather elephants
1 large metal elephant
1 elephant plant stand
1 green ceramic elephant vase
3 Pier 1 ceramic elephants with gold accents
1 black wire kitchen wall clock
1 wooden easel
1 terra cotta salsa dish
1 bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (completely white, waxy, and smooshed)
2 Betty Crocker brownie mixes
2 disposable cake pans
10 strands Crate and Barrel outdoor patio lights
1 glass sea ball
2 strands pumpkin lights
2 Sealy pillows – still wrapped
1 set red curtains
1 box dried wedding flowers
2 metal lanterns
1 stuffed duck
1 stuffed mouse
3 stuffed lions
2 stuffed tigers
3 stuffed monkeys
1 stuffed elephant that makes noises when you squeeze it
1 plastic wall giraffe
1 metal Halloween tree
6 silver reindeer candle holders
1 College diploma frame with BYU inscription
1 wooden monkey mirror from Israel
2 small Love Sacs with corduroy covers
1 silver wall frame collage
1 ring bearer pillow with pink bow
1 “HOME” board sign
1 pack white bath towels
1 cut glass crystal bud vase
20 empty Chinese take out containers (no food was ever in them, they were just decorations for a Chinese New Year party)