A Cold Day in Spokane

Today was a little chilly--rain and a little wind too. So when we went out, we bundled Summer up in her new jacket. We thought it was so cute we had to do a photo shoot when she had it on!

A PB&J for Mom!

Okay, so not technically Peanut Butter and Jelly, but almost. Thanks to some good friends here (Thanks Josh!) we found some "Almond Butter" and today, for the first time, I was able to eat an almost-pb&j sandwich. Rhett said it tasted pretty close to peanut butter, and I didn't have any allergic reactions. It was great and tasted so yummy!

Shots

Summer had her first visit to the Spokane doctor on Tuesday. His name is Dr. Moorman, and he was very kind. She weighed ten pounds even, and was 22.5 inches long. Mom couldn't believe Summer's weight gain! She watched as the nurse tapped the marker to the right: 6 . . . 7 . . . 8 . . . 9 . . . and 10! Wow! 

She also got her first set of shots. She took it like a Barney and was tough and strong. She cried a little bit, but Mom held her quickly, and she calmed down. She didn't get a fever or anything, but she was a little fussy the next day. Today, she's feeling great as ever and is standing again like crazy. It's good to have our Summer back!

Our Table Story

The quick version of getting our table:

We were window shopping at garage sales and Craig's List for a table and chairs. We found one for $150 on Craig's List so we contacted them and set up a time to meet and see it. The pictures were really cute--a cute wooden table with four cute chairs. So we drove in Rhett's little car to check it out. We walked in and loved it. Sat in the chairs and said, "We'll take it." Rhett said, "The chairs are comfy too." Then the man said, "Yeah, my wife didn't want to sell the chairs." Well, we were under the impression that we were getting the table and chairs for $125 (we got mixed up on the price with a few others we looked at). So we were a little disappointed but felt like we couldn't really change our minds. The man loaded it up in his truck because there was no way it would fit in Rhett's little car next to Summer's car seat. (And this guy is . . . a little bit older than old with a bandage wrap on his arm. I was worried he was going to have a heart attack right there!) Anyway, he wanted cash, not a check, so on our way home, we stopped and got $125. He helped Rhett carry it up the stairs and into our apartment. Then the issue of the cost came up. "Was it $150? Or $125?" "I thought it was $125." "I think it's $150. I could be wrong. My wife's the one in charge . . . " So anyway, I found a ten dollar bill sitting on the counter and was running around trying to find some more loose change. (Poor college students don't really  have loose change around, so it was kind of hard.) He took a look around and realized how poor we are and said, "You guys are just starting out. This will be fine." And he left. 

Rhett and I sat on the couch (not at the table because there were no chairs. We were both a little upset about the "misrepresentation" in the pictures). Then we did the only thing we could do at a time like this. We went garage sale shopping for chairs. "But people don't just sell dining table chairs. They are going to sell chairs with the table, and we already have a table," I said to Rhett. Well, the first place we stopped at, stuff was set up everywhere, on the table, around, etc. The man said, "Everything here is for sale except the table." Rhett and I looked at each other. How ironic. But the chairs just weren't right. So we said we'd think about it and come back. We went searching again. The next place we stopped, there were five nice chairs. But we only wanted four. They were being sold for $100, and we did not want to spend that much. We could have just gone to Wal Mart to get something cheaper and still nice! Rhett told the seller we only wanted four chairs, but she didn't really want to sell only four and have one left over--a little more difficult to sell just one than a set. We were standing there checking them out when another lady came by and starting looking at them. The seller had dropped the price to $75 because there was a screw missing in the arm of the armchair. I whispered to Rhett that this lady wanted the chairs too, but she heard and said, "No, I only want one." Wow. How ironic again. So we took the four chairs for $60, and I talked the other lady into buying just the one armchair. It worked out pretty well.

The wood doesn't match exactly--the chairs are a reddish color, and the table is brown (found in an old barn and built around 1906)--but the white table cloth hides the mismatch and it actually looks really nice in our little home. We celebrated that night by eating at our table on our chair with our matching dishes!

Okay, so much for the short version of the story! That's what I get for being an English Major! Sorry!

Waking up from a nap . . .

Here's Summer waking up from her nap. She's so happy and cheerful when she wakes up. Definitely doesn't have the grouchy-wake-up genes from the Searles! 

The latest news is that we got a table. Due to unreliable internet, the first priority was to get these pictures up. The new table story will have to wait till next time! And I have no idea why the font is blue and underlined!

A Mini Rhett

Mom found a good babysitter for Summer--Heather Harris. She came over today to watch Summer while Mom shopped at WalMart. It was definitely easier and faster to get all the groceries without trying to lug Summer in her carrier everywhere. Summer had a good time with Heather. She even smiled for her. And Heather had a good time too. She offered to come once a week to let Mom run errands and get groceries. Mom will probably take her up on it!

Mom and Dad met with a member of the bishopric yesterday. Mom got called to be the 

Relief Society Music Director. That means she's in charge of choosing the songs each Sunday, of doing the practice hymn, and then of filling in for the pianist and conductor when needed. Dad got an "assignment" that he willingly accepted. He, a few times every other month, will go to the church (a three minute walk from our apartment) at 5:40 in the morning and unlock it for the seminary group. If there's snow, he'll need to shovel. If the kids don't go to class, he's supposed to sit in the foyer and read the New Testament with them. (Secretly he's planning to read Civil Procedures with them. "Then they'll be begging to go back to class!" he said.)

Summer's still growing like crazy. Mom had to retire her giraffe pajamas today because they are now too small for her to wear. Summer is now in the 0-3 month selection of clothes, but they are still a little too big. Mom thinks she's looking just like Dad. A Mini Rhett. How great!

"I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home!"

Summer loves playing with her dad. She rides shoulders and stands up a lot. I have more fun playing with her than she does playing with me I think. After a few minutes of standing or shoulder riding she cries. Oh well. I still have a good time.

Summer Says Hello!

Okay, so maybe she doesn't really say "hello," but she is doing quite a bit of talking now. We love hearing her cute little voice. She also is really into sitting up. She needs help, of course, but she loves it. Whenever she holds our fingers, she lifts her head up telling us she wants to sit up. Sometimes, she even pulls herself up to stand! She's a little wobbly, and we never let go, but it's so fun to see her tiny legs balancing her.

PS Jill--I put the video on by myself. Are you proud?

Some More Summer

Well, we know that most people checking our blog really want to see the updates of Summer, so here are some more pictures.

This weekend was  a lot of fun. Friday night, Fred Meyer gave 20% discounts for all Gonzaga students--but only from 11pm to 1am. We're poor college students, and we can use all the help we can get, so we packed up and headed over to Fred Meyer in the middle of the night. We really only found a few cute outfits for Summer (warm ones for the winter), and of course, we "had" to get them with such a good discount. It really probably wasn't the most productive shopping trip, but it was a lot of fun.

Labor Day Weekend is the weekend of "Pig Out at the Park." It's kind of like a magnified Spud Day--for three days straight. On Saturday, we ended up heading to the park and meeting about five other law school couples. It was a lot of fun. We just sat on the grass, had a little to eat, and mostly just talked with the live bands playing in the background. It was a lot of fun too. 

I was really worried, before we moved here, about making friends and having a social life--with Rhett being gone to school for so much time, but I've been surprised and blessed with some great friends already. I even think they were in the same boat as me--worried as well. We've formed great friendships already.