Some More Updates

We are all doing well. Dad is getting ready for his final paper in Legal Research and Writing, while Mom has been booking like crazy for the upcoming craft fair. Baby sister is rolling and kicking and constantly moving. "A good sign," the doctors say, but it sure can make Mom uncomfortable sometimes. And Summer . . . well, she just keeps going and going. One of her favorite things to do is just run around in circles (especially when there's an object in the middle of the floor, like a pillow that she can run around). She will do this for minutes straight, then sometimes tumble over from dizziness. We all laugh.

And now that she has perfected the "uh oh" phrase, Summer is also attempting a few new words. She says "baby" (an important one!) quite well, and humors us in trying to say "marshmallow" (another vital one!).

Sunday evening, we decided it was time to carve our pumpkins. Summer had her spoon ready to dig out the seeds,
but later decided to just use her hands like Dad.


At one point, she didn't want to touch the pumpkin's "innards" so she picked up the bowl and held it for Rhett.
It was a lot of fun to do this together. And the finished product turned out amazing! Great job Dad! It looks just like her! (We'll forgo posting my carved pumpkin. It met a sad fate of an inexperienced carver.)

PS--Don't know why the pumpkin didn't turn orange, but it helps the silhouette stand out a lot better, eh?

Some Updates

After browsing for months for a new vehicle that would accommodate the soon-to-be four of us, we found the perfect rig: A 2005 Hyundai Tucson. We love it. At first, I was nervous to drive something so big (big compared to the little Nissan and my some-what little Alero), but after the first drive, I haven't regretted the buy. It is so much fun to drive, plus, and this is the best part . . . I don't have to bend over anymore to put Summer in her carseat! That was getting to be quite a chore with my growing belly.

The quick story is that we had been looking for something like this since we returned home from Brazil. We test drove a few that were overpriced and had been smoked in, and when we found this one which had been owned by a single woman (1) without kids, (2) who didn't smoke, (3) who was trying to get rid of it because her brother had given her another vehicle, we thought it was perfect. The price was amazingly low (because she really wasn't in it for the money), and it was in great condition. It's also four-wheel drive, so winter--bring on the snow! We're ready!


And this deadly trap was set by Summer. She loves finding our kabob sticks in the kitchen drawer, and she loves even more the art of sticking them in the fan. I let her do it until she gets bored with it, then take them out so there are no catastrophes. But she will seriously sit there for thirty minutes just threading them through.


One night, I was sitting on the couch, doing whatever, and all of the sudden, Dad and Summer got really quiet. The next thing I knew, Summer came running out of her room looking like this. Of course, she did have a smile on her face. I don't know why she didn't smile for the camera. But she loves it when Dad dresses her up in the random things found around the house. She has so much fun with him!

Finally, I thought I'd mention that I'm starting another blog to post pictures of the journals and books I make. A few people have shown interest in seeing how they turn out, so I decided to create a blog for it. It can be found under the "Favorite Sites" list on the side bar, or you can just get there by clicking here.

Pigtails, A Surprise Party, and . . . a boy???

The big day came that we had to try out pigtails in Summer's hair. It turned out so cute! But of course, she wasn't a fan of me putting them in. Now, she'll just sit on my lap while I do it, but she cries and cries until it's over. Summer's pigtails:

This year for Rhett's birthday, I planned (and stressed!) a surprise party for Rhett. I really wanted it to be a surprise, so I had to work to keep it a secret. I was so excited about it and it was constantly on my mind that it was hard not to mention anything to him about it.

Some of the surprises at this surprise party:
Andrew and Maria came (his brother and sister-in-law in Tacoma)
I made Brazilian pudding and chocolates
There were almost 30 people there
Julie Massey made an amazingly beautiful and amazingly delicious cake (rare for two in one!)
We all put together a book for him (one page from each family)

Here are some photos and clips of the event:

The whole group (Thanks for taking the picture Marissa!)
Rhett and his book from everyone
Rhett blowing out the "candle" and his awesome cake (I wish we would have taken a picture of the slices--they were checkered with chocolate and vanilla cake, with strawberries in the middle!) (I had TWO!)
And the film of his reaction. It was a little chilly and we didn't have Summer's jacket, so he was carrying her wrapped up in his.


Thanks everyone for helping me make this a great surprise and a great party!

Finally, I went to Walmart to get Summer some new pj's that fit her, and all they had were boy colors. So, now every morning when I go in to get her from her crib, I think, "Where did this little boy come from?"

Here is a clip in her new jammies with dad tickling her.

Some Clips

A few mornings ago, Summer had pancakes for breakfast. When she was done with plain pancakes with butter, I put a little raspberry jam on the leftovers to get her to eat a little more. This was the result:

Tonight, Rhett was making dinner and pulled up some Pearl Jam music on the internet. Summer totally rocked out. She loved it. She did this for--seriously--the ENTIRE song. I was afraid she'd get dizzy and fall off the chair, but she never did!

And for an evening activity, mom and dad played paper football across the table. Summer thought it was so funny to watch the "football" slide back and forth.