uncle jack and aunt susie

Baby R had fun visiting with her Great Uncle Jack and Aunt Susie on tuesday. She has officially been given the ALL CLEAR! Yippee!! Well not "all" clear, but "most" clear. What I mean is that she is allowed out in public places now. But I am still supposed to keep her away from sick people, runny-nosed kids, smoke, germ-infested places (like hospitals), etc... Baby R is now allowed to sit in the chapel at church with us, can go to the grocery store with me (no more date nights spent grocery shopping), and can go out to eat with us (to smoke-free establishments). So to kick off her first full week of freedom we went over to the Hargrove's to visit. After all, Baby R will be seeing them basically every nice day this summer to swim in Jack's pool! It is Sue's too, but from now on I am calling it Jack's because everyone else calls it Sue's. Anyways, Baby R warmed up to them pretty quickly, as you can see by the pictures above. (Thanks to Linz for showing me how to make a collage!)

Can I hear a HUZZAH for the ALL CLEAR?!

busy, busy

This past week and weekend were quite eventful. The downside was that somehow (despite my continued efforts to keep Baby R completely healthy) she came down with a bit of a cold or something. And the fun part was that I got everything she had, only a day later! Fun, fun! Anyways, here is a brief recap of the events:

• Rick graduated with his Master's Degree in Accounting! Yippee! He still has to take a three week course starting next week, so he technically isn't entirely done until May 31st. We are so proud of Rick!
• Baby R has cut her second tooth! Sure enough, her other front bottom tooth just barely broke through her gums. I still wonder if that played any part in her coldish/fever discomfort last week.
• Speaking of her sickness... We still don't know what she had. It couldn't have just been a cold, because she was running a fever (101.4) for two days! She was really pretty well-behaved considering her obvious discomfort. She had to sleep with me for two nights so I could hold her upright, otherwise she had trouble breathing from all of her phlegm and runny nose. They tested her for RSV, I am guessing she didn't have it, because the doctor's office didn't call me and tell me.
• We decided to rent a house from a family that we go to church with. They are going to be in Utah for the summer, and are letting us stay there until August. We are hoping to be able to find a house to purchase by then. That way we don't have to sign a 6 or 12 month lease at an apartment somewhere. What a blessing!
• Rick got a call back from the IRS and has an interview with them on Saturday in Indiana. If he gets this job, he could possibly be working in Lansing (or Traverse City). Anyways, please pray that he gets it and we can stay in Lansing!
• Baby R can stand while holding onto things, and thinks it is fun! I think she may never crawl, and might go straight to walking. After all, she still hates being on her tummy for more than a few minutes at a time.
• Baby R now holds her arms up while we percuss her sides, which makes it so much easier for us! She's so smart!

Here are a few pictures from the above events...

Rick walking at graduation

His fan club

Baby R standing and playing with her toy

More fun standing

Holding her arms up while daddy percusses her

imagination

Baby R has started conversing with her toys and imaginary friends. Sometimes she even gets into a very heated conversation. For example, just before we took this clip of her in her carseat, she clenched her fists while yelling at her blue octopus and then she smacked it. It was hilarious, too bad we didn't get that on tape. Here are a couple of clips we took of her babbling in her carseat and in the tub...

molly

Happy belated 26th birthday Molly!!

Our favorite things about Molly:

1. Thanks to her, Katie's not the only one with man shoulders
2. Is great with the young women at church
3. Likes to play sports and gives female athletes a good name
4. Her great comebacks
5. Makes creative gifts
6. She's always up for a rousing game of loaded questions
7. She has the best hair in the family
8. She makes good desserts
9. She is fun to shop with and she finds great deals
10. She laughs at Rick's jokes

nick

Yes, I am late again... Happy belated 28th birthday!

Top 10 things we like about Nick:

1. He is a nerd and a jock at the same time
2. His fascination with Rick and leather pants
3. His new haircut
4. His assertiveness in raising money for cystic fibrosis
5. His dink shot and uncanny ability to slice the slice (sometimes thrice) in tennis
6. His fantasy football knowledge
7. He's the only one who really understands Dad's jokes
8. He's always up for a good board game
9. He's comfortable enough with his manhood to admit he likes Gilmore Girls
10. He introduced the Gospel to our family

nayeli

Happy 3rd Birthday Nayeli!

Top Ten:

1. Likes to be a bag lady
2. Can count in English and Spanish
3. Is no longer afraid of Uncle Rick
4. Gets excited about tissue paper
5. Her phenomenal memory
6. The way she runs
7. Has fun nicknames like "Ya-ya" and "Yeli"
8. Is a girly-girl and a tomboy all at the same time
9. Her blue eyes
10. Her love for Counting Crows

addison

Happy Belated 4th Birthday Addison!

Top Ten Faves:

1. She lives closer than Argentina!
2. Her beautiful smile
3. The way she could never remember Katie's name
4. She always dresses super cute
5. The funny games/tricks she always played with Grandpa
6. The way she "read" the Christmas book with Grandma
7. Even though we don't get to see her very often, she always likes to play with us
8. She looks so sophisticated in glasses
9. The way she plays with the boys
10. Her pretty sweet dance moves