little jumper

i planted tulips and alliums this weekend in our flower bed out front. i am ultra excited about it too. there were nice big rose bushes there when we moved in, but hank and i are not huge fans of the rose bush. so we gave those away to my uncle and have tried one or two things since that have totally failed, but secretly i'm kind of glad. they were just boring hedge bushes and i really want some color. alliums and tulips are perfect. great color, and pretty hard to screw up, right? i can't wait for them to bloom in the spring! so far away right now....

we have also learned over the last couple months that those little jumper guys are the greatest invention on the planet for babies. beth loves it. i mean, LOVES it. she will play in there for hours. we put it up on an i-beam in our basement, so she can go all sorts of directions besides just up and down and boy, did she figure that out fast. she quickly learned how to jump herself forward and swing back, and jump forward and swing back... and she laughs and laughs. it is so entertaining. for all of us...

here's a clip:

letter to a friend

dear sjm,

i just wanted to tell you that i miss you friend. i really wish you still lived only a couple blocks away. we don't talk as often as we used to (probably my fault), we don't hang as often as we used to (okay both our faults), and it kind of bums me out. you get me. i feel like that's hard to do, but you do, and i wish our good conversations weren't so few and far between these days. i really hope you find a house and settle down soon - you'll at least be closer than you are now which will make it easier to see each other. i know you want to find one too... surely you're bound to find your dream house soon, right? you have to. in the meantime, can we please chat more often. i need your humor, your insight, your funny anecdotes, your rationale, and your encouragment. i just don't get that enough these days. btw, i found the perfect house for you - didn't wendy give you that flyer? the red one with all the land and barn and trees right there on 57th and taft? c'mon, it's perfect. with a capital P. and still in the ward boundaries. i'm sure there's no HOA there so nick will love it, and i'm pretty sure it's in your price range. what do you think?!

well anyway, just wanted to tell you that things just don't seem the same. not that i'm trying to make you feel guilty, don't get me wrong - i just miss the days of being able to jump in the car with beth on my lap, or throw her in the stroller and walk two blocks over to hang for a few and talk about... whatever. everything and nothing.

well, i will keep praying for you to find the perfect house. you will soon, i'm just sure of it. and let's try to grab some lunch or something in the next little while, ok? and fridays... we have fridays... there's got to be a story time or an art show or something going on that we could meet up and do. honestly. let's think about it.

later friend.

a sneak peek for colleen

i promise to get you a cd on monday...

the harvest

this weekend we hit up the ol' pumpkin patch in search of the perfect pumpkins for our perfect jack o lantern idea. (just you wait, you'll be in awe with our "jack" concoction.) last year we hit up the pumpkin patch on halloween and there was nothing left. it was terrible. so this year we made sure to go early enough that all the good ones weren't taken. we found some real beautes.

it was actually a really cool scene: it was late in the afternoon, the air was warm and the sun just about an hour from setting. there were blue-gray clouds overhead, and they were just thin enough in the west that the light from the sun could shine through in spurts, casting a beautiful glow against the dark sky. it was awesome. it wasn't very crowded at all, and we headed out into the field with our red wheelbarrow to have our pick at the lot of them.

we let beth in on the action and made sure each pumpkin passed with her approval before putting it into the wheelbarrow.

wasn't long before she ended up in the wheelbarrow.

(who didn't see that one coming???)

i loved beth's interest (or non-interest) in the pumpkins, her often blank stare wondering what we were doing, checking out these large orange balls, inspecting every inch and tapping them to see how solid they sounded...

our harvest:

two weeks until these poor little guys get shanked. hank says they're going down. and trust me, they are. but their ill fate all in the name of becoming part of a stellar jack display. way cooler than ending up as a pie or something, right? :)

time flies, and i am full

tonight i put beth down in her crib for the night and then closed the door like i usually do, but this time i stayed in her room to watch her fall asleep. staying just far enough away to remain out of sight, i watched her little hands pick up the soft white bunny and hold it in the air and play with its floppy ear. she would put it down and roll over to play with the toys that attach to the crib bars for a minute or two and then roll back over to that bunny. we've always wondered what she does in there to put herself to sleep...

as i stood there listening and watching as though a fly on the wall overflowing with joy and love, i also realized i never posted her 6 month pictures. i say that as though they were professionally taken or something. no, they weren't. just a few that i captured near that 6 month date (over a month ago...) that will probably replace the ones on the wall that were taken just after this little rascal came into our lives.

oh, how our lives have changed. oh, how much better and more meaningful they seem to be. who knew such explosive happiness could be brought on by such a tiny little humanoid. it's amazing how overwhelming parenthood can be. wanting to protect them, but also push them to grow, experience things and learn, understanding a whole new kind of love, praying that you'll know how to teach them to desire righteousness, melting at every smile, every laugh and giggle, faking that you know what you're doing, but loving that they don't know that you don't, pride oozing from every pore when others gush and fawn over them.... it's hard to be humble about your own children, i've learned. and i understand it now.

"yes, she does have a smile that will instantly swell your soul, doesn't she"

"yes, she does have absolutely the greatest laugh on the planet, doesn't she?"

"yes, we did miraculously end up with the most stunning baby ever to live, didn't we?"

things every parent must think of their own. and rightfully so. rights of a parent i think, and a reflection of a love so concentrated and deep that i think can only be understood when you've had one of your own. a humbling glimpse of what we know our heavenly father feels for us. how overwhelming and awesome all at once. and everyone was right - it has just gotten better and better with each month, each day, each minute. i can't wait for what's to come. but for now, my favorites from her six month mark.

thank you for coming into our lives, little love. you bring such joy to me and your daddy. we can hardly wait to watch you grow. but not too fast okay? we love you so much. sweet dreams li'l babes.