I caved...

I decided to be cute too. This is just a test run to see if I enjoyed sprucing this old thing up. And I did. More cuteness to follow...

My blog is decidely lo-tech

I was just perusing some of my friends' blogs and I have decided that mine is very plain. I am now conflicted: Do I take the time to learn how to make it cuter or do I just keep it how it is? I am leaning towards leaving it in all its plain-Jane glory. You guys love me for me and not for my fancy blog! Besides, after looking at my blog, you probably feel so much better about the inherent cuteness of your own blog. And the world makes sense once again.

A visit from Becky

About a month ago my dear friend Becky and her husband stopped in St. Louis for a few days before heading out to Virginia for the summer. Becky and I have been friends since we were about 11 years old. She moved into my ward from New Jersey, bringing the total number of girls my age up to 3(I must mention that there were about 8 boys our age at that time). Becky, Cyndi, and I remained the only three girls our age in our ward from that point on. The three of us had numerous adventures and weathered our fair share of adversity, silly fights, and true heartache. And yet, Becky and I have remained dear friends through it all.

During their short trip to St. Louis, Max and I met the Peterson family for a quick visit to the zoo and for dinner at Steak 'n' Shake. It was wonderful to see catch up with one another, even if it was only for a few hours.

4 Month Check Up

Max has reached a new milestone in his short life-his 4 month check up. Before I give the stats-let me just warn everyone, he is beast(as Jordan would say).

Weight- 17 lbs (80th percentile)

Length- 25.75 inches (75th percentile)

Head Circumference- I lost the sheet but it's in the 85th percentile

Having just reviewed April's blog, I realized that Max weighs more than Tate did at this age. My little boy is growing up so fast! The plus side to Max's incredible weight gain is that I have very buff arms.

Max is doing really well. He likes to roll over from his tummy to his back, which he started doing about a month ago, but he really loves to roll from his back to his tummy. I think this is due, in part, to the fact that Carl and I would cheer every time he would roll over. Now he flips over and then looks expectantly at me. If I don't acknowledge him, he starts to bark at me. It's pretty funny. He is also sitting up unassisted for a few minutes and finds his toes fascinating. He laughs often and babbles incessantly. His pediatrician describes him as a "very intense child." Carl and I like to say that he is very focused. In case, I am so amazed at how much he learns each day and how quickly he is growing.

Pay it Forward

We've joined the "Pay it forward" train!

Pay It Forward Exchange is based on the concept of the movie "Pay it Forward". I will send a home-made gift to the first three people who leave a comment to this post on my blog requesting to join the PIF exchange. All the gifts will be made and sent out 'sometime within the next year'. How exciting to not know when your surprise package will arrive! What you need to do in return, is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog. This Exchange is only open to those with active websites or blogs.I'd love for you to join me!

Will you be one of first three?Other comments are welcome, but only the first three will be my Pay It Forward recipients.

The funk in the fridge

I think we can all relate to my little fridge experience yesterday, even if we don't want to admit it. Yesterday, as I opened the fridge in search of sustenance, an overpowering odor assaulted my nose. As a dear friend once said: It singed the nose hairs. And thus my quest began. I started rooting through my fridge looking for the source of the offending odor. Along the way I found half of a tomato, a zucchini, and a slice of tart. I really thought I had gotten those items in a previous sweep. Yet the odor persisted. I kept up my effort until I found the source-an errant piece of chicken. This little piece of chicken was hiding in the corner underneath something else. And let me just say, it was really stinky. Once it was removed and safely thrown away in the dumpster across the alley, my fridge smelled just fine. I suppose the moral of the story is to watch out for wayward chicken and to keep a box of baking soda in the fridge!