Final

This is Brad on Friday. It was his last day of class...ever. (The last two years of med school are clinical.)

Hooray! Congratulations to my very favorite person! Now go rock those finals!

Funnies

Funny #1
Every time I pull out the vacuum, Lainy runs to her room and puts on these:

Rainboots? And vacuums? I don't get it, but it makes me laugh.

Funny #2
Leah can really get herself bouncing in this thing:

Notice the blurry legs. I'm waiting for her to launch herself out of it sling-shot style. (And how can you not smile at that face?)

Funny #3
I was looking for my cell phone this morning. Guess where it was?

Yup. In the fridge. I'm losing my mind. (Maybe it's not so funny.)

Funny #4
Sunday afternoon I found Brad doing this:

More cute than funny, except for the fact that Leah was way more interested in the book than Lainy. Is it possible for a baby to have a longer attention span than a little girl?

Hope your lives are full of "funnies" too!

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun...

...especially when Daddy is super, crazy, overwhelmingly busy. I'm talking end of the quarter plus studying for the boards kind of busy. The kind of busy that makes me feel like a single mom...sort of.

So while Brad has been having fun pouring over books and listening to lectures, the girls and I have had some fun of our own.

1.We hosted a ball for Lainy's favorite toys on our bookshelf. Tchaikovsky was kind enough to provide the music. Lainy played matchmaker and helped each couple dance. Here are a few of my favorite couples:

 

Dog and Wiseman

Cow and Sheep

Dollhouse Mommy and Baby Jesus

Joseph and Mary

2. We've watched Leah grab her toys. It sounds simple, but it has kept us all entertained. (Well, until she forgets to let go of one and hits herself in the face.)

3. We've had pedicures. Lainy discovered them with Grandma Smith over Spring Break, and has since been receiving them regularly. If I'm lucky, she'll even return the favor to me.

4. We've tried to make Leah giggle. She does it. On rare occasions. You should see what we go through to try to get that girl to laugh. We all have different approaches. Lainy tries to scare it out of her. It's not so fun for Leah, but Lainy thinks it's hilarious. (Don't worry, I've put a stop to it so we don't give the poor baby a complex.) I sing, tickle, and dance around. Brad talks in a high-pitched voice and tickles. So far, I have been the most successful at producing a giggle. Brad's approach makes her grunt and flex every muscle in her body. I guess at this point, we're all laughing much more than Leah. Oh well, we'll get her one of these days!

Yeah, we're having fun together. (Even with the great void we all feel when Brad is busy.)

(Aren't they darling?!)

Escape

Today I was remembering this:

If I close my eyes and concentrate hard enough, I can feel the warm Hawaii sun and the moist air. I can almost smell the plumeria flowers and hear the rolling waves. . .

Doesn't it look like heaven on earth?

It was.


(sigh)

Lainy still asks if we're going to Hawaii about every time she sees an airplane. Brad still talks about it being the best vacation ever. I bet Leah would love it too.

We want to go back. . . anyone want to come?

Sunday

We were driving home from church on Sunday when Lainy said:

"I need to marry my Daddy in the temple! And he can give me flowers!"

I think Brad's heart melted into a puddle when she said that.

So, what could we do? Our little girl wanted to go to the temple, so we went to the temple. (Explaining on the way that she can't actually marry Daddy. She has to grow up first and find a really good boy to take her to the temple. "But," Brad promised her, "When you get married I will give you lots of flowers.")

The temple grounds were full of beautiful flowers. We had a nice evening stroll around the grounds, counting the many blessings that a temple marriage has brought to our family.

In other news, I have it from numerous sources that our Leah is the most beautiful baby ever seen in these parts. One lady at church came up to me and said, with a hint of exasperation in her voice: "Babies just aren't supposed to be that beautiful! You really have beautiful children."

Sometimes I don't know what to say when people say stuff like that. Do I pretend I hadn't noticed how cute my kids are even though I wholeheartedly agree? Or do I just say thank you in my most humble voice? Usually I do the latter.

So, here is our beautiful baby (even though I don't think pictures do her justice).