A Very Merry Half-Birthday

I was in the mood to do something creative and fun, so we celebrated Scott turning 6 months with our families.

Since Scott scooches like a caterpillar and seems to always be very hungry, I decorated the table a la The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

We had the foods from the book. John printed some labels and I painted pieces of egg carton.

Caterpillar carrot cupcakes. 

The half-birthday boy! (with my mom)

His best bud Lincoln scarfing some watermelon.

He wanted to try some, too. Luckily he has obliging grandparents.

Scott's guests brought him gifts! Unexpected, but very sweet.

He preferred the tissue paper.

He's all set for Halloween now with his shark costume.

He's a sweet boy and it was fun to have people over for dinner to celebrate him.

Lucas liked Scott's new bus and Pooh toys.

Amanda and Scott were making pondering faces.

She brought Russell and Red Lobster cheesy biscuits, my dad brought soda, my mom brought strawberries and rolls, Karen and Alan brought a salad and cherry cream pie and then John went out of town for work. 

Hopefully Scott's still very hungry, because it seems we have some eating to do!

A Favorite Thing

Jaime gave me my first Molly's capsleeve shirt a little over 6 years ago. I wore it and loved it, but never fully appreciated it until I went through the temple. Then I started wearing it not only as a shirt, but also as an undershirt with shirts that are more sheer than I prefer:

 Molly's are thick enough to wear on their own, but also lightweight for hot weather. They are reversible with a higher and lower neckline on either side. 

 A little over 3 years ago, I tried out one of the Mini Molly's and that is what I am here today to talk to you about.

 They are only half of a shirt, so they don't give any more layers around my stomach.

This became infinitely more valuable to me after I had Scott, because my waist is extra chubby.

 Scott also pulls down on my shirts a lot, so it's nice to have some protection there:

A little over 2 1/2 years ago, I married Jaime's nephew.

I wore a gown by elyseREUBEN, Jaime's custom couture company.

 Two of my best friends did the same.

 Sometimes you find a product that's just too good not to share.

Pescadero Creek Backpacking

John's buddy, David, invited us on a backpacking trip with his boys and John somehow convinced me to go.

I carried Scott

and John carried all our loot.

 It was only a few miles and not too hilly. We made it to the campsite with enough daylight to put up our tent and start dinner.

 Next time Scott has to pull his own weight.

 For now he gets a free ride.

 Scott loves being outside and was enjoying every minute of the trip.

 He did pretty well at night too. 

 In the morning we had breakfast and hiked to the stream to pump our water bottles full.

 Then we took a more scenic route back to the car. 

 We crossed bridges and saw little waterfalls.

 John explored while we waited for David's little guys to catch up.

 It was beautiful, shaded and cool.

I was eaten alive by mosquitoes, as usual, but luckily I distracted them and Scott came away bite-free.

After an In-n-Out burger, shower and nap erased the discomforts, I have happy memories of a fun trip.

26 Weeks

I found this outfit in the closet just in the nick of time. I love baby knickers.

 Scott tried climbing the couch cushions. 

 When we put him on the blanket, he scooches himself to the edge.

 We're not sure why he likes his toys off of the blanket so much.

 He started wearing 6-12 month jams. Sweet like corn.

 Holding his bottle with his fists makes it look like he'll take out anyone who tries to separate them.

 Last time in his milk truck outfit.

 Passed out after a big boy (6 ounce) bottle.

 This is what happened when John dressed Scott. Mismatched, too-small clothes. Sorry, Scott, sleeping in trumps matching outfits.

 We went to see John playing stake softball.

 Scott wants to get big so he can play, too. 

 He's big enough for my taste. He was showing off his hands and knees skills at Grandma's house.

I try not to encourage crawling, but it seems inevitable.

The Boardwalk

Before summer slipped away, we wanted to take a trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk on a 1907 night.

We invited Karen and Alan to spend their anniversary with us. 35 Years!

We had seafood on the pier and watched the sea lions.

Scott loved the noisy ones.

Then we walked down to the rides. They hadn't heard of "baby swapping," but let us take turns on the Giant Dipper.

Karen braved the log ride with John. (I learned my lesson last time.) And we gave them the best gift ever: their first deep fried twinkie.

Scott loved the lights and was wide-eyed all night.

We stayed and played until they closed. We hope they had as much fun as we did. Thanks for coming with us and thanks for getting married and having John!