Soccer

I have never been a huge soccer fan, but Matt was able to get some really good tickets through his work. I do not enjoy watching football or baseball all that much because there are so many pauses in the game. Soccer was surprisingly very entertaining to watch because it is non-stop action the entire time. I hear that it is very likely that the game could end in a tie, 0 to 0. It was fun to win 2-0. Go Dynamos! We took my sister and brother-in-law and had a fun date night.

Caleb's First Word

According to the all-knowing books and pamphlets, Caleb is supposed to be able to say 'Mama', 'Dada', as well as point to his body parts when we say them. He will say 'mamamama' and 'dadadada' sounds, but he does not recognize Matt and I as either of those words even though we practice frequently. We also practice his body parts several times a day as well, starting with the face. So after all this work for the past three weeks, Caleb finally said his first word a few days ago. (We have it on video camera, but when we upload our videos to our computer, the videos are very jumpy. Anyone have suggestions?) Caleb's first word was....drum roll....'AT'. Pretty much he just loves to make those sounds together, especially the 't' sound, but he says it all the time. Obviously we have more practicing to do.

When it comes to motor skills, however, Caleb has the books beat. He started walking early (now he's working on a little jog). His favorite activity during the day if nothing else makes him happy is pushing the lawn mower by himself up and down the side walk. He can throw a ball with amazing accuracy, always right-handed much to Matt's dismay. He's also very good about climbing both up and down the stairs. So bottom line, according to my sister Ariane, our boy is going to be all brawn and no brains. :0)

Fun at the Pool

We don't have a pool in our neighborhood yet, so we decided to go to the pool in the neighborhood that my brother and sister live in. I was really impressed with the cool splash pad area for kids. Caleb loved it!

Caleb with his cousin, Drew

Master's Portfolio

If you are interested in seeing it, here is the link. I just got word last night that I passed, and I'm all set for graduation. Hallelujah! For my portfolio, the domain of Library Science was divided into 4 different sections. Basically I had to summarize the main concepts in each section as well as create two artifacts that demonstrate my understanding and how I will apply it to my future work. My website is very plain because that's the way the professors requested it to be. For the most part, it was fun work, just very time-consuming. It feels good to be done.

Caleb's First Time at the Park

He loved the swing the most.

Caleb is fascinated with balls. He loves to pick up a ball, no matter the size, throw it, then chase after it!

Caleb could have cared less about the ducks.

He hated the slide!

We will have to make a regular visit to the park because Caleb really had a good time.

Our Vacation

I am FINISHED with my master's portfolio, and it feels so good. Now I can concentrate on other projects on my 'to do list' that I've been wanting to get to, namely scrapbooking for Caleb. As soon as my portfolio is graded, I'll post the website so those that are interested can look at it.

The week of June 29th through July 6th, my family took a vacation to San Antonio. We rented a house for a week, relaxed, and did some sight-seeing. Everyone was there except Lindsey, who is taking summer classes at BYU, and my sister-in-law Kari, who was put on bed rest for the last month of her pregnancy. We even had a last-minute extra: Clayton's girlfriend, Cayla. The week was a blast. Here are some of the things we did:

Monday we walked along the RiverWalk, and then took a tour of some of its history on a small boat. We also visited the Alamo.

Tuesday we went tubing down the San Marcos river. The water was surprisingly cold. Caleb was a trooper and sat with me in a tube the entire time. At the end of the river, there are some fun waterfalls that we did over and over and over again.
After tubing, we drove by the temple.

Grandpa and Caleb

Wednesday we went to Sea World. This was probably the highlight of the week. I love the shows and the fun rides.
At the water ski show
4th of July

Caleb and Dallin's matching outfits

Before we went to look at fireworks, we stopped at the Japanese Tea Gardens. They were so beautiful, and it was free!

Besides the sight-seeing, we did lots of games, volleyball, whiffle ball, and croquet. It was nice to get away for a week.

Busy, Busy, Busy

My master's portfolio is due this Monday, so my life has been really hectic lately. The only time I have to work on it is when Caleb is asleep, so I've had to take advantage of every moment and have neglected posting to my blog for a while. We just got back from a family vacation to San Antonio, so pictures will be posted soon (after Monday!).

In the mean time, Caleb has hit another milestone. He is now walking! (10 1/2 months) He took his first steps--by that I mean more than 3 steps--July 4th, and since then he has been cruising. Caleb still falls down a lot, but according to my older brother, he has incredible balance. We've recorded it on our new video camera, but are having difficulties loading the videos to our computer. So although I don't have videos to post yet, I did take a few pictures mid-walk. It's kind of hard to tell, obviously.