Cruisin'

We just got back from a much needed/graduation present/anniversary/family vacation.  We flew down to Houston, and left on the Carnival Triumph from Galveston.   We had a great time!

 Our first stop was in Progreso, Mexico.  As for the town itself, there isn't much but a beach and the flea market, which was fun to see anyway.  We went to some Mayan ruins nearby, called "dzibilchaltun."  They were really neat to see. It is crazy to think about the people that lived there.

 

 

 Calder was having a great time, too.  Especially once he got out of the backpack we were carrying him in.

 There was a beautiful natural pool with tons of little fish.  They would nibble at your feet if they were in the same place for too long.

 
 I was amazed at how big the ship was!  Apparently it is as long as 3 football fields.

 Calder was a champ all day, but he was pretty worn out when we got back to our room.

The next day, we stopped in Cozumel, Mexico.  We rented a car, drove to a beach, and enjoyed playing in the water and eating legit Mexican fajitas.

 Calder was a little nervous about the water at first, but after a few minutes, he was having a great time!

When we were done at the beach, we drove to the other side of the island.  The views were stunning.

The next day was just at sea again while we made our way back to Galveston.  But nothing beats a sunset and a sunrise on the ocean.

 We spent a few days with Craig's sister and her husband in Houston where we sampled some amazing Texas bbq and visited some things around the city.  It was fun to see them.

What a great trip! Calder was a champ through the whole thing, too.  Now, we are just adjusting to being back at home.

Say Cheese

A couple weeks ago, we got our family pictures taken.  My good friend Jenny (who taught 5th grade with me) took them, and we love them!!  She did such a great job!  I am having a hard time deciding which ones to hang up in our house.  Here are a few.

.5

Calder is 6 months old already!

Things I want to remember about him at this age:

• Calder is 17 lbs 7 oz and 27 1/2 inches long.  Hmm...it looks like his car seat won't last until he's one.  
• He is so much fun!  He laughs and squeals a lot.

• He is becoming more independent.  He rolls around to reach whatever he wants to grab, and can now sit by himself!  He still tips over after about 30 sec. but is getting better everyday!
• His favorite toys are his jumper - he can get some good air in that thing, and will just laugh and talk to himself in it - and a little saucer that he can sit in that has toys all around.  I think he feels so grown up in them.

• Calder will reach his little arms out to people for them to hold him now.  It is the cutest thing!
• He is getting better with other people.  He still stresses out a little, but is willing to let most hold him at least for a few minutes before he starts to get upset.

• He LOVES rice cereal and his toes, and has just started other solids.  We started pears last week.  He tolerates them now, but still doesn't like them very much.  We will try a different one this week sometime.  Mostly, I think he just loves to sit in his highchair.
• Calder likes to sleep on his side or his stomach.  The only time he sleeps on his back now is if he is asleep when we put him in his crib.  

• He still loves to go swimming!  He loves to splash and kick in the water. We may have to take some trips to the rec center now that it is starting to be a little too chilly to swim outside.  
• He loves to experience new things, like he loved feeling the sand at the beach, he LOVES playing with plastic water bottles and "drinking" water from them, he loves anything I give him to play with that is new for him.  I love how curious he is!

• He is starting to teethe.  They aren't ready to pop through, yet, but they are starting to bother him a little I think.  He constantly chews REALLY HARD on everything.
• Calder had his first haircut!  
• He likes games like peek-a-boo, singing songs, and still loves to be outside, look in mirrors, and be swung around by his dad.  

And last but not least, this is his favorite face to pull...

Kung Fu

Our good friends the Jorgensens came back from China a little while ago.  It was great to see them and catch up for a bit.  They brought back a little Kung Fu outfit for Calder.

 I think he likes the silky feel.

He has even started practicing some Kung Fu moves.
Thanks Jorgensens!

The Fastest Men in Mendon

Every year we always go to Mendon to participate in their fun celebration of the 24th of July.  It's become a tradition, and we always have a great time!

It all started the year before Craig left on his mission.  He showed up to run the 5k, and happened to win it, donning the title "The Fastest Man in Mendon" and bragging rights for a year, until the next race the next year.  After his mission, Craig wasn't even able to make it to the race that summer, but one of his best friends did, and took the title.  So since then, we have run the race (and the boys don't even win it anymore, they are beat by the high schoolers) every year, and it is something we look forward to.

This year, the race looked a little different for our family.

Craig ran with Calder, and he still did great!  I ran, and finished, which is all I was going for.  However, Calder did cross the finish line before Craig.  So I guess there are two fastest men in our family!

After breakfast, we go back and watch the parade and the Great Race.  The Great Race is a compilation of various tasks and contests, like a watermelon eating contest, log sawing, hammering a nail, and many others all piled into one Great Race.  Each ward in Mendon puts a team together to compete.  We root for the Mendon 2nd ward (Craig's family's ward) who ALWAYS wins.  Every year.  It is pretty funny, the other wards have started rumors that Mendon 2nd ward holds tryouts to be on their team.  Heh. 

Here are my boys watching the parade. :-)

We finish up the day by watching the fireworks that night.  I love the Mendon Fireworks.  They are short and sweet.  

Thanks Mendon for letting us come celebrate the 24th there every year!

Chartered Financial Analyst

On June 4th, Craig took the level one CFA Exam.  We got the results back today, and he passed!!  They don't give a score, but a summary of how he did in all the different areas, and he did so well in all of them!  I am so proud of him!  Of the people that took the test in June, only 39% passed.  Way to go Craig!!

4 Months

These are some things I want to remember about our little boy at 4 months:

• At his 4 month check-up, he weighed 15 lbs, 8 oz (75th percentile) and was 26 1/2 in. long (95th percentile).  He is such a tall little boy!
• Calder is becoming such a content little baby.  He smiles all the time, and laughs occasionally.  The first time we heard him laugh was once when Craig sneezed.  I guess he thought it was pretty funny.  His laugh is more like a little chuckle, it is super cute!  He hardly fusses at all anymore, unless we have been busy and his schedule has been off for a few days, or he is overly tired.

What a handsome little guy!

• He loves to stand all the time, especially in the bathtub (for some reason, this is so exciting to him.  He gets the proudest look on his face) and also on the bathroom counter in front of the mirror.  He gets so excited to see himself standing in the mirror!  It is adorable.
• Calder loves everything about his fingers, mouth, and tongue.  His latest favorite is sticking his thumb and pointer finger in his mouth and he grabs his tongue and plays with it.   It is pretty funny.  But he always has at least one finger in his mouth, sometimes two, or sometimes his whole fist.  If he can reach my arm or hands or Craig's arm or hands, he will grab it and try to eat it as well. 

Fingers are so tasty!

• He is such a good sleeper!  (Which is SO nice for me!  I can be such a better mom when I am well rested.)  He will sleep 9 - 10 hours at once during the night, wake up to eat, and then will sleep for another 2, sometimes 2 1/2.  The rest of the day, he will only take 40 min. naps, but he takes 3 of those usually.
• Calder is a talker!  He loves to coo and squeal, especially when he is finished eating, or when he is trying not to go to sleep.

Loving the grass

• He loves to go swimming!  There is a pool in our apartment complex, so we go "swimming" a couple times a week.  He prefers the pool to the lake though. When we went to the lake, the water was a little cold there, so he didn't think that was so fun.
• He gets so excited when we put him in the stroller to go for walks.  His favorite place to be is outside!  He loves to grab the grass with his toes and feet.

He loves his daddy!

• He loves to play sitting up now, whether it is propped up on the couch or in his little chair.
• I think he is really excited to eat real food.  Every time he sees me or Craig eat, he just has this jealous stare on his face.  We are going to try to give him rice cereal next week.  

So big!  He's the boss.

We love you, Calder! We have so much fun with you!