February Friends

One of the perks of being married to an artist is getting homemade Valentines. I think he outdid himself this year. I loved this one! The paper clip heart was the 'X' factor for me...oh, and the message was sweet, too ;) Cali and I made Valentines also this year and gave them to Daddy, Carice, and random loved ones. It is fun for she and I to do crafty things together. We decorated our humble home with painted paper hearts and a red construction paper heart garland. We even shared a Valentine's lunch and cookie with my bosom friend, Melissa. I'm grateful for happy times and fun friends. Unfortunately, we all know that some relationships don't work out. Clearly, laundry and I should cut our losses, but I can't give up or give in because then the Moore4 will either be wet and/or naked. Therefore, I will wash on...(at least this pile is clean...and the little girl, too!)




It's been a milestone month for Cali. She has made the greatest friendship of all...her and the beloved white potty. Do I dare say she is completely potty trained? "Oh! Happy Day!" Now, it's been rough, I must say. It was a fight to the finish with gray hairs forming right before our very eyes and a few hopeful prayers offered. As we have neared the end of this memorable month, I think we are there! In the beginning she was rewarded with a cupcake for a pee pee deposit and promised a cake if she dropped the "mother load". I think the first night or so may not have been a dreamy slumber for her, but more of a sleep induced sugar coma--whatever works, right? All I can say is *phew*. And one more...*phew* She also is done with her session of MyGym and is still working hard with vision therapy at home. She will be doing more sessions in the doctor's office coming up next month. She has adjusted well to Primary at church and to our luck, they built this particular ward building with a children's bathroom complete with the cutest little porcelain potty and reachable low sink. Somebody was thinking of us exasperated potty training parents! :)



What is it about babies (especially 7 month olds) that make you want to dance and prance and talk in high toned voices just to illicit just one more of their addicting smiles? Carice is so much fun to make laugh, too. It sounds more like a cough or a grunt, but it's so cute and it's 'her'. She has pretty much mastered sitting up and has had her first taste of pureed organic peas and carrots. She has made her first TV friend, Cookie Monster. She smiles and gets a little giddy when he comes on the screen. It's so fun. She also had another physical therapy appointment this month and measured between 5mm and 6mm, so her little noggin is changing to a rounder shape (zero being perfect). And she has full range of motion in her neck muscles now. She also weathered her (2) vaccine shots well. She is over 18 lbs and is just a bundle of yum. I try to enjoy having a 'baby' because the time I have is so fleeting. Before you know it, she will be walking and then, well...bye bye, Baby. waa! :*(

Rick's been working hard as usual. He also is such a help to me with the kids and the mundane household stuff. He's a member of the Utah Scion Club (actually its a family thing, too). We went to a meet that Brent Brown was having for Scion owners. We even got fed lunch and could pick out a few Scion souvies. It was fun for us to be with other friends who love these boxy cars as much as we do. We hear it's going to be a classic someday. Finally, a good credit decision! This month Rick has dusted off his idea for the children's book he wrote and still wants to pursue the possibility of having it published. There is a company on the web called Lulu that prints on demand that he will most likely use. He still has to work out the illustrations for it, but I hope he will find a way to finish it. It really is amazing. He also will be doing more freelance work for the LDS Church. He may even be interviewing again for a position there as an Interaction Designer. The church, obviously, is a great client to have! :) No wonder Rick only sleeps about 5 hours a night! Sadly, this month, I have to report some bad news. Rick lost his 9-year award-winning streak of not "tossin' his cookies". Yep. You guessed it. He caught the flu. Or was it? Now, I know it is a terrible thing to wish food poisoning on your husband and surely it is listed among the most heinous of crimes, but...I kind of hoped it was. Now wait! Let me explain. It's a scary thing to have the flu in the house with such little children, because children are still dying from it. (Crazy, but it's true...Google it) And so I got scared. But in my defense, I hit the streets in my little black box of a car at one o'clock in the morning with mismatched clothes, glasses and 'whatever' hair bound for Smith's to pick up the essentials (Gatorade, chicken soup, Clorox wipes) to help nurse the love of my life back to health. Thankfully, he recovered in a few days. Nobody else got sick, so I'm not sure what he had. What I do know is what I have...the best friend a girl could ever have. Because even when he reads this, he will still love me despite my awful fears and wishes on him. He knows me and understands me and accepts me (Another...*phew*!) And, hopefully, he knows that I accept him for all that he is. He is my one and only true friend, my February friend and I love him...