Eighteen Months

It's official! Cambrie is eighteen months old! My baby girl is no longer a baby; she says real words, she (finally) agrees to smile when we ask, and she throws temper tantrums. Yes, I think I'm on the verge of raising a toddler.

(Here is her on-demand smile)

Two days ago was her first official full day in nursery. The way our church meetings are set up, everyone meets together for the main meeting, then we have a variety of different Sunday School classes. Nursery is the "class" for children between eighteen months and three years old.

I use quotation marks, because I've never had a class that included play time, snack time, and an entire wardrobe full of toys. Lucky, lucky girl.

Apparently, she was a little confused when they did "Ring around the rosie." We’ve been practicing so that next week in nursery, she’s going to be a pro “Ring around the rosie”-er.

The thing that gets me most of all is that she's so big. She's so independent. I mean, this is the girl that, in a freezing basement, when I've put her last, clean pair of warm socks on her feet, slips them off and insists that I place them on her hands. Why? I have no idea. Ask the girl with cold toes pawing at books with sock-hands.

I figure now is as good a time as any to remember how tiny my baby girl used to be. She couldn't talk, couldn't crawl, and couldn't blow kisses. Her world was made up of warm milk, soft cuddles, and watching the world with a quiet intensity.

And now she can say “cheese” and climb on the piano bench all by herself. Slow down, baby girl. I want to keep you right here, in my arms, just a little longer…

Slow and Steady...

Our lives since Christmas break have been a hodge-podge of activities, but the most important of these had been Patrick's search for work. Since we've been so blessed to be able to live with family while we look for steady employment, our plight has not been as urgent as it is for others, but the stress does pile on and the money does stretch thin. We try to keep looking forward.

The job search itself has picked up since before Christmas. Patrick had two interviews this week, and a request for one more. The interviews went fine (one was very good), but Patrick is now waiting for one company to finish interviewing the other candidates and the other company to get the district managers to interview him.

The second company deals in mattresses. Tired of the lukewarm responses he'd been getting to his applications, Patrick began his cover letter with the following:

"I already have 25 years of experience with mattresses, but I’m excited at the prospect of jumping into them professionally! I am the person you need in your Sales and Management Trainee Program."

He got a call two days later.

So while we're waiting to see what comes out of these interviews, Patrick is continuing to job search and applying to be a substitute teacher, and I am trying to get into the tutoring/piano teaching game. We really believe all will work out--this is life's hazing ritual for the recent graduates in the world. It's a matter of time, so we might as well spend that time working hard and having fun.

After all, in twenty years we'll be able to look back on this with a sigh and a smile. We'll remember the discouragement, but we'll also remember things like this.

Happy Winter, everyone! Here's to smiling all the way until Spring!

Making Music

Today we went to the library. My favorite part about this particular library is that it sits, no joke, on Literary Lane. I took a picture to prove it.

Cambrie was being a little fussy in the backseat, so Patrick tried to pep her up.

"Cambrie! Hey, Cambrie, we're going to the library... won't that be fun? Woohoo! Li-brar-y! We're goin' to the li-brar-y!" The end of his pep talk had picked up a little rhythm and pitch, so after a short pause, he continued.

"Caaaaaam-brie! Caaambrie and the Liiiii-brar-y!"

She was quiet. It was working. I jumped in.

"Oh Cambrie, Cambrie likes the liiii-brar-y, she likes it 'cause there's BOOKS!"

(When singing improvised songs to an 18 month old, grammar is superfluous.)

So, Patrick and I, with awesome rhythm, no intelligible tune, and considerable random emphasis, sang a song for our daughter. It went a little something like this:

Cambrie! Cambrie and the Lii-brar-y.

Cambrie! Cambrie and the Lii-brar-y.

Cambrie likes the Library, 'cause

Cambrie and the Library are FRIENDS!

We're goin' to the Liii-brar-y.

And we're gonna read some BOOKS!

And we're gonna see the TURTLE!

THERE'S A TURTLE AND HIS NAME IS TUCK!

OHHHH TUCK THE TURTLE will be there.

Soooooo much fun to

read and look around and

play with the BIG STUFFED ANIMALS that are theeerrrrreeee!!!

OOOOHHHH Cambrie! Cambrie and the Lii-brar-y.

Cambrie! Cambrie and the Lii-brar-y.

Cambrie likes the Library, 'cause

Cambrie and the Library are FRIENDS!

About this point, we were pretty excited about our song. I turned around to gauge Cambrie's reaction. She was doing this:

Yup. Staring at her feet, playing with her untied shoelaces. Huh. So much for our adoring audience.

But at least she was quiet and happy, all the way to the library!

(Dang it, that's kind of catchy. Now I'm gonna have "Cambrie and the Lii-brar-y!" stuck in my head all day...)

The Christmas 2010 Play-by-Play

This is very late in coming, and very long, but a lot happened this holiday. It will be easiest and quickest to relate it all via photos, so please bear with me. You may want to grab some popcorn or leftover Christmas candy to tide you over. Here are the basics:

We flew out to Utah a few days before Christmas. While there, on Thursday, we had a Christmas breakfast of Pumpkin Pancakes and Sausage Balls, took family pictures at Target, and had a White Elephant gift exchange. We then went to see Temple Square with my dad and his wife.

We then headed to Clarkston, where my dad's parents live, and had a wonderful Christmas. We saw lots of family, Cambrie was spoiled rotten, and Patrick got to revisit his childhood in Logan. We were able to stay there until Tuesday, when Patrick headed back to Georgia and I went back to spend more time with my mom.

While with my mom, Cambrie continued to be spoiled rotten, we got to see my grandma and lots more family, we celebrated the New Year, and we had fun shopping.

Cambrie and I finally returned last Tuesday, but our lives have continued to be busy. That means they've also been very fun! With that, here are the (many, many) pictures:

Checking out the planes at the airport

Cambrie watching my sister play the piano

At Temple Square

The Beautiful Salt Lake Temple

Lights at Temple Square

We took lots of pictures.

On the way to Clarkston--my baby's just too cute!

The sleeping arrangements at Grandma's

Christmas morning!

Cambrie trying on the cute mittens Grandma Yumi made for her.

Dad, Yumi, and Melody opening their gifts.

Andy and Leeanne

Jen and Casey

Cambrie visiting the horses

Cambrie and my Uncle Mike

Beautiful Utah sunrise

Mountain view from Clarkston

Cambrie in her Christmas dress from Nana

Lounging around.

Showing off the awesome hat Yumi made for her

Patrick and Willow Park--where he used to play as a child.

We stopped by to see the Logan Temple.

Utah State--that's Old Main in the background. To Patrick, this was the sledding hill.

Finally got her hair in two pigtails!

We went shopping for my sister--she's growing a baby in her belly, and she needed new clothes.

Peek! (Sorry, I must play that with Cambrie too much.)

Give it a few months; the belly will fill it out.

Hmmmm... yes? No?

Jen found things she's happy with.

On the mini-shopping trip

New Year Traditional Foods: 7 layer dip

We also made baked potato skins. Mmmm.

Taking down the Christmas decorations.

More games!

Kristen, about to play some amazing card, I'm sure.

Playing with "relative" Keldrie (my cousin's daughter)

Family!

Dorks baking cookies (my sister and me)

Someone dropped the warm cookies...!

Cambrie doesn't like snow.

The aftermath of the snow debacle (notice the tear, and two baby dolls):

Shopping with mommy and Nana:

Four generations: Mothers and Daughters

Playing with a relative (my cousin's son, Jacob. I have no idea what they are to each other.)

Happy to be home with daddy--waiting for luggage.