To Grandmother's House We Go

Everett and I (along with the Grandparents Kilgore) will be heading to Texas on Friday for a visit with Everett's great-grandma, Lola Garza (as well as various aunts, uncles and cousins). We are both VERY excited, especially me, since it's been a decade since I've see her. As I made the packing list, I was STUNNED at the amount of stuff we'll have to take for our week-long visit. Suffice it to say, it borderlines on the ridiculous. For those uninitiated with the southern states, I thought you might be interested in our driving (yes, you read correctly) route. Keep your fingers crossed that our little guy keeps his cool and travels well!

The Goal: We're headed to the blank space between San Angelo and Sorona.

Prizes to the first one to actually spot it on the map!

The beginning:

Hello to the Kilgores and Simpsons!

Hello to the worst roads in the Continental U.S.!

Hello to the Hansens!

And here we go. One week of hot sun, hot salsa and hot mexicanos! Hay caramba!

Let's Go Swimming!

Everett and I made it to the pool for the first time last week for our ward's weekly playgroup. I made sure Everett was totally decked out in proper swimming attire and I was pretty curious as to how he'd react to being in the water. Of course, he did wonderfully! Even though the water was a little chilly, it took about two seconds for him to adjust and start kicking his legs a bit. Our goal for the summer is to spend as much time as possible at the pool so Mom can get a tan without Everett getting too much sun. Possible? We'll see!!

Pre-pool poses. He actually didn't mind the hat.

The weather was perfect and the pool wasn't crowded at all.

All I needed was some Uno cards!

The aftermath. Check out the cool towel/robe combo.

Check out the wistfulness in those eyes. Don't fret, my pet.

The pool is definitely calling our names!

One Fish, Two Fish...

Everett was one lucky little boy last week because he visited the new Georgia Aquarium with Grandmama Lynn, Grandpa David, Uncle Paul and Aunt Autumn. It was such a lovely treat and I think Everett liked seeing the fish, sharks, whales and other marine life. Thanks for a great visit!!

One of the two Beluga whales. These whales were really neat to watch.

And incidentally, "beluga" means white in Russian.

(There, now you can't say you never learned anything from this blog!)

Will and Will Jr. in front of the Belugas.

Everett, sitting face forward (for the first time ever) watching the fish swim by.

"Wow!!"

Like father, like son. Both impressed with the gallons of water and all the neat animal life. Thanks again Strange Family for the fun adventure!

A Week of Firsts

This past week has been quite the momentous one for our little guy. Not only did he get his first cold (not fun), but he also took his first crawl (way fun) AND his first kneel (even more fun). Everett is now a bonafide crawling fool! He is absolutely thrilled to have a little more movement at his fingertips, as evidenced by the fact that he takes every opportunity to crawl and/or kneel. It looks like we'll have a walking toddler on our hands before we know it!

This is THE first time he ever kneeled.

Of course it's right next to the fireplace. Everett's always living on the edge.

He's leaning.

And then there's the fact that he's learned to kneel in his crib.

Uhh, we'll definitely be lowering that mattress this week.

He is soooo happy to be doing something other than lay on his tummy or his back.

I just think he looks darling with his little feet tucked up underneath him.

Mouth open with happiness - no shocker there.

I even managed to get a great video clip of Everett enjoying, and then NOT enjoying the wonderful world of kneeling:

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But all bumped heads aside, nothing's gonna stop this kid from having a great time!

Mr. Giggles

Will and I never tire of hearing Everett's cute laugh! He's almost too precious for words. Enjoy!


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So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Bye!

Our friends Aaron, Shayleen and Olivia said sayonara to Georgia yesterday and hola to their new home, new life and new career (for Aaron at least) in Cincinnati. Since Aaron is a smarty pants and graduated from Georgia Tech, he moved his ladies to the land of Ohio to start his job with G.E.

While we're overjoyed that he's gainfully employed, we are lamenting their move. Everett and Olivia were just starting to be able to actually play. Up until this point, playtime has consisted of Everett laying on a blanket and Olivia grinning at him. We went up for one last visit (we've all lived in the same apartment complex since August) and baby Everett and Miss Olivia got one final opportunity to grin and laugh with each other.

Shhh, it's their secret handshake.

Everett showing off his crawling skillz.

"I wonder when we'll see each other again?"

Soon, very soon. We promise!!

Sweet Home Alabama

Also while we were at the lake I got a good picture of Everett and Granny. Granny is my dad's mom and boy is she Southern! With a name like Granny, how could she not be? She is the proud grandmother of seven and the great grandmother of three (so far). She has been wanting a picture with Everett since he was born, and I figured now that he was almost seven months old, I could kick it into high gear and get these two together. Everett had fun with Granny even though she exclaimed, "He sure is heavy!" - Hey now!

That's Not Bath Water!

While at the lake, with the unbearable and humidity-filled heat, Everett and I decided he could cool off a bit by dipping his chubby feet in the lake water. He wasn't sure quite what to make of it, and his eyes got VERY big, but he took it like a champ and I think was a bit sad when we had to get out.

That hat looks like it's doing a WORLD of good, right?

Much to my delight, Everett wasn't the only little one testing out the lake waters: