Blessing

Last Sunday (March 1) Brian gave little Ezra a name and blessing in sacrament meeting. It was a wonderful experience, and we felt very fortunate to have loving family and friends in the circle surrounding and supporting our family. In the beautiful blessing Brian mentioned Ezra's kind and gentle disposition, something I can definitely confirm. He definitely is the sweetest, most mellow baby, and I feel so blessed to have the privilege of raising him. :)

Grandpa Dave and Grandma Sharon flew out all the way from Phoenix--how generous of them! Felix remembered Dave right away, and they had lots of fun playing together. It was great to have them here, and to get to know Sharon better. I'm so glad she's in our family.


My Dad also came up, which was quite a feat in and of itself! I am soo glad he came though. He stayed with us for a few days after the blessing, and had a great time talking and playing with the boys. (A funny note is that without prompting, he calls my Dad "Papa", which is what I called my Dad's dad, and what my Dad called his grandpa. How did Felix figure that out?) I loved watching my Dad play with Felix, and seeing them develop a special relationship. I hope we can see him again soon!

Also, a few days before the blessing, Grandma Polly surprised us with a visit to Ann Arbor! It was a blast to have her here, and we managed to squeeze a lot in during her short stay. Here are some shots of Felix and Ezra with their beautiful Grandma.

Unfortunately, my Mom wasn't able to make it up for the blessing, but she did send her love--and the adorable blessing outfit and knit blanket.

I'm so grateful for our loving, supportive families, and for the opportunities we have to spend time building our relationships and creating memories together. I'm also glad that Ezra gave us a reason to get together. We can't wait to see everyone again soon!

Trip to Ohio, Michigan

Going there...

...and coming back

meeting Grandma, Grandpa, and the Uncles

Felix finally got to meet his Grandpa Arnold and Uncles Kurt and Zack! There is nothing like family, and it was so good to spend time together.

Brian took a week off from work (which never happens--he usually works 10-6, six days a week!), and we flew into Cleveland from Las Vegas on Tuesday. Wednesday we visited everyone in Akron that we had promised to visit, and on Thursday we drove into Ann Arbor for "Go Blue! Rendezvous", Ross's admit weekend. Our time in Michigan was great--we stayed with our good friends the Shakespears and enjoyed royal treatment from the business school, since the weekend seemed to be designed to woo any fence-sitting admits over to Ross. Well, we decided to accept the admissions offer from Ross a while ago, but didn't mind the friendly wining and dining (minus the wine for us)! The best part was staying with Megan and Jeremy though. We're really looking forward to being neighbors in the fall, and I was sad we didn't get to spend more time with them. Their son Hyrum is super cute, he is just starting to talk and maybe knows about five or six words, but by the incredible inflection in his voice you think he's really carrying on a running narrative about he world. It's really cute to watch him. He and Felix seemd to get along well, although Hyrum was a little shy sometimes. Well, I think that shyness will wear off since they'll be playing together alot in few months!

Anyhow, after our time in Michigan we drove back to Akron and met up with Laura's friends Rebecca (and her husband Nick and their one-year-old son Noble) and Mallory. It was SO great to see them. Mallory and Laura were best friends like velcro in middle school and high school, and so of course a few hours together does not do justice to all the time that has passed, but it was definitely better than nothing! Hopefully we can meet up again soon.

After Church on Sunday and more visiting in the afternoon and on Monday it was time to fly back home. Felix was great on the flights and with traveling, but as seemed happy to sleep in his familiar crib again and go back to a routine (with more of Mom's attention)!

Oh, and the latest news is that Grandma Hall is coming to visit for a week on Wednesday, the 25th!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are SO excited to have her visit, and for her to meet Felix for the first time!!