Family Photos

"It's time to get some new family pictures."

Yeah, those words rank pretty high on my worst possible things to hear list, right in between "Dr. Pepper has decided to discontinue all future production" and "University of Utah". But when the wife says smile, you say how many times and for how long...and this time it was approximately 515 times and for 2 hours. I'm pretty sure any dimples in my cheeks are actually there from smile muscle atrophy.

But the great thing about having a smokin' hot wife and the two most darling daughters in the world is that nobody even notices that there is a bald guy in the photo.

Lil' Teethers

Mya has 5 teeth now, and probably a few more on the way.

Keep Out of Reach of Children

One of they very distinct differences between Afton as a baby and Mya is that Mya wants to put any and every little thing in her mouth. We're dreading the day she becomes mobile! Especially now when she is teething, the first motion whenever she touches anything is to put it right to her mouth; that includes wrappers...

That is what Stefanie fished out of the back of Mya's throat one day when she was choking. Yeah, that wasn't scary at all. She'd gotten a hold of a nutri-grain bar wrapper that was sitting on the counter next to her Bumbo chair, and proceeded to rip that large chunk out of the wrapper. How does that saying go? Something like, "You don't know how good you've got it with a child that doesn't put anything in her mouth until you have a child that does the exact opposite."?

Computers and Balloons

Afton has two new obsessions: playing computer games and holding balloons.

Once we showed Afton that many of the TV shows she enjoys watching have associated computer games she wanted to use the computer all of the time. At first it was cute, then quickly morphed into a trial of patience because she didn't know how to play the games herself. But she's quite handy with the mouse now and has learned to navigate her favorite websites (PBS Kids and Playhouse Disney) on her own and can play most of the games by herself. With most things Afton does, she is pretty focused when on the computer.

On Stefanie's birthday, Karen brought some balloons over and Afton immediately claimed them as her own. Whenever we mention party or birthday now she shouts, "And there will be balloons!" She carried Stef's birthday balloons around the house non-stop, took them to bed...essentially inseparable for days. And you know she just had to combine the two obsessions on more than on occasion.