Home Again Home Again...

We're back! Ever feel like you need a vacation after your vacation? Yep, me too. I flew alone with Addi for the first time... could have been better, could have been worse. You're probably thinking it's a short flight to Utah, but we had a one hour stop in Vegas where we didn't get off the plane so we were actually in our seat for almost four hours. Picture me with her in the Bjorn in the front, her diaper bag on as a backpack, rolling my carry on behind me with one hand and her giant car seat with the other (I won't ask you to picture me nursing in the airplane bathroom during turbulence, but it happened). And who knew they'd send you to the end of the line if you didn't remove your infants tiny shoes and put them through on the belt??
Anyway, I'll upload some trip pics in due time, but I just received these in the mail from a little photo shoot we had done in June and couldn't resist putting up a few of my fave girl, you know the one....

{Pictures taken by Randi Brunt, of

Flutter Photography: www.flutterpix.com}

K.E.D.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite (and only) sister. Between July 28th and August 28th each year she is two years older than me instead of one, and I gloat every year during this time :). Here is to two girls, only 13 months apart, who were the worst of enemies and became the best of friends.

I don't want to give away her age, but here are 33 memories of the girl I love to call Toons (in no particular order)....

1. The infamous biting (just the beginning of some serious sibling rivalry)

2. Our little kitchen set, and the pee in the pitcher incident

3.The bookcase/collarbone fiasco... QUIET, I'm on the phone!

4. Summers at Grandma's- swimming at the Police Academy pool, shopping at Pic N' Save, going to the Pledgers' house (yuck), cute Jimmy at church that we both had a crush on, and getting left in that restaurant when I wouldn't eat all my fruit with a fork

5. You getting tied to the dresser during our sleepover at the Hinich's house in Pacific Palisades

6. Going to school early on Thurs and Fri during your sixth grade and my fifth grade year to sing in Scera Park Singers (and those awful turquoise dresses)

7. Dad taking us to school in the tool truck

8. Your bloody incident at the Alpine Slides, because you were just barely tall enough to ride alone so you did!

9. I won't mention any names.... but one special babysitter we had that locked you in the closet a few times and promised to take us to McDonald's if we didn't tell Mom. The crazy part is that we didn't tell, until she failed to come through with the McD's!

10. Summer movies at the Scera theater, when we'd get the tickets for a show once a week that included candy and a drink and Mom would drop us off

11. My new ten speed, courtesy of your lousy grades. Sorry Dad!

12. Oh the fights we had! I fought with words (let's face it I knew how to push your buttons and you were an easy target), and you would beat the crap out of me... scratching, hitting, and kicking. Remember the time I broke your wrist with the phone and no one believed you for a couple weeks?? SORRY.

13. The Christmas of the chickenpox

14. Summers in Scottsdale, lounging at the pool

15. Mike Taylor saying the entire pledge of allegiance to us, while I literally peed my pants on his porch, when we asked him if he would like to 'pledge us for our walk-a-thon.'

16. Those boat shoes- 'nuff said

17. Road trip with the three of us in the back of the truck with the rug kit all the way to Canada for Expo '86, and making the 'Why Do Fools Fall in Love?' commercial

18. How freaking early you would get up to take a bath and hog the bathroom, getting ready for school- I think you mostly spent time on your hair and bangs to heaven. And you still almost missed the bus all the time- I can see you running toward the already moving bus with your big ESPRIT bag. Man, I loved those bags.

19. Hanging out with Brian and Danny together, and the time you broke up with Brian and then he was stuck at the house with you, because I had taken his red camaro for a few spins around the block

20. Me, you and Emily in drivers' ed together. Me getting my license before you and taking you places, and then the two of us sharing the Fairmont- 'It's a cute little car.'

21. You and Mom doing math at the kitchen table together, I don't know who was more frustrated

22. You running away, and the note you left :(

23. Going to Girls Camp at Mia Shalom, and the tear-fest testimony meeting

24. Sharing a room our entire lives, and having bunk beds until graduation!

25. Being the only member of the family who was present at Wedding #1 while you were all two hours late because the basement had flooded. Argh.

26. You, me and Mat throwing auctions for someone or other, pretending we didn't know each other, and getting paid cash under the table (should I have written that one??) CRAZY

27. Waiting outside the room when Kortney and Gracie were born

28. Lots of babysitting Kort for you when you were single. Oh, that night I took Kort to give you a break, and ended waking mom up at 5am crying myself, the house in shambles, because the kid just wouldn't sleep

29. Taking out our endowments together

30. Each of us being the other's Maid of Honor

31. Countless late late nights in your kitchen in Mapleton coloring my hair, re-coloring my hair, laughing our arses off and eating treats (and then me leaving with a beanie on my head due to a little color we like to call Orange). Tony was always dazed and confused

32. The drive home this past April- the babies getting the flu, getting separated in Vegas with no phone and arriving at 5am...crazy train alert!

33. The way you cried when you saw me and Addi at Famous Dave's :)

This is where you can find us:

We're spending a couple weeks with family and friends...

'He's A Big Boy'

That's what Addison's pediatrician said after entering the room, looking at her and reading the chart the nurse had just updated with the new stats at her six month check up. I'll give him some credit, she had on no clothes, just a diaper and no gender identifying bows or bracelets, so we'll forgive him.
She (he) is 17.1 lbs, in the 75% percentile for weight, and 26", in the 85% for height. If she (he) was going to be insulted or scarred by being called a heavy boy she (he) all but forgot about it by the time we left the office, due to the four shots they gave her (him).
And here's what we've been up to....

We like to walk to the park by our house a few days a week to swing, slide and blow bubbles...what chubby legs??
We spend a lot of time on this blankey playing with toys, reading books and watching Einsteins (okay, and enjoying the nearby air conditioning vent- dang it's been hot)
Addi is crawling. Should that make me sad... it does! And this is what I wake up to each morning :) Am I lucky or what?

Life is full of beauty. Notice it. Notice the bumble bee, the small child, and the smiling faces. Smell the rain, and feel the wind. Live your life to the fullest potential...

~Ashley Smith

POOL PARTAY

Okay, so it was a small party, but a party nonetheless! Addi and I went down to San Diego to visit one of my best girlfriends Stacy, and her little boy Jack for the day. What do you get when you mix friends and floaties... lots of fun. It was our first pool day and we LOVED it! So worth the trek down South. Thanks guys!
p.s. I didn't think Stacy would want me to post the pool pics I got of her, but she looks amazing four weeks before her due date :). Stacy will soon have her hands full with TWO little boys and we are so excited for her.

Whiteys

Scuba Jack...quote of the day "Watch me!"
Loved this little floaty boat...
Again, what could be cuter than this kid?

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the

two most beautiful words in the English language.

~Henry James

Who's Your Daddy?

Argh, do you ever just feel like the blog is ANOTHER thing on your to do list that you've fallen behind on... hmmm, I sure do.
Anyways, we had a very chill Father's Day at the Call household (total Lyndon style, lots of relaxing involved). Late post or not I did want to say that Lyndon is an AMAZING Dad to our little angel and I am constantly impressed with his devotion to her and the way he loves and adores her. They are so fun to watch together and listen to, and it melts my heart and makes me love him all the more. All the children we have will be SO lucky to have a fun doting Daddy. Here are some of my fav Daddy-Addi moments...

L's card... nice and slobbery since Addi held it when we took it into

Daddy with his breakfast in bed. Yep, I got a pic of the card, but not one of the Dad- oops!

This is what happens when Daddy does dinner... er, playtime, whatever.
Daddy has started making bubble blowing appearances during

bath time to the delight of one chubby little girl...

MY LIFE!

And of course my Dad is a one of a kind and I hope he had a very happy Father's Day too, even though I couldn't be there (and didn't call him until midnight... long story, sorry pops).

I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection.

~ Sigmond Freud

Marvelous Marv & Magnificent Maureen

We got really spoiled and had both Lyndon's Mom/Marv/Addi's Mimi and my Mom/Maureen/ Addi's Grandma come visit us the last two weeks. There was lots of hanging out, shopping, eating, talking and laughing. We love and miss you guys already... our door (couch) is always open!

Mimi and the Amazing Bubble Machine she got Addi!

Grandma Maureen and Addi, girls lunch out!

All that I am or hope to be I owe to my Angel Mother.

-Abe Lincoln