Clayton's First Haircut

We gave Clayton his first haircut a couple of weeks ago. You can kind of tell in this picture that he was getting a little shaggy around the ears. We forgot to take a good before picture.

He did pretty good with the clippers. Quinn cut it while I held him. We just trimmed the sides and the back. It must have been pretty entertaining to watch because Clarissa was in there the entire time laughing her head off. I guess it quite the show!

Here is the after picture. I thought he looked so grown up after his haircut, I think it made his face look slimmer. After we were finished, Clarissa was ready for a haircut. She still occasionally tells me that her hair is long and that she needs a haircut. She's still waiting for her first haircut. I just can't bare to cut her hair, I'm afraid that she'll lose all the curl.

Clarissa Explains It All...

Clarissa has an interesting way of looking at the world and of expressing herself. An example…recently Clarissa got a new pink baby doll. She very quickly chose a name for her doll… “Bacon”. Now, I have to admit that I think it is kind of a good name. I mean, what is better than bacon. If names are supposed to mean something, what’s wrong with naming something after the most yummy thing in the world. There are people named Candy, Olive, Alfredo, Kobe, Sage, Ambrosia, Cookie, Honey, Ginger, Rosemary, Frank, Colby and Kale. In that context, Bacon doesn’t seem that strange. In fact, according to Babycenter.com, Bacon has seen a huge surge in popularity in recent years.

But I digress. Yesterday, as we were getting ready for church, Clarissa was playing with Bacon next to the stairs. She started rattling Bacon’s head along the bars on the banister similar to how a prisoner would rattle a tin coffee cup along his cell bars. I was a little concerned with the way she was treating her baby and explained to her that she needed to be careful with her baby so she wouldn’t get hurt. Clarissa quickly explained back to me matter-of-factly, “Daddy, Bacon is not a people. She is a toy, so I don’t have to be careful”. She had a good point; I guess it’s good she can make the distinction.

Later at church I had to take Clarissa out of Sacrament meeting for being rowdy. We’ve really been trying recently to establish some good behavior during Sacrament Meeting. Clarissa usually does a pretty good job, but sometimes she gets a little too wiggly and loud. So while I sat with her in the lobby, I explained to her that if she wanted to go back into the chapel she had to behave herself and be good and reverent. After she had settled down and we sat back down in the chapel I gently reminded her to behave. She turned to me with a concerned look and said, “I want to be a people. I don’t want to be a have” (pronounced “Haive” as in be-have).

3 Years Already???

I'd like to start off this post by saying, sorry for no pictures, but my computer still won't do pictures, and I rarely have a minute to be on Quinn's computer. But, at least I am posting. We were out of town for a couple of weeks in July, and I just haven't found the time to post anything. But since I am using this blog as my journal so I remember what we have done, I figured I better post something.


We have now been at graduate school for 3 years, I can't believe how time flies. Three years ago at the beginning of this month, we rolled into town with a truck full of stuff, a 6 week old baby, no friends, and a long 5 1/2 year road of school ahead of us. I can't believe that we now have even more stuff, a 3 year old, a 9 month old, many wonderful friends, and 3 years down of school.

The reason I am posting this is because some of our very best friends, Heidi and Matt moved this last week. Matt just completed a 3 year Master's degree and got a job in Tennessee.

We both happened to move in the same weekend and met in church that Sunday. I met Heidi in Relief Society. She must have noticed this poor girl with her arms full of a diaper bag, a car seat, a new baby, and a clueless look on her face. She offered to help me, and so we just started talking and realized we were both new in town for our husband's to go to school. As we were leaving church, I just decided to invite them over for dinner. Our house was still in boxes, but we did have a little food, Quinn's mom went shopping for us the day before, so we had a roast and potatoes in the crock pot, but nothing else to eat. (While we were on our way home, I remember telling Quinn that I probably shouldn't have invited them because we didn't have much to eat, and our house was a mess, and who knew if they would like us, but I couldn't really uninvite them.)

Anyway's, they came over, we had a decent dinner, and we have been great friends ever since. I am so grateful that I randomly invited them over that Sunday, because who knows what would have happened if I didn't. They absolutely adore Clarissa, and she loves them even more. When I told Clarissa last week that they were moving, after I explained to her that it wasn't to our house, she got really sad, and almost started to cry. And just told me "I want my Heidi and Matt!". I know she really misses them. I'm sad they won't be around to see Clayton grow up, especially since he gave Heidi the best birthday present last year and was born on her birthday.

It was pretty sad to say goodbye to them, but I know that they are also excited to move onto a new phase of their life.

Thanks for being such great friends Heidi and Matt, we will all miss you, and hope that you will come visit soon.