Graduation

Chris graduated on Friday.  I really can't believe it's over.  Two years goes by SO fast. It has been such a fun two years.  I'm going to miss so many things about Chris being in the MBA program, but we are so excited for whatever lies ahead.  I asked Chris if he got emotional at all.  Of course not, but I did.  Watching him walk in to Pomp and Circumstance, it just kind of hit me that it really was over.  After the ceremony, we rushed to the car as the wind blew furiously and the rain started to fall.  We just got to snap a few quick pictures before we had to seek shelter.   What I really wish I had, is a video clip of Chris trying to figure out how to get those robes on.  Two masters degrees aren't any help for that.

I'm so proud of him finishing up TWO masters degrees within the last 5 months.  He finished his thesis for his Masters in Psychology in December and then finished his MBA just now.  He is an incredible student.  He makes going to school look easy, but that doesn't mean it hasn't been a ton of hard work for him.  I feel so much awe and gratitude for everything he does for our family.  Congratulations Chris!  I love you.

Easter

Jane's first Easter egg hunt happened the week before Easter.  We had a BBQ with some good friends from the MBA program.  It was actually Chris' assigned study group for the first semester of his first year.  These guys got along great and became good friends for the rest of the program.  We'd get together periodically and the wives became good friends too.  We'll miss them all a lot as we all head in different directions now.  

At the BBQ, Jodie put together Easter baskets for all the kids and an Easter egg hunt too.  Jane caught on pretty quick and was pretty happy to gather her eggs, shaking each one before she put it in her basket.

Her next Easter egg hunt was at the BYU stadium.  It's a huge free event and we thought it would be fun to go check out.  The field was COVERED with eggs, candy, and even a few t-shirts, but we had to wait a while before we could get down and start the "hunt".  They had it divided into two age groups, but even in the 0-3 age group, the whole field was picked clean in less than a minute.  There were SO many kids.  It was great for Jane, though.  She got her five eggs and sat down in the middle of the chaos anyway.  She was anxious to open them and see the goodies inside.  She tried jelly beans, M&Ms, and Cadbury mini eggs, but only the KitKats really did it for her.  I can't blame her, I'm rather fond of them myself. 

Here's Jane waiting for the race to start.  When we got a little closer to the field, she kept wanting Chris to lift her up high, so she could scope out the egg-covered field.

She had so much fun gathering eggs, that instead of hiding an Easter basket for her, we just hid more eggs around the living room and she had so much fun gathering them into her little basket.  Since then, her blue basket has carried just about everything.  She puts her snack and sippy-cup in there and carries them around like Little Red Riding Hood.

Easter Sunday

Jane's Easter dress was one I made last summer for her, but I made the bodice WAY too big.  She finally fits it a year later (after some modification).  She's my springy little girl and I love her.
We went to Greg and Sherrill's house for Easter dinner and Sherrill's daughter put together Jane's fourth Easter Egg hunt.  By then she was a pro, and we kept rehiding the same eggs, so she could just go forever.

Silva Family

We tried to take some family pictures while Brian was staying with us.  Without a designated make-Jane-smile person, it was difficult to tear her eyes away from the Easter celebrations happening in the park, mainly the hot air balloon taking off.  Still I'm happy to get all four of us in a shot together.  Thanks, Brian!

Peter (3 months) and Jane (19 months)

PETER
At two and a half months, I was surprised to come into the room and find that Peter had rolled over for the first time.  He got pretty good at it and did it almost every day over the next couple weeks, but never when I was there to see.  I finally got to witness his little maneuver at about 3 months and by then it was a smooth as ever.  He only rolls from his tummy to his back, though.
Peter has suddenly decided he HATES driving in the car.  He used to go to sleep as soon as he got in the car, but somewhere in the last month he changed his tune.  Now he just cries full throttle whenever we go anywhere whether it's 5 minutes or an hour.  He's fine in his car seat before we put him in the car and as soon as the car stops and we lift his car seat our, and generally, he's just fine when he's in his car seat in the stroller, but the car is a nightmare for him.  Any ideas what's going on?
He loves being in the Bjorn carrier and I wear it every time we go grocery shopping.  It frees up so much room in the car and takes the pressure off of trying to get all the shopping done before he needs to be picked up.
Peter is a naturally warm kid.  He takes after his dad that way.  I tend to be cold all the time and I think Jane inherited my cold hands, but Peter is always pretty hot.
He smiles easily now and coos a lot.  He loves the bath and calms down immediately when he hears the rushing water.  He's just started swatting at his hanging toys.

Jane's just checking in on Peter again.  Sometimes she lays down beside him on his activity mat and jiggles the toys for him.  

Our little shark boy.

JANE
I think Jane is at such a fun age.  I love checking in on what she's up to because it's usually pretty entertaining or just really sweet.  She generally doesn't make much of a mess outside of pulling all of her toys out, so I don't worry about her too much.  Sometimes I find that she's pulled all of daddys ties down and is wearing several around her neck.  Sometimes she's reading books to her stuffed animals.  Sometimes she's playing with the pots in the kitchen, but always, she's singing her own made up songs in her own made up language.  Just recently, I came in and found her breast feeding Buster, her bunny.  They have a very close relationship.  
She still isn't talking much.  She knows just enough words that she's not technically "developmentally behind".   She's very happy all the time and she's fun to do things with because her enthusiasm is contagious.  When I ask her something like "Do you want to go to the grocery store?"  She answers with "YAY!"  If I turn on the TV at all, it gets a "Yay" too.  When we go outside, she'll stop suddenly and point up at something like a tree and say, "Whoaaa!".  Yes, this world is pretty exciting place and it's fun to see it all through her eyes now.
I gave Jane the bread to help me bring in while I gathered the rest of the groceries.  She was pretty excited to be my little helper.  When I put everything else away, I remember the bread and found her in the living room just helping herself.  She always makes me smile.

 

 

A Few of Jane's Favorite Things...

I have been collecting random photos of Jane doing her thing and now I'm finally getting around to posting a few of Jane's favorite things.  So in no particular order...

1. The mini tub.

Jane loves being carried around in the tub by daddy.  He puts her up on counters and such and she just giggles.

2.  My underwear.
Jane is seriously obsessed with putting my underwear over her head.  She finds it when I'm folding laundry or pulls it out of the dresser drawer with the rest of my workout clothes.  When I throw it in the dirty laundry bin, I have to hide it so she can't get her hands on it.  I don't know what her obsession is, but she would wear them all day long if I didn't keep taking them off of her.

3. Hats.

We have a few costume hats that we keep in the storage room upstairs.  Jane loves to go try them on and especially loves to pull Chris up there with her. 

4. The babyswing.

Peter doesn't really care for the swing, which is great because Jane has claimed it for herself.  She often brings books over there and casually swings back and forth while she reads.  She also loves his bouncy chair and has become quite the acrobat on that bouncing it to its limits.

5. Fantastic Mr. Fox

This has been her favorite for a while now.  She loves pretty much any kids movie, but only Fantastic Mr. Fox locks her into a daze that lasts the whole movie.  Monsters University is probably her second favorite and she lasts almost the whole way through that one too.

 

6.  A Bristle Block Pacifier.
Jane's never been a pacifier girl, but for some reason she loves putting this bristle block in her mouth and breathing heavily through it.  She does it all the time.  The side that's in her mouth actually looks exactly like the side that you can see, so she's not even sucking on anything.  She just holds it there.

7. Climbing on things.

8. Shoes

Jane's started wearing our shoes all over the house.  Now you never know where you're going to find your shoes.

 

9. Checking in on Peter.
I love how she comes over and checks on Peter periodically throughout the day.  She gives him kisses, makes her stuffed animals give him kisses, and talks gibberish in her little baby talk.

10. Watching Bubble Guppies.

She LOVES this show and would watch it all day every day if I would let her.  I record them so I can pop one on for her when I really need it.  I think they're cute, so I don't mind the background noise and as a result, I get Bubble Guppies songs stuck in my head all the time.

11.  Daddy's books.

This last month, Jane has really gotten interested in the grown-up bookshelf.  She has a few she repeatedly grabs.  Stephen King's Pet Cemetery is one, and for some reason I can't wrap my head around,  Critique of Practical Reasoning is another.  I can't imagine what she likes about that book, but she actually sits down and acts like she's reading it.

12. Bath time.
Yes, Jane gets very excited for bath time.  It's maybe the only word we spell when Chris and I talk to each other so she doesn't go galloping off to the tub or start taking her clothes off.  She always stands up in the tub.  She'll sit down if we ask her to, but it doesn't last long.  I think she just likes to walk around and play.  Interesting side note: Jane does not like bubble baths.  The bubbles really freak her out and she does not like them touching her.

Well, that's it for the favorites, but here are a few more cute photos that never got posted.

 

 

 I don't remember what this meltdown was about, but I'm sure it was completely justified.
These next photos were from about a month ago, but I forgot to post them.