First Date

Friday marked 6 years since Blayne and I went on our first date. We were both working at the MTC at the time and had served in the same mission. As missionaries, Blayne thought I was chubby (which I was) and I thought he was full of himself (which he was). We worked the same shift at the MTC and our classrooms were two doors down from each other so we talked everyday. After a month and a half of working together, Blayne called me up on a Wednesday night and this is how it went:

Blayne: Steve and I are going to grab some dinner on Friday. Do you want to go?
Me: Sure.
Blayne: Are you sure you're ready for this?
Me: Ready for what?
Blayne: A date.
Me: A date? Let's not call it that.

I enjoyed hanging out with Blayne at work and I didn't want it to turn into anything more than that. But off we went on our first date on October 10, 2003. We went to eat at a small restaurant in downtown Provo with Blayne's cousin Steve and his date. After eating we went bowling. I had to admit that it was the most comfortable first date I had ever been on. We talked and talked and talked. We had a few stops and starts in our relationship after that, but we were engaged by mid-January.

So Blayne and I went to dinner on Friday night to reminisce about that first date and how far we've come. We laughed hysterically (tears running down my face) and ended up running multiple errands in an effort to stay out together as long as possible. I've certainly ended up with the man of my dreams.

Hermana Holloway and Hermano Andersen - showin' up for our shift at the MTC
 

Back when we were dating.
 

Mia is standing up on everything. I thought maybe a girl would just be sweet and cuddly and sit in my lap all day, but she could not be more wiggly. She's still a doll.
Darek tries so hard to be good, but he cannot resist pushing Mia over if she's within striking distance. Lots of timeouts for this boy.

 
 

Zoo

We took our Joy School group to the zoo today. Here's five of the munchkins below:
 

Mia liked it too :)
 

Bragging Alert

Blayne and I ran in a local 5k this morning and I was the first female finisher and the 5th finisher overall; the best part though, was that I beat Blayne :) To be fair, he ran a half marathon last Saturday and a 10k the Saturday before that, both of which are way too long for me. In fact, I was dry heaving with about a half mile left to go today. As I passed the one girl in front of me (at about 15 yards from the finish line) I totally almost threw up. I'm sure that grossing her out helped my strategy to get past her.
This picture was taken with my phone:
 


Darek started sleeping in his new bed last Saturday (we haven't moved the crib out yet). He's actually been great about just staying in his bed, but two days ago he chose the floor instead (pictured below). Today Blayne put him down for a nap and he came out of his room 30 minutes later. Blayne put him back in his room and told him that he couldn't come out until Daddy came to get him. We went to his room an hour and a half later and he was asleep on the floor right next to his bedroom door - as if he had accidentally fallen asleep while waiting for Daddy to come get him.
 

Blayne is out tonight on a ride along with one of our neighbors who is a highway patrolman. He's been wanting to go for awhile and he made sure to wear his running shoes in case he has to chase anyone down :)

Last week we went to Provo to say good-bye to Kevin as he entered the MTC. It is a great experience to see a young man begin one of the most life changing adventures of his life. Kevin was ready and anxious to serve.

While we were there I got to hang out with one of my good friends from BYU, Catherine. It had been close to 6 years since we'd seen each other. There's something about old friends, friends who "knew you when", that make reuniting all the better. It really took me back to my days at Liberty Square living with 5 other girls. Whether it was hanging out with neighbors like Catherine and Dorothy or lounging in my own apartment there was always someone to talk to and gossip to catch up on. There was never a dull moment then and there's never a dull moment now, but for completely different reasons :)
 
 

Mia is a mover and a shaker. Life was truly easier before she could crawl. She turns over garbage cans, opens drawers, takes Darek toys. She crawled onto this platform and then couldn't figure out how to get off. She's constantly into something. But she sure is a doll!
 

Say What?

Darek has an Elmo backpack that he calls his "Purse". Blayne has a computer bag that Darek calls "Daddy's Purse". He calls the colander a "helmet" (thus the picture below). He has a babysitter named Alexis whom he calls "Sassy" (which is purely the result of his not being able to correctly pronounce her name). Oh how I love the things that come out of babies' mouths...
 

Homesick

My mom and sister, Grace, came last week for Grace to start as a Freshman at BYU-I. It's bittersweet when my mom comes, because I feel the loss of not living near her that much more when she leaves. She spent hours building blocks with Darek and we had lots of time for girl talk.

Grace and I took Darek to the zoo where they let him brush the goats. Heaven.
 

All or Nothin'. Either Darek takes away every toy Mia touches, or he piles up each and every toy he owns around her in an effort to share. She's not real crazy about either option.
 

Grace as a BYU-I student. The other two are kids she's known from Iowa/Indiana.