I Would Like to Eat Everything I Find

Pants.

Newspaper.

Clean Laundry.

Socks.

Hair.

Washcloths.

Towels.

Toys.

Enough said.

Congratulations Troy

Troy is officially a college graduate. I am so proud of him. He worked incredibly hard in school and received straight A's since coming to BYU (even last semester when he took finals a week after Blake was born). We talked to some of his professors before the convocation. They all raved on how great Troy is and how he is going to do great things with his career.

Troy complained all day about having to walk in the ceremony and take pictures and participate in all of the nonsense he associates with graduation. However, after receiving his diploma, he had a huge smile on his face. He looked genuinely happy. The actual ceremony was surprisingly very interesting. My favorite part was when the Dean of the Business School was doing some poll taking, and asked all the college graduates who had served full-time missions to stand up. About 90% of the graduates all stood up together. It was chilling to see how many returned missionaries there were and how they had all sacrificed two years of school to serve the Lord. It made me realize that I had a very different experience at MSU than Troy did at BYU. I loved my education at MSU, but it made me feel a bit jealous for a moment of all the amazing opportunities Troy has had at the "Lord's University" as he calls it. The poll continued by asking how many of the graduates were married, had children, etc., which also represented large percentages.

I feel so blessed to have a husband that has been so serious about school. He not only passed his classes, but did so with flying colors and stood out among his classmates. I am going to miss editing Troy's papers and recording grades for the classes where he was a Teacher's Assistant. Troy is very grateful that he transferred to BYU, mostly because he was given amazing job opportunities that he would not have received elsewhere. We are exciting to have finished this chapter of our lives and to move on to the next adventure.

Troy was a very distinguished graduate.

We geared up for a long day ahead.

We overlooked the BYU campus library before the convocation or the "big glass hole" as I call it. The library is mostly underground with a glass atrium jetting out, hence the label. Troy spent a lot of time there.

Troy's whole family came to honor him.

His parents were proud of their first college graduate.

You would think that Troy would be the star of this day but we still ended up with more pictures of Blake.

The tassel was finally flipped...

We're so proud of you, Troy!

Smart Boy

I was on the computer today when I heard music coming from the nursery (where Blake was supposed to be sleeping). I went in to find that he had turned on his little aquarium that is attached to his crib by kicking the button with his feet. He was happily enjoying watching the fish swim by. He gave me this look like, "Yep, I figured it out all by myself!"

Four Months

This video captures Blake's personality perfectly at four months. I guess we no longer need to buy him toys.

Michigan Bound

We finally booked our flights to Michigan. I'm so excited! We get to spend two whole weeks there before Troy starts his job in May. Blake has yet to meet all of his extended family and Michigan friends, and he'll already be five months old by then. Some of our plans include going to Mackinac Island, (Grandpa Nash has been daydreaming since the day he found out we were expecting about pulling Blake behind his bike), going to a Red Sox/Tigers game (Troy was SO excited when he found out the Red Sox were going to be in Michigan during our stay), going to Cedar Point with some friends (When I was pregnant and couldn't ride on roller coasters, I really craved them), and of course, lots and lots of visiting.

Has anyone heard of this new travel rule where you can only check one piece of luggage per person? Any additional pieces of luggage cost a fee. So, I will spend the next few weeks figuring out how to pack three people (Blake has the most stuff) into 2 pieces of luggage for a two week stay. Or maybe we'll just give in and pay the fee. Regardless, I'm counting the days!

Blake's Bumbo

Blake loves his new bumbo chair.

He always wants to be sitting up, so it is perfect for him. He especially loves it when the chair is aimed towards the TV, but we try not to let that happen very often.

He has also been brainwashed to love the Red Sox. Since the team won the World Series the year he was born, it was a given.

Sometimes, he tolerates his Red Sox hat while sitting in the bumbo.

And sometimes, not so much.

First Big Boy Pictures

We took Blake in a few weeks ago to have some pictures taken. We figured since he is so smiley, he would be ready to smile for the camera. He was not very cooperative, however. He became Mr. Serious in the studio and would not smile. We even tried coming back later after a nap and a feeding to see if he would be happier, and...nothing. I think he was just trying to take in all of his new surroundings. We still got a few cute poses, and maybe we will try again in a few months when it is warmer and we can take pictures outside!