Simple

I got four hours of sleep last night.  It's all thanks to heartburn, a  growing baby that keeps me from being able to sleep on my belly, and an almost two-year-old who decided to shout out my name every ten minutes from 1:00am to 2:30am and then woke up at 6:30 this morning.  After showering I decided that after a night like that I was justified in putting my pajamas back on and spending the day inside.  Most days I find myself running from one task to another...trying to mark everything off my to-do list.  Today was peaceful and nice. I made Honey-Whole Wheat Bread.  It's something I've been meaning to do, but it just seems that there is somewhere to go everyday, and I just don't have the time to dedicate it to making bread.  I'm glad I shut myself in today.  There is something relaxing and comforting about making homemade bread. Sometimes I think we just need to go back to simple.  Sometimes we need to do something that requires patience just to put the rest of life back in perspective.  I'm not always going to feel a little body move inside me, and one day my toddler isn't going to cry out for my help all the time.  For now I'll cherish these things, along with four hour nights.

Beach Baby

This past Saturday we took Charlotte to Lake Erie.  Needless to say, she loved it!

Return Missionaries

At the end of June, Charlotte and I flew down to Georgia so we could be at the airport to pick up my brothers from their two-year missions.  It was such an exciting time for my family, and I am so grateful that I was able to be there for the reunion. The prep:

 Dario and Josh both left before Charlotte was born.  They've had to watch their only niece grow up through pictures so far...hence the "I've waited my whole life..." message from Charlotte.

Reunion #1:
Josh returned home from Argentina first!

(I'm his favorite sister!)

Snapshot with the parents.

Charlotte and Uncle Josh finally get to meet.

Reunion #2:

Dario's mission was extended a week due to some complication with the incoming missionaries.  So a week after picking up Josh we all got to travel to the airport once again...this time to pick up his twin from Ecuador.

Uncle Dario and Charlotte finally able to get acquainted in person.

All the guys together.  (I'm spoiled because of them.)

(I'm also his favorite sister!)

The proud mom.  She always said she wanted lots of boys so she could send out missionaries.  I don't think she realized that those boys she sent out would come back men.

Charlotte's name

Naming a child is a big decision. Here are the "rules" I've been informed of when deciding a name. - You don't want it to be too whimpy, or too butch either. - You don't want it to sound too old, yet not trendy. - You don't want it to sound too weird, yet not too boring. - You have to be careful naming them after someone still alive, cause that person could still do something really stupid and then your kid is stuck being named after someone........really stupid (so, no Jesse James Nelsons will be coming anytime soon). - You have to imagine every possible rhyming word and phrase and nickname associated with it, cause they will be called that. - You have to make sure it sounds good phenetically (sadly my wife won't let me name our future son Brock Lee, or Corey Ander). - You gotta make sure you aren't copying a friend that just had a kid by using the same name, cause that shows you have no creativity. - You have to make sure the name means something cool (for instance, another name my wife won't let me have is Nimrod, the mighty hunter......cool meaning, should work right?). - You have to make sure the initials don't spell something bad or embarrassing (a name like Pamela Marie Smith is doomed to failure) - you can't name them after Sci-Fi movie characters, that gets the kid an automatic Nerd stamp the rest of their lives, not to mention the parents too (no kids named Legolas or Skywalker are allowed). -Many other rules, but I'm sure I'm boring some folks now. Now I would like to add another rule to the rule book, and provide the example of why this rule applies. - You must consider how the name is going to sound as your child is learning to say their name. In other words, you gotta say it in baby talk before you give it your stamp of approval. The following video of Charlotte saying her name is my proof as to why this rule is vitally important to consider:
Now I'm not saying that I would have named her anything differently. As a matter of fact, the fact that she says her name like this makes our choice seem even wiser. How many other people out there have video evidence of their child cursing at 20 months old that you can share with future boyfriends and grandchildren. This goes into my file called "How to embarrass my daughter in the future". That is an important collection to have as a father.

Everyone, I have discovered a video on the internet that after you watch will change your perspective on life forever. Feel free to watch it over and over again in order to allow the gravity and deeper meanings soak into the very innards of your soul as I have done with mine. It will take a few moments to load, and a minute or two to watch, but you will soon understand, as I have, just what needs to be done in order to move forward. Please comment to let me know how this video has touched your life, and what you are going to do now that the truth has been revealed.

Adam

Click here to discover who your future hero is

Happy Father's Day!

Growing up it was tradition to make my dad breakfast in bed on Father's Day.  Last year Charlotte and I were in Houston for Father's Day and didn't get a chance to celebrate with Adam.  This year we got up a little early to make Daddy a special stuffed french toast breakfast.  His response, "Who needs IHOP?"  Yeah, we think he liked it.

Also, what would Father's Day be without the "Daddy's Homecoming" song?  Here's a little rendition of it dedicated to Paptio and Poppi!  We love you.

(A More Real) Love Story

This is all too familiar!

The West Side Market

This past Saturday we went to The West Side Market with our friends Scott, Beth and Heidi.  I had heard great things about the market since we moved out here, but had never gone.  It was on my list of things to do before we leave Cleveland, and I can now finally check it off!

We had so much fun looking at all the different vendors and products that they had.  Like these red snappers:

There was a huge variety of produce there.  Adam and I bought some yuca because we love it and can never find it here.  We cooked it up last night, but I still need more practice to get it as tasty as when my mom makes it.  They had awesome prices and some of the vendors loved to barter.  I got 2 containers of blackberries, 2 containers of blueberries, and two containers of mushrooms for $4!  It would have cost me $4 for a thing of blackberries alone at the grocery store.

(Please ignore the fact that I'm starting to retain water in my face.  Bring on the third trimester!!!)

The architecture of the building is really neat.  I don't really have the eye of a photographer so if you want to see it, you'll have to come visit us in Cleveland!  :)  This picture gives you a little bit of an idea with the cool ceiling.  You can also see a lot of the vendors down below.

We had a great time and are so glad our friends invited us to join them!  I am really bummed though because we didn't get any pictures with them!  We'll just have to go again.