Happy Thoughts

This is the busiest week of the year at the alumni office. We have our big 3-day reunion celebration this weekend and no matter how well we prepare in advance, the last week is always intense. So, with that in mind, I thought I'd spend a few minutes reflecting on things that make me happy this morning. Here they are (in no particular order):

Starbucks Chai Tea Latte

Blowing bubbles

This color combination

The book "Knuffle Bunny" 

Swimming laps on a June evening

Oh yeah, and this guy :)

What's making you happy today?

June

Here's a recap of June so far:

We went to our cousin Johnny's high school graduation party in Watsonville where Luke met baby Audrey for the first time and the boys got to enjoy some fun time in the pool. Along with Justin's parents, we stayed the night at Seascape in Aptos as a little pre-birthday celebration and enjoyed a little bit of time on the coast.

On my actual birthday, Justin encouraged me to take the day off from work to celebrate. I've never taken my birthday off before, and found that it actually made the day really special - like a holiday! We drove over to Sausalito and met Sommer for lunch at Scomas on the water. We walked around town, got mistaken for "real" sisters in a kid's boutique, and enjoyed a couple of hours together before heading home and meeting up with my parents for dinner in Stockton.

A Sommer Perry Nunan original

I also got my new cruiser bike, took dorky pictures with balloons, and had Luke model my new birthday pillows.

I also got a couple of other decorative type things that I've been wanting for ages; and finally, FINALLY got pictures in some frames and hung on the walls. All in all, a great birthday week celebration!

Last weekend we went to our friend Bella's 2nd birthday party at an indoor kid's gym in Walnut Creek. Luke was a big fan of the ball pit and the giant ball.

"How you doin?"

Father's Day

On Saturday, all the men in our family decided to go to the horse races at the San Joaquin County Fair to celebrate Father's Day. Both dads/grandpas, Funcle Mike, Uncle Jeff, Justin and Luke had an amazing time and lost their shirts ($20) on a sure thing that ended up being not as sure as they thought. I would love to post pictures of this great day of bonding for the Curry/Perry men, however, despite having several camera phones and a regular point-and-shoot between them, NO ONE TOOK ANY PICTURES.  In other news, Luke had an unfortunate run in with a goat that may result in a fear of farm animals later in life.

While the men did their thing, the girls went shopping. Sommer and I bought fun floppy hats to prepare for our summer vacation in Newport Beach next month. We opted for un-matching hats this year and plan to trade off throughout the week. Being us, of course there is photographic evidence of the trip.

Today, on actual Father's Day, Justin and his dad spent most of the day doing construction-type projects. So sadly, no rest and relaxation for them. Luke and I, on the otherhand, took two naps - one for each of them. (A great day for us!) We finished off the day in Livermore at our favorite restaurant, Harry's Hofbrau. After I got Luke in bed and started the laundry (around 8:30pm), I went in the bedroom and found this:

Sleepy Daddy

Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there! :)

Luke at 6 Months

Approximately 1800 photos, 1500 diapers, and 4500 ounces of milk ago, Luke was born. These first six months have gone fast, but I've enjoyed and tried to live in every single moment of them.

How to describe Luke at six months? My boss pretty much summed it up when he asked, "is he ever not smiling or looking like he is going to eat something?" The answer:  Pretty much no. Luke is a huge flirt! When we were in Reno for Mother's Day, he had an elevator full of teenage girls completely enamored. He usually has a huge dimply grin for anyone who peeks into his carrier. It warms my heart when I see such unbridled joy coming out of my son. When he's not flirting with anyone who looks in his general direction, he usually is trying to put things in his mouth. Most of the time it's a toy, sometimes it's his feet (amplified when he is wearing shoes), and occasionally it is something inappropriate (I caught him chewing on a magazine I put in his stroller on Sunday and had to pick little bits of soggy paper out of his mouth).

And, he already enjoys being the center of attention. On his six month birthday he was invited to be observed by a class of physical therapy majors at Pacific. (A perk of mommy's job.) Three groups of students came around and studied his movements; how he acted on his back, tummy, being held in the air, reaching for toys, rolling over, etc. He ate it up. I didn't realize that babies could be such hams. It was ridiculous. He actually started to cry when the students reconvened in their larger group and stopped paying attention to him.

After his 6 month doctor's visit

Fortunately, he has finally made it on the chart in the weight department, tipping the scales at just under 15 pounds. Good enough to make the 9th percentile. Woo hoo! Height is another story, as he towers over 92% of other babies his age.  Poor little guy still takes his twice daily dosage of baby Zantac to ease the effects of acid reflux that have earned him the nicknames "the Pukester" and "the Vominator."

A Few Recent Highlights:

Last weekend we joined our friend Ancelle and Team Caden's Cruz-ers for the Walk n Rock for Kids in Sacramento. In its second year, the Walk n Rock raises money for children's charities and hosts a big name musical act as part of the fundraiser. This year was Sammy Hagar and Heart. Luke and I only attended the walk portion of the event - he's a little too young to appreciate the classic rock. We got to walk over the Tower Bridge and pose in front of the state capitol.

 A couple of weeks ago we headed over to the bay to take one last plunge in the swimming pool at Justin's alma mater. They are demolishing the pool to make way for a state-of-the-art aquatics facility and held an alumni event to say goodbye. As Justin has some great memories in that pool (and I've spent several of the last Thanksgivings there watching alumni water polo games), it was fun to go and have one last hurrah.

Luke and daddy pose in front of the record board at the pool Justin still holds a couple of relay records) 

After working on the longest blog post ever last night...my computer froze. Most of it is saved, but I have to go back in and add some things. Since I don't have the time to do that today, I'll just give you this video of my cutie pie son. For some reason this ball makes him laugh like no other.