So, I know I am a terrible blogger, but I have made it a new goal to get better at updating for the sake of preserving memories! Obviously a lot has changed since I made this two years ago, but a lot has changed in the just the last few months on top of that that deserves to be documented so I will start there!
Jacob: Jake turned one this last month and I am blown away by how fast the time has gone! My little baby boy is not a baby anymore. Especially since he has finally decided to take off on two feet this last week. He's been so close for months and one day he just decided he could walk and hasn't stopped since. He waddles around with his arms up (we call it Frankenstein style) and LOVES his new freedom. He's already trying to run, but that usually results in a face-plant at this point. He brings so much joy into our little family with his contagious cheesy smiles and chuckles. He's started blowing kisses and waving as well, which he has learned to use to his advantage with cute girls we pass on the sidewalk, in the grocery store, at church, and pretty much anywhere we go. He makes Chris proud with his expert flirting at any opportunity. Some of his favorite things are: walks (looking for birds and dogs), playing catch (he is actually very good at throwing a ball right to you, another thing Chris is very proud of!), strawberries, sippy cups, wrestling, swimming (he dunks his head under the water repeatedly with dramatic gasps for air in between), and giving kisses (open mouthed, on the lips, slobbery kisses over and over again). We love our little boy and his funny, blossoming personality!
Graduation: Chris and I both graduated from BYU in April with degrees in Exercise Science (Pre-Dental) and Studio Arts. I am still in a small state of denial over the fact that I am completely done with school. I am so excited to be able to stay home with Jake now and not have to fit classes and added stress around spending time with him. And it will be so nice to be able to paint whatever I want and not have to worry about it being graded! The student lifestyle will not entirely escape us quite yet however, as Chris still has at least four years of dental school ahead of him. It was an eventful week with both of our parents in town along with most of my siblings and some of Chris's. Grammie and Grandfather Merkley were able to squish in our apartment and visit with us for a couple days and Jake loved having some time with them. We also fit Jake's birthday party into all the madness so that Grandparents could be there. It was very busy but very fun to have so much family around at once- we were lucky to have so much love and support surrounding that important week! We love you all :)
Texas: After graduation we spent a couple fun days in Wyoming with the Hendersons then came back, frantically packed everything up in 2 days, drove it all down to a storage unit in Las Vegas, then drove ourselves and the bare necessities for 3 days straight down to Houston to put in one last summer of selling. Chris is the sales manager this year and we have my cousin Sharee and Cody, Chris's brother Tim and Tamera, and Chris's cousin Daniel coming down to sell with us, along with friends from previous years so we are very excited for this summer. It will be a blast (with some incredibly hot, humid days and hard work thrown in, but mostly just a blast!).
House: On top of all this craziness going on, we are currently in the process of buying a house in Las Vegas for the four years Chris will be attending the UNLV School of Dental Medicine. We are close to closing on a 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath house with a cute little grassy yard and fun climbing trees. We can't wait!
I think this is now a sufficiently overwhelming and incredibly long update-post, so I will just end here. We love you all and thank you for your help during this crazy transition period in our lives. We are so excited to move on to new adventures (even though we kind of already miss the old ones..). Happy summer!
