So here are a few more photos to keep you in the loop. The other day Jen and Abby brought me lunch at work. It was nice to see them and show off my two cute girls.

My parents came to visit. They'd be here every weekend if we let them. Its a six hour drive but they dont care. They are hooked on Abby.

And here is Abby in one of her favorite positions. This is my four minute solution--it works immediately but only lasts four minutes. When she gets upset I just hold her upside down and she is happy until the blood creates too much pressure in her head and she gets angry again.

Purchased a New Car

So, we purchased a new car. The old '96 Buick Regal we inherited from my mom was falling apart. The automatic locks did not work, the driver and passenger front door panels were falling apart, the side-view mirrors were no longer adjustable, the engine had a strange hiccup that no mechanic could explain, and there was just a manufacturers recall because the engine tends to spontaneously ignite. The final blow came last week when the AC went out, again, and the mechanic said there were leaks everywhere and it would cost $1200 to correct. Even in good condition the car is only worth that much, and with all these problems it is worth nothing. After driving Abby around for a couple days with no AC (it has been over a hundred degrees for the last week and will probably stay that way for the next few months) Jen was quickly converted to my longstanding agenda--buying a new car.

We were not sure what type of car to purchase, but after the last one we knew we wanted (1)something that was reliable, (2) something with fewer miles on the odometer, and (3) something with good mileage. Nearly every consumer report available puts the same two cars at the top of all those lists: #1 Honda Accord; #2 Toyota Camry. So, we opted for the cheaper of the two. Here is our brand new used 2005 Honda Accord LX. We're very proud of the good deal we got. This beauty's blue book value is $15,500 and we bought it for $12,000.

This is the newest (and thus nicest) car I've ever owned. We are excited to drive in comfort and have a car that should not break down for a long long time.

Abby gives Daddy a few pointers on his work--pointers from babies are always valuable.

Washington Trip

Isn’t she mischievous? My baby is so beautiful. Right now she is in Washington with her mom and Jen's family. They won’t return for a few more days. I hear Abby isn’t sleeping well in the house full of babies, so Jen isn’t either. I'll try to appreciate the quiet and rest I get here. Still, I miss them.


In these photos Jen experiments with new bows. Is hideous too strong a word?

Princess Abby Holds Court

Lord of the Dance

Here are some pics from the last few days. We left Tempe and flew to Washington to see family.

Our Friends Kiri and Adalyn move to Utah, and take Kiri's husband Aaron. Here Jen and Abby say goodbye.

Abby finally meets uncle Jeremiah during our visit to Washington. Washingtonians will notice he is supporting the correct cougar squad.

Jen and Abby gets surprised in the Kitchen.

Jen's sister Tiff ran a marathon this weekend and we rooted her accross the finish line.

Isn't she pretty?

Daddy loves Abby.

Making Banana Bread w/ Abby

Here I spy on Jen and Abigail making banana bread. It tastes soo good.

The other night we attended a dinner party with Jen's schoolmates. Kim Badger loved to hold Abby, and it looks like Abby loved it too. Our little girl is sure easy going. She gets passed around like a family style Chinese dish and never complains.

Abby's Swing

Schools Out for Summer

Too bad I dont know how to link a little Alice Cooper here. So now that we're out for the summer I have a little more free time and maybe I'll update the blog more frequently--maybe. I'm still pretty busy. You see, my family (anxious to spend every minute with Abby) is under the mistaken assumption that I'm a twelve-year old and during the summer I'm free to play with the neighborhood kids. Unfortunately, the truth is that I'm incredibly busy. University professors use the summer to conduct research and write papers/books that they need to keep thier job but do not get time to do during the school year. This is very different from say high school teachers who really do get the summer off to do whatever they want. This summer I've got to research and write for my dissertation, but more importantly, I have to prepare for my exams. Before I can advance to candidacy and teach classes next fall and write my dissertation I have to pass a week long test on over 200 books, followed by another exam on 100 more or so. I've only read about 100 so far, so I've got to read about a book a day this summer and still find time to study it all. I also just received a grant to pay for travel so I can do a research trip to Utah. I also have to take a different trip to Utah to finalize the adoption of Abby (and it will be right during my exams so I cannot overlap the research trip). I also have to go spend a little time with family--a few days in Washington and a few days in California.

So that is my summer. As for Jen, she gets to play mom finally. She doesnt have any major summer projects--no exams to prep for and no dissertation to write--so she will mostly play with Abby. She does have to prep for her choirs and is thinking about her final paper topic, but she'll have much more free time.


Now, I know your not visiting the blog to hear me complain, so here are some more pictures and a short video.

Jen participated in another big concert. Am I a bad husband for not remembering which this one was? It looks like it was a major production though.

I played in the stake softball tournament. Here I drive one at the shortstop who, fortunately, was terrible. I got to first base on the error and we slaughtered them. The second game was equally lopsided, except it was my team that played terrible. I'm still working on a good excuse.

Today I remembered that Abby has a foam seat we've not yet used, so I took it out and found that she sits up quite well in it. I gave her some toys and she actually played with them (for the first time). See the video below. By the way, her eyes dont really look like that all the time, but this looked so funny I had to post it.