Dane 12 Month Stats

This is a bit of a belated post, but I wanted to get it out there. Dane's 12 month appointment wasn't quite as enjoyable as the last one because his pediatrician, whom I love, was on maternity leave after having a little boy of her own. The nurse practitioner who looked at Dane wasn't quite so great, but oh well. Also, he needed to get his shots again, which is always sad. But he is such a brave boy. He cried two bellows and then calmed right down. Here's the lowdown:
Length: 28.86 inches (21st percentile)
Head: 17.7 inches (14th percentile)
Weight: 19 lbs. 5 oz. (7th percentile)
He is still a little guy, but gained a bit on the length. He also likes multiples of seven. Maybe he will be a nerd like his mommy.
His favorites currently are:
Spaghetti-Os
Cheerios
Yogurt
Fresh fruit
Spitting out his food to signal that he is done eating
Playing peekaboo
Clapping
Walking/tripping/getting up again
Magnetic letters
Remote controls
Cell phones
Rubber balls
Getting excited when the phone starts to vibrate because he knows Daddy is calling
Making a big, scrunchy faced, cheesy smile
Saying yummyyummyyummy, menomenomenomeno, tepatepatepa, and dada. He was saying Joe Biden for a while (really), but he hasn't in a while. I think he became disillusioned by the campaign.

I think that's a pretty good list. Over conference weekend, he had been fussier than usual. Then when he had a pretty rough night Friday night and didn't want to eat on Saturday, we took him in to see a doctor. Result? Not one, but two ear infections. Poor baby! I felt really silly going to the doctor on Saturday and was sure they'd look at us like overreacting parents, but no. Two ear infections. If only Dane would exhibit those classic signs of fever, screaming, tugging on his ear (or ears, as the case may be). But he didn't complain enough for us to know earlier. I probably should be glad for that...? I don't know. It has its pros and cons.

Anyway, we also got some 12 month pictures taken. He is an exceptionally handsome boy, if I do say so myself:






Our happy family.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

Joel's sister Laurie Jayne got married last weekend in Arizona. We travelled down and had a grand old time, the details of which I will update later. For today, I would like to share...


Adventures in Rope Swinging!


Down on the Frost family ranch, you can take a little four-wheeler ride down to a gully over which they have fashioned a tarzan swing.
We rode the three-wheeler, which I think Joel told me they don't make anymore because they're not stable. So check us out, living on the wild side:

It's a little blurry, but I love this picture of Dane enjoying the ride, looking up at his daddy.

Don't worry, we made it safely.

Now the adventures begin. Here is Stephen, showing us all how it's done:

Action shot:

Joel's cousin Andrew:

Andrew's wife, Charity (the infamous Charity Fales). Check out her amazing form:

Joel made everybody laugh by walking right off the cliff, walking through the air, and smoothly walking back onto the ground:


Then I drew up the courage to try it. Here I am, preparing to launch:

Action shot:

I try it again, only to lose strength and end up extending my arms, which made me twist around:

Yeah, I didn't make it that time. Here's the evidence:

I redeemed myself later.

All in all it was a great time with lots of chanting, laughing, and some manly competition.
To conclude, I share with you this video of Uncle Bill attempting the swing. It probably won't be as funny to those of you who don't know him, but we enjoyed it.

Dane Is One!

My sweet little boy celebrated his first birthday. The time has gone by so quickly, and he has become such a little man. I am so proud of him, and I can’t imagine life without him.

We had a little birthday party with family and friends. There was lots of food (way too much), lots of laughs, and a little variety show starring Dane.

Here he is doing the handstand:

Here he is clapping:

I didn't get a picture of him playing peekaboo, but I will assure you that it was adorable. I will post the video one of these days.

Then came his piece de resistance: attacking his cake.

He was a little timid at first, not knowing what to make of his sticky hands:

Then, he got a little bored and just decided to walk away. But he stepped right into the cake and kept trying to shake off the frosting:

What a funny boy. We were glad that so many of our friends could come.

Chris, Teresa, and Halle (I grew up with Chris):

I like how Kenji is lurking in the background in that one.

Here's Halle again:

Stephen, Meghan, Lauren, and Molly; Meghan was intently discussing BYU football when I took the picture:

Joel and Ryan (Joel's cousin's husband):

George, Melanee, Sam, and Kevin (George grew up with Joel and Stephen):

Haha, that one was extra candid. Sorry I didn't have you smile for the camera.

Check out Sam's striking blue eyes in this shot:

Then she asked me to take another picture of her:

I think she has a Dorothy on the Yellow Brick Road kind of look there.

And sweet, chubby Kevin:

My mom and Kenji:

My dad with his favorite grandson:

Dane eating his bib:

And the happy birthday family!

Happy Birthday Dane! We love you!

My Own Tag

So...my life hasn't been particularly interesting as of late. But I don't like having the blog sit unupdated for too long, so I came up with a tag. I think many tags are lame/way too long, so here is my attempt at making an interesting one of reasonable length:
Divulging Tag!
1. Briefly describe something stupid that you've done:
When I was 15 or so, I went to a tri-stake dance hoping some cute guy would notice me. Of course, that didn't happen. However, a mentally challenged boy did follow me around and ask me to dance many times and ask me to be his girlfriend. I didn't know what to do, so I gave him a fake name and phone number. I still feel pretty ashamed of that. Later, my kinder friend Kristen gave him her real number and there were funny things that happened after that, but that story is for another time.
2. Name something brilliant that you've done lately:
I haven't been so great about personal scripture study since Dane was born, for obvious reasons. But I wanted to get better, so I started playing the audio of the scriptures on my computer while I clean/eat breakfast/etc. during Dane's morning nap. I'm feeling pretty good about it. Here's a link if you're interested.
3. Write a paragraph out of your journal from five or ten or fifteen years ago, closest to today's date. Feel free to change names to protect your dignity:
September 13, 1998
"I have this awful premonition about my first date. It'll be a double date with me and Hank, and Steve and Sally. By then, Hank and Sally (who were dating at the time) would've broken up, but whn they see each other on the date, they forget abou tht erest of the world and are totally engrossed in each other. Steven leaves, so I am left alone and I end up having a horrible time, and they don't even notice. I'm scarred for life and it hasn't even happened yet."

Haha, such drama. The funny thing is, something like this really did end up happening.
4. What is something you love about yourself (don't worry, no one will think you're bragging):
I like the fact that I am smart. It gives me confidence in many situations, and it obviously comes in handy. Conversely, if I feel stupid about something, it makes me feel really vulnerable. But yeah. I am glad that I am smart.
5. Name a useless talent that you have:
I have an amazing command of the alphabet. It came from working in a filing job at a doctor's office. I can alphabetize things super fast. Yeehaw. I am The Alphabetizer.
6. Tell a short experience that makes you laugh:
While Joel's mom was in law school, she invited us to go to a law school valentine's dance. We (Joel and I, Stephen & Meghan, Jake and LJ, and Mom) got all dressed up in formal attire and went. It was awkward. People were eyeing us funny. Joel's ex-girlfriend was there and that felt awkward. Finally, I feel someone put their hands on my waist and start dancing with me from behind. Since Joel was in front of me, this was disturbing. It was a guy I vaguely knew through work. I was thinking he was really creepy and a dirtbag when someone tells us that this dance was not a law school dance. It was a singles over 25 dance. I had neither qualification. We sheepishly left.
7. Tag whomever, if you want:
I tag Megan, Meghan, Melanee, Melissa, Mristen (that is Kristen, but I had to follow the pattern)