Good news

There's nothing like a world wide web confession of my procrastination habit to give me a big kick in the pants. This incentive explains my recent absence from the blogging world. Or maybe I give myself too much credit, and really no one noticed. At any rate, I come back with good news and updates about each member of my family.

Mark found out he passed the Utah state bar exam! I couldn't be happier, and am using this as an excuse to eat out at every restaurant that I think might satisfy a craving. (Sage is obviously pleased to be included in the celebrations as well.)

I attribute his passing of the bar, at least in part, to the great support we had from friends and family. Check out this excellent candy bar poster. (Thanks, Eli and Kira!)

Becca and Suz composed quite the poem to wish Mark luck (Good luck on the bar/You're cooler than the czar/...etc. for 15 more -ar rhyming lines). Many thanks for the other goodies, shows of moral support (including both those who inquired after Mark's results and politely refrained from asking), and prayers on his behalf. To Mark, the passing of the bar legitimized his January graduation from Notre Dame law school. So we borrowed some BYU law school graduation robes (thanks, Averetts!) and staged some pictures of Mark's "graduation" in front of the mountainous background of an obviously non-Indiana location.

Go Fighting Irish.

As for me, I am sick of being a manager. Luckily, the worst of the spring/summer work is almost done. Now that our rental units are filled, I'm boycotting my phone and refusing to answer unknown numbers. Because I don't want any more calls from that guy who wants to tell me why his cat will make a great tenant. I'm finally in my second trimester, and I join with all those who know me in hoping crankiness and nausea will decrease drastically from here on out.

Eliza has been busy organizing parties. This past week, during the girls' naptime, I walked in on a princess potty party. Here's the evidence:

The next big event was apparently Dora and/or Diego's birthday. We found this little shrine (complete with birthday candles and monetary presents) next to the DVD player.

Sage has been enjoying Spring. She loves to ride her bike, and is working on achieving goals to earn a new bike that is actually her size. She and Eliza could play for hours in our backyard. On Saturday she found a worm that she named Coco, hunted for nuts, collected dandelions as if they were worth their weight in gold, and played on the "park" (our swing/slide set). Incidentally, she found out, shortly after this picture, that doing the splits on the slide is not a very good idea.)

We got to party hard with a South Bend friend, Mickey Standiford, when he visited this month. It was a short stay, but we dragged him all over campus and spent a good amount of time at the bookstore's candy counter--sour candy only, no chocolate-covered cinnamon bears, please. Then we hit another church bookstore and Cafe Rio, where Eliza fell asleep in Mickey's arms (just like old times on Sundays in SB...except she weighs a lot more now). Mark and Mickey hiked the Y and then we binged on candy while scaring ourselves (me) silly watching "I Am Legend." The next day I strained my back so badly that I lay in bed while Mickey and Mark took the kids to church, then toured temple square in SL. Sage cried when she found out Mickey had left for good. We hope we can entice the Standifords, or any other friends, to Provo again. Especially since we'll be living in my parents' big ol' house in August...

Having Mickey come reminded me of how blessed we are to have such great friends. And the outpouring of support we received before and after the bar means so much to us. Our time in Indiana was so short, but being away from family helped us realize how important and strengthening good friendships can be. Maybe it's the fact that graduate school can be so lonely and isolating, but the friends we made during our grad school time are people who really changed my life. They're people I will never forget them, and with whom I never want to lose touch (Andrews, Kings, Mears, Standifords, Bradys, Karrases, Darts, Tuttles, Jensens, Christophersons, Grumbines, and many more.)

It's been a busy, and happy season for us. And the love and support of family and friends has sustained us through the best and worst.