Drug Test

Devon was required to do a pre-employment drug test for his new job. Devon doesn't do drug nor has he ever done them, so nothing to worry about, right? Not quite! UPS dropped off the paperwork for the test today and we found out it was a 'hair follicle' test, instead of your standard 'pee in a cup.' In case you haven't put two and two together, Devon is completely bald! We had no idea how this was going to work out, but we (mostly I) was sure excited to find out. West and I accompanied Devon to the testing location. He took his paperwork up to the front counter to check in. The medical assistant took a look at the requested test and then looked at Devon and laughed. She profusely apologized for acting so unprofessional, but both Devon and I were laughing right along with her! But lucky for me (not so much for Devon), that wouldn't be the biggest laugh of the day. Devon reappeared 10 minutes later looking like this...

So now the big question is, does he leave it like this and just let it grow back or does he shave his legs completely to even it out? My vote...SHAVE THEM ALL!

Candyman

We recently took a trip to Dallas to find a place to live. While there, Devon got a headache, so West and I walked to Wal Mart to get him some Tylenol. We got in line to checkout behind this thuggish looking man, who was probably in his early 20s. When he realized we were behind him he started talking to West. He asked me how old he was and proceeded to tell me he was expecting his first baby and was really excited.

He asked me if it was ok if he bought a candy for West. I didn't want a stranger to feel obligated to buy something for my child, so I responded that he had eaten so much junk the last couple of days. I thought this would deter him, but he knelt down and told West he would buy one anyway and give it to his mom so I could decide when to give it to him. A few minutes later while placing his groceries on the belt, he grab a Reese's and placed it with his groceries. As soon as he had paid for it, he handed it to me. I thanked him for being so sweet, wished him good luck with the baby and we said goodbye.

I learned a couple lesson from that experience. First of all, the old adage, 'Don't judge a book by its cover,' is definitely good advice. Had I met this man any place other then a well populated store I would have kept my distance and missed out on meeting a great guy. Secondly, it's really amazing how such a simple act can really make someone's day.  I was a little grumpy when I left for Wal Mart, but I couldn't stop smiling on the way home. This guy was such a great example to me of small acts of kindness. I guess all that's left to do is 'pay it forward.'

California Trip 2012

Devon and I decided to take an after graduation trip. Where did we go??? Disneyland, of course!

But before we went to Disneyland we had to take a trip to Dodger Stadium. West has been to a Dodger game in Denver, but this was his first time at Dodger Stadium!

After that brief detour, we finally made it to Disneyland. My mom came along with us and we had a blast. We really thought West would LOVE it, but he was less enthusiastic then we thought. But he still had a great time!

He went on tons of rides

But he did get a little antsy toward the end

The carousal was, by far, his favorite ride!

He made lots of new friends

Got to eat lots of junk food

And do tons of exploring

He LOVED this bridge, if I hadn’t taken him away; I think we would have walked on it all day!

Since grandma was with us, we got to go on some rides alone

Including the canoes! Neither of us had been on them before!

By the end of the day….

The whole experience was different than we thought. It took A LOT longer to get places with a one year old; he didn’t quite understand the concept of standing in line (luckily it wasn’t too crowded) and it sure is exhausting for a one year old and his parents! But we made some great memories!

In between Disneyland days, we took a trip to the temple we were married it. West loved playing around the grounds.

Before we left we went to the Home Depot Center to see Landon Donovan play! We couldn’t find any Galaxy shirts, so I went ahead and made West and I matching ones, Devon did not want to participate. :(

Oh, this little girl even joined us on our trip…

But we couldn't talk her into coming to Disneyland with us

On the way home West had a diaper blowout in Primm, NV. The trunk was packed completely full, the only two pieces of clothing I could find were...

He's just a little trend setter ;)



I’ll (finally) end this blog with my favorite picture from the week...



Big Guy

Well, he's really not a big guy, but sine he's growing up so much I call him Big Guy. Everyday he's doing things that I want to remember. I should pull out my journal and record them, but since that's way to much work I'll jot them down here for all of you to enjoy.

Some of my favorite things about West at 15 months:

*He is in LOVE with music videos. It all started when we watched the Issac Lamb proposal. West would whine and whine and whine when it was done and wouldn't stop still I started it again. After hearing it for the 500th time, Devon suggested we try another music video and it worked. He loves them all! We spend about an hour each day watching videos together.
*He loves it when I brush his teeth. As soon as I grab the toothbrush he opens his mouth right up. Maybe it's the taste of the toothpaste (I tasted and thinks it's rather nasty, but to each their own), whatever it is, I'm grateful.
*He loves praise. Whenever he does something we like we say, 'good job,' and he starts smiling and clapping.
*He's a little chatter box. He still hasn't figured out to say any words except for 'dada', but he's talking from the time he gets up until he goes to sleep.
*He's recently starting liking books. He'll grab one from his bookcase and bring it to us to read to him. The other day I was on my computer and he walked up to me, pushed the button to shut it down and then handed me a book to read.
*He's such an independent player. I was reading this article about toddlers and they said to try and get your child to play alone for at least five minutes a day. Wow, five minutes? West will play for well over an hour all alone, with his toys.
*His favorite toy is a little golf club set grandma got him. He especially loves to chase around Hamilton with the clubs.
*He loves to walk on our bed and throw himself down. This one is super cute, but makes me super nervous. He understands the concept of falling off the bed, but, while we haven't had an accident yet, I don't think he understands how close he gets to the edge.
*He loves to sweep and vacuum. He grabs the broom as soon as I am done and is always pushing around our little Shark vacuum.
*He knows how to go up and down stairs. He prefers for us to hold his hand so he can walk up and down, but most of the time we just make it crawl up and down.
*He loves water! We taken him to a few splash parks and he's in heaven. It takes him a minute to feel comfortable, but then he's playing with the big kids. He's also a fan of pools, he loves floating around in his swim ring.