Baby Blessing

Our beautiful little boy was given his baby blessing by his dad on May 16. Ty did a great job and we were lucky enough to have a lot of family here for it. I LOVED that weekend. It was so good having them all there. And Caleb looked adorable in his little white outfit.

The Newtons: my parents, little sister Jackie and little brother Cory.

The Crummetts/Johansens: Tyler's parents and little sister Caitlin.

The whole gang!

I DID IT

I finally graduated back in April! Caleb was only three weeks old during the ceremonies in Provo, so we didn't attend. The degree? Master of Public Administration from BYU. Despite the unconventional finish of my degree while here in Pittsburgh, I learned a ton from my classes and I'm so glad I did it.

Back in 2006/2007 when I decided to apply for the program, I kind of did it on a whim. Didn't study much for the GRE, and when I was accepted not only was I surprised, but I had a big decision to make. Should I go back to school?? I had a job teaching 5th grade that I loved, and I'd have to go back to student finances. But I felt really strongly that if I didn't take the opportunity that year I might never get the chance at a masters again. Little did I know how right that feeling was! I'll spare you the details, but it was so right - and even then, it barely happened. But I did it! And I'm glad.

Silly, I know, but I had them send me the clothes so we could take a few pictures.

Let's be honest, the whole motivation to get a graduate degree is to wear the hood!!

Caleb's so cute!

He wasn't in the direct sun for very long, I promise!

And for the record, I used to dream of a PhD someday... NOT ANYMORE! I think I'm done. :)

Half-Way

Today Tyler is half-way done with dental school. (Yes, to the day... somebody counted.) Can you believe it?! Time is flying and I'm going to cry like a baby (except with actual tears) when we have to leave Pittsburgh. This is our home now and I honestly could stay here forever (that is if the city would repave our street).

So our good friends hosted a barbecue in honor of the event for all of us married dental families. Not everyone made it, but a pretty good group showed up. It was lots and lots of fun. Caleb did great too. :)

The Girls
When our husbands started dental school, only 4 of the 11 pictured below were mothers. Now 9 are mothers. And from this group only, 10 kids have been born in the last 2 years!

The Boys
(Caleb was asleep in his car seat. And there are lots of other kids not pictured.)

The Newest Babies
Born: March 12, April 8, May 14
(After we took this picture, Kimi and I were holding our boys so they could look at each other and they totally started smiling at their friend! So cute!)

The Scrubs Burning

I just want to thanks to our friends here for, well, for being our friends. You're a huge part of why we love it here and are way excited for another two years with you!

Being an Angel

When you're an angel baby these are the kinds of things you do:

You let your daddy read to you,
even though you're probably too young for it to make any sense.

You spend a little time everyday solving the ills of the world through quiet thoughtful pondering.

You spend time with your friends,
(and don't get upset that you're teeny tiny compared to all of them!)

You start to grow chubby cheeks to let your mommy know that she's feeding you enough.

You fall into a peaceful sleep in your daddy's arms right after your bath and sleep 6 hours straight!

Of course our little guy isn't always an angel, but we sure like it when he is!!

Happy Anniversary

Ty and I celebrated our second anniversary last Monday! At this time in 2008 and 2009 we were vacationing in new and exciting places - figuring out maps, and trying new things. Although by strict comparison, our outing this year wasn't nearly as big as years previous, the effort required to accomplish it with Caleb makes it just as adventurous in my book! :) Overall, Caleb did great and we had a really really good time.

Tyler finished at school in the early afternoon, so we picked him up and headed to the outdoor section of Phipps Botanical Gardens to enjoy the plants and each other.


We experienced nursing on a park bench for the first time. (I told you, it was adventurous!)


Then we went to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. The weather was simply perfect and we had a lovely seat outside.


Our other exciting first was actually ordering cheesecake after our big meal. Never done that before! And I have to say, I wasn't disappointed. YUM!


I'm so grateful to be married to Tyler. He's my best friend and I love being with him. Everyone tells me how much Caleb looks like his daddy. (And they are right!) I love it.

It was pretty amazing to stand over Caleb's crib that night with Tyler and looking at our handsome little man. Our marriage really has created something beautiful and eternal and oh so worthwhile.