for Heather

Let me be the first to officially wish my little sis a Happy Birthday! Heathe, I know I promised to post tonight, but I just got pictures downloaded and it's one in the morning, so this will have to do.

We are alive and well in sweltering Arizona and are loving this new adventure so far. Russell is busy, but enjoying school and Calvin and I try to stay inside or in the neighborhood pool. Stay tuned for pictures, I promise.

Anyway, Happy Birthday Heather! What a phenomenal sister and friend you are. I'm thankful that we decided we liked each other after sharing a room for so long and for your influence in my life. I admire your courage, humor, concern for others, and the beautiful mother you've become. Have a happy day today...love you!

hallelujah!

We've had a huge blessing this week: Russell got a phone call Thursday morning inviting him to attend medical school! He'll be starting at A. T. Still University in Mesa, AZ on July 28th. We're so excited for this amazing opportunity.

To do list for the next 2 weeks:
- pack and clean house, sell contract
- figure out how to pay for med school
- tie up loose ends at jobs
- find a place to live
- figure out how to get our stuff there
- vacation to TX for 10 days (pre-planned!)
- the hardest part - say goodbye to family, friends, ward members, primary kiddos, coworkers, and neighbors

A little overwhelming, but we've been waiting for most of the past year to be able to make plans, so we'll take it! Wish us luck.

independence day

we spent the fourth of july at my parent's house and bbq-ed, ran through the sprinklers, played outside, and watched fireworkscalvin chose these sunglasses as his prize at his 18 month doctor's check-up last week

patriotic cousins - alex, calvin and logan

logan and calvin in the pool

running through the hopscotch sprinkler with mom while cousin jake waits his turn

russell and the kiddos

grandpa & grandma perkins and jamie & rich

june

Some highlights from last month...

father's day

calvin showing his dad the card he made

new basketball shorts

calvin loves to try on dad's shoes

we took a last-minute trip to manti for the mormon miracle pageant:

we enjoyed the manti city bbq turkey dinner and had plenty of time to walk around
(it doesn't start until 9:30)

calvin opted out of a nap that day and decided to play chase with dad instead

calvin actually stayed awake through the entire show and then passed out as soon as we got back to the car. this was our first time at the pageant and a nice little adventure. once you get past all the protestors outside the temple grounds, it really is a spiritual experience and i'm glad we decided to go.

random shot of oreo-cookie-face

we had a nice perkins family get-together/birthday party for gramps a couple weekends ago:

unfortunately i only got one candid shot of family before the card was full

handsome birthday boy!

it was so nice to see family that we don't see often enough and remember our grandpa's special day. he is a singular example of hard work, unconditional love, and selfless service.
love you, gramps!

Calvin tag

My friend Shandra tagged me awhile ago, so here's five things about my boy:

1. Calvin eats practically anything. His current favorites include any fruit, pasta, green beans, eggs and waffles. The only foods he's ever spit out are peas and asparagus. I wish I could take some credit, but I'm a pickier eater than he is.
2. Calvin is curious. His latest thing is to point at everything and ask, "What's that?" He repeats most of what he hears and loves to explore.

3. Calvin loves books. He likes to pick them out and put them on the scanner to check out at the library.

4. Calvin may look more like his mom, but he is his dad. He copies Russell's mannerisms, what he says, and how he says it. Sometimes it's a little scary, but mostly it's cute. Yesterday we were outside and Calvin walked over to Russell, sat down right next to him, crossed his legs the same way and did the same thing with his hands. This little boy loves his daddy.

5. Calvin is all boy. He loves sports, anything with wheels, and gathering rocks and sticks outside. His favorite words these days include "ball," "trucks," and "bus."

To pass this on, I'd like to hear 5 things about Max G., Alex & Logan T., Joshua P., & Brooklyn B.

So I gave in and cut Calvin's hair a couple days ago. What was supposed to be a "slight trim" turned into a "major cut," but at least it grows fast. His hair looks darker to me now, but I decided he's still handsome and looks like such a big boy. Here are some photos of the event:

Before.
We were all about this excited.

During.
Calvin kept spraying himself with the squirt bottle, squirming and laughing. This was both entertaining and made it especially easy for an unprofessional to wield a sharp pair of scissors.

Almost done.
A handsome smile.

After.
I can't decide if this look is innocence or guilt...
The cut's a little uneven, but at least we don't have to worry about it for a good few months!

past couple weeks

One of my mission companions, Jenny, and her little boy, Preston, came over to visit a couple weeks ago. Preston and Calvin are just a week apart and had fun playing and eating snacks together. It was fun to finally meet cute Preston and to catch up with Jenny.

Preston was so good at looking at the camera. Calvin, as usual, was too busy.

For Memorial Day, we had a BBQ at my parent's house. Unfortunately, we had rain, thunder, lightning and hail on and off that day, but it was still a good time.

My dad manned the grill under umbrella cover.

Logan, Alex and Calvin enjoyed Grandma's big tub.

AND, Russell finally caught his first three fish. It was pretty chilly, so he and my dad are the only ones that went. This poor little trout was the unlucky one that didn't get thrown back because Russell is determined to eat it. May he rest in peace in our freezer.

boys

Calvin has been learning some essentials from his dad this week:

how to turn the laundry basket into a rocket ship for two (he also saw how to fix it with duct tape after dad crashed the rocket)
the art of fishing...we're still working on the catching part - no fish yet!

Calvin also helped his dad install his NEW forward-facing car seat. I think it makes him look so much older! He loves the arm rests, cup holder, and much more leg room. However, I think he likes the big box that it came in the most.
I cut a hole in the side for a window and then kept wondering why I spend money on toys.
Calvin has spent a lot of time in his box this week. He refused to come out yesterday morning for family prayer, but he did fold his arms reverently (which he only does about half the time anyway) so I guess we'll keep the box.
And of course his dad had to show him a thing or two about playing in boxes.

Here's a video of Calvin in action. I've been trying for awhile to get him to talk on camera, so I was thrilled to get a couple of words out of him (listen close for "box" and "baby"). Also, I'm soliciting opinions about Calvin's hair. I really like it long, but I noticed how shaggy it's looking in the pics from this week. Should we cut it again? (I'll try to figure out how to do one of those polls.)