My Own Lame Mastercard Commercial

Ten boxes of cereal = $10

Five gallons of milk = $7.50 (that's right, only $1.50 per gallon; hie thee to a Safeway today)

Five bags of Goldfish = $5 (Chuck loves the Goldfish in his lunches)

Finally, to have a house where this will actually fit in pantries, storage, and an upright freezer rather than in over-filled coat closets = Priceless.

The Only Spam I've Ever Enjoyed

I keep getting a spam message in my gmail with the greatest subject line ever:

"What an ugly face you have here erin"

Wow. Talk about enticing me to read spam.

A (wee bit late) Tribute to Chuck

Do you ever wonder why it is that you were born at the time that you were? I do. Could I have handled pioneer living? Don't think so. But the Middle Ages? Sounds kinda fun, as long as I could be a noble.

But I am glad that I was born in 1977. As a woman who values education, especially an education in the mathematical sciences, I wouldn't have had the same opportunities had I been born in, say, 1877. (Besides, statistics as a discipline wasn't even really invented yet. On the other hand, I guess I could have invented it...hmm...)

Being married has really given me another reason to be so grateful that I was born when I was. I think being married now is very different than being married 50 years ago. Chuck and I truly have a partnership, both in marriage and now in parenthood. Before Rhett came along, we did our own laundry, we kept the house clean, we collaborated on financial matters. Fifty years ago, I don't think that a husband would be expected to be so amenable to these things. But the more I talk to other wives, we are all having the same experience. And I am so glad for all of us!

Especially now that I am a mother do I appreciate this. Chuck not only supports my running habit, but understands that as soon as he gets home, Rhett is his responsibility until I get back. Even better, he doesn't view time time with Rhett as a responsibility; he enjoys spending time with his son. Even better than all of that, he doesn't mind starting dinner so that when I come back from running, dinner's waiting for me. I could go on and on about all the things that he does for me and now Rhett...but I won't.

I started this post thinking it would be a Father's Day tribute; everyone else was doing them. But really, since Rhett is still just little and blob-ish (although he's now a smiley blob), neither one of us feels very "parent-y." So it's just another note of complete adoration for my husband. I love that I can say that although he's not perfect, he's perfect for me.

Reader Poll

So...can anyone guess why we're in the market for a new car? I'll give you a hint:

That's right! The poor Corolla was deemed totalled; the missing front of the car kind of gives it away. Does anyone have any suggestions for what we should buy to replace it?

I'll give you a hint as to what it won't be:
I have to tell you what this is: the Hummer H6 Players Edition. I'm not making this up.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

It's been a crazy week; I'm glad it's almost over.

The Good:

• We closed on the house last Thursday. Everything went well and now we're officially homeowners!
• We found TEN dollars at the house that day. Somehow, that made our downpayment feel more worth it. If only we could find the rest of the downpayment somewhere else.
• The move went really well. We had one dozen people on each end and it took only two hours to load and then unload the truck. Even in 100-degree weather. The ward members really came through. And the girls' move was a total success.
• The house is almost put together. My OCD doesn't let me stay living in boxes for too long.
• We got the internet hooked up yesterday! For the first time in our married lives, we have high-speed internet at home. While this wasn't a large issue when I was working full-time, it certainly is now. Yesterday's internetting alone almost made the monthly $25 fee worth it.
• Rhett has been sleeping through the night for the past week and a half. He goes to bed around 9 p.m. and wakes around 6:30 a.m. I can totally support this.

The Bad:

• Right before we closed (as in, about an hour before), Chuck was in a car accident on the way to his parents' house. Thankfully, only he and Bruno were in the car, and not Rhett. We haven't heard whether the insurance company is just going to total the car or not. I'm still not sure which outcome I prefer.
• I'm guessing (hoping?) that as most new doctors have a first-time experience with the death of one of their patients, all new parents accidentally hurt their baby. Yesterday as I was pulling Rhett from the swing, I knocked his poor little head into the corner of the changing table. I was re-introduced to the pain cry. I'm pretty sure I was sadder though.

The Ugly:

• Chuck's poor car.
• All of our bruises from moving, and some bruises from who-knows-where.

Pictures documenting all of the above:

Patting Myself on the Back

Do you ever have an idea of which you're just super proud?! I do: I think I created the best moving plans ever. As we close today (today!) and because we want to be out of our apartment as soon as possible, we plan on moving Saturday. We have asked the Elders' Quorum to help out on that day. However, my brilliance comes to play when I created the Girls' Moving Day, an event taking place the Friday night before the Saturday.

How does Girls' Moving Day differ from the Boys' Moving Day? On Girls' Moving Day we move the pillows, the lamps, the pictures...everything that doesn't quite fit well into boxes. So on Boys' Moving Day, all they get is the big stuff (couches, tables, beds) and the boxes, and it should move much more smoothly. And since it's just girls, I can easily provide dinner for all those that help; boys just eat too much. (And no, that's not a plea for any local girls to come join us...although, if you really really want to, I won't say no. Did I mention I'm serving Oreo pie?!?)

Rhett's Milestones

This video was taken at 10 weeks old (last Friday). And although he didn't start talking when he was two days old, we still think he's pretty advanced. We're quite proud of our little man; probably a bit too proud, to be honest. We do realize, however, that this could be all the action we see for the next six months.