6 Months Old...At the Cabin!

Caleb is 6 months old today! I know people say that you should cherish each moment you have with your kids because they grow up so fast, but I just can't help being excited every month Caleb gets older. Maybe it's because the older he gets the more time he is with me and Zack. I'm waiting for the day that we've had him longer than anyone else. That day hasn't come yet, but it's coming soon.

We went to the Cabin this weekend ...to celebrate his 6 month birthday. Yeaaaah, that's why we went to the Cabin....

Anyway, it was Caleb's first time so we were prepared for him to scream all night long because of the altitude change (like other babies whose names will not be mentioned). Turns out he was just fine. He had one weird crying session in the middle of the day but I attribute that to throwing off his schedule and not feeding him when he thought he should have been fed.

We had a ton of fun and did lots of things. Most of them involved bundling up the little guy.

He loved his hat. (Or at least, with the magic of cameras, we can make it look like he loved it.)

He wasn't so sure about the snowsuit.

We hung out with Grandma and Grandpa and Caleb went cross-country skiing for the first time. On his first try! He just let his dad do all the work, that was his secret.

From behind he looked like a Candyland piece.
We watched "What About Bob".
We played games.

We went sledding.

Can you tell who's having the most fun? This was his face this entire time we were sledding. It's like he was just putting up with his crazy, snow-loving parents. At least he didn't cry.

Aaaaaand we cut Caleb's hair.

It was time.

He looks older now. And he feels more like he's mine.

And he's adorable. But we already knew that, right?

Oh, did you want to see pictures of his new haircut?
Maybe later.

Grandma's Legacy

When you die you leave everything behind.

My Grandma Perry died last night. She left behind her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her clothes, her furniture, all her worldly possessions. She was a great artist and poet so she also left behind all her beautiful artwork and her poems.

I have a few things of hers in my home. Some of her dishes and platters, a few pieces of artwork. I treasure these things because they remind me of her, not because they are of any real worth to the world. This is a picture she drew with colored pencils and it hangs in my living room.

But of all the things she left behind, what I treasure most from her are the things she also took with her - her example and her testimony.

She was a hard worker. She woke up early and worked with her hands. She had a beautiful yard. Though I hate yardwork and have no green thumb whatsoever, I have a renewed desire to make my yard look pretty, just so I can feel closer to her. I'm hoping that she'll be watching over my shoulder and helping me along.

She was a great artist. I have some artistic talent, but not enough to talk about. Though I don't aspire to be a painter like she was, her painting inspires me to fill the walls of my home with beautiful artwork.

She had a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. After her divorce she went on a mission. I think that's awesome. She worked in the Salt Lake Temple for many years. She shared her testimony in her art and in her poems. I love that I can feel her testimony just by reading her poems. This instills a desire in me to make sure that my testimony is heard, whether I put it in a poem, write it in a journal, or share it verbally.

Grandma, thank you for your example and your legacy of hard work, beauty, strength and faith. I am proud to be your granddaughter. I love you.

The Bread And Wine
My Savior’s words are sweet to me;
From time’s meridian on they shine!
He speaks the words that set me free.

He calms my heart, that heaving sea,
I pour the water, it is wine.
My Savior’s words are sweet to me.

Like Lazarus of Bethany,
I hear Him and my shrouds untwine;
He speaks the words that set me free.

This wisdom comes with bended knee;
Obedient, thy will be mine.
My Savior’s words are sweet to me.

The blood that stains dark Calvary,
Still incorruptible divine.
He speaks the words that set me free.

"The scriptures testify of me,"
He said. I read them line on line.
My Savior’s words are sweet to me;
He speaks the words that set me free.

-By Lucille Rampton Perry
January 19, 1920 - February 2, 2010