Snorkeling in Cozumel

This was one of our favorite experiences from our recent vacation to Mexico. The water was warm and super clear. What an amazing feeling to be down in another world with so many colorful fish and sea creatures. Ben dove down deep to get some amazing pictures of the reefs.

In the picture below, you can see a huge school of fish. The diver is surrounded by thousands and thousands of fish. I have never seen such a large school of fish.

Later, from the ninth deck of the cruise ship, Ben and I saw schools of flying fish, plus a gigantic fish, and even a sea turtle! It was absolutely fascinating seeing a small part of the sea life of the Caribbean.

Eli's First Steps

Yes, Eli took his first steps. Guess whom he walked to first. Or should I say what- sadly, Eli's first steps were to the dishwasher, which he loves to climb into. The footage below was taken right after his first steps to the dishwasher. Since then he has been braving more steps, more often. He has walked to both of us numerous times, although his preferred method of travel is still crawling (much faster = more damage in less time). He will be walking in no time. Uh Oh!

June Update 2

This month we had Christine and JP's Wedding in the Oklahoma City Temple. Here is our little family right outside the temple.

Eli was a bit grumpy... he definitely needed a nap.

This is just classic, Eli fell asleep with rice all over himself. This was the first time he fell asleep in his high chair. He was laughing his "I'm tired and loopy" laugh at everything Merrilee said or did, and then all of a sudden he lay his head back, and he was gone!

Eli getting his groove on. Merrilee is hoping for a little Asian/Latin dancer. Hmmm... Actually we were surprised while going through our pictures to see how this picture turned out. He probably was just trying to get away from Dad.

Just the other night we pulled the camera out and Eli started acting like a little ham. He made the funniest faces. Oh, by the way, can you see his goofy teeth?

June Update

We have been so busy this month. We have also had a load of fun. We took Eli swimming for the first time on Memorial Day. He was not as enthusiastic as we thought he would be. He loves bath time, but his first time in the pool was scary for him (perhaps he takes after Merrilee and hates the cold). He has been to the pool several times since and is getting more comfortable. The funniest thing is when he accidentally sticks his face in the water and then splutters and makes faces and then looks accusingly at the person holding him.

Ben's Graduation Post Two (by Merrilee)

Ok, I just had to add this little post, since Ben is too modest to inform everyone of his academic prowess. Ben worked incredibly hard and graduated with a GPA of 3.95 in chemical engineering- no small feat! This means he graduated with special distinction. I am so proud of Ben and his many accomplishments. And, I love him very much. :)

Graduation

I GRADUATED!

What a relief. I am so glad to be done with school. It was a special day to celebrate this achievement. Mom, Dad and Ian came down and along with Merrilee and Eli, we went to a 2 hour long commencement. To be honest I was very anxious to be done with school and commencement. Then we went out to eat at Sweet Basil. We enjoyed some great Thai food and Eli covered himself with rice.

April Pictures