Sick, Sick, Sick

Isn't there a limit to how many times you can blow your nose in two weeks? There should be. Any pictures we've taken of Tessa recently have her mouth hanging open so she can breathe. If anyone had been taking my picture, it would be the same. Or I might be coughing up a lung. Somehow Jake has managed to avoid catching whatever we have. I sure hope he remains successful.

Catching Flies and Climbing in Baskets

This last Friday we went to a J. Reuben Clark Law Society dinner while Tessa hung out with some friends. It had been a little while since Jake and I had been on a date, so it was nice. Plus, I'm a sucker for catered dinner.

Basically it's been gray and cold outside, which mixed with sickness is just a downer. But today....even though it's cold, the sun is gloriously shining. I'll take it. And for my friends and fam in Utah, I'll quit using the word "cold" because I know you have us beat on that one. How about "mildly chilly"? Will you take that?

On MLKJ day we stripped some falling off plastic things from our front door (the picture below is after we ripped them off) and painted it. The green paint was starting to show under the broken plastic decor, which didn't go so well with the brown paint. So, we puttied the best we could on a metal door, sanded it, and painted it Coalmine. It still looks like someone shot it up with a shotgun because of my awesome puttying job, but it looks better than it did. Only now I've noticed that all the front doors in our neighborhood have some style to them. Not ours. It's flat (relatively) and dark. I've got to find something to hang on the front.

Tessa's big thing lately (besides walking--which she's daring to more of on her own) is her Baby Signing Time video. I'm not kidding when I say she asks to watch it. She rocks her arms and "sings" and then points to the television. I'll start singing one of the songs; she'll nod and smile. She LOVES this video. It's a half hour of learning basic signs. She has down "cracker" and will sometimes do "eat", "more", and "baby". It's really fun except for the fact that songs have been stuck in my head for a week and half. I have to pull her away from the television during "her program" because she seems to think it's better two centimeters from her face. I'm just glad she's addicted to Baby Signing Time and not Celebrity Apprentice or something. :)

Enthralled with the Signing Time Diaper Dance

My side of the family won't need an explanation regarding the next picture but others probably do. There is a curse we Riches have. It's called the Rich Crack. We try our best to avoid it, deny it, pretend it skipped over us, but then one of us gets caught with our droopy drawers and reminds the rest that it's just in our blood. Too busy with Signing Time to care, Tessa embraces part of her family heritage...

And finally.... a video. Every night before bed we brush Tessa's teeth --or attempt to brush her teeth as she sucks the baby paste off the brush. We let her finish her brushing. I was trying to get out of the video, but it didn't work. Sorry.