Only 24?

Lately it seems like I have good intentions of getting here to blog, but somehow 11 p.m. (or 12 a.m. or 1 a.m., etc.) comes around faster that I think it should and I end up sleeping instead of typing. My blog is in good company with my dishes, mopping, and laundry.

Sullivan is changing so much everyday. He's *so* mischevious (in an endearing kind of way) and is working up the courage to stand on his own. We went to the Hawke's house for dinner on Sunday and he walked all over their back patio pushing one of those little pre-walker toys w/ a handle and wheels. He looks so grownup moving around upright like that. I absolutely love it, but it gives me a twinge of sadness too. Nothing too serious, just the usual 'why do they have to grow up' pangs that go hand in hand with parenthood.

I am also prepared to call today his official "first word" day. He creates new and intricate goos and babbles by the hour. So, today I was carrying him downstairs listening to him say over and again, "nah nah ungah nah". We stopped by Kyle's "office" (which is actually the maid's quarters - don't I WISH!) and immediately upon seeing his daddy, Sullivan tensed up and said clear as day "Da da - (pause) Da da!" It was so obvious that he has finally connected that dotted line. I love it! I tried to get him to say "ma ma" (in a jealous moment, naturally) and he switched back to his "nah nah ha-nah" sounds. It really does sound like he's saying "hanna" sometimes, so I was tempted to go ahead and pretend like that was his first word, but I would be stretching it.

We had a nice, long weekend. The kids skipped school friday, and Kyle had the day off too. We went to Tianguis market and bought plenty of produce, including the most ripe, juicy mandarines I've ever tasted. YUM! We also bought a pile of bootleg DVDs. (Is that illegal here in MX??) We had planned on trying to make the most of the day off and hit the zoo, but by the time we were done w/ the market we were about to pull our hair out over the moods of the kids. We went home and let them nap and spent the evening watching movies. I bought season 1 and 2 of The Office and had a good time watching that.

Kyle and I went to a quick dinner at a little lebanese hole-in-the-wall. We took Sullivan with us, since he didn't have a nap and I'm sure he would have been a bear for Lupita. He LOVED the Tilapia and ate the hummus like it was babyfood.

On Saturday, we met up with Kyle's high-school buddy, Rob, and took him to our favorite taco shop, here in Guadalajara. Brooke called at the last minute wondering what our plans were, so I invited her and her family to come along. We ended up spending a nice evening at this open-air restaurant and after dinner we came back to our house and ate cookies and chatted. (Rob brought me a hefty supply of chocolate chips from the states - EXCELLENT!)

Sunday was church as usual. Sullivan was so cranky for sacrament meeting, so I finally ended up pacing the halls just trying to will him to sleep. JUST when I thought it was no use and I should give up - he laid his head on my chest and dozed off. He slept through nearly all of Sunday School and I was able to nurse him just as class was ending. He went with Kyle to Priesthood and I was able to sit through most of Relief Society before I heard him crying in the halls. There was only 10 minutes left of church, so we grabbed the kids from primary and raced home to get ready for our dinner/FHE plans.

We had a great time w/ Shelly and Alex and their family. They also had the missionaries over and we found out that a few of the houses we were interested in renting for next year are actually in their ward boundaries. I was hesitant to move out there, but knowing they would be in the same ward really made me feel better about it.

Kyle's classes were all cancelled this week, so he's spending the time at home. So far we've spent more time hanging out together and visiting different areas of the city than he has spent studying. Hopefully the next few days are more productive.

We have some appointments to see some houses that are for rent tomorrow - so I'm kind of crossing my fingers that they'll be something worth living in. The areas seem very nice - and the prices are lower than what we're paying now.