Zoo

On Monday Anda and I met Heather and her kids at the zoo. It's a great zoo, and just the right size; by the time we were ready to go home, we'd seen everything. Anda liked the animals okay, but really just loves spending time with her cousins. She held hands with Tylar, laughed at Trevor, and insisted that Carter pick her up about every five minutes. He's a sweetheart and always obliged. I'm glad we'll be staying in Utah so that we can spend more time with their family.

The Luau and the Park

[MOST OF THE PICTURES IN THIS POST HAVE BEEN LOST]

Last Friday we went to a Luau held by the BYU stake in which Dan is a bishopric member. When we got there, I made Dan run home and find Anda's outfit that Nana and Papa got her last year in Hawaii, because it was way too appropriate to pass up.

After we ate, there was a little show with Hawaiian music and dancing.

The little girl in the show who they sent out for "volunteers" was surprisingly strong, so I ended up in one of the crowd participation numbers. I'm pretty sure they regretted that once I started "dancing."

I tried to persuade Dan to participate in the men's part, but he refused. This was probably wise of him, since the first thing they did was jump out at the crowd and scream at the top of their lungs. Anda and I spent the remainder of that dance far away. She did seem to like the hula dancing, though. Here she is devouring her fist in lieu of popcorn.

Saturday afternoon was windy, so Dan suggested we go to the park that evening to try out his kite. Saturday evening was not windy, so the kite didn't really work out.

Anda didn't mind. She only had eyes for one thing.

There were two dogs running around at the park, so we sat and talked with their owner for a little while. Anda is funny around animals. She loves them from a distance. She yelps and points and signs their names, if she knows the sign. She will often get within inches of them, as excited as can be. But as soon as there is any physical contact, she freaks out. The spotted dog was very sweet and gave her a big kiss, which she seemed to interpret as the Godfather kiss of death. Someday I will capture that reaction on camera.

On Housing

If all goes according to plan, we will be living in this house by the end of August.

Wish us luck!

Words

I was getting a little worried that Anda didn't have any words yet. She says "mama" but it's usually in reference to Dan.

Imagine my relief when she finally caught on to a word and its meaning!



I've created a monster.