ions in the blogosphere

Arianna went to her first photo shoot this week and had a blast. Here are a few of the results.

In the past month we have taken two family trips, one to Lafayette, Indiana and just yesterday to Nauvoo, Illinois. Here's what you missed:
(you can click on any picture to enlarge it)

In Lafayette, we visited my cousin Chris and his wife, Leah and two boys, Noah and Ian. We had a nice relaxing time with them, visiting the local petting zoo, Purdue University campus, and eating lots of lettuce grown in their garden.


Chris is finishing his doctorate in mechanical engineering, and he showed us the lab where we works. Arianna got to sit in her first tractor. And skidsteer. And front loader. And motorcycle.

Yesterday we took a trip following the Mississippi river north to Nauvoo, the city established by the Latter-day Saints before they migrated west to the Rocky Mountains. It was a nice day for it: not too hot, not too bright. It was humid, of course, being 300 yards from the river and all, but not unbearable. Touring the restored buildings and homes was fun, and Arianna enjoyed preaching her first sermon in the Seventies Hall and taking minutes in the upper room of the Red Brick Store.

Oh, and we also got to ride in an oxen-pulled wagon.

You all know how much I love polls on this blog (and I know how much you don't love participating, hence the long hiatus), so I have a new one for you. Since August of 2008 I have grown out my current stylings of facial hair. So now that it is no longer new and people have grown accustomed to the look, I want to take a comparison poll of clean shaven vs not. Here are some examples:


So now let your mice do the walking over to the left hand side of the page and vote in my new poll, where for a limited time only, I will pay attention to your opinion. :-)

The summer is in full swing here in St Louis. We've had about a week in the high 90s with a humidity index putting it into the hundreds. But there are several community water parks in the area for Melina to go with the baby.
School is going well. Midterms are in full swing, and I'm looking forward to the July 4th long weekend. We are planning a trip to Nauvoo, IL that weekend, so we'll be sure to post some good photos from up there.

Baby Arianna has been working on her second tooth, and it came through about a week ago.
For those of you who already have a full dentition (or once did, but now are working backward) and don't really care about a play-by-play race to 28 chunks of enamel, then here's a better update for you: She's standing on her own.


In other news, Arianna can also pick up cheerios between her thumb and forefinger and put them in her mouth, and loves to clap.

We are doing well here in St Louis. We really like the area, and we have settled in quickly. I have been at school for four weeks now, and it is going smoothly. BYU certainly holds their students to a high academic standard, and it is paying off now that I am in a 28 credit (this semester) doctoral program.
I also was able to get a job working on campus as a research assistant, which pays well. That was quite a blessing for us.
Melina is enjoying staying at home with the baby and is making friends with other mothers in the community with play dates and weekly library reading programs.
All in all, we are doing well and enjoying this stage of life.
For those who are glazing over from all this text, here's another picture for you:

At the Gateway Arch

Fleeing from wild bison.