The Randalls

I can't get Piper to write her usual update. I'll just have to do it for her this time. She's busy playing next to me here in the loft so she'll help if she can. This will be in list form so I can get it done before Piper's bedtime.

- We had her 9 month check up last week and she weighs 19 lbs. 8 oz. (60%) and is 29 1/2 in. long (96%).
- The doctor thinks she is allergic to strawberries. Drats! I'll just wait until after she's a year old and try again.
- She now mimics me when I say "uh-oh". Pretty cute.
- She's still not crawling.
- Friday she actually started lunging forward a ton. Maybe it's because we were at Meghan's house and Piper was jealous of Macie being able to crawl in circles around her.
- Piper is still on a great schedule for sleeping. Two naps a day and in bed by 7 pm.
- She still adores her sisters. I still can't make Piper laugh like her sisters do. It's like she has her own laugh for each member of the family.
- She's still a pretty mellow kid.
- She might be mellow but she is VERY loud. If any of you remember Calista as a baby/toddler...I think Piper is following in her footsteps. Holy cow that kid can squeal.
- If she's tired of sitting up she'll just fall backwards and be content to lay on her back and play with her feet. (This is why she still isn't crawling. She could care less that she has no toys and is on her back)
- She will NOT eat pureed green veggies. She will only eat them from a can.
- She loves pizza! (Just found this is out last week.)
- She still loves to clap her hands. After she claps she holds her hands up in front of her, palms up. It's the funniest thing. Some day I'd like to get it on video.
- She is my running buddy and she's liking it more and more. The last time we went out she was talking to herself the whole time.
- She has started a mild case of stranger anxiety. My kids usually get it a little at this age, then it goes away for a few months then comes back in full force around 18 months. I'm thinking though that Calista never grew out of it.
- She has 8 teeth. The next ones to come in are her one year molars. Not going to be fun.
- She's started handing me toys. She doesn't always let go of them but it's dang cute.
- I think her eyes are going to be green. Well, most days. They are turning out to be like Mark's eyes. Different colors depending on what she wears. But I think they are mostly greenish/hazelish. OK, so maybe I'm not really certain after all.
- She loves being outside. She is always so excited when I put her in the stroller to get Téa from the bus stop. Hopefully the warm weather will stick so I can do it every day.
- She's generally just a happy baby.
- She is very good about being in the car when we need to drop Téa of at the bus stop or take Téa to gymnastics or go shopping. I've really lucked out.

That's about it. I'll add more if I think of anything. These posts can be boring, I know, but it's for posterity. And the fact that it's easier to do this than write in her baby book.

So who's the wise guy who ordered lots of snow during Spring Break? We started the week off nicely with 70 degree weather. Piper and I even got burned a little at the park. Then along comes Wednesday with snow. There wasn't any snow at my house, just rain so I decided to take the girls to the Bean Museum on BYU's campus. They love it there and it's free! As I reach the freeway there was a huge snow storm going on. And just 3 miles away at my house it's just sprinkling. Anyway, I already told the girls we were going so it would have been suicide to tell them we couldn't so I make the trek in the horrible weather. We stayed over an hour at the museum even though it seemed everyone else had the same idea that something free and indoors was the way to go, too. It was crowded. When we came back outside I had almost 5 inches of snow on my car. Great... The ride home was even worse. But it was worth it to get the girls out of the house for a while. The only other excitement for the week was Piper's 9 month check up yesterday. Thankfully Mark comes back from Dallas late tonight. When he was packing he felt like he was forgetting things. He was only going for 3 days verses the one to two weeks he used to packing for and he felt almost naked without his passport since he hasn't traveled within the U.S. for so long.

Happy Spring Break. I'll be sad when it's over. I've actually enjoyed not having to rush Téa in the mornings to get to the bus stop on time.

The girls are always willing to pose for a picture.

Although you can't tell from the picture, Piper was crying. She took one look at the stuffed Bangal Tiger and decided that it was either scary or cruel to stuff an animal. Téa loves taking pictures now and she's getting good. Not sure what I'm doing here but I got the girls to laugh.

Happy Easter everyone! We had a great week celebrating. Wednesday was the annual NuSkin Easter Egg Hunt that we go to. The girls had fun. I went with Calista to help her and Téa went off by herself while Mark helped Piper since she's still not mobile. Thankfully they break up three areas for different age groups. And we were really lucky with the weather. It started sprinkling just as the egg hunt was over. Yesterday we dyed eggs with family and then today we went to Stake Conference (ok, well only half of it) and right now the ham is in the oven and the entire house smells good! Mark's brother and family will be coming for dinner shortly which means good food and lots of games. Can't wait. Here are some photos of our week.



Piper is finally learning to love Leslie. This is her new pose she makes with her hands a lot.
Piper trying to get the eggs.
Piper's first Easter.
All the rugrats dolled up to go to church.