Happy Father's Day!!!

Westin Moore is the luckiest little boy of ALL TIME! He has the Greatest Dad a little boy could ever have. I look at how much Westin has grown and changed in the last couple of months and I know that a lot of it has to do with how Dalen supports him, loves him and gives him space to grow.

Just last night, I was amazed (and partially terrified-if I'm honest) to see my son walk up the slidey part of a slide. But there was Dalen right there to catch him if he lost his step--adventure with a safety net!

Life is better with Dad's like Dalen.We hope that Dada is enjoying his day off at the golf course to celebrate what an awesome Dad he is!!!

Czech Days!

 Every summer, Tabor, SD hosts Czech Days: a glorious festival celebrating all things Czech in this very Czechish town. (For those of you wondering, Tabor is about an hour west of Vermillion--but an absolutely beautiful drive on a wonderful summer day).

Westin loves Polka and would have danced all day if we let him. There was some protest (the tyrrany of parents!) when we put him back in B.O.B. until we let him run around Olde Towne Tabor.

Into posing for a picture with Mama? Not so much....

Chatting it up to perfect strangers: awesome sauce!

They had wonderful dumplings and sauer kraut (Westin, of course, would have none of that and munched on a perfectly nutritious and fortifying hot dog--his first of two yesterday, not proud) and Czech lager. It was a beautiful day! There's something really special about cultural festivals in really small towns.

You would think that the boy would look happier, no?

Paging the Moores!

 Do you ever feel like that the last couple of weeks have been a total blur? Yea, I totally don't know what you are talking about...we are perfectly in focus around here.

 

You can find us eating our dinner in our Thomas the Train boots, being so exhausted from a long day that we just fall asleep on the couch. But tonight, for your pleasure, there is a veritable blog-o-palooza with 4 new posts (including this one)! Westin is so much fun these days. His favorite books are 'The Monster at the End of this Book" (thank you, Noni) and "I love you Stinky Face". For his nite-nite, procrastinating from going to bed read is "Good Night Moon" OR "Brown bear, brown bear". I swear he gets taller every day and he is working on his Harry Potter forhead scar, because just as one heals, he manages to pull a header into something else scary. Thank goodness for that hard Andrews' head that he inherited. He gives the sweetest hugs and is so funny when he says, "Elmo".

Okay, so where have we been? It's not like we have been having a baby or getting a terribly impressive degree. (Congrats to the Merediths and to Dr. Dori! YAY!)  Well, summer is a busy time in the lab. Especially this summer. I have two undergraduates who are now working full time. They are truly fantastic and I am amazed every day at what good things they accomplish. I also have a new technician. If I didn't know any better, I would think that she is the Mary Poppins of the research world. She knows what to do and when to do it. In less than a week, I am seeing figures for a paper form. I am neither being overly optimistic or jumping the gun-she is that good party people! I have two graduate students that will be joining the lab shortly...and just like that I went from the Moore lab party of one to the Moore Lab party of many! Life is busy and Life is good! Onto the next Adventure!!

Happy Happy-Old Friends!

Something happily unexpected is that Vermillion is situated somewhere in the middle of To and Fro in the Midwest. We got to see the Jamison's over lunch, while they were traveling from Wendy's family in Iowa to Rapid City.

Westin and Hannah-banana Jamison

The Kleba-Furhman's stayed with us overnight on their way to Betsy's family in Wisconsin from their happy home in Salt Lake. 

Westin learning to *share* colors and books with Avi and Asher.

These visits were so very special to us. Wendy, Betsy and I were all post-docs in Ted Hackstadt's lab. We all saw our families start from their very wee beginnings and now look at how they have grown! My heart is happy! It was so great catching up with everyone--and hope to see you guys again Soon!

Spirit Mound

Going to Spirit Mound was one of the non-schlepping-related adventures that we had, whilst G-pops and D were in town.

For those of your not familiar, Vermillion is flat. Really flat. I mean think South Alabama or Charleston and then go flatter. Really, I mean it. Then, out of nowhere rises this crazy mound. When Lewis and Clark came through, they heard stories of this hill where little people with poisonous arrows lived. Of course they investigated and much to their surprise (ahem!) no member of their party was shot by little people with poisonous arrows---talk about an anticlimactic ending. However, the oddness of this mound was not lost on Lewis or Clark and eventually this landmark became a protected historic site. Now, I don't know for sure if this was ever a burial ground or if the earth has special powers, but I can report feeling oddly peaceful and calm during our walk here.

Spirit Mound indeed! (Incidentally, Dalen and I looked at a house situated very close to Spirit Mound. If I have ever been in an honest Haunted House-that was it! Creepy creepy pants!! And it wasn't just because the kitchen would have been a complete nightmare to work in.)

It was one of those perfect days that are helping us to believe, that yes, yes we can actually live here! :)

Aunt Shannon does this remind you of the opening credits of Little House on the Prairie?

The Big Schlep

Westin will argue that the best thing that arrived with G-pops and D was Frog Ball.

For the record, this is the college furniture. All except the fun antique chair Westin is sitting in.

We now have proper furniture in the dining room! That means YOU, yes you, can now come and sit at a table that I did not have since I was a sophomore in college. Better yet, 8 of you or More can sit at the same time and eat food and have plenty of elbow room to do so. Brilliant! A big thanks to G-pops and D for schlepping all the way from Birmingham (some furniture came all the way from New Orleans!). Of course I have no pictures of the finished rooms.

Yes, Westin is totally staring at that really cute little boy staring back from the wine cabinet.

Please, that would make things too easy. Instead I have many pictures of Westin, us walking on the River walk in town,

 

CopperDog did not eat for a day when G-pops left. So sad.

Westin at the mall in Sioux Falls,

Shop til you drop. Little Boy is sporting some new kicks-which must be pretty cool, because what other reason would he have to take off his Thomas the Train Boots?

and more Westin.....I know, trade-offs.....

 

Catching UP-lightening round!

The past month has flown by! A week after celebrating spring, we got 4 inches of slushy snow and Dalen was packing his truck for a much needed fishing trip in Montana. Ugh (to the snow, not Dalen's trip).

Thankfully, Noni came to help out with Westin. It was very special for her to have that one-on-one time with Monkey while I was at work. Westin is becoming his own little person, and it is amazing evolution. Elmo is his new favorite friend, with Thomas the Train being a close second, and Curious George (thank you Grandma Moore) is becoming very fascinating.

He still prefers his babulary over actual words, but he understands so much and is scary clever. He loves using his hands and putting together puzzles.

 

His new trick is climbing the stairs (all by himself, of course)...I am hoping to get a video soon. He is giving great hugs and loves to play with his CopperDog. Westin LOVES to brush his teeth--we are thankful since he has a mouthful. (In fact, as I was getting ready this morning, he came into the bathroom and reached for his toothbrush.) We celebrated a fantastic Mother's Day, I flew to Bethesda and back, headed up to Sioux Falls for a day...and now I am sitting back taking a deep breathe. Hope that you guys enjoy the pictures!!