Keeping Up With The Joneses...: May 2010

Soon after Owen and I returned from Utah, we got the news that Dave had been awarded the prestigious Vanier Award, which is a scholarship awarded to the top 60 research students every 3 years. This is a huge accomplishment for Dave, and we are so, so proud! He has always worked extremely hard, regularly putting in 60+ hour work weeks and rounding out his CV with teaching, involvement in community projects and leadership committees, all in addition to being a super dad and husband. The scholarship is awarded by the Canadian government to students whose research is considered of the highest caliber on an international level.

Dave celebrates his award with a shot of single-malt scotch in a beaker glass. How awesomely nerdy is that?!

Following Dave's award, I have decided to re-enroll at the University of Utah and take some online courses to work towards finishing my degree. I declaring a major in Human Development (part of the Family and Consumer Studies department) and taking 14 credits over the summer. Managing the course load while looking after Owen full time will be challenging, but it is something I have wanted to do for a long time and an important step towards setting a good example for my son. Wish me luck!

As for Owen, his days have quickly become a flurry of activity. Owen started creeping (a pre-cursor to crawling...kind of looks like a soldier in the trenches, as the drags himself around on his elbows without any help from his back legs) last week, and has been gaining speed ever since. He can quickly spot an object on the other side of the room and make his way towards it. Uh oh! I'm sure he will be full-on crawling in no time. Owen also started Waterbabies, his swimming lessons, on Tuesday evening. And tomorrow, he and I have our first "Yummy Mummy" (I know- eye roll!) fitness class baby & mom fitness class tomorrow.