Meanwhile...

We had so much fun in Utah while Jason was in Mexico. I love being with my family- we know how to have fun!
One of the most fun things we did was a Mother Daughter tea party- complete with tea sandwiches and mini cupcakes.
As I have mentioned before, there is a shockingly sad selection of hot chocolate around here. We did a blind taste test to decide what is better- Stephens hot cocoa or the church cannery cocoa.

It was serious business!
And the winner? The cannery cocoa! Mmm... it was creamy and chocolately and delish! Not that that has deterred me from having a cup of Stephen's every morning since my mom sent us back with a 4 pound canister of mint-truffly goodness! Thanks, Mom!
I also braved the Rockies with my younger and slightly (ahem) more athletic brother Jared. We snowshoed up a canyon, and while I sincerely thought about quitting halfway up, I was so proud of myself once I hit the top!
The views were amazing, and I had a great second wind on the way down... at least until I tripped over my giant snowshoes!
As for the kiddos, they were spoiled with attention from Grandma, Grandpa, cousins, aunties and uncles. When they missed their dad, I dressed them up like farmers.
Adam learned how to sit up while we were there! It was pretty great- he just popped up one day. He also cut his first tooth, and a second one has joined it.
And I saw Leah once or twice while we were there. She had so much fun dressing up with her cousins Sarah and Savanna, and she even had two sleepovers with them. She asks me every day when they are going to get on a plane and come out to visit her.

I have a million more memories that I didn't take pcitures of- Denny's with Dad, Girl Talk with Allison (and Heather?), visiting with wonderful friends, and late night chats with my mom- all in all, it was just a fantastic trip, and hopefully enough to help get us through the "family of four" months to come!

La Cucaracha!

Jason got to go to Mexico for two weeks in January, while I stayed in Utah and partied with family. Hopefully next year I will be able to go to Mexico with him- for the fun days, at least. I'm not really interested in pollinating corn!

Here's his take on the trip.

***

I got back from Mexico last weekend and I thought some pictures might brighten up your day in the midst of the gloom of winter (at least it’s gloomy here).

This is where I spent the majority of my time. The corn was healthy, the weather was hot, and the days were long.

Life was a little easier, albeit stranger looking, with a corn geneticists gear (as seen below): big straw hat, thin long sleeved shirt (to keep pollen from landing on your skin and causing a huge rash), snap-on sun glasses, pollinating apron (carries paper bags, stapler, sharpie, knife, and anything else you may need in the field), shorts, and durable sandals. The view of the mountains wasn’t bad either.

When I wasn’t at the field I was at our hotel which was right on the beach. All the pictures below were taken from our hotel. The first one is the view from our balcony.

There were three days when I didn’t work on the field. I helped write a grant for a short-course that will go to Puerto Vallarta next winter so we spent three days exploring the area for things to do that would be interesting for students. On Day 1 we went into the mountains and found a cool little town with an agricultural school that we will visit next year. But before you get to the town you have to cross this crazy bridge in the middle of nowhere (see below). The bridge was built last year and before then you had to go down a small dirt road to the bottom of the valley and back up again. It was very dangerous and took an hour to drive.

On Day 2 we stayed at a 200 year-old hacienda with a large fruit orchard and no electricity (to maintain “authenticity”). We also explored another small town and went to the botanical gardens in Puerto Vallarta. Unfortunately, my camera battery died on Day 2.

Day 3 was awesome! We went on a tour that took us whale-watching and then to a secluded beach to snorkle and swim. The beach was gorgeous and the pictures from it look like they were taken from a magazine.

We’re definitely taking the students there next year. It was a long and busy two weeks and, while the weather was nice and the sunsets were gorgeous, I’m glad to be back with my family.

Leah's Birthday

Recipe for a "crown" party
***

***
Dresss ups for "my best cousins"
and the adults
+
the surprise arrival of "Prince Charming"
+
balloons bigger than the birthday girl
+
one pretty amazing castle cake
= happy to be 3!

Reason 4,367...

... I'm so glad I married Jason.

Christmas!

We got to Utah just in time for some serious Christmas celebrations. For the nativity, Leah was an angel, Adam was baby Jesus, and I was a shepherd.
Sisters! Singing around the piano.
Leah's letter to Santa. Jason was the scribe, but Leah signed her own name!
Santa was so generous this year- he was thoughtful enough to bring Leah a bike- the only thing she asked for. Mom and Dad got to deal with the logistics of getting it back to Indiana.
And Adam thoroughly enjoyed the wrapping paper part of the event. The presents underneath? Take it or leave it.

My Christmas Vacation

We started our trip bright and early (4:30 AM!) and got to Denver just in time to go through the temple with Jason's sister for her first time. Leah's little pink suitcase was the biggest cause for tears throughout the whole trip- she never wanted to give it up at security. Adam was a champ on the flight to Denver, a terror on the flight to Salt Lake, and an out-of-control Sky Mall magazine ripper on the flight back to Indiana. All in all, the kids did great.
Sarah and Matt got married the next day, and the wedding and reception were both beautiful. Leah loved being the "flower girl" mainly because she got to wear such a "twirlable " dress, Adam slept through most of the reception, Jason is thrilled to have another guy in the family, and I am excited have another in-law to pass my wisdom along to... or something like that.
The next few days were filled with birthday parties, Christmas gifts, and visiting family. It was fairly relaxing, and we left wanting to stay a few days more. Leah learned how to play Barbies from the experts. Both kids were ridiculously spoiled all month long, especially Leah since her birthday is so close to Christmas. I've started boxing up toys to pull out later in the year in an effort to ward off the "gimmies".
Jason didn't end up getting Lasik because he has a degenerative disease that makes him ineligible due to faulty cornea placement. We were both sad to learn that, but leave it to a geneticist to be excited about it, since he can map it, test the kids for it, and help find a cure! Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.

Back To Life

Okay, it's been over a month, but I'm going to hurry and get this "reminder of how to blog" post out of the way.

We're done living out of suitcases, living with family, visiting friends, Skyping with Jason, and "single" parenthood.

We're back together and I couldn't be happier. I'll take it, and all the housework, bills, and reality that go with it.

I have a million pictures to illustrate the many happy memories we made over the last month. But those will have to wait a little longer.