2012 in review, part 1

January

The year started out with our family's first pets:  beta fish named Finny and Toppo.....and then Toppo the 2nd, and Toppo the 3rd.  Then by the time we had managed to kill off 4 beta fish, a supposedly hardy fish,  in 6 days, we returned everything to the store and went back to being a pet-less family.

February

In February, we visited the Sandy, Utah Aquarium for the first time.  While they are in the process of building new facilities, when we visited, we paid top dollar to spend a day in an aquarium located in what may have previously been a kmart.  A good time was had, sharks were spotted, penguins were giggled at, and eels were petted.  It was fun and Elliott regularly asked when we could go back over the next 8 months or so.  At this time Elliott was also obsessed with the PBS show Wild Kratts which teaches facts about animals.  Elliott memorized the episodes and can now tell you more about peregrine falcons, honey badgers, and proboscus monkeys than you ever wanted to know.  We even bought him a personalized Wild Kratts creature power suit T shirt, which he wore to kindergarten approximately one out of every 3.5 days. 

March

In March, Elliott learned how to ride his bike without with training wheels.  Unfortunately, on about his 4th bike ride, he forgot how to slow or brake and hit a curb straight on, at full speed, making his seat hit his crotch area with so much force, he has refused to get on a bike ever since.  This is putting a damper on Brian's plans of having Elliott compete in the Tour de France someday. 

Also in March, Madelyn turned 28 and saw her mom for the first time in 2 years!  I had missed her the previous summer when I was on the MoTab tour and she came to Utah.  Also, it had been that long since I had made it back to Texas!  During her visit, we introduced her to delicious Banbury Cross donuts and we went to see that weird Joseph Smith as a sphinx sculpture.  We also went to the SLC cemeteries where our ancestors are buried to check on them...still dead.

Also, I was able to catch up a couple great Interlochen friends.  Carolyn lives in SLC and we've gotten together many times but Keely was visiting, putting on a conference for a non-profit she started called Artist, Interrupted.  A networking/support group/play group for moms or women whose busy mom lives have interrupted their pre-mom art creating lives.  It felt so great to be with these ladies again, and to go to the conference Keely put on. 

April

In April, my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins came from Texas to see my cousin graduate from BYU.  They brought my lovely 89 year old Grandmother along and one fun thing we did was to travel north about an hour to Brigham City.  My Great Grandfather was a city planner of Brigham City back in the day and we stopped by his former office, which is now a tourist office.  We drove by the house my Grandpa grew up in and stopped by the old fashioned soda fountain/restaurant he frequented while growing up.  We drove by the Brigham City Temple they were still building and thought how proud my Great Grandfather would have been to have a temple in his city!

Lily took a series of pictures when the relatives were here.  Look at this beauty she snapped of me!  What in the world am I doing?  Who makes a face like this?!  Just posted so you know I can laugh at myself!

Elliott started his first ever team sport:  Tball!  He loved it!  He was good at paying attention, not hogging the ball, and we enjoyed all the comedy that watching 4 and 5 year olds playing Tball has to offer while sitting on green grass and watching the sun hit the beautiful mountains. 

May

May was busy with Tball, finishing up kindergarten, and packing.  My cousin and his family had rented us their house since we had arrived in Utah and they were ready for it back.

 We also had a short, awesome visit with our friends Jenn, Jared, and their cutie Libby from our North Carolina days.  Also, Brian's dad Russ came to visit, hear a concert, and we went to the newly reopened Utah Natural History Museum.  What an amazing place!  Stunningly beautiful and with the most innovative and engaging exhibits I'd ever experienced.

 

June

On June 1st, Elliott graduated from kindergarten.  It was also his last day at that school as our next place would be in a different school boundary.  As we were walking out of the school I asked him if he was sad.  He said he already missed his teacher. 

That evening we started heading for Texas, our first trip "home" in 2 years.

We stopped by Goblin Valley

 

and Capitol Reef National Park.


and El Paso

and finally made it to our families in Fort Worth

 

and Houston





Brian and I went on a little getaway to celebrate our 8th anniversary to Galveston.  It was our first time to leave Lily overnight and she was 3 1/2.  Of course we would have been fine leaving her sooner, we simply never had the opportunity. 

 

 

 

 

 

Elliott turned 6!

 

After stuffing ourselves on all our favorite Texas foods, we headed home via Angel Fire, NM where we caught up with Brian's Aunt and Uncle who live during the school year, in China.