Sunday, April 25, 2010
Another Doctor
By the way, Jen also passed her defense and is now appropriately addressed as "doctor."
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
CONGRATULATIONS!
Well, you can all call him "Doctor" now (although he might get annoyed!). Yes, I just walked in the door from Matt's defense of his dissertation and the professors came out with a grin, a hand shake, and a "Congratulations doctor." I was so proud! Matt felt really sick last night and didn't sleep at all, so I was praying he would be okay and he was awesome. He answered all of their questions, presented himself very professionally and they really encouraged him to keep working on the paper and get it published! I just thought you would all want to know!
I defend on Tuesday, so if you have a few extra prayers to give out I could use them. I still am finishing all of the edits from the professors and have to resubmit to the wonderful format people. I need to wrap that all up in the next two days. As long as all goes well for me we both graduate May 12th! Amazing!
We had an amazing trip to Mazatlan with my family which we had planned so long ago! It's hard to believe it is over. I do not have time to put up the pictures until my edits are done, so you might have to wait a day or two!
I defend on Tuesday, so if you have a few extra prayers to give out I could use them. I still am finishing all of the edits from the professors and have to resubmit to the wonderful format people. I need to wrap that all up in the next two days. As long as all goes well for me we both graduate May 12th! Amazing!
We had an amazing trip to Mazatlan with my family which we had planned so long ago! It's hard to believe it is over. I do not have time to put up the pictures until my edits are done, so you might have to wait a day or two!
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Abby in the Grass
Here are a few shots of Abby and Jen in our backyard from last Sunday. Yes, I know I need to cut the lawn. I have since chopped it down.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
541 Pages
No, that is not the length of my last post.
My dissertation is just about complete. I just need to fix a few formatting items, enter the edits for one of the chapters, and add a couple pages to the conclusion. So, anxious to see how long it would be, I finally made the left margin the requisite 1.5 inches (standard width for all dissertations so that they can be bound and still leave a 1 inch margin) and I paginated each chapter to begin after the previous. When I got to the end I found this beast is 541 pages! Holy Moley! That is a very long dissertation (250-300 is pretty normal). Now, to be honest, 39 of those pages are my bibliography and appendix, but it is still a meaty book. Everything should be finalized by end of this week and I can put copies on the desk of my committee members and schedule the defense.
So, you are wondering where Jen is at with her "final paper." They may call it a paper but long winded writing seems to run in the family because her work will be exceptionally long as well. I think most final papers are the length of MA theses, that is, 80-120 pages (though a good friend of ours just got away with a 25 page paper to finish his DMA). Jen is on track for about 150 pages, she thinks. We'll see at the end of the week when she finishes the draft for each chapter. When I was writing my thesis at Nebraska she said she could never do it. I think now she is even starting to like it.
As per Abby, well, she is working hard too. Last night she counted to ten with just a little help remember number four. She can also do most of her ABCs from A to G. She is a bright girl.
My dissertation is just about complete. I just need to fix a few formatting items, enter the edits for one of the chapters, and add a couple pages to the conclusion. So, anxious to see how long it would be, I finally made the left margin the requisite 1.5 inches (standard width for all dissertations so that they can be bound and still leave a 1 inch margin) and I paginated each chapter to begin after the previous. When I got to the end I found this beast is 541 pages! Holy Moley! That is a very long dissertation (250-300 is pretty normal). Now, to be honest, 39 of those pages are my bibliography and appendix, but it is still a meaty book. Everything should be finalized by end of this week and I can put copies on the desk of my committee members and schedule the defense.
So, you are wondering where Jen is at with her "final paper." They may call it a paper but long winded writing seems to run in the family because her work will be exceptionally long as well. I think most final papers are the length of MA theses, that is, 80-120 pages (though a good friend of ours just got away with a 25 page paper to finish his DMA). Jen is on track for about 150 pages, she thinks. We'll see at the end of the week when she finishes the draft for each chapter. When I was writing my thesis at Nebraska she said she could never do it. I think now she is even starting to like it.
As per Abby, well, she is working hard too. Last night she counted to ten with just a little help remember number four. She can also do most of her ABCs from A to G. She is a bright girl.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Overdue Pictures!
Life has been slightly crazy this past few weeks as Matt and I attempt to finish our papers and graduate! We've had some great adventures and thought you might like to see some pictures. Here are some cute pics of Abby--I braided her hair the night before for a "new look!" Recognize the outfit Tiff?!
I realize that this is a little overdue, but I think it's a fun picture of the three of us. This was our Ward Valentine's party (Hoe down!). Matt even found his hat from his mission!
The ASU Symphonic Chorale that I sing and conduct in at ASU took a trip to Tucson to sing at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Convention. The ASU choir combined with choirs from NAU and U of A and sang Honegger's "King David." I was in charge of the trip and we definitely had some interesting adventures including 5 singers passing out during the performance (none of them from ASU!). We were able to work with conductor William Hatcher which was a fabulous experience.
Our friends the Levi's moved to Utah about two years ago and they came to visit this past week! Abby and I were only able to see them from a little bit but we were so happy to see them!
I had the opportunity to conduct a small ensemble of singers, soloists and instrumentalists on a Bach Cantata, BWV 12, "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen." I wish we would have had more time to rehearse and polish, but it was a pretty amazing experience. We called it a Bach Lunch--you know, like a "Box Lunch." So we had a lunch reception beforehand and then a fellow grad student and I each conducted a Bach cantata. I am so grateful to the performers--they were amazing!
I realize that this is a little overdue, but I think it's a fun picture of the three of us. This was our Ward Valentine's party (Hoe down!). Matt even found his hat from his mission!
The ASU Symphonic Chorale that I sing and conduct in at ASU took a trip to Tucson to sing at the American Choral Directors Association (ACDA) Convention. The ASU choir combined with choirs from NAU and U of A and sang Honegger's "King David." I was in charge of the trip and we definitely had some interesting adventures including 5 singers passing out during the performance (none of them from ASU!). We were able to work with conductor William Hatcher which was a fabulous experience.
Our friends the Levi's moved to Utah about two years ago and they came to visit this past week! Abby and I were only able to see them from a little bit but we were so happy to see them!
I had the opportunity to conduct a small ensemble of singers, soloists and instrumentalists on a Bach Cantata, BWV 12, "Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen." I wish we would have had more time to rehearse and polish, but it was a pretty amazing experience. We called it a Bach Lunch--you know, like a "Box Lunch." So we had a lunch reception beforehand and then a fellow grad student and I each conducted a Bach cantata. I am so grateful to the performers--they were amazing!
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
A Political Observation about Healthcare and its Treatment
So I recently stumbled on an interesting article from 1964 that caused me to reconsider some of the arguments against Obama's health care that you can hear on Fox News and other conservative mediums. As far as I can tell, Republicans have issued six main criticisms of the current health reform initiative. They are:
The 1964 article I read was written by Republican Congressman John H. Rousselot. He cited conservative think tanks and policy groups who shared his view that the federal legislation at hand was a communist conspiracy to implant socialism in America. Conservatives across the nation agreed. What was the legislation? Civil rights. One conservative policy center said the legislation was 10% civil rights and 90% socialist efforts to empower the federal government. They really argued that civil rights legislation was bad because it empowered the federal government to control the lives of individuals--where they could eat, sleep, swim, etc. Funny how the old specter of the socialist boogy-man is still a staple of the Republican opposition to anything the democrats want to do. In the case of health care reform, Republicans have argued that the reform will force everyone to use government controlled health care. That just simply is not true. In fact, the bill counts on private insurance because it is funded, in part, by taxing some of those. You see, if all the healthy people jump into an insurance plan and leave the unhealthy behind, the unhealthy will probably go for government health insurance (rather than pay ultra high rates for private as they currently must). To help fund thier access, the government will tax private companies and in that way give everyone--healthy or sick--freedom of choice and access to medical care. The current system only gives freedom of choice to the healthy. So you see, the continuance of private enterprise is an essential part of this plan. This is not socialism. It is an ethical issue though, and Republicans have a proven track record of opposing ethical legislation on trumped up charges that it is a socialist conspiracy.
2. Not enough doctors:
In 1944 Congress passed Public Law 78-346, which included the now famous GI Bill. It allotted tons of cash to WWII veterans to buy houses and go to school. Over the next 20 years over 5 million Americans used the bill. Was anybody concerned that there would not be enough homes? Was anybody concerned that there would not be enough professors to teach them all? Would there be professor shortages and would classroom size swell out of control? No. Why? Because they believed that the market would balance. If you have more demand, more people will build homes or become professors. Why would it be any different with doctors? It wont. In fact, in America we have made education so common place that many pursue more education just because it is available. That is the case for university professors. We now have way too many educated people and not enough jobs for them.
3. Rationed health care:
Okay, so there is an ounce or two of credibility to this one. Yes, if you chose a government health care program then the government bureaucrats running it get to determine what is an acceptable cost and treatment for all sorts of ailments. However, it is exactly the same now when your privately owned health insurance company. No matter who runs it, the guys at the top determine what you can or cannot get. And if you really want more options, you are still free to buy an expensive "Cadillac" plan from a private company. They are not going anywhere. The current legislation does nothing to restrict their ability to market and sell services. In fact, the legislation is depending on them sticking around.
4. Too expensive:
Obama has dressed up the new bill as a cost saving measure and that just is not true (republicans are not the only ones misrepresenting things). However, it is not a massively expensive bill either. It is funded by taxing private insurance companies, medical equipment providers, and re-allocating funds already set aside for medicare. Ultimately, this is not that expensive. The bail out was expensive, and I agree we need to start cutting back costs, but this medical reform is not going to increase the deficit much at all because it has plans built in to fund it. It is a fraction of our military budget, which by the way, is almost exactly 10 times larger than any other country in the world and much more than the rest of the world combined! Just google words like military, budget, and world to see for yourself.
5. Reconciliation is unethical
Reconciliation is a parliamentary procedure to reconcile bills passed by the Senate and by the House so that they match up. It has been used many times in the past, most often by the Republicans. It was used to pass much of the Republican "Contract with America" during the 1990s. It was fine and great when it worked for the Republicans, but now that the Democrats want to use it the Republicans label it sinister-the "nuclear" solution. Isn't that a bit hypocritical? I think so.
6. Americans overwhelmingly rejected it:
Americans are not overwhelming opposed to the legislation. That is a myth. The polls range from 44% opposed to 59% opposed, but most of the credible polls say it is between 50% and 54% opposed. So, half (or slightly more than half) of American oppose the bill. And how many Americans typically vote for Republican candidates in an election? Oh, somewhere around 45-50%. So basically, what we have here is most people who usually like Republicans and don't like Democrats feel as they always do, and a few moderates have joined them. That is not overwhelming opposition. Besides, it is always easier to poison public opinion on an issue than it is to build it, especially when you have the disinformation campaign that I've addressed above. So if you want to claim overwhelming opposition you better post some better stats to prove it. That does not stop Fox News from claiming there is overwhelming resistance.
Fox News and the conservative media outlets just keep claiming the above arguments are true, even though they are not. Why? They figure if they repeat it enough times you'll believe it is true. You see, they are a political entity first and a news reporting entity second. They selectively report on things that they think will strengthen thier cause, and they overlook things that do not. I can give you several examples of this policy.
- It will lead America toward socialism - the federal government will be controlling just one more aspect of your life--your healthcare!
- There are not enough doctors -- 30 million new people cant fit into the existing system without causing shortages of doctors for everybody
- Rationed healthcare! You wont be able to get the services you want or need!
- It will economically cost too much - the economy cannot handle it - our childrens' children will be paying this debt
- Its passage via "reconciliation" is a sinister movement
- Americans overwhelmingly do not wan it
The 1964 article I read was written by Republican Congressman John H. Rousselot. He cited conservative think tanks and policy groups who shared his view that the federal legislation at hand was a communist conspiracy to implant socialism in America. Conservatives across the nation agreed. What was the legislation? Civil rights. One conservative policy center said the legislation was 10% civil rights and 90% socialist efforts to empower the federal government. They really argued that civil rights legislation was bad because it empowered the federal government to control the lives of individuals--where they could eat, sleep, swim, etc. Funny how the old specter of the socialist boogy-man is still a staple of the Republican opposition to anything the democrats want to do. In the case of health care reform, Republicans have argued that the reform will force everyone to use government controlled health care. That just simply is not true. In fact, the bill counts on private insurance because it is funded, in part, by taxing some of those. You see, if all the healthy people jump into an insurance plan and leave the unhealthy behind, the unhealthy will probably go for government health insurance (rather than pay ultra high rates for private as they currently must). To help fund thier access, the government will tax private companies and in that way give everyone--healthy or sick--freedom of choice and access to medical care. The current system only gives freedom of choice to the healthy. So you see, the continuance of private enterprise is an essential part of this plan. This is not socialism. It is an ethical issue though, and Republicans have a proven track record of opposing ethical legislation on trumped up charges that it is a socialist conspiracy.
2. Not enough doctors:
In 1944 Congress passed Public Law 78-346, which included the now famous GI Bill. It allotted tons of cash to WWII veterans to buy houses and go to school. Over the next 20 years over 5 million Americans used the bill. Was anybody concerned that there would not be enough homes? Was anybody concerned that there would not be enough professors to teach them all? Would there be professor shortages and would classroom size swell out of control? No. Why? Because they believed that the market would balance. If you have more demand, more people will build homes or become professors. Why would it be any different with doctors? It wont. In fact, in America we have made education so common place that many pursue more education just because it is available. That is the case for university professors. We now have way too many educated people and not enough jobs for them.
3. Rationed health care:
Okay, so there is an ounce or two of credibility to this one. Yes, if you chose a government health care program then the government bureaucrats running it get to determine what is an acceptable cost and treatment for all sorts of ailments. However, it is exactly the same now when your privately owned health insurance company. No matter who runs it, the guys at the top determine what you can or cannot get. And if you really want more options, you are still free to buy an expensive "Cadillac" plan from a private company. They are not going anywhere. The current legislation does nothing to restrict their ability to market and sell services. In fact, the legislation is depending on them sticking around.
4. Too expensive:
Obama has dressed up the new bill as a cost saving measure and that just is not true (republicans are not the only ones misrepresenting things). However, it is not a massively expensive bill either. It is funded by taxing private insurance companies, medical equipment providers, and re-allocating funds already set aside for medicare. Ultimately, this is not that expensive. The bail out was expensive, and I agree we need to start cutting back costs, but this medical reform is not going to increase the deficit much at all because it has plans built in to fund it. It is a fraction of our military budget, which by the way, is almost exactly 10 times larger than any other country in the world and much more than the rest of the world combined! Just google words like military, budget, and world to see for yourself.
5. Reconciliation is unethical
Reconciliation is a parliamentary procedure to reconcile bills passed by the Senate and by the House so that they match up. It has been used many times in the past, most often by the Republicans. It was used to pass much of the Republican "Contract with America" during the 1990s. It was fine and great when it worked for the Republicans, but now that the Democrats want to use it the Republicans label it sinister-the "nuclear" solution. Isn't that a bit hypocritical? I think so.
6. Americans overwhelmingly rejected it:
Americans are not overwhelming opposed to the legislation. That is a myth. The polls range from 44% opposed to 59% opposed, but most of the credible polls say it is between 50% and 54% opposed. So, half (or slightly more than half) of American oppose the bill. And how many Americans typically vote for Republican candidates in an election? Oh, somewhere around 45-50%. So basically, what we have here is most people who usually like Republicans and don't like Democrats feel as they always do, and a few moderates have joined them. That is not overwhelming opposition. Besides, it is always easier to poison public opinion on an issue than it is to build it, especially when you have the disinformation campaign that I've addressed above. So if you want to claim overwhelming opposition you better post some better stats to prove it. That does not stop Fox News from claiming there is overwhelming resistance.
Fox News and the conservative media outlets just keep claiming the above arguments are true, even though they are not. Why? They figure if they repeat it enough times you'll believe it is true. You see, they are a political entity first and a news reporting entity second. They selectively report on things that they think will strengthen thier cause, and they overlook things that do not. I can give you several examples of this policy.
- Remember when they ran repeated stories on Obama's birthplace potentially disqualifying him from the presidency? It wasn't true, but they brought it up over an over again anyway. They also used this to argue (before the election) that he could not even pass the top security test, which has no relevance at all except to cast some sort of illusion that he is a security risk (when they knew full well that his birthplace did not make him a risk). They look for any way to discredit him.
- How about when Fox News repeated his full name constantly--Barack Hussein Obama. Who knows George W. Bush's middle name? Clinton's? Bush Sr.'s? Reagan's? Not many people. But we're fighting terrorists from the Middle East so if you oppose Obama it is a good time to make sure everybody knows his middle name.
- Fox ran stories about Obama's supposed relationship with Bill Ayers, the Weather Underground terrorist. Of course, he has no real relation --they attended the same conference once--but by portraying them as buddies Fox hoped to convince Americans that he was sympathetic to him and weak on terrorism at a time when the nation is fighting terrorism.
- More recently Fox ran stories about Chicago having corrupt politics, and insinuated that Obama and his administration must also be corrupt because they come from Illinois. Do they have any evidence that anybody in the administration has ever done anything questionable? No, but who needs that? In the modern media world you just need accusations to ruin somebody, they hope.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Quick Pic
Its been a while since our last post so here is a quick picture a friend took of Abby in our backyard. Clearly I need to cut the grass but isnt she adorable?
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Happy Birthday Abby!
Here are some pictures from Abby's wonderful 2nd birthday party. Many of her friends came to visit and she received some very thoughtful gifts from those here and those far away. Thank you to everyone that thought of Abby on her birthday!
Abby and the birthday cake--it went much better than last year, but she was still a little unsure of why everyone was happy and cheering for her!
The Aylworth Family
Abby's friends Kylee and Indi.
Matt, Andina and Abby. Andina made Abby the hat!
Present time!
Abby trying to get the balloon that Kylee gave her. Abby loves Natalie who you see in the background--she calls her "Nanny!"
Abby received a beautiful doll from Geoffery & Maria (Abby's birth mom's father and step-mom).
She also received the cutest Minnie Mouse costume complete with gloves, purse and ears from the Huffs (Abby's birth father's family).
We gave Abby a swing in her own backyard which she loves.
Besides her birthday, we also celebrated Valentine's Day at playgroup on Thursday morning and this is a picture of her adorable playgroup at the park.
On the 12th our wonderful friends the Rikers wanted to play with our little Abby and so they came and picked her up and told us to go and do something fun! So Matt and I rode our bikes over and climbed up A Mountain. There was a beautiful view at the top! Then we biked to P.F. Chang's and used the gift certificate given to me for my birthday by my piano students, the Jackson's. Finally we biked to Oregano's and ate the most wonderful dessert. Chocolate chip cookie covered in vanilla ice cream. It's a darn good thing we biked so much!
The 13th was another very important day to celebrate--Placement Day! The day that Amanda officially signed the papers and gave Abby to us! What an important day. Thank you for the greatest gift anyone could EVER ask for . . . . now if we could only find another adoption miracle!
Abby and the birthday cake--it went much better than last year, but she was still a little unsure of why everyone was happy and cheering for her!
The Aylworth Family
Abby's friends Kylee and Indi.
Matt, Andina and Abby. Andina made Abby the hat!
Present time!Abby trying to get the balloon that Kylee gave her. Abby loves Natalie who you see in the background--she calls her "Nanny!"
Abby received a beautiful doll from Geoffery & Maria (Abby's birth mom's father and step-mom).
She also received the cutest Minnie Mouse costume complete with gloves, purse and ears from the Huffs (Abby's birth father's family).
We gave Abby a swing in her own backyard which she loves.
Besides her birthday, we also celebrated Valentine's Day at playgroup on Thursday morning and this is a picture of her adorable playgroup at the park.
On the 12th our wonderful friends the Rikers wanted to play with our little Abby and so they came and picked her up and told us to go and do something fun! So Matt and I rode our bikes over and climbed up A Mountain. There was a beautiful view at the top! Then we biked to P.F. Chang's and used the gift certificate given to me for my birthday by my piano students, the Jackson's. Finally we biked to Oregano's and ate the most wonderful dessert. Chocolate chip cookie covered in vanilla ice cream. It's a darn good thing we biked so much!
The 13th was another very important day to celebrate--Placement Day! The day that Amanda officially signed the papers and gave Abby to us! What an important day. Thank you for the greatest gift anyone could EVER ask for . . . . now if we could only find another adoption miracle!
Monday, February 8, 2010
You're Invited
On Wednesday (Feb 10) we're having a little party in celebration of Abby's two-year birthday. If you know where we live then you know us well enough to drop in. The party starts at 5:30pm and will go for two or three hours. Drop by and say hello if you are in the area. We just have one request--don't bring any gifts. Abby has tons of toys and you do not need to bring her more. Just come say hi and eat some snacks and cake.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Abby's Favorite Things
So, I thought I would share with you three of Abby's favorite activities.
(1) Dancing. She dances for every song, every commercial, every percussion she hears. She swings her arms as she marches in circles, tripping over herself along the way, but she keeps going until the music ends.
(2) Loading her nose with paper. She scrounges the house for scraps of paper, tears them up into small pieces, and then packs them in her nose. We never know when something is up there--until she sneezes.
(3) Sock puppets. She takes off her shoes, then her socks, and puts them on her hands. She then makes the sock puppet talk, and kiss, and engages people with her little character.
(1) Dancing. She dances for every song, every commercial, every percussion she hears. She swings her arms as she marches in circles, tripping over herself along the way, but she keeps going until the music ends.
(2) Loading her nose with paper. She scrounges the house for scraps of paper, tears them up into small pieces, and then packs them in her nose. We never know when something is up there--until she sneezes.
(3) Sock puppets. She takes off her shoes, then her socks, and puts them on her hands. She then makes the sock puppet talk, and kiss, and engages people with her little character.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Quick Catch Up
So we need to play some serious catch up, so this will be short explanations and many pictures! Starting with the most recent and going back.
Here is a video from tonight of Abby lifting weights and showing off her new counting skills. She really can say that she is 2 (although it's not official for 2 weeks!)
We actually had some rain here in Arizona last week and quite the storm last Thursday. We lost power and it reminded Matt that we need to cut down some branches on our tree. Saturday Matt and a friend, Randy Lee borrowed a chain saw and took care of the branches. You can see Matt with the chain saw and the resulting triumph over the tree!
On January 16th and 17th we took a very quick trip to Wyoming to see one of our new nephew's, Dexter (Heather and Brandon's son) to be blessed. We flew into Denver and quickly grabbed food as we were all starving. While Barbara and Roger finished eating Matt and I found a guy doing caricatures and had him do one of Abby. She would not hold still, but he really thought she was cute. We asked for a head shot and he ended up doing her whole body!
Here is a picture of the whole family (Brandon and Heather's) after the blessing and before we flew back to the airport and to home! What a weekend!
Abby sees us sit and type at our computers quite often since we are both trying to finish our massive papers. Apparently she think she needs to do the same!
Abby's birth father's family, the Huff's sent Abby wonderful Christmas presents! She especially loved the tea party set complete with a talking, singing tea pot. Thank you to the Huff's!
Before we went to Wyoming, Abby and I took off to see our other newer nephew, Caleb Shakespeare! We traveled to Washington and spent time with some of Jen's family. We had a great time! Here are Caleb, Abby and Jen on the first day!
Brynley played with Abby so much and is just the best big cousin! We hope she can come out and play with us in Arizona some day!
The Twins, Kylee and Kennedy also played with Abby for hours and hours. We wish they lived closer!
Aunt Tiff gave Abby and Jen new haircuts. You are the best Tiff!
We celebrated Brent's, Jen's and Abby's birthdays which are in January and February complete with homemade chinese food and oreo cookie ice cream dessert! Yum! We also loved seeing Brent and Nicole who have now moved back to Washington.
Abby loves Grandpa Mark as you can see!
Aunt Christie and Uncle Jerry with Abby!
Sisters! Tiff and Jen!
Here is a video from tonight of Abby lifting weights and showing off her new counting skills. She really can say that she is 2 (although it's not official for 2 weeks!)
We actually had some rain here in Arizona last week and quite the storm last Thursday. We lost power and it reminded Matt that we need to cut down some branches on our tree. Saturday Matt and a friend, Randy Lee borrowed a chain saw and took care of the branches. You can see Matt with the chain saw and the resulting triumph over the tree!
On January 16th and 17th we took a very quick trip to Wyoming to see one of our new nephew's, Dexter (Heather and Brandon's son) to be blessed. We flew into Denver and quickly grabbed food as we were all starving. While Barbara and Roger finished eating Matt and I found a guy doing caricatures and had him do one of Abby. She would not hold still, but he really thought she was cute. We asked for a head shot and he ended up doing her whole body!
Here is a picture of the whole family (Brandon and Heather's) after the blessing and before we flew back to the airport and to home! What a weekend!
Abby sees us sit and type at our computers quite often since we are both trying to finish our massive papers. Apparently she think she needs to do the same!
Abby's birth father's family, the Huff's sent Abby wonderful Christmas presents! She especially loved the tea party set complete with a talking, singing tea pot. Thank you to the Huff's!
Before we went to Wyoming, Abby and I took off to see our other newer nephew, Caleb Shakespeare! We traveled to Washington and spent time with some of Jen's family. We had a great time! Here are Caleb, Abby and Jen on the first day!
Brynley played with Abby so much and is just the best big cousin! We hope she can come out and play with us in Arizona some day!
The Twins, Kylee and Kennedy also played with Abby for hours and hours. We wish they lived closer!
Aunt Tiff gave Abby and Jen new haircuts. You are the best Tiff!
We celebrated Brent's, Jen's and Abby's birthdays which are in January and February complete with homemade chinese food and oreo cookie ice cream dessert! Yum! We also loved seeing Brent and Nicole who have now moved back to Washington.
Abby loves Grandpa Mark as you can see!
Aunt Christie and Uncle Jerry with Abby!
Sisters! Tiff and Jen!
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