Happy Halloween!

Reunion Triplet

It just so happened that the Loel Tonks family reunion (ie all of my grandpa Tonks's progeny) was the weekend after we moved out of Illinois.  I hadn't seen most of my Tonks cousins/aunts/uncles for years, and Kevin hadn't even met any of them ever, so we decided to go this year long before we had made concrete moving plans.  It worked out well, though, since our stuff was all in storage and our cars were sold, so we just flew to Utah.  I had convinced my little brother that he should come out to the reunion too, and that my other siblings who lived close and my parents and us should all rent a cabin together to stay at during the reunion, plus an extra day or two.  We had a couple of days before the reunion started, though, so we just drove up to Rexburg where my sister lives and hung out with her and her family, and my brother and his family (they live in Idaho Falls).    One of the days at Heidi's house, we decided to take a trip to take Matthew's girlfriend (Arianna) to see Yellowstone, since she's never been, and since it's not too far from Rexburg.  We knew it wouldn't work out well with Abby, though, and Heidi and her family had some plans (it was her son's birthday party, etc.), and my Dad didn't want to get up as early as we'd need to leave, so Kevin stayed behind to watch Abby and it was just my mom and my little brother and Arianna and me.  We had a *great* time!  I had so much fun talking and laughing with Matthew and Arianna, both on this trip and when they drove up to Idaho from SLC with us.

Old Faithful at Yellowstone

Arianna inside the Old Faithful Inn

The trip to Yellowstone was a blast, even after I lost my glasses (maybe they'll spout up from Old Faithful one day), and even when we took a wrong turn on the way home and ended up driving over an hour in the wrong direction!  We then had to drive back to Yellowstone, where we decided to eat dinner before trying a second time to drive back.  We didn't get home until late--Kevin was a trooper and took care of Abby all that time and put her to bed on his own and everything.  Yay Kevin!  I can't say I didn't enjoy a day of freedom to go and sightsee without worrying about nap schedules and eating times and babies who don't like being strapped in for long periods of time.

Our cabin at Bear Lake

Front of the cabin

(By the way, I should say that most of these pictures were taken by either my little brother or his girlfriend, which you can tell by the suspicious sudden increase in quality from what I usually take.)

my cute nephew

When it was time for the Tonks reunion to start, we all drove down to Bear Lake (which is between Utah and Idaho) and checked into our vacation rental cabin.  It was a nice cabin, although they did NOT have wifi, and I'm pretty sure they advertised that they did.  Not that I minded that much, but certain other parties amongst us have a hard time being unplugged.  Actually, the cell phone reception wasn't good there either, so it was a true get-away!  We had to drive like 45 minutes or something to get to the location of all the extended family events, which was a slight bummer, but not too bad.  We had a great time, especially back at our immediate family cabin.  It was just great to BE with everyone, and we really loved getting to know Arianna better.  She is great--good catch, Matthew!  Kevin and I never got to actually *swim* in Bear Lake, because the day we planned to go it was so crazy busy that by the time we got there, they were at capacity and turned us away.  (The rest of the family got there earlier, so they got in.)  Instead we went and had raspberry shakes.  We did take our turn in the hot tub at the cabin, though.

Bear Lake--the view from the cabin, I think.  (Isn't my brother a great photographer?)

After the Loel Tonks reunion was over, we stayed an extra couple of days for just a Davis Tonks reunion.  Sadly, I got pretty sick the day before we left and felt rather miserable.  Abby got sick too, and was especially bad the day we drove back to Utah.  She basically slept the whole day.  (Of course, that DOES make for a quieter drive...)  She was mostly better within a day or two, although she had a runny nose for weeks afterwards.

When we got to Utah, we stopped off at my Grandma and Grandpa Ellis's house to pick up the luggage we had left there.  They fed us, and we hung out for a short while (and took a 4 generation picture--glad we thought to do that!) and then we drove down to Provo to Kevin's sister's house.  

Four generations!  

There commenced our third family reunion--this one was a Hoffman reunion (just Kevin's parents and siblings).  We had a fun time there, too.  One day we went up to Park City and did the apline slide and ziplines. We also went swimming and hiking (both with everyone one day, and then a longer one with just some of the adults another day--Kevin's mom watched all the kids! ) and generally had a great time.   The adult-only hike was a longish one where we hiked up to Sunset Peak and then down by way of a few pretty lakes.  We started in one canyon and ended in the other (we drove two cars and parked one at the end).  I really enjoyed the hike!  I was worried I'd have a tough time, since I've been living at sea level, plus I'm not very in shape these days, but actually I did just fine and really enjoyed it.  The Hoffman reunion was short but sweet (just a few days), but I'm really glad we all made it.

After the Hoffman reunion, we flew down to New Mexico, and stayed with my parents.  Heidi and her family stopped by for a couple days after we'd just been there a few days.  Even though we'd just seen them at the reunion, it was fun to visit again!  They were there for my mom's birthday, so we all celebrated together.  After they left, we settled in a bit...quite a bit, I guess, because we are still here!

Back in LA...

Okay, okay.  As Beth has pointed out, it *has* been a ridiculous amount of time since I have posted, and a lot has happened!  Right now Abby is contentedly looking at books, so perhaps I'll have a few minutes without her clamoring to touch the screen and pull off the keys to write a bit.

First of all, we moved away from IL.  Our lease ended July 31st, and although Kevin isn't quite done with his Ph.D. yet, we did NOT want to stick around a whole other year (since it's a college town, you can pretty much only get year leases).  We also didn't want to move our stuff somewhere temporary, only to have to pack up and move again soon, so we opted to do one of those Upack/pod-like things where they deliver a couple of storage cubes to your house and you put all your stuff in.  Normally, they then take the cubes to your new address and drop them off, but since we don't really *have* a new address yet, we are just having them stored in Champaign.  At least we didn't have to unload the stuff into a storage unit, then reload the stuff again when it was time to actually move into a new place.

Kevin was still very busy with work and trying to finish up school and didn't have much time to help with the packing.  And I was busy with taking care of the bambina, who didn't much like letting her mom pack for more than a few minutes at a time.  So, we hired a college student to come watch Abby for a few hours three times a week while I packed up.  She came over for a few weeks--almost a whole month, actually--before we had to move, so I thought I'd have PLENTY of time.  Lots of people offered to help me pack, but I told them I had it all under control.  And I thought I did, right up until the last day when I suddenly still had lots of boxes to pack and no more time left!  (How in the world do we have so much stuff???  We even got rid of a TON of it beforehand, and sold most of our furniture and both of our cars too).  We did opt to pay some cleaning service to clean the house instead of having to worry about that, which was really nice.  Except that we were supposed to be all they way moved out *before* they came to clean (which was early afternoon on the 30th).  It turned out I was NOT done packing and so Kevin and I frantically threw stuff in boxes/bags and ran it down to the basement to be sorted and packed down there later, so that the cleaning ladies could do their jobs.  This meant that all that stuff later had to be brought back *up* the stairs, which ended up being a big pain.  In the end, I ended up staying up until 1am or something packing, only to have to wake up at 4am to catch our flight out.  To make matter worse, Kevin had to stay up *all* night the previous night trying to solve a work emergency at his data center.  So he *started* the day with no sleep.  He helped pack until 8pm or something, at which point he just had to take a rest (of course! I don't blame him).  Then he got back up about midnight and helped move boxes out to the cubes.  he sent me to bed at 1am and finished up while I slept a few hours (so he didn't get any sleep after his little nap.)  THEN, our plane was delayed like three hours or something, and we still had to care for and entertain the little munchkin on the plane and at the airport all that time.  It was rough.  Kevin would hold her for a while and then say "I can't keep my eyes open--you have to take her while I sleep a bit."  And then I would take her for a while, until *I* couldn't keep my eyes open, and we'd switch.  The worst part was when we were "about to take off" right when Abby had a poopy diaper, so they wouldn't let me get up to go to the bathroom to change it.  Only then we didn't actually take off for a long time, and once we did, there was turbulence, so they still wouldn't let me get up.  After about an hour, things were desperate for reasons you can probably imagine, so one kind stewardess let me get and use the closest lavatory, which was actually in first class.  (The other flight attendant was NOT happy I was there, but whatever.)

So, anyways, it was a long day.  Or couple of days, I guess.  But we made it!  We landed in Utah, picked up a rental car, and then picked up my little brother and his girlfriend once they got in, and then drove to my grandma's house in Sandy where we stayed the night.  Then we were on to some family reunions (three in a row, actually!) but I think I'll save that for another post.

You may be wondering where we were moving *to* (aside from the family reunions).  Well, we didn't really know yet!  Our plan was to go stay with my parents in "LA" (Los Alamos) for a month or so, then maybe Kevin's parents for a month or so, while Kevin finished up writing his dissertation and while we decided where we wanted to live the rest of our lives!  Since Kevin does his job from home (and he'll just be working for the same place once he gets his Ph.D., we could live anywhere!  It is awesome and difficult at the same time.  I mean, how do you decide on a place when you have infinite options?  More on that to come...

Happy 4th of July!

 What a patriotic baby, right?  Note: the blue and red belt is actually a headband and bow that was originally on Abby's head but which she immediately removed every time I tried to put it on her.  Gone are the days that I could put whatever adorable bows I wanted on her head.  Alas.  So, we improvised with a belt instead.

We didn't do much for the 4th of July--no fireworks or anything--but we did attend a picnic/bbq put on at church.  We didn't stay long though--100+ degrees plus humidity equals NOT fun.  My poor flag cakes melted immediately. (Well, the cool whip did).  They looked pretty at home, though, wouldn't you agree?  In fact, as I told Kevin, I do believe this is the fanciest cake I have ever done.   How domestic of me!  Of course, I couldn't bring myself to actually make dinner this day after having done all that work to make the dessert!

We had no desire to go outside any more after that, so we didn't mind that Abby had to go to bed long before the fireworks started.  But, we ARE grateful for our country and our freedoms!  God bless America.

Dr. Mom

It's been a few weeks ago now, but I had the best Mother's Day ever this year.  First of all, I AM a mother this time!  Woo!  I guess last Mother's Day I was expecting, so I was sort of a mom then too, and at least it didn't have to be a sad Mother's Day last year either.  Before that it was hard not to feel blue when this holiday rolled around.

But anyways, there was a lot more to my first Mother's Day than just the being a mom part.  The second thing that made this Mother's Day extra awesome was that my mom AND Kevin's mom were both in town with us.  Kevin's mom spent about a week beforehand with us too, which was great--she watched Abby for me a lot while I worked on my paper, slept, ran errands, and basically had a grand old time.  And Kevin and I got to go out on dates a few times in the evening while she was here too, AND we even went up to Chicago to attend the temple.  And then my parents came for a few days too, getting in Saturday night and staying until Tues night.


They weren't just here for Mother's Day, though--they were here to attend my graduation ceremony!  Yay!!!  I actually have technically been graduated since November when I depositied my dissertation, but I decided to do the whole walking shabang since we still live in Urbana and everything, and why not?

And what's even more awesome is that my own dear Daddy hooded me.  I didn't know this before, but any Ph.D. can hood you, not just your advisor or other University person.  So I asked my dad to do it, and he agreed!  It was really a neat experience.  My dad said he never walked in his own Ph.D. graduation, so this was the first time he had worn a doctorate hood too.  Pretty neat!

And to top it all off, Kevin made my favorite pumpkin waffles to celebrate both occasions.  (He also gave me some beautiful flowers.)  What a great day!  The only down side was that we could only stay for Sacrament Meeting because we had to leave to go to the graduation, and they decided to give the mothers their gifts (chocolate bars, I think) later in Relief Society, so we missed that.  So naturally I had to go buy us each a chocolate bar the next day.

It's funny that I became a doctor and a mom at basically the same time (I turned in my dissertation to my committee just a few days before Abby was born.)  I guess it was appropriate to celebrate both on the same day too!  But I have to say that of course the mom part is much more meaningful to me, much much more rewarding and joyous.  And my baby is a heck of a lot cuter than my diploma.  ;)

A half a year

Wow, six months old--a whole half a year!  I can't believe it.  Pretty soon she'll be asking for the car keys.

We took Abby for her 6 month checkup on her half-birthday.  Poor girl always gets shots to celebrate these things!   She did well with the shots, though--just cried for a few seconds and that was it.

The doctor said she was super smart and extremely advanced and he had rarely seen such a cute, amazing, and intelligent baby.  Okay, maybe not exactly those words but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant.  :)  He DID say that she was better at sitting up then the average six month old and was growing great and seemed very healthy.  She kept grabbing his instruments and he said "wow, how many arms do you have??"  and that she was also grabbier than the average six month old.  (I can testify--this is definitely true.)  When he put his stethoscope on her chest, she quickly pushed it back off again, and the doctor remarked that she was clearly very opinionated as well.  (Again, I can second that statement too!)

Stats-wise, she was in the 97th percentile for height (27.75 inches, I think) and about 70% for weight (16 lbs 13 ounces, I think--wow, it's only been a few days and I already can't quite remember!)  So she's pretty big for her age.

I'm liking this age--she is MUCH easier to care for than a few months ago.  And more fun too--we get to see her personality come out and play with her more interactively.  She still has her bad days--I think she is trying to grow some teeth.  But overall, she is a pretty happy girl.  As long as she doesn't get too hungry or tired.  (But hey, aren't we all like that?)  The lady who watches her at the gym says she is a funny baby--soooo interested in everything.  She has to always be looking at whatever is going on (which does make it hard for her to ever fall asleep anywhere besides her crib or swing, but ah well.)  We love our little Abigail!

Easter

Our Easter was pretty laid back this year.  Not as laid back as last year of course (I was pregnant and nauseous all the time, so I don't think I even cooked anything last year) but we didn't do any egg coloring or egg hunting or Easter baskets or any of that stuff.  I did cook a ham and funeral potatoes, though, and the ham turned out AWESOME, if I do say so myself.  Actually, I'm not the only one who says so--I brought some over to my friend who had just had a baby two days before that and she and her husband raved about it to.  It's funny because I have so often had hams turn out as dismal failures.  Like the time I tried the recipe that used cloves only I put way too many in and the whole thing just tasted like cloves instead of ham.  So it was nice to have it actually turn out well.

We went to church, of course, and sang with the ward choir.  I had a little solo at the beginning of our song, but since  we sang it as a prelude number, a lot of the congregation didn't hear it.  That's okay, though--it certainly helped my nerves and I'm sure I sang better than if it was quiet and everyone was there and staring at me.  I've sung lots by myself during my life but I still get crazy nervous every time and then I can't breathe well, which of course is a bit of an issue when singing!  I sound much better as a choir member than a soloist.

Anyways, it was a nice day at church and I definitely felt the Spirit as we contemplated the Atonement and Resurrection of Jesus.  I read Abby a short scripture at bedtime each night and for Easter I read her the story of Mary at the tomb.  I just love that passage.

Maybe next year we'll try to make a bigger deal out of the holiday.  I did buy Abby an Easter dress, though--who can resist such an opportunity for adorableness?

Catching Up

Here's a few highlights of what's been going on for us in the last couple of months.  I'm not going to worry about chronology much, so this will be kind of stream of consciousness.

At the beginning of April was General Conference (a twice-yearly conference where the worldwide leaders of our church speak to us via satellite/internet/radio), which we watched online from home and very much enjoyed.   Kevin had just bought Abby a new fancy jumperoo toy thing and it was great to entertain her (at least some of the time anyway) while we watched.  Then Easter was the next Sunday--I think I'll write a separate post about that.

Kevin went on another business trip--but this one was much shorter (just two nights) and plus Abby sleeps better and is easier to take care of in general, so it was not nearly so hard this time.

I cut my hair--I got tired of all that pulling!  We have a very grabby Abby.

My new do--although this was like 6 weeks ago and it's a fair bit longer now.  I need to get it cut again because Abby has started pulling it again!

This was one of the first times we fed Abby cereal

Abby is starting to be a little mobile--she rolls over, and does a little army crawling/squirming to get toys.  She has also started solids--just cereal mostly, which she loves.  She tries to feed herself (always grabbing the spoon from me) but obviously isn't coordinated enough to do that yet!  So it gets pretty messy.




I've been doing some oil painting recently.  About every week or two a couple of my friends (and former labmates) come over and we all paint pictures in my basement.  I'm working on a portrait right now--those are so hard!  I also recently painted a little mountain landscape that I was going to put in a local art show, but I forgot to drop it off in time so it wasn't in the show.  Oh well.

I've done a fair bit of reading (mostly on my kindle), often while I pump (which I also do a lot of).  Books I've read recently include: The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls, These Is My Words by Nancy Turner, The Beyonders series by Brandon Mull, Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale, Stargirl (meh) , the Chrestomanci series by Diana Wynne Jones, Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson, the Diamond Throne by David Eddings.

I continue work on my research paper (we are trying to publish the work in my dissertation).  We submitted it to Science and it got past the first review by the editor but was rejected after being sent out to referees (one of them liked it, one of them was so-so, and one of them hated it.)  Then I had to revise and change the format and we sent it to Nature, where it was rejected without even being sent out for review.  Now my advisor wants to try Cell, which has a very different format so it will require a lot of work re-writing and re-formatting.  Bleh.  I just want the darn thing published already!  But, my advisor won't settle for anything less than these super competitive journals, so most likely this won't be the last time I have to revise it for a different journal!


I joined a gym with childcare so that I can exercise more consistently.  I have been *gaining* weight since Abby was born--argh!  So frustrating.  Curses to everyone who told me the pounds just melt off when you are breastfeeding.  I think I got all the hunger but none of the calorie burning or something.  Anyways, I'm trying to reverse the trend.  It's nice to have a little time to myself everyday, actually, and they have some fun classes.  Sometimes I go to step class or kickboxing and sometimes I lift weights or use the cardio equipment.  They have dish TV on the ellipticals-woo woo!  I like the chance to watch HGTV or whatever.  It's not especially close to our house--like a 15 minute drive I think.  There is a gym like 2 blocks from us but they don't have childcare, so I have to make the trek.  Ultimately worth it though.