Six Months Later....

I decided to celebrate my six month anniversary of not updating this thing by…updating this thing. I should really teach Calli to do this…as much time as she spends on the Facebook thingie, I think she would do just great at this.

At any rate, things have changed a lot since October. Among the highlights, we had a very nice Christmas, and got snowed in a couple of times. We had to get dug out once or twice, and even had to ride snowmobiles to our Christmas dinner. I enjoyed it far more than Calli and Libbi did.

January came and went, I had a birthday, school started up and things went back to normal.

February was exciting. Libbi had her first birthday, and got herself a little rash from the cake and frosting bath she took in her high chair. I think I worked a total of three days (okay, a slight exaggeration, but that’s what it felt like). Of course, I spent President’s Day weekend at Henry’s Lake snowmobiling with the boys, and then we went on the big kahuna of vacations for us; a cruise to Mexico with some good friends of ours. (More to come on that later.)

March came and went. It snowed every other day, especially through “spring” break, when it snowed every flipping day.

Now it’s April and it’s still snowing. I’m beginning to understand why people say God has a sense of humor, because He’s got to be the only one who finds it funny that it is snowing in April. It’s supposed to get to 70 by this weekend, so I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

Libbi is growing like we can’t believe. She’s smart and cute, and knows where the sink disposal switch is. She took her time to start walking but just a couple of weeks ago and by doing so she rocked our world once again. We went from being able to set her down with her toys and let her be, to considering how to mount a camera on her or a beeper or something to keep track of her. Even Kojo looks at her and says “Dang, kid…you should slow down for a minute or two…you’re pooping me out.” Okay, Kojo doesn’t talk, but Libbi thinks he does, in fact, I think she speaks his language. I’m going to have a really bad Marley-n-Me moment someday that just scares the bujeebies out of me.

She is starting to distinguish her genetics and which gene pool she came from. We still don’t know--she acts like the both of us. She eats like her dad—loves the meat—and has a ‘tude like her mom, with a serious temper—like dad. She does go down to sleep without any fuss, but we still both believe that was the 8 days of structure and organization she experienced at Aunt Lesa’s house fun and adventure while we were cruising to Mexico that did that. We’re anxiously awaiting her to be able to communicate words other than “dad” and “mom”, “uh-oh” and “hi”. On that note, we’re also nervous for the day that she figures out the doggy door.

Okay, so about the cruise…I can’t believe I havn’t put these up before now for as much fan as we had, but you’ll have to understand, I don’t exactly sit around on my behind twiddling my thumbs.

The trip to Mexico was one of the most fun and exciting things I have ever done, and I think Calli will tell you the same. We went with a couple of friends in our ward, Gentry & Laura Yost (who also happens to be Libbi’s pediatrician) and Hans & Maeli Bastian. This was our first cruise together and we had so much fun that we would like to make this a regular-as-possible event. We’re thinking Jamaica and other Caribbean ports next year…or Alaska…we’re split down the middle in this group.

We spent a week on Royal Caribbean’s Mariner of the Seas…the self proclaimed “biggest boat on the open water”. We were shocked at how big this tub was…so big that it couldn’t even fit into some of the ports we went to. On that note, we hit Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallerta. Personally, Puerto was my favorite, but they were all nice. We had beautiful weather the entire time we were there and we just could not have asked for a more pleasant and needed vacation. Fortunately, I think Libbi didn’t miss us one bit, even though we sure missed her.

Instead of telling you all about it, which would take another 20 or so pages, I’ll just post a bunch of pictures…and you can let your imaginations run wild. FYI, it’s a story all on its own, and it has to be told in person with a picture slide show, but I was the Royal Caribbean Belly Flop Champion, and was told by the cruise director that I am “one crazy ________ (you fill in the adjective…his is not print appropriate!).

That is all. More to come in six months….or sooner, maybe?

Love, Travis, Calli, Libbi and Kojo.