January

January has been a VERY mild month for us.  I have enjoyed not lugging around my dslr camera with me everywhere I go.  However, almost all of my photos are taken with my smart phone, so please excuse the low camera quality.

 We had some fun dates with the Hatches before they headed back to Colorado.  This is at our favorite hippie restaurant in Logan that serves the yummiest crepes ever!

Lydia just adores her aunt Kylee and likes to pretend to talk to her on the phone.  She also loves to wear the skirt Kylee gave her and gives it a hug every time before she puts it on.

 I bit the bullet and had ONE of my MANY bunions removed. I participated in a drug study where they paid all of my expenses and also paid me $650 to be their guinea pig.  It would have been worth the money, except I had the placebo drug and was in extreme pain after the anesthesia wore off.  It was a good five hours before they could give me something other than their study drug.  However, that's all behind me now and I am saving the money for a spring break adventure.  The best part of the experience was staying two whole nights in this TINY room.  I had nurses to bring me meals, drinks, and fluff my pillow.  I watched movies, read my book, and slept like I haven't done in months.  I believe I slept 13 hours that first night.  I wish I could have stayed longer.  It was so lovely having some peace and quiet, even if I was at a pain level of 7 most of the time.

 

Let's face it.  My feet are going to be ugly regardless of how many surgeries I have.  If you'll notice, I still have two bunions on each pinky toe and another big one on my right foot by my big toe.  The procedure on my left foot involved shaving down the bone, then breaking it, and placing a screw to keep it straight.  Check out that big gap between my toes now.  I didn't just do this for the money, I did it because this particular bunion was actually causing me a lot of pain.  So although my foot will be swollen for nearly a year, and has that big ugly scar, I'm hoping to have the pain be gone at least.

This little Emma girl.  She's the best.  I love having mommy/daughter dates with her.  She's just so appreciative and enjoys every little moment.  Here we are at Macy's eating upstairs with our doughnuts before school.  This was a memory I had with my mother and I am so thankful to repeat it with my own daughter.

These are my niece and nephews who were with me from the start of my career as an aunt.  They have been such a huge part of my life and I have such a soft place for them in my heart.  They moved to Seattle this year with my sister and her husband and another nephew and niece.  Josh, the oldest stayed in Cache Valley, but I will sorely miss the Casperson family.

 I was glad I was able to take some senior photos of Rachel before she left for Washington.  I also made my sister a farewell dvd that brought back so many wonderful memories of their time spent here in Utah.  Rachel was my first niece and I hope that someday she and I can be as close as I am now with some of my aunts.

 

Addi continues to make the 1 hour venture to come and have play dates with Emma.  We just love this little girl and enjoy having her for the weekend.

A family "fun" night spent at the Treehouse Museum.  By "fun" I mean for Emma and Lydia.  Ryan and I had our fun when we went to Thaiphoon for dinner.

Who wouldn't want to be friends with this little girl?  I sent this photo and a little letter to the parents of some girls in Emma's class who I would like her to have a play date with.