post-Christmas trip

I don't think I was expecting to go home for Christmas this winter, but sometime a few months ago we found out about a sale that Southwest was having, so we were able to get a good deal on plane tickets to go see a couple of RT's sisters and my family on January 7-11. We had a really nice time, and I was so grateful that we could go.

The plane flights went well, although K didn't get especially good naps. RT's sister picked us up from the airport and we stayed the night at her house. She has a baby a couple of months older than K, so it was fun for all three of us to meet him. We had fun listening to her kids tell us about all sorts of things and just chatting together.

The next morning we went to Provo and RT talked to some previous professors for a while. We also stopped by the PS100 TA lab where I worked during our dating/engaged days. My supervisor and a couple of TAs I worked with were there. Most of the TAs I worked with don't work there anymore. I talked with my supervisor for a while about my plans with finishing my degree. She said she likes it when people come back and say hi, so I was glad we stopped by for a couple of minutes.

Being back at BYU was not what I expected. I sort of expected it would be like coming home and I would be excited to see all the places where I spent so much time. But it actually wasn't that exciting. For some reason it didn't matter as much as I thought it would. I think it was a confirmation for me that I'm not supposed to be there anymore. I was sad that I didn't have time to see any of my old friends, though.

There was one thing that struck me almost immediately. Here, whenever I go anywhere with K I get lots of comments and oohs and aahs about the cute baby. At BYU I didn't get that at all. Maybe that's because a baby isn't such a novel thing for people there. Sort of interesting.

We had dinner with RT's sisters and their families. Here's a picture we took of K with two of his cousins:


Soon my parents and sister arrived and met K for the first time. It was so great to see them, and K really liked them (can't say I blame him--I like them too). We rode home with them to my parents' house.

We got to my parents' house pretty late, and then my dad went to pick up the rest of my siblings, who were staying at my grandparents' house. When they got back, I was feeding K, so they all had to wait to meet him. It was so fun when they got to see him. I think everyone held him for a little bit and we all just talked a lot and watched K be cute. For some reason my brother (7 years old) couldn't stop laughing when he was holding K. Maybe it was just so strange for a 7-year-old uncle to be sitting there holding his nephew.

The next day we mostly just hung out at home. We did go shopping for a little while, and one of my sisters babysat K (you can imagine how not reluctant she was). In the evening we did our traditional sibling gift exchange, which had been postponed until we came, and opened some presents from my parents.

The next day was Sunday, and we went to church at my family's ward. Let me just say, I am so jealous of the mother's room they have. It was nice and open, and it wasn't the coldest room in the building. It was weird to be in a ward that isn't mostly composed of graduate/med school/dental school students and their families. It makes me a little nervous to someday be in a ward where the people aren't all the same age as me.

After church we went to my grandparents' house for dinner. K met Grandma and Grandpa and then took a REALLY long nap. Poor kid--his sleep was sort of neglected on this trip sometimes, and he was a very good sport about it. We had a really nice time talking about books, memories of Kimberly, ID (where I grew up--as did several generations back on my Dad's line), and what we all had learned in the past year.

Monday we went home. It all went by too fast, and it was sad to leave my parents, but I'm grateful that we got to go. I must say, it is not as relaxing to travel with a baby. All he wanted to do was play and lick everything in sight. But he was happy the entire time we were flying.

And here are some pictures from spending time with my family:



K squared. (K is named after my dad.) I had been looking forward to them meeting for a long time.


One thing I miss about Utah is that in most places there's a huge mountain range taking up half the horizon.


Pictures taken at my grandparents' house:





Can you tell it was bedtime?


K with his uncle and aunts: