A perfect day! (Our latest trip to San Diego)

We had a busy day in San Diego yesterday. We started with a picnic at the park with my siblings {except my brother who had to work...boo! And Kylie who was with her Dad...Booooooo!} and nieces and nephew. It was so much fun! Chris brought the BBQ and cooked us up all some hot dogs. Chloe spent the whole time running, running, and more running. I was going to start calling her Forrest. Jenna and Cooper attempted to walk around with Casey. It was funny/cute watching him attempt to help two walking beginners. Then we all headed over to the swings. Jenna and Shiloh in one, Chloe, Jose, Chris and Cooper on the others. It was one of those memories that you won't forget.

Then we left so that Chris, Sara, Casey, and I could get ready to head to the San Diego Civic Center to attend the Turandot opera. I got Casey tickets for Christmas. We have been wanting to go to this opera forever. I discovered the famous aria, Nessun dorma during an episode of Six Feet Under about 6 years ago. I was sobbing! I am not sure that I have ever had a piece of music touch me like that. I got the opera on CD and have been listening to it ever since. Casey and I have tried several times to find the opera being performed but haven't had much luck up until now. Then while I was looking for tickets for my niece to go to the ballet I stumbled on it being performed in San Diego this season. I was so excited. Sara and Chris got tickets as well and it turned into a fantastic night. The opera, though beautiful was a mixed bag for me. I loved the music but I think I would have been okay not know the story line. It was just a little outdated {as it was written in 1920 and is based on Persian stories written in 1722} for my feminist views. Still a unbelievable night and so grateful to have a husband, sister, and brother-in-law willing to go with me.

Btw, this may be the picture of the night. We asked a woman to take our picture at the entrance to the seating area in the theater. She took the camera, pushed the button, and shoved it back at us saying she really needed to get to her seat. Let me say this, if taking the picture is too much of an inconvenience for you, decline....

Genetics is a funny thing

When I was growing up, my sister Sara used to rub her nose with the corner of her baby blanket. She's always done it for as long as I can remember. After she had Chloe we were driving in the car one day and Chloe started rubbing her nose with her baby blanket. Sara and I were freaking out. Chris didn't believe us at first that she had spontaneously started doing it but she did. And now Jenna has started doing the same thing. You'll have to trust me when I say that I did not and have at no point shown her how to do this. It is not a mimicking behavior. Bottom line is this, I don't care how she got here, she belongs in this family. 

Hard at work

Jenna is crazy about all of our electronic gadgets. It makes me wonder just how technologically advanced her generation is going to be. And about how I am going to be one of those old people saying I remember rotary phones, or that I only had a pager {and having to explain what a pager is} when I was in high school. As Troy says on my new obsession, Community, "That wrinkles my brain."

And we're walking...at least a few steps any way.

The proudest Dad ever.

The picture really says it all, doesn't it? Front row at a Weber State basketball game with his adoring child in WSU garb? 'Nuff said.

The new St. George Municipal Airport

Because Casey is a director with SkyWest, we attended the ribbon cutting ceremony/open house at the new airport. {Truth be told, even if Casey wasn't a director, because it was open to the public, the airline geek in him still probably would have had us attend.} The airport is beautiful, however far away it is located. Good night nurse, could they have picked an area further away? We missed the start of the ceremony because traffic getting out to the airport was so bad. The only reason we made any portion of it is because I exited the closed exit and went off-roading on the dirt roads the back way in. To say that there was poor city planning for this event would be an understatement. No police presence to traffic, no additional parking, I could go on....I mean I really could go on and on, but I don't need to spew my negativity about this all over the internet. So instead I will say, the airport is beautiful. They did a great job on it. The artwork especially is lovely.

The ridiculous lines of cars driving to the airport with no where to park.

She's just so unintentionally funny.

When a girls got to boogie, she's got to boogie...when she's got to laugh, she's got to laugh...though both of those things are better when you can see yourself in the mirror.

Her newest silliness...Nah...which is the answer she will give to pretty much any question. The other day Casey and I were driving home and asking Jenna questions so that she could answer in the negative. After we had moved on to other things, we realized that Jenna was asking herself questions so that she could say no. Of course the questions were all just baby gibberish. It was so classic! Anyway, here is a little sample of her "nah".

Looks like this may become a tradition

For the second year in a row my dad has made the trek to St. George to come visit us in January. He's thinking this may have to become an annual thing. It's always fun to have him come for a little visit. While he was here we; played a lot with Jenna, took naps, and went to my first rodeo. You read that right, I went to a rodeo. My first {and more than likely last} rodeo. My favorite part may {after, of course, the 45 minute patriotic preamble...good night! If you have ever been to a rodeo you know what I am talking about. I think they played every patriotic song ever written and played some poem read by John Wayne. I'm telling you, I thought it would never end. But I digress, my favorite part had to have come about half way through when the announcer starts going into this schpeal that I swear they wrote for me. On and on about how well all the animals are treated, about how much they love their jobs, about what a human sport this is, etc. when out of no where a horse fully JUMPS THE RAILS and into the arena. Nearly got high centered. I just looked at my Dad like, you have got to be kidding me. He loves it so much he's willing to potentially get really hurt or stuck to get out of the pen. It was absolutely classic. We got a couple of pics. Nothing great.

We also my dad to see Zion's National Park. It was his first time and I think he really enjoyed it. He's trying to get to as many of the original lodges as possible so he was stoked to get a picture with Zion's original lodge. The ice and snow prevented us from getting to far into the trails but it changed the beauty of the place a little. And it was a great trip any way.

Christmas/New Years with the Madsens

We celebrated Christmas with Casey's family on New Years Eve. It was a fun night. Bayleigh helped Jenna unwrap her presents. Which was a good thing because otherwise we would have been there all night. I'm posting a fantastic video of Jenna dancing. Doesn't get much better than this! Jenna got a new keyboard from Uncle Matthew. I will hate him forever for this. It is SO LOUD!!!!

It's begining to look a lot like Christmas...

I love Christmas cards!