back home... in colorado

baby and i just got home tonight.  i was so sad to leave atlanta.  of course.  my visits always seem to be too short... even when they're weeks long.  my biggest struggle this time was getting the time to spend with everyone i wanted to spend it with.  i spent lots of time with friends but i still wanted more.  to hang out with more friends and more time with the ones i saw.  and my sister liza.  i totally thought i would get more time with her but things were so busy and hectic over christmas i feel like it just flew by without us ever getting a quiet moment.  same with my brother walter.  i thought that with him being at home i'd get to see him more.  but turns out, he's rarely home.  i got to spend tons of time with my mom though.  and of course that was amazing.  every moment spent with her is always amazing.

packing this morning was a feat.  i managed to spend two minutes each with buddy (walter), ms adams (my old piano teacher), and cory's sister sarah (my pen pal and in-real-life friend) before taking off.  and mom and dad and baby and will (my nephew) and i all had a lovely lunch at the varsity.

the flying experience was exhausting.  mostly because i was searching the atlanta airport for baby's missing pink boot.  she was wonderful on the plane though.  an angel for the first three hours.  and slightly difficult for the last 20 mins.  so that was a success.  she even slept for over an hour which was fabulous because when we flew a few weeks ago she did not.  and i don't think she's slept on about half of the flights we've taken in the past 6 or 7 months.  so i'm appreciative.

i am so cold right now.  colorado is cold.  my house is cold.  the water that comes out of my faucet when i wash my hands has bits of ice still in it from sliding down the rockies and into my pipes.  but really, i'm glad to be home.  in my own bed and with plenty of space to not live out of a suitcase and child proofed for baby.  i just need to not cry tomorrow morning when i'm lonely and miss my mother.

okay, i'm so tired.  i'll add pictures tomorrow... since there's no way i'm getting out of bed right now.  and really i just want to go to sleep because i've been exhausted for the past month.... every since i stepped foot in atlanta.

ps- baby girl is amazing.  like on our branson trip, in atlanta, she got a binky to go to sleep for every nap and night time.  but tonight we get home and honey puts her to bed (without a binky) in her own crib and there she peacefully falls asleep without even a squeak.  this girl loves her crib.  i wish they would invent a portable crib already.  non of this pack n play stuff.

so sad to be leaving.  and she must hate packing too.  like me.

i checked every drawer in the dresser and nightstand to make sure i had everything.  i did.  but i happened to stumble upon some shaving cream baby stole from the bathroom.

this is the giant stack of sweaters and shirts i borrowed from my mom this trip.  thanks mother!  i wish we could share clothes ALL the time!

they had so much fun together this trip.

we planned to have dad leave work around one and meet us at the varisty for lunch.  but then at 12:40 we found him on 400 as we were about to go through the toll booth.  so we drove to the varsity together.  this was taken somewhere on spring street.  (turns out he'd taken someone in the ward to a doctor's appointment.)

on the way, baby fell asleep.  whoops.

cousin will just hanging out.  with lightening mcqueen.

my parents have got to be the most excellent grandparents ever.

sneaking some onion rings.

still eyeing the onion rings of course.

my parents are hilarious.  i told them i wanted to take a picture and this is what they gave me.  although i may have mentioned it looking candid.  not sure though.

will had applesauce and meatballs

baby girl had a banana, a meatball, and a few bites of onion ring and chili slaw dog.  i learned she's not so much a fan of the slaw... just everything else.

oh, and frosted orange.  i'm sure craving one of those right now.

these two have a fiery love/hate cousin relationship and it's hilarious.

this afternoon though it was all about the love.

baby girl used to only love hoods.  but now she loves hats too.   and loves to put them on herself.

this is when we heard it rip.

this varsity had has been loved a little too much.

i have a good life.

baby girl learned "grandpa" the very first time we asked her to say it.  and she said "grandpa" a whole lot this trip.

i wish i'd noticed the missing boot when i took this shot.  or thought to look at this picture on my camera before backtracking through all of security and retracing my steps through the atlanta airport and getting on my hands and knees to look under cars and trucks parked outside of S3.

ps- when i told her to say bye to my mom she clung tightly and whined and didn't want to come to me.  can you say "uh oh!"