9 Months Old!

I say it every month, but I can't believe how quickly time goes by.  Our little Abigail is already 9 months old!  She doesn't seem to be in a hurry to become mobile, but we're okay with that.

It is getting more and more difficult to get these photos.  Here is our series of photos:

I know the sign is hard to read.  Here is what it says:

-getting her 2 top front teeth

-waves at people

-loves strawberries

-stands at her piano and plays music

-constantly making sounds and "talking"

-ordered her first passport

-just started clapping (not on sign)

Daddy/Daughter Dance

This past Friday, our school had a Daddy/Daughter Dance.  Andy took Emma and it sounds like they had a really good time, even though Emma refused to dance.  Crazy girl!

This One's For You, Nanny

We know how much you enjoyed looking at the blog, so we are dedicating this post to you, Nanny.

Last Thursday, we unexpectedly lost Andy's beloved grandmother, Abbie Whitney.  Abbie spent a great portion of her lifetime living in Park City.  She was an active member of the community, avid artist, and amazing matriarch.  Abbie was also a skier.  She skied until she was into her 60's.  So, Abbie, this is for you--Emma's first ski "race" for her ski program she did through her preschool.

They had little gates set up for the kids to ski around--very cute!

It was called the "Cookie Race" because the kids got cookie medals when she finished.  

It was a COLD day.  Those kids are troopers!

  

Embracing It

So this is our 6th year living in Park City.  Sure, we have our moments where we miss Alaska, and our amazing friends up there, but we couldn't be happier ending up here, of all places.  Come late November-early December, traffic increases due to ski season.  Soon after, Christmas comes along and the craziness about doubles.  Then there's the Sundance Film Festival, and I can't even begin to explain the amount of people and traffic during that time.  During the first few years of our time here, we became frustrated with the fact that it takes about double the time to get anywhere in town.  Now, we have learned to just embrace it and enjoy it.  As one of our local radio broadcasters has said, you can pretty much see the money falling out of their pockets (those that come to Park City for the Sundance Film Festival).  This film festival brings so much money to our city.  It is the reason we take advantage of the free busing all year long.

So today, we ventured out into "that" world.  It's pretty fun people watching, too.

While most Sundance-goers are called PIBs (people in black), Emma chose much differently.

A plethora of large tents are set up around town.  Some businesses even rent out their spaces, which are then converted into clubs, lounges, etc. for the festival.  For a lot of these places, you need to be on "the list."  

This tent is where the celebrities can get their swag, which is why many visitors tend to congregate around this area in hopes of seeing a celebrity.  

Wow!  Um...no thanks.  We don't mind walking a bit to avoid these outrageous prices.

 In addition to the Sundance Film Festival in full swing, the Grand Prix (and Olympic qualifying event) was happening at the Park City Mountain Resort.  We watched the women's half pipe (skiing) for a bit on our walk back to the car.

Who knows?  Maybe Emma will be up there some day....

going up a little higher to watch the event

What an adventurous Saturday afternoon!

    

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

May 1st!  That is the big day!  That is the day that will mark the end of my hard work (and much exhaustion) from these past 5 semesters.  May 1st--graduation day!  Yesterday marked the start of my last semester of graduate school and I am quite excited for the classes that I have this semester.  One of them is Leadership in Instructional Design and Educational Technology and the other is Advanced Projects.  The latter is focused on our culminating project, our Capstone--which is a group project, which we must present in front of a panel in late April.  It's nothing like defending a thesis, but we still need to be ready to answer some tough questions.

Now... on to our Winter Wonderland fun...

It's great living so close to a plethora of trails.

using her snowshoes for the first time

She insisted on using the poles.

along for the ride

She loves the outdoors!  There is usually always a smile on her face.

sisterly love!

 We have one determined girl!  She insisted on riding her bike at the dog park.

Andy wants to make a sledding path in our backyard.  Emma tested it out one snowy afternoon.

 After sledding, Emma got more miles on her snowshoes in the backyard.

Last Sunday, Andy and Ben took Emma skiing.  They had a fabulous time and needed to refuel with some pizza and, of course, football.

8 Months Old!

Can you believe it?  Our lil' munchkin is already 8 months old!  Time is going by way too fast.  She seems to get bigger by the day and her little personality is sprouting.  I decided I would share our entire photo session with you because we always end up taking more than just one photo.  Just a side note, these photos were taken at 6:40 a.m. and, yes, the girls are usually this happy each morning.