Easter

I love our take on holidays recently, "Baby's first Christmas. Baby's first Valentines. Baby's first Tax Day (we appreciate the little dependent) and now Baby's first Easter!" Holidays are really so much more fun now that we have a baby. I chose her dress months ago, not knowing that yellow was the color of choice for half our ward. She was definitely the cutest though and got a million compliments. We prepared her Easter basket with all of my favorite Easter candy (we couldn't leave out Lil' Traveler). We also decorated the basket with some pretty hair bows. Thanks Missy!!! We were so happy to have Bevan's dad over for dinner, even though he turned down several offers a lot closer to home. It was a big moment for me. I officially "warmed up" my first ham! For dessert we feasted on decorated cookies and leftover candy from the party the day before. I love Easter, not only for cheap chocolate and cheesy potatoes, but knowing that our savior was resurrected. I can't imagine what it would've been like to see Him back them, especially as a resurrected being. Happy Easter everybody!

Roadtrippin' in AZ

What a fantastic vacation! The roads were dry, the weather was hot, and the baby was perfect. She just sat in her car seat for hours on end babbling away, or just napping. We ran out of town the instant Bevan was back from picking up his final pay check for the season. The car was already packed and we couldn't get to the desert fast enough. We camped the first night (our only night of camping actually) at Lake Powell on Lone Rock Beach. I have fond memories of this spot from college and summer adventures so it meant a lot to take my family there. It got chilly that night but we stayed so toasty in our bags. Our next stops were Glen Canyon Dam, Page, road construction outside Camerron, and Sedona! What a beautiful place. We caught it at the perfect time to see a mass migration of the seasonal residents, flying north. Anna was joyfully beside herself with so many grandmas and grandpas! We stayed with Megann and Taylor up Oak Creek Canyon at a B&B they manage. It was like paradise!

Our next several days were spent in Mesa with Tina (Bevan's sister) and her wonderful family. The weather got hotter and we pulled out Anna's summer "romper" outfits. You know the ones? Short sleeves on a skirted onsie? This may be the only time to wear them before she grows out of them. We hiked up to the wind caves, saw the Mesa temple Easter pageant, watched a lot of baseball, got lost several times in Tina's neighborhood, and tried to go swimming (Anna liked it, until she actually got wet). Baby and I took a side trip to Tucson to see Auntie Monica and eat tacos and guacamole. Come Monday, it was hard to leave sunny Arizona. We drove right into a cold rain storm once we hit the border and we almost turned around. Since then, it's been snowing at least once a day and we're back to wearing sweaters and pants. Maybe we should join the mass senior migration and follow the sun!

Spring Skiing

What a wonderful day! Our friend Hope helped us out by watching Anna for the day. She was a very good sport despite shorter-than-usual naps and TWO diaper blow-outs. What a trouper!
Bevan gave me some telemark leashes for my birthday and I was itching to try them out. He was just glad I wouldn't get yelled at by ski patrol anymore. We were joined by Paul and Scott (Bevan's buddy) on the mountain and had a wonderful time. It snowed the day before and Bevan never hesitated to show us the "sweet spots". I kept commenting with, "Isn't this out-of-bounds?" Never mind those tricky grey areas. Just because it isn't labeled doesn't mean it's forbidden. I see how it works.
We skied hard until about 2 PM, surviving by apples, granola bars, and trail mix that I stashed in my backpack. Whenever I saw a ski school class of tiny skiers in pink jumpsuits, I kept thinking about Anna and how I wish she could've been with us. Maybe next year?!

Conference, Ackerson Style

It's always fun on Conference weekend. It usually involves heaps of good food, hiking "the loop", dessert after Priesthood session, staying up very late playing games, and Mom assessing the noise situation. My favorite parts of the weekend include:
Anna laughing when I kept falling through the crusty snow on our hike
60-degree weather immediately followed by 8 inches of snow
jalapeno poppers and cookie dough pie!
family, family, and more family
inspiring words from our living prophet!!!
See ya'll again in 6 months!