January
We had the Covalt Christmas Party on New Year's Day. Henlie got to hit her first piñata.
We welcomed a new cousin into our family when Matt's cousin, Nicole, got married.
I worked out.
Hahaha - but really, the only significant thing I see in my social media life (because who can remember a year ago?) is I was sticking with working out enough to buy a yoga mat and be able to touch my toes without bending my knees. (Can't do that anymore! haha)
Matt got to go to a conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California for work. He enjoyed the palm trees and 5-star dinners.
February
Henlie took her first Daddy-horse ride.
I started physical therapy for my hip and ankle, which have pretty much been screwed up since before I was born :)
We celebrated the Superbowl and Cody's birthday together with the Wilson side of the family.
I kept myself busy with Henlie while Matt competed at the Queen Mary Scottish Festival over Valentine's weekend. Before he left, I made a heart-shaped cake. Henlie got to paint for the first time (food coloring in sweetened condensed milk = edible paint!)
We watched the Winter Olympics. Evgeni Plushenko broke my heart.
We supported a friend of Matt's and had a fun date night going to an Echodog album release concert.
I started physical therapy for my hip and ankle, which have pretty much been screwed up since before I was born :)
We celebrated the Superbowl and Cody's birthday together with the Wilson side of the family.
I kept myself busy with Henlie while Matt competed at the Queen Mary Scottish Festival over Valentine's weekend. Before he left, I made a heart-shaped cake. Henlie got to paint for the first time (food coloring in sweetened condensed milk = edible paint!)
We watched the Winter Olympics. Evgeni Plushenko broke my heart.
We supported a friend of Matt's and had a fun date night going to an Echodog album release concert.
March
I paid off my first student loan!
Matt's dwarf lemon tree had its first blossom :)
We visited my parents in St. George for Matt's spring break. It was a fun, lazy vacation.
We went to the first RSL game of the mini-pack of 4 games I got Matt for his birthday.
It was Henlie's first soccer game :)
We celebrated Charlie's second birthday after the game.
I graduated from physical therapy.
Matt turned 29.
I went to the General Women's Meeting (at our stake center) with my awesome in-laws.
I paid off my first student loan!
Matt's dwarf lemon tree had its first blossom :)
We visited my parents in St. George for Matt's spring break. It was a fun, lazy vacation.
We went to the first RSL game of the mini-pack of 4 games I got Matt for his birthday.
It was Henlie's first soccer game :)
We celebrated Charlie's second birthday after the game.
I graduated from physical therapy.
Matt turned 29.
I went to the General Women's Meeting (at our stake center) with my awesome in-laws.
April
We really enjoyed General Conference :) So much that I even posted about Ordain Women here on the blog and included Conference quotes lol
Also fun is watching the #ldsconf tag trend and seeing everyone else posting in real-time :D
During conference, Henlie said "Mommy" for the first time. Made me happy. :)
Henlie got her nails painted for the first time.
Thanks to Matt working for UVU, we got to go to Thanksgiving Point's new Museum of Natural Curiosity. Kidopolis was a favorite. We had lots of fun.
We went to Salt Lake ComicCon FanX. We missed Nathan Fillion :( but did see other people. I also got one of my Dune books signed by Kevin J. Anderson, and we saw Daniel Vest (an illustrator who used to be in my ward) and my second cousin, Amber Erdmann (also an illustrator). And of course, we stopped by Damsel in this Dress to see my cousin Ashlee!
I finally got a cute window box and painted some pots to have cute flowers on our condo balcony!
On a sad note, we lost one of our budgies, Saphira :(
We had a lovely Easter weekend, playing with the Wilson side on Saturday and doing an egg hunt, and spending time with the Biggs side on Sunday. And, baby ducks!
We were also blessed to visit with Leia at the Hadfield Easter party a week later.
May
Matt "graduated" from UVU's MBA program. Well, they had the ceremony in May. He still had one more block in the summer to complete.
Henlie turned 18 months and started attending nursery! She loves it.
My little family spoiled me with breakfast on Mother's Day, and Henlie made me a card in nursery :)
Matt applied for a job in Peru.
We spent time with Jason, Camile, and Charlie at the UVU car show.
Matt interviewed for the job in Peru. Then we had to wait. FOREVER.
Henlie said her first solo prayer, while walking around the kitchen minding her own business :)
Matt traveled to Costa Mesa with the Wasatch and District Pipe Band to compete with the Grade 3 band.
June
While Matt had to compete at the Utah Scottish Festival, Henlie and I played at Art City Days in Springville. We went to the Fun-A-Rama activities with Camile and Charlie and then watched the Grand Parade on Saturday with some of my cousins and aunts and uncles.
June was also a month for fun. We had a swimming date with Charlie and Camile, played with water at their house a different day, and visited the Springville splash pad with Camile and Charlie on yet another day!
Henlie got her first exposure to sidewalk chalk at Granny Wilson's house, and later got to play with some at Art City Days' Children's Art Festival.
We cheered on the US Men's National Team at the World Cup.
Matt finished his last class and officially completed his MBA.
We celebrated Matt on Father's Day. He got Henlie pictures and we sang him Daddy's Homecoming. Henlie also decorated a tie for him in nursery.
We went to Malad City with some of my Mom's side of the family for the Welsh Festival. I have wanted to go up to Malad with my Grumpy for a long time. It is where he grew up. I'm just glad I finally got the opportunity. We stayed at Downata Hot Springs and thoroughly enjoyed the pools :)
July
We held our first ever family home evening! We opted for Tuesdays since we were both home together that one night of the week.
Matt's CPA study books arrived.
Jackie and Christopher came to visit Utah. We had fun playing with them!
We celebrated Independence Day. We had fun the whole weekend, and Henlie got to play with Pop-Its and sparklers. Matt marched in two parades for Independence Day.
The second weekend in July is always the Payson Scottish Festival. Matt was, naturally, competing, and Henlie and I went to watch and hang out with friends and family.
The week of the 24th of July, we headed up Payson Canyon for the annual Hadfield family camp, after visiting with the Erdmann side of the family in Mapleton on the 24th. It was nice to get away from the fireworks and spend some quality time with our family. Henlie and Mocha especially loved all of the food and dirt :)
August
The first weekend in August, we went down to Castledale for the Castle Valley Pageant. We went with Matt's parents, McKade, and John and Lynell. We had lots of fun spending time with them and playing at the pageant.
Mocha got a new cousin when McKade got a new puppy, Nessa.
We welcomed Matt's cousin Chase home from his mission in Australia.
We celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary.
On August 12th, Henlie also got a new cousin when Aunt Camile gave birth to little Danica Lynn.
August 21st, Matt had a second interview for the job in Peru.
August 27th, we skipped out on our ward party and headed to the temple because we had a BIG decision to make.
We did, and Matt accepted the position in Lima, Peru.
The first weekend in August, we went down to Castledale for the Castle Valley Pageant. We went with Matt's parents, McKade, and John and Lynell. We had lots of fun spending time with them and playing at the pageant.
Mocha got a new cousin when McKade got a new puppy, Nessa.
We welcomed Matt's cousin Chase home from his mission in Australia.
We celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary.
On August 12th, Henlie also got a new cousin when Aunt Camile gave birth to little Danica Lynn.
August 21st, Matt had a second interview for the job in Peru.
August 27th, we skipped out on our ward party and headed to the temple because we had a BIG decision to make.
We did, and Matt accepted the position in Lima, Peru.
September
Labor Day weekend, Matt was competing in Pleasanton with the Wasatch and District Pipe Band. Henlie and I stayed in Payson and played with family for Payson City's Golden Onion Days. We enjoyed the carnival together and spent time with the family at the Grand Parade on Monday.
September became kind of a blur as we prepared to move to Peru and pack in as much family and Utah fun as possible.
We visited the aviary.
We had a yard sale.
We took a quick trip to St. George for my niece, Andressa's, mission farewell. We also got some photos with all of our family members who came before moving.
We went to the zoo. It worked out we were able to go with my cousins and uncle :)
We made sure to make some grandparent visits, too.
We visited the new Loveland Living Planet Aquarium.
We celebrated with my cousin, Kimberli, at her wedding and reception. It was a lovely event and we got a new cousin, Zach!
October
We moved Henlie's birthday party up a month to Oct. 4th between the Saturday afternoon and priesthood sessions of conference. It turned out super cute and she got lots of great things that could come with us to Peru. She also got a very special shirt that said, "I am being promoted to BIG SISTER!" It was very exciting.
Oct. 10th, I finally quit my job. I've worked at Western Wats/Opinionology/SSI for about 11 years total, 10 consecutive.
We hosted a Going Away party for friends and family on the 11th. After that party, we headed to Larry and Carrie's house for a surprise birthday party for Carrie's 50th. It was a busy day, but we love getting to see family.
We packed even more fun into October, visiting Jaker's Jack-O-Lanterns with Camile, Charlie, Danica, and Kayla. The pumpkin patch remains a highlight to this day for her.
We also got Henlie's 2nd year birthday photos taken at Grandma Carrie's house - her favorite place in the world to be.
Matt flew down to Peru with his company while they did one of their humanitarian trips. I successfully wrecked his car and sold it while he was gone.
My parents came up a lot for parties and to help us pack. Their help was invaluable, and it was great fun to be able to spend some time with them.
We spent some time with family when Matt's aunt and uncle, Roxanne and Shawn, had us over for dinner one night.
We celebrated Halloween with the Hadfield party on the 25th and our ward party on the 31st. Henlie was a cute little convict this year. With everything else going on, neither Matt nor I dressed up this year. Henlie also got to go to Grandma's ward party. She was an expert at trunk-or-treat by the end of the festivities.
We moved Henlie's birthday party up a month to Oct. 4th between the Saturday afternoon and priesthood sessions of conference. It turned out super cute and she got lots of great things that could come with us to Peru. She also got a very special shirt that said, "I am being promoted to BIG SISTER!" It was very exciting.
Oct. 10th, I finally quit my job. I've worked at Western Wats/Opinionology/SSI for about 11 years total, 10 consecutive.
We hosted a Going Away party for friends and family on the 11th. After that party, we headed to Larry and Carrie's house for a surprise birthday party for Carrie's 50th. It was a busy day, but we love getting to see family.
We packed even more fun into October, visiting Jaker's Jack-O-Lanterns with Camile, Charlie, Danica, and Kayla. The pumpkin patch remains a highlight to this day for her.
We also got Henlie's 2nd year birthday photos taken at Grandma Carrie's house - her favorite place in the world to be.
Matt flew down to Peru with his company while they did one of their humanitarian trips. I successfully wrecked his car and sold it while he was gone.
My parents came up a lot for parties and to help us pack. Their help was invaluable, and it was great fun to be able to spend some time with them.
We spent some time with family when Matt's aunt and uncle, Roxanne and Shawn, had us over for dinner one night.
We celebrated Halloween with the Hadfield party on the 25th and our ward party on the 31st. Henlie was a cute little convict this year. With everything else going on, neither Matt nor I dressed up this year. Henlie also got to go to Grandma's ward party. She was an expert at trunk-or-treat by the end of the festivities.
November
On the 1st, we took or sent our kitties, puppy, and house plants to their foster homes for the next year. Turkleton, our bird, stayed at the condo to live with Kayla and Devan.
We flew out the afternoon of Nov. 4th, Henlie's birthday. Larry and Carrie kindly took us and our stuff to the airport. Then it was off to LA and then Lima!
It was a long flight, but it was overnight, so Henlie slept nearly the entire flight from LA to Lima. We arrived safe and sound and spend the first couple of weeks adjusting.
We visited some parks, Parque El Olivar and Parque Kennedy (also known as the cat park for all of the cats that live there). We also found a couple of other parks that actually have playgrounds. Kennedy does as well, but it was crowded the first time we went, so Henlie didn't get to play on it.
We replaced the mattress in our apartment. Yes, it was THAT bad. Trying to find a decent mattress in Peru is a little bit of a challenge, but about $700 USD later, we had a much better alternative.
Nov. 14th, we experienced our first earthquake. We were all fine and no major damage happened anywhere that we know of.
We celebrated American Thanksgiving in La Molina with some expat friends from church (we attend a bilingual ward). It was delicious. Aside from Henlie not feeling well, we had a good time visiting with people.
December
I turned 29.
We found a new chiropractor. I still miss Dr. King, but some adjustment is better than none!
Henlie decided her regular nap time and routine wasn't worth it anymore. Unfortunately, she still needs naps, so we've been trying new times and ways to get her to sleep. She'll usually sleep in her stroller or a taxi, but just napping in her bed? Forget it.
Cinco and Munchkin had to find a new home because Joe and Susan's dogs are allergic. Fortunately, Devan and Kayla offered to take them. Kayla just has to stay medicated to deal with her allergies :/
We went Christmas shopping at Inka Market and played at Parque Kennedy again. Still no playground, but Henlie loved petting the kitties!
On the 15th, Henlie and I actually left the house all by ourselves. We headed to our favorite park, but Henlie fell asleep on the way there. Still, it was a little victory for me to go somewhere on my own.
We got our first package while living in Peru. We have to go to the post office to get it, and we learned that all of our packages should just be addressed to Thomas Biggs. Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult to get our package :)
It didn't feel like Christmas much, but we did have a Christmas party with Matt's work on the 22nd. We used Skype and Google Hangouts to visit with family back home on the 24th, 25th, and 26th. That definitely helped and let us keep some of our traditions alive.
We experienced our first protest during Matt's work party. Lima's youth are unhappy with a new labor law that affects them. It was loud, but other than that, it didn't affect us by the time we left.
We had a lovely little Christmas with our little family here in Peru, too. It was a different experience having the entire city send up fireworks on Christmas Eve, though :) We made Peruvian hot chocolate, and I tried my hand at making cinnamon rolls from scratch.
We visited Huaca Huallamarca near our house. It was a little lame, but fun to get out and do something a little touristy. We also tried out the Mexican restaurant near Matt's work afterward. (I miss Mexican food lol)
For our New Year's Eve, we had lunch at a new friend from church's house. Not sure if he speaks much English, and his wife only spoke a little, but we still had a good time. Henlie played with their girls and we had yummy food for lunch. They live next to a park, so we let Henlie play for a minute before catching a taxi home. The rest of the evening was pretty normal, although I did stay up to watch the fireworks at midnight. Peruvians sure know how to light up the sky!
----------------
I turned 29.
We found a new chiropractor. I still miss Dr. King, but some adjustment is better than none!
Henlie decided her regular nap time and routine wasn't worth it anymore. Unfortunately, she still needs naps, so we've been trying new times and ways to get her to sleep. She'll usually sleep in her stroller or a taxi, but just napping in her bed? Forget it.
Cinco and Munchkin had to find a new home because Joe and Susan's dogs are allergic. Fortunately, Devan and Kayla offered to take them. Kayla just has to stay medicated to deal with her allergies :/
We went Christmas shopping at Inka Market and played at Parque Kennedy again. Still no playground, but Henlie loved petting the kitties!
On the 15th, Henlie and I actually left the house all by ourselves. We headed to our favorite park, but Henlie fell asleep on the way there. Still, it was a little victory for me to go somewhere on my own.
We got our first package while living in Peru. We have to go to the post office to get it, and we learned that all of our packages should just be addressed to Thomas Biggs. Fortunately, it wasn't too difficult to get our package :)
It didn't feel like Christmas much, but we did have a Christmas party with Matt's work on the 22nd. We used Skype and Google Hangouts to visit with family back home on the 24th, 25th, and 26th. That definitely helped and let us keep some of our traditions alive.
We experienced our first protest during Matt's work party. Lima's youth are unhappy with a new labor law that affects them. It was loud, but other than that, it didn't affect us by the time we left.
We had a lovely little Christmas with our little family here in Peru, too. It was a different experience having the entire city send up fireworks on Christmas Eve, though :) We made Peruvian hot chocolate, and I tried my hand at making cinnamon rolls from scratch.
We visited Huaca Huallamarca near our house. It was a little lame, but fun to get out and do something a little touristy. We also tried out the Mexican restaurant near Matt's work afterward. (I miss Mexican food lol)
For our New Year's Eve, we had lunch at a new friend from church's house. Not sure if he speaks much English, and his wife only spoke a little, but we still had a good time. Henlie played with their girls and we had yummy food for lunch. They live next to a park, so we let Henlie play for a minute before catching a taxi home. The rest of the evening was pretty normal, although I did stay up to watch the fireworks at midnight. Peruvians sure know how to light up the sky!
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We definitely ended 2014 nowhere where we thought we might be at the start of it. As most people, we've had our ups and downs, but 2014 has definitely been a year of changes with Matt's graduating with an MBA, us moving to Peru, and getting pregnant with baby #2. Here is to more memories in 2015!
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