Happy New Year! We finished 2015 with quite a few happenings, so it's time to recap.
Stephen and I passed our neighbor gifts for the first time. We braved the storm and walked around our neighborhood, but since I grew up in a desert, I'm not as turned off by snow and many up north are. I also felt very grown up gifting treats like adults do. Maybe next year, I'll be really ambitious and print off Christmas cards and maybe even mail them. I don't want to get too ahead of myself though, so I'm not making promises. We also felt very loved by our neighbors this year, even though the entrance to our basement apartment can be difficult to find. Thanks to all who showed us love this year! Along with the treats we received, I decided to bake a lot of traditional goodies and snacks. While it was probably too much, neither Stephen nor I complained (my waistline did, though).
On the 18th, my friend hosted a neighborhood baby/toddler Christmas party. It was so fun to be invited and to chat with other moms and watch Paige play with the other kids. I think she was the youngest there, but she did her best to keep up with them. I always appreciate making mommy friends in my area to feel less isolated as a stay-at-home-mom.
That afternoon, Stephen and I saw the new Star Wars movie. His work provided a private screening for the company and their guests, so he and I were able to see it for free. My brother-in-law babysat Paige so we could enjoy the movie. It was awesome, of course! Either you've already seen it yourself, or you're probably not interested in seeing it, so either way, I hope I don't spoil anything by saying it was really great.
After the movie, we finished some last minute packing and got on the road for Idaho as quickly as possible. We knew we were leaving late and would be arriving in Meridian after midnight, but we were hoping that, because of our late schedule, Paige would sleep most of they way. (She did pretty well, and did end up sleeping for a lot of the trip).
Less than an hour into our trip, however, we witnessed an accident. We were in the far left lane with a Ford-F150 in front of us. A car in the lane next to us swerved to the right for some reason (the roads were not icy at all and conditions were fine) and then over-corrected to the left, hitting the truck just in front of the passenger door. Suddenly, there was a bright flash, which made me wonder if something caught on fire. It was probably because of the chemicals in the headlights, but it was still odd to me.
The truck then rolled back from the impact, being launched into the air and spinning several times before hitting the road and rolling more. I guessed it rolled at least six or seven times. It stopped on it's tires, gratefully. I remember telling Stephen to stop several times. He pulled off to the side of the road a bit behind the truck. I called 911 while Stephen and my brother-in-law Matthew went to check on the driver of the truck. The car that had caused the accident was stopped on the other side of the road, and several people were attending to them. We never heard how they were doing, but Stephen thought he saw them walking around, which is a good sign.
Calling 911 is weird. I had only had experience with it on TV. The first question they asked was the location, and then wanted to know what happened. I gave the info and was transferred to the traffic branch of 911, and then I repeated the same info in the same order. The man on the phone checked the systems and told me the accident had been reported. I called as quickly as I could, but someone had beat me to it I guess. Help arrived within minutes. I was impressed when an EMT stopped at my car before going to the truck because they saw I had a baby and wanted to make sure we were alright, which we were.
The driver of the truck was appropriately shaken up, but besides that, didn't seemed injured. Stephen and Matthew encouraged him to stay in his car until someone with proper training could evaluate him. The medics put him on a stretcher and sent him in an ambulance to be safe. Stephen and Matthew filled out witness reports and eventually, we were able to leave. An officer stopped traffic for us so we could merge back onto the freeway, which was nice of him to do. Luckily, the rest of the drive was not nearly as eventful, and we arrived at my in-laws late but safe.
We then spent the next week with family, celebrating Christmas. It was great for Paige to have so many playmates. She really enjoyed playing with her only cousin, Elise, who is seven months older than her. She also had plenty of time with her uncles, Aunt Heidi, Grandma, and Grandpa, and other extended family. There were lots of new toys for her to play with, and she had fun exploring their house. She learned a lot of tricks from her playmates, including clapping, "oohing", dancing to music, and nailed down the word "mama." (Though she thinks she's saying "feed me" but I'm still counting it).
We spent the week playing a lot of games, particularly Pinochle. When I first met Stephen's family, they introduced me to this game and told me it was the Rollins Game of Choice among the extend family. I hated it. It was difficult to learn and very frustrating. They tried teaching me several times over the years, but a few months ago, I downloaded an app version of that game to practice, and only that has given me enough confidence to play. I was able to hold my own this break and even had a few victories.
Stephen and I also attended the Boise temple. It's beautiful there. As we were leaving the house for the temple, I check for my recommend and realized I left it back in Utah. I made phone calls to everyone I could think of, but kept not getting an answer. I think it was the seventh person I contacted who finally was able to help me validate my worthiness to enter God's house. In the end, everything worked out.
Stephen went to the dentist while in Idaho, and was told he would need a root canal. He was prescribed an antibiotic which he started taking. However, he had a bad reaction to it, and it made him very sick. He vomited a lot and describes the ordeal as "not fun." He was bedridden for a while, and it was sad he couldn't fully participate in things. It left him with some chest pain that he is still getting over. He got his root canal after we were back in Utah, and a good chunk of our Christmas bonus went to paying for it, from what I understand, his tooth nerve was very dead and the procedure was needed. He recovered easily and quickly from it.
It was a lot of fun to share in the Rollins' Christmas tradition while incorporating some of our own as a new family. I spent time making chocolate candies with Teresa and Heidi, as well as several other goodies. We watched Christmas movies and sang carols. Santa came for FHE and let the little kids ask for things on his lap. It was really cute. The boys enjoyed it, but both granddaughters cried on Santa's lap. On Christmas eve, we placed our presents around the tree and let Paige open up her Christmas pajamas.
Christmas morning was fun. We had to wake up Paige for presents, but she was cooperative about it. She didn't quite catch on to the unwrapping part. She was content playing with a small, torn piece and forgot quickly about the actual gift. She got a rocking horse, new clothes, books, toys, shoes, and snacks. Stephen and I also were happy with our gifts. I got a curling iron, slippers, a handheld rolling vacuum to clean up after Paige while out and about, movies, gloves, recipe book, a board game expansion pack, emergency lantern, Pyrex bowls, and more. Stephen was a co-receiver for some of my gifts, but also got movies, a new shirt, a video game, and a book.
On Christmas morning, we got to Skype with Nicholas, my brother-in-law who is serving mission in France. I could really tell he's grown up a lot, and he's learned a lot too. It was really great to catch up with him and hear about his experiences. He'll come home next summer, so there are still a few more months apart, but we all are excited for his return.
The day after Christmas, I took advantage of clearance prices on holiday decor for next year. We also went bowling as a family, and I got the lowest score, though I attribute that to the unfair advantage the little kids had of bumpers and a ramp to roll their ball down. If I had that, I'm sure I would have done somewhat better. We drove home Saturday afternoon. It was sad to leave family after such a great vacation, but it was also nice to come home and have some time here before returning back to "real life."
On the 30th, I met up with some of my high school friends for a gift exchange. We skyped some other friends who had gathered in St. George. This is the third year we've done the exchange, and I love catching up with their lives. I'm grateful for such good friends and the effort we've all made to stay connected. I hosted the party up north, which worked out really well when Paige had to go to bed half way though the night. She's currently the only baby of the group, though Tiffany is pregnant. I actually went to her baby shower yesterday with Ari, another friend, and had a great time.
Stephen and I celebrated New Years at home this year. It was a rough day for me, so we didn't party much, but since we had a sleeping baby to watch over, there's not much we could have done. Stephen did kiss me at midnight, like he's promised to every year. New Years Day, we spent cleaning, and while our house is perpetually messy due to a baby who likes to unload, we made a lot of progress, even with Paige helping.
We've had a really good year as a family. Becoming parents was a huge blessing in Stephen's and my life. Paige has thrived, which we are also so grateful for. She's grown up so much in the past few weeks. I'm impressed at how much she's able to do. She's not yet willing to try walking on her own, but she'll push a walker toy around plenty, and will walk if she holds our hands for help. She eats ravenously and frequently, and while that may sound concerning, she's eating plenty. Trust me.
I love watching her think. I can really see her though process and she tries to figure things out. It's so cute how she claps for herself now, or dances when she hears any kind of music. We sang wheels on the bus to her tonight and she boogied along to it. I had to put away the 3 month size clothing a few weeks ago. She lasted a long time in them, but it was sad to pack them away. I may have to put her 6 month size away sooner than I would like to, but she's still fits in them alright. She's just growing right before my eyes. In less than six weeks, she'll be one year old! I've cherished each stage, so I don't have regrets, but it's still sad to say goodbye to fun phases. Still, I know that 2016 will be a good year for all of us, and I hope the same for you and yours.
