Best of 2010

I started a little blogging tradition in 2009 of posting my Top 10 favorite pictures of the year. 

Here are my favorite pictures from 2010:

#10:

 #9:

 #8:

 #7:

 #6:

 #5:

 #4:

 #3:

 #2:

 #1:

I'm so excited to create new memories during 2011!

I'm Growing!

Well, today I had my first official freak-out. I bawled my eyes out to Lincoln when he got home from his first day of school. What a fun thing for him to come home to. I'm pretty sure a lot of it was just because I was up during the night with Kylee and I was exhausted. Kylee hasn't been herself at all since we got here, and has been extremely needy and cranky. 

Plus, so much has changed in the past week, it just all kind of caught up with me today. Getting used to not being able to read signs or labels, trying to communicate with people who don't speak the same language as I do, Lincoln & Kylee & I plus the dogs all sleeping in the same room, only having one car, dealing with the crazy traffic & honestly wondering if I'll ever have the guts to drive here, not knowing where any of my stuff is, not having a phone, & so many other things that I'm trying to adjust to, have made things stressful for me. Poor Thomas & Jenn have to put up with being around me all day when I feel like this. I'm sure I'm not the most pleasant company to have right now. And now they will know, after reading this post, why I disappeared for a few hours today. :)

After I had a good cry and a nap, I walked to the taco shop with Lincoln, then to my favorite bread place here for some fresh pastries. As I was walking, I was thinking what I will miss about this place in four years when we are back in the United States. I'll definitely miss the weather, and the cheap, fresh food for sale within walking distance, and the trees, and experiencing so many new things every day. And then I thought that maybe I'm not doing so bad after all. I have already found things that I absolutely love about this place. And there is so much more out there that I haven't experienced.

I knew that living in Mexico would really help me grow as a person. I just forgot how much growth can hurt, and how confusing it can be, and the way that it makes you question yourself and what you are really capable of, and how it stretches you and forces you to do things that you don't think you can do. I'm definitely growing. And that is a good thing.

I Made A FRIEND!

We went to church today. We sang the hymns in sacrament meeting in unison with no piano. It was awesome. The spirit was strong. It reminded me that having the gift of the Holy Ghost is a special thing, & because I have this gift, I am able to have the spirit with me wherever I am in the world. What an amazing thing!

These past few days have been exciting, but overwhelming too. Things are SO different here. Some things are different in a really good way & some things are different in a not-so-good way. Regardless, it is a lot to get adjusted to. 

We met an American couple at church today who is brand new here too. Josh is starting school tomorrow with Lincoln, and is wife Heather & I hit it off right away. Heather turned to me 5 minutes after we met & declared me her new best friend. Yay for me! I have a new friend...and she speaks English!!! It is so nice to talk to someone who is in the same situation that we are in.

Today has been a good day.

HELLO FROM MEXICO!!!

Well, we are finally in Zapopan, which is just outside of Guadalajara. The trip was long and we are exhausted. Kylee got sick a few days before we left with the same thing Linc had on Christmas. Packing up and traveling with a sick baby hasn't been the easiest...but at least I could drug Kylee with Benadryl and not feel bad about it. She slept quite a bit during the three-day trip, which was nice. :) I'm not feeling great myself, but I'm not sick the way Lincoln & Kylee have been, thank goodness.

Lincoln starts school on Monday. We are so thankful to Thomas (Linc's cousin who is in medical school here), his wife Jenn, and their four kids for letting us stay with them. I'm not sure what we would do if we didn't have them here to help us. We are hoping to find a place to rent in the next two days, before Lincoln starts school and his life gets crazy again. Right now finding a place to live is my biggest worry. I am pretty desperate to find the place that we will call home while we are here. We are hoping and praying that it won't be hard to find.

I have tons of pictures from the holidays and some from our trip through Mexico that I need to post. I'll have to wait until we find a home and get our computer hooked up though, so you might have to put up with a few more posts without pictures until then.

I'll leave you with a few things I've learned since arriving in Mexico:

The tacos here are DELICIOUS. So is the yogurt. Jenn asked me if I was on a special diet that included a lot of yogurt. That's how much I've eaten since we got here. :)

Drivers in Mexico are INSANE.

I understand Spanish better than I thought I did.

The weather here really is amazing. It was 76 degrees when we arrived yesterday at 5pm. Awesome.

Farewell to the U.S.A.

I don't even know how to explain what I'm feeling right now. On one hand, I feel like I am living in a fog & am super distracted. When I'm hanging out with my family, all I can think about is packing & cleaning our townhouse. When I'm packing & cleaning our townhouse, all I want to do is spend time with my family. The holidays have been a complete blur. For the last few weeks, every day has gone by extremely fast. I'm not sure how it happens. And every night I think that I have too much to do, and too many people to say goodbye to. (And tonight I will be staying up to do random things like read the last 80 pages in my library book...oh how I will miss the Mesa Public Library! I'm praying they have a library in Guadalajara with an English section.)

I'm leaving behind a lot of my favorite things. My daily life will be changing A LOT. No more trips to Target. No more walks with girls I've known for years. No more quick drives to my parents' house to eat my Mom's yummy treats & to let Kylee see her "Pa". 

I've lived within the same 8-mile radius my entire life, minus 5 months in Thatcher, AZ which is 2 hours from here. Let's just say that I will be in for quite the shock when I arrive in Mexico. It will be interesting to see how I handle it. 

I've thought a lot about the fact that people won't know anything about me. Nobody will know that we have a son in heaven, or that I had major health problems for 10 years & have just become healthy again, or that Kylee is adopted. There is something about leaving everyone who went through those things with us, that leaves me feeling a distinct sense of loss. 

On the other hand...

I have an independent spirit. I'm excited to see what that does for me in another country. I have a feeling I will thrive in Mexico. I really do. I've been needing a big change. 

I will be able to see my husband fulfill his dream of becoming a doctor. How amazing is that?!

I will be able to settle into a normal daily routine for the first time since my hysterectomy. I will have many opportunities to realize just how much this new body of mine can really do. 

The weather in Guadalajara is supposed to be very close to PERFECT year-round.

I won't have to fall asleep listening to obscenities shouted through the wall that I share with our neighbor. I won't have to be worried that our other neighbor's pitbull is going to attack us like it almost has 3 times this past week (seriously...Lincoln has to get his knife ready just in case). And we will no longer be living in a small space that barely fits two adults, a toddler & two dogs. Oh and let's not forget...I won't have flashbacks of hitting the pole by my parking space every time I pull in. 

Don't get me wrong...our townhouse has been our only home since we've been married & has been a wonderful place to live. In that house: we found out that I was pregnant, I felt Jackson kicking inside me, we received the phone call about Kylee needing a family, I recovered from many surgeries, & learned so many life lessons from spending all day on the couch in an extreme amount of pain. We were the recipients of SO many acts of service while we lived there. I'll never forget that place or the wonderful people we have had the privilege of knowing. Many miracles happened in that home. I will miss it dearly. 

And now it is time to wrap this post up. In 24 hours we will be saying our final goodbyes & leaving for Mexico. We have a lot of errands to run & hours of packing & cleaning to do. I have a feeling I won't get much sleep tonight...but I would have probably stayed awake thinking about how much our lives are going to change tomorrow anyway. 

So here's my last blog post (for the next 4 years) from the U.S.A. The next time you hear from me, I will be a Mexican. Hopefully you will recognize me. :)

A Few More Days

All I've been wanting lately is more TIME. Well, my wish came true! Linc's cousin & his family got snowed in at the cabin & so our drive to Mexico has been postponed until Monday or Tuesday. Sorry Thomas & Jen. :)

This move is starting to feel a little more real. I still can't believe that we are doing it! I'm sort of proud of myself that I'm doing something so crazy. 

I'm loving the fact that I have my health. I appreciate that my husband has the goals & plans that he has. This move feels like a new start for us. We are SO excited to see what these next 4 years will bring.

And...our townhouse is pretty close to being packed up & clean, and all of our paperwork is done. I wasn't sure that it was even possible for us to get it all done in time. I'm guessing that people have been praying for us, because I'm not sure how else everything could have fallen into place like it has. So thanks for the prayers...whoever you are. :)

We'll Make It Somehow...

I'll post about our Christmas festivities when I get to Mexico & actually have time to upload pictures & spend time blogging. For now, I thought I'd give a quick update. 

Lincoln got sick Christmas morning...really sick. I packed us up & drove to Snowflake, so that I could make it in time to speak at our nephew Jarod's baptism. Linc hardly moved or talked the whole drive up. 

The next day I started feeling sick & slept most of the day. When I woke up today, I realized that it was just stress & lack of sleep that had been bothering me. 

Kylee cut her first molar while we were there. She hated it.

We drove back home tonight. Lincoln went to bed with his third fever in the past three days. 

We still have a lot to do. We'll make it somehow. The Lord wouldn't get us this far & not help us finish this task of getting to Mexico with our belongings & ourselves intact. Only 4 more days until the big move! Let's hope that Lincoln gets healthy soon so I'm not in charge of this move by myself. :)

P.S. On the plus side, our families spoiled us with awesome Christmas gifts this year. My parents gave us new tires for our truck & Linc's family gave him an IPAD!

Moving On...

Today was Lincoln's last day at his current job. He learned so much at Clin-Path and really grew close to the people that he worked with. I'm so thankful that this job fell into our laps a year ago. We've been very blessed because of it. The fact that Lincoln won't have a job for years sounds heavenly! I know, I know...medical school is like having a job. But I'm so excited that Linc can focus on just medical school. For so long he was taking care of me & our house & working full-time and going to school. I don't really understand how he did it. I'm SO happy that he won't have to worry about some of those things anymore. 

We are so excited to be moving forward in life. I'm so blessed to have Lincoln by my side. This next chapter of our lives is going to amazing. I just know it!

Now if only I could feel the same way about the actual moving process. I may or may not have asked three different people to come over to my house today to poke my eyes out. This week was a doozy.

Cooper Christmas Party 2010

We had a family Christmas party tonight with my mom's side of the family. Someone had the genius idea of having a Bring-Your-Own-Pizza dinner & bringing soda or dessert to share. This party was so low-key and a lot of fun! I honestly think this was the 4th day in a row that Kylee & I have eaten pizza, but we didn't mind. :)
(Seriously, this whole eating-fast-food-for-almost-every-meal-because-my-dishes-are-packed-and-we-are-crazy-busy thing is probably going to catch up to me soon!)

Kylee sitting at a "big kids' table" enjoying her pizza...

After dinner, the kids acted out the nativity story. Kylee played the part of an angel...

Nixen played the part of a shepherd & had a paper towel roll for a staff. It was cute. :) 

Kylee was very happy to have "Baby Nixen" in the nativity with her...

After that, the kids dressed up in Santa hats & fake beards & sang Christmas songs for us. Kylee looked hilarious in her beard, but wouldn't let me leave it on her long enough to take a picture.

Kylee had a little biting episode at the party that I'd rather not talk about! I really don't like being the mom who has to tell the other moms that my daughter bit their child. Hopefully I won't have to do that too many more times. :)

I really enjoyed spending time with Kylee tonight. She's definitely been put on the back burner since I've been packing up to move, so it felt good to be able to spend some quality time with her!

We had a great time spending time with family & missed my mom (who was sick) & Lincoln (who was working). I had to say goodbye to most of my cousins & aunts & uncles, which was sad. Saying goodbye isn't fun. But at least I know that I will be able to see everyone this summer when we come to visit. I just keep reminding myself of that. :)

P.S. I will also miss eating my Aunt Tricia's chocolate chip cookies. They are heavenly & I definitely enjoyed pigging out on them one last time!

Also...If you are my friend on Facebook, you probably know that I ran my truck into a pole tonight. Yup, it happened when we got home from the party & pulled into our parking space. We have an old, beat-up camper shell on the back of our truck that we are using to move. It is kind of hard to see through when you're backing up. Well, I pulled halfway into my parking space & was so focused on not hitting anything behind me, that I wasn't paying as much attention to what was in front of me & I hit the pole when I pulled forward. Don't worry...three of my neighbors heard the "crunch" & ran out of their houses to see if I was ok. Awesome. Luckily I didn't cry until I got in the house. :) Lincoln just laughed when I told him what had happened. Now that he is home & has seen the damage up close, he's not laughing anymore. Blah.

Moving Update

I thought I should probably write to say that I am feeling a lot calmer about this move now. Lincoln finished school last week, so he has been home until 2pm every day helping me get things done & helping with Kylee. It makes a big difference to not be doing all of it by myself! 

We finally cleared up all of the confusion with Kylee's social security number & card (long story!) & we now have that, as well as her passport. I found out that Kylee & I will get the visas we need at the border. These are temporary tourist visas, so we will both apply for a more permanent visa once we are living in Mexico. Lincoln still needs his student visa, which he will be submitting paperwork for in the next few days. The dogs need their papers stating that they are in good health, but we can't get those until within 5 days of going to Mexico. So we don't have much left to do as far as paperwork goes, which is a huge relief!

Today was our last Sunday at our ward & it was kind of sad. We've been in the 12th ward for 6 1/2 years & have gone through so much during that time. So many ward members have helped us and supported us through our trials. They've mourned when we have mourned, comforted us when we stood in need of comfort & rejoiced with us when we rejoiced! We will really miss our friends from 12th ward. 

Our move date is December 31st. Our goal is to be packed by December 23rd, which is this Thursday. It is so crazy that in 12 days we will be in Mexico!!!

Hiatt Christmas Party 2010

Our annual Hiatt Family Christmas Party (with Linc's dad's side of the family) was yesterday. 

I love that this party is the same every year:

#1- Eat homemade soup (clam chowder, yum!)

#2- A pinata for the kids

#3- Grandpa reads the story of Christ's birth

#4- The kids act out the nativity story

#5- A visit from Santa with a wrapped gift for each of the kids

It felt so nice to just sit back & relax for a few hours at the party. I love the Hiatt family. They make me feel so included. I always have to remind myself who are Lincoln's actual cousins, aunts & uncles and who married into the family, because everyone is treated the same. I think that is a rare thing & I am so thankful to have married into that kind of a family! I think it says a lot about what good, kind, loving people they all are! 

After the soup & pinata, it was time for everyone to gather in the front room for the nativity story. The room is always packed...the Hiatt family is seriously huge. Kylee hadn't gotten a nap that day, so she wasn't wanting to do much except sit on my lap. After the nativity, Santa came. As I said earlier, Kylee is really scared of Santa. This year we stayed across the room from him, but she still didn't appreciate him being there. 

You can see the worried look on her face as she watches Santa talk to the other kids...

We didn't make Kylee sit on Santa's lap when he called her name. Lincoln just got Kylee's gift from Santa & gave it to her.

Unwrapping her gift...

It's EEYORE!!! Kylee loved her gift & immediately gave Eeyore a big hug. Kylee already has 3 stuffed animals that she sleeps with every night (Hello Kitty, Pooh Bear & a teddy bear) so Eeyore makes #4!

It started getting pretty hot in the room & Kylee gets flushed really easily. Her poor cheeks turned bright red. We had to undress her so that she could cool off. During the party she found some babies to hug. She loves giving every baby/kid she sees hugs, but has a hard time letting go of them. :)

Kylee has been really into draping things over her head the past few days. She walked around with her shirt wrapped around her head for awhile at the party. Silly girl.

The Hiatt Christmas Party was once again a success! You'd better believe that we are coming back to the U.S. each year to celebrate the holidays with our families. We would miss out on way too much if we didn't!

Farewell to the Zoo

I was looking through my pictures & realized that I hadn't posted this one that my friend Jana took of Kylee & I at the zoo. I love it. I have been waiting to have a little person by my side, experiencing life with me. It's awesome. I also realized, while looking at this picture, that Kylee & I probably won't have time to go to the zoo again before we move. Huge bummer. We have some fun memories at that place!

Farewell Phoenix Zoo! We already miss you!!!