Hiatt Family Reunion 2011

Our trip back to the U.S. was pretty long. Lincoln took his last final on Thursday, June 9th. We left soon after (with the Haskins traveling with us) & drove 5 1/2 hours to Mazatlan. We got there early enough to play on the beach for a little while. The water was SO warm, which was awesome, but the sand was so bad that it cut up the guys' feet. We hung out in the kiddie pool after that, which the little girls loved, & finished the night eating tacos on the beach. Mmmm. 

The Haskins followed us to Tucson, where we went our separate ways. After 16 1/2 hours in the car on Friday, we made it to Mesa. We hung out with my family a little bit, then headed up to the annual Hiatt Family Reunion in Pine the next afternoon. 

We got there in time for some yummy cake & homemade ice cream to celebrate Grandpa's birthday. Then it was time to catch up with everyone! I've missed everyone, especially my nieces & nephews. They really are the best...

We hadn't seen Kenny & Cleona's kids in a year and a half! The boys sure have grown...

Having fun!

Being around both of her grandpas has caused Kylee's soda intake to increase since we've been here. Grandpa was sure to give her a taste of his Mountain Dew whenever she wanted it...

After dinner, Lincoln & I took the kids on a walk. Claire ran up ahead, and when I turned the corner she was standing there, acting like a statue...it was so random & funny that I had to take a picture. :)

Then it was time for the program. Clem & Odessa (Grandma & Grandpa) entertained us...

A family talent show was next, and I was so happy to have my snuggle buddy back...

It was COLD that night. Jarod hid out in his sweatshirt...

Linc sure has missed his little look-alike...

Lincoln turned to me during the program & said "Look who I have!". I just stared at the baby for a second & then realized who it was...OUR NEPHEW PATRICK!!! We had never seen him in person, so we were ecstatic that he & his mom made it to the reunion!

I love this "new" nephew of mine. He is adorable...

The next day we took our traditional family picture in our reunion shirts. Trying to get that many adults & kids in a single pic always takes a lot of effort! Then we had a little Sunday meeting.

That afternoon Kylee had fun playing with Claire...

And spending time with Grandma...

I caught a cold while traveling to AZ, so I wasn't feeling very well. Kylee & I slept the afternoon away while Linc got some more visiting time in with his family. By the end of the trip, Kylee was a happy mess. She sure did enjoy spending time with everyone...

I kind of have an irrational fear of being eaten by a wild animal while I'm sleeping in a tent...so it was a really good thing that I didn't realize (until today) that the story of a bear sighting the night before we arrived at the cabin was actually true! Anyway, the reunion was a perfect getaway. We can't wait to spend more time with Lincoln's family!!!
(We missed you Kenny, and Holly & family!)

Enjoying Our Vacation

Since it has been 10 days since I posted, I thought that I would share that we are here in the U.S., thoroughly enjoying our vacation. I had major culture shock the first day here, and honestly felt kind of uncomfortable being back in the U.S. That must mean that I adjusted to life in Mexico better than I thought! I'm more adjusted to the U.S. now, and am absolutely LOVING having so many fun things to do each day & so many loved ones to visit with. We still have 2 1/2 weeks of vacation left & are so excited to experience a lot more fun with our families & friends! Hopefully I'll be able to post some pictures soon, showing some of the things we've done since being here!

My 1st Semester Wrap-up

In 3 days, we are leaving for our month-long vacation in the United States! We are BEYOND excited to see our families. We've missed them so much. Our 1st semester of medical school is coming to a close...and we survived it! Living here is definitely hard sometimes, but it has been an enormous blessing for our family. Lincoln, Kylee & I are closer as a family than we've probably ever been. I feel like all of us have changed a lot since we left the U.S. 

I know our families & friends will want to know what living in Mexico is like, and I have no idea what I'm going to tell them. This experience has been very unique...there is so much about living here that I will never be able to adequately describe. I am so grateful that I've been able to be around another culture, and that my eyes & heart have been opened to other people in this world. I embrace others' differences a lot better than I used to. I'm not as uptight as I used to be. I realize that life rarely goes the way we plan, & that this is a good thing. I enjoy my surroundings more. I'm not as afraid of change as I was before.

The people here are very warm & open, and I truly love that about them. It is hard for me not to feel very undeserving of the stable family life I've had and the rights that I've had as an American citizen. I wish the people of this country knew what that felt like, because there are some really, really great people here. 

I think I might experience culture shock again when we drive across the border into Arizona. I feel very safe here, but I'm excited to feel that security knowing that I'm in a country where I have rights again. I'm pretty sure that people will hate the way that we drive, & that our family & friends who speak Spanish will be disappointed in the amount that I've learned in 5 months. I'll just have to work hard on the language next semester & "wow" everyone when we visit in December. :)

I'm thankful that the Lord directed us to this place. It has been such a great learning experience & has helped me to grow and change things about myself that needed changing. I still have a lot to work on, but I have a lot more time here in Mexico to figure all of that out! Now I'm off to work on my long to-do list. See you soon!!!

A Trip To The Zoo

We were happy to join Josh & Heather & their kids on a last-minute trip to the zoo on Saturday! It was a nice, long, fun-filled day & we had a lot of great moments with the animals. I took TONS of pictures, of course! I am definitely falling in love with this zoo!

Linc & Kylee in front of the animal wall at the entrance...

I love the plants here...

This monkey was so funny, cracking a hard-boiled egg & eating it...

A bearded monkey enjoying a piece of bread...

And one more...

Bears fighting...

Sweet Riley pushing Kylee's stroller for us...

Dylan & Kylee...

Family picture!

The Haskin family...
(minus Devan who is away for the summer, & Dylan who didn't want to be in the pic)

We paid extra, once again, to go on the safari. It was worth every penny!

Making silly faces for the camera...

Zebras...

I love how all of the different animals hang out together...

I got to feed a giraffe carrots this time. It was awesome! I was giggling like a little kid when its rough tongue touched my hand. 

This giraffe wasn't interested in the carrots...

Miss Heather taking pics...

A pic with our tour guide...

The girls getting crazy on the drums...

Lincoln showing them how it is done...

Helping Kylee walk on the wall like one of the big kids...

They have an area at the zoo where they keep some of the baby animals. It's the cutest! There was a baby camel there this time...

Then we headed to the aviary, which is one of my favorites. These birds are beautiful & really interactive...

I love their colors!!!

I said "Hola" to one of the birds & it said "hola" back to me, very clearly, multiple times! It was SO funny. I took a video of it, but can't figure out how to upload it. 

Family pic in front of the fountain...

(Once again, Kylee missed her nap & wasn't excited about all of the picture-taking.)

The orangutans...OUR FAVORITE!

Daddy orangutan...

Baby orangutan...

Lunch time!

(Sorry if this is too Discovery Channel-ish for you. :) )

Looking at the kids...

Doesn't this picture look posed?! This chimp family walked over to us & just sat like this while we took pictures of them!

Kylee found some big leaves that kept her entertained for awhile...

Checking out another little monkey...

I took this picture to show the cracked glass on the exhibit...can you see it running the length of the window on the left side? This is where the jaguar lives. And this is what makes me realize that we are in Mexico...there's not very much protection from some of the animals!

\

Holding hands...

We heard a noise coming from the tree next to us & looked up to see that this little guy had escaped his cage! He was facing the cage that he had escaped from, with all of his friends still stuck inside, & really sounded like he was taunting them...

I think this monkey would have loved to escape his cage too...

When we got to the end of the zoo, we ran into this huge canyon. We didn't even know this place was there!

Taking a break on the tire swing...

More giraffes...

This one decided to get a closer look at us...

And even let London feed it...

Such a fun day!!! Can't wait to go again!

Allergist Part #2

I had my allergist appointment on Thursday & it went well. I had a test done that showed that I am very allergic to Russian thistle, kind of allergic to dust mites & a little allergic to peaches. For the test, the nurse rubbed allergens on my back & then pricked it with a needle. Kylee asked Linc if she could hold my hand during the test. It was very sweet. :) 

I am now taking an allergy pill when I need it, and should only have to worry about this again during this season each year. For the past few years, I've reacted to mosquito bites & have been reacting to them here as well...so I've been using tons of bug spray every night & that has made a difference too. I'm glad to have gotten some answers & am happy that I'm feeling somewhat better!

Kylee 22 Months

Kylee is 22 months old now! She still sleeps like a champ...3-hour naps and 12-hour nights. I know, I know, I'm L-U-C-K-Y. Kylee's new favorite movie is "Chocolate", a.k.a. Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory. She is getting better with her numbers & colors. She loves watching videos of trains, monkeys and dogs on You Tube. She can sing parts of "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Popcorn Popping", "Jesus Wants Me For a Sunbeam" & "No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".

Kylee loves helping me cook & bake, do laundry, sweep the floors and wash dishes. She loves talking to people on the phone and loves to have pretend conversations on "her phone" (Linc's old cell phone). Kylee absolutely LOVES getting wet. She's getting less scared of the pool & is willing to get in with her floaties & kickboard now. Kylee also wants to sit on the toilet multiple times a day, so hopefully she will continue to progress in the potty training area. For now, I'm not pushing it...I'm just letting her decide when she wants to do it.

Lincoln taught Kylee how to give "knuckles" after "high fives"...Kylee calls them "muckles" & asks Lincoln for them a lot. Linc also tells her to "put up her dukes" & they pretend to punch each other. Kylee thinks it's hilarious & will walk up to Lincoln & say, "Dad, dukes!" and put her fists in front of her face. My favorite thing to do with Kylee is dance. The way that she dances is HILARIOUS. She squats & waves one hand back & forth and gets so into the music. It's the best thing ever!

Kylee gets to play out back with the hose sometimes...

And Daddy likes to join in the fun!

He also paints Kylee's nails for her. He really is the best dad...

Walking around with her purse & high heels is another one of her favorites...

Kylee likes sitting in her baby's highchair. Here she is eating "dogs with ketchup" and watching a show...

And she is great at helping Mommy make cookies...

Kylee brings so much fun & joy into our home. I can't believe that she is almost 2 years old!