More pics from the holidays!

Christmas with the Peterson Family

The first thing I noticed when I became a part of the Peterson family was how many traditions they've created and kept strong over the years. Starting December first Trent's mom reads a religious story every night until Christmas night. She has a binder of stories that have been the same since Trent was a little kid. Then, Christmas morning they have something called King's breakfast. They make cinnamon rolls, hash browns, eggs, toast, bacon, and orange juice. The idea is that it's a meal fit for a king, hence the name. We eat on a tablecloth that everyone signs each year with a message, a funny story, or a quote.

This year we were truly blessed. Our families were so generous and we received everything we needed and everything we wanted. Eli finally understood the concept of opening his own presents. It was so fun to watch him get excited about his toys. For two weeks we've spent time together and created even more family memories. 

Oh, and a true miracle happened last Tuesday when I received a call from a girl who was selling her lease for a two-bedroom apartment five blocks from campus. She got my number from the online bulletin board on BYUI's website. We had pretty much given up on finding a place and just had to rely on prayers because we had looked everywhere. We took over her contract and were able to sign an eight-month lease. Prayer works! 

We're headed to Rexburg this week. 

Some pics :) 

Eli reaching for his presents. 

Eli getting used to the cold. 

Stick fight with Uncle Tate. 

This is my niece, Natalie. Isn't she precious? 

Trent's message on the tablecloth two years ago. 

I wrote this because I thought Eli was going to be a girl. 

6am 

Eli feeding me a lemon and thinking it's the funniest thing. 

My handsome boy. Needs a hair cut. 

Oh, and I finally learned how to crochet! It was a big accomplishment for me. 

Reflections

Tomorrow Trent and I are waking up at 4:00 a.m. to make the ten-hour journey to Utah. Then on Tuesday we'll be making a five-hour drive to Boise to spend two weeks with Trent's family. Then we'll be on our way to Rexburg for the last time. This is officially the last time I'll be driving toward Rexburg  to live there (I truly hope). It's weird that Rexburg has been somewhat of a home since the fall of 2007. I left when I was eighteen and have never officially made it back to California.

I have so many good feelings toward the next year and a half of our lives, but with those feelings I also have a lot of doubts and anxieties. I hate not knowing what's going to happen. If Trent gets into medical school our lives will go in one direction, and if he doesn't our lives will go somewhere completely different. The decision of an admissions board is going to change my life. It's a slightly uncomfortable feeling. I admire Trent for seeking such an ambitious career. I've never seen someone be so completely fascinated with science and all things medical. I want this so much for him and the thought that it might not happen for us is crushing. All I do is keep praying. Thus far I've felt nothing but feelings that we're going in the right direction and moving where God wants us to be. I kind of wish he would just tell me what's going to happen so I don't have to sit in anticipation. I just keep thinking if I feel so good about it, why wouldn't it happen? But that's the thing about God and prayer, there are plans being made that we don't even know about.

All I know right now is we're being led in the right direction, and I guess that's all that matter for now.

Goodnight.

Merry Christmas from the Peterson Family!

Sometimes I think last-minute ideas turn out to be the best ones. We had such a hard time deciding on a Christmas card idea this year. Well, I should say I had such a hard time. We had so many ideas and when we decided on one, I would change my mind. I honestly changed my mind every day. This idea came to me randomly at work when I was trying to think of an idea that required the least amount of effort, and the least amount of money. We took the picture the next day, picked them up the day after that, and sent them out the day after that. We owe a special thank you to Heather for taking our Christmas card picture the second year in a row. We hope everyone has a very merry Christmas!

Eli could have sat on the counter and done this all night. He always wants to be involved when we cook, but obviously he never gets to do this. He loved it. 

So happy. 

Night away

I don't think you realize the importance of getting away until you are actually away, and it's completely quiet, and you just get to be together. One of my favorite things to do is stay in a hotel, without a baby :) And since it's not something that happens that often, it is so nice when we get the opportunity. Daniel surprised us with a night at The Inn in Laguna Beach for our Christmas present. We ate at Nick's and got their famous butter cake for dessert. If you're ever in Laguna I highly recommend it.

Hawaii

We're almost settled back into our daily routine after returning from Hawaii on Saturday night. Normally after a week of vacation time I'm ready to get back to normal life. There's a lingering feeling that I need to get back to work, but that wasn't the case in Hawaii. I didn't want to leave. I felt an immediate sense of relaxation on the beach that I've never felt on any other beach.

One day I put Eli down for a nap and my dad stayed in the hotel so my mom and I could go down to the beach. It was overcast but still eighty degrees, which some people would probably complain about, but I prefer overcast weather. We sat on beach chairs away from the noise of kids playing in the sand. We both brought books with us but ended up falling asleep. I took a nap on the beach in warm, overcast weather...in Hawaii. After an hour of sleeping I woke up and read a few chapters of my book. It was probably my favorite day during our stay.

Other highlights of the trip:

Mango Pina Colada smoothies

Shaved ice with ice cream

Shrimp from Giovanni's shrimp truck

Pineapple

Nature hikes

Snorkeling in clear water

Going in the spa every day

Being with my amazing family

I want to add a special thank you to my family for their help. It's not easy traveling with a baby, and we honestly could not have done it without their help and patience. Also thank you to my parents for taking us on this once-in-a-lifetime trip! It's nice to cross things off the bucket list.

Mmmmmmmm....

Exploring at the waterfall 

Eli being cute with chip residue on his shirt 

Trent finally got to jump off a cliff in Hawaii 

Trent being a gentleman and helping Anthony down the rock 

View from our rock walk