Turkey and New Hampshire

We just came back from a long awaited vacation to the East Coast-specifically New Hampshire. It was great to be able to spend time with the McLaughlin and Tuthill Families and to see our new niece Alexia Brielle. Ada is really a wonderful child and it makes us really worry about our subsequent children! She was so great with the very convoluted process of driving from Rexburg to Salt Lake City (3.5 hrs), then on the flight to Chicago, and then even on the flight to Manchester! She got a little fussy a few times, but overall just ate, slept and played with us. Josh had to work on Sunday night, but only worked until about 3 am. So basically he came home and we got our stuff together and left. I drove for a while, but it was too early, too dark, or too much of a very long and boring drive for me to stay awake for very long. So I had to ask Josh to drive, but he was okay with it thankfully. So the plan was that he would sleep on the planes, but he couldn't do that either, so he didn't get to sleep until that night in a different time zone and late at night! He's such a great guy!
We got to spend a lot of time with Joshs' family and it was so good to see them, as we haven't seen some of them for almost 2 years! We still haven't seen some of his family in a very long time, but when we travel for Christmas we plan on stopping and seeing the rest! Thanksgiving was so great and we all were able to take part in the cooking, eating and even the cleaning process. Joshs' mom is really a great cook and it was so good to have some family cooking again. Ada is also a real pro at the whole turning over thing; she likes to be flat on the floor on the quilt my Sister In Law Sarah sewed for me (I had the squares cut and the fabric picked out, but that is about as far as I can go...). She has also started to begin to crawl. She arches her back and kind of gets up on her knees and inches her way forward; it is really fun to watch so we're trying to get it on film! (See the new videos too).
The return trip was really great, until the last leg of the flights. Josh got really sick, even though he blames it on the McDonalds' Chicken sandwiches we had in the Chicago Airport (he HATES McDondalds!) and almost passed out/threw up on the plane, and I couldn't go help him as Ada was sleeping in my lap and I was blocked in my seat. The flight attendants helped him out a lot and gave him some ice packs and a large courtesy bag...just in case. He didn't actually throw up, but he was really pale, sweating and the flight attendants had him ride in a wheelchair-which he hated. He slept most of the way home, and didn't feel better until earlier today! What an adventure to be sure...never a dull moment. So enjoy the pictures of our travels and our family!

Daddy/daughter timeOur Family picture The Tuthill Family-Cameron was not too happy!Cameron and Ada posing Not really sure what Cameron was doing...but it looks so cute!Grandpa McLaughlin with AdaNapping in the armchair Lounging around on the floorGrammie McLaughlin holding Ada and Alexia Ada and Alexia

Roll on over

Well Ada is now successfully turning over without any help from anyone! She has been almost there for a few months now, and haphazardly at that; but all that is in the past. She used to get almost there, but was not able to get her hand out from under herself and would then just roll back onto her back. But just today, she did it all by herself and of course while I was not watching! I went away to clean up after dinner, and came back to her on her back! And I know it wasn't Josh playing with my mind as her was asleep. We can also feel teeth getting closer and closer to the surface, but we have been saying that for months so we'll just take a hiatus from that topic until we have more breaking news (really...no pun intended).
Other than that we are so incredibly excited to go on a vacation farther away than 3 hours, and as I love planes, we are very excited for this! We will be going back to the East Coast (yes!) to New Hampshire and we will be there from 11/24-11/28 spending time with Joshs' family and our new niece Alexia who was just born on Monday.
I am desperately trying to finish my homework before we leave (or to get as much completed ahead of time so I can really have a vacation-even though my quarter is over the 1st week of December) and so far I have kept up with my designed schedule for when things are due. I also just received very enlightening news: I officially begin my student teaching to finish my masters' (my last quarter!!) on January 5th and it goes for 12 weeks. Then all I need to do is take my Praxis II test and then I will be a certified PA teacher (even though we do not live in PA anymore). So wish me luck and and enjoy the newest bunch of pics as I am sure there will be a ton of pics next week!

She just loves this blanket! She calms down almost immediately when wrapped up in it!
Playing with her monkey. She won but she is tired.

Tackling the monkey

Eating Harold with help from Dad.

Don't worry, we bought this big from a great Old Navy sale..she's still so cute in it though!

Rolling over

Happy 18th Devin!

Well this past week went by in such a blur! Tons of homework, (with still tons to go but at least I am still on track) and Josh is worried about money as we are about to embark on vacation-really it's about time-and so he has been trying to work as much as possible...so he has been picking up an extra day. Which really means that even though he was one day off, we have then Thursday afternoon together. I just tell him that once we are on vacation, he is completely prohibited from being cranky! But thankfully we are all looking forward to time with our extended family and with each other. So I have realized that this week I have not taken as many pictures as I usually do, and this is not due to a lack of Ada being cute or doing very adorable things, just a lack of focus I suppose. But I am sure the brief hiatus from 8 million pictures will harm no one...at least not indefinitely.
Yesterday was my best girlfriends' birthday (don't worry Josh, you are still my best friend). This person is someone I have not always been able to get along with over the years, especially when we were younger. Our younger encounters usually consisted of cleaning up her messes, and me getting in trouble for fighting with her as I was older, and I suppose for that reason more accountable for my actions. The I got older, and I went away to college and things were better for a while as we both grew up. But when I moved back home, she liked to take my things, insist she hadn't, I would get upset, and boom! Guess what? Still got blamed for getting upset with her. So how is this person my best girlfriend you may ask? Well, we are now both older, hopefully wiser, and most importantly, we do not live in the same house! But she is one of the kookiest people I know (sorry but Mom, you get the kookiest person award of all time-and we all love you for it! ) and she by far makes life interesting and different. I have known her all her life, and looking back and seeing all the things we made fun of you for-which were incredibly ridiculous like stating your head was shaped like a Dorito-I have always loved you and always will. So Happy 18th Birthday Devin! And welcome to adulthood.

Look at the Birthday girl!

Ada was smiling for the camera, but then was too captivated by the flash
Working on some hand-eye coordination

Snow and other activities

As you can most likely guess from the title, it snowed yet again this week-not enough to make snow veterans like us cringe-but enough to remind us that we live in Idaho, and that it is basically winter here.
In terms of voting, I will say that here in Idaho you can register to vote on Election Day-no need to be proactive here (even though I figured you had to register beforehand and sent in our information a few months ago-to which I received a postcard, not a voter registration number or card, stating that we are registered) and that here you fill out a type of scan-tron card, bubble sheet and all, and then drop your paper into a box. Seriously, hasn't anyone here ever heard of technology and wanted to update their systems sooner than every 25 yrs? But other than that, I am not going to go into which candidate for which we voted, stating which one is basically endorsed or not by God, nor will I go on a rampage about which one loves/upholds the Constitution more than the other...and so on and so forth...I will only say THANK GOODNESS that it is finally over!
Ada has really started "talking" and we have a video in which she is very talkative! We went to the pediatrician on Wednesday, and sadly I had to go through Ada getting more shots (geez-like I need to complain-I didn't get them!) but she did much better this time, and consequently so did I, with Josh there for my moral support. So now Ada is just shy of 26 inches and 14.4 lbs, our long skinny weed of a daughter-but more like a dandelion-at least a very pretty weed. So we have 2 new videos and if you'll continue below-more adorable pictures!

I love snow!...for now...Ada has really been teething, and she has finally decided she likes this teething toy We went to a friends' birthday party on Thursday and everyone had to wear a party hat...yes even Josh!

Ada all ready to brave the fierce weather to go to the pool on campus

She sure does love Lucy...her bunny

Trying to stay awake until bedtime

Don't take Lucy away!

Naptime

Wow! What a week!!

Well, if I said last week wasn't busy, then this week sure made up for it! This week, Ada has discovered her toes and loves to constantly try to get at them. She is a lot more grabby and tries to get everything within reach of her hands or feet. We went to eat this week at Subway, and now that she is a "supported sitter" I can hold her with one hand and let her hit her hands on the table and keep herself otherwise occupied; but not any more. She almost knocked the cup out of my hands, causing me to spray her with some soda, and she grabbed the subway paper that my snadwich was sitting on, almost bringing it into my lap. She loves to grab my hair, earrings (which I know only wear studs after a particulary bad earring yanking session), necklaces or clothes. So watch out for those hands! See the video for this too!
Then there was Halloween. Our Ward didn't want to have a trunk-or-treat, so they decided to have a dance instead, without arranging for anyone to watch the children some of us happen to have; so we dressed Ada up and all went together. The dance started off with some of the most attrocious music ever, like the Adams' Family theme without any sound, and Thriller, which no one knew any part of that dance but me so it made it a bit awkward. So we left soon thereafter, but I have to admit, our costumes were inventive and cute. Ada was a monkey, and it was the cutest outfit I have seen her in; Josh was Clark Kent halfway busting out of his suit with his Superman shirt underneath (so it was Clark Kent without a phone booth), and I was Rosie the Rivetter. One of the other pictures is of Devin and her boyfriend Leo, who were kind enough to babysit Ada when both Josh and I had to work on the 31st. They even took her to a Halloween party! We also started Ada on rice cereal mixed with a trace amount of apples. She will usually sleep from 9-6 or 7, which makes it easier on me as I stay up at night doing homework while she is alseep! So watch the video of her 1st feeding; it's hilarious! On Saturday, it was a joint party (for those of you who know how much Josh loves his birthday-he was glad to share it with Ada) as Josh is now 25 and Ada is 4 mos. Josh got an RA Salvatore book he desperately wanted, magic card protectors, the Bourne Supremacy movie, 3 new ties, magic card box and wonderful cards and money, which we used to go out to eat! So he wants to say thank you again to everyone for making his birthday a lot of fun (no really, he enjoyed this one!). I also tried my hand and used fondant to cover his cake to make it a Magic Card cake, but I think I really need more practice; but at least it looked ok and tasted good too-although the fondant was a mite too thick! Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Catching her feet

A joint party, but only Josh got presents Blowing out the candles. Doesn't Ada look apprehensive about being that close to the candles?

The Magic Card Cake
Rosie the Riveter
Devin, Leo and the Monkey (Ada)

Our 1st Family Halloween Smiling Ada playing with Dad Being like a true monkey and playing in the leaves
More eating of leaves