A Wishy Named Nemo

So we have a pet now...a little Betta that Matt gave Vanessa on their Daddy-Daughter date (which he has the time for now that he quit the Discovery Academy job). And because Vanessa loves "Nemo," that's what this little guy has been named, although she just mainly calls him the "wishy."





This January has been a bit more relaxed than the past few months, but still full of good things. On the 6th (Matt's B-Day) we attended his cousin, Cariso's, baptism, and Matt got to perform the ordinance. Megan and Jason came with us to congratulate and support Cariso, and I think it meant a lot to him.

Then on Sunday (7th) we celebrated Matt's birthday. Megan and Jason hung out with us and we had Frijol con Puerco (a Mexican dish, as tradition now calls for) and he opened presents. I'm afraid to say, it was quite low-key, but I think he still enjoyed it.

(This picture of Vanessa has nothing to do with anything, but I don't have many birthday picks. If it counts, I think we tooll this picture that day. I just love her pose, though. Such a little girl!)

Later this month, Matt and Vanessa had their Daddy-Daughter date. Besides getting Nemo, they also went out for ice cream (Grandma Tschudy's idea). Here's Vanessa showing off her pet. This was a tricky pose as she kept trying to "hold" him.

We also did a little "New Year's cleaning," getting rid of stuff we just don't really use anymore and organizing everything else. Vanessa had fun running around and playing with stuff we set out, including our bottle of Cancun sand that we still don't know what to do with.

We had a get-together and barbecue (it was 16 degrees outside, so only the "cook" braved the weather) with some of Matt's mission buddies and their wives. Since we forgot our camera, I actually snagged these shots off our friend's blog, so the resolution isn't as good as the original. This first picture is of Vanessa and her friend Kaylee, who also had their own "get-together" as they were born the same day in the same hospital, and haven't seen each other in a couple months.

This second shot is of the group, left to right: Ryan & Christine Harding (Kaylee's parents. Also expecting a second daughter), us, Vince and Lyndsay Call, and Brad and Cassie Sevy.

One of our latest "adventures" this month has been our "family day" where we went in search of some fun things to do in the "great indoors" (since staying outside was definitely not an option). After driving around with a bored Vanessa, we finally decided to head to the mall play area. Her day quickly became more fun.