the big FAT update

People keep asking me what we're doing, so here's the big fat update. I will go in backwards order starting with yesterday back to December. If you feel bored of looking at endless amounts of pictures of the two of us, then stop. Blogs can be far too addictive.

APRIL:

In between Conference sessions we made lemon-scented blueberry cupcakes and

decorated them with butterflies. Happy Easter (almost)! By the way, I just got my hair chopped. Do we like it?

MARCH


Happy Birthday to my favorite sister Summer. I love to celebrate this girl - I don't know how we're going to cope not living 10 minutes away from each other!



And what would March be without a celebration of my little Amber? We enjoyed a little dinner and good conversation on March the fourth.

JANUARY AND FEBRUARY: Nothing that merited taking pictures. Be aware, though, we are really not very good at taking pictures.


DECEMBER was such a fun month!!!

For our ward's Enrichment Christmas activity, people were asked to create centerpieces for the tables. Matt and I racked the centerpiece-creating niches of our brain to come up with this. We decided that stringing cranberries is really fun and we plan on making it a tradition.

We also took a very fun trip to New York to meet Collin and Bree (brother and sister-in-law). We had a great time going to the MoMA, the Whitney Gallery of American Art, the Lower Eastside Tenement Museum, The Spelling Bee on Broadway (hilarious!), eating pizza, pasta, and Indian food, and shopping! Though Matt only tolerates NY, I heart NY in a major way.
Matt in front of the architectural wonder -- the Flatiron Building.

The highlight of the month was visiting my parents in Brazil. They are such wonderful hosts and we had a wonderful time. Favorites include hanging out with the cute missionaries - especially during transfer meetings, going to the a resort in the mountains and enjoying the weather and sunshine (a little too much), eating, eating, eating (favorites: pao de queso, Guarana, and every fruit imaginable), going to church and being treated like a rock star because I have blue eyes, speak English, and own a Civic, and being with my family. Thanks Mom and Dad (for whatever reason, I have no pictures of them from the trip! Ack! They must all be on Summer's camera)!

Incredible scenery in the mountains - I felt like I was in the Sound of Music (you know, when they're crossing the mountains to escape the Nazis).

This is the little cottage we stayed in in the mountains. I think it looks like a Smurf cottage. The people at the little resort were so friendly and cute. We had a wonderful time just vegging. We played a whole lot of card games, went on baby hikes, took yoga every morning (yes, even Matt and Dad), ate a lot (it's what you do down there), and watched movies when it rained every single afternoon. I really loved the break, but I was particularly glad that my parents were taking some P-days!

We tried to cover ourselves with the umbrella by the pool, but Mom, Dad, Matt, and I got ridiculously sunburned. My skin has never been so hot! This is us being sad about it, but the picture really does not give the burn justice. Ouch!

That is quite enough of an update. The end.