Our Digital Christmas Card

If you are reading this, you've probably been directed by a Facebook link and are otherwise un-caught up with our blog. I wouldn't go hunting for a plethora of blog posts.... I don't think there are many between last year's Christmas card and this one. The baby blog needs work too.... consider me sufficiently self-chastised.

Merry Christmas!

We have for the most part enjoyed a year of dormancy and peace, which has been wonderful for our stress levels but unfortunately is less helpful for writing out a lengthy Christmas letter. We’ll try extra hard to make this small snapshot just as entertaining as our more expanded letters.

The most prominent event of our 2015 was the transition into home ownership. We’ve taken our game of playing house to the next level! We’ve had fun stripping wall paper, changing out light fixtures, and painting rooms. We also had the chance to rent out the house to Notre Dame fans on football weekends, which gave us the excuse to enjoy a few more adventures outside of the house and explore Indiana. We’re excited to continue the trend next year!

Diana has been both the source and the recipient of the greatest excitement in our household. Her whole world has changed from being something she can only experience from her back or parent’s arms to one that she can interact with and explore. She has a great vocabulary of signs and  many words, which spoils her parents to no end. She hasn’t braved the wild world of walking yet, but is a fan of scooting, crawling, and climbing into kitchen drawers. 2016 will hold even more adventures for her, including graduating into nursery at church in April (we’ve started the countdown!).

We hope you and yours are all enjoying a wonderful Christmas Season!

Love,

Jordan, Angela, and Diana Walser

Christmas Time

Our second Christmas as a family (and Baby D's First Christmas) brought many adventures, but no snow.

The first chunk of the season we spent home in Indiana. We had the chance to enjoy the Christmas lights of the Winding Brook Park neighborhood. Very impressive! I especially loved how many nativities were displayed. We were in a nativity ourselves as we served as Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus at our ward Christmas party. (I need to remember to grab some pictures - we didn't get to take any ourselves. Do any of you readers have some?)

We also had the chance to make cookies and carol for neighbors (one neighbor even opened the door! The rest weren't home. Our timing needs some work), as well as go see Santa. We bought some icicle lights to throw over our bushes (in spite of not being here to see them for most of the season), then packed for Oregon!

Baby and I headed off on a mostly uneventful couple of plane rides to the land of the Pacific Northwest. Our reason for abandoning Jordan was to be present for Hermana Despain's return from her mission in Tampa, FL. It was so great to see her home!

Between that event and Jordan's reunion with us, we had the chance to attend my brother Evan's basketball game, as well as a Dance Showcase for him and my sister, Lauryn.

Sis is the one front and center in the white sweater.

I come from a talented bunch.

(Forgive the poor cinematography - I was probably nursing a baby at the same time)

Once Jordan joined us (as well as all of the other husbands and my sister, Kandis), the party really started! Aside from Christmas, the main event was a big trip to Portland. Our little family headed out early with a few stragglers in tow to see some sights in downtown Portland. I expected to impress Jordan with Powell's Books and then satiate a craving at SushiLand, but it seemed to go the opposite direction - we both found Powell's a little underwhelming. Maybe it's gotten smaller as I've gotten bigger?

After our separate adventures, we joined the family at PortlandMcMenamins Kennedy School for some professional portraits, via our photographer, Stephen. The kids went to the Zoo while the rest of us went to the Temple, porting along a babysitter so that Jordan and I could go do sealings with my parents and endowed brothers and sisters.

The plan then involved all of us going to the Portland Zoo Lights. A couple of near-accidents, a screaming baby, many tears, no parking, and a shoulder-to-shoulder crowd later, and we opted to just turn around and go home. Best decision ever made.

Next thing we knew it was Christmas! Santa was very kind to us. Some of our favorite presents included an awesome iPhone case, board games, socks, and Fiddler on the Roof. We also enjoyed a BYU Lawn Gnome from Trent and Nadia, and some comfy Hawaiian sandals from Lauryn. Earlier we had received a beautiful ornament from Mom Walser, as well as a shirt for Angela and a beautiful Willow Tree nativity. I'm going to get in trouble for listing favorites - it's hard to remember all of the wonderful presents we received!

Christmas Dinner! We traditionally wear funny hats from poppers.

The day after Christmas the other cousins and their parents all hurried away early in the morning, leaving us to fill the void. We were able to convince everyone remaining to come out and see Into the Woods with us - a fantastic movie!

The next day we headed home with a couple of hiccups. Our plane was delayed out of Portland, leading us to miss our South Bend connection from Chicago. Conveniently, it's only a two hour drive, and the roads have much less traffic at 1 a.m, so we rented a car and made the last leg of our journey. We are now trying to recover from whatever Pacific Northwest bug we caught that gave us all a runny nose (probably our least favorite Christmas gift).

e-Christmas Card

Because we are both poor and lazy, we have opted to send out an e-Christmas card to everyone but our parents and grandparents (as well as a few "adopted" counterparts). So, if you are reading this post instead of receiving a physical card, please don't take it to mean that we care any less about you. Rather take it as a compliment - we trust you to be internet savvy!

With no further ado.....

Hello Friends and Family!

2014 has seen quite a bit of change and growth (and not all physical!) in our little family. We both experienced a career change, moved across the country, and added a third member to our clan!

Our year started out with a blow to our weight-loss New Year’s Resolutions when we discovered that I was pregnant! Also at the beginning of the year, Jordan began putting out feelers to find employment somewhere other than his friction-stir welding lab on BYU campus, as he expected to graduate soon. As we have both had the chance to discover, being employed as a student at a university means that graduation and a pink slip go hand in hand.

At the suggestion of some of his former lab mates, he applied to work at Manufacturing Technology Inc. in South Bend, IN, a leader in the field of friction welding.  Soon enough we found ourselves flying out to case the joint, and experience a bit o’ the Irish spirit as we enjoyed our St. Patrick’s Day in the town of Notre Dame and its fans.  Jordan accepted MTI’s offer, and our adventures began!

The start of Jordan’s career meant a hiatus for mine, as I finished up my stint at the Park Animal Hospital as a veterinary assistant. The change came none too soon, as morning sickness and early morning shifts make for a testy combination. We focused on packing, replacing our car that broke down a week before the move, and squeezing in a baby shower (where I felt like a bit of a sham, considering I was barely showing). Then we were off!

A 24 hour long road trip (split over three days) in our new car later and we found ourselves in our new home at the end of May! We have loved this little house. We must have someone looking out for us, because even with our blind choice, we found a home perfectly located close to everything we need, with a large back yard (we’re excited to add chickens next year!) and a wonderful community and neighbors.

Jordan's favorite version of our card -
Get it?

We enjoyed breaking out of the “Utah bubble” and have found joy in our callings out here in the “mission field”. Jordan has served as a Sunday School teacher, and now as the Stake Clerk. I enjoyed my time as a nursery leader, but was moved to Young Women’s secretary once I grew big enough.

By the time we were all settled in, we were due for another big change. Arriving one week later than expected, miss Diana Mae Walser was born on Oct. 15^th at 2:41 a.m. at 7 lbs 13 oz, 20.6 in. long, after 36-or-so hours of labor (being induced has thrown me off of when labor actually started).

She has added so much to our world, and we are excited to see her continue to grow. Her current favorite things are sleeping and eating (as well as other digestive adventures), with an occasional break to smile and coo. Her least favorite things are being put down, having someone try to give her a bottle or a pacifier, and riding in a car where she can’t see Mom or Dad.

Our year has wrapped up with some wonderful chances to visit with friends and family, first for Diana’s baby blessing out here in Indiana, and then for our Thanksgiving trip to Mesa and Manti/Provo, where we caught up with many of you. We are also looking forward to our Christmas trip to Oregon! After which, we are looking forward to never travelling with a newborn ever, ever again.

We are so grateful to have you and yours in our lives. We have been blessed to be watched over by some amazing people!
Merry Christmas!

Love,

Angela, Jordan, and Diana Walser

Pro-Feshnal Pikturs

Mom Walser (quite intuitively) saw our trip out there for Thanksgiving as a wonderful chance to take some new family pictures. Here are the highlights!

Thanksgiving Adventures

After Halloween, the next big event was Baby's Blessing, followed shortly thereafter by a Thanksgiving trip to Manti and Mesa.

More details can be found on the Baby Blog about this trip, but here are a few highlights!

We had the chance to surprise the family when we discovered that Jordan had an otherwise unused day off, and could fly down at the same time as me and the baby, instead of four days later as planned. I'm so glad he could, as it made the flight much, much easier. I have no idea how I'll repeat the experience without him when we leave for Christmas in a week.

Upon our arrival in Mesa we had the chance to visit with some of our friends and family, as well as show off the baby's Christmas attire at church. Then we whisked everyone away in a rented minivan to make the 11-hour drive up to Manti, divided into two days. Our Sunday night was spent at the Cameron Trading Post. We had the chance to also seek out the best pie on the trip, experimenting with what was served at the Rock Springs Cafe as well the "ho-made" pies of the Thunderbird Restaurant. Unfortunately, neither were quite up to snuff for us pie connoisseurs.

We made it to Manti on Monday afternoon, and enjoyed some of Grandma Walser's delicious stew. Jordan and I continued on to Provo the next morning with the use of Laura's car, and had the chance to catch up with some friends. The primary goal, however, was to have Jordan defend his thesis. He did so, and passed! After spending Tuesday night in Provo, we headed back to Manti, in spite of the obstacles before us.

We spent Wednesday back in Manti, celebrating and preparing for dinner the next day. Trent and Nadia were able to join us in Manti for Thanksgiving, and we also enjoyed a trip around the Manti temple (though we missed out on the chance to go in and do some work. We'll have to try again in Oregon this Christmas!). The end of this trip resulting in some hill rolling. (There's also a video of Jordan rolling down the hill that I may have to steal from Nadia).

Friday morning we started our journey back to Mesa. Jordan, myself, and the baby all journeyed down in Laura's car, and only arrived about 4 hours later than the rest of the family! I can't wait for this kid to take a bottle...

Saturday was spent finishing up our plans to catch up with family, as well as having professional pictures taken to show off the new addition. We spent the evening enjoying the lights and nativities at the Mesa Temple - just as we did two years ago when Jordan proposed!

Unfortunately, due to some remodeling/landscaping, "our" bench has been removed. It was pretty disappointing. We were going to show that bench to our children, and our children's children.

I guess that could be the bench there, but its in the wrong spot, and there were two benches and spotlights.

The next morning we left bright and early (4 a.m.) to catch a flight back to South Bend.
One of the highlights of the flight: On Allegiant Air, they actually use the word "whilst".

Halloween

Real Quick Here's Our Halloween:

Because I knew I'd be dealing with a newborn for Halloween, my dear friend Camden invited me to help her plan for and host her party, because I would be unable to throw one of my Halloweenapaloozas of the Past. The crafts were fun!


We were able to drag ourselves from our newborn-induced stupor to show up to the party and had a blast. We were even sort of dressed up!

While I was unable to make my normal fare of edibles, I did manage to make my Spider Pizza and two-layer pumpkin cheesecake for the party.

For Halloween itself, I made Jack-o-Lantern Casserole and another cheesecake. We were hosting the Walser family, but somehow forgot to pull out the cheesecake, and so we had to eat it all ourselves. Oh darn.

We had the house and the yard all decorated, and candy at the ready to pass out, but we were bested by our porchlight - it was on a timer/motion sensor, and so was off most of the night, and the trick-or-treaters were hesitant to come to our door. This meant we were left with a lot of candy, but having everyone over for Diana's blessing that weekend helped us with that problem. The evening was spent enjoying the Studio C Halloween Episode, followed by watching the House on Haunted  Hill.

Check out our Halloween Decor!

Jordan & Diana's Pumpkin
(Triforce with Navi and Traditional)

Angela's Pumpkin

Fun Fact: This was the face I taped on to myself for my infamous Facebook Profile Pic

Unfortunately, you cannot see the window clings, spider web, lights, and ghost as well as you can see my slack-jawed expression. Oh well. 

Also our baby is a Halloween decoration.

Winston Photo Shoot

I discovered this news article recently, discussing a number of abandoned/difficult to rehome black cats. To be fair, black cats have always been a bit hard to get housed from shelters because of that persistent supersition. However, the article cites a new reason for their lack of success: black cats don't look as good in "selfies".

Oh for goodness.

In protest, here are a billion pictures/videos of my favorite furry friend.

He's not allowed in the dish cupboard, but I had to take a picture before scolding him. I'm going to be that mom who grabs her phone to take a picture of her kid playing in the toilet rather than just stopping the kid from playing in the toilet. Welp. At least we know. 

Winston prefers running water, to the point of getting dehydrated without it. The first week or so of his living with us, he would constantly be found perched on the sink waiting for us to accidentally turn it on. An automatic watering dish was an adjustment for him, but he made it!

He is most often found sleeping in his bed.

Or sleeping anywhere.

DOOM KITTEH

Personally, I think he bears a striking resemblance to a certain well-loved animated dragon

This is his hypnotized face

And this is his hypnotized dance.

The black cat doesn't care that I really don't want him in my clean white laundry.

We discovered at one point that his favorite toys include the plastic tie-downs we used to keep our furniture together while we moved it, and using my hair ties as hockey pucks on the slippery bedroom floor. We haven't bought him any "real" cat toys, because I know that these will still be his favorites.

He's not allowed up here either. Fun fact: he couldn't figure out how to get down and cried for me to rescue him.