Travel

Maya’s first Mardi Gras

With out power out from last week’s snow storm, we made a mad dash for Mardi Gras in Shreveport and for a warm place for Maya to stay. We had planned to try to make a parade anyway, but it couldn’t have been timed any better considering we ended up being without power all weekend.

So we were all happy to be at Grandad’s house where it was nice and warm. We got in just before bedtime on Friday night. On Saturday, we headed to Gram’s to catch up with some of the family. Maya was a little bit fussy, but it was still great for her to see everyone! She took an extra long nap when we got back to Grandad’s, so the drive the day before must have worn her out.

But Sunday was the big day for her. She got to attend her first parade, and it was a Mardi Gras parade so it was that much better! It was a little chilly, so she curled up in her stroller for the first half and took a little nap, but she got up for the end. We got a few smiles from her here and there when floats would come by, but I think she was mostly a little confused by it all! Why are all these people throwing things at me? But it was great to have her out there, and next year she’s sure to have even more fun.

See our favorite photos of Maya.

Posted by Kari on February 26, 2010 at 11:25 pm, filed under Baby, Family and friends, Travel and tagged . Make a comment on the post, or bookmark the permalink.

Maya’s first Christmas

It still feels like Christmas was just yesterday to me, but if I don’t write about it soon, it’s going to be Christmas 2010! But life has been beyond crazy since we got back from our trip to Minnesota, with Jason heading to Phoenix to see his Frogs in the Fiesta Bowl and my return to work. (More on that later.)

Before all the craziness, the three of us had a great first Christmas together, and Maya got to take her first plane ride to Minnesota. She and I headed up there about a week before Jason (wanted to take advantage of the end of my maternity leave) and I was incredibly nervous that I would end up with a screaming baby the entire two and a half hours! But Maya did great. She ate when we were taking off and didn’t wake up until we were at the gate in Minneapolis. No complaints from mom!

When we got to Minnesota, Maya got to meet her Uncle Ryan for the first time, since he was home from school in Poland for the holiday. We went on to spend much time relaxing with Maya’s grandparents, and I took advantage of having willing babysitters around, going to movies, shopping and getting together with friends. We all had a blast. One day, Maya and I headed to Matt’s cabin for his annual party. There weren’t many of us this year, but we had a great time (saved the sledding for next year when Maya is bigger) and Maya got to meet her slightly older friend Wyatt for the first time. It’s funny to think about how these parties have changed since we were all in college, now that there are little kids in the mix. Other fun things we got to do while in MN: See Santa #2 (Maya had a much more stoic face this time, instead of a frown), meet lots of mom’s friends for the first time and best of all, see Maya’s first snow!

What a first Christmas in Minnesota for Maya: we had record snowfall. It was beautiful and perfect weather for Christmas! Luckily Jason was able to switch his flight from the 24th to the 23rd to avoid getting stuck in Fort Worth alone for the holiday. So he made it in time to beat the real snowfall… we’re talking feet, not just inches! We spent Christmas Eve at my cousin’s house with about 30 people from my mom’s side of the family. Christmas Day was at our house with a much smaller gathering of family. We played lots of Scrabble and spent much time on the couch watching all the white! Maya loved her first Christmas, although I think she was rather oblivious to what was going on. She didn’t care about her presents at all this year! But I think she was happy to have so many people excited to hold her.

We ended our trip with Maya’s second successful plane ride, aside from Maya’s unhappiness with the changing accommodations in the plane’s bathroom. Luckily, the engines drowned out the screaming, and she was happy as a lark to get out of there. And happy to be home too.

See our favorite photos of Maya.

Posted by Kari on January 16, 2010 at 11:19 pm, filed under Baby, Family and friends, Travel and tagged . Make a comment on the post, or bookmark the permalink.

Looking back on 2009

Has it only been a year. Seems like a lifetime. We began with a couple days hiking with Bailey (and a newly pregnant Kari), we visited Boston and Minneapolis (twice), and we made several stops in Shreveport. And, of course, we added the world’s cutest baby to our family.

This week (two for Maya and Kari) we’ve been visiting Maya’s grandparents, her uncle and several of Kari’s friends in Minneapolis. (that’s her with her new friend Wyatt, above). Preparing for Maya’s second plane ride early tomorrow morning as we head back home; here’s hoping for a sleepy baby come takeoff.

Here’s a quick recap of how we spent 2009.

Happy first birthday Ford: We began with birthday wishes for our nephew Ford, then turning 1, now about to turn 2. Talk about the difference a year makes. That 1-year-old, who we described as “almost walking, almost talking,” seems to have skipped right past walking to running. During our recent time together at Thanksgiving, he was a bundle of energy and fun, but he did slow down just enough to give his new cousin Maya a hug every once in a while.

Palo Duro Canyon: Morning sickness? What morning sickness? Soon after we learned that Kari was pregnant, we headed out to Amarillo for a couple days of hiking some beautiful Texas canyons. We brought Bailey along, or rather, he brought us along as he raced across the red clay on the most exciting couple of days he’s had.

New sod + crazy dog = bad combination: Most of the rest of this list is dominated by that new little girl in our lives, but before there was Maya, there was our first rambunctious little kid, Bailey. You know, the big freight train of a dog who tore out half of the grass in the backyard.

20 weeks pregnant, and she’s getting bigger: A few days after the sonogram, it wasn’t Kari who was getting bigger, it was our little girl.

The nursery is on it’s way: My Dad spent a quick, busy weekend in Fort Worth painting and working on Maya’s nursery.

Our “babymoon”: Nope, I didn’t know what a babymoon was until then either. But we had a ton of fun in Boston, Connecticut and Cape Cod, visiting friends and seeing a part of the country we had never seen before.

Eight months of pregnancy, one blog post: Kari recaps how we found out, each trimester, picking out Maya’s name and more.

Maya’s here!: Maya Makenzie Crane arrived at 3:37pm on September 23, 2009, weighing in at 8 pounds, 14 ounces and measuring 19.5 inches.

The labor story: Kari recaps the labor experience. Word of caution… not for the faint of heart.

Maya’s 1-month checkup: Growing big and tall: So happy to be blessed with a healthy, growing little girl. We were a little worried when the doctor recommended sleep training, but it was well worth it. Now, Maya sleeps 10 hours a night.

Maya’s first month: A video recap: A quick video look back at Maya’s first month on earth.

A Thanksgiving week of firsts: We spent a great Thanksgiving week with family in Fort Worth and in Shreveport. Maya got to meet most of her Shreveport relatives and spend some quality time with Uncle Jeff, Aunt Allison, cousin Ford and Grandad.

Thanks for being a part of our eventful 2009. Here’s to many more great memories for all of us in 2010.

See our favorite photos of Maya.

Posted by Jason on December 29, 2009 at 11:43 pm, filed under Baby, Family and friends, Travel and tagged . Make a comment on the post, or bookmark the permalink.

Our “babymoon”

Last month we were able to squeeze in one last baby-free vacation. So we headed north toward the cooler weather to Boston. After we got in we met up with Harmony for some Italian food before we headed toward Hartford to visit our friends Dave and Erin. Then the next day it was off to Cape Cod for some relaxing on the water.

We stayed in a little town called Falmouth while we were on the Cape. The food was great everywhere we ate, and the water was beautiful. It wasn’t quite laying on the beach weather — the highs were in the 60s — but that was perfect for us after leaving 100 degrees behind. We spent one day on bikes: There was a trail right near our hotel that went along the water out to a port. At the port, we caught a ferry over to Martha’s Vineyard, where we biked through a couple of the little towns and had a great seafood lunch on the bay. Couldn’t have asked for a better day! We were wiped out by the time we got back (15 miles of biking is a lot for a pregnant girl!) but we headed back toward the water for another seafood dinner on the shore. We can’t wait to go back one day!

Our last day on the Cape we decided to head out to the very tip and attempt to go whale watching. Unfortunately, it was a very windy day so they didn’t think it would be a good idea to head out to seas in my pregnant state. Just a reason for a return visit I guess! So back to Boston we headed. We grabbed some dinner near Boston Common and crashed for the night, before our last day in the city. We had a late afternoon flight, so we were able to walk much of the city (what Harmony hadn’t already shown us the first day) and took the train to Bunker Hill. (On Bunker Hill day none the less.)

We were horribly sad to leave the area, but were very happy to see some good friends, eat great food and explore some cities we’d never visited! Next time we’ll just have a baby with us!

Posted by Jason and Kari on July 7, 2009 at 9:24 pm, filed under Baby, Travel, photos and tagged . Make a comment on the post, or bookmark the permalink.

Snow in Minnesota. Go figure.

Six inches or so fell on Tuesday. Enjoy the view.

Posted by Jason on December 31, 2008 at 7:25 pm, filed under Travel. Make a comment on the post, or bookmark the permalink.