But the highlight was definitely Friday night when our friend Joaquin was sweet enough to drive up from San Antonio to have dinner with the three of us. As always it was great to see him and so fun for him to meet Maya for the first time.

Hope we can get back to Austin again soon. It really is a city filled with energy.

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.

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.

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.

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!

So we made it back from our long weekend in Chattanooga, TN, with our little (adorable) nephew Ford. Jason’s cousin Daniel got married in the area, so we figured it was a great excuse to get a cabin and meet up with the family. Had a nice time relaxing and hanging out with Jeff, Allison, Ford (their take) and Jason’s dad. We even got a hike in while we were there. We’ve been dying to get outside and do something since we’ve been back from Peru. It wasn’t quite the Andes, but it was still pretty! Photos from the trip.

“Helen had always feared that it would be an anticlimax, that something dreamed of for a lifetime would inevitably be smaller than the dream. She had lived so much of her life in the imagination that it was for her more powerful than reality. But what towered before her was greater than anything she might have conjured. Photographs were as ashes to a live body. Nothing captured Machu Picchu, a kingdom ruined but alive.”

That quote from a book says it better than we could. But what a trip. If we haven’t bored you with our stories yet, we made it back from Peru, where we hiked the Inca trail to Machu Picchu and just enjoyed our time away. There really aren’t words to describe what a great experience it was. But we’ll try. The views were absolutely amazing. The people were so kind. The food never ceased to surprise us. And Cusco is a city of stunning beauty.

But what we really went for was the trek. We hiked about 26.5 miles, up 7,000 feet, down 6,880 and over a 13,750 foot pass. And every step was worth it once we made it to Machu Picchu. You’re missing out if you don’t take this trip sometime in your life. I’d always dreamed of visiting the lost city, and it truly does not disappoint. Along with the stunning ruins and views along the way, we were lucky to take the trip with a great group of people and to have Saul and Jose as our guides.

Check out our photos here. We started with more than 1,000, so let us know if you want the extended showing! Below is our more detailed journal of what we did each day, if you’re interested.

It was a long day of travel (late flights and missed flights) but we’re finally here. We were greeted at our hotel (el Balcon) with the traditional coca tea. We’re easily won over by this local custom, but it takes Kari a handful or so before she realizes she shouldn’t be eating the leaves, just sucking on them. But either way, they seem to help fight altitude sickness and offer a nice little burst of energy. Sorry friends in the U.S., I won’t be trying to bring any back for you to try. After a little nap to recover from the overnight flight, we venture to the main square in Cusco for an early dinner. This is an absolutely stunning city.

We decided to have a pretty regular first meal. We’ll save the guinea pig and alpaca for later. So we found a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the square (not hard) and settled in for some coca tea, soup (easy to digest in the altitude) and pasta. On our way back we chatted with a kid selling paintings in the square. He thinks Obama will be our next president; McCain is just for the old people. We loved getting his take, but really, we’re here to forget about the news.

The altitude isn’t killing us like we thought it might, but we do have lingering headaches. Hopefully a real night of sleep will cure all.