Quick Successions: New Mexico Edition

I was only home for a few days this month. I went to Lexington, Kentucky; Charlotte, North Carolina; Chicago, Illinois; Washington DC; Alexandria, Virginia and vicinity; and Atlanta, Georgia. On November 30, I have a conference in Nashville, Tennessee. My purpose in going was to present and conduct research. I never take pictures when I go places, but I did end up with a few. I stayed in an art museum that was also a hotel in Kentucky. I didn't have much time so I saw the art installations on the various floors in about 20 minutes. Here I am about to go and give my presentation. Again, I never take pictures of conferences, but I guess I decided I wanted to see myself as a scholar. We all went to Atlanta. I wanted to go to the house where Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone with the Wind. We managed to get there. Margaret Mitchell Marsh lived in a tiny apartment rather than the whole house. We also went to Coca-Cola World. Here we are waiting for our tour. The bottles ...

The University of Kansas hosted a group of undergraduate students from a university in China. They were here for 8 weeks and I was on the team that hosted them. I was a mentor for their projects and also a teacher. Sometimes I brought Hannah to work with the students when we were talking about language development and self-regulated learning because she is good at both.  They called her Dr. Rice and my group of mentor students was especially sad to leave her. The last picture she is with them in the dorm at KU. I will show her this when she goes off to college if she is scared. I will tell her that she already mastered dorm life. Hannah has also just finished participating in a language study at KU. She goes in and works with a professor and a doctoral student. The purpose of the study is to determine how children respond to difficult words when they encounter them in oral language. Hannah was sad the first time because she said that she got a few of the words wrong....

Hannah really likes to swim. She likes to swim so much in fact, that she jumps in to swimming pools and has to be saved by bystanders and her mother. So I decided to enroll her in swimming lessons and start the long and arduous process of helping her become an authentic swimmer. KU swim team members offered 9 weeks of lessons for $50. So I have been taking her to the pool every morning at 10 a.m. I took pictures, but none of look right because of the water reflections, perhaps. During the 9 weeks she grew out of her swimsuit and we broke out the larger size I had bought on discount at the end of last year's summer season.  The only thing she didn't like about swimming was the cold cold water. I took her in her suit and carried her to the building from the parking lot to keep her warm when the weather turned. Then I dressed her afterward before we left and we would go out to lunch. Usually it was Wendy's or McDonald's. After the last lesson ...

Hannah loves Halloween. One of the reasons it is nice to have her is that her excitement causes me to celebrate. This is such a busy time of year, even without the holiday; it is good to have a reason to stop and have a little fun. The weather was nice too this year. About 80 degrees. The Saturday before All Hallow's Eve, we went to the church Trunk-or-Treat. Hannah wanted to be a vampire this year. I offered to make her a dress, but she wanted a suit and some scary teeth. I did a dress for myself so I could be a Vampire Slayer (See Buffy from the 1990s) and that bumped Brian to Wesley Windham Price, my watcher. I didn't like the background on this picture so I played with the editing functions and got something I think is a little whimsical, but not too creepy. Here is my serious face. Hannah did a better job pulling off scary. She is ready to bite into anyone who won't give her candy. On Halloween, she went to school and they had a parade. She ...

This year for Hannah's birthday she had a sports party. We invited everyone in her preschool class. The kids dressed up in sports gear and we had a cake with baseballs, basketballs, footballs, and soccer balls on it.  The picture also features our sports plates. I also gave the children who came cards with a bunch of activities and games like climbing, swinging, ring toss, soccer, baseball, and golf that they could try. The kids ran around playing the games and when they were done, I gave them gold medals.  Besides cake we also had a big sandwich and chips. After we ate, Hannah opened her presents. I was sick and I think it shows in this picture. On Hannah's actual birthday I came to her preschool class for part of the class. Hannah made everyone cookies and we had yogurt for them as well. They sang to her. I read stories with the kids during reading time and then it was time to go. That night we went to Crown Center in Kansas City. This is where the...

On October 14, Hannah's preschool class went to the pumpkin patch in Lawrence. When the class get there, they feed chickens. I just love this one of her jumping. I can't believe her vertical.  After the kids pick their pumpkins they get to play. Hannah likes to climb and so she ended up at the topic of this tower. Later that weekend, I watched my friend's baby. He is only 5 months. He reminds me of the babies in a family that I used to know when I was growing up. His momma was so excited that I got him to sleep because she says he doesn't usually sleep for people other than her. There were three other children there (four including Hannah). We all had a really nice time while the parents went out to dinner. That weekend we also decorated the pumpkin. I told Hannah that she could carve it or paint it and she opted for the paint. I did the boundary between the face and the hair with black paint and she did the rest. I actually think it turned out wonder...

I never get a break on Fall Break, so this year I just packed a bag and left town. There were still things for me to do at work and I got them all done, but I didn't go in to work.  This year we went to Nebraska. Here is Hannah in the Kanesville Tabernacle, the place where Brigham Young was sustained as the second prophet in front of 800 people. I have no idea how they got 800 people in the building.   We also went to the visitor's center at winter quarters. Here are some journal excerpts--one of the writers is a relative. Here is the cane that Brigham Young stamped into the group to declare where the Salt Lake Temple would be. A lot of people don't realize that after he got to the Salt Lake Valley, he organized some things and then headed back to Nebraska. Hence, his cane is in Florence/Winter Quarters. Hannah decked out like a pioneer and pulled a handcart. Here we are outside the visitor's center before heading to the cemetery. Here is t...