HAPPY LEAP YEAR DAY!

I found this on some oddball that I took these fun facts from website.http://www.ok50.com/relationships/top50tipsLeapYearFacts.asp

Julius Caesar proclaimed the last day of February as Leap Year Day, skipping it three out of four years. Back then, February 30th was the last day of the last month of the year, which is why he picked it.

Today our year is 365.2425 days, off from our solar year by .00031, or one day's error over 4,000 years.

Leap Seconds! Some years are longer than others. This is mostly due to weather. Every few years, scientists agreed to add or remove a second from a year right at midnight on January 1st or July 1st. This is called a Leap Second.
Newsflash: Scientists have now discovered that the Earth is not rotating as fast, and have deemed this practice unnecessary!

Leap Moons! Many countries use a lunar calendar to celebrate religious holidays. Whenever the lunar calendar falls behind the solar calendar by more than a moon month, a Leap Moon Month is added to the lunar calendar.

If you're a "Leaper," you will have beaten the 1,506 odds against being born on Leap Day

There is now in existence the Worldwide Leap Year Birthday Club and the Worldwide Leap Year Festival.

Leap Year was the traditional time that women could propose marriage. When the rules of courtship were stricter, women were only allowed to pop the question on one day every four years - February 29th.

It is believed this tradition was started in 5th century Ireland when St.Bridget complained to St. Patrick about women having to wait for so long for a man to propose. So, according to legend, St. Patrick said women could propose on this one day in February during the Leap Year.

They also made it law that any man who declined a proposal in a Leap Year must pay a fine. The fine could range from a kiss to payment for a silk dress or a pair of gloves.

There is a Greek superstition that claims couples have bad luck if they marry during a leap year. Apparently one in five engaged couples in Greece will avoid planning their wedding during a leap year.

Leapship - A friendship or relationship between 2 Leapies!

The Gotthard railway tunnel between Switzerland & Italy was completed on Leap Day 1880.

Dutch scientists produced solid helium on Leap Day 1908.

LeapGramp and LeapGran - The Grandparents of a Leap Day Baby!

There are currently around 4.1 million ‘Leapers’ in the world today.

Leapophile - People who are not themselves Leapies but like and celebrate Leap Day!

Leap Year Day Babies will never have a "Golden Birthday". A Golden Birthday is when your age matches the number of the day of the month you were born on. Leap Year Day Babies will have to be 116 before they turn 29 on the 29th!

Longest Reported Leap Day: Jon Hayanga Leap Year Day Baby 1960, had his birthday in Taipei one day then crossed the international date line going
east and had his birthday again the next day in Spokane, WA, USA.

Shortest Reported Leap Day: Ed Chatfield Leap Year Day Baby 1940, crossed the date-line in a ship (going west) the night of February 28th and woke up on March 1st. So he lost his birthday entirely.

Leap Year Day Babies born in 1884 had no birthday during their entire teen-age years. Why? Because 1900 was not a Leap Year.

Yes, Superman is a Leap Day Baby! He is a comic book character, so he can have whatever birthday his creator decides to give him. An article in TIME magazine, March 14 1988, proclaimed Superman to be born on February 29. However, If you figure it out, there is no way anyone can be 50 'years' old on February 29, of any Leap Year. They would have to be 48 or 52. And, if someone did turn 50 'Leap Years' old on February 29, 1988, they would have been born in 1784!

CALIFORNIA!!!

Well, we're now in California. What!?! Yup, we're in Santa Clara, California living in a hotel for three weeks. WHAT!?! Alright, before you all panic and ask, "what happened to Massachusetts", let me explain. We still live in Massachusetts!! HAHA! I got you worried, huh? Dan's team is in the middle of transferring to Massachusetts from California, so they have to travel back and forth until everything is taken care of. They pay for Dan's flight, lodging and food, so we figured it'd be a great opprotunity and excuse for a fun trip to a warmer part of the country. All we have to pay for is our food (our hotel room has a kitchen) and gas. I have an awesome aunt and uncle who live in La Selva Beach which is about 40 minutes from us. They have an extra car that they are letting us borrow! So, Mckenzie, Abby and I are planning to be tourists for the next three weeks. Rough, huh? Unfortunantely, Mckenzie woke up with a fever this morning so we're staying in the hotel room for the day. It's so weird, I don't have any cooking, cleaning, organizing etc. to do. So, if anyone has any suggestions about where to visit in Northern California, let me know. Also, if any of you live here and want to hang out for a day, I'd love to!

Random pictures

This is what Mckenzie does when you tell her to sing opera!



Abby isn't singing opera, but she looks like she is.




Mckenzie still loves her Halloween costume from last year and the other day it became a bib while she ate oatmeal.

Our walking adventures

Anyone who has kids knows what an adventure it is to even get ready and go for a walk. Mckenzie loves going for walks no matter how cold it is and I think Abby likes it because gets to snuggle up to me and stay super warm! The other day we adventured out and it was a little bit colder than we had planned. The weather here really isn't cold, it's just when the wind kicks in it makes for some unpleasant times. The little pink bundle keeps Abby so warm. Since she's quite the snuggler, you can tell that she thinks it's the coolest thing ever.

Welcome to New England

We are so impressed with how well they take care of their roads! There was a "big" storm one night and guess what we saw out our window!?! They were PLOWING at midnight!! It's amazing. Up until now, we hadn't figured out how they keep their roads so nice and although wet, not icy. Recently we got a gimps of what an ice storm is like, though it wasn't a big one like you always hear about on the news. We had so much fun. I'm sure our neighbors were looking out their windows wondering why in the world we were taking pictures and playing in the cold after an ice storm. We couldn't help but be in awe of what our car was like. It was completely iced over. You might have to click on the pictures to see them in more detail.

Democratics vs. Republicans

I have this neighbor who is really nice. She has a couple of little dogs and Mckenzie loves to go over and visit them. The other day, she told me a funny story. She was at work and they were talking about politics (Super Tuesday had just finished). They got onto the conversation of how none of them even know any republicans. Then my neighbor shouted out "OHHH! I know one!" They all looked at her in surprise and asked if she got a long with this republican (me). She said, "YES! And she's really sweet and she has two adorable little girls..." They were all in shock that not only did she KNOW a republican, but that she actually liked one. We are sure not the majority out here. I am understanding more and more why Massachusetts is considered the bluest of the blue states.

Grandma Whaley

My Grandma Whaley is one of the most wonderful people in my life. I remember making cookies with her the night before we'd go visit family in Idaho, making ornaments to hang on the Christmas tree and our many trips we took together. She's one of the smartest women I know. She has a thirst for knowledge, a love of traveling and seeing new places and cultures, and how can I forget computers. She knows the computer better than most people. When my grandma and Dan get together and start talking about computers, I get confused. During the holidays, my grandma came down with what the doctor said was a common cold which later turned out she had a brain anurism. She's been in the hospital since and has undergone at least 4 operations. It's not easy to see someone you love go through something like this, but I know she'll get better and I am grateful to my Heavenly Father for blessing me with such a wonderful grandmother. Here's a picture of Mckenzie, Abby and Grandma Whaley during the holidays.

Little Miss Mckenzie

Mckenzie is 20 months old! She's fun-loving, energetic, independent, opinionated, vocal and 100% musically oriented. She lives for adventure, excitement and music. She never slows down. She's on the go so much that when I put her down for a nap, she zonks out fast (it's great)! She now understands what opera is and when you tell her to sing opera music, she opens her mouth really big. She loves to dance. When we were visiting Dan's family in Idaho at the beginning of January, we went to church with them. In sacrament meeting, the choir sang a beautiful song and Mckenzie danced to it (ballet style). We're thinking that in the next year or so we'll take her to see the Boston Symphany Orchestra. I wish I could convey her extreme love for music. She has started nursery and enjoys it a lot. The nursery leader is amazing and is so patient with Mckenzie. Mckenzie loves to put things in her mouth. The first week at our new ward, she ate the crayons while they were coloring. The second week, she tried to drink the paint water. Last week, the assistant told me that they were going to be playing with play dough, but that it was the kind that was edible. The pictures of her are from when we first moved to Massachusetts. We hadn't unpacked much at all, but about an hour before Dan came home from work one day she found a shirt of his and insisted on wearing it. She is becoming quite the daddy's girl, though makes sure that I'm still around. She keeps us on our toes and laughing. There's never a dull moment with Mckenzie. One of my favorite things about Mckenzie is how compassionate she is. She has a great concern for others and tries to make people feel good.

Our Little Abby

Abby is now 12 weeks old! She is the complete opposite of Mckenzie. She is calm, content and cuddly! She will let anyone hold her and she LOVES it! She's not picky at all. She loves to smile and look at everything. Her hair is getting wild now and hard to tame, but we're not complaining because at least she has hair. Through our big move, she has been so patient! She doesn't seem to ask or need for much. The biggest thing lately with Abby is her ears. The day the hospital discharged her from the NICU, they said that they "didn't get around to doing the newborn hearing tests". So, while still in Arizona I had her hearing tested. They said that she had some hearing loss (not permanent) in one ear from possible fluid and that they need to do some other tests in a month. By the time her appointment came around, we were already out of Arizona. So, yesterday I took her to an audiologist at UMASS. They were great with her and she was great with them. She slept in my arms the whole time. Some of the tests went REALLY well, but they also found some problems. In both ears, she has some hearing loss. Like the other doctor, they think it might be from fluid and they will check her in another month. Their concern is that even though it's not permanent, what she hears now sounds mostly muffled and they worry about speech and language development. So, in a month when they check her, they'll determine if the fluid is just that and if it is, they'll put tubes in her ears to drain the fluid. Anyway, I know it's not something to be too concerned about, but when it's your little baby, it's hard. They say that she's more prone to ear infections, but she hasn't had one yet (knock on wood). We're so thankful for our new little bundle of joy. When she smiles, you can't help but feel happiness.

Mitt Romney

Well, if any of you have spoken with me in the last 8 months, you'll know that I (Jessica) have kept myself very informed and up to date on the race for the presidency and I have been a HUGE supporter of Mitt Romney! I have been impressed with the issues he stands for, his values, the way he presents himself, his determination, knowledge and his abilities. He has made great contributions to our country both in the private sector and government. It was sad to read his speech today as he suspended his campaign. He would truly be an amazing president working with honor, courage and strength. I liked his quote taken from today, “This isn’t an easy decision. I hate to lose,” Romney said Thursday, as many in the crowd booed the decision. “If this were only about me, I’d go on, but it’s never been only about me. I entered this race because I love America, and because I love America in this time of war, I feel I have to now stand aside, for our party and for our country.”

What have we been up to the last 2 months!?!

I'm back to my blog. Oh how I've missed it. I have nowhere to start. I still can't find my film from Christmas. Stupid film camera. But, I thought that I'd let everyone now what we've been up to and since there's SO much to tell, I thought a list would be easier.
1. In December, Dan finished up his internship and graduated with a B.S. in Computer Engineering.
2. Dan received an offer in Arizona with Intel
3. We went to Colorado for Christmas and New Years. It was lot's of fun and we stayed busy the whole time!
4. Abby was blessed right before Christmas. She wore the same blessing dress that my mom wore. My great-grandma made it out of a parachute.
5. We went snowboarding at Vail and we LOVE it there! We highly recommend Vail.
6. Dan and I flew to Boston for a job interview with Intel. I got sick and stayed in the hotel the whole time. Mckenzie and Abby stayed with my mom in Colorado. THANK YOU, MOM!
7. Dan received an offer with Intel in Massachusetts and took it!
8. We flew back to Colorado, picked up the girls and flew to Arizona all in one day! We don't recommend it.
9. Packed everything and loaded it with the amazing help of my aunt, uncle and two cousins. YOU guys are AWESOME! We did this in 3 days!
10. Drove to Colorado. Spent two days there relaxing a little.
11. Drove to Idaho to spend time with Dan's family before moving cross-country. Two of Dan's younger brothers wrestle in high school, so we were able to watch them at a tournament. They did great! Jonathan placed 1st in his weight and James placed 4th in his. And of course I had to go to Johnny Carino's! We loved spending time with everyone.
12. Drove back to Colorado on a Monday and that night I stayed in the hospital with my Grandma (one of the most amazing people I know) who suffered a brain anurism.
13. Wednesday, my mom and I and the two girls flew out to Boston to find a place to live while Dan and my brother Max drove.
Dan and Max had horrible roads the first day, but they were safe and sound. They were able to stop in St. Louis and see the arch. They also went to the Niaggra Falls and Palmyra. Thank you Mom and Max for all your help! We couldn't have done it without you!
14. We found a place to live, some people from the ward helped us move in, Dan started work and now we're busy unpacking and painting!

I can't believe we were able to get all that we needed to done. The Lord was definantly helping us. We thank all those who have been there to help us. Your love,support and service is greatly appreciated. Mckenzie and Abby were troopers through it all!

Anyone and everyone is welcome to come for a visit! There's so much to do and see here. We love Massachusetts so much already. The people, the weather, the drivers, the beauty of Massachusetts, it's all wonderful! Who would have thought that the bluest state in the country would be such an amazing place!