Noel's White Coat Ceremony

Last Friday was Noel's white coat ceremony. As students start dental or medical school, they are given their white doctor coat by the dean. It's pretty cool; it has Noel's name and UK College of Dentistry embroidered on it. When he graduates, they'll take it back and have DMD put on it and then return it to him. Noel's parents came from Rochester for the occasion (and I'm sure to see their grandson as well).

I felt so proud during the whole thing. Noel starting dental school has been a long time coming...over three years and a masters program. I'm so excited for him to be able to move toward his goal of becoming a dentist. I'm really proud of him for being a good student and for being someone who is so motivated. The great thing about Noel is that he is really good at balancing. He studies hard, but he still makes it a priority to spend time with Greg and me. Way to go Noel!

The best dressed guy at the ceremony... :)
Greg with Lynne and her cell phone (he probably made several calls). Grandma and Grandpa were lifesavers; they are professionals at keeping a baby entertained and quiet!
The class president

Noel getting his white coat from Dean Turner.



Greg loved the juice that they served afterward. We couldn't get him to take his sippy cup away from his mouth!
Lynne referred to Noel's class as the "pretty girls and Mormons." That sums up the demographics pretty well. The LDS guys in Noel's class: Curtis, Brent, Noel, Tony, Barton, Stephen, and Mike.

Happy First Birthday!

Okay...I know that this was a while ago. You would think that especially with my first child, I would be good at documenting all his milestones, but I'm not. But better late than never, right? Greg turned 1 on August 26. It was such a fun day, and I know that it was probably more fun for me than it was for him. I do think that he realized that he was the center of attention that day. He is the center of attention most days, but even more so on his birthday. :)

Since being a stay-at-home mom, I have tried to cook/bake more, so I wanted to make a cute cake for Greg's birthday. I didn't want to get in over my head though, so I decided to do a bear cake (he has this little bear that he LOVES and sleeps with). Turned out pretty well. I also made these fantastic chocolate chip cookie dough stuffed cupcakes. The recipe is from Picky Palate (some tasty recipes on this site). The cake and the cupcakes were the shining star of my baking "career."

We had some of our friends over for cake and ice cream. It is always a good time with the Birds, Bylunds, and Reynolds! We Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa Aston and Aunt Melissa while we sang and while Greg ate his cake so they could watch. Greg was so excited to see them on the webcam. He kept waving, babbling, and rocking his high chair. It was very cute. We gave him a big piece of cake (the bear's entire bow tie). He was a little timid at first...

But he definitely got into it. He ate pretty much the whole piece! Way to go!
On a slight side note: I took Greg for his check-up at the pediatrician the next day. Dr. Warner was asking if Greg liked his cake. I told him that I probably let him eat too much. He asked if Greg got a belly ache from it. Nope. Then he said, "Then it wasn't too much cake." I like your attitude, Doc. I wonder if that goes for adults eating cake, too.

Grandma and Grandpa Dickens sent Greg a Little Tikes play set for his birthday. It was definitely a big hit (with him and all the kids who came over).
Setting it up...



Greg didn't really get into opening presents, but it was still fun because he got excited. Jackson might have gotten a bit more excited though. :) He got a soccer ball, some puzzles, some bubbles, and a UK sweatsuit. Very fun! Happy birthday, Turbo!

Greg's girlfriend. :) Sorry that it's so blurry, but you get the idea that she is very cute!

Greg's 1 Year

I can't believe little G-reg is one year old! It has become a little bit tricky to take a picture of him sitting still with his hippo. Let's be honest, it has become a little bit tricky to take a picture of him sitting still at all.

When Greg was born he had very dark hair, which was a big surprise to us since both of us were very blonde as children. But his hair started coming in blonde, so it looked like he had dyed his hair dark and the dark part was growing out. We finally gave him a haircut, and now he is definitely a little toe-head. He looks so grown up!

Male model pose :) ...

Banana Boy

Greg really likes bananas. Can you tell?


I give him half of a banana at a time, and after a little bit, he has stuffed the entire piece into his mouth. He's gotten better at taking bites, but when he gets down to where his hand is, he just stuffs! At-a kid!

And just for kicks...