Nober's Update: No(el) and (Am)ber

Christmas 2011

2012-01-23T08:25:00.000-08:00

Better late than never, right? We spent Christmas with the Dickens clan in Utah this year. We stayed at Maren and Jordan's house. It was really nice of them to have us since baby Allison was born about 2 weeks before we arrived. Tons of fun!

Our flight to Utah was out of Louisville at 6:00 in the morning, so we stayed the night before in a Marriott (thanks Gordon!) near the airport. I highly recommend it. Free shuttle to and from the airport, and we parked our car there for TWO WEEKS for $30. It worked out great.

Christmas morning, we went to church (I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Christmas on Sunday! Who's with me?) Then came home and had brunch and opened presents.

Cousin Cameron

"We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns, and syrup." Candy cane, anyone?

Luke breaking in his new cougar gear.

Don't you just want to kiss those rosy cheeks?

PRESENTS!!! Santa found us in Utah as well. Thank goodness for free bags on Southwest!

On the 26th, my family came down and we all met at Chuck E. Cheese's. Greg had so much fun running around with Beckett. I think his favorite "game" was feeding the ticket machine. We exchanged presents (of course, I forgot everyone's presents in Lexington). The boys were VERY spoiled by everyone, especially Aunt Melissa.

Ski ball challenge...pretty sure Adele won every time.

Even Brighton got in on the ski ball action.

The next day, we went to the dinosaur museum at Thanksgiving Point with Grandpa, Luke, Julia, Cameron, and LesliAnn.

Greg especially had a fun time playing with his cousins Luke and Julia as well as Uncle Chin. Between you and I, I think Chin earned Greg's favorite uncle award this trip.

Noel also turned the big 3-0 this year. But that will have to be a post for another day...I hear Brighton waking up. :)

Santa's Secret Lexington Trip

2011-12-17T12:22:00.000-08:00

One of the Dicken's guarantees is that if you send us a Christmas card you will in return the next year receive one. However, this year we ran into a little glitch with the printing company. As a result we only sent out 25. To the rest we apologize and want to wish you a

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Like usual we will not be spending Christmas at home. Since luggage is at a premium these days we decided that this year we would celebrate Christmas early.

The boys received a wagon. Brighton was excited with a set of balls, some cars, books and clothes. Greg was pumped about the wagon, but was also excited for some new Cars toys, a series of puzzles and coloring books, and some clothes.

Amber got what every mom loves... a deep cleaning vacuum cleaner.

Noel received a new hiking/camera bag in prep for some awesome 2012 trips.

What a bunch of hunks!

Bucket Lists

2011-12-04T10:28:00.001-08:00

If you live in Kentucky, attending a UK basketball has to be on your bucket list. At least it was on ours.

This year is the last year UK would play UNC at home before we left Kentucky. So, after an early morning clinic, afternoon lecture and an evening spent studying Noel waited in line w/ Jon Bylund and Josh Reynolds until 12:30 to purchase tickets to the UK/UNC game. Poor Noel plopped into bed after spending 17 hours on campus only to wake back up at 6:30 for an 8am exam in Pharm. Yum:(

But it was totally worth it. Yesterday we spent the afternoon with the Bylunds and Reynolds at Rupp for one of the best college games ever! It was epic. Epic enough for Noel to lose his voice.

Here is a panoramic stitch of inside Rupp. Noel used our little point and shoot to take a series of images that he stitched together. Do you think UK colors are blue and white? What made you think that.

What a handsome couple. I think the hats made the image.

And here are Greg's future in-laws aka the Bylunds. The other day Ashley was going to come over and play with Greg but she couldn't. Instead Angela offered for Greg to go over to their place. When Amber asked Greg if that was ok he replied with "Oh, thank you!"

Here is our power couple. Josh and Jenna will be the ones that cure AIDS and start a redesign your home on a dime.

Last time Noel attended UK's home game against UNC he bought tickets for the "Eruption Zone" (picture below). Little did he know that he was caught on College GameDay wearing a shirt more reminiscent of UNC blue instead of Kentucky blue amongst a slew of rabid UK student fans. Yesterday he wore white.

Another pic of the Eruption Zone.

Here is the final score. Davis' block at the end of the game once again saved the day for UK. It should be a thrilling year for UK.

Just One Reason I Love Being a Mom

2011-11-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

Here's a conversation I had with Greg this afternoon while we were playing in our blanket boat.

Greg: I don't want to miss you.

Me: I'm right here, so you don't need to miss me.

Greg: I love you.

Me: I love you, too.

Greg: I want you forever.

Me: Well, guess what. I get to be your mom forever.

Greg: Oh good!

Race Time

2011-11-16T16:42:00.003-08:00

Always ready for a race and pic.

Love these boys!

Who here likes MAC and CHEESE!?

2011-11-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Brighton does! Can't you tell?

Also, we had such a fun Halloween this year. Brighton and Amber were a little under the weather so they stayed home and distributed candy (we actually had a lot of trick or treaters this year). Greg and Noel went with the Willburs and lit up the neighborhood racking up the candy!

Here are the boys. Greg was Lightening McQueen and Brighton was a Giraffe. Noel was Senor Guapo!

No holiday picture would be complete without a little crying. Love it!

Our Baby is #1…that is in Years!

2011-10-30T17:24:00.000-07:00

Gifts come in many sizes, shapes, and packages.

This is one of our most valuable gifts...and by far one of the funnest.

Happy Birthday Bubba Chubs!

We Love You!

Yippeeee!!!

2011-10-26T12:24:00.000-07:00

Yes...that is a potty chart. Yes...it is full of stickers. Yes...it was a big celebration!

End of Seasons

2011-10-22T10:38:00.000-07:00

As a youth Fall meant apple cidar, pumpkins, Halloween, and of course soccer. Lexington isn't quite known for its apple cidar and pumpkins, but the world's most beloved game is alive and well in the hearts of Lexitonians. I will admit that nothing trumps basketball in the bluegrass state, but the influence of soccer from the mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states is spreading.

Greg had his last fall soccer game/practice this morning. Who knows what sports Greg will end up liking, but we are so proud as parents to watch Greg's change in athletic participation. He was so timid when soccer first started. Now he runs, dribbles, and kicks with enthusiasm with the other children.

Here he is after scoring a goal. They were supposed to be practicing "Red light/Green light." Greg decided that there is no such thing as "red light."

Greg chasing the ball. Love the bed-head.

Of course soccer would be incomplete unless his girl/friend Ashley was there. Is it too early to start praying that Greg meets/dates/marries someone as cool as Ashley Bylund. Here is to hoping:)

Such a great image. Greg's coach (the one on the right) did a spectacular job with the kids. He worked really well with the kids and I think he enjoyed the experience (or at least we think he did!).

Go TIGERS!

Each child received a trophy for their efforts. Greg isn't a super star, but I am grateful as a parent for his efforts to be better and his attentiveness to his coach. Way to go Greggors!

Love this!

Greggor's biggest fan! Poor Brighton. He loved watching his brother play soccer and was so disappointed that he could not join in on the action.

I think Brighton may have a future in athletics...or at least in hoarding balls. He is our only kid who as loved throwing his food so maybe he will become a pitcher or quaterback or something :)

The Fall also means the end of summer weather. Luckily Lexington stays pretty warm up until Thanksgiving, but our chances to play in the backyard together are quickly coming to an end. Last Sunday was gorgeous and so we took the boys into the backyard and let them run around.

We recently found out that Brighton is a little daredevil. He particularly likes slides. Here he is climbing up the slide.

And enjoying every minute of flying down.

Good image to end the post with.

Keeneland a Family Tradition

2011-10-15T09:35:00.000-07:00

Last Friday opened the fall season of horse racing at Keeneland. The races at Keeneland are a big deal to central Kentucky and as their claim to fame Kentuckians will remind you that the first place Queen Elizabeth ever visited in the US was Keeneland.

Since we are not big horse race gamblers we particularly enjoy the Breakfast with the Works. The boys love eating donuts and as much greasy food as they can and then going down to the track to see the horses. Plus it is always fun to see newbees to the horse racing experience gussied up at 8 in the morning.

This morning we treated the boys to breakfast at Keeneland. Greg had a ton of fun helping Dad take pictures with "Dad's camera." In fact Greg took the picture below.

Unfortunately our tradition had been to visit Keeneland with the Birds. When we got down to the track to look at the horses Greg turned to Noel and said, "This is where Maddox and I were last time. I miss him." But we had some great company in the Reynolds and hopefully they won't mind going with us again :)

Greg also loves watching the horses. He was so excited to watch them race by.

Brighton also liked watching the horses, but he was a little more comatose and subdued due to being tired and slightly cold.

Greg posing for the camera.

Greggors pointing out to mom the cow horse.

The cow horse: Greg took this picture as well.

On the way out to the car we had a discussion about how lucky we are as a family to enjoy such a wonderful place to live as Noel finishes dental school. This year Noel has served on the admissions committee to dental school and we have had many discussions about the positives and negatives about attending UK. In the end we always feel grateful for our time here in Kentucky. I think the boys would concur. :)

Who's The Boss

2011-10-08T15:18:00.000-07:00

We have found that Brighton is the boss.

Need I say more?

Its Hard Being First

2011-10-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

I have always looked up to my oldest sister.

She had to always act older than her age and of course she had to deal with me.

It is not easy being the first.

Parents expect the most out of their first born, and in a lot of professional families,

they also struggle through residencies, student loans, and hectic schedules.

In our busy lives it is not uncommon to forget to express our gratitude for their concomitant sacrifice.

Amber and I have been so blessed by our little Greggors who adds significant depth to our lives.

Here is to Greggors...who is always excited to be first :)

And here are to good friends!

This past week we also learned of our previous Bishop moving to London, UK. We will miss their friendship and example.

This is more of a funny/fun side-note.

On Friday I officially became a founding member of the Future Male Dentists of America. Don't you just love our logo. You should google our motto, "Denum, veniunt porci"

Post Tent Party

2011-09-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Another motherless weekend.

No problem.

In order to celebrate our independence the boys had a campout in the backyard on Friday, soccer in the morning on Saturday and like all good men, the best naps Saturday afternoon.

Recently we purchased a 7-person tent, but due to a busy Fall schedule and hot weather, we hadn't been able to put it to good use. Friday afternoon after clinic I rushed home and Greg and I set up the tent.

Greggors was the little champ and we put it up with no mistakes in about 20 minutes. We then loaded it up with tons of blankets and created as I like to call it, "Greggor's Throne."

The weather was nice and dry and we had a great night under the stars.

Saturday morning we had round 2 of soccer. Much better. I made sure Greg was well-fed, fixed his shin guards so they didn't bother him, and dressed him for success. Yahoo! It helps that Greggors plays on the coolest "Tigers" team in Kentucky.

Sunday was another beautiful day in the Bluegrass so we took the boys outside to take down the tent and of course take pictures.

Here is Greggors sneaking out the backdoor.

Busted!

No one has ever accused our boys of being camera shy. Here is Brighton hanging out in the tent space.

I love this series of photos. Brighton saw me lying in the grass in front of him and he lit up a cheese ball on Christmas...like cheese on fire!

Just liked the symmetry of the picture.

Happy to have his mother back. I do have to admit, and even Amber will admit this, but I am the king of naps. Somehow both of our boys love their dad putting them down for naps. Just watch, the next one will be a girl and all she will do is scream...yup, scream like a banshee.

Love this. Turned around and saw my shadow in the grass with Brighton on my shoulders. Handed the camera to Amber and sure enough...Amber snapped a beauty! Tempted to keep this picture for Halloween. Looks like some sort of Louisiana bayou swamp monster.

Need I say anything else besides... two cool dud[es]!

A Long Time Coming

2011-09-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

Ever feel like a 2x4 has hit you in the face...not quite here...or here, but right here:)

Yup, life has been busy. Nothing too much out of the ordinary...school, church, and family. Here are some of our recent adventures.

First off, Brighton has turned into quite the little tornado. Greg was always a little ahead of the mobility curve (walking early and talking), but Brighton takes the cake as being exploratory. In his short lived life he has learned to terrorize the house. Luckily he is so darn AWESOME!!!

Below: Purse, 1 minute, and havoc. Yup, everyday living.

It's our birthday boy! Recently Greg celebrated his 3rd birthday. It is amazing how our little Greggors has changed in 3 years. Since Greg is our first child, every change is a first for both him and us. Love it!

This year we kept Greg's birthday pretty quiet which almost killed Noel. Birthdays for Noel are really important, but because of our busy schedule (Primary and school) we ran out of time to put together anything big. We had a small get together with some friends, ate some cake and felt bloated for about 2 days. Nothing says diet buster like child birthdays!

Here is our birthday boy trying to wait as patiently as he could to open his presents:

What every 3 year old boy needs... cars from Cars 2.

Even Raoul made a guest appearance from under Greg's bum.

Here is Greg's cake. Originally it was the dirt track in the movie Cars. Greg saw it, changed the color to green and added about 6 cars.

In September we made a short trip to Rochester to see Noel's parents. Noel could only stay for a day, but we spent a little under a week romping around western NY.

Vacation in NY:

1. Fun tractor ride to the apple orchards.
No one does Fall apples and apple cidar like upstate NY.
With no bias intended... sorry Washington, but its ok if your apples are second best :)

2. What a great family! Greg loved riding on Dad's shoulders and picking apples. Unfortunately Greg's aim from above Noel's head wasn't very good as a lot of good apples were left for the deer.

3. Loving the grass. The weather was pretty nice and Brighton loved playing in the grass as Noel and Greg played around him.

4. Empire HOTs!! You can always tell who is from western NY and who is a poser. Kentucky has Hot Browns and Rochester has "Garbage plates." The original garbage plate (also called trash plates) is from Nick Tahos. Today there are slightly over 20 locations in western NY that offer trash plates, all of which end in "Hots". When Noel was in high school they would frequent Empire Hots up by the Lake [Ontario]. Even though Noel was in Rochester for less than 36 hours, he still made time to visit Hots.

A real trash plate... home fries, cold mac, 2 cheesburger patties and chili sauce. Once you go trash, you never go back.

Iconic

Once Noel left, we had some real fun in Rochester. Grandma Dickens is a busy body and we took the boys all over town. Greg particularly liked the National Museum of Play. All of the exhibits are child friendly. Greg's favorite part was the Wegman's exhibit (also an iconic western NY company).

Amber took a picture of Greg dancing on the DDR pad. Noel thought it was awesome and turned the picture into modern art :)

After:

Before:

Greg also started soccer this past weekend. The poor coach. After only 30 minutes he kept saying, "Three year olds are much harder than seven year olds." I agree. Greg started out ok. He was able to line up his ball and even had some fun dribbling with his friends.

And then everything went downhill. Greg did not get the memo about soccer being about feet. He grabbed his red ball and would not let it go for about 15 minutes (literally).

I was able to sneak a couple of action shots.

And then it was back to normal... soccer with hands. If only he knew how cool it is to be #11 (famous winger number). We will work on it.

Thankfully Greg's team is about 75% LDS and as such all of his friends are on the team. The Bylunds were there and Jon took Brighton for me so I could take pictures.

Poor Greggors and Brighton. Travel all day Friday... Lots of errands Saturday morning and mom was in Somerset with the youth all day.

I think this picture sums it all up. :)

Times Are A'Changin

2011-08-21T14:07:00.000-07:00

How is it that one morning you wake up, the kids are in bed, your wife is still sleeping, you walk to the kitchen to eat and sort out your patient load for the day when you realize, "I am so old." Luckily not quite as old my parents (or at least we hope not :)).

Had one of those moments this week. I think a lot of it revolves around our oldest turning 3 and our current discussions about our savings plan to purchase a new home in 6 years. Still, I can now say I had my pre-fourth decade debacle.

These last two weeks have been quite busy. Classes began, Greg has decided that "huge" boys don't need naps, Brighton finally broke his two lower incisors, and Lexington decided that 90 degree days were too unbearable (never thought I would be happy to hear, "It will only be in the 80s today.")

Last Friday I did not have didactic or clinical work so we took the boys to the Cincinnati Zoo. Awesome! I've been to the San Diego and Chicago Zoos, but the Cincinnati Zoo was just as good. Clean, family friendly, and lots of activities. Don't have pictures, but because we had so much fun the boys were absolutely wiped out on Saturday. Greg was so tired that when he had his 1 hour quite time he fell asleep on the floor surrounded by his toys (see picture below)

Thursday afternoon during Primary Presidency meeting Greg and Waverly were playing in the backyard when they noticed a big green thing. Yup, somehow a small green kiddie pool ended up in our yard. We should have told Greg that it came from outer space, but I can only imagine Greg telling his parole officer some day that, "all of my troubles began when my parents lied to me about how we got our green kiddie pool."

Yesterday afternoon after a full morning of yard work and some much needed nap time, Amber and I filled up the kiddie pool and let the boys have some fun. It was such a nice afternoon and I was so happy to be home and not at school either studying or finishing lab work for patients. I even had time to pull out the camera (they have been quite neglected since vacation).

Below: Brighton pre-kiddie pool

Below: Yes, you can look up the term "Macroglossia" on Wikipedia and you will probably find Brighton's picture as a case-study.

Below: Gave the camera to Amber and let myself have fun with the boys. So much fun! I think Greg particularly liked having fun with me and not watching from behind a lens.

Below: Another typical Brighton picture. He has become quite the accomplished pseudo-crier.

Below: The face we prefer to see.

Below: We learned this week that Brighton is extremely well coordinated, completely opposite of Greg. We would lightly toss the ball to him and he would put out his arms to catch the ball. Amazing how kids of the same flock can be so different.

Below: Just a fun image of Bubbers.

Below (2): Greg liked the pool for the simple fact that he could run up and completely wipeout in the water. I was wondering if we could record him wiping out and mail it to the producers of "Wipeout". As a side-note, anyone else notice how oblivious Brighton is to Greg. :)

Below: Cute

Below: Macroglossia once again. Almost reminds you of a frog readying to smack a fly with its tongue.

Below: Greg realizing that when you run on recently cut grass, then jump into the pool that the grass follows you into the pool.

Below: Favorite of the day. Like I said, because I am always taking the pictures, there are hardly any with my sons. Thanks Amber for rising to the occasion and snapping some keepers!

Picture Extravaganza - Vacation Rocks!

2011-07-28T18:35:00.000-07:00

A common discussion at our dinner table is the appropriate length of a blog post and the correct ratio between words and pictures. I argue that post composition should be about 99% pictures and 1% words. Amber likes the lots of words and some pictures. Most of the time we strike a deal and our blog posts tend to reflect a compromise between our desired ratios.

The reason this is important is because we recently returned from vacationing in North Carolina with my family, where we took lots (like...lots!) of pictures. As I was preparing some for a blog post I realized that I had way too many pictures to post (~100). Amber gently reminded me about her golden ratio theory (remember...lots of words, some pictures). My counterpoint was that I was the one typing and would make the final decision. Not a good move. Note...arguing about blogging is counterproductive to a healthy marriage.

However, we still have lots of great pictures to share.

Pic #1: Greg holding his Uncle Christian's (aka Chin) hand. Christian is such a wonderful addition to the family and Greg was all about his "Chin."

Pic #2: For someone who loves the pool, Brighton had a little bit of a hard time adapting to the ocean. He still loves the water, he just had a hard time with the sound and movement of the surf.

Pic #3: First day at the beach and Greg couldn't even wait to change into his swim trunks. Got to love the pseudo-plumber crack.

Pic #4: Wipeout...Love the TV show and also watching Greg bite it in the surf. Best part was watching Greg laugh and laugh every time he fell. There is something important to learn from the unconquerable nature of toddlers...never give up when the reward is so great!

Pic #5: Typical Brighton...old man hair and intense stare. Plus some awesome bull-dog cheeks.

Pic #6: Brighton sporting his Crocodile Dundee pool/ocean hat.

Pic #7: Brighton and Grandma. That little boy was attached at the hip to my mother when at the beach. He loved sitting in her lap slapping at the waves.

Pic #8: Best part of staying at a home along the coast is that you only share the beach with other large home residents. In other words, even during the busiest times of the year the beach is relatively uncrowded. Greg particularly liked being the king of the beach.

Pic #9: Another one of Greg playing in the surf.

Pic #10: Brighton and the hat. Like it!

Pic #11: Dangerous picture...Lying in the surf in front of a toddler throwing sand.

Pics #12-14: Light trails and glowing orbs.

Pic #15: Gordie and Lynne being adventurous with the ocean kayak. Go Skinny Lynnie!

Pic #16: Wipeout

Pic #17: The Lion stalking his prey.

Pic #18: Bubba chubs and Amber after a nice mid-morning nap. Both are happy. Sleep + beach = Awesome!

Pic #19: Bubba chubs downing water. We discovered that Brighton loves water bottles. Literally loves water bottles. He goes crazy every time we place a bottle in front of him.

Pic #20: Post-nap bedhead.

Pic #21: Simple

Pic #22: Not a great technical picture, but makes we laugh every time. We went to the local sea aquarium and afterwards stopped at the gift shop. Hayley found the hats and Greg tagged along for a classic picture.

Pic #23: Went trolling off the outer banks one morning. Took this image, desaturated it, and inverted to IR. If you are ever wondering how to take a good sunrise or sunset image: Set your flash to "on" and place your horizon either at the upper or lower thirds line (it is at the lower in the this image)

Pic #24: The family minus the Hansens. Even Grandma Dickens made it into the image. We know who the favorite grandchildren are (that's right...Ambo and Noel).

Pic #25: Almost looks like Greg has freckles.

Pic #26: I find myself in very few images so I had to include one with me in it.

Pic #27: Such a fun and bold image. The place where we stayed had a pool and it was awesome. When we had vacationed before in NC we had never had a pool. Now I will never go back. It was great being able to come back from the ocean and wash off a little in the pool.

Pic #28: What a beautiful couple.

Pic #29: Greg's cousins Luke and Julia have scooters that are rigged with three wheels instead of two. They love them and so Grandma brought with her a similar scooter for Greg. He loved it and had the best time pushing it around the neighborhood and house. When it finally cools down a little in Kentucky we will take Greg to the park and let him scoot to his heart's delight.

Pic #30: This is one of my favorite images: Greg running off into the middle of nowhere. Greg loves to run. He would run until he passed out if we let him. As a parent it is so much fun watching his little legs go and go and go.

Pic #31: The third floor living room had a sectional with a huge ottoman that Brighton loved to crawl on. Here he is peeking his head over the cushions.

Pic #32: My mother (Skinny Lynnie) found a pattern for these ocean towels via blog stalking. She made one for each of the grandkids. Greg loves his. Brighton likes his too once he has it on, he is just going through a period where he hates putting anything on...even diapers.

Pic #33: Read an article on non-tripod HDR imaging technique. Wanted to try it. Here is my best trial image. If Amber didn't get sea sick I would love to someday own a small yacht...if only :)

Pic #34: One of my favorites. You should have seen me contorting my body and almost losing the camera over the side of the ship attempting to take this image. Well worth the effort.

Pic #35: Brighton and his hat...need I say more?

Pic #36: Seven years next Saturday. What a hot momma!

Pic #37: Hot, humid and tired...what a great combo for infants!

Pic #38: Peek-a-boo! Kind of reminds me of some J. Crew catalog image. Did anyone else notice how asymmetrical his eyes look. Yeah, kind of crazy!

Pic #39: Did you laugh? Yup, us too. Brighton recently learned how to furrow his eyebrows. Love the combo of the furrowed eyebrows and furrowed chin. Makes me laugh every time.

Pic #40: The last. Took a sequence of Greg riding his scooter down the driveway. Thought it would be fun to stitch together. What do you think?

Well, that was our summer vacation in a nutshell of images. Hope you enjoyed. Next week it is back to the grind. This summer flew by and we are so sad to say farewell.

Timbers of my Heart

2011-07-11T20:46:00.000-07:00

During lunch one afternoon I had an interesting conversation with some friends; one that was probably deeper than one expects while taking a break from studying. We had spent the morning studying embryology. A topic that derives life down to the basics of biophysics and molecular genetics...to chemical signals and atomic interactions. I was feeling pretty comfortable with the material and was excited to talk about what I had memorized. Soon the topic shifted to the amazing product of embryology...US! Like a proud dad I found myself talking about life's absolute beauty and how grateful I am to watch the dynamics of nature and providence play out in the lives of my two sons.

That evening as I was working on pictures from a recent wedding, I noticed an old folder I had highlighted for editing titled "Timbers." Weird name for a folder. At first I thought it was from some random landscapes I took. When I opened the folder I was pleasantly surprised to find images of my family that I had stored away. At some point I had inspirations to create a portfolio book of meaningful images, but with life things are often stowed away in the attic of wants and wishes. Funny thing about that folder is that most of its images weren't that great in terms of composition or even simple photography mechanics. In fact, some of them were just simply "bad." I snickered a little bit and after enjoying the respite redirected my efforts into wedding processing.

A couple of days later I was discussing image selections with the newly wed couple whose images I had been working on the night I found the "Timber" folder. There was a lot of, "We would like two 5x7s of the siblings and three 8x10s of the family shot." For each wedding I offer one free 11x14 metallic paper print. When I asked them which one they wanted for their 11x14 they chose a most unlikely image...the groom being smashed in the face by a handful of cake. I laughed thinking it was a joke...Whoops! The bride didn't think it was so funny. I apologized and told her that most couples reserve the free print for one of their "sentimental" pictures. Her reply was simple, "This is who we are, funny, not sappy."

Love it!

As a photographer my job is always easier when my clients know exactly what they want.

After saying goodbye to the young couple I thought about all the time I spent editing their wedding images. I had fretted about straightening, composition, rule of thirds, white balance, contrast, sharpness and a slew of other things. In the end the couple only really wanted what best represented them and not what I had contrived to be the archetypical wedding shots.

I thought back to "Timbers", that funny titled folder. The title is from Joe Pug, a crazy drunk Irish artist, who sings about "the timbers of his heart." The analogy has stuck with me; an image of a man, his hopes, his desires, and his soul defined by what pumps his heart. The timbers of my heart are sewn from a lot of things; family, friends, faith, and fatherhood. But like the newly weds, my strongest timbers are buttressed to the notion that I have so much for which to be grateful. This idea was never more evident than in the images I stowed away.

Everything can be broken down into core components. Life can be defined by moments of time. Religion to its key beliefs. Embryology to developmental stages. And to me...timbers.

I realize that up to now you have dredged through a lot of words...most unlike me...Right? Hold on a little bit longer. Indulge me for a little bit longer and let me share with you one of my timbers.

You've probably seen this image before. One of my favorites. Taken at an awkward angle with a point and shoot. Outside the Chill'n Grill in Palmyra, NY. It's late and Greg is tired. Chocolate hangs on his right vermillion border. The hat is crooked and his left hand clenches his bear. Every so slightly he leans against my left elbow, too small to find a proper rest in the angle of my elbow and too big to be swept up and cuddled. Tell tall signs of sleepiness drape the canthi and his stout chin clenches after a brief yawn.

So much to say for something so seemingly simple.

However, as Joe sings, "Will you recognize my face when God's grace strips me of my jacket and vest and reveals the treasure of my chest?"

Yup, here it is.

The Fourth

2011-07-04T20:06:00.000-07:00

Need I say any more? Love the Fourth!

Parks and Cars

2011-06-24T12:58:00.000-07:00

The Smith family was in town as part of their vacation and yesterday we spent a couple of hours over at Waveland taking pictures. Amber decided to bring the boys over to play and run around. Time with the family is always limited and as such we lived it up.

Greg showing off his muscles.

Like usual, Greg always finds where the camera.

Nothing much to say besides like the shot.

Brighton is going through development stages pretty quickly now and we love taking pictures of his new "intense" stares.

Such a beautiful woman and baby...lucky to say I am married to one and father to another.

Love this sequence. Brighton loves sticking out his tongue and I was happy to take a series of it.

Took Greg to see his first movie, "Cars 2". We had a blast! Love the glasses.

What a couple of handsome fellows.

Brothers

2011-06-21T13:36:00.000-07:00

Some of the greatest joy in my life comes from watching my sons interact with each other. I worried at first if they would be able to coexist peacefully. I don't have that worry anymore. For now. :) (We'll see about that again later when Brighton is more mobile and better at stealing Greg's toys.)

It's so sweet that Brighton laughs hardest for Greg. It's sweet how Greg wants to come with me to get Brighton out of his crib when he wakes up, then peeks over the bumper pad and says, "Hi Brighton!" It's sweet when Brighton tries to give Greg a hug. It looks a lot like grabbing his face, but I think it's a hug. It's sweet when Greg says, "Brighton is sad. I help him." It's sweet that they play peek-a-boo in the car. It's sweet when Greg wants to hold Brighton on his lap. It's a pretty awesome life I live.

I love these boys!

Brighton sure does love his elephant that Aunt Carrie gave him.

Brighton in his sleep sack. Noel said he looked like he was wearing a potato sack.

What a cute smile!

One day, I was fixing dinner and Brighton was in his high chair. I was almost finished when Brighton started crying. I kept telling him I was almost done and that he was okay. After a couple of minutes the crying died down and eventually stopped. Poor kid. I guess Greg and I wore him out that day.

Greg is constantly cracking me up. Why is it that toddlers like the baby toys more than the baby likes the baby toys? Funny kid.

Oh my. Serves me right for leaving my stuff out.

Fun in the Sun

2011-06-09T18:06:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing, which means of course that the Dickens are at the pool or playing in the sprinkler. Noel has this theory that he sweats in inverse proportion to how much time he spends swimming or running around. Hence...we spend a lot of time wet! :)

Here are some pictures of the Dickens' summer fun.

Greg in the backyard shouting for me to turn the sprinkler on.

Hulk aka Greg

Learning how to pick up chicks next to his ride :)

Bubba chubs enjoying his toy horse.

Yup...looks like Brighton.

Brighton at the pool. Love the new hat!

Awesome goggles!

Nothing says the pool like Cars fruit-snacks

Hard to Say Goodbye

2011-06-05T16:31:00.000-07:00

After nearly 7 years of marriage, there is one absolute truth about us...Amber hates change. To which she says, "Yes!" In the last two months we have had to say goodbye to two families with which we have grown to love and appreciate as dear friends. The Birds left us at the beginning of May and now the Reynolds are picking up shop and moving to Kansas City for a couple of years.

On Friday several families in the ward put together a potluck farewell at Hartland Park. Greg loved it, Brighton loved it, and of course the parents didn't...never fun to say goodbye. However, there was good food and although I said we didn't like it...it certainly was fun :)

Here is Brighton boy playing in the swing. It only took me twenty pictures with the point and shoot to get the one shot I wanted...yuck! Still worth the effort. Although the adage "the difference between a professional photographer and an amateur is the number of pictures one takes" holds true for point-and-shoots, you still look like an idiot if you shoot too much with a DSLR. Thankfully mine was packed away for a wedding on Saturday :)

Ashley Ann and Greggors romping around. Both tried climbing the tree. Thankfully they never got more than a foot off the ground.

Jennilyn and Amber. What a great combo! Jennilyn and her husband are a pretty stellar couple and taught us many things while they were here.

No post would be complete without a picture of Greg. This is at the end of the evening when we told him he had to go home. Can you tell by the tears that he wasn't happy?! And how about the dirty face...someone likes cookies and running around.

Why We Love Guests

2011-05-30T13:26:00.000-07:00

We have been very fortunate lately with the visit of parents and friends. But like usual, let's start with some nice pictures.

Here is bubba chubs with Amber (nice job on the self-portrait). Nothing says tired parents like a sewn on tie.

Papa and Grandma Dickens stopped by last weekend to visit. They had not seen the boys since Christmas and made the most of their trip. The girls spent the morning combing garage sales. In the afternoon we went to Mellow Mushroom for some yummy pizza and hummus. And of course...we went to the Arboretum. Here is Brighton being quite the little chubby football.

Brighton learned to sit up recently and now enjoys reaching for everything. He particularly likes the tv remote, so taking this picture was quite easy.

Here we are last Saturday weekend in the morning taking the boys for walk. Greg loves his bike. He loves telling us, "Here comes another hill! I beat it."

This weekend Greg Creighton came to visit. That's right, the Greg - the one who our Greg is named after - came to ride the Horsey Hundred with us. Big Greg flew in Thursday evening. Friday we spent preparing for Saturday. Saturday morning and afternoon Greg and Noel, along with Jon bylund, participated in the Horsey Hundred's Century ride. The weather was perfect except that Greg's allergies went crazy. Poor Greg spent Saturday night recouping with Benadryl and Claritin. We did enjoy a nice meal at Masalas which was perfect after a long day of sugars and gatorade.

After church on Sunday and a delicious meal of homemade steak and chicken fajitas we went to Waveland. Lil Greg loved running around and telling Big Greg to follow him.

Here are some pictures from Waveland.

Love this picture. Lil Greg convinced Big Greg to go down the slide. Unfortunately for Big Greg, it was hot and the slide was unforgiving to sweaty legs.

Two peas in a pod.

Where else but in Kentucky would they make Corn-hole part of a wedding party. Love it!

Great series of pictures of the Gregs

Brighton also loved being pushed in the stroller.

This morning Big Greg left for New York and little Greg was devastated. On the way home Greg kept telling us how Big Greg will come back tomorrow. Poor lil Greg, he had so much fun with Big Greg that are worried that he will be satisfied with just us :)

The End of an Era + Pics

2011-05-15T17:49:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. Brighton has come into his own; he has started to sit by himself, roll all over the house (not that great during diaper changing), and eat solid foods (loves peas and hates beans). He is even starting to understand the concept of smiling for pictures.

Like usual..."people" like pics over words so here is a series of Brighton pictures.

Last weekend was also Dental school graduation and our good family friend Jeff Bird graduated. We were happy for the Birds and to celebrate we had a fun afternoon at Waveland taking pictures and of course playing games. We have lived near each other for six years and in two states and despite being sad about them leaving we wish them the best.

Jeff and Melea

Embree

Melea, Maddox, and Embree feeding ants.

The Birds

Embree

Embree and Melea

Maddox (far right) hanging with the cousins

Embree and cousin Amanda

The Boys...Matthew and Maddox

Spider man Maddox!

Hide and Go Seek Greggors

2011-05-11T17:20:00.000-07:00

Early Mother's Day

2011-05-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

We've been married almost 7 years and every year is so busy around Mother's Day that I am left scrambling for ideas and appreciation gifts. This year was just as busy, but low and behold, the Great Noholio stepped up and absolutely nailed Mother's Day! That's right folks, nailed it!

As a preview, I designed a 12" x 12" collage, printed it on special metallic paper and had it mounted on bamboo. I know you are thinking it, so let's just say it out loud...Awesome!

Stay tuned for some more awesome Mother's Day Noholioness!

We also had fun running around in the backyard like usual.

Easter Smiles Bring Candy Hangovers!

2011-04-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little late, but better late than never.

Before we jump into a lively Easter photolog, I wanted to post two pictures that are every parents dream

...Sleeping children!

Now, onto Easter.

Since last Easter our family has grown and we were excited to introduce Brighton to the joy of Easter morning chocolate fest. It didn't take much introduction, however, as Brighton seemed to have some magic powers of candy discernment. We even caught him in the act of hounding Greg's Easter basket.

After church we went over to the Bylund's house where we enjoyed a nice Easter ham dinner w/ fruit and lots of little kids. We are so grateful for their kindness and friendship. What would the world ever do without the Bylunds!? Thanks Pam and Bob!

Here is Amber and Brighton in the hallway just prior to the start of the Easter egg hunt festivities.

Greg searching for eggs. We thought for sure that Greg would be an aggressive egg hunter, but we were surprised to see such a meek side of our little Greggors. He is, however, still our #1 Dude or as Grandma Dickens says, "Cool D...U...D...(whoops no 'E')"

Bylund nation starring Pam and Bob. For once Greg almost forgot that his picture was being taken.

Yahoo! Wait, where is the candy?

Eggs

More eggs

Yum!

Thanks Pam for the bucket. Greg still carries around his bucket from last year and loves telling us it is "Greggors"

Sun and Smiles

2011-04-19T17:51:00.000-07:00

Everybody needs a break from potty-training...right? Today was nice and warm (we actually had to turn the air on), so for a break we turned on the sprinkler and let Greg go crazy.

What a great afternoon outside!

And to finish it off...What a great face!

Sunday Adventures

2011-04-17T15:59:00.000-07:00

Of course it rains all week and then Sunday is beautiful. When I was a child this used to bother me to no end; all I wanted to do was run around outside and soak up all the rays. This morning before church we took some pictures of the boys. Greg was his usual self and instead of staying still he decided to show off his amazing running skills!?

Brighton sat back and watched all of the excitement. Don't you just love the belly chub. His nickname of Bubba Chubs is well deserved...a 5 month old stuck in a 1 year old body.

Here comes the flying Greggors!

We Like Ice Cream, How Bout You?

2011-04-16T17:22:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened, but when we think back to what happened, nothing really happened at all...just a couple of weeks, lots of tests, plenty of ice cream and dreaming about consistently warm weather.

We have recently discovered the joy of Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt. Lexington has two locations, one close to our house. Last week for FHE we took the boys for some dessert and Greg was in seven heaven. He loved grabbing the levers and watching the ice cream flow like sweet molasses on a hot summer day. Greg's favorite activity by far was asking for more sprinkles. That kid loves his sprinkles.

Brighton continues to grow into our little "Bubba chubs." He has entered the "once in sight I will get it" stage. We love watching his eyes lit up with excitement for new things.

On Monday we will begin our "3-day" potty training program w/ Greg. We are excited and after opening his new underwear, Greg is excited. He was however disappointed that most of his Lightening McQueen undies only had McQueen's picture on the back and not the front; he kept insisting that the back was the front because "McQueen is on the front, Daddy!"

Just to note how rough the last couple of weeks have been, here is Noel asleep w/ Greg. He went in to tell stories at 7:30 and both of them were asleep by 7:45.

Meet B-Ted

2011-04-04T18:45:00.001-07:00

Springtime Fun!

2011-04-04T18:19:00.000-07:00

Meet Woody and Buzz! This evening the Birds came over for some fun FHE and Greg and Maddox were in their element. Greg insisted he was Woody from Toy Story and Maddox joined in the fun by being Buzz Lightyear. Can't you see the resemblance?

Greg loves being helpful in the kitchen and he particularly likes turning on the Kitchenaid! Here he is caught doing what he does best, creating kitchen mayhem.

Spring has brought some nice showers and where else would a curious 2 yr old boy be?...But outside! Notice anything? How about Greg's kangaroo pouch?

Love it!

March Madness in Kentucky is like no other place. People bleed blue from birth to death. Since we now have two native Kentuckians (G-reg and B-Ted) living in our home, we of course had to dress up and celebrate for anything blue. Go Cougs! and Cats!

When I Wish Upon a Vacation Extension

2011-03-20T17:49:00.000-07:00

Why can't we have sun days in March? Or why not a day to celebrate the Spring equinox? Instead I am left to rue the start of classes and clinic tomorrow....yuck. After church and home teaching, Greg and I went outside to enjoy the nice weather. Mostly it involved running after Greg in his new "fast shoes" that blink.

Everyone Needs a Little Vacation

2011-03-16T20:56:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of vacation and I am loving every minute of being home. True, my allergies have gotten an early kickstart, but I didn't realize how much I missed being home. This morning I took Greg to the pool and after a little bit of cajoling, Greg allowed me to zip him around on his kick board. Afterwards we headed to Walmart and as a treat Greg got a bunch of new figurines from the movie Cars.

In the afternoon Amber and I took the boys to the park where we attempted to fly kites. Greg loved it and Brighton had fun being the star of the playground. Nothing says, "My life rocks!" like laying in your stroller as people ogle over you. The series of pictures below are from are "wickedly" awesome family time.

As a funny side note...last fall I had a giggle over how many people from eastern Kentucky call a "hollow" a "hollor". Yet when we were returning from the park Amber was telling me about how Greg tends to "bellor" rather than "bellow" when he talks excitedly. We laughed for quite some time about this and after referring to our trusty old Webster's dictionary we realized that "bellor" is not a word but just a matter of accent. Six and half years into our marriage and I still have my "begs" rather than "bags" and Amber apparently has her "bellor" rather than "bellow" :)

While Big Boys Play, the Little Ones Sleep

2011-03-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Spring has brought such nice weather and after a wonderful yet busy Sunday we let Greg pound around outside while Brighton slept. What a great day!

Much Needed Dad Time

2011-03-12T16:35:00.000-08:00

Spring has finally arrived in Kentucky with lots of rain, moderate temperatures and budding trees and flowers. Yet, since Christmas Dad aka "Noholio" has been MIA with late nights on campus, weekends working in the lab, and lots of other stuff.

However, to start Noel's spring break, last night we spent a wonderful evening in Louisville eating at the Cheesecake Factory, attending Les Miserables (w/ actual broadway cast) at the Kentucky Performing Arts Center and feeling like an actual couple w/ a weekend to enjoy each other's company.

This afternoon Noel played w/ Greg...oh how this young boy misses his dad. Here is a picture of Greg (Noel Jr.) at the park w/ Noel. Someday we will be done w/ school!

I Was Feeling Kinda Crafty

2011-03-08T16:12:00.000-08:00

I love having a wreath on my door. And since winter is hopefully over, I have been meaning to switch out my winter wreath for a spring one. I think it turned out pretty cute.

Around the House

2011-02-24T12:00:00.000-08:00

Until last week, we have been a one car family. This winter has been quite a bit colder and snowier than the previous years since we moved to Lexington. As a result, Noel hasn't been able to ride his bike to school very much at all. Last winter, I would just take him to school on the days too cold to ride. But this year, chances are that one or both boys are asleep when he needs to leave for school. So he just took the car. We've been home a lot the last few months. So here are some pictures of the boys just chillin' at home.

Greg and Brighton on a "stay in your pj's all day because Mom is feeling lazy" kind of day. We have more of those than I'd care to admit.

One day, we were running a bunch of errands, and I totally wore Greg out. He fell asleep on the couch and his feet slid off when he rolled over. He was still dead asleep.

My beautiful boys.

Brighton enjoying the Bumbo seat. He really likes sitting in it but usually ends up spitting up like crazy because it squishes his belly.

What better place to eat your breakfast than on the step-stool?

Check out those cheeks! I can't get enough of kissing Brighton's squishy, adorable face!

Ya like Noel's black eye that he got while playing racquetball against Gordie? Yep...it was his own shot that hit him.

Towel Monster

2011-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

We are all creatures of habit in the Dickens house. Bed time routine is basically the same every night. And depending on Greg's mood, it is often identical. He takes a bath before bed and has to have one of his hooded towels, which he calls "towel monster." He gets out of the bath, Noel wraps him up, and he stands in front of the mirror and says, "Towel monster. Ha ha ha." It's pretty funny.

When Brighton was born, my friend Jenna gave him this adorable hooded towel. It was perfect...a towel monster. Darling! What a cute little "towel monster."

Little Buddies

2011-02-24T11:41:00.000-08:00

We are lucky to live in a ward with LOTS of little kids. When I say lots, I mean TONS. There are about 30 kids in nursery, and 10 more entering nursery this year. So obviously there are lots of families in the ward in kind of the same situation as us. We've made many great friends and so has Greg. It's so fun to watch him play with his little buddies. It's great to hear them talk to each other and laugh together. Everynight when he prays (we still help him by telling him what to say), we tell him to say, "I thank thee for my friends." Which he does and then he starts listing them off. So precious.

We had Brynlee and Ashley over on Monday. Here is Greg and Brynlee playing with the rocket. They thought it was hilarious. Every time one of them would stomp on the pump, they would both crack up. So funny!

Since Monday was President's Day, my parents had the day off, so we Skyped with them while the girls were here. It was so cute. When I told Greg we were going to Skype with Grandma and Grandpa, all three kids jumped up on the chairs by the computer. They all wanted to Skype. :)

These two little boys LOVE, LOVE, LOVE cars. Whenever Jackson comes over, the race track is always going.

What play date would be complete without an indoor picnic (chicken nuggets, of course) while watching "Cars" ?!?!

A Random Look into Our Lives

2011-01-24T10:25:00.000-08:00

I'm sick. Greg's sick. Luckily Brighton's not sick this week. I don't think Noel's sick either (sick of pathology and tests, but not the other kind of sick). It's just been a cycle of sickness this month in the Dickens house. So it's been a stay in my pjs and not do very much kind of day. Perfect day to put some pictures on the blog.

I have definitely neglected our family blog for a LONG time. Luckily Noel has done some posts. But anyway...being a stay at home mom is the best job I've ever had. It has been such a blessing to have Brighton join our family. He is getting the hang of sleeping; he sleeps through the night about 2 or 3 times a week. It's great! It's also getting much easier to get him to sleep at night, which is also great. What used to take a couple hours each night is down to about 45 minutes. Brighton is such a content baby (as long as he is being held or somebody is right by him). His smile is adorable! He is almost three months old and is growing like a weed. Last time he was weighed, he was over 17 lbs. Definitely a big fella; my arms are getting pretty defined from holding him all the time. :)

The loves of my life! I liked the sequence of these pictures. 1. Greg smiling, Brighton not looking and spitting up on Noel. 2. Brighton looking, Greg yelling to see the first picture. 3. Noel getting spit up on again by Brighton, Greg squirming to get down. It makes me laugh.

On Saturday afternoon, the boys and I went to pick Noel up from a long day of studying on campus. On the way home, we stopped at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things that we would need before Monday. I stayed in the car, and Noel ran into the store. When he came out, he had the necessities and this...

Yep...that's right, 35 oz. of cheese balls! Look at the size of that thing next to Greg! Greg was in 7th heaven!

On a completely unrelated note, I re-read a General Conference talk given by President Eyring this week. He gave the talk, "Rise to Your Call," in October of 2002, my first semester at BYU. I'm not quite sure why it made such an impression on me as an 18 year old kid. Maybe because Heavenly Father knew I would need it later on in life. It is a great talk and definitely worth a read.

Also, for those that read our blog (I know that's not a ton of people) that are serving in primary or other organizations in the church, if you haven't already checked out sugardoodle.net, I highly recommend it. It has TONS of ideas for sharing time and FHE, lots of clipart and stories, etc. I love sugardoodle!

A Season Full of Pictures

2011-01-08T13:48:00.000-08:00

2010 was a wonderful year. Amber and I were so excited to watch Greg's development, welcome Brighton into our family, finish the first year of dental school, and enjoy some much needed R&R this summer. Because I am lazy, the majority of this post is pictures.

The first three pictures are some of our favorite Greg pictures of the year.

Go cougs!

Future President of the Chamber of Commerce!

Monkey's from Space lead guitarist and pretty boy.

Papa and Grandma Dickens were able to visit for Brighton's blessing. That Saturday evening we had snow and Greg loved dressing up in his winter gear.

How handsome...we particularly like the Cars boots.

What a handsome toddler.

Look at that handsome man. Who could that be?

Ahhhhhh...so beautiful!

Doing what every kid loves to do best...make sweets and eat them.

Before Christmas, Greg decided to wake up early, sneak out of his room, and finish off the leftover mint brownies.

Pretending we are dinosaurs at the Point of the Mountain Dinosaur Museum. Julia looks particularly fierce. Wouldn't have wanted to mess with her prehistorically.

Christmas morning. The two boys look so handsome with their matching outfits. Thanks Jennilyn!

Amber got the best Christmas present...a baby that slept through the night (8 hours of pure bliss). Makes it hard on the husband to beat that present :)

Bubba Chubba - Brighton's nickname, snuggling up on his mother.

Bubba chubs smiling and cooing...so cute.

Greg enjoying his Christmas presents.

Brighton and I enjoying Christmas morning.

Cousin Dallin showing off what he learned about proper Christmas present unwrapping safety.

Brighton and Mom

That is how I wish I spent Christmas...sleeping.

Of all our Christmas pictures, this is our favorite. Greg, Mater, and Mac...what a trio!

Papa Aston and Greg playing before church.

Handsome church attire.

A Few Weeks in Review

2010-12-12T11:45:00.000-08:00

Between school and studying, there isn't much time to do things these days, but I did finally find some time this weekend to index some old pictures and upload new ones from Brighton's baby blessing. So here are a few that brought some smiles to my face.

First off, no post would be complete without including a few pictures of Greg. We love Greg and are so grateful for the precious spirit he brings into our home. He is quick to say sorry and never goes to bed without first a kiss and hug. This summer he really learned to love the pool and we spent many summer days splashing in the kid's pool. I found this picture while preparing the annual family album and thought it epitomizes everything Dickens...pool, hat, crocs, swim shirt, and board shorts.

Every photographer finds an image that despite it's poor composition and a billion other photo faults that they fall in love with. This one is mine. For those with children, you know how hard it is to capture "the" image of your children w/ your point and shoot. The natural motion blur and wide eyes define everything about being a parent with a fun and energetic son...simply love it.

What most people don't know is that we really have four children, Greg and Bear, Brighton and Elephant. We would have had many horrible nights if Greg hadn't found a friend to sooth his sleep. Thanks Bear!

Here we are after Brighton's blessing. Because stake conference being the first weekend in December and the lack of other available weekends we decided to hold the blessing immediate following stake conference. Thank you for those that were there and the many who couldn't make it but were there in spirit. We are so blessed to have a healthy family and are so excited for the addition of "Bubba Chubba." Like usual I had a hard time keeping back the tears during the blessing. Some of the highlights that I can remember include a blessing upon Brighton to be an inspirational figure in our family and to set a good example to those he loves. I felt impressed to bless him with a kind heart and the ability to discern good friends from bad. That is about all I remember.

Being married is as easy as the spouse to whom you are married. We have had our moments over the last 6 years, but being married to Amber is like eating chocolate...awesome! Plus, how could you ever become angry with a smile like this.

We are in debt to wonderful parents who have set good examples and instilled in us moral, ethical, and religious values. Despite a hectic winter schedule, my parents were able to make it for Brighton's blessing and I was able to snap a few images of them with Bubba Chubba. It was particularly nice snapping a few of my father who for years has been on the opposite side of the lens.

When Brighton was born, both Amber and I had this set image in our heads about how Brighton would look...Greg's head on an infant's body. We both know how crazy that sounded, but we just didn't know what to expect and when Brighton came we were so excited to meet a new and distinct little Dickens (although not so little). Brighton is his own little self and despite a lack of sleep we are finding how much depth he adds to our family.

This is the last image of the post and it is another favorite of mine because you can really see Brighton's recession line. Love having babies that look like they are 1 month going on 65.

One of the Best Thanksgivings

2010-11-28T16:05:00.000-08:00

Every year Amber and I find it harder and harder to travel for the holidays. Ticket prices keep rising, our family gets bigger and unfortunately I never have a true vacation because vacation simply means extra time to study. The last two years we have been lucky to have Great Grandma and Grandpa Minick, "Skinny Lynney" and "Gordie", and cousin Christie and her beautiful family the Crockers visit our home and spend a crazy yet fun Thanksgiving. This year, however, with family unable to visit we were able to spend some much needed and fun family time together.

Lectures finished Wednesday so when I got home around noon I took Greg to Lowe's to pick up light switches and outlets. Greg had a blast running up and down the aisle telling me all about the many "manly" things he found. He particularly liked the washer/dryer aisle as he could open the doors, stick his head in and hear his voice echo. Since Brighton's birth my time with Greg has been limited and I loved having a little bit of free time just being a dad. Thanks Greg for your enthusiasm, constant conversation and fun spirit! That afternoon after his nap, Greg helped me work around the house replacing the switches and outlets. Although he never found a use for his wrench, he certainly tried. Here is a picture of Greg with his "blue" work light.

Thursday morning we awoke to an exciting day of turkey roasting, stuffing baking and pie making. Once again we cooked the turkey in the slow roaster and like good old Dickens' tradition we made 5 pies (3 pumpkin, 1 mixed berry, and 1 apple). YUM!!!

At 1pm the Thanksgiving crew arrived and we dove into the food at 1:30. Our extended family the Jacksons and Jones joined us again this year. We were also joined by the Petersons, Skanchys and Jared Nimtz. Everything was soooooooo good (as evident by my weight gain)! We are so thankful for the friendship of each of these families and for the many different talents they share with us. Thank you for allowing us to share time and laughs.

Friday morning we awoke to a dusting of snow covering the ground and bright sunshine! A perfect day to reflect quality family time. Both boys slept in until 8am and Brighton only woke up once during the night.

Greg and I finished replacing switches and outlets and Amber enjoyed a nice breakfast. Fatso Brighton let us put on his "workout" outfit (the one in the picture below) and Greg got to run around in his "McQueen" pjs for half the day.

Saturday was spent doing nothing (except for me...studying). I did make it a priority to see the BYU game over at the Griggs. I am hoping that just one year BYU will absolutely blow out Utah but it at least won't happen until next year. That night we spent playing "Ticket to Ride" with Jeff and Melea. Sadly and happily the Birds will be graduating in May from dental school and will leave Lexington. We are saddened about the prospects of them leaving but are excited about the many opportunities awaiting them post-graduation.

Today was our first Sunday back to church as a family. It was nice riding together as a family to church and although Brighton wanted to be fed twice during sacrament I felt normal again sitting next to my favorite person - Bumber. I am grateful for this short vacation, for the chance to be with those that I love. I am grateful for the sealing power of the Priesthood and its associated blessing of eternal families. I want to take the time and give my thanks to those that have helped me become a man and father, who have provided good examples and sacrificed in my behalf. I feel that the world doesn't say thank enough and so I just want to say, "THANK YOU!"

To finish the post, I thought pics of Turbo and Teddy would be nice.

Brighton

2010-11-23T13:23:00.001-08:00

I have been very blessed since Brighton was born to have help from family members. Lynne was here the week after he was born, then my mom came, and my sister came the week after that. I'm not quite sure what we would have done without so much help. I'd like to think that I would have figured it out, but I'm not so sure about that.

Brighton with Grandma Aston

Brighton with Aunt Nichole. As you can tell from the picture, he was very sad that she had to leave. :)

Here are some more pictures of Brighton.

First bath time. He wasn't a fan but has gotten used to it a bit. He sure does a good job of peeing while in the bath (sorry... probably TMI).

My adorable boys.

Trying to eat his fist. He's definitely a good eater.

I think he looks like he's partying in this picture. :) I sure am lucky to be a mom!!!

Stylish Dentist

2010-11-14T15:21:00.000-08:00

The 4th year dental students recently had their annual clothing sale and this year I decided to purchase a cranio-cap and a t-shirt for G-reg. When the t-shirt arrived we realized that 3T really meant 18-24 months...so we put it on Greg and let him run around in his new "Muscle" shirt.

Busted

2010-11-14T13:46:00.000-08:00

Brighton spent last night being sick...thanks in part to Greg being the source of all IDs in the house. As a consequence Amber and I placed the two culprits against the wall and shot their picture. Of how cute can craziness be!?

Happy Halloween w/ Additions

2010-10-31T13:04:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Dickens celebrated Greg's first true Trunk or Treating experience and the addition of Brighton Theodore Dickens to our family. Friday afternoon Skinny Lynnie arrived from New York to help watch Greg while Amber and I spent time in the hospital. This is my mother's third straight week living out of a suitcase and we are extremely grateful that she could make it to Lexington. That evening Amber and I went to the hospital to begin Amber's induction. After filling out the paperwork we waited only about 10 minuted before we were brought back to the delivery room. The nurses placed Amber's IV and started her on a low dose oxytocin regiment.

Saturday morning Amber's water broke and she started to have regular contractions. After a relatively rough morning of contractions and pain, Amber delivered Brighton Theodore Dickens at 1:24pm weighing 10lbs. 3oz. and measuring 22in. long. Both of us are super excited to welcome Brighton into our home, but even more excited was his older brother Gregory. First chance he had, Greg wanted to hold his little brother and luckily I caught the two of them together.

Brighton is doing great despite having a slightly irregular sleeping pattern (aka. awake at night and sleeping in the day...uh oh!)

Here are some images of him with Amber, the family, and "Grandmi".

As parents we are blessed to have two healthy and active little boys. We are even more blessed to have Greg as our first born and wonderful example. Despite our lives this weekend revolving around the birth of Brighton we made it a priority to make Greg feel special as well. So Saturday evening Grandmi and I took Greg to the ward's Trunk or Treat where he was able to spend time getting candy, seeing his nursery buddies, and being the super little guy that he is. Here are some of the pictures from the Trunk or Treat.

As closure to this post, here are some more random pictures.

Above: Greg in the hospital room trying to push every button he saw. His favorite part of the hospital, however, was the "fast bus" ride from the parking structure to the main entrance.

Above: Greg trying to show Brighton that it is ok to be naked :) and also to demonstrate his rippling abs to the female nurses.

Oh How the World Changes

2010-10-29T15:57:00.000-07:00

We love Greg, but oh how his life is going to change. Thanks Greg for the some great memories! Can't wait to see you with your new brother.

Almost Done

2010-10-24T17:37:00.000-07:00

This weekend was Amber's birthday. That means that one pretty cool lady became one year older. In order to celebrate, Amber and I went out to dinner and enjoyed some nice quiet time. For her birthday Amber received a steamer mop (trust me, I asked if she wanted anything more "exciting") and a electric tortilla press (who would have guessed that Amber loves tacos) from my parents.

Greg's new room received another addition as I finished his toy chest. Amber suggested adding a lid to the chest. However, when it was finished we both noticed that it resembled a coffin. Oh well, too late now to remove the lid. Hopefully Greg doesn't hold it against and in 20 years come back and murder us in our sleep.

The weather here has been incredible minus the 0" of rain this fall. Because of the lack of rain I haven't mowed the grass in nearly a month (compared to 2x a week in the spring). Today was another gorgeous day with temperatures hitting the low 80s. Greg particularly liked wearing shorts on our evening walk and running up and down the sidewalk showing off his new halloween shirt.

A Sick and Long Weekend!

2010-10-09T15:11:00.000-07:00

The weekend is sunny and warm and what did the Dickens do this weekend?...we were sick and studying. Bummer! We did catch Greg eating crackers in his new boat (aka Thomas the train box).

Between studying breaks I also finished Greg's jungle mural. As you can see, he really liked it...especially the monkey.

Greg's New Room

2010-10-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

When we finished Greg's first room, we dropped to the ground in exhaustion and decided to never ever design a room again. Too much work, too much detail, and never enough time.

Fast forward 2 years and we are at it once again. Little Dickens #2 is due in less than a month and Amber and I decided to decorate the spare bedroom in preparation for Greg's exodus from the "baby" room. Is it not sad that Greg is no longer a baby and now a toddler?

With a little help from some friends, I discovered some online sites that cater to building your own furniture with detailed plans and cut specifications. Since Greg will be adjusting to a real bed, we decided on something that would be low to the ground...the Pottery Barn Stratton Day Bed. I went to Lowes, picked up the wood, had it cut, borrowed a miter saw and disappeared for about a week into the garage working on the bed. Since the new room would have a jungle color scheme we decided on a dark oak wood stain. The bed turned out really well and you can see it below. It has slots for baskets and if needed I can add drawers. Better yet, the bed is segmented into 3 parts and so when we move I can easily break it down and pack it up.

This weekend we painted the new room and replaced the light switch and wall sockets. Lots of paint and many hours later, here is the finished room. Two walls are "Cream in my coffee", the third is "La Fonda Tortuga" and the last is a mixture of the previous two with "Stampede", "Cincinnatian Hotel Carl Tan", and "Summer Splash". Once again we said never again.

The room still needs a dresser which we picked out and I am in the process of completing a toy chest for Greg. And lastly the room will be decorated with some curtains and a jungle mural above the bed that is currently in process.

Yikes! Sometimes it pays being the first child. Even Greg was exhausted.

Getting back to my Idaho roots!

2010-09-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

After Greg and I got back to Lexington, we flew out to Idaho to visit my family. We had only a few more weeks of Greg being able to fly for free, so we took advantage of that. Flying with a "lap child" who is almost two and being 29 weeks pregnant is not the ideal situation. I definitely got some strange looks as I tried to hold my toddler on my diminishing lap, but it all worked out great. Greg was a champ flying this time. During some of the flights, he even fell asleep in my arms.

The highlight of August in Burley (my hometown) is the Cassia County Fair. I LOVE THE FAIR!!! I haven't been for several years, but it's so much fun to go eat some tasty food that totally clogs your arteries, see the animals and 4H exhibits, and see everyone you've ever known all in the same area.

The fair really kicks off with the parade Wednesday morning. Grandpa, Beckett, Greg, Grandma, Emory, and Adele enjoying the parade.

Rodeo Queens

The boys with Grandpa and Grandma. The boys had to learn how to share Grandpa. :)

When we got home from the parade, Dad started setting up "Grandpa's Water Park." I went inside to use the restroom and thought that Greg was inside with me. Well, before he could be stopped, he opened the door, ran out of the house, and jumped in the pool clothes and all! No problem. Dallin had enough sense to go get his swimming shorts on before he got in. I think playing in the water with his cousins was Greg's favorite activity.

Monkey see, monkey do!

Dallin, Beckett, Unc, and Greg. Greg has recently been a real cheese when somebody takes a picture of him. He usually yells, "Picture! Cheese!"

Wearing the helmet for the four wheeler. Greg was too chicken to ride on it, but he sure liked the huge helmet!

We went to the Fair on Thursday night. Nice! Greg liked all the animals (I didn't like the pigs so much. They are sure stinky.) I think that Beckett liked the turkeys the most. He and Greg kept gobbling at each other the rest of the night.

In front of the 4H kids showing their goats.

Our friend, Art Smith, was performing that night. Greg and I waiting for the performance.

Beckett was nice enough to let Greg wear his Stetson. I love that both little boys are wearing their moms' sunglasses.

Before we had to leave Idaho, we celebrated Greg's birthday. He was very excited about it and kept running around yelling, "Birthday 2!"

Getting ready for the party.

Carrie and Nichole ready to party it up.

Blowing out the candle, with Uncle Mitchel in the background.

CAKE!!!

Dallin, my dad, and my Grandpa Shaw

Nichole and Dallin

My cousin, Lindsay, gave Greg a new tie. Obviously, he loved it. He also got a dollar in the card my parents gave him. So he kept going up to everyone with his tie on and his dollar in hand saying, "Dollar. Dollar." Maybe he'll be a banker.

He also got some money from my parents (with which we bought "Toy Story," his new favorite movie) and a bunch of new books. The new books were super helpful on the plane rides.

What a fun trip! I really savor the times that I get to be with my parents and siblings since those times don't come around all that often. Thanks for the great time! I love you and miss you all!

Rest of New York Vacation

2010-09-26T13:11:00.000-07:00

So...I realize that this vacation was two months ago, and I haven't done anything about it. Oh well. For remembering's sake. :)

The day after Hayley's wedding, Noel had to drive back to Lexington to start school while Greg and I stayed to played a week longer. We had such a fun time visiting with the Dickens clan!

We went to the zoo one morning. Greg especially liked the monkeys. Here he is with Aunt Maren and Uncle Jojo checking the monkeys out. In Jordan's perfect world, he would have a pet monkey. Maren didn't let him take one home. :)

With Grandma and Grandpa

With the polar bear cubs and of course, his companion, Mr. Bear.

We all met Grandpa at the ball park for a Red Wings game another morning. Greg did pretty well; we made it all the way to the 6th or 7th inning before we had a meltdown.

We had a picnic at a school with a playground. Fun! Then we had root beer floats from Bill Gray's (maybe Tom Wahl's). Yum!

We had such a blast. And of course I cried when I had to say goodbye to everyone. That's just a given. There were bunches of other fun times, but I'm not as good as Noel at remembering to take pictures. :) A big thanks to Lynne and Gordie for letting me stay longer and putting up with us.

Birthday Hang-Over

2010-08-29T16:33:00.000-07:00

We've definitely had a lot of fun this weekend. First off, Greg celebrated his 2nd birthday on Thursday. Lots of ice cream, lots of sugar highs, and two tired parents.

2nd, Friday classes were canceled due to the death in the family of the teaching faculty member.

Lots of chores, yard work, and picture editing...and of course more birthday cake.

3rd, Saturday was filled with more errands to run and of course another birthday celebration.

Cake, cake, and more cake.

Blood glucose levels - Sky high!

4th, Sunday turned into the day of slumber.

Thank goodness for the week to start to catch up on sleep :)

Here are some pictures from the weekend. Yahoo! We all love pictures...

Greg doing what he loves best, driving!

Ice cream cake celebration on Thursday. The start to sugies!

Greg's two presents: Blocks (in the background) and his favorite...The BIKE! Check out his dare-devil video on Vimeo under "Dare-devil Biking!"

Friday morning in the garage hanging with dad. Helmet and glasses put on by himself. Like father, like son! Indoctrinated at a young age :)

Greg's birthday cake for Saturday's party. His favorite movie is "Bee Movie"...could you guess?

Best buds eating their cake and ice cream. Thanks Jackson for putting up with G-reg!

Mad-dog Maddox on Friday enjoying some ice cream cake. Greg is definitely going to miss Maddox when they leave next year.

His 3 Star Crossed lovers...Ashley, Emily, and Brinley. What would we do without these three?!

Thanks Mom for my multiple birthdays!

Sunday afternoon playing with his golf set.

Just as a side note. Today's Sunday school was a combined Priesthood/Relief Society Lesson by the Bishopric on friendship. This summer we had 19 families move into the ward with a net gain of 56 members. Lots of new faces and lots of opportunities to make new friends. The lesson was on incorporating people generally outside of our friendship circles. During the lesson, Bishop Blodgett shared an experience where an elderly member of the ward had recently passed away and when asked who his best friend was he responded with, "Jon Bylund." Jon, father of 3 and half this man's age, has been a great example to us since moving to Kentucky about the joys of stepping out of our comfort zone to meet and befriend new people. We love living in Kentucky and know that the Lord provided us this opportunity to grow, mature, and learn. Thank you to those who make the Tates Creek Ward wonderful and great. Here's to good friends and a great ward! Cheers

Happy Birthday Greg!

2010-08-27T07:02:00.000-07:00

When your birthday is December 28th, there is no such thing as a “brithday party”. Most people are still recovering from Christmas and/or preparing for New Years. So around your 10th birthday you make a personal vow to yourself that all of your children’s birthday’s will be spectacles seen from space!

Yesterday was Greg’s 2nd birthday and like tradition it kick off a weekend of birthday festivities. Greg watched an extra hour of tv (mostly Bee Movie), played outside the rest of the time, had a ton of ice cream cake, and was sung to so many times that he thinks the Dickens’ family anthem is Happy Birthday.

But birthdays are not just for the child, but they are chance for parents to sit back and celebrate surviving another year. In the morning I took pictures indexed from the last two years and made a tribute video to Greg.

Amber and I watched it multiple times and each time we broke into tears. You see, celebrating a child’s birthday is celebrating being a parent. Being a parent isn’t easy, but it is the greatest gift anyone could be given for there is no time-honored stamp of approval like, “Daddy” or “Mommy”. Thanks Greg for a wonderful two years!

Vacation Update: Rain!

2010-07-25T18:41:00.000-07:00

After nearly a month of sun and high temperatures, Greg finally got his dose of torrential downpour...and he loved it. On Friday we attended the graduation party of a family friend. In route we were hit by a major rain storm. At the party Greg loved running around the driveway jumping in the puddles. Luckily we had dressed him in his favorite shorts and new crocs...Love It!

When we arrived home Greg loved playing around on the upper deck with no clothes on.

Earlier this week we had the chance to eat dinner at the parent's home of one of Noel's high school friends. They loved meeting Greg and Greg Creighton (for whom Greg is named after) had a blast sitting by his name-sake. The dinner was awesome and consisted of ribs, potatoes, salad (with Bone Fish dressing), and amazing key-lime pie. For the most part Greg was well-behaved.

After dinner we were able to grab a photo of the Gregs...What a sweet pair.

Vacation: The Cooler Airs of New York

2010-07-21T20:20:00.000-07:00

For the last two weeks of my summer vacation we are in Rochester, NY spending time with my family and gearing up for my youngest sister's wedding. Although the weather has been dry like in Kentucky we are thoroughly enjoying the cooler New York air. On Saturday we attended Hayley's first endowment session at the Palmyra temple and then in the evening went to the Hill Cumorah pageant. Greg loved the customs and running around the "bowl." Greg has been particularly fond of Hayley and during the show he kept pointing to the various stages and saying, "Hay Hay...Hayley!"

The majority of this week has been kicking it around Honeoye Falls and doing errands for the family. Like usual though Greg found his way to the sprinkler and mimicking me by taking his own pictures.

Poor Amber is usually the responsible parent watching over Greg while I take pictures. However, sometimes I find her smiling :)

One thing that has made Amber particularly happy is that I promised to take her to Chill and Grill and stuff ourselves with as much ice cream as possible. As a warm-up this evening we went to a local parlor called "Dippin' Dans". Greg loved his vanilla soft custard with rainbow sprinkles (he mostly loved the sprinkles) and was in a good enough mood to say "cheese" to the camera.

Only one more week before the mayhem begins. And when I say begin I mean absolute craziness. Since I am doing the photography I have been working around the house measuring lighting and scouting Rochester for good bridal locations. Today was spent measuring indoor lighting just in case it rains during the reception and ring ceremony.

Poor Hayley... I just hope I don't burn out her retinae. But she is a pretty good sport and a little bit of ice cream smooths over any long photo session.

July 4th Fun

2010-07-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

Happy Independence Day! I feel very lucky to live in this great country where I am able to worship as I please, raise a family, and am afforded so many other freedoms. I am also filled with gratitude for the many men and women in the military who work so hard to protect our country and freedoms.

For the 4th, our festivities were pretty low-key. When I say pretty low-key, I mean almost non-existent. I have been extremely tired during this pregnancy, so my idea of celebrating is taking a nap. Planning activities and/or fighting crowds were not high on my priority list. We did, however, get some fireworks and had our own miniature "Stadium of Fire." We'll call it "Driveway of Fire."

Greg was a HUGE fan of the Snap-n-Pops! After throwing them, he would yell, "That's high! Again!"

On a side note, Greg is named after Noel's dear friend Greg Creighton. Big Greg gave our Greg the Syracuse shorts he's wearing in these pictures last summer when we were visiting in Rochester. (Big Greg graduated from Syracuse) Greg LOVES, LOVES, LOVES those shorts! I have to sneak them away from him to wash them. He wears them all the time!

Love that boy!

Greg with his first sparkler. I don't think he knew quite what to think about it.

Enjoying "Driveway of Fire" in his little camp chair with Dad and Mom.

We had a fun night. Greg was exhausted by the time we were done, but that has meant an early bedtime tonight (like it). Happy Fourth of July!

Giveaway

2010-07-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Saw this giveaway on Jenna's blog, so I went to check it out. Milan Maternity has some of the cutest maternity clothes I have ever seen. I might end of doing a little on-line shopping.

Anyways, they just started their blog and are celebrating by giving away 3 awesome prizes:

A $100 E-Gift Card to Milan Maternity for Mommy
A $100 E-Gift Card to Babies 'R' Us for Baby
A $50 Gift Card to Applebee's and 2 movie tickets to Regal Entertainment theaters for Daddy (who we all know needs a little extra attention once baby arrives, right?)

I thought I'd pass it on (and earn myself a few extra entries, too).

Best Invention: Sprinklers

2010-06-29T09:34:00.000-07:00

Lexington has been amazingly hot these last two weeks (averages in the 90s). During these hot times, our lives have revolved around the YMCA pool (thank you YMCA...you are a life-saver). When we can't make it to the pool we hook up the caterpillar sprinkler head for Greg in the backyard. Yesterday we were both too busy to take Greg to the Y so we let him run crazy in the backyard. Of course, the first thing he did was run to his car. Water, soccer, and cars...we are a good 4th on Greg's important list.

He has recently started to tell us when he is running. We love it because it is an instant tracking device..."I'm running!"

Greg has also started to love kicking any type of ball. What a great influence the World Cup is.

And of course...the water fanatic shows up.

Baby Dickens is a ............. and Camping!

2010-06-19T11:16:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday Amber had her 20 week doctor's appointment and gender determination ultrasound (I'm not quite sure if that is the correct terminology, but doesn't it sound cool?). Some friends in the ward watched Greg during the appointment (thank goodness because it lasted almost 4 hours!). Amber's appointment went well and after a lot of waiting we were finally able to see the ultrasound tech and doctor.

I remember Greg's ultrasound and I was so excited to be there for our second child's ultrasound. Amber was pretty sure that the child was a boy and I thought it was a girl (however, with secret hopes it would be a boy so Greg could have a brother). Let's see if you can figure out what our new addition is...

It's a boy! We are so excited. He is currently about 14-15 ounces and is doing great. We should have known it was a boy because on the way over to our friend's house Greg kept saying, "Baby...boy...yeah."

Here are some other ultrasound pictures...

To celebrate we went camping with the Bylunds to Cave Run National Park. It was a beautiful night and we had so much fun. The Bylunds share my passion for cycling and their whole family brought their bikes. Greg was so excited about the abundance of bikes around him. Luckily little Lindsey was super kind and allowed Greg to sit on her bedazzled bike.

Greg also loved playing with his girlfriend, Ashley.

Before lunch and heading down to the lake to swim we took the little ones on a hike. Amber and I were amazed by how adventurous the kids were.

What a good dad Jon is...

I am also a very luckily dad to have such a wonderful wife and one crazy but pretty well behaved son...

What a fun mini-vacation. And for anyone looking for a great camping area...Twin Knobs at Cave Run rocks! The camp sites are really nice with immaculate bathrooms and a beautiful lake to swim and boat in....hint, hint, hint Grandparents.

As a last side-note. I was reading in Parents magazine today and found that Lexington, KY is the 4th best place to raise a family in the US. We would have to concur with that decision. What a great place to live.

World Cup is Finally Here

2010-06-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

Like a kid in a candy store, once every four years I turn into the reclusive eccentric soccer aficionado that scours the internet looking for TV schedules of games, loads every World Cup app to his iPod, memorizes all 23 players from each of the 32 teams, and dreams in exuberant fan celebrations and amazing goals.

Today is June 11, the start of the best month in sports. I've picked my favorite teams to win it all and to start off the month of celebration Amber and I are having an authentic South African barbecue.

This World Cup is particularly meaningful as in 2006, Amber and I lived in East London, South Africa (a small city of 100,000) while I worked with the Eastern Cape Province Department of Health. It was a great experience and we both shed a lot of tears when we said goodbye to friends. Four years later the World Cup is in South Africa and I am excited yet deeply saddened that I will not be there. You see, two years ago I purchased group stage tickets to the World Cup with the expectation that I would travel back to South Africa. Unfortunately, when I received my dental school schedule last fall I noticed that classes went to July 3rd. Booooo!!!!!! Two weeks after I sold my tickets UK changed the class schedule and I would finish on Monday, June 14th...Aaaaahhhhhhh!!!!! I am still quite mad that I won't be there to see any of the games, but I am grateful for Amber who puts up with my enthusiasm for soccer.

I hope that for all my fellow soccer nuts that all your soccer wishes come true and when everything is all said and done that you have at least partied once or twice like these Xhosa women below.

Sun in the Fun: Horsey Hundred

2010-05-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

When we first moved to Lexington, my friend Jonathan Bylund convinced me to invest in cycling. So I promptly purchased a nice Cannondale, a pair of spandex padded cycling shorts, a jersey, and a million other cycling paraphernalia. After all purchases were final Amber nearly killed me thinking that I had invested in a sport that I would simply drop after 6 months. Three years, many cold mornings and evenings, and four thousand miles later, you can still find me on my bikes cruising around town. Thanks Jon for the good advice and Amber for not making me return my first bike.

This weekend was the 33rd Horsey Hundred put on by the Bluegrass Cycling Club (BCC). For the last 33 years the BCC has sponsored a century ride through Central Kentucky. After prodding from a third year dental school friend, I decided to enter the event and enjoy a ride through the nice countryside.

Saturday morning Amber and I awoke at 6:00am, packed up the car with my bike stuff, grabbed Greg form his crib and sped off to Georgetown for the start of the event. When we arrived in Georgetown Greg was in seventh heaven. Five thousand cyclists had registered for one of the five available distances (25K, 35 mi, 50mi, 75mi, and 102 mi) and Greg pointed out each one as he ran in and out of the bikes helping me prepare mine for the ride. At one point Amber and I counted how many times he said "bike" in 1 minute...41 (I think somebody loves bikes!). This is us before I took off. What a beautiful family!

I have to admit that I was slightly nervous; a lot of the other riders were riding in groups and I was riding solo. But right from the start I joined a nice older man from Louisville and we rode the first 10 miles together.

It was a beautiful morning and I enjoyed riding with several different groups. Unfortunately, due to my ignorance of long distance rides >50 miles, my adrenaline kicked in and I entered the 51 mile rest stop having averaged 20.3 mph. Whoops!

This is the route in pink.

Miles 50-70 were brutal with short fast descents and long tough graded ascents. I averaged a paltry 12.7 mph over the those 20 miles. Overall the ride included 7500 feet of climbing and as I pulled into the 69.7 mile rest stop I nearly completely cramped up. I decided to take a 10 minute rest and loaded up on gatorade, pickle juice, and electrolyte cubes. The extra time made a world of difference and I was able to average 17 mph over the last 30 miles.

I decided to stop at the 92.5 mile rest stop and phone Amber to tell her I would be near the finish line within the next 40 minutes. Here I am finishing.

Greg was so excited to see me, but I think he was even more excited to chug the rest of my grape gatorade. We all have priorities.

Here is my gps unit at the end of the race. I know it is blurry, I was tired and placed the camera too close to the unit.

I had such a great time riding in the Horsey Hundred and meeting a lot of other riders. The majority of the riders were from different states. For a large part of the day I rode with fragments of a group from North Carolina and a middle age man from Illinois riding a vintage Trek. But the best part was finishing and seeing Greg and Amber's faces light up with enthusiasm. Thanks Bumber for the wonderful support!

Papa! Grandmi! and Hayhay!

2010-05-23T12:39:00.000-07:00

Thursday night Gordie, Skinny Lynnie, and Hayley flew into Louisville and then drove to Lexington. Greg was excited to see his grandparents and aunt and was in seven heaven when Grandmi made him breakfast Friday morning. It had been about 5 months since Greg had since my parents and didn't miss the opportunity to hit up Grandma and Grandpa for some extra lovin.

Friday night we went out for an early dinner to Abuelos where the vast majority of us ordered the Fajita Tacos...YUM! Greg had a big plate of chicken nuggets and french fries. Saturday morning was sunny and warm so while Skinny Lynnie, Hayley, and Amber went garage sale shopping, Gordie and I mowed the grass and weed wacked. In the afternoon Gordie and I played racquetball and Greg and the ladies played with the amazing train set they picked up shopping.

After a busy day we settled down for a nice dinner of potatoes, steaks, corn on the cob, and a garden salad. Greg didn't particularly like the dinner we were eating, but scarfed down some chicken nuggets, pudding, juice, and corn.

After dinner we decided to head out to Keeneland to enjoy the warm weather and beautiful sunset. Greg thought he hit the jackpot as we let him run himself ragged in the fields.

Some day Greg just might be taller than "Hayhay"... or at least we hope!

Keeneland is such a pretty place. Hayley kept begging Gordie to have her bridal pictures taken there as there are lots of scenic brick buildings and rolling fields.

Today the grandparents left to go home and Greg was extra sad to watch them leave. Amber and I still haven't figured out if he was sad that they were leaving or that he is left here with us. It is always fun to have the grandparents visit. Thanks for the great weekend!

Bubbles...Oh How We Love Bubbles!

2010-05-20T07:10:00.000-07:00

What a great day when the sun is shining and the weather is warm but not hot. Over the last year we have learned that Greg loves three things...1. Food, 2. Sleep, and 3. Bear (his stuffed animal/blanket). With the increase in warm days he is slowly adding to that list bubbles.

After several rainy days, Greg was able to play outside yesterday and what did he want...Bubbles!

He was in seventh-heaven running around, falling down, and chasing bubbles.

Poor Amber was of course the bubble distributer. Let's all stand up and give Amber a warm round of applause for a job well done...Clap clap clap!

The highlight of the day was watching Greg chase the bubbles. His face would light up and off he'd go...running away as if we were going to change his diaper!

Some things just can't be separated and bubbles and little boys is one of those things.

Thanks Greg for the good times.

The Derby...Love It!

2010-05-01T17:42:00.000-07:00

Had my first Kentucky Derby party and it was awesome. We had lots of good desserts, fun people, and tons of rain (whoops!). I took a couple of pictures with my cell phone right before the call to post. This is my favorite.

Thank you to all that attended and I apologize for the lack of chairs. But what a great time!

The Wall

2010-04-30T05:31:00.000-07:00

Hey Ambo!

Don't have school on Friday so I finally put up the pictures on the wall. Took me forever, but I think it turned out pretty well. I was a little tired, so if the pictures are off center or crooked...Whoops!

Hope you enjoy!

Tie Sunday

2010-04-25T16:11:00.000-07:00

I will be the first to admit that as a child I hated ties. It took a lot of convincing and the lose of privileges for my parents to don me in them. However, Greg is quite the opposite. I am not sure if it is because he likes to mimic most things I do or if because we make such a big deal of how cute he looks dressed up. This morning Amber awoke a little earlier than normal and so we had some time before church to take some pictures.

The weather was particularly nice this morning after a weekend of rain. Greg is like a house-bound dog, when that door opens, he is out and gone before you can say "jimminie crickets!"

What a cute mother and son...how can you not love that?

I Love Being a Mom!

2010-04-21T11:04:00.001-07:00

Little moments, like seeing Greg nap with his books piled on top of him, just make me smile!

Finally...Keeneland

2010-04-17T12:09:00.000-07:00

Amber and I moved to Kentucky nearly 3 years ago and have loved every minute here. We have been blessed with good friends and lots of professional and personal opportunities. However, living in Kentucky would be incomplete without having visited Keeneland at least once during the racing festivities.

Instead of participating in a triathlon this morning in Versailles, we decided to do the Breakfast with the Works at Keeneland with the Birds and Reynolds. The weather was somewhat chilly, but the sky was crystal clear and Greg loved watching the horses, playing with Maddox, and exploring new places.

The sunrise was extraordinarily warm and inviting.

It has been some time since I have been around racing horses. They truly are amazing animals with massive muscles.

Greg was enthralled with the horses. He has a Baby Einstein "Farm" DVD that he loves watching. This morning as we left the house we told him that we were going to watch horses. So the entire ride to Keeneland (it really wasn't that long...15 minutes...thank goodness) Greg was like a broken record, repeating "Horses, Horses, Horses..."At Keeneland you can walk right down next to the track. As soon as he saw the horses he sprinted to the low fence and started pointing at the them.

For breakfast we enjoyed eggs, sausage, orange juice/milk, biscuits and gravy, and of course...doughnuts (I had 3!). It was a nice treat to be around family and enjoy their wonderful spirit. During breakfast we met up with the Birds. We soon discovered how much Maddox loves doughnuts...

We also discovered that all little boys love anything that is big, moves and can be found on a Baby Eistein DVD. As soon as we were done with breakfast, Greg and Maddox darted back down to the track and stood watching the horses despite chilly temperatures (~50/55 degrees).

We are thankful for good friends who enrich our lives with their company. We are also thankful for little kids that put up with our trips and adventures.

What a great morning! I love being a father and husband. Sometimes life can be a little too busy, but mornings like this make it all worth it.

Happy Shoes!

2010-04-11T15:18:00.000-07:00

What a marvelous weekend! After a relatively cold (~60 degrees) middle of the week, we enjoyed a nice and warm weekend. On Thursday, we went to the store to pick up new shoes for Greg. Unlike 80% of the normal population, Greg has bricks for feet. That means that they are big, thick, and wide (wide like a dump truck). So after an hour looking around we finally found Greg a pair of sandals, church shoes, and casual shoes. Greg was super excited as his feet are no longer squashed.

Greg was so excited by the new shoes that he would constantly hang out by the backdoor and beg us to let him out. We love his energy, but we think he is going to wipe us out physically.

Greg also started potty these past two weeks. One of his favorite words has now become "poop". Amber is excited to ween Greg from his diapers, but it is slow-going.

Greg also loves slides. But he has graduated from simply sliding down the slide in the backyard. As you can see by the pictures, he is quite the daredevil.

We have to watch him like a hawk. He has also developed quite a little attitude. When we told him he couldn't ride the toy down the slide he put his head into his chest, walked over to the fence, and pouted.

Despite his idiosyncrasies, we love Greg and on Sundays we have so much fun playing with him and his toys. Like we said earlier, one of his true loves is shoes.

Big or small, he loves them just the same. It is amazing, however, to think about the difference between his "baby" feet and his brick feet.

One of advantages of big feet is that he makes a perfect Barney Rubble...

One brick down and thus stops the car. Two bricks down and it is back up the driveway...

Don't you just love the fun ways we have of announcing something so special!

Easter Weekend: A Really Long Post

2010-04-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

By now we have all meandered through multiple Easter posts from various friends and family, but what is one more?...especially one loaded with pictures.

The weekend began with wonderful weather...80 degrees and sunny. Thursday morning Noel commissioned into the Navy's HPSP (Health Professions Scholarship Program) in Louisville, zoomed back to school for a rousing afternoon of NeuroAnatomy and Facial development, and then hit the road on his road cycle for his weekly long ride. Noel had no courses on Friday, so he spent the day at home with us having fun and working around the house. Friday evening Noel and I enjoyed a nice dinner at Abuelos in order to celebrate Noel's commissioning and then finished off the evening playing games with the Birds and eating lots of pudding cookies...the best cookies ever!

Saturday morning Noel had to go to up to campus and study for an upcoming Gross test. Summer recess begins in the middle of June and Noel is counting down the days when he will not have to study on the weekend. In the afternoon we went over to Belleau Wood Park to join the Bylunds and Reynolds for a windy but best picnic ever! Following lunch the children dashed around the park looking for eggs. Grandma Pam (Bylund) each year does an amazing job preparing for the Easter egg hunt and we are grateful for her inclusion of us in her yearly plans. Here are some pictures from the picnic.

Greg received his own bucket and wouldn't let it out of his sight. He was enthralled with Ashley' and Jackson's egg collecting skills and followed them around like a lost puppy. Noel and I were thoroughly impressed with the children's meticulous Easter egg combing of the park. No spot was left untouched. Despite a windy day, the weather was perfectly sunny with mild temperatures... Joining the hunt this year were the Reynolds (who are expecting), Andrew Reynolds, and Nathan Bylund. Noel tried to get pictures of them all and they are in the picture below.

Greg has become enamored with Ashley and Jackson. While Noel was compiling the pictures from yesterday, Greg would point at Ashley and chirp, "Ash-ley, Ash-ley, Ash-ley..." I think Noel and I are going to have to watch this young man and tame the passion burning in his bosom.

Like a true blue fan, Jon was decked out in BYU and UK apparel. Noel took this picture of Jon and Lindsay riding the motorcycle toy. It is perfect representation of the two.

You would think that an afternoon in the park would be enough for Greg and that he would be exhausted, but no...when we arrived home from the park Amber changed Greg's outfit and immediately he ran to the backdoor shouting, "Out, out, out, out!" After playing soccer and throwing the frisbee around, Greg finally crashed. Little active boys = happy tired parents!

This morning I awoke early and got Greg's Easter basket ready. It is amazing to think how old Greg is and how he is starting to understand holidays. When he finally awoke, the first words out of his mouth were, "Candy, candy!" The weather was nice and warm and we spent the morning outside celebrating a beautiful Easter morning.

We love Greg and the additional joy he brings into our lives. As Greg grows older we are reminded of the sacrifice of Heavenly Father, to have sent his son to Earth to experience pain and joy, health and sickness and to ultimately die for our sins and be resurrected. As parents, our bond with our son reminds us of the pain Heavenly Father felt when his children sacrificed his only Begotten son. We are grateful for the life and mission of Jesus Christ and the everlasting consequences of his ministry. We know that God lives and that we can feel of his love and receive physical and spiritual blessings when we obey his commandments. We want to thank the Bylunds for their adoption of us into their family activities. We are surrounded by many examples of Godly love and want to thank those that exemplify it in their daily activities.

For family who may read this post we want to also wish you a Happy Easter! We pray for your safety and continued success in your lives.

Springtime Fun

2010-03-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

I love the spring. I love letting Greg run wild in the backyard and watching his reactions to new things. I love the fresh air (although my allergies have been particularly maddening this year). I love knowing that the days will only get longer and that Noel will be home more often. What a great time of the year!

Its a PIRANHA

2010-03-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

On our cruise we picked up a hat and shirt for Greg from the store Piranha Joes. We thought we did so well until we got home and realized that Greg has now developed into a baby giant. Before the shirt grows too small we wanted to post some pictures of his Piranha Joes t-shirt for Grandma Dickens (since she helped us pick it out). Noel particularly likes the shirt because then he can quote the mother elephant from the Disney movie, Tarzan..."There are no piranhas in Africa!"

Enjoy!

What's Wrong w/ this Picture

2010-03-22T15:58:00.000-07:00

The garbage men pass by our house each Monday morning bright and early (~5am). Yesterday afternoon I caught Amber preparing to take out the last of the week's garbage...But let me ask you all, "What is wrong with this picture?"

Amber is amazing in so many ways, but this image will solidify her in the position as world's greatest. Thanks, Bumber! Greg and I love you (and not only when you take out the garbage:) ).

Spring Break 2010

2010-03-15T06:44:00.000-07:00

BYU never had a spring break and Noel's break during his Masters never coincided with my breaks from teaching. Since I am taking a wonderful hiatus from teaching this year, Noel and I decided to take a trip with Noel's parents to the eastern Caribbean. Unfortunately Greg is too young to enjoy a cruise. As such, my mother flew in from Idaho to watch Greg for the week. Greg was super excited to see his grandmother and soon forgot about us...much to my chagrin!

Noel and I really enjoyed the time away from school and the time with his parents, family, and friends. These are some of the pictures Noel took of our trip in chronological order:

Day 1: Leaving Ft. Lauderdale, our cabin (E517), and the amazing ME!

Day 2: Princess Caye island in the bahamas, watermelon carving, great-Grandma Dickens taking in the sun, Grandpa Gordie ready for snorkeling, Grandma Skinnie Lynnie sporting the cool shades, and Kevin and Michelle Sutterfield.

Day 3: Day at sea, formal night, Pat and Diane's 5th wedding anniversary, evening entertainment, line dancing, and lots of ocean winds.

Day 4: St. Maartens, local Cari-crap markets, human Beluga whales at the topless beach (whoops!), and cruise alley.

Day 5: St. Thomas, Trivia night, the Two-Keys long lost Caribbean cousin ("the World Famous Banana Daiquiri"), and crazy tours :)

Day 6 and 7: Grand Turk, swimming with the sting-rays, colder weather, Aunt Gayle and Grandpa Gordie.

The trip was a lot of fun and we are grateful to the Dickens for inviting us along with them. We were particularly touched by the many stories that were shared by Pat Mullaly and Kevin Sutterfield regarding Noel's parent's conversion story. We are extremely grateful for the two year sacrifice of missionaries and the commitment of people who undergo a true change of heart.

Mother Nature Playing Tricks

2010-02-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

Poor Greg...all boy and no where to run...

At least he tried...

Hopefully the weather starts to warm up!

Snow! Snow! And more SNOW!

2010-02-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

I feel like we've gotten quite a bit of snow this month here in Lexington, Kentucky. Today was one of those days. Greg and I woke up to several inches on the ground. When Noel woke up, we decided to bundle Greg up the best we could (since I'm too cheap to buy snow clothes, thinking that they wouldn't be used all that much in Kentucky...I was wrong.) and headed out for Greg's first time playing in the snow. He mostly just stood there. He didn't quite know what to do, but by the time we were going inside, he was starting to like it.

Happy snow to you all!

Rock Star

2010-02-10T06:15:00.000-08:00

Guitar...check

Rocker bed-head...check

Rocker pjs...check

Rocker slippers...check

Rocker Mr. Bear...check

Now all he has to work on is his "power stance".

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-07T16:38:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I find some time to stop at the family blog and add a little bit of Noel commentary. Today's post focuses mostly on Valentine's day and how grateful I am to spoil Amber for at least one day of the year. You see, when we were first married, I used to count down from infinity how much longer we had to be together:) However, I soon realized that Amber is quite unique. Not everyone can put up with my 11pm McDonald's 32oz milkshake cravings, 6am bed farts, need for bikes, and being at least 1,500 miles from family...The answer is of course Amber. So this one's for you, Babe!...Happy Valentine's day!

Things that make Amber quite fantastico!

1. Never goes to bed without telling me she loves me.

2. Can quote any movie and has a photographic memory of every actor/actress.

3. Never fails on a commitment.

4. Talks in her sleep.

5. Believes that I am her knight in shining armor.

6. Put up with Greg in her uterus for 40 weeks.

7. First to forgive and last to get angry.

8. Puts family first before anything.

9. Loves a hardy trucker's breakfast (every day of the week!).

10. A rock solid testimony and believe in Christ.

and the list goes on and on.

Valentine's day is not only for our immediate luuuuvers, but also for those that have shown us love and respect throughout the years. At Christmas I took this picture of my family and every time I look at it I realize how much I love my family. So...Happy Valentine's Day Dickens, Hansens, and Dille. Wishing you the best and constantly praying for your safety.

Look at this HANDSOME Boy

2010-01-29T14:28:00.000-08:00

Best Christmas Present Yet Part II

2010-01-28T18:36:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, Noel gave me a super fantastic Christmas present this year...tickets to see Brad Paisley. I love Brad Paisley!

The concert was last Thursday. We went with our friends Bart and Emily. Bart is the one who gave Noel the idea to get the tickets. Nice work! We went to dinner together and then it was off to the concert. At the concert, Noel made the observation that you can definitely tell the difference between the real cowboys and the poser cowboys. :)

Justin Moore and Miranda Lambert were the opening acts. Blake Shelton also made a surprise appearance. But of course Brad was the best! He played all of my favorite songs; it was a blast! I will definitely remember this Christmas present for years and years to come. Thanks again, Noel for the fantastic present!

I forgot my camera (oops), so thanks to Emily and Bart for giving me their pictures.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-11T10:57:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed a very happy Christmas once again this year. Noel was grateful for a break from school. Let's be honest, I was glad that he had a break too. He's been working really hard, and it was nice to get to see him a ton. Greg was old enough to kind of get opening presents this year, especially after seeing his cousins' spectacular present-opening form!

Before visiting Noel's family, we opened our gifts from my parents and sister and the gifts to each other. While we opened presents, Greg would just tear open the end of his presents and then lift out the gift.

My spectacular gift to Noel so he won't freeze completely when riding his bike to school.

Christmas Eve: Had a delicious meal, then opened our new pjs, read Luke 2.

My beautiful sister-in-law Hayley.

Cutie-pants niece Julia

Greg with Grandma

Hayley sporting her new onesie pajamas

Hayley and Rusty

The love sacks were a big hit! The kids loved to run and jump on them. Here is LesliAnn, Julia, Greg, Noel and Luke enjoying the comfort of the love sack.

Noel's birthday is the 28th. I always feel bad for him because it is right in between Christmas and New Years, and I always neglect it a bit (not on purpose...I just do. What kind of wife am I?!?!) For his birthday, we (Noel, Maren, Jordan, Hayley, Chris, and I) went to his all-time favorite eating establishment, Empire Hots. It is this hole in the wall that he would go to all the time when he was in high school. Empire Hots is famous for their trash plate. It consists of home fries and cold-mac (aka macaroni salad) with two hamburger patties on top covered with chili sauce. Sounds disgusting and looks disgusting to be completely honest, but it is really quite tasty.

Then what's a birthday without some birthday cake, ice cream, and several rousing games of KILLER BUNNIES?!?! That game was a big hit!

One of the days of our vacation, LesliAnn and I took the kids to this place called The Sandbox. It had a bunch of fun stuff for the kids to play with: slides, a sandbox, costumes, puppets, a jump house, etc.

Luke playing with the trains and Greg in the pretty pink car.

Julia in her beautiful princess skirt.

By far, Greg's favorite thing was to ride around in these little cars. If he got out of one, he would just go get in another.

Greg had a ton of fun with Luke and Julia. He absolutely loved Julia and would follow her everywhere and mimic her every move. It was too cute.

New Year's Day: The Stockmans and the Lanes came over for dinner. It was super fun to see them. Here's a picture of the fam on New Years.

Greg with Grandpa

We had such a great time. One thing about living far from family is that I miss them like crazy. I call my mom and sisters saying that I'm homesick more times than I'd care to admit. But being away makes the time together that much more precious! I just love it!

Last picture...I promise. Greg got this little shirt for Christmas from Lynne and Gordie. He wore it the other day, and I was so excited to put on his cape that Aunt Adele made him. Of course, he didn't quite cooperate with the cape. Can you tell he cut four molars this week? He has had his hand in his mouth non-stop!