Tie Sunday

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!

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

Finally...Keeneland

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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.