Sunsets over Kentucky

Last summer I would cycle out Delong Road, take Shelby Lane to Jacks Creek Pike, pedal down Spears until it ran into Tates Creek (1974) and then race to the river. I would return home the same way and loved seeing the sunset as I pedaled along Jacks Creek. There is a little pond along Jacks Creek that points due west from the road and if you time it just right the sun creates this amazing golden glow on the water. Since I had a little spare time last evening I decided to go out to my favorite spot in Kentucky and take a picture...

 

It was totally worth it:)  

When people aren't blowing up their houses from meth production or killing each other with shovels, Kentucky really is a small piece of Heaven on Earth.

Mini Beethoven

Since Greg was old enough to sit up by himself, he has been fascinated with the piano. Sometimes I think he would even trade yogurt and apple juice just to thump the keys and listen to the demo music. While I was preparing emails for work I plopped Greg down on the piano bench and he went crazy...that is, crazy with excitement. When I turned around to watch Greg he totally looked like Beethoven reincarnated. I couldn't pass up the photo-op. Because of low lighting I had to use a small f-stop, but you can still make out the crazy hair and the pure excitement on his face. Just think, Greg could be Yo Yo Ma of the piano or as Amber just reminded me...Yanni. I wish I could have been Yanni, the name itself picks up all the chicks.

 

This Year's Award goes to...MOM!

Mother's Day has come and gone, gifts were already given, and life has moved on. Yet, it seems to me that Mothers need more than just one day to celebrate their "Awesomeness". Many of you who read this blog realize that Amber has sacrificed being home with Greg this year in order to support our family while I finished my Masters program. What most people are not aware of is the all of the extra stuff that Amber does without complaining and often times on little sleep and food. But Greg and I notice her dedication to our family, time spent fulfilling her callings at church, and the help she often lends more than willing to friends and family. Eventually, Amber, you will read this post and when you do, Greg and I would like for you to know that you are an A+ mother, a bodacious wife, and the coolest of friends. 

Here's lookin' at you babe!

 

As a side note...I snapped this shot (below) of Greg looking at his "chubbo" legs and thought I would throw it on at the end of this post. The pediatrician noticed Greg walking along the wall by himself on Tuesday and mentioned that the "fatty" legs wouldn't be around much longer. So in conclusion...We love Amber, and Greg's fat legs are disappearing rapidly.

 

Weekend and Arboretum Part 1

What a great weekend! On Friday Amber and Trevor threw me a surprise 10,000^th birthday. It was awesome! Because my normal birthday in December 28, I have never really had a true birthday party, so this was awesome. Trevor made me a specialty plate in order to commemorate the day and Amber led a rowdy game of Noel trivia. Jeff Bird and Trevor took first place, but Jon Bylund came in a close third as he gained bonus points by knowing my parents nicknames – Skinny Lynnie and Gordie (although at first he said Skinny Minnie).

On Saturday we were invited to celebrate Jon Bylund’s graduation from Medical School. Since moving to Kentucky, Amber and I have been fortunate to know and befriend Jon and Angela Bylund and are always amazed by their enduring faith and excellent example. Congrats Jon and we wish you the best luck in your transition to your Anesthesiology residency!

Sunday was the annual scripture mastery chase between the Bishopric and the seminary students. Last year we were whooped in Old Testament mastery so this year Bishop Blodgett instituted a training regiment. It really paid off as we walloped the students in New Testament mastery by nearly 20 questions. Next year is the Book of Mormon and we are already preparing J.

For family home evening tonight we went to the Arboretum. Today’s weather was in the low 70s and sunny and we wanted to enjoy the nice weather outside before it heats up mid-week. Greg loved touching all of the flowers and kept Amber busy keeping him out of the Koi ponds. It was also his first time playing in the grass. After some crying he found out that grass is pretty cool and in the end we had trouble taking him away from his precious grass. I have included some pictures of Amber and Greg at the Arboretum.

 

 

 

10,000 Birthday and Crocs

Today, May 15, 2009 is my 10,000 birthday! Yes, that is right folks, I am 10,000 days old. I could tell you how old that is in years, but the raw day summation lends so much wisdom to my age, as if I am as old as Da Vinci. To celebrate, Amber will go to bed at 8pm so she can help with yard work and house cleaning (something she has grown unfamiliar with...). For those of you who forgot to mail me my birthday card...Shame on you! I expected flowers, chocolate, and 1,000,000 dollars. 

In reality I am just excited to have been alive for so many days. I would like to take this time to thank myself for being healthy and strong, good genes, and Trevor Wilbur for reminding me of my special day. The journey has been frought with numerous set backs such as multiple buzz cuts from Amber; being... like... the number one dad in America; and caring, working, and studying too much.

Below are some pictures of Greg celebrating such a special day.

 

 

In all seriousness, we would like to thank Grandma Dickens (skinny Lynnie) for thinking of Greg and finding him BYU crocs in preparation for BYU football season. Thanks! For my 20,000 day birthday, I do, however, expect more than gifts for Greg! :)

 

I know this post is long already, but I recorded Greg this afternoon jamming to one of our Garage Sale shopping finds - Playskool's Busy Basics Busy Ball Choo Choo. Greg loves pushing the trains main button and dancing to the music. Enjoy!

Fun Friday

Today is Friday and another chance to celebrate the beginning of the weekend! This week I was inspired by a "mistake" photo I took of Greg after feeding him some peas.

When I first pulled this image up in Lightroom my fingers went instinctively to the delete button. Before I could delete the image I received a phone call and had some other more important work to complete. When I returned to review the images later that evening I immediately thought of the song "Thriller" by Michael Jackson. Greg has almost a possessed look on his face and his hands perfectly mimicked the dance video to "Thriller".

European Rockstars!

Today's post reminds me of studying in Spain. When I lived in Salamanca, our neighbors were two semi-pro soccer players with European mullets (clean in the front, but spiky in the back). One night they invited my roommate and I to one of their games and a night around town with their friends. My roommate and I decided to replicate Xavi and Raul's hairdo. I don't have any pictures of our styling, but the following two pictures of Greg about replicate our cool "European" look.

 

 

I Heart Faces: Laughter

Taking pictures of Greg always requires some sort of surprise as he is usually too busy scavaging the house. Two weeks ago I pulled out the flash and broad-sided him. The result was the following image. When Amber came home and saw the picture pulled up in Photoshop she about peed her pants from laughter. Although it isn't one of the most techinal photos I've ever taken, Greg's reaction is priceless.

 Due to Greg's facial expression I decided that this is one of the better laughter photos that I have on file. As such I am submitting it to I Heart Faces (www.iheartfaces.blogspot.com) Laughter contest. A larger version can be found on my  Flickr page (http://www.flickr.com/photos/noelyevan/3522342242/).

Weekend Fun!

Yeah!...It is the weekend and to celebrate let's include some nice pictures. Since I am in the process of designing my photography blog, I have moved my weekend fun photos to this blog. Today Amber was able to attend the temple and I stayed home to watch Greg...sounds familiar, right? :) But it was a nice pre-mother's day gift and Amber enjoyed the time in Louisville. While Amber was gone I cleaned out Greg's room and boxed up a lot of his winter clothing. During the clean-up I found these hats and decided to take some pictures of Greg showing off his smile.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Learning to Stand

Really this is just an attempt to view the quality of the video on the blog. Yet, I have a feeling that the Grandparents will enjoy seeing their Grandson.

Untitled from Noel Dickens on Vimeo.