Go Cougs!

Aaron and I got to go on an all-day date to cheer on the BYU Cougars at Notre Dame.  We watched Rudy the night before to get pumped up!  The drive to South Bend was beautiful.  It was the perfect Autumn day.

 The campus was beautiful.  All the buildings have that vintage look -- even the more recently built.  I was surprised to see "Built in 2000" on one of the buildings.  From far away, it looked 100 years old.  Cool.

 The Dome was so pretty...

 ...even with a little tailgating smoke!  Check out those beautiful Fall colors!  Now I know the significance of the gold football helmets.

One of the perks of our little trip was being able to meet up with Aaron's uncle and grandpa.  It was fun to share part of the day with them.

 We got to go inside the Sacred Heart Basilica -- so pretty. It reminded me of my family trip to Italy 14 years ago.  I really enjoyed looking at all the murals and statues and learning a little more about the Catholic faith.   

 We made sure to stop at the Grotto, where Rudy went to pray.

 Touchdown Jesus

 Once we got into the stadium my first priority was to get a picture of Cosmo to show the boys.

 I also got one of LaVell  Edwards.

 Notre Dame puts on a pretty good show, rich with tradition.  Prior to the game the band played in a couple different locations on campus, leading the students to the stadium.  The trumpet players also went inside The Dome to play. Once they got on the field, the show just got bigger and more impressive

I LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! .

 It was a great game to watch.  We expected to lose big time, but were actually able to hold our own.  At the half, we were ahead!  Co Cougs!  Unfortunately we lost the lead late in the 3rd quarter and weren't able to turn it around, but it was still so fun to be there.  Final score 14-17.

 Beautiful day with my honey.

Go Cougars!

18 months old

This funny little baby is 18 months old today.

He has so much personality.  It's fun to watch him as he finds stuff to do -- like push the garbage can around the driveway :)

He has the funniest facial expressions, especially when you pull out the camera.

I LOVE his cheeks.  They are so kissable.

His smile literally melts me.  He gets away with quite a bit just because he's so darn cute.

Caleb will do anything to make himself a little taller.  He picks up the bathroom scale and moves it in front of the sink in hopes of reaching a toothbrush or something fun to play with.  He drags the kitchen step stool all around so he can get up to the counter.  He's also been known to open the dishwasher or oven and stand on the open door to get up a little higher.  So funny.  He knows there is candy on top of the fridge and will try anything to get up there!

He has lots of fun while Mom is in the shower:  pulling everything out from under the bathroom sink, pouring the container of bobby pins into the toilet,  putting all the toilet paper in the toilet, destroying my deodorant and chapstick, breaking my glasses, turning the clock radio to the loudest setting and pulling keys off the computer keyboard.

Caleb still loves his teddy bear, blanket and binkie and is really sweet with them.

He isn't talking much, which is a problem.  He gets our attention by yelling at the top of his lungs and then pointing to what he wants.  He actually communicates really well for not using words.  But man, the yelling has got to stop.  I've been trying to ignore it and only respond to him when he at least attempts to talk and does it quietly, but we still have a ways to go.  Once again though, he's so cute, he gets away more than he should.

He loves his daddy and lights up when he sees him. One of the few words he does say is Da. There are fun little games that only Daddy plays with him (like slapping the bottom of his bare feet at bedtime).  Daddy also does fake sneezes that really make him laugh.

Caleb likes to put on his shoes and socks first thing when he wakes up.

He really likes to dance and sing.  At church he pulls out the hymn book while everyone is singing at attempts to sing along.  So cute. And dancing always involves his arms.   He's also figuring out how to jump and do somersaults. 

Caleb is starting to play with his big brothers a little more now.  They love to run in circles in the house (which is fun, but kinda drives Dad crazy).

He imitates everything I do -- sweeping, wiping up a spill, etc.  One of his favorite activities is throwing things in the garbage.  So whenever I have a wrapper or anything, he is thrilled if I let him take it.  He's also been known to bring me a diaper and wipes and lay down when he's poopy.  And afterward he takes the diaper to the garbage.  Such a funny little man.

His tummy is still a little funny with dairy products, so he drinks rice milk.

He is super sweet and I nearly kiss his little face off everyday. This is my favorite age. We're just so glad little Caleb is part of our family. 

Sweet little spirit

This little guy definitely has a sweet little spirit inside.  He loves reading the scripture stories written for children.  He gets so excited and asks all kinds of questions while I'm reading.  He wants to know which caption I'm reading and who is who in each picture.  He is sincerely interested. 

His favorite song at church is "Nephi's Courage."  A couple weeks ago we read the story of Nephi and the plates. (Nephi is a prophet in the Book of Mormon) Wesley got so excited, shouting, "This is the story in the song!"  He held on to every word I read, asking all kinds of questions as we went along.  As we finished up I asked him," Wesley, how to do you feel right now, as we're talking about Nephi."   His response,

" I feel like I have smiles in my belly." 

It was such a sweet moment and since that time we've talked a lot about feeling smiles in our bellies.  My sweet little boy is starting to recognize the feelings of the Spirit -- what a tender process for this mommy.  I've needed those moments in between all the other crazy frustrating ones that come with parenting.  I love my sweet boys and am so grateful for a knowledge of Jesus Christ and His gospel that I can teach to my children.

Harvest Dance

Our church had an adult Harvest Dance last weekend.  Babysitting was provided, so we were in.  The invitation said to pull out your old Prom dress, so I did just that -- pulled out the dress I wore to Senior Prom.  It was such a fun night.  I would have had a little more fun if I wasn't 9 days post surgery.  I'd jam for a while and then have to sit and recover.  But I made it through the evening and had a great time.  It was fun to be silly with the girls and slow dance with my handsome honey!  They even had a dance instructor teach us a little Salsa.  So fun!  Great night.  Thanks for being my date Aaron.  I love you!!

Our little Scout

We decided to join the cub scout pack associated with Dillon's school. I had to take pictures the first time he got all dressed up for a Den meeting.

 Look at that cute scout!

 His brothers wanted to get in on the fun.

 This is the beginning of A LOT of scouting years for me.  Here we go!!!

Individual Family Pics

Family Pictures 2012

Individuals to come...