Go Cougars!

Last June we went to the BIG ultrasound. The one where you find out if you're having a girl or a boy. We were both super anxious and could barely stand the wait. Of course the nurse went through 

e v e r y t h i n g else before revealing the babies gender. We definitely wanted to know that the baby was developing normally, take a moment to count the fingers and toes, etc. but beyond that, come on!! Just get to the reason we're here already! So many times during the process I wanted to shout, "We don't care how many centimeters the baby's head is! Just tell us if it's a girl or a boy! You're killing us here!"

Once about 3/4 of the way through the appointment the nurse slipped up and said, "ok, I'm trying to find his...." I thought to myself, "Did she just say his?!" I gave Justin a sideways glance to see if he noticed but he was still intently looking at the baby on the screen. 

When she finally announced, "Well, it looks like you're having a boy!" we couldn't believe it. I looked over at Justin and he had the biggest smile on his face. He was SO excited but all he could muster to say was a disbelieving "Wow!" as if he couldn't believe his luck.

----------------------------------------

To say that Justin is excited to have a little buddy would be the understatement of the century. From the moment he heard he was having a son I imagine he's been planning all the fun things they are going to do together. I'm not entirely sure, but he may even have a username chosen for the day Nolan joins his fantasy baseball league :).

(Let's be honest here though, knowing me, any girls we might have will be just as into sports. We all know that haha).

But I think one of the things he looks forward to most is taking his son to some BYU football games. He's so excited to teach him all about the game and the players and positions. 

We took the first step in making that dream a reality this weekend when we went to BYU's spring scrimmage. Nolan was an angel like always and seemed to enjoy taking in the fresh air and watching the players on the field. 

We couldn't resist snapping these adorable pictures of him in the car waiting to go into the stadium!

See that adorable BYU onesie he's wearing? It says "There's no crying in football" and has a stretch 'Y' on it. Ya, he blew out of it about 15 minutes into the scrimmage. But I didn't realize it until I got to the restroom to change him so I didn't have a spare onesie for him. I tried to just clean the shirt but just as I sat him up to try to clean it (trying to avoid getting more poop on him or me), he decided it was the perfect time to spit up on me as well haha. I played it cool though and cleaned myself off with a wipe, hiked his pants up to cover the poop stain, and back to the football game we went! We're pretty hard core.

"The Magic of Becoming Grandparents"

Like many children, my grandparents are and will always be so special to me. 

I'll never forget riding into town with my Grandpa Mathews in his old red truck, usually just me and him because I was the only one that wanted to go. We'd stop at the store and I'd always get a treat out of the 25 cent machines, something that I never got when I was with my parents. I don't blame my parents for never letting me get that junk, in fact I will do the same with my kids, but grandparents are allowed to get us that stuff. That's just what they do, right?!

I always thought my Grandma Mathews seemed so sophisticated, yet warm. She always had perfectly matching outfits and was never caught with her hair undone. She gave the best arm rubs and you could always count on her to have a pack of gum. In fact I wonder if she ever got in trouble for giving me a piece when I wasn't allowed to have any because I always got it tangled in my hair. Unfortunately, I could never master the art of 'popping' my gum like she did, even now I'm not sure how she did it.

My Grandpa Hunt, well it seems like he knows how to do everything! From electrical wiring to building a home to fixing cars, he can do it all (except for making sandwiches. He always tried to get me to do that for him but grandma inevitably came to my defense and told him to make his own darn sandwich haha!). I love going 4-wheeling with him, but the times when it was just me and him are always my favorite memories. And I'll never forget riding in his old  Bronco where he always had a hat on the dash. 

And my Grandma Hunt has always been a marvel to me. I love hearing about her latest genealogical puzzle and am constantly amazed that she can retain so much information! I love her low key, everyone is welcome, philosophy. She's definitely a fiesty one though and I always know she'll come to my rescue if I need her. Like the famous standoff between her and my dad when he tried to get me to swim when I was a kid. I was much too old to not know how, but I was still scared, so I ran behind her, knowing she'd protect me from him. And protect me she did! It's the stuff of legends. 

I'm sure they are not perfect, but just like grandparents see their grandchildren through rose colored glasses, I think grandchildren often see their grandparents the same way.

I've often wondered what kind of grandparents my parents would be. They'll be the first to tell you they waited a l o n g time :) and I was sure they'd love it, but I could only ever see them as my parents. It was hard for me to imagine them as the can do no wrong people that my grandparents are to me. 

It's been so fun watching them become grandparents. In many ways they are just the same as they've always been, but maybe something has changed too. I couldn't really put my finger on what, but then I came across a letter titled "The Magic of Becoming Grandparents" and thought it was incredibly spot on. I'm sure it's the same for Doug and Pam as well. I know they're enjoying this grandparenting gig too :)

I pasted the whole letter below, it's worth a read:

Dear Grandparents;

You are not who you used to be. The moment my husband entered the waiting room and smiled the words, “It’s a [boy],” you became something new and different, while being altogether exactly the people we had grown up with.

Before that moment, you were our parents. Nothing more. Nothing less. You were the ones who provided for us, comforted us, bailed us out, held us to consequences, and loved us unconditionally, whether we cared or not (though we usually did). You were either the gateway or the obstruction to everything we wanted to do and be…depending on the day. It was easy for us to find you annoying, or call you unfair, or roll our eyes, or take you for granted. Because we were your kids, and you were our parents. Nothing more. Nothing less.

But then you became grandparents…to our children. Now we are you, and you have suddenly become something magical.

I know this because my own grandparents are magical, and I see my children look at you the same way I looked at mine. To them, you are as safe, and as good, and as much like home as mom and dad, but with more patience and a LOT more sugar. You have a way of being right when “mom and dad just don’t understand”…even if you are basically saying the exact same thing. You keep little secrets with them which are harmless, but feel very important and empowering. You teach them the arts of “unplugged” hobbies, like sewing or gardening or baking, which seem fascinating done by your hands, yet totally old-fashioned by ours. And nothing in the world seems better than another dinner at that same Chinese restaurant, followed by a trip to “the ice cream store,” because that is how it works when they are with Grandma and Grandpa. It is expected and special all at the same time, which is how magic is made.

Those parts of you that were our favorites growing up, those are the ones our children see in you all the time.

The laughing part, the whispery kissing part, the fun and games part, the tickle bug part, the snuggly part, the indulgent part. Of course you couldn’t show those parts to us all the time; you had the very daunting task of raising us to be good, responsible people after all. But now that task is ours to undertake, leaving you free to show your favorite parts as much as you want. It makes us happy to see them, and to see our children enjoying them as we did.

Witnessing you as grandparents helps us see with new eyes how blessed we are to call you Mom and Dad.

See more at: http://www.scarymommy.com/becoming-grandparents/#sthash.YeLthK19.HzChgJsZ.dpuf

Rollin' Nolan

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, especially as the years go by, but Nolan is just growing up way too fast.

It seems like every week he adds more to his bag of tricks. He laughs more, engages more, notices more, and can do more. It's so fun to watch him learn and grow but sad too! I want him to stay this cute and little forever!

Also, we are SO aware that we lucked out with Nolan. He's such a good and mellow baby. But sometimes I think we forget just how lucky we really are. Sometimes when I'm really tired or we're in a big hurry I'll look down at him as I'm changing his diaper or putting his clothes on and think to myself, wow, I bet a lot of babies would be crying right now which would make this task a lot harder. But he's just lying there being sweet, making things easy. And we can wake him up - from a deep sleep - and he doesn't even get mad, doesn't cry at all, just takes about 5 seconds to wake up and then gives you a big smile! I know, so lucky! Maybe we should just stop with him while we're ahead haha!

Here's a quick look at what's in Nolan's bag of new tricks...

He chews on everything

About a week ago he started rolling on to his side and loves that position. Most nights we'll put him in his crib on his back and he'll immediately roll to his side.

(left) At movie night watching Downton Abbey with the girls

Poor guy had to get three more shots at his 4 month appointment. He was a champ though and only cried for about 5 seconds afterward.

 He's now able to grab onto things and keep holding on to them for long periods of time.

He's always liked his turtle

He liked grabbing his dad's tie on Sunday

This week he has discovered his feet and the fact that he can swing his legs up and grab on to them.

He loves being 'Naked Nolan' haha. He's all smiles as soon as those clothes come off! We might be in trouble when he can actually take his own clothes off! :)

A lot of babies get a really funny look on their face when they go through tunnels. We tested it out on Nolan and he didn't disappoint :)

He actually enjoys tummy time now!

And speaking of tummy time. Nolan's newest trick as of today...rolling over!! It took him a minute to get that arm out of the way, but he did it! We're not ready for this...

And in case you were wondering...he's still supa' cute!

Reading with mom

First Jazz Game

On Thursday I got an email at work that promised free tickets to the Jazz game that night! I immediately jumped online and signed up for the maximum number of tickets. I was in such a hurry that I didn't even bother looking at the seat locations. To my surprise they were lower bowl seats, row 13!!

I had already signed up to play in a hockey game that night and I normally wouldn't even consider skipping, but these seats were too good to pass up. So I found a replacement for the game, recruited some family and friends, and headed downtown.

Our friends Rachel Farr and Brian and Liz Farr came along with my cousins Paul and Tyler, and my Uncle Alan and Aunt Brenda.

We had a blast! The Jazz kicked butt and Nolan was v e r y well taken care of!

Liz and Rachel

Rachel was happy to feed Nolan, and Nolan made sure she didn't take that bottle away from him!

Paul, Uncle Alan, Aunt Brenda, and Tyler

Paul sure loves little Nolan. At one point I looked in Nolan's diaper and realized he was getting dangerously close to a blowout. I grabbed the stuff and started getting up to change him but before I could Paul jumped up and said, "I'll change him!" 

"Really?" I said, "It's poopy...." 

"Doesn't matter, it's all the same. How else am I going to get snuggle time with all this competition?"

Very true PTM haha.

It was great! After he left Justin asked what was going on. I told him and he said, Paul's probably going to just keep walking around the arena so he gets more time with Nolan :)

 

We actually had two different row of seats. These ones were a little higher up, but still great!

Nolan seemed to enjoy the game and wasn't too bothered by the noise, although we tried to cover his ears when it got really loud. 

Crazy Uncle BJ's Wedding

Last weekend we headed to Las Vegas for Crazy Uncle BJ's wedding! We are all just so excited for him and so happy that he found Kirsten.

I just love it when my whole family gets together for special occasions. They are the best! The night before the wedding, while the boys were off at BJ's bachelor party, the rest of us went to Macayos for dinner. Then went back to my parents house for cake and ice cream for Alan's birthday.

Nolan hanging out with Uncle Alan after dinner at Macayo's

Gp Mathews is pretty comfy!

Cousins! We love that Devin and Preston had Rhett just 2 months before us so we can run everything by them and see what Nolan will be doing before he does it!

Cousins!

Beck being so helpful with Nolan

Uncle BJ loves his nephews!

Great Gp Mathews sure loves his great grandkids <3

The wedding was beautiful! They had the same sealer as Justin and I (President Blair Hale, our dentist when we were kids) and he did a wonderful job. You could just see the happiness emanating from BJ and Kirsten. So excited for them!

Andy, Gm Hunt, Jeff, and Mallory were so sweet to watch all the kids (including Marissa's kids) while we went to the sealing. They're the best!!

After the sealing and before the reception Preston, Devin, Justin and I and the kids went to the Fashion Show mall downtown to pick up some last minute gifts. It was actually kind of fun walking around the mall all dressed up with cute kids in tow. We got a lot of smiles :).  While we were in Macy's Justin and I got separated because I needed to make a bottle. As we were walking around trying to find each other AND find Preston and Devin who we thought were somewhere in the store, Justin passed the perfume section. The ladies there oo-ed and aw-ed over Nolan and said, "Another baby!" Justin responded, "Wait, you've seen more babies?" "Yes!" They told him, "but these two were about 6 months old and 2 years old." Justin said, "That's my brother in law! Which way did he go?" haha it was pretty funny, so that's how we found each other.

We were all starving so we stopped at the food court, (where Nolan decided to almost blow out of two diapers in about 10 minutes) before making a mad dash back to our side of town to make it in time for the reception. No biggy, made it in p l e n t y of time!!

Nolan and I with Granky

Adjusting his cute little tie James Bond style

On the drive home we stopped for something to eat and I couldn't resist taking these pictures of Nolan. Look at those lashes!