November 2015

November was another month that just flew by us. Craig and I were in the thick of the semester trying to get ready for finals and the baby. In between all the work we did manage to sneak in some fun things.

Our kind, amazingly talented friend, Audrey, has recently decided to take her photography to a professional level. I am so excited for her! She really has such a beautiful eye for the everyday, and I was lucky enough to have her take some maternity photos at her home. Her apartment is to die for-so clean and simple. I absolutely love the photos!

 Big Papa LD and Grandma Mary gave Noah some money for his birthday. When I asked him what he wanted to do with it, he told me he wanted a weed wacker. I looked up the price, and he fell $10 short. I told him in order to get the weed wacker he had to do chores every day for 2 weeks. He did just that, earning $1 a day. He kept his room clean, and we even discovered his love for vacuuming the house and scrubbing toilets. (I plan on fully taking advantage of this love until it's gone.) The day he had enough for the weed wacker came, and we went to Toys R Us to pick it up. He was so proud of himself!! I want to continue to teach him the importance of hard work and patience. 

 I felt so great the majority of this pregnancy, so when I got rather large pretty quickly the last 5 weeks or so, I became quite miserable. I struggled sleeping, and having to do a preschool practicum just about killed any ounce of energy I had each week. I'm grateful for the support I had with taking care of Noah so that I managed to finish this semester with decent grades and a smile. (Also, thanks Nancy for letting borrow her coat so I didn't freeze my butt off walking to class each week!)

 We had our first "big" snow storm in November this year. Noah was THRILLED. He begged me to go outside and shovel the snow. He stayed out there for a couple hours just shoveling away. It amazes me how much he loves to be helpful. He has a lot of energy, so I'm happy letting him use some of it up doing things like this. 

 BYU basketball started up, and we got to go to a game or two. Noah love the basketball games. He was dancing so hard that he jumped and landed back down on the chair...face first. He had one fat lip to show for it. 

Noah got super excited this month about Baby LD coming. Jessi helped throw a little "sprinkle" (shower) at my grandma's, and my cute cousins and friends brought loads of diapers and necessities for us. Craig's mom really wanted to help us by getting a double stroller. Noah rarely needs a stroller now, so I found this one that offers a little bench for Noah without being too wide or too long. We can't wait to use it! 

 Noah has been talking about his "Santa list" for months now, and the number one thing he has been asking for is this very specific semi truck. "Semi truck with three wheels in the front and three wheels in the back." I asked him to draw a picture of it for Santa to see, and this is what he drew. I've been so impressed with his improvement in the drawing/writing department. He had absolutely no interest in it this time last year, so in just a few months he has finally solidified his dominant hand and begun to love writing and drawing. We are actually starting to see real shapes and objects rather than just scribbles.

 The holiday tree has come full circle! We didn't want to take it down after Christmas last year, and that is when we decided to keep it up and decorate it for each season. It has been fun to get creative with things we had on hand. For Christmas this year, I suggested we do a construction Christmas theme. We used a bunch of Noah's toys as well as some new construction ornaments. Noah LOVES it. 

 Because I've heard having older siblings exchange gifts with a new baby can help with the transition, I wanted to try it. Noah was excited to choose a gift for his little brother. He ended up choosing these little BYU socks from Scheels and a giraffe toy. (Randomly, giraffes are Noah's favorite animal.) He helped wrap them up and everything. 

 Happy Baby Bump!

 Noah made a pilgrim hat at school. They had a little "feast" with apples, oranges and crackers the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. 

 Thanksgiving day was very low key and relaxing. We started with a breakfast at the Knight's with all the siblings. It was fun to have everyone in town. For lunch we went to my mom's house. Noah had a great time entertaining her dog, Baxter. By that point, we were in a food coma, but we had one more meal. We came home to a later dinner with the Knight's. I love my family so much, and I'm glad we were able to get in as much family that day as possible. 

 To end the month, we went to another BYU game with Big Papa. Doug, Ryan and Craig drove up to Logan for the BYU football game then drove clear back down to Provo to make the basketball game. They are crazy fans. It was a fun game to attend!