The Beautiful, Windy City

In a nutshell...

C razy traffic
H oppin sights
I mmaculate weather
C herished moments
A wesome company
G iordanio's AMAZING Pizza
O utstanding mini-vacation

Our little traveler is a pro.


Temple first!

Lovely accommodations here (gotta love Priceline!).

Then fun!

Excited is a good word..

He didn't last too far into the day.

Silver Bean (or "Cloud Gate" according to the artist).


Gotta love Fall! Look at those colors!!






In case you were wondering..

Beautiful Day!

Lunch/Dinner

It better be world famous for a reason...we waited...

And waited...

2 hours later...we have Chicago pizza!!

Good thing it was worth it!

Pure happiness right there...

Is that dark liquid? Uncle Mike just had to do it. You wait until you have kids!! They will like when Auntie Christi comes to visit! :D

Mike's Birthday was 2 days earlier so we celebrated!

Toothpick from the restaurant just like Daddy.

Shopping! We are starting him young.

This hat is sized for 7-8 years old apparently...fit Brycen perfectly.

My Best Friend's Wedding.

They are cute.

Walking back to the car.

One...Two...THREE!

Romantic technology right there! :)

Aunt Jenn is a keeper!

Brycen getting squished. Gas/ice cream stop on the way home.


What a day!! We loved it!

1 hour and one new friend later...

Church is of course right at nap time but since we are all three in nursery, nap time doesn't happen until we get home. Brycen, all of us actually, are literally on the verge of collapse and so as soon as it's over...we bolt for the door.

Well, we were caught mid-bolting today...and were reminded that Daddy is scheduled for a "ten minute" interview right after church today. Oh joy.

LUCKILY...this little guy saved us, especially since Daddy ended up being an hour.

A VERY friendly kitty with no collar.



It was love at first sight for Brycen.



Since we have a cat at home, Brycen is very fluent in their language (or thinks he is), "Meow meow" and is very comfortable around them. Luckily this cat loved him just as much. Brycen kept patting the cement wanting the cat to come lay next to him. It was cute.



I don't think Daddy realizes exactly how lucky he should feel that this kitty came along...that hour could've potentially been a disaster. But instead, Brycen and Daddy are napping beautifully now, allowing me to document the moment :)

Homecoming Week!

We are loving that Brycen is older this year!

Purdue Parade: Started basically right outside our apartment last night so we decided to take Brycen to see what he would think. We ended up attending with our dear friends from the ward that live in the next building over. They have three girls and had two more staying the night so we had quite the kid crew. Since we were at the very beginning of the parade and surprisingly there were few people around us, the parade people not only still had candy to hand out but were thrilled to see us and all the kids.

Brycen LOVED waving to all those that passed, dancing to the music, and never objected to having candy being thrown at his feet (even though I don't think he fully understands what candy is--which I don't mind--more for me and the hubby :). The Army even gave him a miniature basketball (the joy of being the only male kid in the group) and it made his night.

It was kind of like trick-or-treating on steroids... but not. The Parade lasted about 20 minutes, got about as much candy, but the candy came to US. Started 8pm, in bed by 8:30- just perfect.

Purdue Pete!





With the older girls-he LOVES when they include him and bring him along. The girl on the left is my friend's oldest girl and I overheard her telling her friend (on the right) who was spending the night, "This is my baby friend, Brycen".

They are so kind to us. It rocks his world.

P.S. Look at the size of their bags!! So many goodies, they were in heaven.

Bonfire: Tonight, one of Bryce's co-workers had a bonfire and since it's getting dark so much earlier these days, Brycen got to attend for a little bit before bedtime. He felt special and loved coming along.

On the way, we made a stop at Wallie World (aka Wal-mart) for a few things. Brycen makes sure he waves to almost every employee, especially the door greeters. If the the employees are busy, Brycen refuses to leave (stands in the middle, causes traffic problems) until he is able to say hi. Luckily, everyone thinks he is adorable and it is usually never a problem. I still have older women (Grandmas) that seek me out, as the mother, and tell me about their redheaded kids and grandkids and how I'm so lucky I have been blessed with such a special breed..redheads are indeed rare, I am told.

I don't mind. I agree, Brycen is awesome.

He even held my hand and WALKED beside me! It made my day! He walks with almost everyone else but whenever I usually try, he refuses and wants to be carried.

I love this (even if I don't necessarily look it...)!!

:)

Received this picture text:




While sitting in the living room, working on the blog. They were playing in Brycen's room. Love technology. Love them. :)

A few of my favorite things...

* Beds that are made. When the bed is made, it not only improves the look of the bedroom ten times but it makes me feel productive and happy before I even eat breakfast :)

* The cloud of white powder that comes out the backside of Brycen's diaper when he falls or sits down suddenly (after applying baby powder to his sore bum).

* After I get frustrated and either say, "GRRR" or stomp my foot, I turn around and watch Brycen mimic me and then watch him bust out laughing. I can't help but laugh...even when I try so hard to not to. LOL.

* Watching leaves fall to the ground.

* Brycen blowing me kisses and waving bye bye after I lay him in his crib.

* Brycen saying, "Hi" and repeatedly saying hi until the strangers in the grocery store say hi back. He then gives them the biggest grin and claps. (He claps whenever he is proud of either himself or others doing something he wanted them to do. He does this daily when I give him his sippy cup, change his diaper, do the laundry, luckily understand that "ah-ah" can mean anything from: he wants me to hold his toy and not put it back on the ground to he wants to brush MY teeth,etc.)

* Sunshine coming through our front windows.

* Brycen spotting Daddy outside the window, running to the door, demanding to be let out, and then squealing "Da da!" with his arms open wide the entire width of our front yard until Daddy swoops him up and swings him around giving him a big hug.

* Seeing my neighbors out for a walk.

* Brycen leaning up for a kiss on the forehead from Daddy after Daddy gives Mommy a kiss.

* Running into Bryce's arms after a long day of Brycen duty and then Daddy playing with Brycen while Mommy gets to cook and do dishes with TWO hands.

*This picture:

Feeling SO much better!

What is that he's eating, might you ask?



A cucumber!?!!



I get surprises everyday but this is an AWESOME surprise! Brycen wanted cucumber for both snacks today...AND refused the cookie. I'm not sure what the sickness did to him, but I like it! The fever broke halfway through the night last night and it has been a glorious day since.

Can you tell?



Thanks Aunt Jenn and Uncle Mike for the new clothes! They came just in time! 80s yesterday...50s, low 60s today.

It's bound to happen sometime...

20 minutes in this position:

Pit stops needed: 5 feet in reach of a toy

One inch in reach:

And he no longer finds his favorite book exciting:

Diagnosis: My little man is burning up (the 2nd time in a week), and fighting so hard to get better.

It is still such a rare event in our house that I easily forget the toll it takes on the body, especially on such a little one.

The positives:

It is forcing Brycen to rest, THREE naps instead of the usual one (there are some days that Brycen is convinced that taking naps is a thing of the past).

I have my baby back. He usually only falls asleep in my arms when he is beyond exhaustion (and it's rare). Today, he has already done is twice. Exhausted, indeed but I'm sure learning to treasure these moments <3.

He insists on remaining close to me (waking up when I lay him in his crib, just like he did when he was little little) and I don't mind. He is so precious.