Big Brother

For months Noah has pointed to my belly and said, "Baby."  He's kissed my tummy, we've read books and talked a ton about babies.  But nothing could truly prepare this almost two year old for the reality of a baby.

I couldn't wait for nap time to end on Sunday so that he could get down to the hospital.  It was the longest we've ever been apart, and I was really missing my buddy.

Noah was initially hesitant about the whole situation, but I couldn't blame him.  He was walking into a completely foreign environment and, to top it off, there was this baby getting a lot of attention.

He brought a teddy bear for baby Luke, and was super excited about a new firetruck from his little brother.

That definitely helped him warm up to things. By the end of his first visit he was sharing stickers with Luke and gave him a hug.

Each day he spent a couple of hours at the hospital and, overall, did fine.  He's pretty good at keeping himself busy.

I couldn't get out of that hospital fast enough so I could be with him.  He's still adjusting, but we all are around here.  Before long these two will be the best of friends.

He's Here!

Meet the newest member of our family.

Luke Anson Boyce was born on Sunday, November 25 at 1:03 p.m.

He literally came out crying, but thankfully it didn't last long.

I was sure when I saw him that he weighed less than Noah at birth.

But I was wrong.  He actually weighed in 3 ounces heavier, at 9 pounds, 6 ounces.

His height however, was exactly the same as his big brother: 20.5 inches.

Little Luke is simply precious, and we're so happy he's a part of our family!

The Wedding

She did it.  My sister found the perfect guy for her and got married.  We couldn't love him more or be more happy for the two of them.

Their wedding on November 8th was such a special, sacred event.  The love that people have for them and that they have for each other was so tangible.  The best way I can describe it is the room just felt thick with love.

Noah, especially, loves his Tina and Uncle Jason.

Literally from the moment they met, Jason and Noah were buddies.

We left most of the picture taking to the photographer, but did manage to capture a few moments of cuteness, like Noah sneaking into the 'official' wedding photos.

Having my dad there was really special.  We are so grateful to two of his friends who offered to take care of everything 'Dad related' that day.  It just wouldn't have been the same without him there.

This guy. 

Talk about fun and silly and happy all wrapped up together. 

And, can I also add very well dressed?  I give all the credit for that one to my stylish sister who picked out quite possibly the most darling wedding attire an almost two year old little boy could wear. 

And now we just wait.  His life as a big brother begins any day...

Apple Hill

What a busy month this is turning out to be.  So far we've squeezed in Apple Hill, Kristina's wedding, and Nate being called to the bishopric of our brand new ward.  Oh, and baby #2 is right around the corner.

Last weekend we headed up to Apple Hill with Nana, Kristina, Jason and Noah's new cousin Shasta.  It was fun to be together, and we were so glad that the now newlyweds had time to play just a few days before their big day.

We started the morning off right with piping hot apple cider donuts at Rainbow Orchards.

And after that, the rest of the day was pretty much about this guy. 

Sometimes I wonder if he's going to just burst because of so much happiness.

Sure all of the apple treats were great, but Noah was much more interested in the big boy things, like riding a tractor.

He convinced Kristina and Jason to take him on a hay ride.

And then he and Nate tried out the train.  Noah liked that one so much that he threw a huge fit when the ride was over, so the nice conductor let him go around a second time.

Kristina kept with tradition and took Noah on a pony ride.  He loved it.

This guy is getting so big.  It's hard to imagine that next year there will be another little boy up there with us!

Halloween

I've never been much for celebrating Halloween, but having a little one sure has changed that.  Anything that brings him excitement is important, worth the work and so. much. fun.

Our Halloween celebration started on Saturday at the church trunk or treat.  Nate and Noah won best duo for dressing up as Mr. Fredrickson and Russell from the Disney movie "Up." 

Noah really wanted to play the part of 'wilderness explorer' and had to be redirected a few times.

Nate tried hard to pull off the grumpiness of Mr. Fredrickson.

 Man, I love this guy for wanting to be part of his little buddy's costume.

They got lots of compliments, especially from those sweet teenage girls, on their cuteness, although I think most of those were directed at Noah. :-) 

It was disappointing when Nate had to travel to L.A. at the last minute and missed celebrating on Halloween night.  I mean, he's half of Noah's costume!  But we made the best of it by having our traditional chili and cornbread dinner with family and friends, followed by trick or treating.  Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Tina, Tyler, Brittany, Brennan and the Havican family all joined us. 

And, yes, it is impossible to get so many little ones to take a picture, particularly when there's candy to be had.  But they sure are cute.

Even without Nate, we had a fun, memorable evening.  Noah could have trick or treated by himself.  He was so excited to go from house to house to get more treats!