Utah State! Hey Aggies All the Way!

I know, it's been awhile since you heard from me, so I figured I'd better write again so I don't lose my faithful blog followers.

On Friday night, I got to go on a mini-vacation to where my dad went to college - Utah State University. It was their Homecoming celebration, so we piled up in the cars and drove up to Logan. It was very pretty up there - I might want to go to Utah State when I grow up.

First of all, we went to my mom's favorite restaurant in Logan, the Bluebird Cafe. This is mom and me after she ate her delicious Bluebird Chicken.

After dinner, we went and checked in to our hotel room. I slept really good for my first time in a hotel room, as you can see. My arms should be inside my Swaddle-Me-Wrap, but I'm good at getting them out. You never know when you need a finger to suck on!

The next morning, we went back into town for the Homecoming Parade. My 2 cousins had fun getting the candy from the people in the parade. I thought it was really cool when the Families Supporting Adoption float came by. It is so nice to be part of a group where I can have other friends that were adopted, like me!

After the parade, we headed up to campus. We went into the bookstore to look around. Mommy thought I looked so cute in this hat - she didn't buy it for me though :(

After the bookstore, we walked around campus and stopped at the "A". Utah State has a tradition where if you kiss someone on the "A" at midnight on Homecoming night, you become a True Aggie. Mommy and Daddy became True Aggies just a couple of years ago.

Perhaps I should get a head start - ladies?

After campus, we went to lunch at Juniper Take Out. Daddy used to eat there all the time when he lived in Logan. He thought it tasted a lot like his mom's good home cooking. Then we went to the park to relax for a few hours. I wasn't really tired, so I got some good smiles in.

I finally settled down and took a small little nap - I guess Mommy and Daddy tried sneaking a nap in too. You gotta love family nap time!

After the park, we went to my first football game. It sure was fun to look around and see all the people.

I also got to hang out with Grandpa.

It was really sad that Utah State lost - I cried for a little bit when we left the game!

Two more happy things happened this weekend - my cousin, Tyler, just got engaged to Camille. I'm excited to have her as my newest cousin. Also, my mom had her birthday on Sunday. Happy Birthday Mommy! I love you so much!

"Daddy"

Well I couldn't let Heather have all of the fun giving her side of the story now, could I?

I always knew that I wanted to be a daddy, and when we started trying for our family 6 years ago I kept thinking to myself, "Am I ready?" I think the bishop was inspired when he called Heather and I to be the 2-3 year old nursery leader last year. I have absolutely loved my calling, and playing with the cute kids every Sunday. But even then, it was nice when the 2 hour block was finished, and I could pass them back to their parents. But when Amanda sent us the first "real" e-mail, I distinctly had the impression that this baby was my son, and the 2 1/2 month wait time did not go fast enough!

I absolutely love every minute I get to spend with my little guy. I get to put him to sleep and also have opted to do the middle-of-the-night feeding (which nowadays is the 6:30 am feeding since Lucas is sleeping 9 hours straight) because it allows Heather to get the uninterrupted sleep she needs, and allows me to just stare at his cute little face and imagine what it's going to be like as he gets older - all of the things that I get to teach this little guy to do, and most of all, how to be a gentleman. I was raised by a wonderful father and mother who taught me so many things, and I want to be able to do the same for my little Lucas. It's also a good thing that I am the Assistant Scoutmaster because I have learned things with the Scouts that I didn't really get a chance to do when I was younger, and now can't wait to teach them to Lucas.

I cannot express how much love and admiration I have for Amanda for giving me the wonderful opportunity to be a daddy. She will always be a hero for our family.

"Mommy"

I decided to give Lucas a break from all of the blogging he's done lately and I thought that I would take a turn to write a post. I've been wanting to write about my feelings as a mom and every time I start to write, I start bawling and decide that I'll do it later... this time I'm not letting myself off the hook until I click "publish" with the post!

As most of you know, I have wanted to be a mommy for as long as I can remember. There aren't words enough to express how it felt the moment that Lucas was placed into my arms. I knew instantly that I was his mommy and that he was my baby boy. I love every single thing about being a mother! I adore his darling smile and the sweet sounds he makes as he sleeps. I LOVE to walk into the nursery after a long night's sleep to find him staring all around the room and the look of excitement on his face when he sees me. His little body is so cute when he stretches from being swaddled all night and he reaches his arms as high in the air as they'll go. The less glorified parts of motherhood, such as changing dirty diapers, don't bother me in the least. I've even worked out a cheer during changing time that often makes him smile (especially when I call him Mr. Poopy Pants!) While his daddy is away at work, I spend my day snuggling with my Lucas and singing songs to him. I love him so much and I can't imagine not having him in our lives!

My little Lucas is truly a gift. Everyday I feel grateful for Amanda for placing him in our arms. Sometimes Lucas and I have conversations about her and I tell him all about how special she is. When we began the adoption process last summer I never could have imagined how perfectly everything would turn out. I love Amanda so much for finally making my dream come true! I feel so blessed to be Lucas' mommy and I can't wait to hear him say "mama!" At church yesterday, a friend told me something that made me well up with tears. She said that even though I didn't give birth to Lucas, I still have that mommy glow. That meant the world to me because I know that my heart is glowing everyday because of my sweet baby boy.

Mommy loves you Lucas!!!

The Elusive Smile

So last Sunday I decided to try something new - it surprised Dad and made Mom cry. I started to smile. It must be something very incredible because since then, Mom and Dad try to get me to smile all the time! It's fun to keep them wanting :)

Below are a bunch of pictures of them trying to catch me smiling:


Sometimes I'm just way too cool to smile. I am such a ladies man!


After awhile of having that camera flash going off in my face, it got pretty annoying.



I'm serious people - stop taking my picture!



Besides smiling and making funny faces, I do like to cuddle with my daddy and mommy:


I really do like to eat, and it makes me really mad that all I get to "eat" is formula. Look at all of that great fruit I could be eating, if I had teeth.


But it's probably good I don't have teeth - I might bite off my thumb!



So I have this toy that is supposed to encourage tummy time. I'd rather take my tummy time laying on dad or mom, but my kitty sure enjoys the toy. She lays there and swats at that mobile. Maybe when I get older I'll understand it a little more.