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**I'll be doing a few backdated posts. This blog has become our family journal, one in which we go to at the close of each year and make memory books from. So while this is over a month late, I'm posting it for us.
Miles and my birthday's both fall in December, his the first day of the month (he turned 26) and mine the last (I turned 25). Miles had to work and go to school all day on his birthday (bummer!) but we still managed to get in a little celebration. We went out to dinner the night before while running errands in Idaho Falls. The next day I set up a wall with 26 reasons that we love him, a few love coupons, and some pictures as well as a little money to put toward his iPad savings. I made him his favorite dinner (lemon and artichoke chicken tortellini) and we got Cocoa Bean cupcakes. It was low-key and perfect. My birthday is New Years Eve. Miles dedicated the entire day to doing as I pleased. He let me sleep in, made me a french toast breakfast, and then we went and played in the snow. I wanted to build Caiden's first snowman, but there wasn't much snow. Miles made me the sweetest shadow box frame. He knows I'm a sucker for sweet and sentimental gifts. And he got me the Nixon Timeteller watch! I'm in love with it. It goes perfectly with every outfit. We had Pizza Pie Cafe for lunch, played deal or no deal at the Craze, ate sushi for dinner, and watched some Gossip Girl on netflix. We also made our own NYE Ball because we didn't have cable to watch it. We started doing it a few years ago and it's been a fun little tradition. Caiden loved it. It was the perfect way to end the greatest year of my life.
Last week the boy and I drove around scouting locations for an engagement session I shot this passed Saturday. We pulled off to the side of the road in Bridgewater and I hopped in the back seat and enjoyed this beautiful sunset with my baby boy. We nibbled on Stew's cinnamon ABC cookies and sipped on water. I love the simple things, my life is good.
This has been one busy month for the boy. So much has happened for our family, many first's for our little man.
- The boy now has 8 teeth, 4 on top and 4 on bottom.
- Caiden has a never ending pit for a tummy. He loves food. He'll eat 3 eggo waffles for breakfast. He'll eat 5 tyson chicken nuggets. At Christmas he ate a full adult portion of food. He still nurses 5 times a day and has an appetite for 3 full meals. He likes to try new things and even when he cringes and shakes he'll go back for seconds.
- He watched his daddy graduate from college and helped him celebrate his birthday.
- The boy picked out his very first Christmas tree and was obsessed with it.
- He loves mischief. He has a knack for finding just the knives in the dishwasher, climbing into the fire place, and finding anything conceivably dangerous.
- Loves to take baths with his little green boat.
- Caiden celebrated his first Christmas and got to meet his Grandma Cindy!
- He continues to loveeeeeee standing and is feeling more confident letting go and standing on his own.
- He celebrated his first New Years and his mommy's birthday.
- The boy was packed up and moved across the country with us to Connecticut.
- Caiden absolutely loves his doggy. He'll follow him around, begs at the door when Nixon does, stands up and begs for food next to the dog, and is always wanting to grab his collar or yank his fur (out of love of course).
- The boy has started to develop a little attitude. He'll throw little fits when he doesn't get his way but laughs at me when I say "no, no Caiden." Oh great.
- He has the cutest little smile and a darling little laugh, and lucky for us we hear it and see it all day long. He is such a happy baby.
My baby boy is growing much too fast. I want to slow down time and am enjoying each and every second while it lasts.
We survived:
- 6+ Rexburg winters.
- 4 summers of summer sales.
- 11 moves, 6 with a dog and 2 with a baby (with one more shortly after graduation).
- A combined 16 semesters of University (not double counting those that overlap).
We received:
- Friendships that will last a lifetime.
- A love that will last eternity.
- The cutest little doggy.
- A beautiful, perfect baby boy.
We will miss:
- All of our wonderful friends.
- Cocoa Bean cupcakes.
- Pizza Pie Cafe.
- Deal or No Deal dates at the Craze.
- Sammy's Pie Shakes.
- Bajio you will be forever missed.
- A week off for Thanksgiving, two+ weeks off for Christmas, 5 months off for summer.
- Student family wards.
- Seeing the temple every day.
Reflecting on all of the years spent in Rexburg, Idaho is bittersweet. And though we are on to bigger and better things, a very, very small part of me will miss it. I will be eternally grateful for the things that little town provided me, my husband, my baby, my education, some of our greatest friends, and a temporary home. Cheers to my hubalub who not only graduated with a 3.7 GPA but did it working 25 hours a week and still spent quality time with his wife and baby boy. I love you Miles and I'm so proud of you!
Doesn't Miles look an awful lot like his Grandpa Allphin? I think they could be twins. [sorry for the bad cell phone image, it is what it is.]
I was looking though old cell phone photos from about 2.5 years ago of the day we brought Nixon home with us. He was SO tiny. Sweetest little puppy ever. I wish I could go back and snuggle that fuzzball for 5 minutes a day, every day. But only for 5 minutes, I much prefer my potty-trained doggy.
