BYU vs Notre Dame, Police Chase, and Chicago

We went to the BYU vs Notre Dame game this last weekend. We flew into Chicago late Friday night, ate Chicago style pizza at Giordano's, and headed to South Bend first thing in the morning.

Famous stuffed crust pizza at  Giordano's.

We didn't get to spend as much time as we would have liked  touring the Notre Dame campus before the game, but what we did see was amazing. What a beautiful campus! I'd like to go back there someday. On game day the street traffic is turned into a one-way circle around campus so we got stuck at the end of the circle, but that enabled us to have a long walking tour as we made our way to the campus bookstore. We sold our extra ticket (we found out we had to buy a ticket for Kaylyn the day before we left) and both got a Notre Dame hoodie before we made our way to the stadium.

We were impressed by how nice the fighting Irish were. Several Notre Dame fans went out of their way to tell us how cute our baby is not to mention giving us directions and being friendly and kind in general. Love those leprechauns:)

The game was so much fun! The Cougars put up a good fight and came close to beating the number 5th ranked team in the nation. I love a good football game. Kaylyn was so good the whole time. She'd give us high fives at every BYU touchdown and laughed and played until she fell asleep for the entire 4th quarter. Jeremiah was there with the Cougar Club and made the whole trip extra nice for us sharing his food and Montana hospitality. We sure love that guy.

After the game our trip got a little interesting. We searched for a hotel while battling internet problems on the road for a couple of hours. We started back toward Chicago and at about 10pm decided to stop in Gary, Indiana in hopes of finding a good deal on a hotel. Micah remembered hearing about Gary, Indiana in some musical so he figured it was probably a quaint little all american town. Turns out about every third house was boarded up and abandoned and we saw several police cars patrolling the town. Not a safe place. I had fallen asleep on the drive there, but my adrenaline woke me up as we drove around Gary searching for a hotel we had called a few minutes earlier. When we arrived at the place our GPS indicated there was no sign of any hotel. Just as we were about to call to ask for directions our laptop and both phones died. Needless to say we took that as a sign that we weren't supposed to be spending the night in sGary, Indiana.

But it gets better. We kept on driving and at about midnight we finally booked a hotel in Hammond, Indiana which was about 30 minutes from downtown Chicago. Micah paid for the room and we went down the street to McDonald's to get some food before we crashed in our hotel room. As we were pulling out of the drive-thru we saw a handful of police cars a block away. Just moments later they started speeding past us with their lights on. Micah counted 29 police cars and a helicopter! What on earth was this?

I told Micah that if all of those cops were going to our hotel then we couldn't stay there. Sure enough, as we neared our hotel we saw all of the cops parked on both sides of the hotel. Micah called the lobby from the safety of our car to ask what was going on. The receptionist said that there was a hit and run and the police were searching for the fugitives who had ditched their cars. This was like a scary movie. Despite my nervousness, we went to park in the back of the hotel. Kaylyn and I waited just inside while Micah parked the car. All sorts of things were running through my mind. Of course it seemed like forever as we waited for Micah to come back and here I was - four months pregnant and holding my little baby girl in the midst of this craziness - trying to think of what I would do if something happened to my husband. Micah returned safely and assured me that the odds of the criminals coming into our very room were almost none, but we were already one for one with our hotel choice so I was still scared. Funny enough, before we booked the hotel room the receptionist had suggested a couple of other options including a hotel in Lansing, but warned us that Lansing wasn't a very safe place. Micah then told her we had just come from Gary and she said that Lansing wasn't bad compared to Gary. Then here were in Hammond in the midst of a police chase. Here's a link to the news story of what was happening: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-police-car-crashes-on-eisenhower-during-pursuit-20121020,0,4307467.story

Needless to say we survived the night, but it made us so grateful to live in peaceful little Provo. We take for granted the safety and security that we live in. I'll take the quirky culture of happy valley any day. I love it here!

The police broke down this fence that lined the hotel lot where we parked our car. Scary!!

Despite the craziness outside of our hotel room, here is the cuteness that was inside our hotel room. She loves shampoo bottles:)

After a crazy night, we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday in Chicago. After church we went to the Sears Tower and walked to the end of Navy Pier. We found awesome parking spots - a feat for downtown Chicago - and enjoyed the cool sunny afternoon. Kaylyn was such a good little traveler as always. It was a great (and adventurous;) trip!

This is 103 floors up. It didn't even phase Kaylyn, but I was nervous to walk out on the glass.

Panoramic pic from the end of Navy Pier. I'm loving my new iPhone camera:)

At the airport I went to change out of my skirt before we got on the plane. I accidentally grabbed Micah's jeans AND went into the men's bathroom to change. I thought it was a little weird to see urinals in the women's restroom...I only scared a couple of dudes as I ran out wearing my husband's pants. It gave us all a good laugh:)

Happy Birthday Kaylyn!

Today is Kaylyn's first birthday! Yesterday we had a little party at Kiwanis Park with some family and friends. This was our Facebook invite:

Come celebrate Kaylyn's 1st Birthday with us this Saturday at Kiwanis Park! We will be having all but two of the following festivities:

1. Pinata
2. Greased pig contest
3. Micah dressed up as Nacho Libre (in honor of our little Chancha)
4. Birthday cake and light snack
5. Egg toss competition
6. Special birthday tribute by Elvis impersonator
See you Saturday at 1pm!

So we had it all except for the greased pig contest and the Elvis impersonator. I was trying my best to get Micah to dress in the full Nacho Libre costume - stretchy pants and all - but in the end we settled for the mask only. It was still a hit! Even little Kaylyn was interested yet slightly concerned at the sight. She still wanted her daddy to hold her even when he had the mask on because she recognized his voice and trusts him so much. It was very sweet.

We had Domino's pizza (that's our favorite lately), chips & salsa, the pinata, an egg toss contest (which my mom and Craig won), bubbles for the kids, cake/cupcakes, creamies, and presents. It was a fun afternoon and we were so happy that Kaylyn was surrounded by so many people who love her and people that we love so much too!

She was very slow and deliberate about eating her cake. Everyone kept saying how "lady-like" she was. That's so her. Very calm and deliberate. We love how her little personality shows through in everything she does.

Opening presents with a little help from her friends.

After the party Kaylyn decided to clap her hands for the first time and she's been doing it on demand ever since. Like Micah's sister Rachel said, it is soooo cute. We watched the BYU vs Utah football game that night and cried ourselves to sleep after an emotional roller coaster of an ending where BYU lost by a field goal. Other than that it was a wonderful day!

September 17, 2011 BYU vs Utah football game watched from the hospital the day after she was born.

September 15, 2012 BYU vs Utah football game watched from our house the day before her first birthday. Yes, we're wearing the exact same shirts that we did a year ago. We all look a little bit older too:)

Today we went to Stake Conference then came home and had a family nap. Micah had to go to a meeting so he left Kaylyn and I home sleeping and we slept for 3 hours! Kaylyn slept for 3 hours and 25 minutes. What a great nap! When Dad came home we delivered birthday cupcakes to the Davidsons, B-Money, and Willy then went over to the duck pond south of campus. It was fun spending the day with just our little family to celebrate Kaylyn's birthday. After she went to sleep Micah and I watched the videos from her birth. It brought back all sorts of emotions, tears, and gratitude for the sweet baby that has been ours for the past year. We never thought it would be so good. 

She only starting clapping yesterday and she's already so good at it! This little girl is very talented:)

Catching a duck feather. She loves the watching the ducks and the birds at the pond. 

This is her "sqeeeeze" move. One of her latest tricks that she thinks is hilarious. We obviously do too:)

This girl loves her daddy. She's got the best one in the world!

So here's to our calm, sweet demeanored, deliberate, fun but shy, playful, car seat sleeping, dancing, trusting, affectionate, animal loving, seven-toothed snuggler. Happy birthday sweet girl! We love you so much. You have made the last year of our lives so much fun, so full of gratitude, and oh so good. Happy birthday Chancharelli.

What Inspires You?

It's Saturday afternoon. My sweet little baby had a hard time going down for a nap, but when she finally did I got some snacks and ice water and laid in my bed reading. I've been reading about the life of someone who inspires me. People are inspired by so many different things - it can be music, literature, art, goals, nature, athletics, etc. Whatever it may be these things speak to our souls and make us want to be better. They move us to action to increase our knowledge, nurture our talents, turn outside of ourselves, be our best. Most of us need frequent and powerful reminders of the good within us and the potential that we have, but the point is that we all have it! Though we are all unique about how we respond and the things that "make us tick", God placed so much variety on this earth so that each of His children could relate to and be inspired by something. WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

For me, I feel most inspired and motivated by the lives of others. I've always loved reading and have enjoyed many different genres, but lately all I want to read are true stories of inspiring lives. Some of my favorite books and those that have changed my perspective are:

John Adams, by David McCullough
Driven, by Larry H. Miller/Doug Robinson
Unlikely Heroes, by Ron Carter (stories of courageous men and women in the Revolutionary War)
The Life and Heart of Marjorie Pay Hinckley, edited by Virginia Pearce
Stolen Lives, by Malika Oufkir (story of a woman from Morrocco who spends 20 years in a desert prison)
I Am a Mother, by Jane Clayson Johnson
Surround Yourself with Greatness, by Chad Lewis
Heaven is Here, by Stephanie Nielson
To the Rescue, by Heidi Swinton (biography of Thomas S. Monson)

TELL ME SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE PEOPLE AND/OR BOOKS WHO INSPIRE YOU.

I've loved watching the Olympics the past couple of weeks (I'm an Olympic junky) and learning the personal stories of athletes. They are examples of humans reaching their potential (in one aspect of life) and doing their very best at something. It inspires me because although I don't aspire to be an Olympian, I know that I have the potential to do and be my very best in whichever aspects of my life that I'm willing to sacrifice and put forth the effort in.

One example of "best effort". I don't know Chad Lewis personally - I've met him a few times, but that's it. I  liked his book (listed above) because you really feel like you get to know him. The writing itself isn't particularly amazing, but it's genuine, straightforward, and it's Chad. My husband and I read the book together as we often do. Before we got very far we wondered if maybe Chad had hired a "ghost writer". It didn't take long for us to know that the voice and pen was no substitute, but the man himself. We laughed every time he introduced a new person into his life story by estimating their height and weight - in true football player fashion:) He's had a lot of amazing opportunities in his life due to his dedication and sacrifice to become a great football player. But it's not just football. He gives his very best effort to everything he does. I was reminded of the type of person that he is just a couple of weeks ago when we were at Seven Peaks water park in Provo. Chad Lewis was there with his family for a work function that we were able to attend. He challenged a small group made up of athletes, co-workers, and kids to race down the newest slide at the park. I watched and even participated in one race and smiled as I saw Chad win every time....by a long shot. He was super competitive (in a very friendly way) and gave his all each time he slipped down that slide. I was particularly impressed because he's consistent and dedicated to being his very best...all the time...even in a water slide race. WHAT WOULD WE ALL BE LIKE IF WE GAVE OUR VERY BEST EFFORT TO EVERYTHING WE DID - work, school, marriage, physical exercise, parenting, etc?

It'd be somethin' fierce.

Utah Lake

We pulled Micah's boat out after a couple of years of non-use for a test run on Utah Lake. It fired up like a champ! It was an Arriva Miracle! (The boat is an Arriva and Micah's family had it growing up.) We did a little fishing and Jeremiah went out on a ski. The weather was perfect and the water was so smooth. I love summertime.

We got a new life jacket for Kaylyn. It's a little big, but she makes anything look cute:)

Natalie, Jeremiah, Willy, and Cameron's dog Riley.

Willy makes any adventure better. 

Cousins

Jeni invited us to come to her kid's photo shoot at FotoFly (great variety of backdrops, fabulous photographers and service) in Draper to get a cousin pic. They turned out so cute! Thanks so much Jen! 

Our cast of characters:

The Child children

Kate takes the cake for the cutest pose. Look at that smile! She looks sooo much like her mom in this pic.

Drew. Is. Awesome.

The Tan-Man

I can't comment too much on this one because of course I'm biased:) Kaylyn was a little nervous in the photo studio so this is the biggest smile we got out of her, but still, isn't she adorable?:) When we showed her dad he said, "Ohh, cute." It's pretty awesome what little girls can get their daddy's to say. 

You know she gets this from her mom. That pose. That smile. That sassy-ness. Oh how we love Ellie!! And Kimmy too:)

Four days old. We love our newest cousin so so much! P.S. He was born in the master closet at his house (not planned). Visit Kim & Clay's blog for details.

Kaylyn has enough hair to hold a little clip in!

The real reason...

The real reason why I keep a blog is this little munchkin:

 If you come to our house around 9am you'll meet One-Eyed-Chancha.

 I'm obviously having the time of my life. This little lady cracks me up! She is so much fun to play with...every...day.

Kaylyn visits Munchkin Land.