Shadows

So Aiden discovered his shadow for the first time two days ago. It reminded me of the Disney Peter Pan movie where he loses his shadow and he is trying to get it to stay on his feet. The funniest thing about it was watching his little mind trying to process what he was seeing.

So we were walking through the parking lot in the front of our townhome to go get the mail together and the sun was hitting perfectly so you could see my shadow. Aiden all of a sudden stopped dead in his tracks and I looked back to see why he had stopped and he was just staring at my shadow and then he pointed at it and he made a noise. And I said, "Yes that is mommy's shadow," and I made my shadow wave at him, but then he got this really scared look on his face and backed away from it. I walked closer and closer to him making my shadow get closer and he kept backing up because he didn't want it to touch him and then he ran really fast around it to get away. It was so funny! I could just tell he was so confused and did not understand what my shadow was. Then when we were walking back home he saw his own shadow and he bent down and touched it and kept saying "ooooh." But then when he stood up and kept walking he noticed that his shadow kept following him and he started to walk faster and kept looking behind him and then he started to cry and run towards me to pick him up because he couldn't get away from it. At one point he also bent down and it was like he was trying disconnect his shadow from his feet. He was trying to pick the shadow off of his shoes. I was just cracking up watching him. He was so interested yet kinda freaked out by the shadows. After that he started to notice the shadows of trees and things and he liked those because they didn't move or wave at him. haha.

It is so amazing to watch little kids! I was just telling Brad today that watching little kids is just like when you have seen a really good movie, but your friends haven't and you decide to watch it together and it is really fun to watch it with them even though you have already seen it because you want to see their reactions to everything as the movie progresses. It is the same with kids, it is so fun to watch them react and interact with every little thing because to them everything is new! They have never experienced things before so it is so fun to see their faces and their reactions and what they do in different situations.

I also have to tell another quick story about Aiden in the car on the way home from our ward Trunk or Treat night. He was SO tired and he was in the back of the car in his car seat and he just started giggling and I looked back there and he was sticking his feet in his mouth. And then as I watched for a few seconds longer I realized he was sticking his feet in his mouth and tickling his toes with his teeth. It was so cute. He would stick his toes in his mouth, rub his toes on the bottoms of his teeth, and then start giggling. It was hilarious and it kept him entertained for a good amount of time on the way home too :)

Camping

Over Labor Day Weekend we were able to go camping with the Zastrows. We headed down to Mammoth Caves in South central Kentucky and stayed for two nights. It was a great time, and I think Aiden had more fun than any of us. He was so happy to be out in the dirt and grime, not having to always be wiped down and told not to put things in his mouth. Of course, that was pretty much only because there was no way we could ALWAYS keep him clean, and because he was constantly putting things in his mouth, so inevitably, some things slipped past our watchful eyes. BUT, he's not sick, so no harm, no foul. The Zastrows went ahead and took a good two hour long tour of the caves, but we didn't think Aiden could make it that long, so we ended up taking our own little hike around the area. We saw a lot of butterflies, and cool springs where underground rivers came to the surface, as well as some BYU fans, believe it or not! In all, we had a great weekend and really enjoyed the time with family and friends and away from school and all the business of Lexington.

A Day in the Life of Aiden

I just had to post these recent pictures of Aiden. There is construction going on next to us and he just LOVES to watch the trucks and bulldozers moving all of the dirt. So, we sit outside on our patio in our camping chairs and watch the trucks together while eating popsicles. He is getting so big.


Lately he has also started to wear his ducky towel on his head and walks around saying "quack, quack."

Aiden has also discovered that it is fun to get wet even if it is cold water. He plays in the rain and he plays in the sprinklers in our backyard.

The Start of Something Wonderful

Today was Brad's white coat ceremony at the University of Kentucky's College of Medicine. This is a special ceremony they do for the new entering medical students where they receive their white student doctor coats and they recite an oath of professionalism. First the Dean of Medicine spoke and I really enjoyed his speech. He talked about how learning should be a lifelong process and that if you really are trying to strive for perfection and to be the best doctor you can be for your patients then you should always be striving to learn more. He also talked about gaining the respect of your colleagues and of your patients. He said that respect takes a lifetime to build and just one moment to lose. Anyways, he said a lot more but those were a few of my favorite points that he made.
Then the Dean of Admissions spoke and she talked about the entering class and their academic excellence and also the different talents and skills they took note of during the admissions process. She started by reminding the class that they were the 113 people chosen out of over 2,000 applicants and out of over the 400 who were interviewed. It always makes me so thankful, humble, and amazed to hear those numbers because I know that Brad was meant to be here at this school right now and it was through the Lord's blessing that we are here and I am so grateful.
This year was the 50th Anniversary of the College of Medicine at the University of Kentucky so they had an alumni come from each graduating class since 1960 come to participate in the ceremony. The alumni were the ones who presented the new students with their white coats. Here is the video of Brad receiving his white coat--

After receiving their white coats they then all stood and said their oath of professionalism. And then there was a reception with food and stuff afterwords. It was all really nice and I am so happy for Brad to have this opportunity. Brad--I am so proud of you!

Together after the ceremony. (Aiden looks like he is sneering. haha)

Brad shaking hands with the Dean of Medicine after receiving his white coat. (Sorry for the bad pic quality I didn't realize that Aiden had smudged the lens.)

My two handsome boys. I love you both so much!

Happy Birthday, Love!

So Jessie's birthday was just a couple of days ago on July 28th. She officially turned 22. We were able to celebrate with Brent and Meagan and their family. They came over that night for cake and ice cream and the kids played for a little while. We went out for her birthday dinner to a seafood place close to our house. Jessie had been there before with her mom and sister and loved it, so we decided to head out there again. The food was great. We had a fun evening as a family. I am such an incredibly blessed man to have such an amazing woman as my wife and mother to our son! I love you, Jessie! Thank you for marrying me.

Kentucky

Ok, so our first week in Kentucky has been full of unpacking, fixing, buying, moving, replacing items, making trips to Wal-Mart, running errands, making more trips to Wally World, heading to campus, hanging out with the Zastrow family, and more unpacking. After all the running around, though, I think we are finally all moved in and settled down. I had to run down to campus yesterday to take care of some financial aid issues and to pick up my new student ID, so we took advantage of the time and went as a family and looked around part of campus for a little bit. It is a beautiful campus and it only made us more excited to be here in Lexington. School starts on August 2, so it's only a short week and a half away. I never really thought it would actually come, especially during all the hassles of applying for schools. Jessie and I really feel that this is where we are supposed to be. The school and the College of Medicine especially have such a great atmosphere.
Our little townhouse if perfect for the three of us. It's big enough to fit us and all of our stuff, and it's in a great part of the city. Lucky for us, a good amount of the members in our ward live within just a few blocks of where we're at. Apparently so many members live around here that the missionaries call it Little Utah. Oh, and we love our ward. The members that we met on Sunday were amazing, and a lot of them are students or residents. Dental students, medical students, medical residents, oral surgery residents...and a LOT of them are actually from Idaho. Who would've thought! Anyway, we'll post up some pictures and write more later. Go Wildcats!...and GO COUGARS!

The part of campus where I'll be spending a LOT of my time.

Memorial Hall

Aiden and Mommy in the living room.

Aiden doing what he does so well as of late...walking!

Aiden and the car.

Aiden Turned 1!

About a week or so before we left we got to celebrate our little boy's first birthday. He is growing up so fast. He is now running around everywhere and only crawls if he trips and is in a real hurry to get somewhere. He is so smart and curious about everything. Jessie and I are so blessed to have such a happy, healthy, and smart young boy. We love you, Aiden!

One of the rare occasions where I was able to get Aiden to fall asleep.

We found out that corn on the cob is literally one of Aiden's new favorite foods...but it has to be on the cob.

Aiden also loves his new car! We have already spent hours pushing him around in circles.

Aiden and his birthday cake. He didn't eat too much. He was more tired than hungry.