Pennsylvania in Pictures

We just got back from a month-long trip to Pennsylvania to visit Devin's family. We were so happy to have a break between the volleyball championships and Devin's internship that we could spend with family. Pennsylvania is absolutely beautiful in the summer! I don't think I've ever seen a place that is so green and heavily wooded. 

I loved seeing the city, taking a river cruise, walking around a beautiful lake, going to a Pirates game, visiting Springhouse farms and Sarris chocolate factory, swimming in the pool, and playing games with the family. Braden loved spending time with his grandparents and Uncle Nathan too. They were so nice to let us stay with them for so long! 

The view of the Pittsburgh on the river cruise. It was really neat to learn more about the city and see it from a new view.

It was so fun to spend so much time with Sherri. She is a wonderful mom and a great example to me. And one of the cleanest people I know! Living with her for a month and watching how clean she kept the house really motivated me to be better in that area. 

Family dinner at Olive Garden

My favorite time of day is the one hour that Braden gets to take his helmet off. We bathe him, wash his helmet out, and usually let him have some time without clothes. We all love it!

Practicing his standing with Dad's help

Posing on the red chair

Snuggling with Grandpa

 

These are the first two pages of one of Devin's childhood journals. I was dying!!

Gone are the days when Braden would wake up in the same position he went to sleep in. He usually ends up completely turned around and kicking the side of the crib.

I love bringing Braden into our room after his first morning feeding to wake up Devin. I love watching these two interact.

Braden loved taking naps on this gold couch! If Devin and I were having a hard time putting him down, we'd try putting him on this couch and he would usually fall asleep. He looks so cozy! 

I came in to check on Braden and found Devin asleep below him 

Braden came out and watched Devin and I play catch one evening in the front yard. The weather was PERFECT. 

Standing, thanks to Devin's arm supporting him :)

I was introduced to Rita's this trip and was very impressed! The custard was amazing.

Cheesecake Factory

Don't worry, he is wearing a diaper under there!

Swimming with Dad

Pittsburgh Pirates Game

Last week we had a lot of fun going to a Pittsburgh Pirates game. We rode the train into the city and met up with Devin's dad after he got out of work. We lucked out with beautiful weather, great seats, and an amazing view of the city. Oh and the Pirates won! It's actually a pretty big deal since it doesn't happen very often :) Braden did well despite the fact that he has two little teeth poking through now and maybe more on the way. 

The infamous Great Pierogi Race. I had no idea what a pierogi was until I came to Pennsylvania, but apparently they are similar to a dumpling.

Amazing view of downtown Pittsburgh

It has been really interesting to see how people react to Braden's helmet. I really think some people think that it's just a costume! I've heard strangers say stuff like, "Look at his cute little football helmet!" I'm definitely not used to getting so much attention from strangers wherever I go. In Pittsburgh I'm not sure if people stare because of Braden's helmet or if they are just shocked that a couple as young as Devin and I would already have a baby. It's a toss up! In Provo, I don't think people even think twice when they see a baby since they are everywhere. It has been a new feeling for me to look around in a public place and not see another baby. Just one of the many things I'll have to adjust to when we move out of Provo next year!

Videos of Braden

Here's a little taste of what Braden's been up to lately...

Braden | five months

Five months is such a fun stage! Devin and I have loved watching him learn. Here are a few of the many reasons why we love Braden:

- He chews/sucks on everything! As soon as he grabs something, it goes straight to his mouth.
- He knows Devin and I. It is becoming more and more clear that he knows his mom and dad. His face lights up when we come in the room and he sometimes gets a little nervous when someone else is holding him. 
- He has started to squeal. We have his cousin Jackson to thank for this one :) Ever since the trip to LA Braden will do a high-pitched squeal at random times throughout the day. I think it's super cute.
- He gets the hiccups when he laughs hard. About 99% of the time, he'll have the hiccups by the time he is done laughing.
- He loves to splash in the bath. I'm seriously considering wearing my swimsuit when I bathe him because I get so wet. He has some powerful kicks now!
- He gets squirmy and rolls around when he's getting a diaper change. It takes some serious maneuvering to get a clean diaper on him.
- He can roll from his back to his tummy now! Most of the time he gets stuck with both arms under his body though. We're still working on it!
- He sleeps on his side now most of the time. He has scared us a few times by rolling onto his stomach during the night, but he's been fine. 
- He has adjusted so well to his helmet! The whole process has been much better than we expected. He's up to 23 hours a day now and seems to be used to it now.
- He is getting CHUBBY! Gotta love a chubby baby.

We love him so much!!

Trip to LA

I am way behind on blog posts! A week and a half ago we got to travel to Los Angeles, California to watch Devin and his team compete in the NCAA National Championships. It was a short trip, but so much fun! Devin parents and Ryan and Sara and their adorable kids came to watch the games too. The trip started with Braden's first ride on an airplane. I was so nervous, but he ended up falling asleep right before we took off and woke up as we were landing. My in-laws picked me up and we headed to Venice Beach. It was a really cool place with tons of shops, basketball courts, places to play handball, playgrounds, and a lot of other interesting things to do. Unfortunately we could only stay for a few minutes because Braden starting SCREAMING and couldn't be consoled. I'm still not sure what set him off, but we did discover later that he had a rash in the folds of his neck, which probably had something to do with it. That night, we went to UCLA to watch BYU take on Penn State in the final four. They won in three! 

Friday we spent some time relaxing at the hotel in the morning. Braden got to spend some time getting to know his cute cousins Katelyn, Julia, and Jackson. They were so nice to him! Devin got to have some family time that day so we headed to Hollywood to see the sites. It was fun to see the footprints of famous people, but it was definitely not a place where I'd want to hang out for too long. There were people dressed up in various costumes that you could take pictures with, but the costumes were FILTHY! I didn't want to go anywhere near them! haha 

 Braden loved having a break from his helmet (and his clothes!) and looking at the

view from our hotel window. 

Luckily Braden fell asleep so we didn't have to shield his eyes :)

Devin doing his best to protect the girls from the creepiest Elmo I've ever seen!

Saturday was the big game day! In the afternoon, we visited the LA temple and went to the visitor's center. The grounds were absolutely beautiful with so many colorful flowers and big palm trees. It was fun to see a few newlywed couples coming out of the temple too. After the temple, we went to Lucille's BBQ before heading to the game. One of my favorite things in the world is their hot biscuits with apple cinnamon butter. DELICIOUS! 

Ryan and Sara's kids were so nice to Braden the whole trip. Katelyn could make Braden smile just by looking at him! I have never seen him so smiley and giggly. Julia and I shared some great bonding time in the back seat of the Sequoia on the way to the game. She was nice to let me squeeze in beside her :) I don't think Jackson stopped smiling the entire trip! What a cute family!

It didn't really hit me what a big deal the championship game was until I walked into the stadium. There were so many people and cameras and reporters. It was crazy! Devin played so well that night. I could not have been more proud. Even though BYU lost, I was so proud of how hard the team worked this season. Thank you to everyone who has supported Devin this season. He always got so many texts, e-mails, and phone calls after games. Hopefully BYU can pull off the win next season!

Luckily, we were able to fly home on the same flight. Braden slept again the entire flight, which was heaven. It was a great trip!

(A HUGE thank you to Sara Young for letting me use some of her pictures in this post!)