Baby Fever

I haven't caught the baby fever that seems to be sweeping my friends (yet), however I have an appreciation for babies.  I think Jessica's Baby J is super cool (she's like a miniature Jessica), and Heather's sweet Baby T melts my heart (just scroll down to see some adorable pictures).  I had the pleasure of spending Sunday through Wednesday in St. Louis with Heather and her family.  I miss having Heather living less than five minutes from my house, so spending any amount of time with her is always special.  In the past few months, I can't believe how much Baby T has grown and developed.  He can crawl like crazy now (I'm pretty sure he'll be a track star), and pulls himself up on whatever he can grab (furniture, people, etc.).  Here are just a few pictures from my STL adventure (including a trip to the zoo - scratch number 12 off my 30 before 30 list!).  I can't wait to go back and visit again.  STL is actually quite lovely in the fall. 

Happy baby pulled himself up on the sofa.

Baby with bunny ears

STL Zoo

 

He makes the cutest faces!

Sweet Alison loves to cuddle up on the sofa (especially during nap time).

Seriously, you can't help but love this little guy!

Alison missed me very much!

Group photos are hard with kids and dogs.  Lesson learned.

Sweet Baby T

I kept having to back up to take this photo since Baby T kept speeding up his crawl.

The Big Football Game: Iowa v. Iowa State

This past weekend was a legendary Iowa weekend:  the Iowa v. Iowa State football game (read more about the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series here).  The state of Iowa is divided between the two universities.  Obviously, Josh and I always side with Iowa State (all the smart kids do, really).  Since Josh is a student at Iowa, he purchased season football tickets, and we managed (read: Josh negotiated like crazy) to purchase a ticket for me to attend the game with him.  During undergrad, I never went to Iowa City because I was afraid I'd get arrested or something crazy (I've heard lots of horror stories about Iowa City).  This was my first home Iowa football game, and it ended up pretty well.

We started the morning off at a law school fraternity tailgate.  Then, we wandered over to the tailgates near the stadium to meet up with some of Josh's high school friends.  It was fun catching up with them, playing flippy cup, and snapping a few pictures.

The football game was a lot of fun.  Kinnick Stadium was quite impressive.  The Iowa State win (9-6) was more impressive.  It's a Cyclone State for the next year.

My Nephew, the Football Star

My nephew, Jeramie, is in seventh grade and started his football season last week.  He plays on a turf field, and wears the same pads that "the big kids" wear.  I can't believe he's old enough for this.  I still remember when my sister called to tell me she was going into labor...and I told her to wait to have him until I arrived (FYI, that didn't happen).  Anyway, Jeramie looked so old all suited up for his game...and he's basically the same height as I am.  When did this happen?

Jeramie had a great first game, rushing 50 yards to score a touchdown (the team's first of the season and game).  We are all very proud of him and look forward to watching more games this season (and hopefully more in the years to come).

I asked Dina which kid was Jeramie.  Her response, "He's the one wearing black socks."

Touchdown!

After the game, we had the chance to take a quick family picture.  I love having Dina and her kids around and the opportunity to watch them make memories doing things they love.