Graduation/Gender Reveal

This last weekend was spend in Kansas celebrating Cole graduating with his doctoral degree. Woo hoo!!!

I can't even explain how excited, relieved, slightly shocked we are that it all happened. I only say shocked because the original plan was to graduate in May, but with the Idaho opportunity we pushed it up to December. And yes it was crazy busy and stressful at times but we did it. I mean Cole really did it. He pushed through and put in the time while going through a move, a new job and dealing with a prego and half functioning wife!! I told him if we went to Idaho then we were for sure going back to see him hooded. I am so glad we did. Not only was it a way to celebrate this huge accomplishment but also some closure with leaving Manhattan.

Now to describe the last few weeks leading up to graduation: I went with the crazy idea of making his robe and hood. Our friends that also graduated from K-State and are now working at BYU-I, The Raricks, did the same thing. So she walked me through every step. They are super expensive to buy or rent and even then the quality is not great. So it was really fun to buy real wool, velvet, and satin and know I was saving money and they will hold up well. (Today actually is BYU-I graduation so now Cole will get to wear his robes as a faculty member. Pretty exciting!!) So back to making the robes: It was so fun and rewarding but so stressful! I have been feeling so sick from this pregnancy that when I finally felt motivated enough I only had a couple weeks to do everything. So the morning before this ceremony I was still finishing the last touches!! And actually I ran out of time and didn't have the chance to make the hood. So he borrowed from the hood from the Raricks-I will have to make it later.

Sorry for the length of the post but I want to document everything!!

The actually ceremony was great. All the faculty came in and it was fun to observe their robes since that has been my life the last few weeks!

Here is Cole holding his hood with his major professor, who would hood him, in line behind him.

Here are all the graduate applicants. The commencement speaker was really good. He talked about the importance of never being the smartest person in a room and the importance of working with and learning from others.

Here is a video clip of Cole getting hooded!! Officially he has a Doctorate of Philosophy in Human Ecology with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. In short, a Ph.D. in MFT.

Then of course tons of pictures to follow the ceremony!!

Blue velvet for a doctor of philosophy, purple and white satin for K-State, dark gold tassle for doctoral degrees

Once the formalities were over we needed to partayyyy! We went out to dinner at Famous Daves which was a little nostalgic (when we first moved to Manhattan we went out to eat there). We also went there after his Masters degree. Cole's major professor also joined us. Then we went to the institute which we have previously reserved for a little get together. We put up some K-State decorations and invited any and all of our friends in the area that wanted to celebrate with us. The previous Monday I had my 20 week sonogram and found out the gender of our baby. We thought it would be fun to have reveal the gender then when we were surrounded by family and friends. So at the appointment Cole found out the gender and I did not. He then ordered about 60 cupcakes. He had only two filled with either pink or blue frosting. After several friends had shown up we passed out the cupcakes and said, "Ready...eat!" Out of everyone there guess who had the two cupcakes?!

No joke!! My mom and I both got the blue cupcakes!!! How crazy is that (about a 1 in 900 chance)! It was so much fun!! And although I was wrong on the gender (0 for 3...Cole is 3 for 3) I am so excited for our little guy to get here.

So all in all Friday was like the funnest day ever. Graduation, baby boy, and lots of friends and family to see. Whew, it makes me exhausted just writing about it. Planning and getting everything ready for that day took some serious thinking, planning, and time.

I wish I would have gotten more pictures of the whole trip. We were able to visit lots of people, spend family time at the institute, go to church at our old ward and just be in Manhattan. Although we miss it it does feel right to be moving on from there. So now the goal is to make Rexburg into our next Manhattan.

The last day we were there we went to the bookstore and the let the kids each pick out a K-State prize. They love K-State. Especially Cade. Rylee picked a little purple stuffed bear (she has been so into them lately) and Cade picked a purple football. Ever since we have gotten home he does diving touchdowns onto the luv sac. He will run, then throw it up and catch it as he lands in the end zone (luv sac). It is so cute. Here are few airborne shots of him.

I will not be surprised if this kid chooses to go to K-State. His love for K-state is pretty ingrained. We try to throw in some pulls for BYU here and there, but so far to no avail. Although he likes BYU he openly says that he loves K-State more. :) Oh boy.

Rylee's Fashion

Ok now a post about Rylee. She is in an interesting phase. The best way to sum it up is that she is 3. And has very specific opinions. Complying with these opinions (or rather demands) is sometimes the surest way to a happy Rylee. One way I have come to let her assert her independence is completely letting her pick what she wants to wear in the morning. We have been through some battles and seriously, it is just not worth the argument. This has taken some time for me to let go and let her be in charge. This usually also includes her hair. And yes, this means we also go in public wearing her creations. I just assume everyone knows that she dressed herself. I figure there are enough things that I have to control that this is one I can let go on. (This is true for all days except Sunday. I very strongly and sometimes enforce certain things on Sunday dress). Now our mornings are so much smoother. She loves her outfits and I love a happy Rylee.

As you can see pink and purple usually win over other colors. And just so you are not deceived, bathing suits and dancing costumes are frequently under her other clothing. She knows she has to be warm now she she just wears them underneath. At least layering is pretty in right?

Wrestling Tournament

We attended our first official sports activity. Cade has started wresting this season and he had his first (and only so far) tournament a couple weeks ago. He was excited but really had no idea what it really meant. At the time of the tournament he had only had a couple weeks of practice. Most of what helped him was all the 'wrestling around' he does with Cole and Cole's subtle teaching in those moments. I also did not know what to expect. Cade's birthday is 5 days before the age break so he qualifies for an older group of wrestlers. Meaning he will be wrestling kids who have likely been wrestling longer. I was not thrilled with that news.

His first match was really good. He won! He (or I ) am not sure how since we have no idea how the scoring works. But he worked hard and seemed to enjoy it. 

The second match was so hard to watch!! I cried. Like literally I was watching and had tears. The opponent had been wrestling for a whole year longer. He was working really hard to pin Cade. Cade was doing everything possible to stay off his back. He starting crying in the middle because it was so hard. That is when I lost it. But he stuck with it and never got pinned. The other coach noted how hard he worked. 

In the end all the kids in his age group got a medal. We told Cade he got his for hard work. He was so proud of his medal. He wore it around the house for the next 2 days. Everybody he saw and talked to learned that got a wrestling medal. 

I am still learning and getting used to the sport. Not sure how I feel about it yet. It will be interesting to see how Cade reacts with upcoming wrestling matches. 

Halloween

Although Halloween is not my favorite holiday, having kids sure makes it fun. They just love it. Cade decided to repeat his costume from last year as a road. It was cheap, easy and warm plus we are in a new place so I was all for it. He helped make it and loved wearing it to school today.

Rylee wanted to be a princess and we chose Cinderella. Her dress was really fun to make. Whenever she wore it she was in character. She loved it.

Last week we went to a Halloween costume party so Cole and I dressed up as well. We thought it was fitting for Cole to go as a prince since Rylee was a princess. She loved having a prince around. I was Dorthy. Also fitting since we just came (and are missing) Kansas. 

The kids are ready to go! This morning there were flurries of snow, then the sun came out for a while, and by the time evening hit there were light showers and it was pretty cold. Rylee is sporting snow boots with her dress which I hoping she would go for to keep her warmer. You can see them in the picture where she is holding her dress up as she walks because isn't that what princesses do when they wear long dresses?

It was really to nice be living in a neighborhood where we could just walk out the front door and start trick or treating. We went with a family that has a son in Cade's class. He was excited and kept running ahead. We had to keep reminding him to slow down and wait for Rylee. The rain and cold seemed to have no effect on him. Rylee on the other hand was cold and struggled a bit. She left early and went back home to pass out candy with daddy. All in all-a great Halloween!

Idaho so far...

We have been here about 3 months and I have blogged nothing! I have been a bit...out of commission...so now I am catching up. Here is a little rundown so far. (Some were taken on my phone so super bad quality)

Cole's first day on the new job.  (He knows a request for the picture is coming so he even asked for it this time! :)
Cole loves his job. Absolutely loves it. He can't think of a better job for him. He would love to be offered a permanent position here. 

 First drive in theater experience. The kids thought life couldn't get any better. A new movie (Planes), in jammies, in the car, with candy.

Cade thinks this must be a rainbow state. We have seen about 4 or 5 since being here. 

Cade and Rylee on the Merry-Go-Round
Before school started there was a big carnival like activity at one of the parks to celebrate school starting. I think the whole town was there. There was lots to do and the Merry-Go-Round was a highlight. With so many fun new things do to the first few days we were there, the kids warmed up to Idaho pretty quickly! 

And, of course, Cade's first day of kindergarten!! It has been a fabulous experience. He was really excited and a little nervous the first day. But he went in great and has looked forward to going ever since. He takes whatever is teacher says very seriously and is very responsible with his school stuff. Rylee enjoys have 'girl time'.

Ahh the green crocks. He loves them. Wears them everyday. I guess if he is happy then I am happy.

Right as they were going inside, a boy from his primary class grabbed his hand :)

So that is a little of our experience so far. Things still seem new and weird to me. Doesn't feel like home yet. But we have lots of good things going for us and we are grateful!

Last bits of Kansas

There were some fun things we did before we left that I did not get a chance to post. So here are a bunch of random last memories from Kansas.

We had tons and tons of rain. The kids loved playing in it while I packed.

Rylee dressed herself...

 We did several family outings at Anneburg Park. Cade and Cole would ride bikes while I pushed Rylee in a stroller. Then we would play at the park for a while. The kids really enjoyed this.

This was the Sunday that Cole got released. The institute was a very significant building. So many wonderful memories there and a big part of our Kansas experience. 

Cole and I made the last institite class we could attend a date night. We got a babysitter, went together and then got dessert. We loved going to institute classes!

We went on a walk/bike ride on a new trail with some of our best friends, the Hardy's. Lots of fun times with these kids.

The branch had a going away dinner for us. It was very kind and good closure for us.

Saying goodbye to so many good friends! (and many that are not pictured!)

 Ahh so many good Kansas memories!!! And so many people that made a difference for us! If you ever get the chance to go to Kansas, I highly recommend it! :)