11 months

Our boy is now 11 months. Before we know it, we will have a one year old on our hands! It has been such a splendid 11 months with this sweetest boy. We love him too much for words.

At 11 months Oliver:
-Makes all sorts of noises. I love his growling. He talks with his tongue still (la, la). He makes a variety of other sounds too. He's kind of a screamer sometimes, out of excitement or a range of other emotions. He is quite vocal and we love to hear him talk, except maybe during church. He has also clicked his tongue a little bit recently.

-Loves to be chased. I say, "I'm gonna get you" as I chase after him and he laughs/screams out of excitement. It's my favorite game with him.

-Is getting closer to walking and has taken a couple of steps, but mostly he's a speed crawler. He does walk along things and will walk quite well with a hand held. He's getting good at standing by himself. I'm sure some walking will be taking place soon.

-Has 8 teeth now, 4 on top and 4 on bottom. He got the last four while we were in Pocatello. We love his grins.

-Is still eating like a champ. He has been trying to escape from his high chair a little bit, which is obviously problematic. He still loves fruit, especially grapes and blueberries. He ate a tomato the other day like an apple, so apparently he loves tomatoes. He often wants bites of whatever we're eating. We love his chomping noises.
-Loves his papa. A lot. It's so sweet. They play and laugh and wrestle and have so much fun.

-Is wanting to climb now, thanks to his papa. He tries to climb up him and other things. It stresses this mama out, but so far we haven't had anything too scary yet.

-Still is curious as ever.  He's such an explorer, and prefers to be entertained with "regular" things not his toys. He does like playing with balls though. He throws a tennis ball quite well.

-Has started dancing a little bit, which is mostly a bounce. I love his moves.

-Claps his hands after eating often. Yay for food!

-Loves to read Spot books and his a professional at lifting up the flaps. He also has really been liking Now I Eat my ABCs, which has the letters spelled out with food. He still loves his big animal book, especially when I make noises for the animals.

-Loves to bang on things, including my face. We've been trying to work on being soft, but I don't think he's got the idea yet.

-Does a little eyebrow raise occasionally that I'm crazy about. I love his little looks.

-Is a beautiful and happy boy that brings us so much joy!

Another visit to Pocatello

Oliver and I got to visit my family in Pocatello again. It was a splendid week and a half of family, celebrations, sunshine, and fun.

The Allens were also there, so we got to spend time with them. The boys were all so good to play with Oliver. We also got to see Chris' mom for a minute before we headed up to Pocatello. Mom threw Sierra a fabulous shower (unfortunately I'm lacking in pictures of its splendor). It was a lot of work and we were a little tired by the end of it, but it turned out great. We love Sierra and are excited she's a Thomas now!

I just fall more and more in love with Cora. It was so fun to spend time with this sweet girl. She's getting so big and we love her little personality. Unfortunately, Brit had to go to Dallas the Monday after we got there. So we only saw him for a couple of days, but we love him. These Thomas grandbabies are pretty adorable, if I do say so myself.

More fun with cousin friends. Sweetest Carter seems much too grown up. He's such a good talker. We love him! I was spoiled and got to have a fabulous massage from Mary. While mom was watching Oliver, he managed to get lipstick all over his face (seen below). Silly boy.

Oliver loves Asher. Ash is so sweet to crawl around with him. They are the cutest of little pals. 

Oliver also loves Max. They were playing, and Oliver thought he was the funniest thing. 

One of my favorite traditions is Sunday night band concerts in the park. It was fun to have Oliver with us this year. I remember last year sitting in a camp chair at one with my parents. I remember having my big pregnant belly and dreaming about that baby boy to come. I thought of how I would like to bring him to Pocatello for the band concerts. It was fun to reminisce and joyful to have my boy there with me.

We got to see some Boyce cousins and Scott and Teresa. It had been way too long, so it was so good to see them. Cory and Janae came with their girls! We met sweet little Quinn. I didn't get a picture of her, but she's adorable with her dark hair. Russ and Rikki stayed the night with us. Avery's birthday was on Monday! We spent it with her at Bear Lake and had such a fun time. That morning as Rikki was doing Brooke and Avery's hair, she decided Oliver needed a pony tail too! He would be such a cute girl :)

Fun at Bear Lake. I love the shallow water here. Oliver just crawled and splashed and had a great time in the sand.

On the way home, mom and I got root beer ice cream cones. Mom gave Oliver her cone (just the cone) and he was loving it. 

We spent an evening up Scout Mountain. I love this tradition. Everyone had a great time. 

Grandma has this cutest bench on their deck. We loved posing Oliver in it.

Pictures of Oliver and Cora. He loves her and wanted to put his forehead against hers.

The big event was Brady and Sierra's wedding in Idaho Falls. I was so grateful we got to be there and spend the day celebrating with them. It was such a treat to be in the temple with them for the sealing. They are so great together, and I'm sure will have a wonderful life together. The wedding meant we also got to see lots of Thomas cousins. We met baby Nora, who is the perfect little pixie. We alsosaw Shay, Carly, John, and Quinn. They are cute kids! It was a fun day of festivities. Addie and I missed our husbands, but we represented the family. The luau that night was a party with delicious food and great entertainment. It was so fun! Congratulations to Brady and Sierra!  

Another band concert. Oliver and his many faces.

Oliver and Cora being so sweet together. They will be the best of friends.

More Oliver in Grandma's adorable grandkid room. Why is she so fabulous? 

We joined grandpa in Malad for lunch before heading to Salt Lake. Oliver will miss him, and me too (of course).

 The last hurrah was going to the Ogden temple open house with my mom before we flew home. It was so beautiful and we had a good time. We got a little rained on, which made it memorable. Oliver enjoyed the temple, especially the chandeliers and all the paintings of Jesus. A shaved ice was the perfect conclusion to a lovely time.

We're so grateful for grandma Jan getting us to Pocatello for another delightful trip. We had such a good time and made many memories. We love grandma and grandpa! Until next time Pocatello.