Baby Brother arrives...and finally has a name!

We welcomed little Nolan David Glabe to the world on Sunday, November 28th at 12:06 AM, nearly 3 weeks before his due date. He weighed 6 lbs 9 oz and measured 19.5 inches long. We feel so blessed to have been entrusted with this sweet little spirit. So far he has been a very calm baby. He eats, sleeps, and poops just like he's supposed to and even gained nearly 2 ounces by his first doctor's appointment. Aly is thrilled to have a baby to help take care of, even if it has been a bit of an adjustment for her. She likes to help change diapers, swaddle, and rock him and I even caught her trying to feed him some cereal today. She is a great big sister.

And now for the first week's worth of photos...

Mom and baby Nolan minutes after birth.

Aly's mad face - she isn't sure that this is what she ordered.

Pals already. It didn't take long for her to warm up to Nolan.

Aly tells Nolan all her secrets.

And Nolan tells Aly all of his.

Family photo at the hospital.

Duckie jammies!

Our little guy.

Grandma Renae came to aid in the transition. She was a huge help, and it was great to see Aly warm up to her.

Stay tuned... more photos to come!

Halloween

Well, here it is two weeks later and I'm finally posting about Halloween. Our little lion had so much fun at the  trunk-or-treat. At first she was scared to approach all those strangers, but once she realized that they were putting candy in her bag she ran from car to car. She was so excited to come home and dig into her loot.

Here are some shots from our visit to a local pumpkin patch.

Lil' Cougar

It's a rule around here - Glabes are avid fans of cougar football, basketball, and volleyball. So, when we visited Provo this past summer, we picked up some cougar gear for Aly and her new little brother to wear during the football and basketball games. Even though BYU football has been struggling a bit this year, we're still decked out for the games every weekend like loyal fans. Aly loves singing the cougar chant - Ra! Ra! Ra-Ra-Ra! Gooooooooo Cou-gars!

At Aly's height (99th percentile for her age) she'll be a cinch for the women's basketball and volleyball teams. Here's our future BYU all-star (already training on the monkey bars!) in all her blue-blooded cougar glory.

He doesn't know it yet, but Aly's little brother (still no name yet...) is destined to be the next great quarterback (and valedictorian) at the Y...

Ratatouille

Like most of you, when we saw the Disney movie Ratatouille, we had never tried the dish. So we decided it would be a fun family activity to make it and watch the movie together. The best part is we were able to make the entire thing from produce from our own garden. The only thing we had to buy was the eggplant. We wanted to share a few pictures with you. Also, here is the link to the recipe we used: www.smittenkitchen.com/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee

More...cheese!

Aly has effectively learned to use the word "more", which she uses roughly a thousand times a day. Now we are trying to teach her to say "more please", but her "please" ends up sounding more like "cheese". This is the face she makes when she really wants something. How can you say no to this?

Baby Brother!

Since this blog is really about Aly anyway, we thought we would let everyone know she is expecting a baby brother this December. She is very excited, and loves to lift up Mommy's shirt and kiss her belly to give baby brother kisses. We have no idea what to name him... boy names are ridiculously hard to decide upon. so if anyone has suggestions feel free to send them.

Just for good measure, here are some more photos of Aly being extraordinarily cute...

Me and my baby dolls

Nice kitty!

Go Huskers! (and BYU!)

Return to Utah

Aly with grandparents and great-grandparents in Oak City Canyon

We took a vacation back to our old stomping grounds in Utah last week on our way to Dave's family reunion in the small town of Delta. We stopped over in Boise going both ways, and were able to spend time with family and friends there (thanks Bethany and Ryan!).

Dave and Aly in Fire Engine at the Weed's block party

Spending some time in Provo made us nostalgic; we miss BYU terribly, with its overdose of high-octane Mormon culture and unmatched proximity to some of the most beautiful mountain scenery on earth. We made sure to grab the latest edition of BYU football t-shirts to enhance our game-watching this fall... if only the game against Washington was an away game:( It was fun to see some of our old friends in Provo and reminisce about college days and falling in love.

Dave and Aly with "Y" mountain in background

We took advantage of an extra night to camp out on the Alpine loop at Timpooneke; the wildflowers were in full bloom, and the scenery could not have been more picturesque. It was like a little piece of heaven.

Erin and Aly with Mount Timpanogos in background

Aly loved spending time with her grandparents and great-grandparents, despite some new teeth that decided to come in at a bad time. Dave's grandparents are both in their 90s, and manage to get by remarkably well despite some of the health challenges of aging. We got to hear stories from grandma and grandpa about how their families joined the Church and what it was like growing up "back in the day". Dave's mom quickly became Aly's new best friend, and Aly was sad to leave her, especially when it meant another 2 days of riding in the car.

Old enough to know better

Aly has learned quite a few of the functions of our new phones... most notably, how to turn them on and off repeatedly and how to call people, especially at the most inopportune times. She has also developed the habit of sneaking items she knows she isn't allowed to have; fortunately, she usually alerts us to the misdeed by saying "unh-uh" (no-no) repeatedly, as if she is having a conflict of conscience out loud:)

Catching up

Okay, I know it's been a while since we've posted. You can blame it on a few different things; 1) Aly just hasn't been as willing to smile for the camera lately, 2) We've been too busy enjoying the nice summer weather (finally), and 3) I've been dealing with first trimester sickness.  That's right, WE'RE PREGNANT again! We should be welcoming a new baby around December 17th, just in time for Christmas. Thankfully, the morning sickness is over and I'm enjoying 2nd trimester now.

Here are a few pictures to get you caught up from the last month or two:

 We hiked Multanomah Falls.

We went to Wenatchee for my brother Matt's mission farewell. Good luck in Utica, NY! See you two years!

Aly makes folding the laundry so much more fun!

We endured a cold, rainy start to summer.

We took Aly to the zoo for her first time. She loved it! According to her, all the animals

say "ah..ah..ah..ah" like a monkey.

We went to a local u-pick farm and got 13 pounds of strawberries. I made lots of freezer jam and even some homemade strawberry ice cream. Yum!

 

We did some tide pooling and sand-digging at the beach.

 

And finally, we celebrated the 4th of July by hiking to Punchbowl Falls and Wahkeena Falls. We are going to miss the beautiful Northwest next year.

Also, not pictured, we have been working hard on our first "real" garden, thanks to our friends letting us use their land and water in exchange for a little back labor. We have enjoyed tons of fresh garden lettuce, carrots, peas, and broccoli and are looking forward to some more.

Just for laughs

 

Aly's new thing is trying to dress herself (and her baby dolls). 

Sometimes things get put on in the wrong places though.

White Coat Ceremony

 

"The White Coat Ceremony is a 'rite of passage' for students beginning the study of medicine that encourages a psychological contract for professionalism and empathy in the practice of medicine."

 

I am so proud of Dave and all the hard work he has put into getting to this point. I am always so amazed at how much he is able to fit on his plate as a student and researcher and then is still able to come home and be such a fantastic husband and daddy. Not to mention the perfect grades he's managed to pull.

Here he is with all "the guys"

 

And here are all of us beautiful, supportive wives

Myrtle Beach

I'm finally getting around to posting again. A few weeks ago Dad and Renae treated us to a fun-filled family vacation in warm Myrtle Beach, SC. We had such a blast playing on the beach, golfing, kayaking, surfing, skim-boarding, and going to different shows. We spent a day in Charleston learning about some of the history and touring a plantation. We also went to the aquarium, a Medieval dinner, and Le Grande Cirque. There were so many fun things to do and it was great to spend time with family, especially as we celebrated Dave finishing his second and hardest year of optometry school.

 

Aly especially loved digging in the sand and jumping in the waves.