News Update

I know it's been a long time since the last post, but to make it up to you I have some big news to share!

Nolan is going to be a big brother! Woo hoo!

The due date is Sept. 6th. I guess we have a knack for September birthdays. That will put Nolan and his little brother or sister at 2 years apart. My brother and I are 2 years apart and I always thought that was a good amount. Hopefully it will work out well for Nolan and Baby too!

Non-Stop

Someone asked me recently how I ever get anything done anymore. And the answer is, "I don't." Nolan goes non-stop, all the time. If you take your eye off of him for one second you never know what he'll get into. Here are a few examples:

- Today I had to call Poison Control for the first time. While I was brushing my teeth, Nolan got a hold of the mouthwash and somehow figured out how to take the top off. Next thing I know I look over and he is drinking it. On the back of the bottle are all kinds of warnings about not ingesting it and keeping it out of the reach of children, especially those under 6. Luckily when I called poison control they said he would be fine as long as I gave him something to eat and drink and he didn't throw up or get suddenly sleepy (because mouthwash contains alcohol). Oddly enough, Nolan seemed to really like it, and he's had really fresh breath all day!

- Shortly after the mouthwash incident, Nolan was eating some crackers to help settle his stomach. He then proceded to take the crackers into the bathroom, dunk them in the toilet, and tried to eat them. Since when did toilet water become the new cracker dip? Gross.

- Yesterday Nolan had to sit in time-out mutliple times at the babysitters for climbing on things he's not suppose to. He must not have learned his lesson because when we got home, he continued to try to climb on top of tables and such. Later we went over to a friend's house where he climbed on top of a desk, then on top of a computer, stood up, and started pressing buttons on the security system. I fear it's only a matter of time before I walk in and find Nolan on top of the refrigerator or somewhere else ridiculous. You just never know with this boy!

Happy New Year!

Just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year! (a few days late). 2010 was a pretty good year. Nolan learned lots of new things - how to sit up, eat real food, got 12 teeth, how to crawl, how to walk, how to dance (which he loves to do - just like his dad), how to climb (which he also LOVES), how to say a few words, and much more. One of my favorite things about 2010 was watching him learn new things. It is so fun to see him discover something new! He is at such a fun age. I can't wait to see all that he accomplishes in 2011!

Wishing you all the best this year... May 2011 be filled with joy beyond your imagination!

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Eph. 3:16-21

Bean Bags!

I did it! I made bean bags! This might not seem like a big deal to you, but I am really proud of myself so I thought I would share....

Jack recently acquired a corn-hole set. Unfortunately we left the bean bags outside and the squirrels got to them. If you know anything about corn-hole, you know that having the boards doesn't do you much good if you don't have bean bags to throw in them. So I decided that for Christmas this year I would make Jack a set of bean bags. It seemed simple enough. However I don't really have much sewing experience so it proved more difficult than I thought. But with a little patience, and a lot of help from Nina, I was able to finish them this past week. It was quite a relief to have them done. Now I feel like I can do anything! (better not get ahead of myself... but if you know anyone that needs some bean bags let me know! =P)

Merry Christmas!

Christmas is about Jesus. After all, it is His birth and gift of Grace that we celebrate. As our family grows I look forward to establishing new traditions to celebrate this holiday. But for this year we just enjoyed getting to visit lots of family and eat lots of delicious food. Here are a few pictures from our celebrations:

Boomer saw me filling up his stocking, but I wouldn't let him have what was in it until the morning. So this is how he slept all night long:

(right next to his stocking!)

Nolan checking out the toys "Santa" brought:

(his facial expression is priceless)

Nolan playing with some new trucks:

Playing with some new blocks and legos:

Pops and Nolan opening some presents:

Opening presents at the farm:

Christmas cake:

Nolan climbing on his new slide: 

Nolan got a new stool for Christmas (because he likes climbing on things). For what seemed like hours, he climbed up on this stool and waited for us to cheer. Then he would climb back down and do it again. It was pretty cute:

(sorry the picture is sideways - I couldn't figure out how to switch it)

Sporting some new batman pajamas:

New Template

What do you think of the new blog design? I decided I wanted something "wintry". This is my subtle attempt to sway Mother Nature into having lots of snow this year. We've already gotten some and it's not even Jan. yet so I have hope! Nolan has a nice new sled (and by "new" I mean I got it at a yard sale this summer for $0.25) to try out!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

I know it has been a while since I've posted, but in my defense, the last month has been busy. The primary reason is that we are attempting to sell our house. We don't have any news to report on that yet - we've just been been fixing things up and trying to keep it clean (which is near impossible with a mobile 1 year old around). But I'm not here to talk about that. I'm here to talk about all the fun things that happen this time of year! Here are a few of the highlights:

1. Omi's birthday!

Omi turned 80 this year! What an accomplishment! And what a treasure she is to all of our lives! We got to celebrate with her in Charlottesville at the Omni hotel. We had a great lunch, got to see a gingerbread house display, and even got to meet Santa. Somehow I didn't come away with any pictures of the birthday girl, but here are a few I did get:

(family shot)

(Nolan kept trying to steal the fake Christmas presents that were under the tree in the lobby and open them. I guess he is starting to figure out what presents are all about!)

2. Christmas Parties!

We've gotten to go to several Christmas parties so far. Here are a few pics from Ms. Lisa's (Nolan's babysitter) party:

(Nolan with cousin Hunter - sporting some sweet reindeer antlers)

(Nolan with cousin Hannah Lovell)

(Nolan meeting Santa - he wasn't his biggest fan)

(Nolan and some of the kids singing Jingle Bells - Nolan didn't totally know what was going on but he was good at ringing the bells)

(Some of the kids singing Rudolph - Nolan is in front with the red shirt)

(Nolan showing his new toy to his friend Luke)



3. Food!

Nolan has discovered the wonderful world of SWEETS. You can attribute a large part of that to his Pops. The two of them can go through a bag of mini-marshmallows in no time. Whenever we visit Jack at work, Nolan finds his way to Dad's office and to the bag of marshmallows. As a result, this is what happened when I bought a bag of marshmallows to use in a recipe:

(Nolan climbed on the kitchen chair and helped himself... by the handful. That'll teach me to leave food within his grasp)

Recently I bought several bags of holiday chocolates to give as a part of a present. As I was wrapping the present, Nolan started helping himself to the Reese's peanut butter cups... again by the handful (Grandmommie would be proud! :). Unfortunately for him they weren't unwrapped. But he didn't care. He stuffed them in his mouth wrappers and all!

(Eventually I was able to pry all of the wrappers from his mouth. But now that he knows what tasty treasures are hidden in those wrappers he uses his stool or chairs to try to reach the bowl of them on the counter!)

4. Snow!

We got our first snowfall of the season (and hopefully not last)! We only got a few inches but it was good enough for a couple of days off of school. It couldn't have come at a better time! Those extra days gave me more time to work on Christmas presents (lots of homemade gifts this year) and more time to play with Nolan! He wasn't really sure what to do with the snow. Last year he always fell asleep when we took him out. So far this year he just seems confused about why it's so cold!

(Nolan with his friend Jackson - 7 months)