Recent pictures....and videos!

Updates on our little guy.... :)

Nolan has become so curious lately! We've noticed him noticing more things, especially things that are higher up off the floor, on the walls, or the ceiling. To say he's gotten good at walking is an understatement! He's this close to running already! I've read and heard that babies/toddlers tend to focus on either walking or talking first and Nolan has definitely taken up walking instead of talking! He can only say book, ball, and dog so far. He can mimic sounds that we make (like Dada and Mama) but doesn't necessarily know what they mean. He's also following simple directions now, like I can ask him to give me his binky and he'll take it out and hand it to me. Miss Hannah and Miss Erica at daycare taught him how to blow kisses, but he has to be in the right mood to do it for you. Hmmm, wonder where that stubborn behavior comes from??

Nolan has also started testing us. The dog food bowls are in the laundry room and we try to keep that door shut as much as possible. So of course when it's open, he goes straight for it! He's walks over to the hallway and turns to see if we're watching before he books it down to the dog food! He also likes to get in the trash can. We've smacked his hand a few times and it's almost like he laughs at us! Looks like he might be a time-out kid.....

We love watching Nolan explore and figure out new things. He keeps us busy and on our toes! Here are some recent pictures and videos from the past month or so.

Ready for bed in his pj's























Right back to playing the next morning....ahhh, it's a rough life!

I can't figure out how this is comfortable!

Nolan LOVES the dishwasher. (For the record, I do not normally let him sit on the door, I just thought it was a cute picture!)

Happy Halloween!

Last weekend we went to a pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins. Not exactly a real pumpkin patch, but it was close to home! We've been having wonderful weather this fall, and it was a perfect day to be outside. There were lots of other activities like pony rides, a corn maze, train rides, and a corn box. Nolan couldn't do much, but we let him play in the corn for a few minutes....he really just wanted to eat the corn, so it didn't last long!

The picker of the pumpkins






















Our little climber



























We asked an older couple to take our picture, and the lady was really sweet - she kept trying to get Nolan to look at the camera. But then she kept calling him 'she'! I never know if I should correct someone or not, but as soon as we walked away Brad said we were cutting his hair as soon as we got home. And we did! (Pictures in the next post...) The funniest part is that Nolan was wearing this exact same shirt the first time someone called him a girl. And we cut his hair that same day too! But does he really look like a girl in this picture??? The shirt has a baseball on it and it's blue and gray!! If I ever have a daughter, she'll most likely wear pink or purple every single day....






















Deloitte has Trick or Treat Street every year in the office. Everyone puts candy out on their desk and we always end up eating half of it before the kids even come in. It's so much fun to see all the kids dressed up! I took the afternoon off and picked Nolan up and put his monkey costume on. I didn't get very good pictures since he wouldn't stand still for a second! I think he had fun but he was pooped by the time we were finished. Everyone was impressed with how well he was walking already, especially with the monkey feet!

Since he can't eat most of the candy, we decided not to take Nolan trick or treating this year. So I headed over to Brad's office to show off his costume when we left my office. All the girls love to see him, so we made the rounds before he got too fussy. We dropped him off at Brad's mom's work so she could show him off some more. He was definitely tired from a big day, but everyone got to see our little monkey!


Here's a picture of him at my desk...he liked spinning in the chair!



























Nothing like waiting until the last minute! We carved our pumpkins last night. And by we, I mean Brad. He did a great job! I was hesitant to do it in the living room, but luckily no mess was made!




















The finished product - why is mine the one with the huge mouth??

Brad's mom was over since it was "Grandma night", so she helped Brad make ears for his and Nolan's pumpkin. Pretty cute!

Since the weather's so nice we're expecting lots of trick or treaters tonight. I think Nolan will like seeing all the kids dressed up. Hopefully we don't run out of candy too early!

Happy Birthday, Nolan!

We can't believe that Nolan is already one year old! It has flown by and he's all grown up now....sort of. :) His big day happened to fall on a Saturday this year, so we had a big baseball blowout - big surprise! Here are some pictures:


The personalized M & M's that I just had to have. Purple and white for the Rockies (not the Clay City Eels)!

















Happy 1st birthday, Nolan!






















The goodies....hot dogs, Cracker Jacks, pretzels & cheese....baseball food!


















The cake....I didn't end up getting a good picture of the baseball cupcakes, but the laces are made out of licorice. They turned out great! The cake on the right is in the shape of a '1'. That was the extent of my creativity!

















Presents!!




































































Nolan couldn't take a second to look at the camera!

















Nolan's big baseball cake - all to himself!


































Before the mess....

















....and after!


















Brinkley's no dumby!


















Are all parents like this.....one with the camera, one with the camcorder? Or are we the only crazy ones?

We went straight up to the bath after this!

















The 'after party'.....(funny, that used to have a whole different meaning!)

All tuckered out from a long day :)

The party turned out great and Nolan got a lot of wonderful gifts. He was especially fond of the wiffle ball set and 4-wheeler! He got lots of Vtech toys, books, and even a tee ball set (for next summer). Thanks to everyone who helped us celebrate our wonderful little man! :)

I always knew that I would have kids someday, but I could never have imagined how much fun it would be once I did! Nolan is the best little boy ever and I'm thankful every day that God has blessed us with him, that He has blessed me with the most wonderful husband to share all of these experiences with, and that He has faith in us to raise Nolan to be a good, caring, and loving person.

I have to admit that I got a little teary eyed before the party just thinking of all the birthdays we'll share with him, and that one day soon he really will be all grown up. But for now, he's still our baby.....we love you, Nolan!

SURPRISE! Happy Birthday to me.....

A couple of months ago I asked Brad what we should do for my birthday. My 30th birthday - yikes! He told me not to worry about it. So I didn't! I figured he had something up his sleeve, but had no idea what it could be.

I had an idea in my head that my parents or some part of my family would be coming out to celebrate, but Brad kept saying to keep my expectations low. He almost gave it away when we were grocery shopping that week and we bought cinnamon rolls. We never buy cinnamon rolls! And we never buy the exact same kind that my family eats all the time. Hmmm.....

So the day before my birthday (Friday the 10th), we picked Nolan up like we do every day and I just couldn't stand it anymore. I kept asking and Brad wouldn't budge! He finally said we were headed to the mall to go shopping for a new winter coat for me, which I had been looking for for awhile. Then we were headed to dinner at Macaroni Grill - I didn't even get to pick the restaurant and it was my birthday weekend! I told Brad it was a great idea, and all the time I'm thinking, "This is the big secret???" We got to the mall and I found a coat at the first place we stopped! Of course - I knew exactly what I wanted. Then we played in the kiddie land for awhile and got Nolan a balloon. All this time Brad was texting and on the phone - I was NOT happy about it, and kept letting him know! Now, if anyone has been to the mall with me, you know I don't like to stroll through. I like shopping, but I'm a fast walker (blame Polly!). Brad was just walking along like he had nothing better to do and it was driving me nuts! We're finally close to the door and I had to yell at him to come on because I was hungry!!! So a quick stop to the car to drop off my coat and then we'd eat. But no! More texting and phone calls that I couldn't hear. I shot him one of my looks, and he told me I'd be happy the next day, not to worry about it right now. Then he gets me in this huge bear hug where he buried my face in his shoulder. A little suspicious, but I didn't catch on at all!!

We finally go into the restaurant and he heads straight for the bathroom. He had just gone at the mall!!! I had no idea what was going on. Then we stopped at the hostess stand and the girl said his name and I thought it was someone he went to high school with that he wasn't introducing me to. About halfway to the very back of the restaurant, I figured it out. Wow, am I slow!! So then of course I was fixing my hair and fixing Nolan's sweater. (Oh, by the way, Brad had even thought to bring Nolan's cute little sweater that we had just gotten :) )

So....I was right about my parents coming to celebrate! I saw them first and started crying. Then I saw Cary, and then Rhiannon (Ryan & Mark were there too, I just didn't see them right away for some reason) and started crying even more! I was so surprised and excited - I totally didn't expect to see all of my family! I hugged Brad and told him I was sorry for being a jerk and yelling at him. Of course, he just laughed. I hugged everyone else and handed Nolan off to Nanny. Then I got the details....

Melissa and Jason had gone to the airport to pick everyone up and they were in the parking lot at the exact same time we were! That was the reason for the big bear hug to bury my face so I wouldn't see!! I had no idea. Brad and my mom had been planning this since April!! It's already happening - I'm not as quick as I used to be! haha

Dinner wasn't all Brad had planned! Afterwards, Nanny & Papa took Nolan home and the rest of us went to The Celtic, a cigar bar in downtown Denver. I had no idea, but Brad had invited a bunch of our friends to meet us there! It was so much fun, we really had a blast!

I was definitely chatty that night!

My little party planner

Mark & Cary

(NOTE: There's no picture of Ryan & Rhiannon at The Celtic because it seems like Ryan just can't refrain from making a certain gesture whenever there's a camera around. Will he ever grow up??? :) )

My nieces and nephews all stayed with their other grandparents, so it was nice to have all the adults together (plus Nolan got Nanny & Papa time to himself!), and that doesn't happen very often. We even sat down and all played Trivial Pursuit after Nolan went to bed one night. (FYI - Ryan & Rhiannon won, but only because somehow there must have been some Junior Trivial Pursuit questions and they just happened to get them all!)

We didn't have anything else planned for the weekend, and despite the crappy weather, we had a great time. We watched lots of football and just relaxed. I think everyone at some point took a nap during the day.

Can you find all 9 of us? Well, 8, I'm taking the picture! haha

We had a little birthday party for Nolan Saturday night and I got to practice my baseball cupcakes that I planned to make for his big party the next weekend. Good thing! My idea of making the baseball laces out of icing didn't really pan out, so we came up with another idea (pictures to come in a later post)!

Mom was sneaky, bringing the '30' candles!

The candles spell NOLAN!

Everyone left Sunday night except my mom and dad, so Nolan stayed home with them on Monday. They got him a wagon for his birthday and he loves it!! Mom and I took him for a walk when I got home from work (luckily, I was able to take the afternoon off) and he just waved at everyone when we went by....too cute!

Eating ice cream with Nanny before bedtime. This is definitely a Nanny tradition with all the grandkids. I'm not sure what else would make Nolan sit still for that long!

Nanny & Nolan with his new wagon.

Brad did a great job organizing everything and keeping it a secret! I was so surprised and happy! My week started out rough (I had to have a root canal re-done a few days before and it was still giving me some problems), but I ended up having a great weekend and a wonderful, very memorable birthday! Thanks, babe!! :)

So I have trouble making a long story short. Oh well! Guess that comes with old age, right?

Congratulations, Lindsey & Micah!

Sunday, one of the guys Brad plays baseball with got married. Despite the rain right before the wedding and some colder than usual temperatures, the outdoor ceremony went off without a hitch! I don't have any pictures of the bride and groom, but Lindsey & Micah looked great! The reception was really nice and we had a good time hanging out with everyone. Congratulations to the newlyweds!


Daddy keeping Nolan occupied before the ceremony























If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, "He looks just like his Daddy!", I'd be rich!! You can really tell in this picture - and for some reason, Nolan's hair looked especially red yesterday. Isn't he too cute with his little argyle sweater?? :)

Big boy carseat!

Saturday we moved Nolan into his new, big boy car seat. One of my managers at work (thanks, Jerry!) was nice enough to give us the car seat his daughter had outgrown - and it's in perfect condition! My sister is giving us Collin's old car seat too, so I think we might get around buying one. My parents are bringing that one out with them for Nolan's birthday (in less than 2 weeks!) so we'll have to make do with one until then. I'm just glad to not have to lug that heavy carrier around anymore!

Here is Nolan checking everything out facing forward on the way to swimming lessons. Doesn't the big car seat make him look smaller? :) That's our house in the left corner. You can just see Brad's white topper on his blue truck, or as we like to refer to it, his redneck topper....haha


















And here he is about 5 minutes later - not kidding! Must be comfy....

Nolan's new tricks

Pictures/events from the past month

Since I let the blog get sooooo far behind, here is a super generic post of events from the past month or so......

- Nolan got his two front teeth! His front left on 9/9, and the front right on 9/18. He's bitten me a couple of times....once on accident (I think) and once on purpose. Not fun for me! Here's a good picture of them:

- We got together with Brad's Dad for a BBQ in mid-September. It was fun - good to see everyone and just hang out for the afternoon!

- The Wolfpack had their last game of the season on September 7. I didn't go to too many this year because I never got to watch any of the game since Nolan was on the move. But this was the playoffs and I wanted to make sure I got to see one more game this summer.

Hanging out with Daddy before the game

I thought he was just being cute, but turns out he was eating dirt - literally, off the fence!

- Two of my co-workers, Holly and Brandon, went to India to work in our offices there for 6 weeks. They both had a great experience and we missed them while they were gone. The day they came back to the office, Holly had flowers on her desk with a card signed by everyone in the office. Brandon, however, had a much different 'welcome back'!




























Each of the cups was filled with water. There was also a bowl of jell-o that his stapler just 'happened' to fall into, but I only heard about it.






















The best part is that I was there to see his reaction. Not happy! He kept saying how much work he to do, but yet he spent the better part of the day trying to get back at the culprit. Long story, but it involved some doctored e-mails making the culprit think he was getting in some BIG trouble. It was a good day for us onlookers!


- I've volunteered at two more Night Owls events and it seems more rewarding every time. The kids have so much fun, and I find myself looking forward to it each time too! We have funding to keep the program going through the end of the year, but we're always looking for more donations. If you're interested in helping out or volunteering, let me know!


- I got to go to a Rockies game on September 17 with my work. We had a great time, and the Rockies won! Hard to believe, but that was the first game I went to this year. We thought about taking Nolan this summer, but next year will probably be better. He's definitely got enough Rockies gear!


- Last weekend Brad went to Florida (for the first time!) with his friend Jim. Jim won tickets to the CU/FSU football game through a drawing. They left super early Friday morning and came back late Saturday night. They flew on a chartered flight....with the band! That made me laugh because Brad always makes fun of me for being in marching band. Anyway, they had a great time, but it was a long couple of days. Nolan and I were glad to have him home!


- While Brad was gone, Nolan and I went to a birthday party for his friend Evan who turned 1. They are almost exactly a month apart - Evan's birthday is September 22. Evan's mom Brooke is Melissa's good friend. We had a really good time! Evan was adorable in his little birthday outfit, and Nolan had so much fun playing with all the kids. I'll have some pictures of the boys as soon as Cindy e-mails them to me - hint, hint!