Thursday, December 18, 2008
Nolan's new playground
Nanny & Papa gave (meaning, Mommy & Daddy went and got it and put it together instead of them paying an arm and a leg for shipping!) Nolan his Christmas present early. He loves it! We took a video of him seeing it for the first time that we'll show them when we get home in a couple of days. I think he likes standing at the top of the slide because he can see into the kitchen and hallway over the couches. He gets to the top and screams like he just climbed a mountain, it's hilarious!
Christmas Brunch with Grandpa Morey & Grandma Sharon
Every year we go to brunch with Grandpa Morey & Grandma Sharon at their country club for Christmas. They always have the most amazing food! They have a room for kids with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and they have story time and sing songs. Last year Nolan sat on Santa's lap, but he had no idea what was going on. This year, he was NOT happy about Santa Claus! I really thought he would be okay with Santa since he's generally not afraid of new people, and Papa has a big white beard too! Maybe next year....
It was soooooo cold that day - and just a week earlier we were wearing shorts outside! I think it was like 10 below outside. Anyway, we opted out of the train they had and got Nolan a balloon animal instead. He just chewed on it until it popped, so the balloon wasn't around long at all!
I just love this picture :)
I didn't get the argyle sweater memo.....
When we got home, Nolan unwrapped his presents from Grandpa Morey & Grandma Sharon. He got a puzzle, a drum, and a really cool set of wooden blocks.
Maybe he'll be in marching band like his Mommy!
Playing with his blocks
Even the goose with jingle bells couldn't cheer him up!
Christmas with Grandma Cindy & Grandpa Kenny - 12/13
Since we spend Christmas in Indiana, we always have Christmas before we leave with Brad's family. We celebrated at Melissa's house this year, and only did presents for the kids. They're the most fun to buy for anyway!
Nolan got a vacuum, a Handy Manny toolbox, an Elmo cell phone, an Ernie doll, a Cars table and chairs, a picture holder that looks like a baseball, and a cool mouse book. We had a blast playing with everything once we could get it all out of the packages!
Cambell playing with Mylee's McDonald's drive-thru set (you guessed it, I picked it out!)
Brad did a great job of helping Cambell "paint" Barbie's nails!
Uncle Jason & Nolan playing drive-thru
Nolan got a vacuum, a Handy Manny toolbox, an Elmo cell phone, an Ernie doll, a Cars table and chairs, a picture holder that looks like a baseball, and a cool mouse book. We had a blast playing with everything once we could get it all out of the packages!
The Grinch (or as Cambell calls him, "my boyfriend") sings and dances when you push a button. Nolan had a blast dancing along with Cambell!
They can't wait!
The men bonding over tools....
Nolan sweeping with his new vacuum
Cambell playing with Mylee's McDonald's drive-thru set (you guessed it, I picked it out!)
Brad did a great job of helping Cambell "paint" Barbie's nails!
Uncle Jason & Nolan playing drive-thru
And Uncle Jason helping Nolan try on the tiara!!
We took family pictures too....
Mylee, Melissa, Jason, & Cambell
Terry (Jim's Dad), Kelly (Jim's girlfriend), & Jim - we consider them part of the family
!
Grandpa Kenny & Grandma Cindy with the grandkids
This one took awhile....but turned out pretty good!
This doesn't happen all that often! :)
Happy Birthday Max!
Brad's half-brother Max turned 10 on December 6. The weather was so nice - it didn't feel like December at all! Here are some pictures from his party:
Uncle Max & Nolan
A hockey player like his uncle, maybe?
Nolan's first experience with Pop Rocks!
Uncle Max & Nolan
A hockey player like his uncle, maybe?
The cake even had a zamboni!
Playing ring-around-the-rosy with Cambell & Mylee (who both had to try on and wear their Christmas dresses from Grandma Sharon!)
Nolan's first experience with Pop Rocks!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Nolan's 1st trip to McDonald's - 12/6
It's no secret that I LOVE McDonald's! I know it's bad for you, but I just don't care. It's my very favorite thing. We took Nolan for the first time and he definitely loves it too! We went for breakfast, and he even got to play in the huge Happy Meal!
Marsico Christmas Party - 12/6
The annual Marsico (Brad's work) Christmas Party is always something we look forward to. Nolan spent the night with Grandma Cindy and we got all dressed up and had a great night. Brad was a little sick, but he stuck it out like a champ - we even made it to the after-party this year!
My good friend Melissa (we used to work together at BKD)
Melissa's husband and Brad's co-worker, Shaun (he got Brad the job at Marsico!)
In four years, I think this is our best picture :)
Adam & me (someone at the party thought we were a couple - that's the second time that's happened to us! haha)
me, Danielle, and Sharon
Danielle talked Brad into 'giving off the vibe' while I was in the bathroom.....hmmmmm.....
My good friend Melissa (we used to work together at BKD)
Melissa's husband and Brad's co-worker, Shaun (he got Brad the job at Marsico!)
In four years, I think this is our best picture :)
Adam & me (someone at the party thought we were a couple - that's the second time that's happened to us! haha)
me, Danielle, and Sharon
Danielle talked Brad into 'giving off the vibe' while I was in the bathroom.....hmmmmm.....
The after-party.....I must have been telling a secret! :)
Parent/Teach Conference - 11/21
We couldn't be happier with Nolan's daycare! We love the girls who take care of him, and it's clearly obvious that he loves them too. I have never felt like I needed to worry about him and we can really tell that Nolan loves being there, both of which make it so much easier to be gone from him during the day every week. I think he really benefits from being around the other kids his age too. It's so cute when they all sit around the little bitty table for snacks together!
One thing I love about Creative Beginnings is that they have parent/teacher conferences with us every so often. Miss Erica and Miss Hannah are Nolan's main teachers, and we got to chat with Erica on a more formal basis about Nolan a couple weeks ago. They gave us his artwork - we are very impressed with and proud of our little guy! Here he is at home with all of his paintings on the fridge.....our favorite is the goat (the gray one)!
One thing I love about Creative Beginnings is that they have parent/teacher conferences with us every so often. Miss Erica and Miss Hannah are Nolan's main teachers, and we got to chat with Erica on a more formal basis about Nolan a couple weeks ago. They gave us his artwork - we are very impressed with and proud of our little guy! Here he is at home with all of his paintings on the fridge.....our favorite is the goat (the gray one)!
Nolan loves being outside and even throws a little bit of a fit sometimes when they come back inside. He plays well with the other kids in his class, and has even started playing "catch" with his little friend Martin. They stand on either side of the room and throw the ball back and forth to each other....how cute!! I can't tell you how excited Brad and I were when we heard this. Not that we have any expectations of Nolan, but we would be absolutely thrilled if he wants to be a baseball (or football) player. But we'll love him just the same if he wants to play soccer too....or - GASP - no sports at all! :)
Erica and Hannah have also been able to teach Nolan how to blow kisses, which Brad and I were completely unsuccessful at.
I've figured out that Nolan is probably about as stubborn as I am - he can say quite a few words, but won't unless he really, really wants to. We were leaving the parent/teacher conference and all of a sudden he said "Bye!" for the very first time, clear as day!! He never stops surprising us......
Friday, December 5, 2008
We should be heading to Vegas.....and taking Brad's mom with us!
Thursday nights at our house is "Grandma Night". Grandma Cindy usually picks Nolan up from daycare and hangs out with him at our house until we get home from either running errands, a date night, or just going out to dinner. It's wonderful!
Last night, we started out Grandma Night by having Grandma Cindy take our Christmas card picture - it turned out great! At least it turned out great once we got the dogs and Nolan to all look at the camera at the same time! Brad and I took off to grab a quick bite to eat and do some Christmas shopping for Nolan.
Brad had told me yesterday morning he was hungry for Jim's Burger Haven, an old diner where they have the best burgers and shakes. It definitely rivals my all time favorite Steak-n-Shake back home. :)
We pulled into the parking lot and as Brad was getting out of the truck, he slipped and fell on the icy parking lot. (It was SUPER cold yesterday and had snowed a couple of inches.) Now, when something like this happens, my first instinct is to laugh hysterically. I just can't help myself. But I bit my tongue and held it in until I made sure he was okay. Then I definitely laughed about him eating it in front of everyone! I pointed out that he had some slush stuck to his pants and he reached down to brush it off with his left hand.
When he did, his wedding ring flew under his truck and across the parking lot....GASP!!!!!
I think we were both in shock and just stood there for a minute. We rushed around to the other side of the truck and started looking, the whole time Brad just kept repeating, "Really? Really, did that just happen?"
You might remember my experience of losing my wedding band over the summer.......I knew exactly how he was feeling at that moment.
So, cold weather and all, we started searching. Unfortunately there was a huge snow covered bush right where we thought his ring had landed, so we started digging. Literally. It was ridiculously cold and dark, so I suggested that we drive all the way to Brad's mom's house to get her metal detector and come back better equipped. It's not like anyone was going to steal his ring, right?
That was a looooong drive - not a whole lot of talking!! I tried to be a positive as I could, but Brad was really upset with himself. I was disappointed too, but I didn't want to act like it because I knew Brad felt bad enough as it was.
We got back to the parking lot and I'm sure we looked like a couple of weirdos out in the freezing cold digging through a bush with a metal detector. I only wish I could have gotten away with taking a picture of Brad so I could post it once we actually found the ring (because I was that positive we would find it!), but I knew that would have been way over the line!
We spent about another 45 minutes looking and decided to come back when the snow melted and it was light outside. Needless to say, we didn't eat and didn't get any Christmas shopping done last night. :(
Brad called me this morning at work and said he was on his way to meet his mom at the parking lot so she could help him look for his ring. Not ten minutes later he called back. I knew it hadn't been long enough for him to get all the way there, so I was really hoping he had good news. SHE FOUND IT! That's exactly what he said when I answered the phone! He was so excited, and I was so happy we hadn't lost it for good.
She pulled into the parking lot, stepped out of her car and took about three steps and found it! How lucky is she???? Brad said it was right next to a branch we had pulled off of the bush and that we probably stepped on it more than a few times last night.
A big THANK YOU to Cindy for finding the lost wedding ring! My dad said we need to tie strings to our wedding rings from now on. :)
I think we need to go buy a couple of lottery tickets tonight.....
Last night, we started out Grandma Night by having Grandma Cindy take our Christmas card picture - it turned out great! At least it turned out great once we got the dogs and Nolan to all look at the camera at the same time! Brad and I took off to grab a quick bite to eat and do some Christmas shopping for Nolan.
Brad had told me yesterday morning he was hungry for Jim's Burger Haven, an old diner where they have the best burgers and shakes. It definitely rivals my all time favorite Steak-n-Shake back home. :)
We pulled into the parking lot and as Brad was getting out of the truck, he slipped and fell on the icy parking lot. (It was SUPER cold yesterday and had snowed a couple of inches.) Now, when something like this happens, my first instinct is to laugh hysterically. I just can't help myself. But I bit my tongue and held it in until I made sure he was okay. Then I definitely laughed about him eating it in front of everyone! I pointed out that he had some slush stuck to his pants and he reached down to brush it off with his left hand.
When he did, his wedding ring flew under his truck and across the parking lot....GASP!!!!!
I think we were both in shock and just stood there for a minute. We rushed around to the other side of the truck and started looking, the whole time Brad just kept repeating, "Really? Really, did that just happen?"
You might remember my experience of losing my wedding band over the summer.......I knew exactly how he was feeling at that moment.
So, cold weather and all, we started searching. Unfortunately there was a huge snow covered bush right where we thought his ring had landed, so we started digging. Literally. It was ridiculously cold and dark, so I suggested that we drive all the way to Brad's mom's house to get her metal detector and come back better equipped. It's not like anyone was going to steal his ring, right?
That was a looooong drive - not a whole lot of talking!! I tried to be a positive as I could, but Brad was really upset with himself. I was disappointed too, but I didn't want to act like it because I knew Brad felt bad enough as it was.
We got back to the parking lot and I'm sure we looked like a couple of weirdos out in the freezing cold digging through a bush with a metal detector. I only wish I could have gotten away with taking a picture of Brad so I could post it once we actually found the ring (because I was that positive we would find it!), but I knew that would have been way over the line!
We spent about another 45 minutes looking and decided to come back when the snow melted and it was light outside. Needless to say, we didn't eat and didn't get any Christmas shopping done last night. :(
Brad called me this morning at work and said he was on his way to meet his mom at the parking lot so she could help him look for his ring. Not ten minutes later he called back. I knew it hadn't been long enough for him to get all the way there, so I was really hoping he had good news. SHE FOUND IT! That's exactly what he said when I answered the phone! He was so excited, and I was so happy we hadn't lost it for good.
She pulled into the parking lot, stepped out of her car and took about three steps and found it! How lucky is she???? Brad said it was right next to a branch we had pulled off of the bush and that we probably stepped on it more than a few times last night.
A big THANK YOU to Cindy for finding the lost wedding ring! My dad said we need to tie strings to our wedding rings from now on. :)
I think we need to go buy a couple of lottery tickets tonight.....
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanksgiving this year was pretty low key, which was nice. Brad had his annual flag football game with a bunch of guys he grew up with. It's always the morning of Thanksgiving Day, and I'm usually at home baking. There are usually at least a couple of minor injuries, and always some aches and pains for a week or so after the game. This year, the injury was Brad's big toenail. It's gone. And it's pretty disgusting. I have pictures that I sent to Nurse Polly just to make sure it was 'normal' to look like that. Trust me, you don't want to see them!
We ate at Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Kenny's - and I didn't get any pictures! But we had a great meal, talked about all the things we're thankful for, watched a lot of football, and played some Wii. It was nice to relax and just hang out for the day. I was in charge of green bean casserole this year, and even added my Grandma Booe's homemade cranberry salad to the meal. Everyone loved it, so it must have been good!
Friday Brad had to work since the market was open, but it was just a half day. Nolan and I headed to only one store to do some shopping (and that was enough!) and then settled in at home to wait for Daddy. That afternoon, we took Nolan to Aunt Melissa and Uncle Jason's to spend the night. He played with Cambell and Mylee and had a blast! Since they're going to have another little one in May, they thought they might need to practice and see what they're in store for! Melissa got back into the swing of changing diapers again - I'm sure it didn't take long to get into the hang of things!
The rest of the weekend was spent watching LOTS of football (we don't discriminate - we watch pretty much every game, college and NFL, you name it!!) and I got the Christmas tree and other decorations up. Somehow I ran out of lights for the tree even though they all fit on there last year. I haven't had time to get more lights yet, so the bottom quarter of the tree looks a little weird with no lights or ornaments. I figured I'd keep the ornaments out of Nolan's reach, just to be safe. He does like to pull on the red strings of beads though, but he's been fairly good about leaving it alone when we ask him to.
Here are some pictures from our lazy weekend at home:
Nolan's first run in with chili....obviously, he loved it! (Notice Brinkley strategically placing himself to lick Nolan's hands clean whenever needed.)
Playing with Daddy
We ate at Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Kenny's - and I didn't get any pictures! But we had a great meal, talked about all the things we're thankful for, watched a lot of football, and played some Wii. It was nice to relax and just hang out for the day. I was in charge of green bean casserole this year, and even added my Grandma Booe's homemade cranberry salad to the meal. Everyone loved it, so it must have been good!
Friday Brad had to work since the market was open, but it was just a half day. Nolan and I headed to only one store to do some shopping (and that was enough!) and then settled in at home to wait for Daddy. That afternoon, we took Nolan to Aunt Melissa and Uncle Jason's to spend the night. He played with Cambell and Mylee and had a blast! Since they're going to have another little one in May, they thought they might need to practice and see what they're in store for! Melissa got back into the swing of changing diapers again - I'm sure it didn't take long to get into the hang of things!
The rest of the weekend was spent watching LOTS of football (we don't discriminate - we watch pretty much every game, college and NFL, you name it!!) and I got the Christmas tree and other decorations up. Somehow I ran out of lights for the tree even though they all fit on there last year. I haven't had time to get more lights yet, so the bottom quarter of the tree looks a little weird with no lights or ornaments. I figured I'd keep the ornaments out of Nolan's reach, just to be safe. He does like to pull on the red strings of beads though, but he's been fairly good about leaving it alone when we ask him to.
Here are some pictures from our lazy weekend at home:
Ahhh, the son of two accountants....of course he'd like playing with a calculator!!
Nolan's first run in with chili....obviously, he loved it! (Notice Brinkley strategically placing himself to lick Nolan's hands clean whenever needed.)
Playing with Daddy
This is one of my very favorite videos. I love watching Brad and Nolan play together, it just makes me smile and feel so blessed to have such a wonderful little family!
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