Playing the nurse once again - 1/8

Brad and I both found out shortly after we were married that I was a terrible "nurse" when he had knee surgery back in 2005. Thankfully, Lasik eye surgery didn't require as much help from me!

Brad went to the 20/20 Institute, and he couldn't be happier with the results! I got to watch the whole thing on closed circuit TV (a lot less gross than the knee surgery) and could see him the whole time - less than 15 minutes!

The first night was a little rough, but he was able to sleep for a long time when we got home, thanks to a sedative they gave him before the surgery. He had three different eye drops to use and was surprisingly good at remembering to use them all at the right times. He had some really cool goggles to wear to bed for the first few nights....sorry, I didn't get a picture of those!!

Brad had a follow-up appointment the next morning and drove himself to it, then went to work right after that. By the following weekend, he was seeing almost 20/15! It's absolutely amazing. Now he doesn't have to worry about contacts or glasses anymore, which will help when he's playing baseball this summer.

This is right before the surgery - he was super nervous (which is not like him at all). It probably didn't help that I really wanted to take a picture for the blog!

These are the really stylish sunglasses they gave him to wear outside and at home in case lights were too bright. Not too long after we got in the car he totally zonked out from the sedative!

I knew everything had gone well when Brad pulled out a new joke the day after the surgery...."Now I can see how beautiful you really are!" Please. What a goofball! :)

Random pictures

Here are some pictures I just got from Grandma Cindy from Christmas on 12/13, and a couple random ones from my phone. Too good not to share!

We borrowed a pink bib at Melissa's....gasp!!

I absolutely love this picture :)

The timer worked!! Grandpa Kenny, Grandma Cindy, Melissa, Jason, Brad, Terry (Jim's dad), me, Jim, Kelly (Jim's girlfriend), Mylee, Cambell, and Nolan

Bath time!

Brad's beard that he grew on vacation

Happy New Year!

We hung out with our neighbors on NYE this year - pretty low key. Nolan got to play with Delaney and Kennedy and we got to have some wonderful green chili for dinner! We were home by 9:30 and made it to about 11pm. So this is two years in a row that we haven't seen the ball drop. I guess that means we're officially old, right? :)

I haven't really made any official new year's resolutions, but Brad and I have decided that we need to start eating better. Maybe a little healthier and not quite so much! I'm sure everyone says that after the holidays, we'll see if we can stick to it.

2008 was a great year.....here's to a wonderful 2009!

Denver Zoo Lights

Our neighbors Phil & Renee invited us to go see the lights at the Denver Zoo. Now, for those of you that know me well, you know that I absolutely HATE snakes. I've had a couple of horrifying experiences at the Denver Zoo involving snakes, but I didn't want to miss out on Nolan's first trip to the zoo. We all bundled up and headed downtown to check it out. And no snake sightings! At least not for me - I've figured out which places are 'safe' and which ones aren't. I know, it's ridiculous, but I can't help it!

Nolan had a blast - he rode in the wagon with Delaney (Kennedy stayed home this time) and loved the animals that were still awake. He was amazed at how tall the elephants and giraffes were!

He totally zonked out on the way home - and even got to ride in a very girly flowery car seat!

Mommy & baby giraffe























The sea lions were really loud!








































Serious hat hair!

Our family Christmas 2008

We made it back to Denver safely on the 27th! I'm glad that we had a day to regroup before heading back to work.

We decided to start a tradition of Santa Claus coming to our house the night that we get back from Indiana, because we'll always be in Indiana on Christmas Day. Nolan didn't really understand Santa this year, but I'm sure he will by next year. I suppose we can figure out which way works better and adjust it to before we leave too. Santa Claus is pretty flexible! :)

We didn't go crazy with presents this year, and even held a few of Nolan's birthday presents back to give him on Christmas. I think this is the only time we'll be able to get away with that!! He got a Cars couch that he absolutely loves. He pulls it out, sits on it, and folds it back up. It's so cute!

This is the Cars table and chairs that Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Kenny got Nolan for Christmas. Mommy and Daddy were just a little late putting it together :) Notice Brinkley lurking for Nolan to drop one of his snacks!

Brad and I always set a limit for each other, and this year he decided on $40. You have to get a little creative when it's that low! He's been wanting a deep fryer for awhile now, so I figured I'd surprise him....and I did go a little over the limit....oh well! We should be having funnel cakes this weekend when he tries it out for the first time. We've also got fried ice cream on the agenda....

I had gone on a slight shopping spree a couple weeks ago, so I told him I didn't need anything for Christmas. Except one thing....a silicone basting brush for when I make tea rings. He came through! I'm excited to try it out!

Nolan's 2nd Christmas was so much fun. I can't wait to share many more memorable family Christmases with my boys! (We got this one all on video, just like my mom and dad used to do....wonder if we'll ever watch them?)

Christmas in Indiana!

As usual, I'm a little late with my post!

We had a wonderful time in Indiana for Christmas! It started out a little rocky because we were delayed about 2 1/2 hours getting out of Denver. Plus, Nolan was running a fever so we thought we were in for a long flight. But it wasn't bad at all! We just didn't get to my parents' house until around 3am, but at least we made it there safely and weren't stuck in an airport like some people.

Highlights from our trip:

* Nolan got his first ear infection. Good thing that Nanny has some good connections :) Dr. Schuld was able to get him started on a prescription that we eventually found out Nolan was allergic to. After a couple of doses of the new antibiotic, Nolan was good to go. We're just lucky that he's gone this long without having one - it was not fun for any of us! Oh, and I just found out that Brad was allergic to almost everything when he was a baby....so this could be fun figuring out what else Nolan is allergic to!

* We got to visit with a lot of my extended family from both sides. We had dinner at my Uncle Pat and Aunt Jennifer's house with the Buell clan (my mom's side), and all the Booe cousins (my dad's side) got together one night to hang out. It was great to see everyone!

* My parents celebrated their 40th anniversary on December 20. 40 years!! We decided awhile back that we wanted to throw them a surprise party and it worked out perfectly. They were definitely surprised! It's such a rare thing to know someone who has been married that long, and they've been such a good example for all of us kids. Brad and I have 3 down.....with many more happy ones to go!!

* Brad, Nolan, and I got to spend a lot of time with my nieces and nephews during the week. I love watching Nolan play with them, and hope that once he gets older he'll look forward to our visits to Indiana as much as I do. :)

* Freezing rain kept us from getting together with my two friends Sarabeth and Susan, but we decided next spring it will be nice to get all of our kids together at a park when the weather is nice. Brad, Dad, Nolan, and I did venture out early the day the ice started, and it was not fun! I missed getting to see them, but it was a good idea for everyone to stay safe!

* Brad got the flu....again. It never fails that he gets sick every time we go to Indiana. He joked that my mom is trying to poison him! HA! Luckily, he recovered before we had to fly out, and I never got it!

* We all went to the Christmas Eve service at my parents' church in Terre Haute which was really nice. Nolan stayed in the nursery with Kenzie and was right at home. They said he loved the music!

* We celebrated Christmas with my family on Christmas Eve also. Dad tried a new recipe - Cornish hens. They were great, everyone loved them! I love watching all the kids unwrapping their presents....there's always so much excitement!

* On Christmas Day, we usually go to Cary and Ryan's houses to see what Santa Claus left all the kids. It's a whirlwind of all the kids talking at once, but a lot of fun!

* We spent a lot of lazy time at home this trip, and it was really nice. Brad took a nap every day I think (wait until you see the video!), and we were able to sleep in a couple times too. And we both probably gained at least 5 pounds from all the good food!

Whew! Here's our Christmas week in pictures:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas was so much fun this year, and I think next year will be even better since Nolan will really understand it all!