Bittersweet

I am sure some of you remember from pictures or visiting us that we bought Nolan an antique-looking scale for his nursery. It didn't really work, but it was beautiful. Here's a picture of it in his nursery in Cheyenne:

This was the first item for his room we bought...and other than a stuffed giraffe, it was the first thing we bought him at all. We were on vacation in Friday Harbor, WA and I was 6 wks preggers, still walking with my head in the clouds (which I did throughout my entire pregnancy). We found this little privately owned boutique and fell in love with this scale and had to literally beg the woman to ship it for us, as we knew it wouldn't make it on the plane in our carry on. The store owner must have seen the desperation in our eyes and caved. Somehow it just fit perfectly into the room, even though we didn't plan around it. And it looked good in his new room here in FL. But now that he's such a big boy he kicks it and grabs it when on the changing table and at least once a day it almost topples over. As my friend Cheyna said, it would be much more heart breaking if it broke than just putting it away. So I retired it. On the bottom of the scale was a recieving blanket I had laid down to put all his creams and powders & wipes on. I smelled it...oh, it was such a beautiful new baby smell...still! I didn't cry, but I came pretty close. So, now that we have space we put out his goose, which is a nightlight that has a cassette player and it tells bed time stories (like Mother Goose). It was Uncle Nathan's, so we are taking good care of it so that when he has kiddos he can use it, too. Nolan loves to say "Juice" and since Goose rhymes with Juice, he picked up on pointing to him and calling him Goose very quickly! So cute!

Rowdy Visits

This past week Rowdy & Chris had a TDY here at Eglin, so we got to see them. Tuesday we went to dinner with the Malone's and Rowdy and then briefly saw Chris at the condo where the guys were staying. It was so great to see them! Their condo was right on the beach and very nice...Nolan had fun running around it and found the tupperwear in the kitchen in record time. Nolan also adored Rowdy, especially when he discovered that Rowdy would clap after each bite of food he took. Poor Rowdy clapped ALOT at dinner, but he got lots of giggles in return.

Wed night Nolan and I stayed in (I couldn't swing putting him to bed late two nights in a row) and the guys went to dinner and then did the bar scene. From the sounds of it, they had a very good time. I sent the camera with Brian, but guys just don't like to take pictures as much I suppose. Can't wait till Rowdy & Chris visit again...next time bring your wives! :)

Jake, Rowdy & Brian at dinner:

All 4 of the guys outside of the restaurant:

First Slumber Party!

Saturday night, Nolan had his first slumber party...and to top it off, it was with a girl! :) Andrew took Cheyna to dinner at the Melting Pot and they stayed overnight, so we had Abby stay with us. It was so much fun! Really, the kids entertained one another and we just sat back and laughed. Abby is talking up a storm and is so adorable. She says Nolan's name now and it's soooo cute, it melts my heart. She says, "No-No." About half way through dinner Nolan realized Abby was eating with us and she was watching him, so he turned the Ham up a couple of notches and just shrieked and giggled, and Abby giggled right back. If one took a drink of milk, by golly the other one had to take a swig, too. Then we gave them a bath and Nolan was like, "Other kids can take baths, too and you are just NOW letting me have friends over to bathe with? This is the best thing EVER!" They had so much fun...Nolan went a little overboard on the splashing, as once he realized it made Abby laugh, he would not stop. I was SOAKED. But it was buckets of fun. Any time, guys, any time (and I'm sure we'll be leaving Nolan with you in the not to distant future). :) Here are the two crazy cats before bath, already wound up as you can see! (Nolan, Abby's gonna GET YA)!

Nolan: there's a friend in my bath...AWESOME!

Abby: Look at how cute I am, who wouldn't want to have me as a buddy?

Nolan: Here Abby, let me show you how it's done. The bowl goes on top of the head, preferably with water in it, to splash us.

Abby: Can I see the bowl?

Nolan: I don't think so, I haven't learned to share very well yet.

Nolan: I don't share well, but I'll splash plenty for both of us. Oh, you think that's funny? I can do it more! Sorry Momma, you didn't need dry pants did you?

Abby: No-No is out of control!

Beautiful Cuteness #1:

Beautiful Cuteness #2:

Perfect Day

I'm sure most of you in various parts of the country don't want to hear this, but after sleeping in and having a breakast of waffles, all five of us (can't forget those pups) went outside to play in the yard. It was a GORGEOUS day. Sunny, light jacket weather, like a Missouri autumn day. The lighting was perfect for photos and it made me want a professional type camera that much more. But I still siezed the opportunity and took some shots of my two favorite guys (mostly the little guy, as you probably guessed).

I love the next two, especially the last one. It just says to me more in a picture than words could describe of how these guys feel about one another. So beautiful! Oh, and you have to love Haley's butt!

Happy Birthday Cheyna!

Cheyna celebrated her birthday last Wednesday, and I can't believe I forgot to post here! I didn't forget, as I talked to her and wished her Happy Bday, and Thursday we celebrated with dinner at my place. I just forgot to blog it! We didn't snap one single picture unfortunately! On Friday, Andrew and Cheyna invited us over for dinner, Andrew's famous Chinese Chicken salad. It was soooooooo yummy! Brian and I had seconds...then thirds! Nolan stayed up late playing, even after Abby went to bed because the four of us couldn't stop chatting. Then Saturday he did an amazing thing...he slept in until 9:30 AM for us!!! I opened my eyes and it was really light in our room & I was about to run in and check on him, but Brian said, "I just checked on him...he's great." Ahhh, what a TREAT! Here are a couple shots of Nolan playing with his good bud, Cheyna. He wouldn't leave her alone!

The first one he's playing (tickling her, we think):

And now that she's well tickled, she needs a hug!!!

Latest Books

Since the camera is in Nolan's room and he's still sleeping, I will have to wait to update the blog on our weekend. In the meantime, I've been meaning to post about my most recent readings, both which I recommend. Night by Elie Wiesel and From Baghdad With Love, by Jay Kopelman.

I think that I may have read the original Night when I was younger, but it was still like learning the horror of the Holocaust all over. There are really no words for me to describe how powerful this book was. And FYI to anyone who has yet to read this, I suggest not reading before bed. Actually I can say the same for both of these books. Nightmares all over the place for me. From Baghdad with Love was written by a Marine who fell in love with a puppy while serving in the war. It all happened so recently it was like reading the news, but way more graphic and personal. It made me realize what a bubble Americans have wrapped ourselves in with all that is going on in the world. I also didn't realize how many dogs were in Iraq and how most of them don't survive. It was a difficult book to read, but one I needed to read. Now I am waiting on some books to arrive about history and a couple uplifting books about finding beauty & strength in being a Christian woman. I definitely need some uplifting books to alternate with the tragedy I've read about.

So....what books are you all reading or have you read recently? I love hearing book suggestions!!!!

The Beach

Sunday we headed to Destin for some shopping and to take Nathan to the beach, then since we discovered Nathan likes sushi, we would get sushi for dinner. We hit the beach about sunset and it was really chilly. I guess there was sand blowing around because most of our pics came out with sand or dust particles in front of the lens. I'll add a couple anyway. Dinner was an ordeal. Apparently EVERYONE there ordered sushi, so we waited FOREVER(it's also a hibachi restaurant, so sushi is not the only option). This would not be a big deal if it weren't for the fact that we have a one year old with us. He did SO good up until about 5 minutes before our food arrived and then he was just DONE. Nothing helped...no food, not cookies, not toys. So during dinner Brian and I had to take turns showing him the fish tank up front and going outside where there was a small pond and more goldfish. We were there for about an hour and 20 minutes after we ordered our food...a little extreme! Luckily the sushi was amazing, as always! These are the only two beach shots that really turned out:

Nathan's Visit!

It was fantastic having Nathan visit. It's still so odd to us that he's just right up the road, when most family is 13 hours away. I did feel bad that Nolan wasn't 100% because Nathan definitely got to see Nolan's grumpy side. But they still had fun together! Saturday we ate lunch at the Boathouse . It was so nice out we ate outside and Nolan kept pointing at the seagulls and waves coming in. Of course, he also kept flirting with the college girls at the next table, who just giggled every time he smiled or did anything for them. It was his first time out of the house other than going to the doctors all week and he was SOOOO happy to be out!!! We both had cabin fever pretty bad. Then we took Nathan on a quick tour of base, which of course included a stop at the playground! Then we all went home and took a cat nap and then headed over to Andrew & Cheyna's for some brats & burgers. They also had a visitor, a friend, in town for the weekend. We put Nolan to sleep in the pac n play so we could stay a bit later. We sat around the fire pit outside and had a great time.

Here we are at lunch:

Here are a couple at the park, then the batteries in the camera died:This is Jason, Andrew's friend who's stationed in DC right now: I look grumpy in this shot, but it's because I looked up and Brian was taking my picture, so I was surprised and trying to smile quickly!

Handsome Fella's

Brian & Nathan (Brian's youngest brother) attended a "Change of Command" (military ceremony) on Friday afternoon. They both dressed in their Blues and looked very handsome. I am very proud of them both (and so is everyone in the family, from what I gather!) :)

Thanks so much!

I just wanted to thank everyone who added us to your prayer list. All 3 of us are feeling MUCH better. Nolan is back to his michevious little self, into everything he shouldn't be. We'll have some new pictures uploaded soon of our weekend, which despite me being sick, was a great one!

Being sick is NO fun!

(This is a pic Monday, before the sick attacked)!

My poor little guy was the sickest he's ever been. Or at least in the most pain he's ever been. We went to the doctor twice. The second visit (Thursday morning) we went back after the worst night he's ever had, my poor baby. Luckily the second time his doctor was in (the day prior he was gone unfortunately). Turns out he has sores all over his throat. It's very common, but unfortunately there's no quick fix or antiobiotic. We've just been medicating him with Tylenol & Motrin & got the okay (thank goodness) to give him childrens benadryl at night to help him sleep. Getting fluids down him was the main concern, so he didn't become dehydrated. He loves to eat and he loves to drink milk, juice & water...all of it. But not when he's in pain. I had to give water to him in a syringe for a couple days. He finally accepted Jello and decided he LOVED it (thank you GOD). And FYI. If you think green beer can color your poop (YES I SAID POOP, I'm sleep deprived) at St. Pat's, try eating blue Jello for 3 days. WOW!!!!

So Nolan is doing better, but still needing Momma & Dad to hold him a lot.

Nathan arrived last night (Brian went to get him), so we will have a great weekend I'm sure. Nathan looks great, very tan and fit! They are at a military ceremony right now, both dressed in Blues and I took some pictures and sent them with the camera. Nolan's napping and since I have developed a cold, I am going to nap too.

You know, real quick, I just want to say how blessed I feel. When I was up with Nolan all night and I couldn't ease his pain and all I could do was hold him and cry with him, I thought of all the children in our world who don't even have the luxury of children's tylenol or a bowl of chicken broth. Or a loving shoulder to cry on (and hit). Thank you God for our blessings...I think we all take so much for granted. Sorry for the rant, but I am just overwhelmed, Nolan really scared me and I just...I am just so lucky.

BIG GIANT HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations to my dear friend Meghan. Ryan proposed to her on Sunday and she accepted, so they are engaged to be married!!!! I couldn't be happier for you both. You deserve the VERY best Meghan and I think you have found it with Ryan. YIPEE!!!

Maybe Syrup was a bad choice

I'm teaching Nolan to "dip dip" his french toast sticks into syrup and he LOVES it. Not only the taste, but saying "Dip Dip" then dipping. The problem is it's kind of messy. Yesterday morning I turned my head for a second too long and he had smeared it all in his hair. All this before 9 AM. At lunch he smeared applesauce in his hair, so I played beauty parlor and put water, conditioner and gel in his hair. It looked SOOO cute, but after his nap it was back to his normal style.

But here are some crazy "syrup" pictures!

Pose for Pic? I think not...

Brian and I tried to get Nolan to pose for a picture in his rocking chair Sunday. He figured out the chair rocks and so was having way more fun doing that than looking at us for a silly picture. Then he decided, that wasn't enough. Let's climb it! Oh boy!

Here are our attempts. And you'll love his summer outfit with his socks, I know. He had on pants and a t-shirt but after lunch was SOOOOOO messy, we changed him into this (it was warm in the house, but we still want those piggies covered).

And this is why I have to keep his bedroom door shut when he's awake.

And the winner is....

Brian and I have always wondered which corn bread mix is better(Probably homemade, but second to that)! For reasons out of my control, I ended up getting a kind of each this weekend and figured we would see which was better. The B#tty Cr*cker package, or the J*ffy box. And the winner is....

B#tty Cr#cker on the left, in the package! It rose better & tasted a little better. The difference in the two recipes? BUTTER! So I would imagine if you put butter in the other one, it would be yummier. The blogging world can rest a little easier today, finally knowing the answer to this!

Chili Night

Saturday we had Cheyna, Andrew & Abby over for chili & cornbread. It rained ALL day, so it actually felt like a chili day. Brian and I married our chili recipes...well "my" recipe is really a Southern Living recipe, but that counts, right? I think it turned out pretty good. Of course we made enough to feed the entire neighborhood, but that's okay. I LOVE leftover chili! Cheyna made cheesecake squares for dessert...YUM!

The kids are definitely at a stage where when one is playing with a toy, the other one wants that same toy (regardless of the fact that there is a basket full of other toys/books right there)! It was lots of fun, very relaxing and great to see them. After they left Brian and I broke out Scrabble and (SIGH) Brian beat me!!!! It was pretty traumatic, let me tell you! :)

Ahh, here are a couple snapshots of us Sat:

Here's cutie pie Abby, with the CUTEST outfit ever!

Sidenote: do you see all the plastic on our kitchen floor? That's becuase those live in the only cabinet NOT childproofed...or as we call it Nolan's cabinet. So he gets them out the second he comes in the kitchen and throws them all along the floor. It's so fun, especially when I step on one and go flying!

Here are the three of them, Abby with her "happy" face:

My two favorite guys: