Saturday, January 31, 2009

January Nolanisms

  • Nolan asked if the babies would cry when they came out of my belly. I told him yes, but he could help hold them. He then ran to the kitchen, where he opened a drawer, pulled out one of his old pacifiers that I had no idea he knew was there, came back and asked if he could give the babies the pacifier right then.
  • Nolan has been asking ALOT of questions about where babies come from. You really think Brian and I would have thought this out a bit, but we didn't, so it's been a fly-by-the-seat of our pants kind of answers. A couple nights ago, after story and prayer time, Nolan asked how the babies got in my belly. I stole Cheyna's answer and explained that when a Mommy and Daddy love each other very much God puts a baby in the Mommy's belly. Nolan seemed totally annoyed and said, "BUT HOW?" I was thinking and trying to come up with something when he looked at me as serious as can be and said, "Mommy? Did you eat those babies?" I laughed so hard, I cried and he was laughing, too. I don't think I ever answered him, so he probably thinks I ate them.
  • Nolan tests us everyday, as I'm sure most 3 year olds do. Quite often he asks Brian or I, while pointing his finger at us and a challenging attitude in his voice, "Are you telling me what to do?" We tell him we most certainly are and then he'll say, "Oh, okay. You can tell me what to do."

  • We constantly tell Nolan that feeding the dogs people-food will make them sick. (and he rarely feeds them people-food). The other night, after a very trying dinner, Brian and I were cleaning up while Nolan was (not) eating the rest of his. The dogs sit next to and beneath his chair when we let them in the kitchen and for whatever reason they were in there and placed waiting and hoping. Suddenly Nolan reaches over with a half of a hamburger and holds it out for Tootsie, laughing. Then he pulls it back. It was almost the final straw for us. Brian says to Nolan sternly, "Nolan, what is going to happen if you give Tootsie that burger?" The correct answer, of course is, she'll get sick. But Nolan looked at Brian with a poker face and replied, "She'll eat it, Daddy." And don't think for one second Nolan didn't know what a smart aleck remark that was. We managed to refrain from laughing until he was in bed that night.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

PJ Day

A couple weeks ago Nolan's preschool had PJ day at school. Nolan was really excited and had a great time. He has asked many times since if he gets to wear his PJ's to school again.
I stole this picture from Chey's blog, as you can see Lightening McQueen pj's are pretty popular with the little boys! This is half of the class, there's a total of 8, but the rest had already gone home for the day. This is Miss Marlow, Abby, Randy, Nolan and Connor.
Here's Miss Marlo with her two favorite students. I mean, with my favorite students!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Little Man

This robe came with a pair of PJ's that Nolan got for Christmas. The Lightening McQueen emblem on it flashes a red lightso it was a big hit. After his bath Nolan can't wait to put on his robe (by himself), tie it (by himself) and then do the rest of his bedtime routine. He looks like such a little man to me!!

Saturday, January 24, 2009

A few more Pics

Okay, a few more pics of Disney, which I realize was more than a month ago. Then I'm done. I promise. Well, at least for a while, because I have some other great updates I need to get to this week. The pool at our condo was heated and because we had such great weather we got to swim a few times. There were 3 slides and Nolan could have spent all week just sliding.

This picture is hilarious because you can see how Nolan would shoot out of the slide (this wasn't even the fastest one) and also because Brian's face is priceless. I think this was the first time Brian was the "catcher" and didn't realize that Nolan was like a human cannon ball flying out of there. He really didn't need us to stand there, but of course we did every time!
This is a view of the pool (the deep end anyway):
This was when we got home. We went to Destin Sunday and hoped for a nice time on the beach, but the weather had turned cold and combined with the wind it felt frigid. I didn't even brave going on the beach, but the rest of the gang made it about 10 minutes. It was Maddie's first time seeing the ocean and her and Nolan could have cared less about the cold, they wanted to swim. Nolan actually fell in the water running from a wave!

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Character Breakfast

Okay, so back to Disney. One of our down days, where we didn't go to a park, we scheduled a character breakfast. We really should have made reservations much earlier, as our options were limited, but I think it ended up working out for the best. We didn't have to give up any park time to enjoy the brunch, which because it was not at a park, was more than half the price. The characters we met were Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch. Nolan didn't really know Lilo and Stitch, but he was still excited, and Maddie knew all of them. It was a great breakfast and then they did a parade line with the kids and the characters, where they gave each child a maraca to shake. Plus, every character visited each table and hugged the kids and posed for pictures. It was really worth it and I'll always treasure the memories!

PawPaw, Mickey & Maddie:

Promise me they stay this sweet forever!

Stitch & Nolan:

Lilo and the kids. Nolan actually gave her a kiss on the cheek, too, it was pretty sweet!Pluto and the kids:

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Prayers for Andi, Mark and the Bambinos

My dear friend Andi, who was my roommate in college, is 25 weeks pregnant with triplets! (And you thought twins would be a handful). Andi has been admitted to the hospital because her cervix is shortening and she is having some contractions. From what I understand in talking to her, the scary part is that she isn't feeling most of the contractions, which is a big reason she has been admitted.

It's really important these 3 "bambinos" (as they have been nicknamed) stay put for at least 4-5 more weeks. The whole family could really use our prayers that the babies stay put and that Andi stay as comfortable and relaxed as possible. They also have a beautiful, wild 3 1/2 year old, Caleb, and I pray he adapts well to all that's going on.

You can read how they are doing at their blog, they really tell their story much better than I do: Mark and Andi plus 4

Monday, January 19, 2009

We Are Having...

(Drumroll please). Two healthy babies!!! Yay!!! I'm not exaggerating in the slightest that this was our top priority at the ultrasound today. The swelling on Baby B's neck is GONE! Thank you all for your prayers and thoughts. Baby A is measuring at 6 ounces, Baby B at 4 ounces, which is great news. Their hearts looked and sounded good, although we'll be able to see them much better at the next ultrasound in mid-February. It's breathtaking to see them.

And since neither baby was the least bit shy....we are having....TWO BOYS! I really had a gut instinct that they were both boys, but I never saw myself with ALL boys. Then again, I am not sure if I ever saw myself with three children, even though I dreamt and hoped for it. I feel so honored to have this joy and we feel beyond blessed. These boys, and Nolan, are miracles and we won't ever forget that!! Nolan is excited and I tear up thinking of him being the big brother to two little boys. Again, we thank you all for your thoughts and especially prayers!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

The Pretzel Challenge

This is how we roll on a rainy, cold weekend. Welcome to the pretzel challenge. It's tougher than it looks. Can you do it?
The pretzel:
The challenge. Can you bite middle part out, without breaking the outer circle?

Monday, January 12, 2009

Ice Skating

The the Saturday after Christmas Brian, Nolan and I headed to Baytown Wharf, where they have an outdoor skating rink. Pretty crazy thing to have in Florida, huh? Especially since it was about 65 degrees that day! I was pretty bummed I couldn't skate and kept promising Brian I wouldn't fall, but when I saw all the people on the rink who were a bit wild and running into other people, I decided it was best for me and the babies to sit this one out. Nolan did really good and even skated by himself a bit. We then went to the playground for a while and finished the day with some ice cream.

The boys begin:

Nolan going it alone!

Of course this was the ice cream Nolan wanted. And he had been so good that day we obliged. But let me just say, that the next day I was VERY glad our little man is potty trained!

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Hollywood Studios

So our last of the park days was also our last day at Disney and we spent it at Hollywood Studios. There truly wasn't enough time in the day for us to see everything here we wanted! I wish it weren't the end of the week, we were all so tuckered out by that point, especially Nolan, but he still had a great time.
This was outside of the 'stunts' show we went to. There were racing cars, cars on fire, people shooting, jumping through fire. And then they would explain how it was done. Nolan was enthralled, and actually so was I!
Nolan and Daddy: The streets of San Fransisco! Just in case you don't have a 3 year old and didn't know, this is Leo from Little Einsteins (on Playhouse Disney). Nolan was ecstatic, he loves the show! Here he is giving Leo a hug:

Maddie, Nolan and Leo pose for a picture:

This was the awesome parade they have. They have the kids dance, too, and interact lots with the crowd:

Maddie was a star, she really got into it!Nolan and I on the Toy Story ride. It's a 3-D ride where you get to shoot balloons and bad guys for points. It was awesome!

Wednesday, January 07, 2009

Seaworld

For some reason I was expecting Seaworld to be a total bore. Maybe it's because I knew we got in free (you know the saying, "you get what you pay for?"). Or maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of shows and worried Nolan wouldn't sit still for shows. Either way, I was proven wrong and it was one of my favorites! The shows were incredible, I think we went to two that day, and we all loved them both, even Nolan. They had a fantastic kids area with smaller rides and this incredible playground that Nolan LOVED. (I tried to post this earlier in the week, but blogger wouldn't let me upload photos)!
Nolan and Maddie on the playground:
Nolan starting his way up 3 stories of netting, he just climbed and climbed! There were also lots of tunnels to go through: Maddie, Nolan and Brian on the "crab" ride--you just can't see the crab's face in this picture.
Nolan feeding the stingrays (fish, yek)!

Maddie and Nolan at part of the Polar Express Exhibit: This was the trampoline that Nolan and Maddie experienced. They both loved it and it may have been the highlight of the day! I'm still amazed at how fearless Nolan is!Here's a short video of Nolan jumping:

And this was the end of the day treat we had. No, this isn't a ride, this is a cupcake. I shared some with Brian, really, I did!

Sunday, January 04, 2009

Animal Kingdom

We spent one of the days at Disney's Animal Kingdom. Of everything we did that week, I'll admit this was my least favorite and I wish I could pin point exactly why because I've heard so many good things about it. One reason was that Nolan could not ride much because of height requirements and he was extremely bummed. I think I just expected ALOT and it didn't pan out to be as exciting as I thought. That being said, we had a good time, but in comparison with the rest of the parks, it wasn't at the top of my list. They can't all be my favorite! It did have an AWESOME playground that Maddie and Nolan both loved and could have spent all day on if we let them!

Maddie and a monkey. I'm pretty sure this is a character from a Disney movie, but I can't recall his/her name:

The awesome tree in the background and the clan, minus myself:Grandma, Maddie, Nolan and Brian on one of the "kid" rides they had. I think this was the only one Nolan could ride: The petting zoo (which consisted only of goats)Nolan and Maddie putting their heads in a dinosaur mouth at the playground! Aaah! This is the big "brown" roller coaster that Nolan asks about at least 3 times a day. He wanted to ride this sooooo bad, but he has awhile before he's tall enough. Brian, Kathy & Dennis rode it, while the kids and I watched. This is actually them, when you zoom in on the picture you can see their faces. Apparently it was pretty awesome and Nolan and I have a date to go back in a few years so we can ride it together!!

Friday, January 02, 2009

Disney World

The week prior to Christmas Brian, Nolan and I drove to Orlando to meet Brian's parents and niece, Maddie, for a week. We've had the trip planned since last February when an acquaintance from church sold us that week's timeshare at a condo. It was a 3 bedroom condo with a full kitchen and our goal was to save lots of money by eating in as much as possible. I think we did really good at sticking to that and did indeed save some big bucks. We even brought the crock pot, which turned out to be brilliant because by the time we would get home from a day out we were sooo tired and wouldn't have wanted to cook. Nolan did really good, considering he rarely got a "real" nap and was going to bed way past his bedtime (around 10) most nights. We did 3 days of Disney and one day at Seaworld (military receives free tickets to Seaworld, or at least they could one time in 2008). The other two days we tried to have "down" days where we took it easy, swam, shopped a bit and just relaxed. It was much needed because the four days at the park we walked miles!! The weather worked out in our favor and was in the 70's, sometimes low 80's. Anyway, we took close to 500 pictures so it's going to be tough choosing which ones to post. So here's the start of some of our fun!
Brian and Nolan riding the cars at Magic Kingdom. You'll notice Nolan has a backpack. We always used to make fun of parents who put a "leash" on their kid, but we're so glad we used one for Disney, otherwise he would have been long gone!

Teacups with Grandpa, Maddie, Nolan & Brian:

In front of the castle:

Riding the elephants. I wasn't allowed to ride much, but the elephants were okay!This was the first day and Nolan didn't want to sit in the stroller all day, just walk...or run (this rapidly changed later in the week when exhaustion kicked in and he opted to ride the stroller around mostly). Anyway, at about 4 pm, 3 hours after his normal nap time he sleepily asked to sit in his stroller, saying, "I'm really tired." And this is how we crash, Disney style!Disney at Christmas really is beautiful! If/when we go in the future, I think I would want to go at this time of year again.