California Cousins

On June 14th, Nash and Nolan were blessed with their 7th cousin.  His name is Phoenix and he is the little brother of proud big sister Annika.  We can't wait to take a trip to California to meet him!  Congratulations to Uncle Than and Aunt Mindy!

Patiently waiting...

We are patiently awaiting the arrival of my best friend's first baby.  Andrea and Nathan are due on August 7th.  I know it's a little early but Andrea is having a lot of back pain and is REALLY ready to have this baby.  We don't know if they are having a boy or a girl yet.  Here are a few pics from the shower we had for her a few weeks ago.

(Me, Patches, Andrea, Carla, Sara, and Laura)

Beach Bums and River Rats

The weekend before the big wedding, we went out on the boat with Nana and Papa.  We were joined by Lynn and Al Hodgeman (Parents of the bride) so they could relax before the upcoming party.

It was a perfect day for boating.  (Especially since the rivers are now flooded and too high for boating!)

Red shoes

Oops, Mommy jumped the gun

This is a little embarrassing!  I quickly realized after posting about Nolan's second tooth that he doesn't really have a second tooth yet.  I think I must have been feeling the ridge in the middle of his gums.  I was hoping to get that post deleted right away but I have been too busy...BUSTED!  Teething has been difficult for Nolan.  His gums are really red and he was in a lot of pain with that first one.  I'm hoping the rest won't be quite as bad but we'll see.  I'll let you know when his second tooth really does appear, but I'll triple check before I post about it.  :0)

Quotes from a 2 year old (+5 months)

The other day I pointed out to Nash that Jason's shoulders were peeling.  He got up really close to Jason and sniffed his shoulder and said, "Smells like chicken."

He has a habit of drinking the bath water so I'm constantly telling him to stop.  The other day he put some in his mouth.  I asked him again to stop so he spit it out and said, "Tastes like chicken."

Nash wanted to put his little blanket on top of Nolan's head while I was feeding him yesterday.  I said to him, "Not right now Nash because you're distracting him."  Nash smiled and said, "I'm not distracting him, I'm Nash!"

Nolan's newest trick

Nolan recently started to do this thing where he shakes his head back and forth really fast.  It makes us all laugh which makes him want to do it more.

Nolan - Tooth #2

Today I noticed tooth number 2 has popped through.  The first one was on the bottom right and the second one is on the top left.  Looks like we may have to transition to strictly bottles when he figures out how to use those chompers!

Nolan's First Tooth

Nolan's first tooth popped through today!

Family Pictures

We decided to have Bella Baby come to our house to do family pictures this time.  This is the same company that came to the hospital to take Nolan's picture when he was a day old.  It just so happened that I chose the most humid day of the summer I think.  It rained earlier in the day and our photographer offered to reschedule but we decided to keep our appointment.  We did some indoor shots first which went pretty well although Nolan was unusually fussy.  Once we went outdoors we all started getting fussy.  It was SO hot!  After a few hours of shooting pictures and trying to get everyone to look at the camera at the same time we were all exhausted.  Luckily, Grama Jo was there to assist too!  We waived the white flag as the photographer ran out of memory cards.  I honestly did not think that many of them were going to turn out because it seemed like there were too many melt downs to capture many good photos.  Grama Jo and I both needed a beer after the whole ordeal was over.  I asked her what kind she wanted and she said, "Whatever is in your hand right now."    :0)   When I got to see the photos I was pleasantly surprised.  Here are a few of my favorites.

Looking at all of these pictures again makes me smile.  I am SO blessed!

Nolan Jace - 7 months

On July 5th Nolan turned 7 months old.  He's still a very happy baby but a little more fussy recently.  I think those teeth are getting very close to popping through but no white just yet.  We reached our 7 month breast feeding goal and we are still going strong.  He is eating three times a day and napping usually twice a day.  He loves to sit up and play on the floor or bounce in his jumper.  If he wants attention he gives a fake cough...pretty cute!  I remember Nash doing that too.

Happy 4th of July Weekend!

The morning of the 4th of July we drove up to my parent's house.  Usually we spend the night on the 3rd but this year we changed things up a bit.  The cloudy sky threatened us all day but it only sprinkled a few times so we were pretty lucky.  We played bocce ball and ate and played horse balls and ate some more.  At 2pm the parade started.  Over the years it has turned into a big water fight.  This year Jason had a Titan truck in the parade with a large water cannon on board.

Uncle Win had his tractor in the parade too.

(Uncle Win)

(Grama Jo trying to dodge the water cannons)

No VW bug float this year.  The fireworks started a little early as some dark clouds rolled in but the rain held off until the grand finale was over.

Nash and Nolan both enjoyed the fireworks and didn't seem to be bothered by the loud noises.

TWO THUMBS UP!

We spent the night at Nana and Papa's house that night.  Papa made us blueberry pancakes the next morning.  We hung out and played some more games outside.

(Grama Jo and Nash heading out on an adventure)

(Nash and Great Grandma Phyl displaying the Red, White, and Blue)

(She's got the touch.  Nolan takes a break.)

Back to the River

On July 3rd we decided to do a little more boating.  It was a perfect day for it.

Everyone else must have had the same brilliant idea because the river was pretty busy.  Despite all of the excitement, the boys still managed to squeeze in a nap.

After a day on the water we all went back to our house to grill out and have a bon fire.  The Hodgeman family joined us for dinner.   Unfortunately, the bon fire didn't last long.  Partly because we were all tired from boating and partly because we couldn't keep the fire going.  We decided to rest up for the big 4th of July Celebration the next day.

Boating...finally!

(Not shown:Captain Will)

The rain and high river levels kept us from getting a timely start on boating season this year.  But on June 30th we finally made it out on my parents pontoon.  We had Grama Jo along and it was Nolan's first boat ride.  I wasn't sure how he would do in his life jacket.  Those things are so uncomfortable for babies but I understand the importance too.  Safety first!  He seemed to be annoyed by his jacket every once in a while but for the most part, he enjoyed his first trip on the river.

(Aunt Daniele and Nolan)

(Nash and Aunt Nini)

(Grama Jo and Nolan)

(Jason and Nash)

(Me, Nolan, Nash and Jason)

A visit from our Sherpa!

What is a sherpa you ask?  Let me tell you.  A Sherpa is a person who is hired as a mountaineering guide in the Himalayas.  Generally they are carrying lots of packs.

Grama Jo came to visit us from Bakersfield, California on June 30th.  We immediately whisked her up into our daily activities including shopping, ball games, boating, story time at the library, etc.  When we go out we tend to carry a lot of stuff with us.  I had no idea what a Sherpa was until Grama Jo enlightened us.  I generally make sure the kids are in the vehicle and buckled in while she grabs all the "stuff."  This includes but is not limited to diaper bags, camera bags, shopping bags, purses, breast pump, coolers (you get the point). All mom's need a Sherpa!  Thank you Grama Jo for volunteering and doing such a wonderful job!  We loved having you and look forward to your next visit...even if you don't want to carry a single thing!

More pics of Grama Jo's visit coming...

It's a bird, It's a plane...

I am so far behind on my blogging.  We have been very busy doing lots of fun things this summer and the time is flying by!  Let's see if I can fill you in on what we've been up to.  Well, first there was the air show. We invited our neighbors, the Malmens, and my brother and sister in law to join us for the QC Air Show on June 27th.  We were smart this time and grabbed some ear plugs for the kids...those big jets are SOOO loud!  We had a really good time and got really lucky with the weather.

Wild Fest

Last Saturday Jason, Nash, Nolan and I went to the zoo for Wild Fest.  There were jumping balloons and games as well as venders all over the park giving away freebies and coupons.

(Nash)

(Jason and Nash)

Jason and Nash rode the train for one last look at the animals before we left.