Catching Up

Catching up….Where do I start? There have been so many fun times and activities that have taken place since I last found the time to sit and write. I had great intentions of writing a blog dedicated to Nolan’s second birthday (in addition to the many other things that have happened) but now almost two months have already passed since that fun day, but that is where I will start…. Nolan’s birthday weekend was a very exciting and special weekend. It was not only Nolan’s 2nd birthday but also my brother Jon’s wedding weekend. It was a wonderful time with lots of fun and celebrating with family and friends. Everyone at the rehearsal dinner sang happy birthday to Nolan, Nolan had special Thomas and Friends cupcakes to share with the other kiddos, and Nolan was in the wedding as one of the ring bearers. We weren’t quite sure how Nolan would do in walking down the aisle, but he made it all the way down! One of Rachael’s cousins was also a ring bearer and his older brother and another cousin were junior groomsmen. Nolan and the other ring bearer held hands for most of the walk down the aisle as the junior groomsmen walked behind encouraging the little guys along the way. It really was very precious…and a success!


It is hard to believe that my little guy is already 2 years old. He has grown-up and changed so much in two years, and that time has flown by! I have so many fun memories from this last year. Here is a list of some of my favorites:·

• Watching Nolan learn to walk, then run, and now jump·
  


• Going on our first family trip to England (the traveling part wasn’t always much fun, but the time spent with family was truly special and worth all the challenges of traveling)·
  


• Seeing Nolan participate in his first wedding·
  


• Hearing Nolan sing (parts of the alphabet, twinkle twinkle little star, to name a few)·



• Watching Nolan develop relationships and play with other children. He calls all of the neighborhood children his "friends"
  


• Nolan’s first haircut…ok, not the most fun experience but definitely an event that will always be remembered·
  


• Taking Nolan to his first Indians baseball game and watching the fireworks afterwards. He absolutely loved them and asked for more when they were over.·



• Our many trips to the zoo during the summer·
  


• Watching Nolan develop interest in different activities, toys, etc· (trains, trucks, cars, planes, Thomas and Friends, animals, cooking...)
  


• Hearing Nolan’s expanding vocabulary and phrases. Some of our favorite phrases: “Found one!”, “Self”, “Wuva you”, “I did it!”, "I want some", "I wanna watch the football", "Kank you".


• Watching Nolan change is babies' diapers (his stuffed animals...he lines them all up, says "ooh poopy", picks up their legs and wipes them clean. He goes down the line until they are all clean. :)


• Watching Nolan "cook" with his pots and pans.

There really have been so many fun times and great memories and lessons learned in parenting over the last two years. I have said it many times, but Nolan is a true joy and blessing and I look forward to what this next year will bring!