Fantastic Fourth

Sat, 4 Jul 2009 21:27:24 -0400

Tomorrow we’re having Nolan baptized and celebrating his first birthday. Because of that we have lots of family in from out of town. We like to celebrate the Fourth of July and could think of no better way than to include everyone. My cousin Karyn and her four kids along with her Dad, Uncle John, made the trip from Madison, WI and my cousin Lyndsay along with Aunt Cheryl were also in town. Craig and Diana along with my parents and TJ completed our celebration.

In the early afternoon TJ let off the cannon which is a Civil War replica that takes real gunpowder and about puts a hole in your heart every time he sets it off. Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate as we had to spend almost the entire time inside. Once Nolan passed out from over stimulation and exhaustion, the weather broke and we were able to get outside for numerous rounds of sparklers and fireworks. My Dad, of course, had to get in a few rounds of the ever irritating Black Cats that about make you jump out of your skin.

Earlier today Lyndsay and Aunt Cheryl took Caden to the waterpark at the hotel they were staying at. From what he told me, “It was totally wicked!”. After a little coaxing he did a waterslide all by himself and also enjoyed a little miniature golf. It was so sweet of them to take him off our hands for a little while so we could finish the last minute preparation we needed to do for today/tomorrow.

Diana made these adorable pinwheels for Nolan’s party which you can see he loves! Thanks Diana. Here are pictures from our Fourth of July celebration.

It’s Hot, So Hot!

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 21:38:03 -0400

Caden’s friend, Jeremy, is in his class at daycare. Jeremy’s Mom, Gail, looked me up on Facebook and asked if we’d like to do a playdate. We were of course thrilled to have someone to go to West Park with. We perhaps picked the hottest day of the year as when we got back into the car after the park my thermometer said it was 112! Of course Michael is also convinced they put the sensor on the engine so it’s a little temperamental to say the least. Anyway, even with the heat wave we managed to stick it out for close to three hours. The boys loved bouncing around from the water feature to the slides to the swings.

Nolan actually met a cute little blonde on the swings that happens to have the exact same birthday at his. There is also a little boy in his class with the exact same birthday. Three different hospitals though. Too funny.

We had lots of fun with Jeremy and his Mom so I’m sure we’ll play with them again soon. Here’s some pictures from our hottest outing to date this summer.

CampIN

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 09:50:15 -0400

Michael’s Dad and Pam love to camp and fish so we had scheduled to go camping this weekend quite awhile ago. Unfortunately the weather decided not to cooperate. When we heard reports of possible gusty winds and hail we decided that in a tent with two little kids was not the place we wanted to be! So after we had Caden all amped up and practically packed we called it off. To his credit he took the news well and Michael offering to camp in the basement softened the blow. On Friday night the boys set up their tent and when I went down to check on them later they were both zipped in and passed out. Caden had no ill effects from the CampIN, however Michael on the other hand, was suffering the effects of sleeping on essentially a concrete floor with some light padding for the next week!

On Saturday we brought the boys over to see Papa and Pam. Autumn and Summer were there along with Kaylee and Madyson. Caden and Nolan had a BALL! Nolan particularly liked how Kaylee liked to feed him. Since we’re having about 35 people at our house Fourth of July weekend we had a few things we could get done around the house. Papa and Pam graciously offered to watch the kids so we happily enjoyed getting some projects done around the house and going out to dinner. We were going to pick up the kids after that but they assured us they were doing fine and we should just let them spend the night. It was Nolan’s first night away from home and he did great! We missed them lots and it sure was strange to have the house sooooo quiet.

Getting Together-Michael’s Family

Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:22:44 -0400

Michael’s Aunt Karla is so good about getting the whole family together. With Michael’s Mom having four brothers and sisters and all of them having kids and some of those kids having their own kids, it’s no easy feat to get everyone together. But Karla does a great job getting almost everyone together in one place and Richard is kind enough to offer up his place everytime. The badminton net got put up in a brief downpour but then it was smooth sailing from there.

We had a great time playing in the yard, eating and catching up. Caden always loves playing with Donovan, Ty, Bailey and Chaz. This year was extra special because no one but Karla knew that Michael’s Grandmother Hite and Ron were going to be making the trip from Florida. We were sooooo surprised. This was the first time they’d been able to see Nolan in person. So fun. Michael’s Uncle Lance has a Harley and he let Michael and I take it out for a quick spin. It was the fastest and nicest way to cool off. Until next family get together...

Pool Parties!

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:46:53 -0400

Jen and Ryan invited us over for fajitas on the grill and a little swimming. They have a hot tub which doubles as the perfect pool for the kids. Nolan wasn’t quite as into it as Caden and Ella but he did enjoy watching them and dipping his toes. Even Frankie got his toes wet at one point. Dinner was excellent and the company was too! Next time we’ll host.

Somewhere along the way they had scored four tickets to The Monon Center. We’ve been wanting to check it out and never seem to get around to it. Well four tickets that expired today was just the motivation we were looking for. We loaded up the boys and headed out. It was AWESOME. Nolan really enjoyed the little kid pool and Caden loved the toddler pool. He even did the slide by himself after a couple bail outs and practicing on the really small slide! We were so proud of him we told him he should call Lyndsay since she would be impressed since she’s the only one thus far that has been able to coax him down a waterslide! Some time when she’s in Indy we’ll have to take her there so she can see him in person. We took a few laps on the lazy river and then called it quits. We’ll definitely go back again. Thanks to Jen and Ryan for sharing the tickets with us.