Day 30/365

June 28rd, 2011
 Assignment has begun at Breakaway Lodge.

Day 29/365

June 27th, 2011
All packed and ready for assignment.

Day 28/365

June 26, 2011
Nolan had to get stitches today.  He bonked his head on the flagstone pillar by the front steps.  5 Stitches.  Not a fun day for anyone.

Day 27/365

June 25th, 2011
Today was the craziest busy day I've had in a very long time.  In the end Nolan laid in bed and sang me songs.  What a nice way to end the day.

Day 25/365

June 23rd, 2011
We went to see Mr. Laith's airplane today.  It's almost finished.  Nolan wanted to tow it out of the hangar.

Day 24/365

June 22nd, 2011
Nolan loves any type of ball to play with.

Day 23/365

June 21st, 2011
Playing at Ben and Erin's House.  Video to Follow.

Day 22/ 365

June 20th, 2011

Nolan Loved to see the deer.  There were tons, and they would come close.

Beautiful views on the way home, I wish we could have stayed longer.

Day 21/365

June 19th, 2011

Day 20/365

June 18th, 2011
My concerned sleeper on our way to Winthrop.

Day 19/365

June 17, 2011

Day 18/365

June 17, 2011
Summer is approaching

Day 17/365

  

Day 16/365

June 14, 2011
Keith's parents are here to visit so I let them continue watching Nolan tonight and came upstairs to take a nice relaxing bath! Ahhh, how great is this.

Day 16/365

June 14th, 2011
Nolan is having fun downstairs with Grandma and Grandpa.  Time for a bath and to relax.

Day 15/365

June 13th, 2011
Yay! Buttons!
Maybe he will be an accountant.

Day 14/365

June 12th, 2011
Long Drive home from Sunriver, Nolan Did great.  We stopped in Portland for him to play with Ken and Jolene, and Kenny at the playground.  Grandpa and Grandma Dow are coming to visit tomorrow.

Day 13/365

June 11, 2011
Today was a big day, Jiliane Graduated from COCC with her RN.  We were all together and had a great day.  /the kids ran and tan during the whole event it was perfect.  Such a Fun day.  Congratulations Jiliane.

Day 12/365

June 10, 2011
I just LOVE this picture of Nolan

 Jiliane at the pinning ceremony becoming an official nurse.

Day 11/365

June 9th, 2011
Beautiful Cousin Lili.  Wish we got to see her more.

Day 10/365

June 8th, 2011
Drove to Sunriver for Jiliane's Graduation

Day 9/365

June 7, 2011
I love Christiano's

Day 8/365

June 6, 2011
The good part of my otherwise weird and kind of crappy birthday. Got a snuggle with Nolan before bed. The rest of the day went sideways. My 4 hour drive took 5 1/2 with Nolan screaming for 2 1/2 of them. Then I turned around and spent 2 hours waiting for the pediatrician. And lastly went to the young life bonfire. I didn't get to talk to Keith until saw him at 8:30 pm. Everything was so strange today. I think I'll postpone my birthday til next Saturday.

Day 7/365

6/5/2011
Not a picture from today but a month ago. We were in La Quinta, CA enjoying the sun. Nolan had an ear infection then, pretty sure it never totally went away. He is sick again now and were driving home tomorrow from Portland. I hope this little boy gets better soon.

Day 6/365

6/4/11
This morning Nolan pointed to the banana and all by himself with no prompting said "nana"!
Proud mama.

Day 5/365

6-3-11

Day4/365

 

6-2-11

Day 3/365

6-1-11
Welcome to June

Rain, Again

Jenny

Day 2/365

5/31/2011
PBY Aircraft flew at KAWO Arlington Municipal Airport.  First time I've seen it fly in over a year.  Lots of popping an crackling coming out of these huge radial engines.  Really impressive.  The wings extend way over the sides of the runway.

Jenny

365 day photo project

I am not good at doing things religiously.  I lack at that self-discipline/self-control fruit of the spirit.  On facebook lately the kids have been doing 30 day photo challenges where they post a picture of some specific thing each day.  I have been thinking for a while of doing a 365 day photo challenge where I post some sort of photo every day.  It should be easy to do, I always have my phone with me and it has a great camera.  I should be able to just email my blog the post and it will post automatically, we'll see how well that works.  If you see me slacking cheer me on, I may need it.

Day 1/365

 May 30, 2011

Memorial Day

Rapture, Really?

I don't know if you have heard but there are people predicting that Jesus is coming back on Saturday.  It seems to me that if He really is coming that they just really spilled the beans.  I though no one was supposed to know when Jesus is coming back.  Funny that some people are planning rapture parties.  It doesn't really matter to me when Jesus comes, I know that I will get to go with him.  It would be sweet if Christians don't have to endure the tribulation, I know I would prefer to be in Heaven while everyone else is figuring it out.  And seriously, if you don't get your act together when half the planet disappears you have some serious issues.  I am going to be working at the airport on Saturday for our learn to fly day, if this is really going down, I think I will probably leave work early and come home to be with Keith and hold Nolan. 

Kind of makes me wonder what New Years Eve is going to be like this year, probably a lot of big parties!

Bookcases

Keith went all the way to Ikea yesterday to get two bookcases.  One for each side of our fireplace.  They are really bug 57"x57". It wasn't until 10:00 that we actually started putting them together.  After the YL girls had finally gone home after campaigners.  We got the 1st one together and slid it into place took a step back and both said "that looks awesome"  Next we pieced the other one together and went to slide it into place and WHAT THE???? It didn't fit  I had never thought that the two wals looked off, but they are different, 5" different.  That is a lot! Anyway, our great idea didn't work, but we do have some new and awesome bookcases.  There is a perfect place in the front hall for the other big white bookcase.  And we even have a small 28x28 shelf in our room to contain all of Nolans stuff.  Oh well, it was a good idea.

La Quinta

Keith and I just got back from La Quinta (Palm Springs) we got to go there to visit a friend and committee member.  I hadn't spent much time with them before our trip but it didn't bother me, I'd do anything to escape this rain!  We were welcomed so lovingly into their home.  Sigh* I want to go back.  The weather was in the high 90's ad low 100's while we were there.  Keith and I stepped off the airplane and giggled, it's like mexico except we can drink the water and everyone speaks English.  Among our adventures we went to The Living Desert. A desert zoo where I got to ride a camel!  We went to a street fair where they sold everything from cars to tacos to patio furniture to knock off purses (I got the seatbelt purse I've been eying for the last two years at 20% of the price of the original).  We swam in the pool a lot and Keith even got to go golfing.  Most importantly we just relaxed and laid low.  It was a great trip and a great refreshing time.  Thank you Kit and Mary for having us!  Nolan is sick, really sick.  I knwe he had a fever while we were there so we kept giving him some ibuprofen and it seemed to work.  I took him into the Dr today and he has a double ear infection and a sore throat.  I feel so bad for him.  We have him on antiboitics now and he should be feeling better soon.  As I write this he is sleeping.  He took a two hour nap this morning and we have just passed 3 hours this afternoon.  Poor Guy :-(

Back Update

I had my mom here for the last two and a half weeks to take care of me and to take care of Nolan.  I am so grateful that she was here.  I am still recuperating slowly from my back surgery.  I am 16 days out from surgery and it is hard to be patient with this.  I know I know, I need to be patient, this is for my health for the rest of my life.  That is very easy for other people to say that aren't actually in my position.  Nolan is running and playing and shrieking with joy and I don't get to be a part of that.  When he falls down and cries, I am not allowed to pick him up.  When He wakes up in the middle of the night or from his nap and is crying, I don't get to be the one to go in and get him and comfort him.  He is asking to be picked up and held by everyone but me.  I have been with him 24/7 since he was born and now I have to be patient and wait.  Since I had surgery and can't nurse Nolan because of all the medication I am on we don't get to lay in bed and snuggle.  That was one of my favorite thing to do.  He would nurse and drift off to sleep, and I would hold him close by my side as he slept until it was time to put him into his crib.  Now I'm lucky to have a 15 second calm moment with him on my lap before he wiggles his way off onto the floor.  I'm not complaining here, I just feel like I want to spell out how I am feeling a little bit.

Adventures Outside

In the spirit of celebrating the small things, we had an adventure outside with Nolan yesterday.  Not so much of an adventure as we went outside.  Mom was inside trying to figure out our central vac and I thought that it would be not big deal to monitor Nolan outside by myself.  WRONG  Within a few seconds e had a hand full of dirt in his mouth and he was trying to spit it out.  I thought we would ply with the soccer ball, but no, he wanted to play with Annie.
Annie and Nolan are quickly becoming best friends.  She had a tennis ball in her mouth, a dirty slobbery one that she had drooled all over earlier in the day.  I found a dry one to "minimize" the amount of yucky germs that were being shared.  Nolan plopped down in the grass and had fun ripping up blades of grass and throwing them over his shoulder covering his little back with bunches of green.  He has figured out how to sort of chuck things in front of him.  I wouldn't quite call it a throw yet, he doesn't have the sense of  hold and release.  It's an open palm with a ball balanced on it that when shot forward might send the ball in some direction.
We walked and he threw the ball and he picked up speed...right toward the edge of the lawn and the steep ten foot drop toward the road.  I had to move faster than I wanted to try and stop him from ran/walking right off the edge.  I called to Mom to come and help me since I am still on very light duty from my back surgery.  luckily she was done so she came out and helped corral the little one.  We wend down to the front yard to discover the front yard and the pile of rocks in the french drain by the little pond he looked at them funny for a few seconds then they wend straight into the mouth.  Nolan threw a few while I snapped some quick photos and just as I was finished a ton of ants came rushing out of the rocks and onto Nolan's leg.  Mom picked him up as fast as she could and we batted them off of him.  Enough adventures for one day.  Dirt, Grass, Rocks, and Ants.  Sounds like a great adventure for a little boy discovering the outdoors.

Celebrate the small things

I decided today that the only way I can stick with this blog is if I just Celebrate the small things.  It shouldn't take a huge achievement to get a blog post.

Today we went to Wal-mart to get a few things.  I was driving the little cart and Nolan was in the child seat in a cart that my Mom was pushing.  His birthday is in a week and a half so I need to find something for him.  We went by the toy isle and I immediately was drawn to the popper that you walk bekind and push.  It shoots the balls dancing around inside the little dome.  Classic toy.  Nothing else seemed that great.  It all looks generic and just like the toys he already has.  And he has a lot!

We rounded the corner to see tennis balls the size of 4-square balls.  Nolan loves to carry his soccer ball around and drop it and chase it.  He also loves Annie giving him attention.  Anyway, he turned in the cart, stuck out his pointer finger at the rack of balls and clearly said "Ball".  My heart leaped with excitement.  He has been saying "Ball" for a few weeks, but there was never a definitive "yes that thing in you hand is a ball"  It was more like that is Annie and she likes balls.  He has been calling Anne, Ball.

How Cool!  Of Course I had to get it for him.  Most likely it will be a dog toy and get popped quickly.

Today he also began answering the question "What does Annie say?  with a "whoo whoo"  there isnt really an "f" at the end of his woof's but he is responding to the question which is amazing to me.

Every day there is so much change in him.  It is amazing to watch and a privileged to be his mommy and get to nurture him.