My Baby is ONE!

Happy day-after-your-birthday, Nolan. We can't believe how fast a year goes by. Our tiny baby has turned into a sweet, amazing, hilarious, and adventuresome little boy. Who knew a single candle could represent so much?

I love the way you thoroughly enjoy every moment, get dirty, and have fun. You experience the world in the unabashed way the rest of us should!

You received several gifts from people who love you more than the entire world. A toy phone, a piano/xylophone, money for college, teddy bears, musical instruments, trucks, and books.

And the balloons used for decorations were your favorite thing of all!

Happy Birthday, baby boy. I can't wait to see what the next year brings!

Where Our Wild Things Are

There are negatives to living in a rural area with no fences: kids can stray out of the yard and stray animals can come into the yard. On the other hand, a large wooded lot is paradise for two active boys.

We had to have a tree cut down since the original homeowners decided to plant it right on top of our septic tank. This made for a very healthy tree and a not-so-healthy septic system!

The resultant stump has made for hours of fun, and the wood chips are ever so much better than the sand in a sand box!

Picking blackberries keeps Matthew entertained for hours, and he already knows how to tell a blackberry from the other, non-edible berries in our woods (though I don't trust him in this knowledge yet and watch every berry-picking endeavor).

Despite all the fancy toys we buy, our kids seem to revel in the ones that God has provided free of charge. Pinecones, leaves, acorns, frogs, and dirt piles created by moles. My husband doesn't appreciate the moles, but Matt sure does!




I have to admit I'm a little sad that summer appears to be coming to a close. The signs are there in the blooming goldenrod and single red leaves falling from our maple trees.



I am sure we will have just as much fun in the fall with leaf piles, pumpkins, and loaded crabapple trees!

Rudolph the Red Nosed Baby

Toddlerhood is a time filled with wonder, exploration, and.... injuries! Nolan constantly tries to keep up with Matthew, and the result is a lot of time exploring the ground with his face. This time, he led with his nose- not a good plan! At first it was just a little red, but now it has scabbed over and he looks a little goofy. No one-year old portraits will be happening this week!

Swim Class

Class is going "swimmingly"

There is a soundtrack here: "Nooooooo!"

Every Saturday, Dennis takes Matthew to a parent/child swimming class at the YMCA. Matthew is learning to be comfortable in the water, and will (hopefully) learn how to swim in a few more sessions. We have a small sailboat and love the beach, so it is important for the child to learn how to swim. Unfortunately, Matthew doesn't see the wisdom in this decision. A typical class session goes:

Getting in the water:

"Nooo! Daddy! Hold me!"

Using a flotation vest and swim noodle to swim the length of the pool:

"Get me! Daddy! Get me!"

Doing anything on his back:

"NOOOOooooooooOOOOOoooO!"

Creeping along the wall of the pool to find the ladder:

"Help me! Please! Help me!"

The funniest thing of all is that after he gets out of the pool, he cries because he wants to go swimming again.

Brothers and Bikes

Now that Nolan has officially graduated from "baby" to "toddler," he enjoys the same sort of toys that Matthew does. Matthew has a basic philosophy about the ownership of all toys: they are his, and his alone. We're in the process of "re-educating" the little guy! Nolan often has a toy that he loves, and Matt comes and rips it away. Luckily Nolan is quite opinionated on the matter and LOUDLY protests the action. Matthew has to return the toy and tell Nolan he's sorry. There is a lot of squawking and howling with regard to toys in our house at the moment!

Nolan enjoying his bike. Note Matt snooping in the background.

I turn around for a second, and Matt pilfers the bike.

The injustice!

Peace is restored.

Butterfly

Dennis saw this Monarch as he was leaving for the grocery store the other night. He was surprised that it was still hanging out on the tarp covering our sailboat, and rushed to get his camera. He managed to get a decent picture of it, and figured the recent cold weather had made it sluggish.

Yesterday, Matthew was playing outside doing his little-boy things. Collecting rocks, pretending to mow the lawn, staring at ants. He picked something up from the driveway that looked like a leaf, but was a little too orange.

"Mama! Buh-fly!"

The wings flopped in a way that told me it was dead.

"Oh, honey. Let's put it in the woods."

"Fly! Buh-fly! Go in air!"

He gently launches the butterfly into the air and it sails to the ground. Matthew looks confused and scoops it up again.

"Fly buh-fly. Fly!"

"Sweetheart, it can't fly anymore. The butterfly died."

My sweet son is too young to grasp death, and continues in his quest to get the butterfly to fly once more. I gently take the butterfly from him and try to distract him.

"Go doctor. Fly buh-fly."

"I don't think a doctor can help him, Matt. Let's just put him in the woods."

I placed the butterfly at the edge of the woods and Matt stared at it solemnly.

"Buh-fly no fly. Buh-fly broken."

My heart ached at his delicate grasp on the situation. Luckily the power of his youth didn't allow solemnity for long. He sighed, then turned around and darted off, chasing a leaf skittering across the yard.

Sky Fest 2008

We normally have a hot air balloon festival in Jamestown on the first weekend in August. This year, they decided to combine the balloon festival with an air show, which was a good idea since thunderstorms swept the area and prevented the balloons from launching!

We tried going on Saturday, but the clouds in the sky told us we wouldn't have a long visit. We did get to see the C-130 parked in the field. Matthew remarked, "I get big. I fly airplane." It definitely made an impression on him! Nolan, who normally has a fear of strangers (read: screaming at the top of his lungs until Mommy rescues him), was rather attached to one of the crew on the big jet. He wouldn't come back to me!

The rain started pouring so we ended up going back home, with a stop at the local ice cream shack on the way. We went back the next day, watched a few acrobatic pilots, and had some pizza and fries (such a nutritious dinner)! I loved watching the boys' eyes grow wide with excitement and wonder with the planes swooping over our heads.

Nolan watching the airplanes

A stunt plane

Enjoying a little lemonade at SkyFest

Daredevils

All boys should be born with a warning label. As in: "warning- may cause sudden heart attacks and premature graying."

Matthew likes pushing his swings to the limit. Honestly, I think I may need to enforce helmet use on the swingset! Who knew that disc swinging could become an "extreme" event? Perhaps it will be the new sport in the X-games...

Nolan is no less adventuresome. He gets into the upper-level clubhouse on the swingset with no help. He climbs up the six foot long slide in less than 30 seconds. Sometimes I feel like I've given birth to monkeys!