Nolan's One Year Old!

Yesterday was Nolan's 1st birthday!  It's so hard to believe he's one year old--no longer a baby!  Now, I'm the mom of a toddler.  Since he's having a birthday party on Saturday, the three of us had a quiet celebration yesterday.  It started with Nolan and I going to Target to let him "pick out" his birthday present.  He really liked a large bag of giant lego blocks!  He just hit the bag over and over and grinned.  When I tried to set the blocks in the shopping cart he started crying, so I had to sit the blocks next to him in the cart seat--this made him happy.  When we got home I would build a tower and he would knock it over and tear it apart.  It was pretty fun.  

When Rich got home we celebrated with cupcakes.  Rich turned off the lights and lit one candle on the vanilla cupcake.  Nolan's eyes got really big and he reached out for the candle.  We sang happy birthday and Rich told Nolan to "make a wish" and he blew out the candle.  When Nolan had the cupcake on his high chair, he dipped one finger into the frosting and slowly put it in his mouth.  His eyes got big again and he picked up the whole thing and shoved it in his mouth.  He separated the icing and the cake into his right and left hands, respectively.  He ate the whole thing. 

Today was good.  Nolan loves balls--tennis ball, soccer balls, play balls.  Anything round that rolls.  He just chases after them and laughs.  It's so cute.

I'll update again after his birthday party.  My parents and sister are coming down.  I'm so excited.  I miss them so much!

Kisses

Nolan has learned to give kisses!!  This is so exciting.  I give him a kiss on the cheek and say "kisskisskisskiss,"  then he laughs, opens that little mouth and plants a big slobbery one on my left cheek!  I love that little boy!

2008 in Review

I cannot believe we're already six days into 2009!! So many things happened in 2008.

January 14, 2008 Rich and I welcomed our first son, Nolan into the world! He was (and still is) such a beautiful baby. This is one of the first pictures after he was born. He was born in Boone, North Carolina at Watauga Medical Center. It was snowing the day he was born and the day we brought him home from the hospital. We had so much help from family and so many visitors. Nolan's birth was such a wonderful time.

My mother-in-law turned the big 60 on February 16th and we had a big party for her at JoJo's China Bistro. It was a great time with all of her friends and family. Here's a picture from her birthday party.

Also in February, was Valentines day :) Rich took me to the Gamekeeper where I ate foods I had never had before! Like rattlesnake, ostrich, bison and more! And by the way, I liked them all!

In June 2008, Nolan had his first beach trip!! We went to Oak Island, NC and stayed at my mom's friends ocean front house. At first, Nolan was unsure of the ocean and he cried when i stuck his toes in the rushing water. After a couple of attempts he smiled when his toes grazed the water. Nolan sat the Baby Bjorn for morning walks up the coast--I think that was his favorite time. My mom's favorite part of the trip was rocking Nolan to sleep on the back porch. She and my sister had a blast playing peek-a-boo  

with the blanket and making Nolan laugh. Grandma Clark also came along for the vacation and I know she enjoyed spending time with her great-grandson and grandchildren. I enjoyed somewhat of a break, by getting to relax on the beach! Here are some photo memories from the trip.

Rich had his 34th birthday on July 15th. And he and I also had our first night away from the baby in July. We went camping by Hunt Fish Falls in Linville, NC. It wasn't quite as peaceful as I had hoped for. I had a little too much to drink and started freaking out about bears.. haha!! The food was good though! Rich cooked steaks, yum.

In August, Nolan had his second beach trip! This time to Gulf Shores, Alabama with Rich's side of the family. It was like a huge family reunion. Nolan got to meet tons of cousins, aunts and uncles. He went swimming in a pool for the first time! He loved it! Also, on this trip, my sister-in-law got engaged!! So exciting. Here are some pictures from the trip.

On September 15th, Rich and I had our first wedding anniversary!

In October we moved to Georgia. It's quite a change from the mountains of NC.  We're in a small town close to the city.  I miss having hiking trails and the mountains right outside my back door.  But the trade off is having my husband enjoy his work and be happy--so it's worth it :)

On December 2nd, I had my 25th birthday! Which I wrote about in the previous entry.

All in all it was a great year.