Sick Baby

Tonight I freaked out a little bit. Walton county was under a tornado warning, it was hailing outside and the lighting was unbelievable. Nolan had a temperature of 102.6 degrees and looked completely out of it. He had been vomiting all day off and on. It was scary. He's never even had a fever. We gave him some infant motrion and it brought it down to 101.5. He started to feel better after that. He started babbling and crawling around again. SHEW what a relief.

I'm learning so much with this baby. It's frightening but it's so good for Rich and I to go through these experiences together. We lost our satellite signal and it's still thundering outside, but I don't think we're under a tornado warning anymore. Rich is in the bed with Nolan asleep. I think everything's going to be okay. Goodnight.

Over Valentines Day weekend Rich and I went and visited Boone, NC. This is where Rich and I went to school at Appalachian and where we had baby Nolan! We had such a great time. We had beers with old friends and went hiking on our favorite trails.

These pictures are from Sims Creek Trail. The first one is a view of Grandfather Mountain.














Here's a good swimming hole off of the Boone Fork Trail. Swimming holes will be missed tons this summer!









Here are some pictures of Hebron Rock Colony:

Broccoli and Cheese Soup

Tonight we had a broccoli and cheese soup with salad for dinner. It was the best broccoli and cheese soup I have ever had. To give credit, it's from the Mast Farm Inn cookbook. The Mast Farm Inn is a very nice bed and breakfast in Valle Crucis, NC. Rich used to wait tables and cook breakfast at the Inn. Most of the recipes from the book are too complex, but this one is simple and so delicious.

1/2 cu. butter
1 bunch broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cu. flour
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. salt
3 cu. milk
2 cu. chicken broth
1 cu. cheddar shredded
1 cu. colby & monteray jack shredded

1. Melt butter in 3 qt saucepan. Saute broccoli and onion until broccoli is tender-crisp
2. Combine flour, mustard and salt in small bowl. Add to saucepan. Gradually add milk and broth and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened.
3. Reduce heat and gradually stir in 1 1/2 cu. of cheese
4. Divide remaining cheese and sprinkle some on top of soup in each bowl before serving.

Personal Modification:
-the recipe called for Jarlsburg cheese, but I used the ones listed above
-i used white onion

ENJOY!

She's a He!

Rich went to the doctor today for his neck. The doc said the strain could have happened from lifting too much weight. She said he is having muscle spasms; she prescribed six weeks of physical therapy. Rich's profession makes me worry about him. Manual labor is hard on your body, and I don't think he realizes it. However, timber framing is something he enjoys and he's good at it.

A nice lady was talking to Nolan and I while we were at the doctor today; she was commenting on all the noise Nolan was making shaking my tic-tacs. I told her he is really fond of shaking things. She said, "She is so pretty!" I said, "She's a he!" She laughed and said, "Excuse me, well he is so pretty!" I told her I knew it was the long hair and laughed. I just can't cut his hair! It's so pretty. My favorite hair time is after he has a bath and it's super curly (like tonight!). His hair is so adorable--he's so adorable. I dress Nolan manly. I guess the hair just throws people off. Oh well.

Long Overdue

Nolan's first birthday party was so fun! We went to dinner at The Globe in downtown Athens. Neither Rich or I had been there, but there were great reviews, so we decided to give it a shot. The reviews were spot on! The whole family loved their meal, even Nolan, who had a grilled cheese sandwich. When we got home we sang "Happy Birthday," and he tore into his cupcake (the ones Rich made!). We opened presents and he got all kinds of great gifts: an Elmo live (this thing is crazy), a tonka truck (that he can ride), adorable blue robot pajamas, maracas (which he loves), ASU overalls and a tool set puzzle. Even though Nolan got all these cool gifts, he was most interested in a multi-color swirly ribbon on his present.

Yesterday, Nolan took three steps on his own. This is the first time he had taken more than one step. He was standing alone and I stretched my arms out and said "come here Nolan," and he came! I was ecstatic! Unfortunately, it did not happen again today. So we will just have to try more and more to get those little feet walking!

Nolan had his first trip the park today. It's so nice we have a park 1/2 a mile away; we just took the stroller out and walked. He loved the swing and when Rich would help him down the slide.

Rich's poor neck is killing him! He thinks he slept on it wrong, but it's been hurting since Friday morning. It's one of those pains where you can't turn your neck right or left, up or down. We've been using ben gay and ibuprofen, but it's only temporary relief. He might have to go to the doctor tomorrow. If you have any remedies for neck/upper back pain please share!

And me.. I'm good :)