Autumn in Denver

Nolan and I had the great opportunity to venture out to Denver, Colorado for a week. My sister Melissa and her family live just north of Denver in a little town called Frederick. We had a blast! My parents were there for the beginning of our trip, and by brother Nate and his wonderful new wife Alli came out for the end of our trip. It was great to see everyone. We did many fun things together. I really love my family. We always seem to enjoy ourselves regardless of the situation.
Thanks Melissa, Brian, Connor, Isabel and Lucas for a fun time.

Isabel, Nolan and Lucas in the bath

Lucas and Nolan-Great buddies!

Pumpkin Patch FunSleepy BoysBefore Nolan's First TRIMAfter Nolan's First TRIMBesides the pumpkin patch, we did other really fun things, too! Shopping: I got some GREAT new jeans, pants, and a shirt, (BTW: I hit pre-pregnancy weight officially-only 11 months later, right? Why don't my pre-pregnancy pants fit, then? Now the pre-prepregnancy weight...hmmm.), nice autumn walks, yummy restaurants, basement parties, an indoor water park, playing in Boulder, and watching great movies. Thanks for the great time!

Brains

Ted got this from one of his classes. Quite interesting...

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? Yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

It makes me think alot about how we teach or children how to read. Phonics cannot be everything, but neither can sight-reading. Thoughts to ponder.

10 Months Old

Nolan is 10 months old today. I can't believe how big he has gotten. He doesn't seem much like a baby any longer. He stands at any furniture, wall, door, mirror, etc. that he can get his hands on. He cruises around the edges, too. He has started clapping, waves bye-bye and hi, gives kisses, says "ma-ma", "da-da", "oh-oh" for dogs, said "uh-oh", and will try to say anything you say to him. Nolan is a very independent little boy. He will play by himself for a long time. We made a little toy corner for him, and he LOVES it back there. He will pull all the books off the shelves and "read" them. He had a vision/hearing screening today, compliments of our Kirkwood Parents as Teachers. Everything is great, and Nolan is right on track for his development.

I couldn't resist this little picture. Nolan was cuddling on a few stuffed animals and "browsing" all his books.

Nolan also loves playing outside and being with other kids. I love watching him "share" his toys and see his reactions to kids taking his toys. We often play with our across the street neighbors. Today we played with Lily, Addison, and Phoebe. Did we mention that Nolan is the only boy on the street? And the first to be born here in over 20 years? There are 10 girls on our cul-de-sac 9 years old and younger, with the 11th to be born any day. Whatever is in the water, I must have missed it. We love our little Nolan.

If You're Happy and You Know It

I have always known that kids are funny. They are very stubborn and do things in their own time. I look forward to experiencing all of the funny things Nolan will be doing in the future and I can't wait to see his view on life.

Around 9 months kids are supposed to start clapping. Nolan has seemed completely uninterested in this skill. Not a problem-development isn't an exact science. I knew he would get there sometime. I still practiced clapping, moving his hands for him, and just cheering to be silly. Today, I tried something different.

Kristina (in a horrible signing voice): "If you're Nolan and you know it, clap your hands. (Clap, clap).

Nolan: Staring strangely at his mother.

Kristina: "If you're Nolan and you know it, clap your hands. (Clap, clap)

Nolan: Continuing the strange stare.

Kristina: "If you're Nolan and you know it, then your face will surely show it." (Squeeze Nolan's sweet chubby cheeks to try to force a smile.)

Nolan: Looking quite disgusted with his strange mother.

Kristina: "If you're Nolan and you know it, clap your hands."

Nolan: Clap, clap!

I thought it was too hilarious. I didn't realize that if I just irritated him with my beautiful voice and wonderful song, he would clap to be rid of me. Poor child-now we have been forcing him to clap all morning. Ahhhh learning.

Greentree Festival

Today we went to the Kirkwood Greentree Festival. Besides being 86 degrees and soooo humid, we had a great time. There were arts and crafts booths, tons of food, and a folk-life area. The folk-life area was interesting. There were blacksmiths, weavers, folk music performers, and a guy who demonstrated sheep herding with his dog and real sheep. We went with our friends Kate and Nathan with their kids, and Nick and Melika with their son Cohen. What a fun day!

At the Parade

Nolan's sad face-still looks like he is smiling
(He was hit in the head with a runaway Tootsie Roll)

Driving

Lunch at the festival

Labor Day Weekend

I think this entry will finally put me up-to-date. We had a wonderful Labor Day weekend. We went to the zoo for the first time that Nolan could really see anything. (I don't think the 3 month trip counted!) He really loved the aquarium/underwater exhibits. He wanted to grab all the fish. It was pretty warm, so the animals weren't too active. Needless to say, if there isn't much movement, a 9 month old's attention will not be grabbed. We had fun anyways!

Ted's parents have a cat named Moose. Nolan loves playing with him.

4 generations

To finish off our weekend, Nolan had a little water party of his own in our front yard. It was 97 degrees out, so we decided to celebrate the last day of summer in style.

Maine

Here are some great pictures from our wonderful time in Maine.