We're in St. George

Well, Nolan and I are away but Justin is at home. We miss you! We're having a good time visiting family down here. So far we've been to the fruit market, a craft store (I know Justin's glad he wasn't in on that), to visit cousins, dinner with my brother and his new wife, and swimming.

The main trouble has been in the sleep department. Nolan's always adjusted well to new surroundings, but not this time. He just screams when I put him in the pack 'n play. After a few minutes of crying, he'd go to sleep. But today at naptime he was putting up an especially impressive fight. All of a sudden we heard him screaming on the staircase. Yes, we've had a break out. I tried rocking him to sleep after that but finally I had to climb in the pack 'n play with him. And let me tell you, those really aren't built for mother and child! He did calm down and rest, leaving me free to climb out. Hopefully he'll warm up to the basement family room so that I don't have to climb in and cuddle every time he needs to sleep. I won't complain though... normally he's a great sleeper! At least he's been sleeping in at Grandma's. I woke up at 8 o'clock to him yelling "Daaaaaaaddy!" He misses Dad already! I'll share pictures of the trip when we get home in a week!

Getting organized

Does anyone else feel like their home is filled with clutter? It seems like my counters and kitchen table only stay clear for a day at the most. So I've added a shelf and baskets to my laundry room and a shower rod to dry clothes from. Now we'll each have a place to put stuff. Nolan's basket has his shoes (so they're ready to grab as we go out), bubbles, and crayons. Mine is filled with Young Women's stuff, and Justin's will have his wallet, work badge, and sunglasses. I have a feeling we'll find more to put there soon! And lastly, I have one basket for dirty rags, bibs, and washclothes. I hate putting these things in with my regular laundry so it's a good place to stash it. Thanks to Justin for hanging the shelf for me! And yes, Nolan had to be there every step of the way.

Before: see how cluttered?

After:

Update

I just thought I'd let everyone know that I did the following pictures at photofunia.com. There's a link at the bottom of my blog! Enjoy.

We're famous!

So I emailed Justin the picture above and his only reply was "Don't you dare put this on the blog." Well I wasn't going to, but since he mentioned it... I never thought Justin was fashion savvy - I guess I was wrong!

Nolan's 18-month well visit was yesterday. He's healthy as a Nolan should be! He's in the 30th percentile for weight (though I have to wonder if that's correct) and 55th percentile for height. Everyone tells me how tall he is, but he's losing momentum. He was in the 70th at 15 months but it was bound to happen. His parents are strictly average in height. We switched doctors and I think this new one is going to be great.

Life's a zoo!

Nolan's first zoo trip was a happy one. His most favorite thing was the marble Earth water fountain in the entry way. We'd like to buy one of those for our yard! Some of the animals were hard for him to see (or not there at all), but he loved walking around on his leash. We're aware that some parents think leashes aren't right for children to use. To them we would say: You don't have a Nolan. And he loves it. He enjoyed the bird show, especially when 15 white doves would swoop right over his head. We rode the train and Nolan was silent in contemplation the whole time. I wish I knew what he was thinking. As a side, I can't believe they charge extra for this 2 minute ride... simply because they can, I guess.

After the zoo we ate at the Lion House on temple square. What a delicious meal and a beautiful evening! Some day our yard will be a small piece of temple landscaping heaven! Uh, I'm not so sure. As an aside, Nolan has been folding his arms for prayers for a while now, but he now folds his arms any time someone comes on the loud speaker at Wal-Mart. "Clean up on aisle 3" - and he is reverent as can be!

And lastly, here are some random pics that are fun. Nolan has a new love for shoes. I think this is a stage that all children must go through.

When I came home from a Young Women's activity, I found my boys cuddling on the couch watching the Republican Convention. Nolan claps at all the right places. Maybe he'll be a politician... I hope not. These sweet moments are the pay off for parents. I wish he'd cuddle and pat our cheeks more often. Lucky Dad!

And here's one last Daddy moment I couldn't leave out. Honk!