I will never lay sod again!

We have finally finished laying sod in the yard. Justin and I laid 1200 sq. ft. by ourselves on Thursday evening and Friday. I think it took about 6 or 7 hours in all. I feel like I spent the whole time hurrying Justin along because he always wants to smooth out the dirt perfectly (too perfectly, if you ask me) and remove every bit of gravel before it goes down. Hopefully we'll have better grass for it. We're glad to have it done. I told Justin we'll either never build a new house to landscape or we'll hire out the yard to completion. Along with the main area, there was a small corner that we had to finish on the other side too. Here are the before and after pics.

Right after laying sod, we quickly packed up and went to Logan for the weekend. What a crazy day! It was nice to visit family again. Nolan had a good time bonding with Grandma Kathi.

And lastly, I've been tagged by my sister-in-law Jodi. My answers will be brief, but here it goes:

10 years ago, I... was about to turn 15. I was boy crazy (but never talked to any) and still wore glasses (no contacts or laser surgery yet).

5 things on today's "to do" list: visit the Petersen grandparents, have dinner with the Moulton grandparents, attend our ward split meeting, empty the dishwasher, and read the scriptures

5 places I have lived: in St. George growing up, in Provo as a single BYU student, in Logan attending USU, in Taylorsville before our home was built, and our current place (first home) west of Salt Lake City.

5 jobs I've had: selling tickets to Tuacahn's Festival of Lights, as a consultant for professors at BYU, at Jamba Juice, as an aide and after school counselor for an elementary school, as a substitute teacher just before having Nolan

7 Random/Weird facts about me:

1. I'm a picker... I can't help but love a good zit!

2. I gave a monologue in an off-broadway show in New York City (age 17)

3. I've been trying to stop popping my knuckles since 5th grade (I've given up trying recently; a physical therapist promised it won't cause arthritis... hope he's right!)

4. I used to want to be in Riverdance; I even learned Irish dancing at BYU

5. I can slowly assume headstand position using my stomach muscles and no wall and then hold it (a yoga pose)

6. I have a feeling I'll have all boys

7. I rarely ever have dreams but while I was employed at Jamba Juice, I once sleep talked the following with Justin one night: I said, "You can't handle it." He said, "handle what, honey?" I then replied, "Frozen fruit!"

I'll tag a few people but don't feel obligated... Ashley, Jen, and Amber!

Long week

Nolan and I made it back from St. George last Thursday. My parents drove me home since they needed to catch a flight the next day. They're in Palmyra and Niagra Falls with my sister, Lacey, this week... lucky! It was so great to be in St. George, but I have to admit that Nolan made it difficult to relax at all. He can open my parents' doors throughout the house so we'd continually find him in their bathroom. It seems like we were always walking through the house trying to find him. The problem with him climbing out of the pack 'n play wasn't too bad. At night I would make sure it was pitch dark and he didn't climb out. Naps took some coaxing, but it didn't take him long to settle down. I hope my Mom and Dad realize how grateful I am that we could move in for the week. You always spoil us!

I was looking forward to a quiet Conference weekend at home, but that' not what we got! Nolan had a low fever from Wednesday through Saturday. There were no other symptoms, so we don't know what caused it. He's also getting his incisors in, which I've heard can be the worse teeth of them all. The combination was horrible! He was either clinging to me with his blanket and puppy, or screaming and whining. It was very tiring emotionally for both Justin and me. Justin wanted to help but it was a "mommy only" type of weekend. Here's a rare moment of peace... not pretty, but it was finally a quiet moment! Thank goodness he's made a turnaround this morning. I'm glad to have my happy boy back. And I look forward to reading the Conference talks next month... it was hard to focus this time around. What I heard was great though. I just love President Monson's stories.

On Sunday after the last session, I just HAD to get out of the house. Nolan desperately needed to run around so we went up Tooele canyon to see the Fall colors. What a relief to see a big grin on Nolan's face as he ran up the hill.

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!

Big bonk

Nolan has just recovered from a hard bonk to the head. He slipped on some books and nailed the corner trim of the closet. It turned into a massive goose egg with a blue line running down the middle. Scary! Of course the pictures don't really show it too well. Our camera's flash is so obnoxious sometimes. We hope he doesn't have a concussion... I don't know anything about those but it sounds like a frightening word.

Yesterday afternoon we went to Cherry Hill water park just north of Lagoon. We had a really nice time together and Nolan absolutely loved going down the water slides... he didn't even mind the dark tunnels. You had to sit on these mats and it was amazing how fast we got going. We met up with Lacey and her family. They were nice enough to watch Nolan while Justin and I went on the Cardiac Canyon tube ride (no little tikes allowed). It was pretty fun until we got stuck in a whirlpool area and another man came around the corner, flipped off his tube and nailed me in the head with his foot. His glasses had fallen off and he looked pretty freaked out. Good times. I love swimming because Nolan is so peaceful and sleepy afterward. It was good to have one last wet hurrah to end the summer. Justin kept flirting with that glistening mermaid... other than that it was a great trip.