Party for Nolan

It was a very nautical 1st birthday for Nolan on Saturday! He had a lots of family and friends celebrating with him! So thankful for family willing to drive up to spend time with us! It was pure craziness...but that's all Nolan knows - so he was happy.

 And don't even get us started on how much he loved his cake.  An outfit change was required.

The party was also the official end of summer with our nanny, Mia. She got to celebrate with us and the Solenskys (her first nanny family, that I may have {with permission} stolen her from). We were sad to say "goodbye" - but know she will have an amazing freshman year at MSU!

What in the...

I was cleaning up the kitchen the other morning and Jack & Josie were playing together. When I actually stopped to pay attention to what they were doing...I saw this:

Clearly there is a lot going on here. Surprisingly (esp for anyone who has been around Josie in recent months...ahem, motor mouth)...there wasn't much talking going on. I will say, they play decently well together and they have pretty intense imaginations.

And while they were doing this...Nolan was watching and plotting from his high chair. "Which toy should I steal from them FIRST?!?"

Spoiler Alert: He went for the dog.

Nolan...After Cake & Spaghetti

Yesterday was a GOOD day in the world of Nolan. He ate spaghetti for dinner and got a birthday cupcake for dessert! Did his mom bother to clean him up between dinner & dessert? Clearly not.

Tucker was creeping in on the leftovers. Unfortunately for him, this is NOLAN we are talking about. There were NO leftovers.

I finally managed to snap a picture that is 100% on point when it comes to my children. If anyone was ever like, "Hmmm, I wonder what Kady & Tyson's kids are REALLY like..." Just look at that picture. It holds all the answers.

Baby Jakobsen doing some skin-to-skin with his Daddy

And finally - a little story. Everyone knows Molly - Jack's original girlfriend from our days in Royal Oak... Well, Molly & her family moved to Denmark last fall and shortly after they settled in -  we found out they were expecting Baby #3. Well - Molly and her little sister Louise welcomed a baby BROTHER on Nolan's birthday and all my wishes came true. Poor Brooke was seriously over-due and I was secretly (or not so secretly) hoping the baby would come on the 20th. And then she sent me a text that she had been admitted to the hospital...and I immediately went shopping (true story). I am SO incredibly excited for the Jakobsens! We will meet this (unnamed) baby boy...someday...hopefully soon. XOXO

Happy Birthday, Nolan!

Dear Nolan,

You are ONE today. And I'm probably crying about it somewhere. One year ago we met in a tub of warm water. There were no tears, we made eye contact and I knew you were a special boy. I have been savoring every stage of your infancy. But today you become a toddler. A switch will flip and right before my eyes - you'll start growing up faster and faster. Moms really need a pause button. 

Let me tell you a little about yourself as a one year old.

You are quite the ladies' man. You give high fives, hugs, and kisses...you even BLOW kisses to people (especially cute teenage girls).

When we are at a store or the library - you work hard to make eye contact with people and then give them a shy smile when they acknowledge you. You are FULL of personality.

In our house - you're still a favorite of your brother & sister...as long as you aren't trying to steal one of their toys.

You have dog bowl radar and will beeline to the dog water as soon as I put it down - so you can splash in it.

You are a master "bear crawler" and have started standing up without assistance. I can see that we are a few weeks away from walking...so excuse me if I push you down. We aren't ready for that.

You love hanging out in the pantry, because you know the food is in there. You love food. You get really HANGRY (anger brought on by hunger) when I take too long getting your dinner or snack.

It only took you 11 months to sleep through the night. I love you, but I was not sad to reach that milestone. Middle of the night visits were wearing me out, kid.

Your dad tells me you are our LAST baby. Our hearts are full and you have completed our family. Your first year felt like it flew by faster than Jack or Josie's did. Tomorrow you will wake up and move into toddlerhood...and time will keep flying. I'll hang on. I don't want to miss anything. With your big brown eyes and auburn hair - you'll always be my baby boy (even when you're grown).

Happy first birthday. You are loved. Always.

XOXO, Mom

It's coming...

He's about to turn one. Cue the tears. Excuse me while I take a quick trip down memory lane...

Ladies Who Lunch

While Jack was at camp - I decided to spend a morning with my Josie. We used to get LOTS of one-on-one time - but then Nolan came along... So last week Josie and I got dressed up and went downtown Northville for a play and lunch.

Our cute local theater is doing a production of Little Red Riding Hood. Josie LOVED it. She was SO into it...so much so that she yelled out at the Big Bad Wolf - not once, but TWICE...DURING the show. Eeeek. It was really funny. And luckily - we were far from Broadway. But she was SO into the play, she couldn't contain her excitement. 

After the play - we grabbed some lunch at a fun local diner and, of course, ice cream - because it was Josie's special day. 

Camp Kid

Jack spent the first full week of August in a day camp called Camp Mirage. He had a great week. He came home every day excited, filthy, and hungry. We'll be sending him back next summer for sure!

Down on the Farm

Two weekends ago I put on my big girl pants and loaded three kids in the car for - what I thought would be a 5.5/6hr trip to Madison, Indiana - to see my mom's family. It was actually more of a 7.5hr trip. Or in other words A LONG A$$ TRIP. But - it was worth it! We arrived at my aunt & uncle's farm on Friday evening. My mom was already there, so we al settled in for a fun weekend.

Saturday we had a Colbert family (my grandma's side) reunion at Clifty Falls. Then I drove the kids around Hanover College - because, as Grandpa Jerry will tell you - it's NEVER too early for a visit to Hanover. I will give Hanover credit - gorgeous views of the Ohio River.

We also spend some time celebrating my Grandpa's 87th birthday! I'm so thankful that 3/4 of my grandparents are alive and healthy. My kids will have memories with them and that means SO much to me.

The farm is a VERY fun place for a 5 year old and a 3 year old! See Jack up in that tractor? He got to ride along with Uncle Larry to bale hay. Highlight of his summer!

Josie put on her boots and went to the chicken coop with Aunt Debbie to collect eggs. Surprisingly - she didn't break any!

Even farm girls can strike a pose.

Grandma Shirlee was there to lend a hand. Traveling with 3 kids is crazy. I'm a little crazy.

But - as I said - it was absolutely worth it to see so many people we miss and love.

And on Sunday - I loaded my crew back into the car and drove home. Fortunately it was only 6.5 hours back. Looking forward to our next visit to the farm. But in the meantime - I need to consider getting my pilot's license.

Busy Summer, Bad Blogger

I have been reminded that I'm slacking on the blog. I realize this. The third child has put me over the threshold for "stuff to do" and blogging has taken a backseat. I'm also planning a FIRST birthday party for a little boy...and I'm periodically crying along the way.

 Finishing up his lunch. PBJ's are popular around here these days.

 Nolan is obsessed with Woody. He pulls his string and loves hearing Woody talk to him.

 See - that's the face of a Woody-Loving-Baby

 Oh - and then there's THIS.

She brings the sass 100% of the time. I do love how she goes from wearing this get-up to kicking a soccer ball...

Who's this cool cat? It's NOLAN. The almost-one-year-old!

Light saber toting pirate. 

I'm behind on some posts about what we've been up to this summer. I swear - they will be posted. :)

Lake George

If you are wondering..."why haven't there been lake pictures on the blog this summer?" You answer is above. The lake house is under construction...and while construction may not be moving as quickly as anyone would like - it is going to be AMAZING next summer (and every summer after). 

We were all missing the lake, so Nancy & Denny rented a cottage right down from theirs and the Idaho Beckers flew in for a fun long weekend.

We did family pictures and we FINALLY have a picture that includes all of the Beckers (Nolan & Agnes, too!) New cottage decor...check.

Our family got a few good pictures too...so, if I get lazy busy...and you see this picture appear in your mailbox in December, well...

The Becker men cooked lots of meats for us on the smoker. Everything was delicious. I might buy Tyson a smoker just so he can "smoke" more and I can "cook" less.

 fishing poles.

 hello.

 One foot in Michigan, one foot in Indiana.

Tom's Donuts & Agnes. Agnes didn't eat any of them. But Nolan might have....

master crawler.

baby pool with Kallie

 boat ride with Kinley & Hadley (not shown)

swim suit model.

It was a SUPER fun long weekend - with LOTS of Becker family fun crammed in. We have missed the lake and the Idaho Beckers so much. Glad we could enjoy both at the same time.