Nolan TURNED Two!

Well - in an effort to document my third child's life...I have failed. I'm a terrible blogger lately. A million excuses...work, crazy schedules, lack of sleep, etc. Regardless - I owe Nolan a birthday post.

Somehow my BABY turned TWO on August 20. He's such a little man. We celebrated in Warsaw with my parents, grandparents, Joe, Gina, and the cousins.

Uncle Jon and Cassie called in via FaceTime to sing HAPPY BIRTHDAY (or Happy You You) to Nolan. I think that might have been the highlight of his day. The singing.

While we were in Indiana - we had a chance to visit a few of my great-aunts. Aunt Kate (top left) is 101 and Aunt Mary (top right) is going to be 100 next month. Of course, Gigi and Grandpa Gigi came over to celebrate their youngest great grandchild. Nolan felt preeeettttty special.

Some info on the two year old:
Nolan weighs 30lb and is 33in tall. So basically he's a future running back. He is a snacker. Meals? No thanks...he'll just snack all day. Nolan is a talker! He has a lot to say and he will talk non-stop. Unfortunately, there are only a select few of us who speak his language. He's SO friendly and outgoing. He can make someone's day at Target or the grocery store...with his happy wave and "hello!" I literally see people brighten up in his presence.  His favorite people are Jack, Josie, and both of his "papas." Nolan is funny and also very opinionated. We are so thankful he's part of our family.

Clevenger Family Lake Time

A couple weeks ago we were able to have my family at the lake for some family fun.  Nolan was in heaven because his Papa Jerry was there. My dad and Tyson's dad are celebrity status in Nolan's world.

Uncle Jon and Cassie were visiting from Naples! They volunteered to go tubing with Jack and he had a BLAST!

My grandparents also came over for the day.  My grandpa had a total hip replacement in June and is doing awesome! It was fun having them there with us. Joe, Gina, and their kiddos were there too...which would be why I have zero pictures of Josie on here. Her cousins are her BFFs and there wasn't one picture I took all day that didn't have Millie or Emma in it with her. She's a lucky girl.

Thankful for time together and a fun place to spend a weekend!

ALSO - this is my 2,000 published blog post. Which is crazy. I haven't been the best blogger lately...but I definitely want this running timeline for the kids - so I will be better.

Memorial Day

We spent Memorial Day at the lake and it was AMAZING. Everything. We got to spend the whole weekend with family and friends...which is pretty much the best case scenario. There were a couple games of chess...

Lots of swimming in the {just a tad cool} lake. Both Jack & Josie will pretty much be fish this summer.

We took plenty of boat rides. Nolan decided he likes the boat.

 ...and taking baths in the sink.

 ...and reading the newspaper with Papa Denny.

 We got to hang out and play with the Dixon/Wright clan. Jack is the oldest at 6...Maddie is two weeks older than Josie (peas in a pod) and Will is two weeks older than Nolan. This is a crazy crew.

 Grandma Shirlee and Grandpa Jerry stopped by Sunday for a boat ride, lunch, and the Indy 500.

 Oh - and there was plenty of desserts. Cake & ice cream. Jack was in heaven. Looking forward to MANY more weekends at the lake!

Grandma Nancy Visits

Nancy's Spring Break was the week after ours - so she came up to spend a few days with us! It was great having her here! We eased back into our routine! She spent lots of time with the kids and they were all happy because ICE CREAM was included! Always fun to have her around! Come back soon!

Florida Part 3

On Easter Sunday we enjoyed breakfast out with Jon and Cassie. Then we headed off to Sebring to spend some time there with my parents and grandparents.

Grandpa Jerry got a new golf cart! Jack, Josie, and Nolan took plenty of rides! We saw a mama owl & her babies, some monkey squirrels, and a GATOR!

That night we went out for dinner to celebrate my grandpa's 88th birthday! Chocolate cake for everyone (which made Josie, my chocolate queen, VERY happy).

Before we left - we took a dip in the Sun'n'Lakes Community pool. That was pool #1 of 3 my kids swam in THAT day. See - I wasn't kidding when I said they were in water 80% of their visit to Florida.

After a full 7 days in the Sunshine State - we were ready (or at least our plane tickets said so) to head back to Michigan. Not a day has gone by - that my kids haven't said "I miss Florida" since we've been back. We are ALL so sick of the Michigan cold. I believe Uncle Jon is still recovering from our visit.

Florida Part 1

We spent our Spring Break in Naple, FL - visiting Uncle Jon, Cassie, Grandma Shirlee, Grandpa Jerry, and my grandparents (Grandma & Grandpa Gigi). We made a decision to fly this time - since Nolan would go crazy in the car for 20+ hours. The flights were a bit stressful - but a 2.5hr non-stop flight was definitely the way to go.

Once we arrived at Uncle Jon's we were SO excited to be in his pool! The kids were in water 80% of their visit. Uncle Jon's back patio has a pool, hot tub, and plenty of room for family dinners.

Nolan dipped his tiny feet into the ocean for the very first time and LOVED it. He was a little hesitant at first...but ended up loving the sand and the waves.

Jack and Josie had SO much fun digging in the sand and Jack had a great time playing in the water. He tried boogie boarding for the first time and did well! My Michigan kids are Beach Bums after all...

And...Nolan put in some time consulting for both Clevenger Insurance and Arthrex (Uncle Jon's company). His opinions were highly valuable. All he does is work, work, work, work, work...

(More to come from our trip)

Merry Christmas and HAPPY New Year!

Annual Christmas Morning stair pic

We ha da whirlwind Christmas break! We left Friday before Christmas to go to Warsaw for Christmas with my family. Jon and Cassie were here from Florida...and it got super cold to welcome them back. Gina was smart and scheduled some babysitters so we could have a really fun adult dinner on Saturday night. That was genius and will be happening again. Don't get me wrong - we all love our kids - but some adult conversation was a great way to spend time with my family.

After that we headed to Fort Wayne for Becker family Christmas. Always nice seeing everyone and watching the kids play together. Unfortunately, while we were there Nolan spiked a fever and was out of commission for a couple days. Then, just as we thought everyone was on the mend - Jack puked. I mean, what are the holidays if you don't have a puker??!?!

We returned to Northville in time for a visit from SANTA and everyone was healthy again.

 The kids were pumped with their new gifts! Nolan got a car that he has been obsessed with. Jack got a Powerwing scooter and Josie got a new PINK bike - as their big gifts.

 The aftermath of the morning.

 Christmas afternoon Nancy & Denny came up and the kids showed them all of their new toys! Then Saturday morning we headed to the mall for some craziness.

And Jack - in an effort to convince Grandma to buy a new couch for the lake - pretended to nap at Restoration Hardware.

That night - I took a page from the "book of Gina" - and hired a babysitter so we could have a fun night out with Denny and Nancy. We were all drowning our IU bowl loss sorrows...but the food was delicious and the drinks were strong.

More to come...

Happy Birthday, Grandma Nancy!

Happy birthday today - to Grandma Nancy! We hope you have a GREAT day...after work is over.

XOXOXO

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.

Warsaw visits Northville

 Last weekend my parents came to visit from Warsaw. Grandpa Jerry brought Jack's golf clubs up and that meant they HAD to take a trip to the driving range.

Josie got a left handed iron and she was ready to practice, too. She takes after her Grandpa Jerry & Uncle Jon. We're 85% sure she's a lefty.

I won't lie - I was pretty impressed with Jack's hits. For rarely playing - he can smack the ball.

Friday night we went to Jack's last baseball game. The mosquitos ate us for dinner - but we had fun watching.

 And Jack got a trophy at the end - so he was pretty pumped.

Nolan spent some time with his buddy Roomba. Roomba was my mother's day gift and Tyson's father's day gift to each other. Can I just say - I FREAKING LOVE Roomba. More on her later...

Josie and Grandma made some art together, as Tyson and I got things around for our camping trip up North.

Always good to spend time with the grandparents. Hope they find their way back before they head south. ;)