Hippie Voodoo Magic

Nolan has been miserable since his teeth have been cutting through so I was willing to try just about anything to help give him some relief. I am not a huge fan of jumping right to medicine so I was really interested in some homeopathic methods. My boys seem to be following in the same footsteps which means Nolan will be teething hard and for many months to come, just like his big brother. After many suggestions (and some online research) we decided to go with an amber teething necklace. My friend Lauren had one she did not need anymore and loaned to us to try. The first night Nolan wore it he slept for six hours. This was a huge first in his short five months (he typically wakes up every 3hrs) so I was a believer that it was doing something!! We have had it on him almost 24/7 since then and although I’m not sure it is as magical as I thought the first night, I will continue to trust the hippie voodoo necklace. When I did take it off for a few hours one day, Nolan’s cheeks got really red and hot and he was very fussy. Enough for me to put it back on and hope he is really finding relief through this painful process!

A Happy Hippie Baby!

Tiny Turtle

A few days ago Carter and I were checking the mail when we found this tiny turtle in the driveway. I have never seen a turtle with such a long tail and also one that was so far away from the creek (we have a creek running through the woods behind our house)! How did it end up in our driveway? No idea. We carried him to a safe place and hopefully the little guy managed to crawl back to wherever it is he came from without getting hurt! Carter was so excited to get to pet his shell but didn’t really want to get too much closer. He was happy to have his picture taken and then head back inside to play.

Be free little guy!

Nolan- Five Months Old

Poor miserable, teething bubs :( was not happy about his five month photo shoot

• Little man is rolling around like a tiny maniac. Finally reached the point where I cannot leave him unattended. This was also the first month I needed help taking his monthly picture and Lincoln is standing off to the side ready to catch Nolan if he chose to fling himself off the changing table. Thankfully that hasn’t happened…knock on wood!
• Oh my, he is drooling like a fool- his two bottom teeth arrived at 4 months, 3 weeks, and 2 days! That would be one day after Carter’s two teeth came in! So crazy how similar they are.
• Nolie smiles, giggles, and coos to almost everyone (as long as mommy is in sight!!). Our once cranky boy is typically a happy camper these days and loves to flirt! He is still a mama’s boy though and prefers me over anyone else. Makes for some seriously tired arms at the end of the day!
• Nolan is still a troubled sleeper but has gone from waking 6-7 times a night to just 2 most nights. We are in survival mode this month though since I am purely exhausted and Lincoln has been sleeping on the couch with the monitor so I can actually get some rest. He brings Nolan to me every four hours to feed. I am such a light sleeper that I was waking up any time Nolan made even a peep and then it was taking me forever to fall back to sleep. I am finally recovering from months of sleep deprivation and feel like I am a much nicer wife and mommy these days ;)
• Based on stepping on the scale together I’d say Nolan is about 20lbs this month. Right on track with his big brother! I’ll be curious to see when he has his sixth month appointment if they continue to track the same. One thing is for sure, this kid has a huge head!!

Two little teefers popped through on April 3, 2013

April 11, 2013

Happy Five Months sweet Nolie Polie! We love you!

Puddle Jumpin’

After our fun morning of planting seeds and having brunch at Scottsdale Farm, we still had some time to kill before naps and decided to explore the greenhouses. It was such a yucky, rainy, cold day but Spencer and Carter loved stomping around the farm and seeing all the beautiful plants. When we came across a giant puddle at the entrance to one of the greenhouses, it was hard to stop them from splashing and making a mess. Well, if you can’t beat em, let them puddle jump!! The boys were already soaked so what harm could a little more water do? They were thrilled to be allowed to jump and splash and after they were thoroughly soaked we headed home for a nice warm bath! Carter had to ride home without clothes because I don’t carry a spare for him anymore but I don’t think he minded!

 

My frozen little duckling was ready to go home!

Scottsdale Farm

The Baby Brigade loves to go on adventures and thankfully with so many creative mommies in the group someone is always coming up with something great to keep us busy! Kasey arranged for some of us to take a field trip to a local garden center that does parent/child classes and has an amazing café to eat brunch. We met up on a very rainy day but since the activity was mostly indoors the weather couldn’t deter us from having fun! The kiddos decorated little pots and then braved the elements to go to the greenhouse to plant carrots, lettuce, and radishes inside! Carter had fun sticking as many stickers to the pots as would fit and I helped him with the puffy paint to write his name (and one for Nolan) on them. Afterward, Shari and Spencer joined us for an amazing brunch and we toured the rest of the greenhouses before heading home for naps. The farm does activities twice a month and we are already signed up for a few more before summer vacation hits. I am looking forward to going again (hopefully the weather cooperates) so we can tour the fields and all the animals they have!

Out to Brunch with My Little Men- April 4, 2013

Easter Boys

We didn’t get any pictures of the boys dressed in their Easter duds. In fact, they never even wore their cute outfits so I returned them to the store haha The day before the weather was so nice that we spent a good portion of the day outside. I attempted a mini photo shoot of Nolan while he was in a good mood and he hammed it up for the camera for a little while. Unfortunately, it didn’t last and as soon as we tried to take one or two pics with Carter he melted down. Someday I will get a picture of the two of them without tears, but until then the outtakes are still pretty adorable!

This is what happens 99% of the time we try to take pictures of the boys together.

Universal Studios- Islands of Adventure

Originally we had plans to go to Sea World while we were in Orlando but when Nathan, Ryan, and Dad weren’t feeling well we changed gears and got tickets to Islands of Adventure in Universal Studios. Linc was dying to check out Harry Potter World and we thought Carter would enjoy Seuss Land! There was also a Marvel Comics area and Carter’s little mind was blown when he got to meet Spider Man! We were on our feet for over eight hours and both boys were absolutely amazing. Carter managed to stay awake (and very pleasant) until the last ride and then he passed out in his stroller for the ride back to the car. Nolan was pretty content in the Ergo all day long and only got fussy at the very end. The theme parks do parent swap at every ride- so basically everyone waits in line and then while one parent stays with the kids the other rides the attraction. This worked in our favor for Harry Potter because after waiting in line for 75 minutes we got to ride it three times without having to get back in the queue. We definitely made sure to get our monies worth!! Thankfully none of the park employees seemed to notice (or maybe they don’t care) and I’m glad we could end the day on everyone’s favorite ride!

By far Carter’s favorite point in the day! Autographs and high fives from his favorite character!

Easter in Orlando

Nolan’s First Flight

Easter was a bit of a low key affair this year because Nathan, Ryan, and Dad were sick with a stomach bug. We still got dressed up for church (Linc and the littles stayed home so I could enjoy the service) and even though the day wasn’t exactly how we imagined, we were still celebrating the risen Lord and reminded that He is the reason for this day. I am thankful that my mom was well enough to travel so we could spend this time together and that Linc could take time off from work so we could go as a family.

Egg Hunting

We traveled down to Orlando for Easter this year and the Morgans were such gracious hosts to put us all up for a very long weekend! One of the days we were there we attended an egg hunt at their church. It was a gorgeous day and the boys had fun collecting as many eggs as they could. After the hunt we played on the playground for a long time before heading to Park Ave for a delicious lunch. Carter was so well behaved and I’m glad the little boys were able to celebrate Easter together again this year!

Our Little Family at the Egg Hunt

C knew exactly what to do this year!

The jelly bean filled eggs were Carter’s favorites!

My tiny little cow poke rode all three horses at the Easter celebration!

Attempting some family pics at the end of the morning…no one was feeling it!

The Whole Gang- FUMCWP Egg Hunt 2013

My pretty sisters!

More March Happenings

March Happenings

Carter dressed me up as a knight…

Celebrating Baby Camp’s Baptism