Construction Birthday Party!

Yesterday we celebrated Nolan's 4th Birthday with a Construction themed birthday party out at the cabin for family and a few friends.  Nolan's been really into "Mighty Machines" and tools lately, so he was elated to see all the different machines and decorations as part of his party.  

Nolan helped plan the menu for his party.  He picked a "Build" your own sandwich bar, mac and cheese, pigs in a blanket, lemonade, traffic light brownies and chocolate construction site cake.

Somewhere along the line, I got it in my head to make a bulldozer pinata for the party.  I found a tutorial online and it seemed easy enough. NEVER AGAIN!  It was a piddly, time consuming task to take a few cereal boxes, an oatmeal canister, and a few Powerade bottles, paper mache them, paint them, and cover it in crepe paper.  By the time I was done with it, I was more than ready to watch it get smashed.  Nolan thought it was "beautiful" and was so excited to smash it open for the candy. 

Nolan was sure a lucky boy and had many generous and fun presents to open!  His buddy, Isaac, helped him open them up and it was fun see their excitement.

It was such a nice time - relaxing and fun.  Nolan had so much fun and it was fun to have a special day to celebrate our special little boy.  Can't believe he's four already!  Happy Birthday, sweet Nolan!

Troublemaker

Lately our sweet little Livi has turned into a wild woman.  She is the master of disaster, getting into every cupboard, drawer, nook, and cranny.  She recently got herself lodged in the lazy susan and was beside herself.  I didn't know how I was going to get her out!  One of her favorite pastimes is emptying the Tupperware drawer and climbing inside of it.  She protests loudly if I tell her no and throws herself on the floor in a tantrum if I take her out. She climbs EVERYTHING, including the couch, window sills, coffee table...she even made it up to the buffet.  She purposefully smashes food into her hair or looks me right in the eye while dropping food on the floor.  She is a regular mischief maker, full of spunk and opinions!  Good thing she's soooooo stinking cute!

Halloween Storytime

It was Halloween Storytime this week, so the kids wore their costumes to the library.  So fun to see all of them dressed up!

Not-So-Scary Halloween Trail

This year, to kick of the Halloween festivities, we decided to tackle the Not-So-Scary Halloween Trail put on by the YMCA.  Nolan was Bob the Builder and Livi was all bundled up in her little purple dinosaur snowsuit.  Eric was actually home sick all day, so the kids' Great Grandma Ruby came along with us.

I could not believe the line.  There were so. many. people.  It was 45 minutes in line before we even got to the trail entrance.  Once on the trail, we still crept at a snail's pace and it was freezing!  The kids were good sports, and I was really proud of Nolan.  He stayed calm despite the amount of people and the fact that some of them were in scary costumes.  He stayed very, very close to me, but didn't panic and was able enjoy the event overall.  I'm mostly glad that the kids had another opportunity to make some precious memories with Great Grandma Ruby.  She is such a special lady and I'm grateful for her involvement in our lives.  

Pumpkins

On Sunday afternoon we decided it was time to decorate our pumpkins.  We (I) thought it might be fun to paint some instead of carve because I thought the kids would be able to participate more.  But, since Nolan was awake at 4:30 that morning, he was a crazy bundle of wild energy by the afternoon and most of the time was spent trying to keep him from knocking the paint over or from grabbing the knives.  It took us several hours from start to finish, as the paint seemed to take forever to dry, but we roasted some tasty pumpkin seeds and ended up with some nice looking pumpkins.  Halloween, here we come!

Four

Today my sweet Nolan turned four.  And for some reason, four seems sooo much older than three. I've found myself lost in thought a few different times throughout the day, remembering Nolan's dramatic entrance into the world. Here is his story:

 He was supposed to arrive on October 19, but that day came and went because, as I would learn quickly, Nolan does things on his own time. Nearly a full week later, my water finally broke in the middle of the night.  We headed to the hospital and began the labor marathon.  By the next afternoon, my contractions were still not regular enough or hard enough to make labor progress effectively.  The doctor started me on Pitocin to get things moving.  I ended up needing the maximum dose in order to get into a pattern of strong, regular contractions.  And strong, they were!  By 6pm,18 hours after my water broke the night before, I was exhausted and pleaded for an epidural.  My knight-in-shining- scrubs arrived with the giant needle that made everything better.  I labored much more comfortably for the next several hours until about 10pm, when the nurse told me it was time to start pushing. Despite my every effort, I could not get my baby to move.  Unfortunately, during my stay I had already been through 3 doctor shifts and the third doctor and I were not a good match.  He communicated very little about what was going on and after hours of pushing we still had no baby.  Eric and I were both scared.  The doctor used the vacuum twice to try to help the process, but the vacuum popped off both times, scaring us both to death.  Another nurse was called in to help, but they were short-staffed, so she ended up rolling someone else's baby into our room.  Things were very intense and out of control.  I was exhausted, terrified, and hyperventilating, so they started me on oxygen.  The doctor turned off my epidural, thinking that may help speed the process up.  I hated him for that, and the resulting anxiety made things even more intense. Finally, after 24 hours of labor, three and a half hours of  chaotic and intense pushing, we finally got to see our beautiful son, Nolan James.  We didn't know our baby's gender ahead of time, and I was so certain that I was having a girl.  I remember being shocked that it was a boy and being amazed at how big he seemed.  After we knew our sweet boy was okay, Eric went to the waiting room to announce to our parents that he was here. Nolan's middle name is after my Dad, James, who was tearful finding out his grandson would be named after him.  My Mom was speechless because she was certain he would be a girl, too...and she had brought an entire trunkload of baby girl clothes to the hospital with her!  

Nolan is such a special kid.  He is kind and tender-hearted.  He cares about others and is a great big brother to Olivia.  He is outgoing and friendly, and lights up a room with his sparkling blue eyes and big goofy grin.  He is exceedingly intelligent, knowing facts and concepts far above his age level. Nolan is a very sensitive child, both with emotions and in response to the things around him.  Loud noises, big crowds of people, or unfamiliar situations can cause him to worry.  He has big feelings - a contagious laugh and a fiery temper.  He is very close to both Mommy and Daddy and looks to us for guidance when those feelings of his get too big and out of control.  He is a very brave boy.  Nolan is an incredibly early riser - often waking for the day before 5am.  We think it's because he just can't shut that busy mind down for long!   

Nolan has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh and make others laugh.  His antics are hysterically funny and he brings so much joy to our home.  He likes predictability and routine, and sometimes it's hard for him to adapt when we deviate from that.  He can be wild and crazy, especially when he's overtired, but also loves to snuggle with Mommy or Daddy and his green baba.

Eric took Nolan out today for a special Father-Son breakfast.  Nolan filled up on French Toast and bacon and felt so special to have that time with his Daddy.  After Eric got home from work, we headed to Casa Mexicana to celebrate as a family.  We filled up on yummy Mexican food and headed home for dessert and presents.  This summer I found a United States cake pan that I knew would be perfect for my little man's birthday, since he LOVES learning about the States.  I made him some yummy brownies and we enjoyed watching him open his presents.  

Nolan, you light up our family and bring joy to everyone you meet.  We are so grateful for the blessing that you are to us.  Happy Birthday, sweetheart.