Little Roadsters

These are the cars the kids got for Christmas. They absolutely love them. Our house has become one big race track, and then turns into a parking lot at night! Nolan gets right in on the action. It's pretty much a win-win situation... Nolan loves to push things around the house, and the kids love to go around in their cars without having to actually do the work.

Look Who's Walking!

It started kinda like this...

Nolan loves to be walked all over the house.  Kaitlyn is such a sweet big sister-  she will walk (and sometimes drag) Nolan around for long periods of time.  It was a bit nerve wracking at first, because she would go so fast, it seemed he wouldn't be able to keep up.  He's gotten to where he sees her, and will pull himself up to her so she will walk him.  It's very sweet!

Well, last night, while I was at work, I called to say 'good-night' to the kids, and was informed that Nolan had decided to start walking!  Daddy quickly grabbed the camera and got a couple of video clips of him toddling around.  When he got up this morning, he walked a little, but preferred to crawl. When I got up this evening he was walking all over.  He likes to walk from one point to another, then stop to giggle and celebrate himself.  It's so stinkin' cute!!

New bear

Nolan's new bear.  He's pretty intrigued with the moving mouth. So funny!

Moving furniture

Nolan's moving the furniture again!  I guess I'll know who to call on when I decided to rearrange the living room.  Such a busy little guy!

More birthday fun!

Before Thanksgiving, we got together at my parents' house to celebrate the November birthdays- Melanie's, Kaitlyn's, and mine.

Kaitlyn got a Dalmatian purse that she absolutely loves...

... and more Hello Kitty stuff!
She tries to stuff everything in her new little backpack!

Of course, there were lots of cameras involved, and some fun pictures taken. 
Like this one.....

Nolan's first cucumber.  Once he got past the texture, he really liked it!

The kids building with the mega blocks. Nolan loves to get right in and play with the big kids now.

Grandpa reading just one more book before we head home

Happy Birthday to my little sis, Melanie!  It's always fun celebrating our birthdays together!

Watch out! He's got wheels!

So, Nolan decided to pull himself up to the walking toy and take off across the floor yesterday.  So crazy, since he just decided about a week and a half ago, that he would start crawling on his hands and knees- instead of doing the army crawl across the floor.  He doesn't know how to turn or guide the walker, so he gets irritated when he gets to the end of the room and runs into something.

Look Who's ONE!!

Nolan turned a year old on Monday, the 17th, and we had a big family party for him that night.  This past year has flown by, and it just doesn't seem like he could possibly be a year already.

Grandma Bauer made the cake.  I told her I would love to have something with monkeys, and told her the colors. It was perfect!  So adorable!

He has very quick hands, and swiped at the cake before anyone could catch him....

and he LOVED it!!

Here's just a short clip of him with his cake.

The end result.... a very messy boy that got tossed in the tub!

The boys had fun playing basketball in the hallway.

He got some great gifts.... toys, clothes, and books!!

Granny and Austin

Papa helping the kids discover how the new toys work.

Nolan and Mommy.  Sure do love this little booger!

(Daddy hid out behind the camera a good portion of the night.  He has a way of consistently avoiding pictures!)

Nolan really enjoyed the balloons!

Happy Birthday, Little Nolan-bug!  We love you so much!!

Little Songbirds

The kids were playing in the pool and decided to serenade me, so I got a couple of video clips. Usually, when I get out the camera, they just get goofy, so I don't get any good videos. This day, they cooperated so well. Kaitlyn loves to sing, but gets shy and wont sing on demand or when I have the camera out. I'm hoping I can sneak a video some time.... she has such an adorable voice.

Messy eater

Here are some video clips of Nolan eating. Let's just say it's not his favorite past time. He's quiet a messy eater... especially since he's figured out how to blow with food in his mouth. We both end up wearing it a good portion of the time! He is so ticklish on his hands, that he starts giggling whenever you wash him up. What a riot!

Rockin' Out!

It's so funny to sit and watch Nolan in his ExerSaucer. He gets pretty wild! What a crazy kid!

Makin' treats

The kids and I made Rice Krispy treats a couple of nights ago. They had a lot of fun putting the marshmallows in the pan then watching them melt. Sissy was so proud of herself. She kept saying, "I'm helpin'. Mama, I'm helpin'!". I love that they are starting to show an interest in what's going on in the kitchen. I'm looking forward to many great times ahead as we make goodies together! (And I can't wait until they learn about 'clean up' time!)

Tub time

Nolan got his first tub bath today. He did so good... he loved the warm water. He has loved getting his hair washed since day one. He completely relaxes and settles back to enjoy it. His least favorite part (and he lets everyone know it), is getting out and being briefly exposed to the cold air. Once he's dried and dressed, he is happy as can be!

Getting loves and snuggles from Mommy.
Love that clean baby smell!

Talon's bike

I had to post a clip of Talon on his bike, too. As you can see by the past couple of posts, they are a pretty hot item at our house right now. It seems we are always tripping over something. If it's not a dog or a ball, it's some object with wheels! I'm telling you... I really do think we could start our own car lot of kids' riding toys!

Talon is so proud of himself when he gets on his 'big boy bike'. He still has a difficult time riding it, but he sure gives it his best shot! When he can't figure something out, or get something to work right away, his first reaction is that it must be "boken" (broken). It is then Daddy and Mommy's job to problem solve. He's so funny. I just love this kid!

Big girl on the trike

Kaitlyn has recently decided she no longer wants to ride on the little toys that are her size, and is determined to ride Bubby's trike. Both of her feet don't quite touch the floor, but that isn't gonna stop her!

Easily amused

It never ceases to amaze me how easily amused kids can be by the simplest things. I was changing the sheets on the beds last night, and the kids started playing in the blankets. They played together for over 45 minutes, and had a blast. I had to catch some of it on video. Talon gets a little rough with Sissy at times, and has to be reminded to be careful with her, but they play so well together.

Trottin' all over

Kaitlyn walks all over now. She loves to carry things around (usually items that are almost as big as she is!). One of her favorite toys is her stuffed purple puppy that plays music and has interactive games. She hauls that thing all over the house. It's so cute!
Talon is convinced that since Sissy is walking, she can play football now, and is constantly trying to get her to tackle him and run after the ball. They keep us quite entertained, those two!

Goin' for a ride

After Kaitlyn couldn't figure out how to get into the bin with her brother, she decided to push him around in it. It was really funny. Now it's a game they play... usually with the laundry basket.

Starting to walk

Kaitlyn's been ready to walk for a while now, but has been rather lazy about it. She'll take a few steps here and there when she wants too, but finds it's faster to crawl. This day, I guess she was in the mood, because she pretty much walked all over the house. What a big girl!!
(Pardon the mess in the living room... this was the disaster left over after we opened gifts on New Years Eve!)

Big girl on the move!

Kaitlyn officially started crawling on Thursday night. There was a toy of Talon's she wanted to play with so she took off after it. I can't believe how fast she's growing! It's so cute to watch her chase Bubby around.

Random pictures of the kids

These are just a few random pictures I've taken of the kids recently.

Mmmm... popcorn and milk!
happy girl!
fun at the park

story time

some serious bed hair!
This is still Kaitlyn's preferred method of getting around. She's pretty fast, and she seems so nonchalant about it. Crazy girl!