Getting ready for the 2027 NFL draft

The best part of Nolan's birthday was that our entire family was able to come and help celebrate.
Here is my side of the family...

Here is Jeff's side...

It was so fun to have everyone here. We had a great time!

Gift time!

After digging into cake, it's time to dig into presents. Nolan could hardly wait!
Here is our little football player in part of the outfit he got from Great Aunts Patsy and Donna & Great Uncle Craig.

A drum machine from Grandma Janice & Grandpa Horace. (plus extra batteries...gee thanks)

Aidyn gave Nolan this cowboy outfit to they can play dress-up together. The princess & the cowboy...

Nolan received so many nice gifts for his birthday. What a fortunate little boy. Thanks to everyone!!!

The cake

Here is Nolan's adorable puppy cake that Grandma Sharon made for him.

It not only looked delicious, it tasted delicious as well.



Dig in buddy!

Nolan's big day!

The crowds arrived on Saturday (17th) to help Nolan celebrate. Here is the birthday boy with Kimberly & Kaitlyn.

Sean, McKayla & Aidyn

Grandma Janice & Nolan getting some one-on-one time.

A lazy day...

This was the day before Nolan's birthday. Just a layed back day of cuddling while watching TV... and catching up on some reading.

A little girl, a stamper and quiet time...

This is what happens.

Storytime

This is one of my favorite things that the kids do together. I love it when Aidyn "reads" to Nolan! So sweet!

Our Super Star

Aidyn had her final night of basketball last night. She did a great job and said she wants to play again when the next session starts. Here are a few highlights.
Shooting the baseline jumper.

Here she is dribbling in for a shot.



Working on her ball handling skills.

Dribbling around the court.

This is a clip from the game they played. As you can tell, Aidyn is a power forward on the team.

Go Team Pikachu!

Here's our star with her medal for a season well played. Great job Aidyn!

My Winter Project List

Project #2: Paint our bedroom
Status: Complete
After 6 years of living in our house I've painted nearly every room with the exception of ours. I finally decided to get that done. The official color is Eastern Amber, it's kind of a nice butterscotch. Now, as you can see, I really need to find something for the walls. That should only take another 6 years.
(FYI...the large circle above the bed that you can see in this picture is from the flash on my camera. No rising sun painted above the bed, no heavenly halo above where I rest my head, just thought I'd clarify.)

I thought you NDSU alumni out there would appreciate the can cooler she is using in this picture. A new generation of Chubs customers is on the way.

Pudding anyone?

Well, I've NEVER!

We've got a serious case of the "I Never" in our house. Aidyn has taken a liking to telling us all the things she never gets to do. Things such as "I never get to pick where we go to eat." "I never get to stay up all night." "I never get to eat dessert at every meal." All of these things are said with a pouting lip and a bit of whine in her voice. I just have to laugh at some of these (others I turn a deaf ear to). Oh the struggles of being 4...

5 Weird Things

I got tagged by my friend Tammy a while ago to do a list of 5 weird things about me. I've actually kind of been avoiding it, because once I started to think about what would be "weird" about me, I realized my list is much longer than 5. By admitting some of these things, I believe I am also admitting to a slight case of OCD, but oh well, we're among friends, right? Well, here goes:

1. I kind of enjoyed childbirth. Don't get me wrong, the pain was terrible and if I hadn't had epidurals, I might be singing a different tune. But through all that, I was so excited both times to see my baby and find out if I was having a boy or a girl, I really didn't mind the process.

2. I have a real texture problem with food. I can't stomach anything slimy. Tomatoes make me gag because of the slimy seed stuff in the middle. Kiwi & cucumbers do the same. I only like baby pickles because the big pickles are too mushy in the middle.

3. I count letters in words and see what the word is divisible by. Example word: "Group" I do this in my head: gr, ou, pg, ro, up. Then I do this: gro, upg, rou, pgr, oup. I have to keep doing it until I get the letters to come out even. 6 letter words are my favorite because they divide nicely. See what I mean about OCD?

4. I do something similar with numbers. When I see a number, I use each of the numbers to see how high I can count by using them. Example number: 125 Here's what goes on in my head: 1, 2, 5-2=3, 5-1=4, 5, 5+1=6, 5+2=7, 1+2+5=8, (5x2=10)10-1=9, 2x5=10, (2x5=10)10+1=11

5. I hate messy condiment bottles. You know when you open the cover to the ketchup and there is that dried ketchup "skin"on top. I hate that. Ketchup, mustard, dressing, any of those things need to be free and clear of goop.

So there you go, those are about as weird as they get. I am now tagging Allison to share her weirdness with the world.

My Winter Project List

Project #1: Insulate crawl space under dining room.
Status: Complete
It took me less than 2 hours. I did it today during nap time/quiet time. It was actually pretty easy, except for all those dumb vents & pipes in my way. Fancy-schmancy suburban dwellers with their heated homes and running water. Aurghhh!