Howdy!

We spent the weekend in College Station Texas celebrating my brother's graduation from Texas A&M University! He received his doctorate in Political Science! It was so fun to see his life there, to visit his office next to the Bush Presidential Library, to take a tour of the campus & learn all of it's traditions, and to spend great family time!! 

The weather was HOT the first few days but a storm blew in and cooled things down a bit for Saturday afternoon through Sunday! Mark was very happy to see some clouds so that he wasn't dripping in sweat constantly. The air conditioning was never cool enough and he always seemed to have too many clothes on! I told him to quit complaining because he wasn't the one having to wear a suit, robe, and velvet collar in 90 degree weather! 

We are so proud of my brother and his hard work! He'll be teaching two classes at A&M this June and then will be off to teach at the University of Oklahoma in August. Somewhere in between we are hoping for a visit from him here in Colorado! Nolan loves Uncle T.'s funny faces and silly voices! 

Here are a bunch of my favorite pics from the weekend! I would have loved to make a video from all of our adventures, but school is closing in on me, my To-Do list is way too long, and Mark worked tonight! So posting a few pics is much quicker and does the trick! 

Gig 'em! Whoop! 

Dr. Tyler Charles Johnson 

Nolan loves other people's hats...so Tyler's "Martin Luther" hat was a hit! 

Playing in the hotel pool. 

Nolan in his surfer dude swim gear. 

In front of the "12th Man" statue at Kyle Field. 

At my brother's office building- the statue has pieces from the Berlin Wall- pretty neat! 

Dinner at the Dixie Chicken- a very cool restaurant/bar with good grub, pool tables, and dominos at your table. 

Cuddling with Uncle T. at his apartment

My blue eyed boy lookin' studly! 

Saying goodbye to Texas! 

Belated MOMS Day!

I love being a mom! Especially when I get great hugs from this big boy! This was a picture after a long and busy day at Oma's on Mother's Day. Nolan has been super cuddly and sweet lately... and I'm lovin' it up! 

zerberts

Philly Phun!

This is a little late, but better late then never! Two weekends ago Mark and I had a quick weekend away for our dear friend Patrick's wedding in Philadelphia! Mark and Ernie took off on Wednesday for a few days of boy craziness. Kim and I joined them later on Friday- well actually as it turned out- Saturday! Kim and I happened to be flying out in the middle of another Denver, April snow storm. While on the plane waiting to take off, DIA was shut down!!! So we got off the plane, made our way to McDonald's, had some nuggets, and a few moments later were frantically boarding the plane again for a red-eye to Pennsylvania! We made it in at 2:30 in the morning! The rest of our time was filled with reconnecting, laughing, dancing, eating, and racing around in the BEAUTIFUL Philly weather! We had a blast, but were very happy to walk through the door of our house late Sunday night to the giggles and smiles of our chubby cheeked little man! Check out the pics below to see some of our adventures!! 

The view out the window as we waited to re-board the plane. 

Jeff, Mark, Jason, and Ernie- college roommates up to their usual! 

Mark and I with Kim and Ernie- the flowers and blooming trees were gorgeous! 

I love this shot! 

It was an amazing day! Perfect weather for a wedding and appetizers on the veranda! 

Of course we had to make time for a famous Philly Cheese Steak! 

Pat's long time friend, Tim, and his family own this sweet restaurant- Pinocchio's. We hit it up for one last taste of Philadelphia! 

Congratulations Pat and Kristen! We love you! And thank you E & K for being the best traveling companions!!

Short and Sweet

Life is crazy, but oh so good! Work, lovin' on Nolan, P90X, and an upcoming trip to Philly. No time to blog, so here are a few pics from Easter Weekend! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! 

Nolan L-O-V-E-D his Easter Basket! My mom made it for him last year and it matches the ones she made for each of us kids way back when! It was F-U-L-L of fun stuff, but he enjoyed the jelly beans most of all! 

Searching for Elmo eggs at Oma Bosch's house! Rockin' his new plaid shoes! 

Wes, Cara, Tim, Gwen, Mark, and I pose for a rare photo all together! (Wow, I am really short!)

Oma and Sue call colors for the adult Egg Hunt from inside the house to stay warm and dry! The bunny ears ended up being a hit for Nolan, he would actually wear them and make the cutest little bunny nose when he saw them or any bunny! 

 

A great family picture! Nolan wouldn't let go of those eggs! 

Skyping with Grandma and Grandpa...he got 'Wonder Pet' toys from his S-wood fam as an Easter gift! 

Go Cubs Go, Go Cubs Go, Hey Chicago, What do you say?, the Cubs are gonna win today! Cubs home opener against the Rockies!!!! Guess who won? The CUBBIES! 

***Oh, and an exciting side note...Nolan is starting to walk along the couch and is taking steps to move a push toy across the room. Still slow and steady and HARD work for him. But it has been so fun to see progress each week! Keep praying, God is good! 

Play Ball!

Mark was pumped this morning to be able to wake up, dress his son in his Rockies best, and show him off to anyone who was willing to look! Today was the home opener for the Colorado Rockies. Mark would have loved to have been there, but instead he watched a few innings from his cube at work. He left work early and came home to watch the DVR recorded game with Nolan. Not quite Coors Field, but probably a close second. Nolan loves watching baseball, says "ball" repeatedly, and points to every player wearing a hat and then taps his own head. Too bad I couldn't get him to wear his new Rockies cap today- not even long enough to get a good picture of him. But we did get a great one of Father and Son rooting on their team! Check out the picture below...pretty darn cute, if I say so myself! 

hoppin' down the bunny trail

So this morning we thought we were going for a routine grocery shopping trip to the local Walmart. Much to our surprise over the intercom came this announcement- "Hop on over to the garden center to visit the Easter Bunny and get a FREE photo taken with him." Way to go Walmart...you made this mom's day! I don't think I've visited the Easter Bunny since my high school boy friend was one at the Charlestown Mall! (Funny I know!) Needless to say, we quickly made our way over to see the big white bunny. As you may remember, Nolan did not seem to like the man in the big white beard just 3 short months ago. This character outing went much better! As soon as he saw the bunny he started waving. (Despite his creepy eyes.) He liked him best when Daddy sat with him. At one point he got a little scared, but all was well again when he was given Skittles from the Easter basket! 

Now had I known we would be visiting the Easter bunny I would have planned Nolan's outfit accordingly, something springy or pastel. So that's why you see him wearing a camo vest- it was snowy and cold here today, not a sign of Spring like you see in the "awesome" photo background! And had we gone to see the Easter Bunny at the mall, I'm sure the rabbit would have been more fashionable as well! Don't you find the primary color vest and bow tie a bit much? But you can't pass up a FREE opportunity like this! They gave us 5 different pictures- all 5x7's. Even with wardrobe issues on both ends, I love the cheesy pictures! Just a fun tradition to help welcome in Spring. Hoppy Easter! 

my marvelous mama

Back to work today and E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D.! So this will be short! We had a great time with my mom last week! She is an amazing grandma, serving mother, and F-U-N friend! We love you Bing Bong and miss you already! 

P.S. Nolan had his 15 month Well Check visit today! He is 27 lbs. (90%), 34 in. (97%), and still 50% for head circumference. So, he's still a BIG boy! Most recently he enjoys scribbling with a crayon (and chewing it as well), "talking" on his phone, his usual balls and cars, and saying a few words- mama, dada, go, tick-tock, ball, and car are his favorites. He loves cows and monkeys and makes their noises. And he is OBSESSED with hats! He points out anyone who is wearing a hat. When he sees one, he points or touches his head. And he turns everything into his own hat- cups, puzzle pieces, and Mr. Potato Head's hat! Too bad we can't actually get him to keep a REAL baseball cap on!  We are still working hard on his gross motor...Baby Boot Camp once a week and daily exercises too! He's crawling all over, trying to pull himself up on everything, and starting to climb! He loves exploring and keeps us on our toes! What a fun age!  

Our Last Few Days

So I slacked off a bit the last few days of our trip. I didn't feel like blogging. Partly because we were having so much fun, and partly because I was EXHAUSTED! It was pretty tiring being a single mom for the week. But Nolan and I loved having so much time together! Here are a few last pictures from our wonderful trip to Michigan. 

Nolan and Trey both LOVE to read! Must be influenced by their primary teaching mommies. 

We took the boys to the play place at the mall. Trey climbed and slid and Nolan crawled and made his way out to explore the mall on his own. 

Trey introduced Nolan to his friend "Sandy"at Meijer. It was Nolan's first grocery store pony ride. 

Actually a good picture of Jill and I! We always seem to have trouble getting a nice shot! 

The Sloothaak Family

We set this one up with the self timer! Everyone was looking! It helps that the camera blinks and beeps. 

And now we are home. Back to normal life. I think Nolan is terribly bored without such a fun playmate every day. But thank goodness Grandma is coming on Friday!! We can't wait! 

Thank you Jill, John, Trey, and Rowan for a fantastic week! It was SO good to be together! See you in June! 

The Weekend

Busy, busy, busy! My parents picked us up late Saturday morning and took us up to Whitehall for the weekend. We had a blast hanging out with all of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and my grandma for the evening. We always have plenty of laughs and good times getting caught up. It was nice being together on this weekend in particular because it was 8 years ago today that my grandpa passed away. He was an amazing man, a wonderful servant, and loving grandfather. He held the family together and valued building special relationships with each grand child. I still occasionally buy Captain Crunch cereal just because he always bought it for us when we were little. It brings back good memories when I eat it! 

This morning we went to church and then headed back out to Zeeland. The weather was beautiful and we enjoyed playing with the boys outside, grilling steaks for dinner, and even going out for ice cream for dessert!

Tomorrow we are visiting with one more Giddings girl in the morning, swinging by Meijer for a bath tub xylophone (Nolan's favorite new toy), and then taking the boys to play at the mall playground. It will be our last full day in Michigan so we'll be making the most of every last second and starting to pack up a bit. I posted a few pictures below from our weekend. Enjoy! 

Hanging out with Great Grandma Johnson! 

Nolan loved having some Grandma and Grandpa time! He'll get to spend the whole week with my mom next week when she comes out to Denver for her Spring Break. She'll see Grandpa again in May for Uncle T.'s graduation from Texas A&M! By the way, we want to say a HUGE congrats to my brother who just finished and defended his doctoral dissertation! Doctor Johnson we are PROUD of you! 

 

Playing in Uncle John and Auntie Jill's L-O-N-G driveway! Nolan got pretty muddy and dirty crawling around in the grass, chasing balls, and trying to cross the street to play basketball with the middle school boys.

Showing Rowie some love! 

Friday Fun Day!

Day 3 in Zeeland was a relaxing blur! Jill and I were just saying that we thought that our week together would consist of a little more down time. However, with a new born, cooking, cleaning, errands, baths, and chasing busy boys, we are exhausted! It has been wonderful to just do life together, dreaming of what it would be like to be able to live close and raise our families side by side!

This morning we started the day off bright and early! Nolan woke up at 5:45 a.m. raring to go! Normally at home if he wakes up early I can give him his blankie and paci and he goes back down. But we are sharing a room here and he knew I was just a few feet away. So, to him, it was not time to sleep, it was time to play!

Later in the morning, Jill's sister Val came over to take some pictures of Nolan! She is a very talented photographer, you can check out her work here: Waterlily Photo. She'll be posting some of her favorite shots of Nolan soon.

Here is a picture of our gift to Rowan! It was made by a local crafty mom. She made Jill's diaper bag in the matching brown floral fabric. It was supposed to be a surprise for Jill, but through and unfortunate chain of events the secret was foiled! But didn't it turn out so cute!? And it looks great in the nursery too!

Rowan Caroline- she's such a tiny little thing! 2 weeks old and still smaller than Nolan was when he was born!

I took the boys out for a walk in the wagon on a crisp Spring afternoon!

Boys will be boys! Nolan LOVES Trey! He laughs histarically at him and even loves to kiss him! They kept kissing each other over and over again! If only their Dad's could have seen them! Someday they will hate us for the pictures we snapped of the action- Nolan totally open mouth, Trey lingering! It was just too funny to stop!

Tomorrow we are off to Whitehall with my parents! It will be great for Nolan to have some Grandpa and Grandma time! We will visit Great Grandma Johnson and the whole gang. We won't have internet access while up North, so check back on Sunday for the next installment of our Michigan adventure!

Calvin, Calvin, Sing We All To Thee

We had a wonderful day in Western Michigan! Lunch and visiting with Davis- Nolan thinks she's a ton of fun and a great gift giver! 

Touring Calvin with my old roomie! We swung through B.H.T. and Nolan checked out where Mommy and Daddy spent A LOT OF HOURS talking and getting to know each other in the lobby. It was funny because Nolan was actually talking and cooing at the creepy Heyns man! 

Maybe someday he'll be a Bolt boy too! 

Checking out the AWESOME athletic facility! Too bad when we were at Calvin they only had 4 treadmills! Now they have like 40, a huge climbing wall, a jumbo-tron, and a whole lot more!

 

Dinner with Grace and Jayne! It was SO good to catch up! They are so dear to my heart and we've had tons of great memories together! 

Bed time romping for the boys! Matching p.j.'s again!

Tomorrow we have a photo shoot with Jill's sister and an outing to Target in the plans! Check back tomorrow for more Zeeland fun time! 

Adventures in G.R.

Nolan and I made it to Grand Rapids! Overall it was a smooth day of travel- flights were on time, we had an open seat on the plane for Nolan to climb around on, and our bags came within 10 mintues of landing. We are already having a blast with the Sloothaaks. Nolan chases after Trey, laughs at everything he does, and watches Rowan sweetly. Due to the time change (both last weekend and the 2 hour difference between CO and MI), teething, and not much of a nap, Nolan has had a few moments of fussiness, but nothing that this mom can't handle on her own! I thought that over our trip I might just try to post a picture or two from each day to keep you updated on our adventures together. :) Here's Nolan on the plane and a cute quick snippet of the boys playing together. Tomorrow we have plans to visit with our other fellow Giddings Girl, Kati "Davis" Hart for lunch and a trip to Calvin. Then dinner plans with my 2nd Heynies- Jayne, Misty, and Grace. Let's hope Nolan holds up with being carted around all over again! Check in with you again tomorrow!

Living Life

Things have just been pretty normal around here lately. Work, crawling,and hanging out! Nolan is having a blast exploring the world and making messes along the way! His favorite thing to do is pull all of the DVD's, controllers, remotes, c.d.'s, cables, etc. off of the shelves that are built into our entertainment center. He probably does it about 4 times a day- most often after I have just cleaned it up! But I promised myself that I would never complain about cleaning up a mess, just as long as Nolan was on the move! We are now working on climbing and walking along things. He is getting stronger and more confident by the day! And boy, is he ever happy! Also new these past few weeks is the transition to one nap! He is able to make it to about noon or so each day and has been starting to take a pretty decent afternoon nap. By bed time he is definitely ready to go down and has been sleeping about 12 or 13 hours each night. 

I have one more week to teach and then I'll be off for three weeks! Nolan and I can't wait to spend every day together. We will also be going on a little adventure together. We will be flying to Michigan to visit our best friends, The Sloothaaks. Jill and John just had their second child, a daughter- Rowan Caroline. So Nolan and I are going out to meet Rowan, help around the house, love on Trey, and enjoy a whole week of life with them! I'm a little anxious about the plane ride, but I'm sure with a DVD player and tons of snacks we'll be set! While we are there we will also get to see my parents and grandma in Whitehall for the day. It will be SO good to see them! And I'm planning on taking Nolan to see CALVIN and to visit with my 2nd Heyns roommates. Also over my break, my mom will be coming out to Denver for the week of her Spring Break. It will be nice to spend the days together and for Nolan to get a lot of Grandma time! 

Well, that's about all for now. Here are some pictures from our day to day life with the big guy!

 

Mark is helping coach the Varsity baseball team at Denver Christian High school. He loves baseball, is a tremendous 2nd baseman and coach to the infielders, and still looks pretty good in those tight pants! He's already working on strengthening Nolan's left arm- maybe he'll be a left handed pitcher some day! :) But in the mean time, Nolan just enjoys wearing Mark's hat. Go D.C.! 

Our good friends Rick and Mandy have a Boxer named Murphy. At small group the other night, Nolan had a blast chasing after her, getting licked all over, petting her, and even trying to have a little dinner with her! We love for him to get his dog fixes when he can!