Happy Halloween!

Trick or Treat! Love your favorite little monkey! Nolan Bradley

Bedrest Blizzard

This week has been quite eventful for us! We've learned to expect the unexpected! On Saturday morning, while Mark was working an event, I had a little surprise pre-term labor! The next 48 hours were spent in the hospital hooked up to monitors, receiving shots, taking pills, enduring regular contractions, and praying for health! Fortunately, everything is looking fine now. I am on bedrest for at least this week and possibly longer. The contractions have stopped for the most part due to 2 VERY FUN medications that I take every 3 hours. The baby is kicking up a storm and after all the testing done in the hospital we found out he is now 5 lbs. 6 oz. So we are just praying that he keeps cooking for a few more weeks! I have an appointment on Monday to check to make sure there has been no change and then hopefully I can go back to work for the last 3 1/2 weeks until I track off just before Thanksgiving!

On top of this excitement, Denver got 24 inches of snow dumped on us this week! It feels a bit more like Christmas then Halloween! It is very pretty and a blessing in disguise because Mark was able to work from home and help me out around the house and with Nolan since I'm supposed to be resting for most of the day! It has proven to be very challenging to be on bedrest with a toddler! But we have had a LOT of wonderful help! Thank you to everyone who has watched Nolan, stopped by to visit, cooked us a meal, and most importantly prayed for us during this uncertain time! We really appreciate all the love and support we have felt this week!

Here are a few pictures from our snowed in days at home!

Watching a little Sesame Street! Nolan loves to plop down on the ground to watch a show with his blankie and favorite stuffed animal- the Texas A&M mascot!

Nolan sits in a booster seat at the table with us now! It's a bit messier, but he feels like such a big boy! Here he is enjoying the yummy spaghetti my good friend Jess made for us this week! He was in HEAVEN!

Helping Daddy shovel us out!

On Wednesday night we carved pumpkins, watched Charlie Brown's "The Great Pumpkin", roasted pumpkin seeds, and enjoyed some hot chocolate! Mark's with some much needed Amaretto after a busy week!

Nolan thought he should try to eat the seeds and guts!

Mark did a great job drawing and carving an Elmo pumpkin for Nolan! He did it free hand without a stencil! It turned out great!

Nolan absolutely adores his "Elmo pumpin". He wants to sit by it all the time and points out the "eyes, nose, mouf, hat (the stem top) and back".

Being silly while Daddy is working in the basement! As you can see, our house is a little dusty and dirty due to all the construction. Needles to say, his blankie was washed immediately after playing downstairs! But we are counting down the days and weeks until it's all done! It will give us so much more space just in time for baby!

Awesome Autumn Adventure

Yesterday we headed over to a local nursery in our neighborhood- Tagawa Gardens. They were having a Pumpkin Festival, so we thought it would be the perfect day for some Fall Fun! Since Nolan is under 2 years of age, he was free and adults were only $3! So for a whopping total of $6, we had a great autumn adventure! Last year we paid 3 times that for a less than stellar, muddy, pumpkin patch experience...so we were pumped about our new find, and SO close to home! Check out the pics below!

"Animals, Animals, Animals!" Nolan was laughing and clapping and patting all the animals in the petting zoo! Meanwhile, what was his mommy doing? Feverishly taking pictures, carefully trying not to step in poop, skirting around hairy beasts, and sniffling! Not quite sure he is my child!

"Pat, Pat" Nolan was fearless! Daddy likes animals a bit more than I do, but was afraid Nolan would get kicked by the pony or pooped on by the llama and was always moving Nolan out of the way of any rear ends!

"Duck, quack, quack" I can handle these feathered friends!

And maybe this hard shelled reptile! "Tu-tle"

SMILE! Our little scarecrow!

Picking out the perfect pumpkin to decorate. This mama had to let go and let Nolan choose whichever one he wanted! Although, I did require that it had a stem!

Working hard to place his stickers, feathers, pipe cleaners, and such on his "pup in".

Waiting in line for his balloon snake!

Planting flowers in jack-o-lantern pots

Getting his hand painted- Daddy and Nolan both got a pumpkin. We tried for the face, but Nolan wasn't havin' it! The pumpkin got smeared 2 seconds later, but he still showed his orange blob off proudly!

A little spooked by Frankenstein!

Snappin' a pic. with the scarecrow

So happy with HIS decorated pumpkin! What a fun day!

SURPRISE!

It was just another Thursday, Nolan and I played all day, we watched Jax, I went to Women's Group. Around 10 o'clock p.m. I walked back in the door after catching up with the girls and found Mark waiting for me at the entryway. He had been saying all day that he had a surprise for me, and now was my time to cash in! As I turned the corner into the living room, there was my MOM!!! We're not really sure what I said- I think I was speechless and then said something like "What are you doing here!" I ran to give her a hug and seconds later my sister came bounding down the stairs! "AAAHHHHH!" Seeing my mom was awesome, but an even bigger surprise was that my sister got her booty on a plane to come see me!

I guess their flight was delayed and they only pulled in the driveway about 1 minute before I did that night! Close call! But great that it all worked out!

We stayed up late that night talking about all their plans and how they pulled the whole thing off without me even having a clue! I did think it was weird when earlier in the week Mark was cleaning the guest bathroom toilet and telling me I should get some more shampoo and conditioner for that shower- you know, because my parents would be here in December, we should clean now and I better run out and stock up because there would be no other time to do it! Mark is so smooth! But really, I had NO IDEA!

We spent the weekend playing with Nolan, shopping, baking, cooking, and trying to stay warm! It was a cold and frosty weekend! But best of all it was just SO wonderful to have some good girl time and extra help with Nolan! I am so thankful to have such a close, loving, fun, and supportive family!

Nolan absolutely ADORES them and is still looking around the house for them saying "Auntie? Auntie? Gamma? Gamma?". He now wants to play the "Stinky Sock" game all the time- throwing his socks at me, screaming "yucky", and laughing hysterically- thanks Auntie Mal for that fun game! And he LOVES the "coo koos" grandma taught him how to bake!

Great memories were made. Thanks Momela and Sister for spending your Columbus Day weekend with us! We LOVE you!

The Countdown Begins!

We got to see a final glimpse at our little guy yesterday. This was our last ultrasound until we get to see him in person!! Crazy and Exciting at the same time! I am about 30 weeks along, but measuring 1 full week ahead! So anytime at the beginning of December we can expect this bouncing baby boy to arrive! And I'm not choosing those words lightly- this boy sure is bouncing A LOT lately!

Here is his profile- for the first time we think he looks different from Nolan. Nolan has my button nose. This baby seems to have a longer/straighter nose- like Mark. But we got to see that he has hair! That was fun! Nolan had the best hair when he was born, and it looks like he will too!

This is a shot looking straight down at his face. I usually think these pictures are a bit creepy, but I like how it looks like he has the same great cheeks Nolan has! Gotta love the jowls!

And here is his foot! So cute!

We have a lot to do in the next 10 weeks- finish the basement, get a new roof, decorate Nolan's big boy room and set up his new bunk bed, add the finishing touches to the new baby nursery, and so much more! But in the midst of our home improvement and the craziness of day to day life we are praising God for a healthy baby and a joyful 21 month old!

Battle Wounds

This is what happens when you combine an adorable face, a new runner, and concrete! Ouch!

And if you look really closely, yes, he does have a tomato in his mouth and a seed on his lip! His new favorite food!

Seasoned Traveler

Good thing I brought this-

Because apparently now on Southwest you have to bring a birth certificate, shot records, or passport for your child under the age of 2 in order for them to fly! I can't tell you how many times we've flown domestically without it! And for some reason I just decided to throw it in my purse, and I'm glad I did because otherwise we would have had to run home, grab it, and catch a later flight! San Diego here we come!

So our trip started off well! Flight was on time, Nolan was wonderful- just put on his DVD player and he's good to go. Well of course, he did have a sucker, fruit snacks, smarties, and wheat thins along the way!

Our bags came quickly, Jayne was on her way to pick us up, and here's where things started to get a little sticky! After a header into the concrete bench and a face plant while running through my legs on the pavement, we loaded up the car only to realize Nolan's blankie is MISSING! Mark frantically runs back in to look for it- no luck. We search the waiting area, baggage claim, and path back towards our gate, all while Jayne is waiting in the car with Nolan only hoping not to get yelled or whistled at too badly by the crazy airport cops! Thankfully she didn't end up having to circle around the airport, because finally after asking a police officer if he had seen it or had anybody turn one in to him, I made another trip retracing our steps, and ended up finding it right behind where the police officer was standing in the first place! What a relief! I almost started crying when I found it! No big surprise there huh?!

Now off to Escondido! We had a fantastic long weekend spending time with Brad & Jayne and visiting with great college friends in the area. Nolan was WAY overtired from weird naps, lots of travel by plane and car, and pure busyness! So he wasn't quite his fun self all the time, but he did alright and enjoyed yet another trip to another new and exciting place! We love being able to travel with him and are enjoying his free ticket while we can! This was our last adventure as a family of 3 because this prego is staying put for the next 2 1/2 months!

I made a video of all of the fun stuff we did in California! Uncle "Bra" and Auntie Jayne thank you for such a nice weekend! Nolan keeps saying "Bra" ? and looking around for you. We miss you like crazy already! Skype ya soon!

Tough Stuff

I'm amazed at what a big boy Nolan is becoming! This weekend we went up to the Bosch Family cabin on 2 different days to celebrate both the 10th birthday of our ring bearers and Labor Day. Nolan had a blast up at the cabin now that he can run around everywhere. The cabin was fun before, but the rocks, dirt, gravel, sand, hills, sticks, etc. made for some hard obstacles for a crawling kid! As you can see from the pictures below, nothing stopped him now! He played hard all day, kept up with the big boys, got filthy, and crashed in the car on the way home!

For the next three weeks, I will be off track and home with Nolan everyday! We are looking forward to some outdoor adventures while the weather is still warm, a trip to California to visit Uncle Brad & Aunt Jayne, and good college friends, the start of our big basement project, and lots of shopping for Nolan's big boy room and the new baby nursery! It will be so nice to have some relaxation time as my belly gets bigger, my back hurts more, and as I seem to get exhausted after the simplest of tasks! I'm so looking forward to making the most of our last few months as a family of 3!

Nolan is understanding more and more each day about the baby and he "talks" about the baby a lot! He recognizes the baby in ultrasound photos, he tells me which of his matchbox cars is the baby's, and he pretends to talk to the baby on the phone. (Well, along with Cookie and Ernie too!) Little does he know how much his life will change in just a short time! But what a wonderful change it will be! We can't wait to see our boys grow to be friends!

"kick, kick, kick, kick"

"--ovel" (shovel)

Running the bases

Nolan loved the fire and kept saying "oooh" and "more" as he saw all the tiki torches lit!

Playing with his cousins on Labor Day

Exploring the land

Showing off his bruise- he accidentally got hit with a wooden bat just above his right eyebrow.

Trying to play ladder golf with Daddy

Super Boy!

Going on a little walk with the fam!

Capping off the day with a much needed BATH!

Who's having more fun?

Spoiled Rotten

Yesterday was my birthday, but for the past week I have been nothing but SPOILED ROTTEN by so many friends and family members! Dinner at P.F. Changs with my Women's Group, a pool day and lunch at Qdoba with my small group girls, taco feast and D.Q. ice cream cake with Mark's fam, Tokyo Joe's lunch and a way cool CAT card from my school pals (they know just how much I LOVE animals!), and a day of love from my boys at home! I got so many phone calls, Facebook messages, and gifts in the mail. And even got to "see" my family last night through Skype! Here are a few pics from the festivities along the way! Thanks so much to everyone who helped make my day so special! 

Celebrating my birthday the night of the Bears-Broncos game. The cousins each wore their favorite team gear! (I won this jersey battle against Mark because it was MY special day!) The Bears proved to win one for me that night! 

Nolan LOVED singing Happy Birthday to his mommy! He loves music! 

I got to spend the actual day with these 2 adorable boys! Nolan and his buddy Jax. Jax's mom and I job share our 1st grade classroom and help watch each others boys on our days off. 

Nolan had a blast with the balloons Mark blew up to decorate. 

My birthday chair- Happy 28th Birthday from all your Chicago Favorites! Ever since we were little my family has had the tradition of a birthday chair. The family decorates a special chair in some creative theme and then the birthday girl or boy sits in the chair to open up their presents! Mark hasn't always embraced this tradition but in the end always comes up with something creative! 

He even surprised me that night by having my favorite Chicago Style Pizza delivered- Lou Malnati's! 

Somebody does really like me! 

My fun new gift from Mark and Nolan- a Canon Rebel xsi! 

Nolan and I took a shot together before Mark and I went out to a movie! It was so nice to have a night out together! Thanks Oma and Opa for watching N.B.J.!