Mmmm... ravioli!

What a combination! The other day, I was changing out Nolan's clothes, and pulled out a pair of dress shoes for him to wear this fall and winter. He simply HAD to put them on... right then. He grabbed them, and tried to put them on himself. He's just not QUITE ready for that yet. :) So, I decided to help the little guy out.

It was also dinner time, and I knew with ravioli on the menu, he'd get a bit messy. Little did I know just how messy he'd be! :) Good thing I took off his shirt for this meal. So, there he sat, covered in tomato sauce from head to toe. Well, head to ankle -- his feet were protected by his nice black dress shoes.

Yes, he dressed himself

Can you tell? Shirt tucked into his undies... had on like a gangsta' (And we have NO idea where he got that idea!). He's happy as can be... playing with his favorite "flower" -- a dandelion -- and racing with Chloe, the Basset Hound. :)

Sheep time

I just love watching the boys outside with the animals. I just don't think there's anything better. :)

The boys' favorite toys

Boys and their toys. The other night, Craig came home and told me we needed to head to the shed to see my birthday present. (My birthday's not until August... he said he was planning ahead.) I told him I'd already seen it -- the manure spreader he bought for me this winter. (My husband has a warped sense of humor!) Anyhow... come to find out, he'd gotten this Kawasaki Mule. LOVE it. We've taken the boys on many rides, and we all enjoy this little gift. Plus, it will be very handy for gardening and yardwork. Thanks, honey.

And, notice what's in Nolan's hands -- a halter. He takes that thing EVERYwhere. This boy loves to be outside with the animals. We think we've got a little stockman on our hands. :)

The sheep show

So, I'm sitting here at the Indianapolis Airport, waiting for my flight to Fort Worth for the Agricultural Media Summit. What better time to try to catch up on some blogging that I have so desperately needed to do!? :)

The first week in July, I met up with Craig and the boys at my parents' house. I had been working in Louisville for the National Junior Summer Spectacular, and it was an easy meeting point for 4th of July.

The Gibson County Fair also started that same weekend. Although Craig had to head back to work on that Sunday evening, the boys and I stayed an extra night so that Waylon could participate in the pee-wee sheep show that Monday evening. What an ordeal!

Waylon was excited all day about showing his sheep with mom. We got him all dressed, and headed to the fairgrounds, and his cheering section of Granny, Papaw and Great Grandma Couch assembled. He started climbing all over the bleachers, and within the first 10 minutes, he was covered in dirt. I asked if he could at least stay clean until AFTER the show, and he said, "I'm a cowboy, mom. Cowboys get dirty." Fair enough. How could I argue with that!?

We sat through about 1 1/2 hours of the show, and as they were selecting the champion wether -- the last class before the pee-wee show -- Waylon had decided he was hot and tired, and he wasn't going to show. At the same time, Nolan decided that he was done sitting in the stroller. And, of the four adults there, I was the only one who could hold him. (Mom had just had back surgery, and dad and grandma just aren't able.) SOOOO... the three of us head into the ring.

Through my smile, I'm whispering down to Waylon, "You'd better smile. Hold the halter! If you want to ride rides and play games after this, you'd better smile and hold this halter!"

You'll notice I'm all sweaty, and my glasses are crooked. Nice, eh.

Once it was over, Waylon was rewarded with Skittles and a ribbon. And, boy, was he excited. Papaw Couch was also very proud of his little showman.

Ah, yes... family memories at their finest. But, honestly... it's a great memory. And, I wouldn't trade it for a thing!

Little brother wants in on the action

Nolan loves to be outside. And, he seems to really love the animals. The other day, he picked up the sheep halter, because he saw big brother and daddy using them, and was trying to figure the thing out. He didn't want to put it down, so I figured, what the heck. Bring it inside.

The other night, Waylon and Craig were playing mini-golf again (notice a theme here?), and Nolan and I were playing in the house. He walked to the back door and pointed up to where we hang the boys' caps. He put his on (with mommy's help). He grabbed the halter that he had carried in. Then, he pointed to the back door. How could I turn him down? I took him outside for another visit with the animals before bedtime.


Nolan's new favorite toy.

Checking the "flock" with daddy.

Wanting in on the action.

Sudzin' the sheep

It's been so much fun to watch Waylon and Craig bond during animal chores in the evenings. Waylon seems to really enjoy the chore of washing the sheep. As you can tell, he gets pretty into it! :) Next year, we hope to purchase some show lambs, and give Waylon the chance to have even more of a pay-off for his work.

Lee Family Time

In late June, we attended the Lee Family Reunion at the Wellington Community Park. Craig's grandpa, Ty, was so proud to have so many of his family members there, and he seemed to enjoy spending time with his siblings. Sometimes family reunions may not seem like that much fun for the younger generations, but to know how much it means to the older generation makes it all worth it. :)

Us with Ty and Marge and his siblings.

Grandpa Ty (far right), Grandma Marge (second from right) and Ty's siblings and in-laws.

Waylon loved playing on the big hill at the park. From what Craig and Erika tell me, this is a tradition for kids. They loved playing on that big hill when they were kids, too!

Rolling down the sandhill, rolling down the sandhill, oh. ah. Whee! (Sorry... I couldn't help but bust into a Wiggles song!)

My baby's first haircut

Granny helped out!

There go the curls!

Before the cut began.
Big brother got a trim, too!

Sob. My baby's curls are gone. :) In mid-June, we took Nolan for his first haircut. He did great, and seemed to really enjoy sitting in the car, playing with toys, and watching the movie. He looks even more like a little man now. What happened to my baby!? :)

The splash park

I took two days off from work for a long, four-day weekend to head to my parents' with the boys. My mom had back surgery in early June (while I was at the World Pork Expo in Des Moines), and I really wanted to give her and dad a chance to see the boys. Plus, I missed my mommy! :)

Mom has done remarkably well! But, she also needed quite a bit of rest, as you can imagine, after the surgery. That left me with finding creative ways to keep the boys happy.

My wonderful cousin, Lisa, called me one afternoon and asked if I'd like to meet up with her and her three kids -- Maddie, Isaac and baby Owen -- at the free community splash park. How fun! The kids had a blast, and it was a way for me to catch up with my cousin. (Between bouts of chasing kids. Ha!) Unfortunately, we didn't get a shot of the kids together. Maybe next time!

Thanks, Lisa, for a fun afternoon!!

Splish splash

Summertime has proven to be fun in so many ways. We have been able to be outside with our small petting zoo, as we affectionately call it, and just enjoying the sunshine. The boys are also enjoying time in our little splash pool.

I am SO happy about Waylon's change of heart. Two years ago, Waylon was at the public pool with his babysitter. She looked away for a moment, and he fell face-first into the pool. Since that experience, he's been scared of water. Last year, he would stand around a baby pool and splash the water, but there's no way he was getting in!

This year, something has changed. He loves to be in the pool, and so does Nolan. Ahhh, summertime.

Party at the Lee house!

The party with Craig's family was wonderful, too! So nice to have four generations of Lee men together.

Going in, face first!

Our Cub-lovin' family!

Four generations of Lee men.

With Nana and Grandpa.

The cakes. Chrissy Sullivan creates the cakes for our boys' parties every year. She does an amazing job!!

Birthday pics... finally! :)

So, here are the pics from Nolan's "first" first birthday party at my parents' house. Such fun!

Me and my cousins, Lisa, Lori & Lynda. They're like my little sisters. Love 'em!

My aunt Susie made a "uniform" for the costume contest, and even created Nolan's first baseball card. So, she spelled Nolan's name wrong. How can we fault her!? This took some time and talent!

Happy birthday boy, with cake!

Lovin' the cake!

Nolan's first parties

Wow... again... so far behind. Here are a few shots from Nolan's first birthday parties. We had one at my parents' house on Memorial Day weekend. Guests were encouraged to dress as their teams' best fans. What fun that was! And, we had a second party at our house closer to the actual birthday with Craig's side of the family. We are so blessed to have such wonderful family to celebrate with!

Nolan thoroughly enjoyed his cake. At his first party, he dug in with both hands. At his second party, he didn't see the need for hands, and dove in face first. What a sticky mess! But, what great memories, too.

.... and, I was planning to upload lots of photos right now, as Nolan is asleep, and Waylon and Craig are in town, playing a round of mini-golf (one of Waylon's new favorite activities!), but, alas, my photos are on my flash drive, which I evidently have left at my office. So, whoever reads this can hold me accountable for uploading them, and lots of other photos, soon! Ha! I feel like I haven't been able to tell if I'm coming or going lately. I know that comes with having two kids. And, I'm trying not to be too hard on myself for not keeping up on things like I would like. Someday I'll have time for these things, right? :)

SOOOO far behind...

Wow. I haven't posted in a LONG time. I'll do my best to catch up as well as I can.

The boys are growing up so much. I just can't help but sit back and smile as I watch them interact with each other. Waylon takes such pride in being a big brother now. He calls Nolan "Buddy," and offers to help get him toys or snacks... whatever he thinks Nolan may like. Nolan adores Waylon and tries to do everything that big brother does.

Nolan has been walking since about his first birthday -- June 18. He loves to get into everything -- cabinets, shelves, closets -- anything that seems to have something interesting for him to explore. Boy, does he have an appetite! We've yet to find something he doesn't like. He seems to always be hungry! Such a change from Waylon, who really could care less if he ate. We are constantly bribing Waylon to eat "just two more bites." Not Nolan! He truly does enjoy every bite! :) Of course, Waylon is always up for "bessert." He thinks sweets should come after every meal, including breakfast!