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!