Snakes and turtles and snakes and baby snakes and lots of animals....

When I got home from work today this is what Donnie told me him, Nolan, and Daddy did today. So, Don thinks just because he took them on a field trip once that he's gonna one up me in the parenting departement... sorry, babe ain't gonna happen! LOL!

Oh... you couldn't tell which animal Donnie was most fascinated with could you? :)

Here ya go.....

Okay, I told Nicole I would put these up.....she was asking about what people do with her pictures in their homes. Where they use them and how?? So, I told her I'd put mine up on my blog to show what I've done with them. And..... since I never show my house on my blog, you can have a little sneak peek of what my house looks like and my decor (not that it's all that special, but I know I love to see other people's decorating style....). here ya go.....


* This is my family room, just a corner of the room..... that had an empty space....my family room is laid out really funky!!


* These are pics. from our sun room, but we actually turned it into more a sitting room rather than sun room, as we liked it a little more "dressed up", especially since it has my favorite couch in the whole wide world in it :)....which was really the only place in our house that I was able to put it.

* This is the entry way to our house.... the foyer.

Pictures....pictures...and more pictures....

Attempt 1: Donnie to show his brotherly love....... maybe, possibly get a picture of the two of them together (has this ever happen before, no). Even stretching it a little by having Donnie hold Nolan..... Hmmmmm??? We're trying here, okay.

1)

Attempt 2: Maybe have Donnie hold his favorite Bunny while doing this (bribery).

2)

Attempt 3: Snapping real quick before he elbows Nolan right off the couch!

3)

Attempt 4: Forget the other one, I'll just take a shot of "the good son". My sweet baby, Nolan :)

4)

.................................................................................................

Happy Fall

This weekend the boys were outside a lot with their Dad, enjoying the last of these semi-warm days in Michigan, all bundled up raking leaves..... ahhhhh, how I heart Fall in Michigan!

Nolan....5 months old

What a peaceful, mellow, and happy little boy you are. We always joke that when you smile (which is quite often), it's letting us know you are just happy to be in this crazy world we live in :) You are completely NOT high maintenance. You are content being placed almost anywhere...car seat, bouncer, walker, jumper...you name it, you're fine with it (usually). You only cry when you are hungry or extremely tired, and even then it's more of a whimper. At night, you often just make noises when you wake up....barely letting me know you're up and when I come in the room you're simply starring at the letters on the wall sucking your fist, with a BIG cheesy grin on your face.... you have then silliest, goofy grin when we get you out of your crib. You're such a people person, rarely do you not like it when others hold you. You've started mocking things we do, sticking our tongue out at you, chewing food at dinner....you actually move your jaw up and down, it's soooo stinkin' cute. Your the rolliest little chubba whubba boy, we can't get enough of those cheeks & thighs! Your Dad's favorite nicknames for you... "Rolly Noly", "Little Tank", "Spike", & "Mr. Happy"(BTW, he's completely smitten by you). You love being walked to sleep by your Dad.... he's got the touch. These are all the little things I want to remember about you at this age., I wish I could put them in a little "keepsake box" to pull out when I forget some of these important little moments, to turn back the hands of time.

** Now if we could only get your brother to feel the love like we do, we'd be one big happy family ;)LOL! Don't worry, he's gonna take to you someday baby boy....we hope! **

My favorite 8's

This looked like fun :)

8 Favorite Tv Shows
Curb Your Enthusiasm (Thanks...Ryan M.!)
Dateline NBC
The Office
Dancing with the Stars
Cold Case
Ghost Whisperer
Super Nanny
Design on a Dime

8 Favorite Restaurants
Daryl's
Common Grill
The Real Seafood Company
Yen King
Panera Bread
Klavon's Pizza
Outback Steakhouse
Red Lobster

8 Things I Did Today
Went to Family Worship
Bowling w/ Church friends (once a month)
Put laundry away
Ironed clothes for work in the morning
Played outside w/ Donnie
Tickled my "Little Tank"... "Noly Roly"
Visited my cousin
Read blogs

8 Things I Love About Fall
The start of a new school year!
Picking costumes for my boys
Leaves changing colors
Raking the leaves w/ Donnie & watching him jump in the pile :)
Fall sweaters & sweatshirts
Halloween Candy
That Yummy Cider drink from Beaners....Ummmm, I mean Biggby's
Football games (Go Titan's)

8 Things I Look Forward To
Starting & finishing a Master's Program (and the raise in pay :)!
Watching Little D go to preschool
More children...someday??
Family vacations up-north
Winter snowmobiling w/ my boys
Finishing our Dibble House Project
Christmas shopping
Nolan's Baptism

8 Things I Wish For
Our country to elect a new President, who will help our economy & make the right changes
The correct cause and diagnosis for Autism
Teen pregnancy to diminish over time
ALL children to be loved and cared for by their parents
Our country to be one of the top leaders in Education, not one of the last (besides the third world countries, how sad!)
My 5 month old to sleep a consistent 10-12 hours every night, preferably 8 pm-6 am :)
Healthy and happy children
A nice winter retirement/vacation home....somewhere warm! (not talking like Ganton's ...haha!)

Ahhhhhh *a good sigh*

Just a quick post.... to show I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth!! I just started working again....Ha! Story of my life. But anyways, quick update.

• I'm LOVING, LOVING, my job, SO glad I bid on this position. It's been a LONG time coming..... I feel like my old self again, enjoying teaching, enjoying my staff members/principal, enjoying my kids, putting that extra effort in to make it a great year..... I do believe in "Karma", wait...(ewww....I guess maybe I did something really bad last year...hmmmmm? haha!) Well, this year I couldn't be any happier :)
• Had open house tonight at school. Went really well, Don brought the boys by to say hi, meet my kids and principal.... Donnie had a little melt down, don't really know why?? Fun times let me tell ya! ....more on that later.
• Went out to Outback Steakhouse this evening afterwards with a few teachers.....YUMMO! Nice to actually eat a warm meal with grown adults.
• Sitting here putting a mini-schedule together for my cousin who's watching the boys tomorrow..... the only person Nolan really cries with, it's SO funny I have no idea why?? She's a little loud & crazy(so am I at times), but super good with kids & completely in love with my boys and for some strange reason Nolan always cries & won't look at her....he'll practically break his neck when she's holding him to look away...hehehe! This should be interesting, I don't know if I'll call and check in or not, I'm thinking I might be safer to just let them be and then ask when I get home or not ask.??
• Oh...LORD, I almost forgot... having some interesting house decisions. Val came over the other day to look at our house & give Don a little info. on the current housing market (I'm sure you all know that was real positive ;) To make a loooooong story short my hubby & his Dad bought a foreclosure, remodeled the entire house, put a new kitchen in, new bathrooms, etc ..... pretty much gutted it. Do you see where this is going....? Yup... my "salesman" husband is always looking for a way to make some a few extra $. At any rate.... we'd like our house to go up on the market soon (2-3weeks).... right after we have our bathroom redone in the next week or two, Lord knows we don't do our own home projects (unless it's just painting). Ahhhhh.... my life w/ Don will never be simple he's always got an idea floating around in his head. Can you tell I'm sort-of numb to this whole selling and moving process? Yes, it's a big decision, and yes moving is a pain, but to us it's just another move and it's just another house & it won't be our last (I already can tell you that .... this next house won't be the house we stay in forever, I've got some plans of my own for our future home ;). But, I guess to us a house is "just a house" I mean I love our homes, but I don't really get attached to them like other people do.... and it's probably because I'm married to my husband so I know what's in store for me...LOL!

**Okay, enough babbling, I'm off to bed ... night!! TGIF. YAY!**

"Chunk-a-roo"

Nolan
(aka: "Chunk-o-love", "Little Tank", "Nowan" (little D's version for Nolan))

Stats:

* 4 months

* Weight: 15 lbs. 8 oz.

* Height: 25 in. long

* Demeanor:
Nolan at this stage is a little gem. We just can't get enough of those squishy cheeks, silly grins, rolly thighs and perfect contentedness. He is just a big ball of love, literally and figuratively....
He's started rolling over, getting excited about things, laughing at his crazy brother, and snuggling up with mommy on the couch. Nolan is seriously just a wonderful baby....I mean it when I say wonderful. He rarely cries or gets upset, he sleeps 8-10 spans at night, takes decent naps, and is pretty darn content doing almost anything....go with the flow type of baby. All I can say is Thankyou Lord in heaven!! After Donnie I could easily see myself with an only child..... but, I never knew what the "good" baby was like.... and boy is it WAAAAAAAY better!! LOL!

**I'm ready to be a mom of three............ someday!!!!**