cheerios, rocks, uh-oh's & other random things!

Parker has discovered how he can get to his Cheerios when he needs a snack. The other morning he was so cute reaching his little hand in the bag & grabbing a big handful, stuffing it all in his mouth. Then when he was done he would fold up the bag & attempt to put it back in the Cheerios box for mama. What a little sweetheart!

Should've known this was coming....

What a stinker :)

Warning: Carrie got a little excited over the fact that it was warm enough outside for shorts & short sleeves so she took quite a few pictures of the beautiful outing at the park.

Our 37 minutes at the park...can you tell how much fun we had?! It was a gorgeous day, warm enough for short sleeve & shorts (yes!!!!), & Parker got to play in the grass & with ROCKS!!!! Believe it or not, this was his first experience with rocks. There must be some sort of in-born nature that all little boys have because he did exactly what I thought he would with them.

1. stared at them with this curious look on his face like it was the neatest thing next to his Cheerios.
2. picked them up, dropped them & watched them fall to the ground
3. spread them around all over his little space as fast as he could
4. started putting some in his mouth (to which I then screamed & brushed them out as fast as I could for fear of him swallowing one)

5. After he had played enough with the pebbles, it was time to move on to the bigger ones....











Parker funnies:
Yesterday, Parker started saying "Uh-oh" over & over & over just out of the blue. Not "Uh-Uh" but "UH-OH"; it is the cutest thing ever. Clay & I are cracking up over this!
So, today Parker is crawling around in the closet in his room...one side of which consists of mama's stuff...& he starts one by one taking things off of the shelf (mostly mama's things), dropping them on the floor & saying "uh-oh". I think he was making a game out of it because 6 minutes later I see a pile-up on the floor & he is still going strong. :)

Random things this week: (Sorry guys, I have to record this or I won't remember it when I finally have time to scrap about it!)
Parker LOVED taco night tonight!!!! He is walking everywhere & is quite a fast little thing! Still going out on the balcony all throughout the day...this whole week we've actually just been leaving the door open so he can go out when he pleases. Took a ONE HOUR nap on Monday! Praise the Lord, Hallelujah!!! That's the longest nap he has taken in I don't know how long! I laid him on the couch after rocking him just until he got drowsy & he conked out on that red sofa! He woke up happy too (just like at daycare) because he doesn't feel trapped in a crib when he wakes up I guess! I went through his closet/clothes, bibs & other baby things today & it made me sad. I have 2 garbage bags full of stuff to take down to storage that he has either outgrown & can't use anymore...it's most of the BABY stuff! I feel like we hardly have an BABY things left! Anyone want to console me with words of wisdom or random thoughts!! :)

Favorite daytime dining & Easter basket answers

It is an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day here today! I am so thankful for the warmer weather that we have had this week; I wore my cute new blue jean capris for the first time yesterday! Yea for sunny days!!!

Over Easter weekend, we were able to visit one of my favorite places in Minnesota...Patrick's Bakery & Cafe located in Edina. Randomly, I was taken there the first year we moved here by a contact I made in the mall...anyway, that part isn't important. The point of this is how AMAZING their food is!!! I would rate the atmosphere, food & pricing all a 10+! Girlfriends lunch date? Take them to Patrick's! I immediately fell in love with their Tomato Mozarella Sandwich & their exquisite display of cakes & pastries.
(The story of how Patrick's came to be is really neat too; it makes it even more unique when restaurants have a personal story line behind them!)

I have exhausted Clay in talking about how badly I wanted to eat there lately, so I was as giddie as a school girl in August buying new school supplies when he agreed to take us there this weekend! I think Parker liked it too...


I almost forgot; a couple of people asked me what I put in Parker's Easter basket this year so I wanted to answer this question before I forgot.

The basket & liner came from Pottery Barn Kids (we bought it for him this year...we kinda skipped the Easter basket thing last year since he was newborn).

-Pacifier Pod from Kalencom (keeps the paci's clean & in an easily accessible place!)
-Chocolate & white baby changing pad by Pickles (the best part about this is that it is washable!!!)
-Blue & Chocolate bottle holder/cooler from Trend Lab
-a paci holder by Bella Tunno
All of those last 4 things I found in this Mississippi boutique.

-a Speedo swim set & swim shoes from Target
-toy boat for the bath also from Target

-Bunny's Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown

-Tub Turtle that swims from Pottery Barn Kids

You'll notice that although he had a filled basket, Clay & I didn't really include that many toys. I felt bad about it at first, but then I realized that our family spoils him with cute & fun toys that he loves! So, I quit feeling guilty & got over it! It's a HUGE help to us that our family is so giving with toys, clothes & other little things that Parker needs. It really makes things a lot easier on Clay & me when it comes to gift giving time!

Easter weekend fun!

We were so excited that Aunt Lacey could come up & visit us for the weekend! Parker & Lacey got in a lot of good playtime & snuggles! Aunt Lacey loves to bake & is really good at it, so we always get excited when she bakes cakes with icing from scratch for us! Shopping in Edina, cooking Easter dinner, church Sunday morning, movie night, yummy cake, good chats, watching Parker tear into his Easter goodies...these were a few of our special weekend memories. Thank you for coming to visit us Lacey! :)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter!
Love,
The Nolens

15 months today & a review!

These are some fun pictures from the past week...

Parker has spent many days crawling in & out, in & out...he loves going out on the balcony & watching the cars, people & dogs go by! He enjoys waving to them & saying hi!


"Look at my trick mommy!"


Parker chasing after the basketball...


Daddy was so proud! :)


Clay told me that in these books were all the airports he flies to & their info...wow. That's a lot of memorization babe...good luck!

Random Parker things at 14 months:

-He started walking a LOT more than crawling!
-Words he is saying: Hi, Mama, Daddy, Woof
-When you ask him where his nose is...he will point to it & then to yours! So cute!

-He points to 3 main places in the house right now & says "Ugh??" (meaning "please may we go/have?"a. points to the windows & balcony when he wants to go outside (usually at 6 in the morning and throughout the rest of the day!)
b. points to the kitchen meaning he wants milk
c. when he is sitting in his highchair he will point to the kitchen table (where the grapes usually are!) meaning he wants grapes

-He has had ear infections again this month...like that is new! ha ha! Getting tubes can't come fast enough!!!

-Loves to climb in your lap & be read to!

-Enjoying visiting parks & running errands on pretty days

-Is good at playing ball (rolling it back & forth to between you & him & also picking it up & dunkin it in his little goal!)

I can't believe how much Parker is resembling a little BOY!!! It's fun & sad all at the same time! I'm taking pictures every day but I still feel as if I'm not capturing everything; I don't want to miss a thing! I just need him to put a hold on growing for just a little bit... :)

One year ago today...


Happy 15 Month Birthday, Parker!

And we hope everyone has a Good Friday!

red beans & rice

Red beans & Rice...Yum!!! It is one of mine & Clay's favorite meals! Clay cooked his version of it for me shortly after we got married & I've been hooked ever since! It's so simple, quick & inexpensive too!

You will need:
-Kidney beans - 5 cans is what I typically use but you can alter this to your preference (dark or light..whichever you prefer..I sometimes mix!)
-Hickory Farms Smoked Linked Sausage (1 pkg) -- if you want to make it cheaper just use half of the sausage
-Instant Rice
-Spices: Tony Sacheries Seasoning, Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Fresh Ground Pepper

So, in your crockpot you pour the drained beans and the sausage. Then you pour enough water over all of it to cover. Next, you use your spices...I don't have measurements for these.... I use a good bit of Tony's (like 2 long swooshes around our large crockpot), maybe 8 good dashes of garlic powder, about 4 dashes of onion powder, and enough pepper to make it look good! :) We tend to like our spices more on the heavy end.

I cook it all on high covered for about 5-6 hours...you don't have to worry about it burning or sticking so you can leave it in there longer...I once left it in there for 9 hrs when I was doing 7 cans of beans & 1 whole sausage package.

If you're not sure about the measurement of the spices, take the lid off of the top after about 1 1/2 hours and see if it smells to your liking. I can usually tell what I want to add more of at that point!

When you're ready to eat, fix your rice & then dish it up!!!

This will usually fix 8+ servings for our family! We love it..especially in the winter months! We practically lived off of this the first winter we were up here! Oh! And I think it's even better as "left-overs!" And make sure you fix some good sweet tea to go with it! :)

Enjoy!

8:51 p.m.

it's 8:51 p.m.
parker is asleep...for now :)
the kitchen is clean (except for the floors...on my "to do" list tomorrow)
laundry is done (for today)
all the toys & playthings are put away for tonight...everything is in its place... :)
i will fall asleep with a big smile on my face....which is exactly what i'm about to do!!!

...i can't express how excited i am about getting in bed early tonight! dreamland...here i come! :)

fruits in our kitchen

I love fruit! I have ever since I was a little girl. Right now, I count 7 different fruits in our kitchen: pears, apples, bananas, oranges, grapes, tomatoes & strawberries.

According to the American Heart Association, an average person is supposed to get 4 servings of fruit a day. One raw serving of fruit would be about the size of a baseball.

Parker loves his fruits as well; Clay & I are thrilled that he likes a variety of them. His favorites right now are grapes & tomatoes.

I especially love late spring & summer when many of the fruits are in season & you can use them in your daily recipes. Watch in the upcoming weeks for some of my favorite "fruit" recipes!

What fruits are in your kitchen today?

taxes & friday fun!

Our day started with our meeting our tax guy...always a fun thing :) At least it will be one more whole year before we have to do it again!

...then came the Friday fun!!! First, lunch at Red Lobster where Parker got to touch & learn about the lobsters & mama got her yummy biscuits :) ...

...then it was fun at the park, on to see a movie, and then finishing up our fabulous day at the park again...this thrilled Parker to no end of course! :)

weekend fun with Memphis friends & Sunday strolls with family

Our friends in Memphis, Jason & Ashley. (Jason & Clay were college roommates) We went by their cute home on Saturday & had such a fun visit! I had only heard tons of stories about these two & the adventures that Clay & Jason had in school, so I was thrilled to finally get to meet the couple!

It's easy to see why Jason & Clay got along so well...from what I can tell, they're a lot alike! Of course, after seeing Jason's office adorned with stylish aviation decor & then walking out into his commercially painted garage floor & cool tools, I knew those two boys were a match made in heaven! ha ha! Poor Clay, you'll get your tools & garage one of these days! :)

Ashley had the house super super cute! It looked like something you would pull right out of a Southern Living magazine!!! I could tell the minute I walked in she was a stylin' gal! (By the way Ashley, I loved your scarf you were wearing that day!) :)


The dynamic duo!


The girls at dinner: Mallori, Ashley, Carrie & Blair


The boys: Clay, Jason & Justin (Can you tell that Jason & Justin are twins btw?)

Saturday night we all went out to Macaroni Grill for a delicious dinner! The food, the friends & fellowship...what a terrific time! I think we were there for almost 3 hours!!! It was great getting to meet Mallori & Justin too; they were sooo nice! Justin was practically a third roommate with Clay & Jason so they reminisced over old times!


And finally!!! It has been way too long since I have seen Miss Blair (my college suitemate..might as well have been my roommate!) We haven't seen each other since mine & Clay's wedding! THANK YOU Blair for taking time out of your super busy schedule to eat with us! Blair is a CPA; I always have the best of timing calling her during the middle of tax season! :) So, in about 35 minutes we caught each other up on everything that had happened in the last 3 1/2 years.


Blair brought a couple of books for us to take home...she is the sweetest thing! I have already starting digging in them! Thank you Blair!


Rassie (mama), Taylor & Carrie - the picture is a little dark but I still love it!


Cousin Collin & Parker - After church on Sunday we went out to eat with some of the fam at the Grenada Country Club; I don't know what it was about this day, but Parker was ALL ABOUT his cousin Collin! I was cracking up watching the two of them!


Love those deep "from the belly" laughs!


"Are these fun times or what?!"


Uncle Butch, Collin, Clay, Parker & Papa hanging out Sunday afternoon


We were only in Grenada for one afternoon so we figured we should make the best of it! After ice cream from Spencers, :) strolls through the neighborhood & some good 'ole visiting, we decided to put up the swing that Rassie had gotten for Parker when he was in town. As you can see here, it was a little more than just "tying it up!" It was fun watching Clay & Collin work though!

Parker in his swing for the first time. He did pretty good; Parker says it's going to take some getting used to though! :)

t.v. or airport flight screens?

Love this picture of Clay & Parker! Clay was making Parker laugh sooo hard!

T.V or flight screens?? Which have I seen more of in the past 2 1/2 months? That's a close one!

So after waiting for several hours to try & get a flight down to Memphis this past weekend, this is what you found us doing....walking back and forth between terminals! :) Parker loved it!

Parker at the Minneapolis airport looking out over the airplanes & cargo holds. He loved watching all the activity.

Parker looking out somewhere between Minneapolis & Memphis.

Thank you Starbucks! I can't tell you how excited I was to find you Friday& Saturday morning! There's nothing like a good hot Chai Tea latte to jump start your morning! (with extra whipped cream please & a sprinkle of cinnamon on top!)