10 MONTHS

.Smiling.
You are THE happiest baby.

.Teething.
Another tooth, this time on top!

.Crawling.
So fast, harder and harder to keep track of you (not to mention get an in-focus picture)! Good thing we put a gate up on the stairs.



.Cruising.
Getting braver by the day when it comes walking along furniture and toys

{or fire hydrants}.

I predict you will be walking before your first birthday.

.Growing.
At your nine month check-up (which we did a little later than actually nine months to see about your weight gain), you were 16 lb, 6 oz and 28 inches. You are small but mighty!

.Playing and Learning.
Your favorite things right now are your orange ball and being read to, but both of those pale drastically to being outside. Doesn't matter what we do outside, just being out there makes you so happy.


.Loving.
You give hugs and reach up to be picked up and lean towards someone if you want them to hold you. You are a cuddler for sure!

.Eating.
You are more of the eat to live, rather than live to eat type. Still nursing a great deal. Your favorite foods are Quinoa, Avocado, Salmon, and Yogurt.

Love you, Little Man!

A.L.A.S.K.A. 2010

{Sleeping Lady in the background}



It felt good to be home! Back to my roots, clean air, and majestic views.

As for roots... I am at month four of not highlighting my hair anymore. Roots! And this is what I look like without a stitch of makeup on.


It was a short trip at only 5 days, but we made the most of it.

Nolan slept on the flights there and I twisted his hair into a unicorn style:


My little sister graduated highschool, and if my mom has any trepidation about being an empty nester, she is doing an excellent job of hiding it. Can't blame her -- 30+ years of Mothering is a long time!
{Nolan slept through most of the ceremony}

{Maroon and Gold... brings back memories!}

{Mom and the grad, sister Samantha}

{Soon to be empty nesters... don't they look sad?}

Lots of time to relax, with only one baby:

{Nolan and Grandpa Bruce}

We hiked at Windy Point with Nolan in this great carrier that I borrowed from a friend (over three miles overlooking THE most spectacular scenery of Cook Inlet):


Speaking of friends, we got to visit with plenty of friends:
{Including my good childhood friend, Amy}

{And an old pal, Jake the dog}

Nolan ate all kinds of new things:

{Including Raspberry Pie!}

We celebrated for no reason:


But Nolan sure is gonna miss his Grandma:

Just a few...

...healthy things for consideration.

1. Don't cook with Olive Oil, use Grapeseed Oil instead and save the Olive Oil for room temperature things like salad dressing. On the upside, Grapeseed Oil is cheaper!

2. Close the lid on the toilet before you flush it.

3. Take a daily vitamin D supplement.

I was thinking of providing links for the "why's" on the above three, but anyone that reads this is just as capable of using Google as I am!

I like simple things that aren't fussy or complicated that really are medically or scientifically based. There is so much misinformation and hype lately it seems with "natural living"/organic/Gluten Free/Dairy Free/Soy Free/Cage Free/Grass Fed and on and on that it is just about ridiculous to know what is the next marketing ploy and what has true benefits.

I know that I, like everyone, want to take the best care of my family, but I also don't want to be one to jump on the latest bandwagon and spend money unnecessarily. So, I continue to sift through information, try things, and come to my own conclusions. And once I decide something is legit and worthwhile, I like to share!

Mother's Day 2010

What a day!

I am so tired... in a good way.

Today we...
hung flower baskets on the front porch with a drip line to each
sealed the stamped concrete patio
cleaned the garage floor -- what fun!

I cleaned out and organized both the spice cabinet and the pantry

(been bothering me for a while)
finished Warren's birthday letter
decided on a venue for Warren's birthday party and booked the date
got ingredients to make another batch of homemade organic soup -- yum!
made cupcakes almost from scratch
played outside a lot!
put up the gate on the stairs for this little monkey
{who's about to walk any minute...}



It was a great day! Thanks to all my guys for making it special and productive for me,
they know my heart!

Loving Today

The way the boys rushed home from school to play with the plasma car we got them at Costco last night.

The way Nolan made me laugh when I caught him licking the glass on the door to the office.

The way my new stained glass windows leave little rainbows all over the floor, or anything that passes in front.

The way Bryan helped Warren with his homework and the way Warren was beaming to have his Daddy's attention.

{He is so good at math, just like Daddy}

The way Jack exclaimed "when you see what's in my back pack you are gonna be so surprised!" when I picked him up from preschool today, referring to the Mother's Day gift he made me. Can't wait to plant the daisy seeds in the little pot he painted for me.

Sometimes he reads my mind.

"Hey, babe? We need a gate for the stairs."

"Oh really, when? Huh, that is kind of a random thing to do early in the morning when you are kinda hungover from the Kentucky Derby party... but okay."

"Thanks for ordering that."

"And thanks for making me a Mommy... three times."

"I love these little boys."