As Promised...

Nolan's first Christmas was so much fun. We were able to stay at home, relax and celebrate in our own way which we all enjoyed. Since Nolan isn't all that interested in toys right now (he prefers anything but actual toys) we kept it simple, but YaYa didn't disappoint. She brought him a multi tasking dump truck that you can walk behind, ride on and comes with mega blocks. Did i mention that it makes truck noises? Nolan loved it of course.

I love his big chunky cheeks in this picture, he really liked the blocks!

I baked cookies to bring to the Christmas party and of course saved a few for Santa. Thanks Libby for passing along your recipe for Gingerballs, they are building quite the reputation!

We got all dressed up and headed out to the Kirk-Riley Christmas Eve Bash. It was a traditional Italian Christmas party where you eat and drink until midnight. We only made it until 11:00 but we had such a great time!

Thank goodness Nolan is still young enough to let us sleep in on Christmas morning, i fear that this may be the only year that happens as he was pretty excited to open his presents and stocking.

We wrapped up the morning with one of my favorite Christmas traditions, watching A Christmas Story over and over again until you can recite the lines from memory. Nolan loved this scene in particular, i think it was all the shrieking. **Note the crossed legs!

It was a great first Christmas, I hope Nolan loved it too!

My pictures are being held hostage!

I have misplaced my cord that connects the camera to the computer and therefore I cannot upload pictures! I'm so bummed out about this but I have finally given up my search and will be hunting down a replacement cord tomorrow. I have tons of updates for you though so stay tuned! Here's a preview: Nolan's first Christmas, Trip to the Museum, and a bathroom remodel...it's been a busy few weeks. Back to you soon!

The Clingmans

Portraits

PS - if you haven't done so already. Check out the link below to see a few shots from our very cold (32 degrees) portrait session last weekend. Here are a few of the favorites...

http://onetreephotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/braving-cold.html

This was the best portrait experience i have ever had and i think the results are fabulous. Thank you Jessica for capturing this time so beautifully!

Santa Train

We went on the Santa Train today. Emily discovered this little gem months ago and we bought the tickets so far in advance that i almost forgot all about it. Lucky we did since all trains were sold out. Here's how it works. Drive to North Bend, board a 1908 restored train, listen to an 80 year old conductor sing Christmas carols, ride to Snoqualmie, wait in line to see Santa, get hot cocoa and cookies, get back on the train. The entire process takes about 2 hours and although it was FREEZING outside, we had a great time hanging out with Miss Clementine and her folks. Nolan of course loved it since there were tons of big kids to watch and adults to flirt with.

Here is Miss Clem waiting for the train.

Here are the mamma's/sisters once we were all on the train.

Look a this pretty lady!

Nolan's glamour shot with the antique steamer trunks.

Just as I expected, lots of tears for Santa. I predicted as much!

The money shot!

The happy/cold family on the train ride back.

It's officially Christmas time! Merry Christmas all!

The Final Countdown

Nolan turned 11 months old today. It's his last month as a baby... my baby. In one month he will be a 1 year old, otherwise know as a toddler. If you can't tell by the subtle tone, i have mixed feelings about this. Pat likes to say whenever i get blue about Nolan growing up too fast, "It's better then the alternative" which is definitely true but I know I will miss these days with my baby.

Everyone says "it flies by" but seriously where has the last 11 months gone?!? When he was about 3 months old we had a guest speaker come to our PEPS group and he had an 18 month old. He told us we won't even remember the first 6 months and I remember thinking "this guy is full of s#*@!" I felt like i was in the middle of the most traumatizing journey of my life! I was existing on very little sleep, even smaller amounts of food and virtually no showers and this guy is telling me this will all be soon forgotten?

Now i understand what he meant. I forgot about the sleepless nights, the delusional/hormonal fights with Pat, endless days worrying about why Nolan hasn't pooped and all the crying.

But what i haven't forgotten is how he would always hold his hands together like he was praying, the little clicking noise he would make with his tongue he would make when he was hungry, and how happy i was when I saw all that brown curly hair when he was finally born (I still think his curls will come back one day).

I am surprised how i long for those moments now and wish there was a way to put each of those memories in a box so that i could open them and have that moment all over again. In some ways I feel like this blog will be able to offer this in the future. A way to look back and remember the moments and achievements month by month. The blog holds me accountable to documenting everything and even if no one reads it I would know that these moments will last forever somewhere out on the Internet universe. Cheesy, I know but somehow motherhood has made me a sentimental, emotional mess (a.k.a - my sister). Who knew!

But as i said previously I have mixed feelings about Nolan turning 1, its not all longing and feeling blue. I am so excited to see what is around the corner too. I know we are just getting into the fun stuff of him being able to play and experience things with us. I can't wait for Nolan to be able to run into our room on Christmas morning and tear open his presents, for him to tell me those crazy stories kids tell and to learn where he fits into this world. Plus, birthdays mean a party and I've been planning Nolan's 1st birthday since before he was born. Consider it a professional casualty that he will always have a birthday party with some over the top theme but this is how i get through otherwise difficult transitions... by celebrating!

Alright, Sorry for all the words and feelings, I know you come here to see the pictures. I promise i have lots of pictures coming. Here is one taken December 10, 2008. I had just started having contractions that week and a few days after this picture was taken my doctor said he would be born "any day now"... try 30 days!!

Thanksgiving Revisted

The Clingman's hosted Thanksgiving this year and had my family over. Pat cooked a Jurassic sized turkey and we had a ton of great food (as always). Clementine and Nolan played a game of Hide and Seek, this is Clementine telling Nolan to come find her.

She was a great hider but Nolan needs to work on his seeking. Maybe next year they can try again.

Then Nolan did a little fashion show with Clementine's new winter boots. They were a huge hit!

We sat around and chatted for a while.

And finally it was time to eat. Nolan's first turkey and stuffing.

The boys (Pat, Nolan and cousin Mason) in their post turkey lounging.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Just Because

The Bootie Scoot

One thing I've learned about Nolan so far is that he does things his own way. It might not be the most normal or even easiest way to do something but it's Nolan's way and it works for him.

Case in point, crawling. There are hundreds of ways to crawl, most involve being on all fours. But this little boy has hated tummy time all along and avoids that position at all costs. So when it came time to work on crawling I got a little concerned when he was showing no signs of mobility. Then one day the scooting started. I figured eventually this scoot would turn into a crawl but it's looking like this might be it since he is now working on pre-walking things like pulling himself up to stand. After much encouragement to try to get this on video, i started carrying the camera around with me everywhere to capture this milestone. Video is difficult since he has learned to stop everything he is doing and pose when the camera comes out. But here is some choppy proof of the scoot. The first few seconds show Nolan's classic scoot that Pat and I call the "sick dog". The second half is his more advanced version that I will call "the worm" for obvious reasons. So here it is, Nolan's scoot:

Behind Bars

I finally got around to baby proofing this week. I kept waiting for Nolan to crawl but he instead has invented a new way to get around. He sits on his tush and throws his arms forward and pulls himself forward. He has been doing this for a few weeks and at first it was slow going. I could put him on the floor, clean the kitchen, do some laundry and take a shower and he would be about 2 feet away from his original spot. Then last week I put him in the living room with some toys and before i knew it he had scooted his way into the office about 6 feet away. So the gate went up and the house is safe...for now!

Catching Up Again

I'm a little behind on my blogging. Between birthdays, holidays, computers crashing and a steep learning curve on how to use a Mac, I haven't had much time to blog. So here is what I've missed.

Clementine turned 2 in October and she threw an awesome barnyard blowout party to celebrate. Nolan had a blast in his cow hat.

I think Clementine had a great time too, she definitely loved her cake.

Where have i seen that look before? hmmm...

Yup, this girl loves her cake!

and it looks like it runs in the family!

Happy Birthday Little Clem!