Christmas 2013

What a special Christmas week we had this year.  We immensely enjoyed our time celebrating with our friends and family, but our highlight was seeing the joy through our little boys eyes!! I think Christmas will be forever changed for Jeff and I, in a good way, and it was such a blessing experiencing the Christmas magic with Nolan this year.  Here are a few pictures captured on Christmas day.

Nolan has truly been a gift from God this year for Jeff and I.  He is the best thing that ever happened to us and we feel honored to be his parents.  In recovery from Christmas, we both took the following 2 days off from work (never happens) to spend together and rest as a family.  This Christmas season is coming to a close and we are looking forward to 2014.  One of my resolutions this year was to stop and reflect more often as well as to slow down and just be.  Although I have not perfected this, I have made great strides at having down-time where I can be available for family or friends, or just be mom at home to Nolan.  Love my dimpled-faced, happy, sweet boy!

11 Months!!

Our sweet boy turned 11 months this week!!  He LOVES to eat, and is catching on to feeding himself. His favorites lately include anything to do with our Christmas tree! :)  He still enjoys cruising around the house on his walker and is just starting to get brave enough to stand on his own.  He finally got a professional hair cut just in time for Christmas!!  He did very well and enjoyed the outing!

We think he is the coolest little boy around and can not wait for Christmas!!  So blessed to call myself his mom!  Love my boy!

Christmas Time!

We are getting ready for Christmas here at the the Thompson house.  Our tree is up, sugar cookies are baked and Nolan met Santa for the first time!!  We knew that Nolan would love everything about the Christmas tree.  From the lights, ornaments, gifts, and tree needles he is a FAN!  We have made it through another day without toppling it over, breaking ornaments or having a melt down as we redirect him to another "toy."

 Nolan recently attended his first Thunder game and we had a great time.  Although he was a little distracted by all the happenings around the arena he did make it through the entire game before crashing on the way home.

 Nolan participated in the annual sugar cookie making and decorating at Gran's house.  What a great afternoon we had, smashed cookies and all!! :)  Sweet Ellie joined us as well.  So fun!

 I wouldn't say that Nolan was overly excited to meet Santa.  Not many smiles, but no tears either so we will call it a success!!

What a fun time of year we are having a family.  I can only imagine the years to come as we are able to teach Nolan what Christmas truly is, as well as celebrate the season!!  Love our little boy!!

10 months!!

Can't believe I have a 10 month old now!! :)  I know I say this each and every month, but it sure is flying by! New things with Nolan lately include, preference for eating food opposed to drinking his milk, walking either holding hands or using his walker, throwing everything to listen to the noise it makes.  Here is our growing 10 month old!!

 On Nolan's 10 month birthday we got to welcome his newest cousin- my sister Emily's baby girl Ellie!!  What a special day the 21st is for these two!  Exactly 10 months apart! She is a little doll baby and we are so happy for Emily and Adam!!

This weekend Nolan got his "first" snow as well.  I say first because last winter it did snow when he was 1 month old, but this time he actually had a reaction to it.  He was intrigued by it and we had fun watching him watch it fall!

These last two pictures make me smile.  As I have said before, Nolan loves noise and music.  He can stay entertained for quite a while listening to the sound certain things make and he is learning to alter the noise by adjusting how hard he hits and what he hits with.  Love this little boy!!

Las Vegas

 Just before Nolan turned 10 months, Jeff and I took a trip with our two best couple friends.  We went to Vegas and had an absolute blast.  It was my first time to Vegas and my first time out of town since Nolan.  Jeff and I are so blessed to be doing life with friends who are at the exact same stage of life as us.  Kris, Kacie, Kirby and Romi also have new little ones and it has been such a journey to do it together.  We stayed at Encore and ate at two amazing restaurants... Frank Sinatra's restaurant the first night, and Prime the second night. This is the day we arrived- we ate lunch and walked through several of the hotels.  Kris and Kacie were on a later flight.

That night the girls went to see Le Reve while the guys opted to press their luck in the casino.  It was an amazing water show.  We all loved it!

The next morning Romi, Kacie and I went to get pampered at the spa (what a treat) before heading out for lunch.  We again walked through some of the beautiful hotels and shops before getting ready for dinner.  We were fortunate enough to eat at what is now one of my all time favorite restaurants- Prime at the Bellagio.  It was PHENOMENAL! 

It was a great time with great friends!!  I was very anxious to get back home to Nolan.  He stayed at his Gran's house and was a very good boy!! We made it back in time to spend the afternoon with him and make it to music class.  I feel so blessed.

Happy Halloween!

What a fun week we had.  We celebrated Jeff's birthday and Nolan's first Halloween!  We started the week off carving pumpkins.  Here is Nolan next to his first of many jack-o-lanterns.

 Nolan was a shark for his first Halloween!  His music class dressed in costume on Monday.  Amazingly, Nolan did not mind his costume at all.  He thought the other kids costumes were funny and was a bit distracted in class!  We had dinner at Gran and Gramps house on trick-or-treat night and spent the evening there before going by Janer and Pops on our way home.

Nolan was the cutest little shark I know!  I can not believe it is already November.  We have had some great fall days this year and the trees have been beautiful.  We went to the neighborhood park to admire all the colors and enjoy the weather this past week.  It is so fun to teach Nolan about the world around him.  He liked picking the leafs off of the trees and watching pippa run!

Nolan is so fortunate to be able to spend a day a week at his Gran's house!  He gets so excited to pull up in their driveway when he realizes where he is!!  He plays hard over there and has his own set of everything including a stocked playroom!!  Nolan has his first horse ride on Friday and mom captured him!!  He is pulling up on everything and walking behind his walker throughout the house.  Little boy loves to stand up!!  He brings so much joy to Jeff and I!