Glove boy

The other day I was doing the dishes when I looked over to see this...... (that is my helmet by the way)

My friend the praying mantis

We were out in the yard the other day enjoying one of the last few days of summer when Nolan found a praying mantis.  I have been told that as a child I was not at all afraid of bugs and would often catch crickets and play with them..... looks like I pasted this lovely trait onto my son...  Last Summer he found a beetle and played with it for an hour (see post, My friend the beetle) This praying mantis was a good sport, clinging to his shirt and walking around on his hands.  Finally Nolan got bored with the mantis and mumbled something about squishing him so I encouraged him to put his new little friend on some bush leaves so he could find his family.   A few weeks ago he found a huge grasshopper.  The grasshopper jumped and landed on his shorts and would NOT come off.   I told him to go over and show daddy (Joe and his dad were working on the other side of the yard)  So Nolan walked very goofily over to the other sided of the yard with the cricket still holding fast.  After Dad had gotten a good look he began jumping with one leg in the air to get this hopper off.  It took a few minutes but finally the little guy was done with the ride and jumped off.  It was one of the funniest things I have seen in a while :-)

Nuggles

A few days ago Daddy stayed home sick.  Shyloh, being the tender sweet spirit she is, could tell that he was under the weather and needed some cheering up.  She decided to climb up and pay him a little visit.  She brought with her some old pretzels she found under the couch and gave him a drink from her sipper.  She also brought her pink snuggley blanket to help him stay warm.   Joe was very grateful for this wee bit of nourishment and company.  after making sure he was well fed and warm she laid her head on him and nuggled for a while. (much longer than most toddlers would snuggle at this age!) This was her way of saying "Daddy, I hope you fell better soon, I love you" Daddy laid there with her soaking in some Shyloh bliss, enjoying yet another sweet moment of parenthood. 

Pumpkin Patch 2011

We always have fun at the pumpkin patch! Last year Shyloh was just a little peanut bundled up in the baby carrier but this year she was big enough to play! We ran through the patch looking for that perfect pumpkin.  It was pretty picked over so we had to walk pretty far to find some good ones.  It was fun! They also had a hay stack maze and some animals to look at and pet including a Kangaroo! It was a super fun family night!!!

Nolan is 5!!!!

I still can't believe that my first born is 5! Where have the years gone?! This was a super fun Birthday.  We started with a little private party with just the four of us on Wednesday.   Nolan got to pick his  favorite foods, french toast for breakfast, Mac-n-cheese for lunch and quesadillas for dinner.  Then we sang happy birthday after dinner and ate cake! Most of Nolans preasants were from yard sales but he LOVED them all.  We even got him a mini measuring tape and a flash light so he would stop steeling daddys and Grandads. The fun continued on to Friday where we met much of the family at Planet Play.  This place was so amazing! They had mini bowling, go carts, bumper cars, a jungle gym, a little train and tons of games! Nolan won enough tickets to get a samurai sward, perfect for his Halloween costume! We had a blast! The food was delicious as well!  I still can't believe my little boy is five!  We love you Nolan

 

The Saturday after Nolans Birthday we went to Planet Play! SO SO FUN They had so many fun things there.  Race cars, mini bowling, glow in the dark put golf and tons of arcade games.  It was a blast! Nolans favorite was the bowling

Raspberry's

 Raspberry's and I have very fond memories together.... As a young child, my summers were spent in Othello Washington with my Grandma and Grandpa Smith.  This magical place was Paradise for a kid.  They had huge towering cherry trees, a large beautiful garden with all kinds of tasty veggies and their own orchard of trees including a walnut tree and some apple trees!  I also enjoyed nibbling at the gooseberry bushes from time to time. Amidst all this smorgasbord of deliciousness, my favorites were the raspberry bushes! They had rows upon rows of neatly pruned raspberry bushes.  Grandma would send us out with buckets to collect endless amounts of raspberry's. . We would come home, stomachs and buckets full.  She would make the most delicious raspberry freezer jam with her fresh raspberry's! I tell Joe often that if we are ever fortunate enough to have a home with a large back yard, I would definitely have some raspberry bushes! The more the better!

I am so thankful that Joes folks have a few raspberry bushes in thier back yard. I can relive my happy Othello days!  Nolan, Shyloh and I have had a lot of fun picking and eating raspberry's during our play dates!  Shyloh loves toddling up and pulling on anything that resembles a raspberry.  I am still teaching her to eat the red ones not the green ones.