First Date

This week Nolan and I went on our first date. He had an orientation at school to meet his new teacher. I think Ms. Pam is going to be a great fit for him. He will be going two morning a week and we are SO ready! I really think that I am going to flourish as a mom of school-aged children. I honestly look forward to being as involved in their schools as I can be. Just a few more years! :)

Self-portrait before we headed out the door. This was my 4th attempt and by this point I was getting frustrated and sweaty! It was a real dilemma of whether to post a picture where I look good but Nolan has a mouth full of food, or to go with a really cute one of him and a rather shiny one of me. He won out!! This is about him, right?? :)

So, after orientation I took him to Dunkin' Donuts for his first ever doughnut and some fun coffee. The child is obsessed with coffee. It take total responsibility for that- I never quite gave up my own addiction while pregnant. He comes by it honestly! Anyway, I had really low expectations because he generally won't try new foods- even sugary treats. He did great though. I let him pick out the one he wanted- with frosting and sprinkles of course. At first he wouldn't touch it- so it sat on the table and he licked the fun stuff off.

Eventually he did pick it up. Victory!! If your child does not have texture issues you need to thank the Good Lord above!!! It is a challenge to say the least but we continue to make small steps in the right direction!

After DD we headed to the library to pick out some new books. I have to be honest, I have still not mastered the art of the library with him. Usually I am trying to look at books (and there are some really strange juvenile books out there I might add!!!) and he is running laps while laughing loudly between the different aisles. Yep, I am apparently THAT mom!! I try to threaten and regain control, but I am afraid to admit that I have- up to this point- lost the battle. I think I need a new library strategy.

All in all it was a great morning with my big two and a half year old! I love when I get to really focus on just him and am looking forward to many more dates!

Dear Elliott;

I am so sorry that your Mama is such a slacker. I know that you turned 9 months old five weeks ago, and I know that any significant event that involves going to the doctor and getting 2 shots deserves a blog post, and I know that I faithfully documented every month of your brothers life on the exact day of his milestone. But the thing is- I had NOTHING else to do!! So, if you are reading this when you are old enough to understand- please know that I love you so much, but I am tired!! :)

Love,
You Slacker Mom

9 month stats:
26 lbs. + 30.5 inches = a huge baby!

Frankie Says Relax

I think that Nolan channels my deep inner love for the 80's. Our neighbor Anna gave Nolan these sunglasses and he is SERIOUS about these things. They live in the car and the second he gets in his seat he puts them on and when I open the car door to get him out he carefully takes them off, folds them up, and sets then on the armrest. Rock on dude!!

My Best Decision!

Four years ago today I made the best decision. I said "I do" (or was it "I will"- I can never remember!!) to Jerel Warren. It's been a really fun, really full four years. I wouldn't trade a day of it. Looking forward to another one!!

PS- this picture always cracks me up. I love how the girls are all huddled together and you could literally fit another human between each of the guys. But I will say, it was about 112 degrees in that sanctuary - those guys might have been the wiser of the group!! :)

Zucchini Races

This past Saturday at our downtown market they had the best activity for kids- zucchini races! Never heard of them?? Me either, but it is a great idea. They attached wheels with a wooden dowel and then let the kids decorate the cars however they wanted. When the project was complete they hiked their new hot rod over to the race track and duked it out. Ok, it wasn't that dramatic. But I will say that Nolan beat the pants off that other kid. :) This will most likely be the theme of Nolan's first birthday party where we actually invite other kids. It was really fun!! The picture quality isn't stellar, but I forgot our camera and just had to go with the trusty blackberry!!

Off to the races

Just seconds before victory

The Champ! :) Pinewood Derby here we come!!!

Weeks...

I know- it has been weeks since I have "blogged". It has just seemed overwhelming to me- for absolutely no reason! :) So I am going to try to catch up. 3 weeks ago we were able to have Elliott baptized. It was a great day and enjoyed having some friends and family over for brunch. Sadly, I took zero pictures. I don't even have a picture of the ceremony (is there a better word for that??).

My mom was able to come up for the big day and then we left her with the boys for 5 whole days! Jerel and I went to Nashville for our church's general assembly. It was a fun and relaxing week and my mom did such a great job with the kids. I was ready to come home by the end of our time but it took 5 days for me to get there! :) Again, no pictures. What is my deal??

My sweet and happy Elliott on the 4th. It was a VERY low-key holiday around the Warren house. They are not really at the age for parades and fireworks. We basically hung around the house and did nothing. I think we grilled hamburgers. That counts, right??

I love this picture for two reasons. 1) the boys are holding hands. That always melts my heart. 2) you can see Nolan's curly head. It's hard to see in pictures sometimes but he has really curly hair. Everyone always asks where he got the curls from- all the men on my side of the family have curly hair. So, now you know!! :) I keep telling him that we are going to have to break down and get it cut- it's seriously out of control at times!! It just took so long to get.

Another thing that has been taking a lot of our time is that Rocky has been really sick. We noticed about 5 weeks ago that he was really lethargic and wouldn't eat his food but would eat moss, dirt, sawdust, and mulch when he was outside. After a ton of tests and medicine, we still don't really know what is wrong with him but basically he is chronically anemic. We are pretty sure it is not cancer or leukemia but have no idea past that. He is finally, slowly responding to medicine and seeming a little better. We were pretty sure we were going to loose him, but it's looking up! Whew.

Also the weekend of the 4th we decided that it was time for Nolan to move into a big boy bed. I was nervous that he wouldn't do well, or that he would get out of it all the time- but he has done great. The bed was Jerel's growing up and I found the bedding at Walmart.com for $32. I love it and now I just need to recover that chair.


There has been a lot of this going on lately. He can't actually crawl yet, but I am thinking that we are just days away. He's actually really frustrated that he can't move better. I feel for him. The reality is that he rolls wherever he wants to go, and that kid is fast!!!

This is the other activity that takes up part of our day. He calls it his motorcycle. It' a 4th generation hand-me-down and the front week is badly cracked and slips on the cement all the time. Oh well- better than nothing. He has a classic tricycle but he flips it over all the time. It could be worse.

Elliott is waking up and I only have 4 more hours of this week left (I consider a week Monday - Friday, where I have to fly solo most of the day!) PARTY!!

"Call Me"

My new favorite things is when Jerel is getting ready to leave the house he will call out to Nolan- "Bye buddy. Love you!" with which Nolan replies, "Bye! Call me!". It cracks me up every time! Then he runs to the window to wave at Jerel as he drives past. How cute is that??

This chub of love turned 8 months yesterday. The major milestone is that he is finally SLEEPING THOUGH THE NIGHT!!!! I hardly know what to do with myself! :)