Articles by Melanie

This past weekend James, Nolan, and I met my aunt, uncle, and their six-year-old daughter at Lake Eufaula in Oklahoma for a fun little getaway at their “chateau” as they call it. (In case you are wondering, my aunt is only six years older than me!) As we always do with this family, we had a great time. They went to Disney World with us too! Nolan said being pulled by the boat on the tube and standing at the front of the boat while cruising were his favorite parts of the trip.

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.

Below are two little videos. (Sorry. They are not the fancy videos James creates. These were shot on my iPhone.) I wish you could see their smiling faces and their heads bobbing up and down! Too cute!

He absolutely adores his brother and wants what Nolan wants. He copies what he does and goes around saying “Bubba, Bubba” over and over again when Nolan is not home.

He is a very cautious child. He is not daring and takes his time to try new things.

He pretty much is on a milk diet. He is a VERY picky eater who basically lives on milk, fruit, and cheese. He occasionally will throw us for a loop and take a bite of something else.

He loves to wear shoes and basically insists “oos (shoes) on” until we oblige. Oh and not just any pair. These shoes.

He loves golf and carries a golf club and ball every chance he gets. He hits the ball more times than he misses. It is quite impressive I must admit. He may give James and Nolan a run for their money some day.

He loves the characters Woody and Buzz from the movie Toy Story and Lightning McQueen from the movie Cars.

Every time he sees water he shouts “Bubbles!”

He loves to read books. The Maisy series seems to be his favorite right now. Every times he sees a Maisy book, instead of calling out her name, he hums the song from the TV series.

He loves music and to dance.

New words are added to his vocabulary daily; however, there is a 50/50 chance if the first consonant will be included. Words that begin with a vowel he usually will say. Esse (for our dog Jesse), olf for golf, asuage for sausage just to name a few.

He is a serious child, but if you can get him laughing, it melts your heart.

He is very stubborn and opinionated. I say he got this from James. James would probably say just the opposite!

He loves to wear pajama bottoms. Pajama top is optional!

He loves to swim in the pool and be in water. With the help of swim lessons, he does quite well for his age I must say.

He loves to go “bye-bye.” We have to be very careful not to mention that we are leaving before we actually are ready to go. If not, he is not a happy camper.

He loves to watch home videos and play music on the i Phone. We have to hide our phones at times or he will insist on playing on it! And yes, he does know how to “sort of” work the phone.

He loves to be “out ide” (outside) writing with “alk” (chalk) and blowing bubbles. (Bubbles is a word he says correctly.)

He is 100 weeks old this week.

(Disclaimer: I would not have known he was 100 weeks old per se if I had not gotten my weekly email from a child website! I can tell you he will be TWO in several weeks though. BOO!!)

Over the holiday weekend, we went to visit some of our very favorite people (who also just happen to be James’ sister, brother-in-law, and their daughter). The weekend was a perfect blend of being out and about in Fayetteville and lounging around at their home. I even got one nap in and James was able to take two naps! Unheard of for us!

On Saturday we started the morning at a very yummy place for breakfast, followed by a stroll through the farmer’s market on the square. Early afternoon brought a fun surprise as we opened the door to find James’ parents outside! Dinner on an upstairs patio overlooking Dickson street and the “Bikers, Babes, and Bling” motorcycle rally was quite fun and made for some great people watching! The evening ended as we watched fireworks from the lawn at the University of Arkansas.

Sunday morning started with homemade donuts, followed later by lunch at a local pizza joint, naps for Carolyn, David, and James, Lily, and Griffin, while Nolan and I went exploring and played at a local park. After a yummy BBQ dinner at home, we set up for our own fireworks show and definitely was the highlight of the trip! This city girl has NEVER seen anything like it. With fireworks being legal in the city limits, let me just say the residents are not shy to show their patriotism! Every direction you turned, we saw fireworks in sky. And I do not just mean sparklers and Black Cats! The real deal!

Before dark, we lit sparklers, Roman Candles, and other fun little fireworks. Although Griffin had loved the fireworks show the night before (he sat mesmerized and was completely still throughout the entire show), he did not really care for the fireworks show a few feet in front of him. I do not really say I can blame him. The irony was that although he hated them, he wanted to be right in the middle of the action. This made it somewhat frustrating for me (and Griffin thought so too). He did like the sparklers!

As Carolyn and I got the “babies” in bed, James, David, and Nolan went back to the fireworks tent (third time I might add, oh and there were at least six huge firework tents to choose from within a couple miles. I told you this is serious business in these parts!) With sound machines cranked up in Griffin and Lily’s room, we all headed back outside for the “real” show. Nolan had such a great time being the helper and assistant as they shot the fireworks. He took his job very seriously and acted like he was quite the fireworks expert! Nolan almost seemed more interested in the logistics of our little show instead of watching the end result in the sky. No real surprise there!

Such a fun weekend and special thanks to our great hosts!

Below are a few pictures of the “pre” fireworks show.

DISCLAIMER! The utmost caution was used as the fireworks were lit and ensuring safety with the little ones. Looking at some of these pictures now, it sort of looks like the kids were just having a free for all with explosives!

Nolan was out front playing with our next-door neighbor’s child. He ran inside mumbling about making a sign, blah, blah, and blah. He rummaged around in the drawers, grabbed a few items, and raced back outside. I admit it. I was only partially listening and paying attention. Hey, this child is ALWAYS talking and always has an idea for something!

About fifteen minutes later Nolan was inside and I was in the garage. The garage doors were up and I was moving a few things around (We have a front entry garage by the way). I noticed a few cars slowing down in front of our house. I did not really think much of it. I continued doing what I needed to do. As I started to water the flowers in the front yard, I noticed it. The sign. “Oh my gosh!” I thought to myself. I ran to see what he had “written.”

A few minutes later I went inside to inquire about the sign to Nolan. He proudly said it was a message for the skateboarders and scooter riders to stay off the lawns. (Side note: James and I often are complaining about the group of preteens that seem to convene around our house practicing their tricks and, at times, hopping curbs and riding in driveways). He was so proud of his sign and how helpful he had been.

In case you cannot quite decipher what is in the picture, he drew a skateboarder and scooter rider inside a circle with a big “x” through them. The warning was loud and clear!

It was a tricky balance deciding how to get the sign out of the front yard AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE, but at the same time, honoring Nolan’s intention.

With this child, I should seriously consider writing a book don’t you think?

Notice the empty water bottles and kneepad. The water bottles apparently help keep the sign grounded. The kneepad? Well I never got a straight answer on that one. Your guess is as good as mine.

Apparently GREEN!

I counted 13 green shirts. This kid does not lack for clothes that is for sure.

I wonder if this is going to become a nightly ritual.