The Madsen's Journey: August 2009

Birthday weekend

Nolan had quite the birthday weekend. We had two separate parties for him. The first was Saturday morning, at Grandma and Grandpa Madsen's house. It was early, first thing Saturday morning, but the family turned out in force. It was fun, and Nolan sure warmed up to everyone really quickly. He had fun opening presents and playing with Tiv. We were glad we didn't have to host at our house!

Sunday, we made the drive up to Sarah and David's house for birthday party #2. It was a beautiful afternoon, and we spent the entire day outside. Nolan had a blast in the inflatable pool...almost too much fun! He was all about riding the classic horse toy that used to belong to Sarah. Something to keep in mind? We had a great visit with Grandpa David, Grandma Lois, Sarah, and Anne. It was a great end to a fun birthday weekend.

Next stop...Christmas!!! YIKES!!!

Nolan's 2nd Birthday! (2)

"Mmmm....cupcakes!"

"Cheese" daddy!!! Playing in the pool at Sarah and David's.

"Yee-haw!"

Sarah's horse...he really loved riding that!

Lots of presents...but the ribbon was very fun!

Nolan's 2nd Birthday! (1)

His first puppet - Harry

Again, the focused concentration...so cute.

"Open Tivy!"

Ripping paper, pulling ribbons, no help from mom or dad!

Opening presents...more fun this year!

4th of July

Our family vacation this summer was another trip up to visit Grandpa Eric (that is just fun to say) in Door County, WI. We were a little nervous, as our trip last year was a bit rough, but this year, we were prepared. We purchased a portable DVD player - yes, our car does not have one built in - and that made things much easier. While there is a part of me that finds that to be "cheating", at this age, it sure seems to help things. I hope in the coming years, we can road trip like I used to... (yeah, right!).

The week was very nice, even though the weather was cool and rainy at the beginning. We bought a small tent and Nolan loved climbing in the tent in the yard. He wanted everyone to come and sit in the tent. That is about as close to camping as I'll ever get...but it was fun for Nolan! He is still a bit apprehensive about the tractor, but when it wasn't running, he sure liked to climb all over it. He didn't want anything to do with it while it was running though...so we still have another year or so before he might want to ride/drive.

We found lots of parks, and Nolan loves slides. He really took to the beach, so I'm glad to see he is following in his dad's footsteps - Parrothead in training (I'd like to think). It was great spending time up in Door County, and Nolan seems to really enjoy it there.