Baby Fest 2

We had a great time attending Baby Fest 2, up in Cambridge, MN at Sarah and David's lakeside house. It was a beautiful day, but the mosquitos got pretty think towards the afternoon. Nolan finally started crawling around in the grass, and once he started, it was hard to keep up with him. There were several other kids there, and Nolan had fun playing with all the different toys and watching the others run around the yard. I was thankful that Nolan wasn't able to walk yet, because once he starts walking, he is going to be a terror! Enjoy the pictures and video clip.

Door County Video

Nolan, while he doesn't like crawling on grass
yet, sure had fun up in Door County. We had
a few perfect days while we were up there, and
we couldn't have asked for better - well,
if Laura and I didn't have colds, allergies, or a
combination of the two would have made it a
little more enjoyable.

Pictures from the Door

"You want me to mow what?"



"Oh, I can get used to this!"



"Yeah, I like it up here."



"You put your right foot in..."



"I like this grandpa guy..."



"Can someone get me a lemonade?"



"Did you get my good side?"



"I can take this guy, he's not that tough."



"Walking isn't that hard, is it?"

Memorial Day 2008

We experienced our first full family vacation this Memorial Day weekend. The whole group, dog included, packed up and headed up to Door County, WI to visit grandpa. It was a perfect weekend, except that Laura and I both were sick and probably had allergies on top of our colds. While not perfect for health, the weather couldn't be better. We had a few days of beautiful sun, and only one night worth of rain - and there was a lot of rain.

Nolan had a great time exploring the house. He and grandpa sure had fun, and grandpa even crawled around the kitchen island with Nolan chasing him - his knees might never recover! Joey walked Nolan around the yard, and he even helped pulling the dead daffodils off the stems. He really likes walking around, and the house is perfect for him crawling - we just have to keep the dog's water bowl out of reach!

While the weekend was short, it was a perfect test for a longer vacation later this summer. Nolan isn't the best traveler, however, Door County is a perfect test ground to get him used to longer trips.

Nolan Loves Water

Attention: we have made sure that all his "bits
and pieces" are hidden, so it is okay to watch.
He will hate us years from now, but it is cute.



Well, it is amazing how much Nolan loves water,
and we are starting to think that we should
start him in swimming classes. Not that Laura
and I are avid swimmers, but if it is something
he really likes, even I might start swimming!!!

Time sure seems to fly by, as we just celebrated
his 9 month birthday. We have decided to list our
house, not expecting much, if we can sell, we will
but we have to consider all options. This summer
will be interesting...

Already?!?

It is hard to believe how fast the changes happen
with Nolan! I has been a while since we updated
the blog. Crawling is no problem for the little
guy, and he is wasting no time and anxious to
take the next step - literally!!! Pretty amazing...

And he's off...

Our lives will never be the same. It is amazing what
just a couple days can bring about. Only Friday we
were beginning to think he would walk before he
started crawling...I guess not. Mom, you'd better
have those floors clean if he comes over. He sure
likes being able to move around.

Pictures

Yes, this is all new snow on the first day of Spring...



"We were so close...why? Why?



"Dad, you promised we would be able to go out???"

1st day of Spring?

Well, it wouldn't be Minnesota if on the first full day of Spring we got 6+ inches of snow. Boy, there are times when it is a wonder why we are living here... We had a few beautiful days, snow was melting, and both Nolan and I (Karl) were anxious about being able to spend days outside. We will just have to wait a few more weeks...

Laura and I are still discussing the possibility of moving out of our townhouse this year. It is a pretty tough decision, since there is very little change we will be able to sell this year. We are excited that we have been able to do some more searching and have found several potential houses in the new price range. However, it is still a gamble as we both are concerned about this townhouse sitting unoccupied for several months, and us still having to pay the mortgage. So the debate continues...

Pictures

"I didn't knock that over, did I?"



"Yeah, I'm getting bigger everyday."



"Just can't go forwards...yet."



"Did you want me to just change the oil?"

Housing Update

We had our meeting with our mortgage consultant, and while the news wasn't as positive as we would have liked, it still looks like we might be able to get out of our townhouse this year. There are lots of variables that will have an impact on what we move into, so the process is just in the beginning stages. However, both Laura and I agree that we are ready to move into something bigger and more suited for our growing family.

Nolan is still the master of scooting backwards. He just hasn't quite put the idea of moving his hands and knees together to go forwards yet. I'm starting to think that isn't that bad of a thing, I know that once he starts moving, he probably won't stop unless he is asleep. More to come soon...

Video Clip

Ladies and Gentlemen,
Please give a round of applause for our featured
performer this evening, Nolan Madsen! Be
careful, the ending might have you falling off your
chair laughing!



More to come...

Video Clip

Our first video clip. Nolan is so close to crawling, but
just gets so excited that his arms and legs just flail
out to the sides.



More clips to follow. We will be sure to put his first
crawl online soon.

Pictures

"I'm the happiest baby in the world."



"Um, dad, can I play too?"



"Look out Neil, here I come!"



"Can you believe it! Sitting is fun!"



"Please, Please, Please, this is so exciting!"

Housing Concerns

Well, the decision to sell our townhouse has become more complicated than both Laura and I had hoped. We had a great meeting with a friend of the family, who is also in the realty business. Within the first few minutes, he was trying to convince us not to sell at the present time. It makes for a difficult decision - to try and sell, to refinance and rent, or to just live with it for another year. We are busting at the seams, and our concern is the layout of this place since Nolan is just about to crawl. We are ready for a yard, no shared walls, and more storage space - yeah, I'm a saver but baby toys sure do take up a lot of room.

Nolan is just a great little kid. He really is just a knee movement away from crawling. I'm really excited to see that, but I know it is going to open up a whole new set of concerns. Laura has been traveling for work, and that has made it hard on the both of us. She misses being around Nolan, but she always brings a toy back.

We are looking forward to the snow finally melting so we can take Nolan out on walks. It will be really nice when we don't have to spend 15-20 minutes just bundling him up before we can even leave the house. Spring isn't too far away - unless you have decided to move up to Door County and are buried in one of the snowiest years on record. That is what Grandpa (Eric) gets.

Pictures

"Who spiked the carrots?"



"Hello, anyone going to play with me?"



"Yes, mom, I know you think I'm great."



"Gimme the camera! I wanna eat the camera!"

6 Months

Can you believe Nolan is 6 months old already! We just had him in for his latest round of shots - they sure give the little guys lots of shots - and Nolan is 19 lbs and 27 inches. Sad to think that we are going to be shopping for a new car seat in the next couple months. He is a very healthy boy. The doctor thinks that he will probably walk early, which only fits as Laura was an early walker.

Nolan is practically days away from crawling, he is rolling over all the time and starting to scoot around the floor. I'm anxious to watch him crawl, but it will open up a whole new batch of problems.

We have started home shopping - the Minnesota Parade of Homes started this weekend, and Laura and I spent the afternoon looking at several model homes. We are beginning to make our list of features we would like in new house, but the biggest concern will be selling our current place. We have started the projects we feel will make our townhouse more marketable. Mark your calendars for the weekend of March 15th, as we will be having a painting party - bring your painting clothes and we will have brushes and rollers a plenty.

Pictures

"OK, so here's the deal!"



"Dad, put away the camera, we're playing!"



"Yo, yo, yo!"

Changes

We are due for a big cold snap here in Minnesota, and I just keep thinking warm thoughts. Nolan changes so much so fast it's hard to keep track. Just looking through the pictures from a few short months ago to now is quite amazing. He is sleeping through the night, thanks to a book called "The Sleep Sense Program" by Dana Odelman. I highly recommend it. My boss gave it to me, I suppose after one too many days of me coming to work looking like what I can only describe as a refugee. She also had a little one that wasn't fond of sleep so she was very empathetic.

We are planning on buying a new house this summer. Please keep us in your positive thoughts and hope that the current housing slump doesn't impact our ability to sell the townhouse. I think we will be a good position to get a much bigger house than we could have a couple of years ago, assuming we can get rid of our current one. It will be a bittersweet moment for us, this is the house that Karl & I have made a lot of memories in. But believe me, we need the space. Besides the fact that Karl is a 'saver', baby toys these days are not small. Gone are the days of the rattle. Now we have computer operated, MP3 connected, battery reliant,decibel blasting, light emitting 'learning' agents. I miss empty cardboard boxes.
Stay Warm, wherever you are.

Pictures

- Another music prodigy?


- "Do I have something on my face?"


- "I can bounce! I can bounce!"


- Nolan in his Jumparoo.