2009 already!?!

Yikes, from Thanksgiving through Christmas, and now we are already through the first week of 2009! What happened?

This year has been just an amazing year, and it is hard to imagine that our little guy is already 17 months old! It is astounding to watch him, he is learning so much, so very quickly. While he isn't putting sentences together quite yet, he is talking in his own way all the time. He seems to be learning new words almost daily, and his day care is teaching him some sign language - so there are times when he is signing, and neither Laura or I recognize it!

All in all, for as many sleepless nights as we have had this past year, I wouldn't change a thing. Enjoy the new pictures...

December Pics 2

"I like presents!"



"Who needs toys when these boxes are more fun!"



"Can someone wake up Tiv???"



"A truck, a book, and a uncle!"



"Cute as a lobster!"

December Pics 1

"Can't you see I'm still getting ready?!?"



"Mmmmmmm, milk is good!"



"Come on MOM!!!"



"Ohhh, what is this?



"Um, can't you see it was perfect before you started?"

November updates

Another month, and Nolan just keeps growing and becoming more and more his own person. He is constantly exploring, climbing into things, onto things, and pulling stuff out of drawers and cabinets. Sometimes it becomes a little much, but at the same time, it is just fun watching him find his way in this really big world. He will reach 16 months in just a couple days, hard to believe how fast it has gone by.

As for the rest of us, Laura has transitioned from working at a large corporation to working as a consultant for a small consulting company. It is a great step, as it is giving her the chance to expand her opportunity to speak at national conferences and submit articles for national journals. I have landed a full-time, exempt position with Carleton College. I'm very excited about the opportunity, as I will be working with the Enterprise Information System team deploying applications which will enhance the productivity of the entire college (well, not right away, but after a few months of training).

We have taken our townhouse off the market, as we had little success in generating traffic. The housing market being what it is, it isn't too surprising, however, we never reached our goal of finding out what steps we would need to take to make our house more marketable this spring. So we have a couple projects that we decided upon, and will try again this spring. We are definitely out of space here, and could really use a yard for both Murphy and Nolan. It will happen... December will bring lots of pictures, so stay tuned!

All the best,
Karl, Laura, Murphy, and Nolan (KLMN)

Nolan's first tricycle...

More Pics

A boy, his bottle, and a book.



Can you ask for anything better, Nolan likes
reading books...granted, this one is called
"Everyone Poops".



Our tree, decorated with baby and dog toys...perfect.



"Just call me Mr. TP!"

Thanksgiving weekend pics

"Just walking, don't mind me."



"Does it get any better than this?"



"Next stop, Big Thunder Mountain!!!"



"Um, does this do something?"

Halloween 2008

Nolan experienced his second Halloween, but the first one where he was out trick-or-treating. It was so fun to watch him playing outside. I don't think he was aware of what was really happening, or why he was wearing such funny clothes, but he had fun all the same. Aunt Tivoli bought Nolan an outfit while she was in Hong Kong last year, so it was a treat for Nolan to wear it out for his first foray into trick-or-treating. As the night got colder, we switched to the bumble-bee costume...which was just fun to watch Nolan navigate with that large, round waist. This year was an excellent Halloween, next year will be even better.



"Can someone get me some candy..."



The Asian-connection.



If someone else comments on that guy from the Simpsons...



"Wow, this candy thing can be tiring!"

Dinner Disaster

You turn your back on them for just one second...and there is spaghetti everywhere! He was laughing and playing, I just couldn't help laughing with him. This is what it is all about.



"What, did I miss a piece?"



"Mmmmmm...noodles."



The post-spaghetti-hair look. Can we say future rock star?

Nolan Art Work

Nolan is a budding artist, as well as a future piano player. We cleaned out his "art" file at Anna's Bananas, his day care, and here are three of his more impressive works. Maybe baseball is in his future...

Super Nolan!

We have a budding super hero on our hands. It is so hard to just stand back and watch kids play...what imaginations.



"This cape thing isn't working for me."



"Faster than a speeding train!"



"You can call me...The Nolanator."

No Fear

Just what Laura and I most feared...Nolan doesn't seem to be afraid of much. Just watch, laugh, and wonder what trouble he will be getting into soon. Oh...and he enjoys making a production of it!

Door County

Laura, Nolan, Murphy and I spent a week up in Door County this fall. It was a nice family vacation, and we all enjoyed being outside as much as we were able. Unfortunately, Nolan either has allergies, or caught a cold the last few days we were up there, so the trip back wasn't as much fun... It was great spending time with Grandpa (Eric) and even Grandma (Mardelle) spent most of the week up there with us as well.



"Um...I'm a little confused...aren't these
supposed to be bigger?"



"Oh, I can touch it?"



"Who is supposed to be walking who?"



"Okay, this looks interesting..."

Nolan Swimming

Nolan loves the water, so while we were up in Door County, we set up a small pool for him to play in. Here are some pictures...he sure loves splashing!!!



"Oh yeah, this is my pool!"



"I'll show you!"



"Do I have to go...I like it in here.

August Updates

Yeah, it has been a while since I've updated the blog. I apologize to you all, but sometimes life gets in the way. Lots of news, so we will begin with Nolan's first birthday. We made an unsuccessful trip to the Como Zoo on Friday, Aug. 8. We must not have been the only one's with the idea of heading to Como on such a beautiful day. Instead, we had a small picnic at Ft. Snelling State Park and watched the planes taking off. Sunday Aug. 10 we had family and friends over to celebrate. Nolan had a pretty good time, and watching him play with all his new toys was fun.

On to the work front, I'm starting a new job on Monday. I'm filling in for a friend while she is on maternity leave as an Academic Technologist at Carleton College. It is only a contract position until the middle of December, but I'm hoping that it will turn into something full-time. If not, it is the experience that will be beneficial in finding something long term.

I have found my Achilles heal - putting Nolan in day care. While I think it will help him become more independent and learn how to deal other kids, it has been really hard not having him around the house. I am so fortunate to have been able to spend the first year with him, but it is time for me to get back to work.

Thanks for the patience, and check out all the new pictures.

Nolan's New Hat

"I'm starting a new trend..."



"Does it look natural?"



"Why won't it stay on my head?"

Nolan's Rain Dance

"Wow, I'm making it rain!"



"I'm dancing in the rain."



"Um, yeah, can you do something about this hair?"

Nolan's First Birthday

"Well, how do I get it out of the box?"



"This is the life, now push faster dad!!!"



"I have him so well trained."



"Yeah, it's all about me."



"Mmmmmm, cake."



"Can't talk now...making a mess."