Nolan's NOLA Bash- 1st Birthday Party

For Nolan's first birthday we had a "New Orleans" themed party, a NOLA bash. We were so lucky to have all 10 of the Yates cousins there and all of his grandparents and a tiny handful of friends.

I had so much fun planning it. We had authentic gumbo catered by Alligator Cafe, red beans and rice, pizza and kid food, Pat O Brien's hurricanes (The real deal!), mardi gras masks, custom Nola themed decor, and a brand new bounce house provided by Gigi and Dandy and Bebe and Papa.  We've already used it a ton! Don't rent the big ones, buy a small one to reuse if you can!

Nolan loved his party and loved his cake.  Unlike many other babies I actually had to take it away from him because he was planning to eat the entire thing and I was afraid he would get sick! Nolan Likes Cake. :)

Gigi and Dandy drove in for the party from Austin, Nolan was lucky to have them there!  And Aunt Alice helped SO much in the kitchen and his cousins helped me decorate beforehand. It was such a family affair.

The kids bounced and bounced and played so hard that at 10 PM Mallory laid down on the concrete patio and fell asleep.  Now that's a sign of a good party!

Lauren Haddox did an excellent job with our unique party theme! Adorable invites and decor!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/laurenloulolly

So sweaty from all that bouncing!

Pat O's mix and Rum makes a yummy Hurricane drink!

Peyton and Mom

I have the BEST custom kid shirt designer! Mardi gras wagon with beads!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/madecutejust4u

So delicious. 1st bday parties are the best!

Catering by Aunt Alice!

Presenting Nolan 

Funny faces while we sang to him

Need a smash cake?  Ask for Central Market to make you one on their jumbo cupcake. Delish!

How many Yates cousins can you put in a bounce house?

Happy Happy Birthday to my precious baby boy.  We had SO much fun celebrating you!  N'awlins Style.

Nolan Turned 1! A Year of sitting with Brobee

Our sweet baby Nolan turned one on March 28th.  I will have all of his stats this week after he has his check-up but for now, here is his FINAL Brobee picture.  Pretty amazing that a whole year has passed. If I think about it too much it makes me sad.  I am so glad I took the same picture of him each month.  It is so fun to see him grow.  And grow he did!!!

What do we know about Nolan after one-year of growing with him?  Well, we like to call him Nolie. It just stuck.  Big Brother calls him Nolan Price and Big Giant Baby.  Sister calls him Nolie and Nolan.  Nolan loves his momma but he also loves his daddy and runs to him.  He loves to be tickled on his fat legs and have bubbles blown on his belly.  He claps when he dances, waves, and does the sign for "milk". He loves to eat and eats more than the other kids.  He has a big boy appetite and eats big boy foods.  Nolie likes to join us in dance parties, would spend hours outside, pushes toys, plays with water, and jumps on the trampoline and in the bounce house.  He makes my heart smile when I see him in the morning and greets me so happily after his naps.  He loves to be held but is super heavy so he has learned to be quite the speedy walker.  He sleeps with his lovie, Lambert, and likes to suck on it when he naps.  He adores blackberries and everything tastes better coming out of Peyton or Mallory's sippy cup.  He makes me happy and fills my heart with joy.

Having a new baby when we also had a 16-month-old and a 4-year-old was never going to be "easy". But Nolan has made it so much easier by just being the sweetest, most chill, fun baby boy.  He has made it enjoyable!  There were moments of crazy and there are bound to be more, and there are lots of diapers, crying, and just pure chaos most minutes of the day, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  Nolan has been the biggest blessing to all of us because he is pure love.

Now that we survived the year, i have to look back and see how we got here.  We have such special people in our life that take good care of my kids.  Of course Gigi and Dandy and Bebe and Papa and our families have done so much, but I have to also thank our Mimi (our neighbor) for loving my kids like they were family, and Ms. Martha.  We have also had great babysitters and wonderful friends in the neighborhood.  Our Preschool/MDO gives me just enough time in the week to try to keep our lives in order and my kids are so loved and cared for there. We received so many meals from various people when Nolan was born too.  We are blessed and I wouldn't have it any other way.

Happy First Birthday to my Big, Sweet, Loving, Adorable Baby Boy.  Here you are each month of your life, posing with Brobee.  It is in month order starting with being born:

Just Born, has yet to meet "Brobee"

What a year it has been.  From 9 lbs 9 ounces to probably about 26 pounds and you just keep getting longer. You've grown for sure but our hearts have grown even more.  You are the perfect addition to our family Nolie Noo.  You are destined for wonderful things because I can already tell that you have a kind heart (and because you are so patient with our family)

We love you,

Your Mom, Dad, and Peyton and Mallory

Sissy Sou at Two

Mallory Ann is now close to 2 1/2 and has become quite the personality.  She was a late talker due to a massive ear infection that just wouldn't clear and had fluid in her eardrums, so we had ear tubes put in around early December.  To say that they changed her life would be an understatement. She literally started talking more on the way home from the procedure and hasn't stopped!  Listening to her chat her way through her day is one of my greatest pleasures.   Here are some of her recent sayings that make me smile (recording here so that I can always remember these special days.)

"I wear my pinka dress!"  "Where my Pinka Dress?!?"  (all day long, her cousin Anna gave her an old dance costume that is known as Pinka. and it is Mallory's favorite)

I play toccer with dada and baba?  (she is so sad every time the boys go to soccer without her- and likes to end her thoughts on a question mark, she makes a very serious, perplexed face, and squints her eyes like an adult)

Mama, I get out of my be-ed?  (how she greets me after climbing out of her crib and meeting me in the hall- with her perplexed look)

I want more "Mina"!!!  (Angelina Ballerina is her favorite show these days and she must wear her dance dress while watching)

Where my cupcake dress?

I love Ms. Doan (Mallory loves her teacher Ms. Joan and tells me so often)

Baba hit my head. (a common phrase in our house, she knows Peyton's name is Peyton but still calls him Baba)

I change Nolie's diaper?  

I want Baagal Peem cheese  (she wakes up saying this phrase, bagel with strawberry cream cheese is her fave)

"Happy Bewthday Mama"  (this cracked me, she slept with me one night and I woke up nose to nose with her.  She opened her eyes and instantly said "Happy Bowthday Mama." Even thought it was Feburary and my birthday isn't until May.)

I saw a Biwdie!  (always so excited to see birds!)

Yoya ate my "Fill in blank"  (Gets very upset when our dogs Hattie or Lola steal her food, but she calls them both Yoya)

IYOVEYOU-  Her "I love you" is all one word "I YOVE YOU"  Best three words ever I've heard.

The Mouse in the Clock!!!!  (this perhaps is my absolute favorite.  Every time a clock chimes she runs to it and looks for the "mouse' and yells 'The Mouse!  The Mouse!" This is because I always read Hickory Dickory Dock to her so she thinks a mouse lives in every clock.

Mallory also has such an opinion about fashion.  I don't know where she got it but she is the biggest girly girl and loves tutus, petticoats, princess dresses, Angelina ballerina, high heels, you name it.  She insists on wearing smocked dresses, costumes, high heels, and even tutu bathing suits to school each day.  Her "everyday" clothes are the enemy.  I try to just embrace it and let her make her own fashion choices.  Sometimes she will wear the same "Pinka" dress for 3 days straight and I have to develop a strategy and a secret mission to get the thing in the washing machine without major meltdowns.

Here are some pictures of her daily wardrobe.  Most taken with my Iphone so forgive the quality.

Sleeping in her Snow White dress.  Dreaming of Prince Charming?

Mallory's Cupcake dress from Bebe. She has worn this full get-up to school.

The cupcake dress also doubles as a nightgown.

Fancy Princess dress from Gigi. This was before bed, also being worn as jammies. 

Dancing, Dancing in her Uggs.

Just your every day play dress with a petticoat attached.

Mallory's room after her first nap in her big girl bed.  We lowered her crib after she started climbing out for safety reasons and her room was spotless when I put her to bed.  She never slept :) Apparently book shredding is a toddler's form of protest.

Sweet Mallory Ann- you make me smile.  You brighten the day of our entire family and bring such a smile to your teacher's face.  She never knows what you are going to wear to school, but you are always in style.  "IYOVEYOU"

It's not that easy

Bein' Baby Number Three.


Having to sit in the same seat as the groceries.

Sometimes you get stuck and it takes your family awhile to come to your rescue. And when they do find you, they run and get the camera before saving you.

It's not easy being baby number three.  It seems your face is never, ever clean. And why don't they ever put a bib on me?  A Bib might be nice.

But I have lots of friends to play with. and lots of big kid toys to play with. and the day is never, ever boring.  

(still cannot believe I caught this one on video.we were at Peyton's soccer game and the babies were running around)

When you are a baby number three, it can make you wonder lots of things, I'm a baby number three and I think it's what I want to be.

Nolan is 11 Months

Can it really be that our baby Nolan is almost 1?!? Nolan turned 11 months old on February 28th so we are in his last month of his first year.  During his 10th month Nolan became a pro at walking.  He walks all over and is such a little "toddler".  He started eating most everything his brother and sister eat too.  He is making new sounds and will repeat things you say to him like "Night Night", loves to do the "Indian" (for lack of a better word, where you tap your hand on his mouth while he screams :) ), is in the "dump" stage of the dump and fill stage (especially the sippy cup drawer and the the dresser drawers), loves to be outside and even jumps on the trampoline.

His brother and sister call him Big Giant Baby and Nolan Price and love to be all over him.  He still takes two naps a day, is doing great sleeping at night, and is just our greatest delight.  Perhaps his biggest accomplishment this month was getting ear tubes.  Nolan has battled constant ear infections since he was 3 weeks old and is either always on antibiotics or in pain so after a hearing test showed that he was having some trouble hearing we decided to do tubes.  Papa went with me to the surgery center and Nolan did pretty well.  We hope this will change his life!  He ended up having 8 ear infections in his short 10 months of life (that we knew of) so I think he is going to feel a lot better soon.

Still VERY long. 

Making the same pose as Brobee.  Is this not one of the sweetest baby boys you've ever seen?

Howdy Partners.  I'm a full time walker now

We will finish bottles this month and I just can't believe that he is almost a full year old.  What a blessing this baby boy has been to all of us and what a difference a year makes.  We will be busy getting ready for the Big 1 this month!