First Trip to the Zoo

We took our first family trip to the Fort Worth Zoo a couple of weeks ago. (I know, I'm getting behind on my postings!) We had such a nice time spending some quality family time together. Nolan's been learning about different animals and the sounds they make, so he was very interested to see some of the animals in person. He almost had an initial look of awe that the animals in his storybooks are actually real animals. You could almost see what his mind was thinking.

We caught a family picture in front of the fish pond. Ella slept through most of her first zoo experience, but we lucked out to snap a picture while she was awake for a bit.
Nolan's very interested in elephants. He makes a very cute elephant noise while holding his arm up to his face, mimicking an elephant's trunk.
Posing on a display aligator.
I love this photo. Father and son watching the bears outside.
Nolan's also very interested in trains, I mean, choo-choos. I took Nolan on a train ride from the end of the zoo back to the entrance, while Dad and Ella walked back. He loved it and was very disappointed when the ride was over!

Family time is so important; that's when memories are made that will be cherished for a lifetime!

Ella's first food

Miss Ella was very excited to FINALLY get her first bite of food. (If that's what you want to call it.) Due to her lack of weight gain, her doctor advised me not to start her on any solids until she was progressively and consistently gaining weight. When I took her to the doctor Friday, she weighed 12 pounds 3 ounces and is back on the curve! So at almost 5 1/2 months old, we're finally able to start her on some solids.

She's looking pretty excited!
Her first bite of rice cereal.
She wasn't so sure what to think.
Although she didn't eat much (which I didn't expect), she got the hang of it after a few bites. She was happy to finally be able to eat like "the big people."

5 months old!

Wow, Ella's five months old, and she's growing like crazy. She's put on nearly three-and-a-half pounds in the last month! When I took her to the doctor for her four-month checkup, she weighed only 8 lbs 14 oz. When I weighed her this morning, she was about 12 lbs 3 oz. She's soley on formula now, and she's doing wonderfully!

When I took her to the doctor almost two weeks ago, she was definitely making progress back to the growth curve she had dropped off of. (3-12-08 post, Under the Curve.) I'm taking her back to the doctor later this week to make sure her ears are clear, and I'm sure we'll do another weight check.

Ella at five months
Ella at 4 months when we started supplementing.
Ella at three months

Opening Day

As many of you know, Craig and I try to make it to the Rangers' home opener every year. The ballpark is near and dear to our hearts; we met at the ballpark while working our second jobs, we had our wedding reception at the Diamond Club, which is located on the 3rd base line, and our son was born on Opening Day 2006.


Nolan loves baseball, and this year we had a great time taking him with us. Although Ella stayed with our dear neighbor, Lou, she still dressed up for the festivities.

Opening Day, 4-8-08.
Before the game, we took Nolan to check out some of the fun kid-friendly activities. After a few tries with Daddy, he swung and hit the ball!
He got a little pitching practice in, too. This two-year-old boy has got a pretty good arm!

He was so sweet with his hand over his heart during the National Anthem that I had to snap a shot.
He's checking out a baseball great, Gaylord Perry. I just think this is a cute picture.
Although nobody will believe us, our Nolan wasn't really named after Nolan Ryan. It is quite coincidental, though, especially with all of our ties to the ballpark. We had to get a picture in front of Nolan Ryan, a Texas Rangers' great!
Although the Rangers didn't win, we all had a wonderful time at the ballpark. Nolan was pooped, to say the least, once we got in the car.

Nolan's Birthday Party

This past Saturday, we had family and close family friends over for a small birthday party. It was nice to enjoy lunch together. We are grateful for each one of you! Thank you for blessing our family in your own unique ways!

The Birthday Boy with Mommy and Daddy
Yum! I love Elmo cake, Mom! Can't we have this every day???
While playing outside with some of his new toys, Nolan tumbled down the concrete stairs that lead up to our pool. He's a trooper, but he got a good shiner from it.
Miss Ella was sick with a bronchial virus and missed out on the party. She napped the entire time! Even though she didn't feel so hot, she dressed up in her Elmo shirt for her big brother and gave him a big birthday smile.

Happy Birthday, Nolan!

Holy Cow, Nolan's 2!!! What a fun day today was!

We had several things to do today, including Ella's present to Nolan, which was a trip to the doctor for her. This evening, Mimi and Papa took all of us to CiCi's. Nolan loves pizza, and he sure ate his fair share. (Three pieces of pizza, some pasta salad, some pasta w/spaghetti sauce, a bowl of olives for the birthday boy, and a bit of dessert! This two-year-old boy can put it away! Watch out teen years!!!)

I made an attempt at an Elmo cake. The frosting was the trickiest part, so don't mind the decorating patch jobs. He liked it, and that's all that mattered. We're having family over on Saturday, so I'll be attempting a better looking cake tomorrow.
Praying over his cake.
Nolan is so sweet when it comes to prayers before we eat. Sometimes in the middle of eating, he wants to pray again. He's very particular that Mommy, Daddy AND Ella all fold hands and pray with him. We must be doing something right!
You can do it, Nolan. Blow out those TWO candles!
We gave him a bowling set since we've got such the perfect never-ending hallway for this type of game. He had such a great time!
Even if he missed, he ran and knocked the pins down on his own and just squealed in delight!
Happy Birthday, Nolan. We love you very much and can't wait for another wonderful year ahead!

My baby isn't a baby

What a joy you are, Nolan! Tonight, as I'm reminiscing the last two years, I can't believe it's gone by so quickly! Just two years ago, we were anxious for tomorrow to come, not knowing if you were a boy or girl, and we had no clue how our lives would be forever changed! Before ever seeing you, it wasn't until that moment when you breathed your first breath and wailed your first cry, that my heart overflowed with love, in a way that can't ever be described, that I truly knew what it meant to unconditionally love your baby.

Nolan, you're such a smart, happy, funny, handsome, and independent little boy. I'm proud of you, and I'm so honored that God chose me to be your mom! I love you, my little doodle bug!

You're learning so quickly. It seems as if you explode with a new word every time I turn around. You bring such joy to our lives!

Ella's first jump

Last week I brought out Nolan's beloved jumperoo. He was a jumping bean in it, and now it's Ella's turn to have some fun. She's still a bit small for it, but she enjoyed sitting up and seeing all of the new toys in front of her.

I love that smile!
She's our petite little cutie!

Easter Celebrations

The Saturday before Easter Sunday, we went to our church, Pantego Bible Church, for a kid-friendly service, egg hunt, bounce houses, petting zoo, food, and fellowship. We all had a wonderful time celebrating our Risen Lord!

Nolan's first encounter with the Easter Bunny wasn't such a good one. He wanted no part of posing with him for a picture! He took one look at him and said, No, No, No!
Once he calmed down, he was willing to sit far away from the Easter Bunny and let Ella be the one to take one for the team.
Ella enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt from the sidelines.
Nolan, on the other hand, had a great time gathering eggs and putting them in his "Melmo" basket. If you notice, he must have a thing for green eggs; he's got three in his hands. Finally, he gave up on collecting green eggs and decided to go for the ones closest to him, no matter what color they were.
When the hunt was over, he was still searching for more. He didn't care if they were broken in half with nothing in them, he still picked them up and put them in his basket.
(I love his hand on his forehead. He's really searching!)
After church on Easter Morning, we had our families come over for lunch. Sweet Alec loves his baby cousin, Ella. He's so good with the little kids! Alec, it's hard to believe you're almost 6 years old! I remember loving on you when you were Ella's age. My how time flies!!

Alec, Brooke, Keith, and Nolan had an egg hunt in our front yard. The lower level was for Alec, and the upper level was for the younger kids. They all had so much fun hunting eggs after lunch.
Nolan's really in to it!!
The kids did some jumping in the bounce house, too. (Keith, Nolan, Brooke) What a great way to get some energy out! Gotta love the static!
Nolan was WIPED out! He NEVER falls asleep in our arms. He likes to be in his bed to sleep, and I don't blame him; I do, too! This day was an exception, though. He passed out in Craig's arms at about 5:00. He took a bit of a catnap, but we didn't let him sleep too long. It was an early night at the Morris household! Both babies were in bed by 7:30.

Keith and Nolan played ring around the rosie with Keith's baby, Nicholas. It's not the best footage, but it's cute.