Looking for a better way...

I've been overloaded for the last few months with pictures of our family that I'd love to share with all of you. I just haven't posted any here on the blog because it takes SOOOOO long to upload them and then I have to mess around with the format. All of that really gets to be a pain. BUT, I don't really want to share ALL of my pictures on Facebook for everyone to see either. So, I've been looking for a solution lately and haven't exactly found one. So far, Shutterfly seems pretty good. I'm writing all of this to say that I probably won't post to this blog anymore...I just don't have the time to mess around with the pictures, and I usually don't write a whole lot when I do post anyway. I'll find a good way to get you those pictures though...never fear!

Take care,
Greta

Random Pictures

Let's start off with one of Frank. His name is in the title of this blog, but I'm afraid that there's another little guy who likes to steal the show. Other fun pictures of late are mainly from our time spent here at home. Here is Nolan shooting hoops. He loves it when we shoot too, and will repeat "too" until one of us comply. Also, not to brag, but he's quite the Joe Mauer, catching balls when we throw them to him...at 18 months! We picked up a Mickey Mouse fishing rod for Nolan last weekend, and he had lots of fun with Daddy on the driveway catching "fishies." Nolan also loves his tricycle, "sickle," as he calls it. Daddy has now taught him how to do a wheelie, so that is his current favorite thing to do on the tricycle.

Note the "action" shot I took of Nolan shooting the basketball. It would have been blurry for sure with my old camera. I'm still figuring this new camera out, but it sure does a good job!

Car Soup

Many times when I'm cooking, Nolan will come in and play with our pots and pans...cooking up a soup of his own. I just think he's so cute, concentrating on stirring up his cars with the ladle.

Hard at work

Who wants a sample?

One...Two...Three Strikes You're Out!

We've been practicing counting quite a bit with Nolan, and today we had some fun singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game. I caught the action on video...enjoy! By the way, he's 18 months old now...can you believe it?!

Quick Picture for the Day

He loves his slide.

And his basketball hoop.

And his tricycle.

And just being outside in general.

Camera Update

Sadly I have no new pictures to share with you this time.  We did order a new camera though through Amazon as my Mother's Day present.  It should be here later this week or early next week, so after that I'll have more pics to share.  I'm really happy about this camera...it's a good model that will be a huge step up for us.  It's not an SLR camera, but I figure I will really appreciate the simplicity of having a camera that's ready to go all the time.  Yea, can't wait!

Backyard Fun

Well, the sad news is that our camera is going haywire!  It will not show anything when you have it in the camera mode.  I was able to get the last of our pictures off of it, but I think it's pretty much toast after that.  We do have my old camera from WAY back (last picture taken on it was on my deployment to Iraq in 2007, but I had it for a while before that).  That thing drives me crazy though because the screen is so small, you really can't tell if your picture is clear or blurry until you upload it onto the computer.  Also, for some reason I am REALLY good at taking blurry pics with that thing...it drives me crazy!!!  So, we may be getting a new camera soon...and I am hoping for a nice one :)

Anyway, you might be wondering why this post is entitled Backyard Fun when all I've done so far is whine about my camera.  Well, I did save a few pictures of Nolan enjoying some time in our yard.  They are the last of the pictures from that camera, so I might not have any to post for a while. 

One thing he loves about our yard is the little picnic table that's just his size.  He's getting really good at climbing up and sitting down at the table.  He also loves to lean way back and sometimes falls off into the grass...which brings up a big grin and giggle in him!  Here are some pictures of this happening.

Tractor rides and coloring time

These are a few pictures from this month so far.  It's been a good and busy month for us.  We sold our Minneapolis house last Friday and are now settling into life in a small town.  So far it's great!  We like our neighbors and love that there are so many other young families with kids around Nolan's age.  Many people are out on nice days playing in their yards and taking walks around the neighborhood.  We like that we're a little closer to our parents too...last weekend Ryan's parents dropped by while they were on a motorcycle ride.  Nolan loved sitting on Grandpa's motorcycle and has pointed out lots of motorcycles that drive by since then. 

For Easter, we spent the weekend at Ryan's parents place.  It was a fun time for us and Nolan.  We dyed Easter eggs and Nolan got to hunt for his basket and plenty of eggs on Easter morning.  We had great food and a fun time with everyone there.  We also stopped by my Uncle Brad and Aunt Ann's for an Easter gathering and had a great meal there. 

The first set of pictures I'm including is from Easter weekend.  Nolan got to ride on the lawn mower (aka tractor) with Ryan and he rode on a tricycle too.  He didn't pedal, but did push himself around.  He and his cousin Chayton had a blast that weekend playing together.  They are both old enough now that they are starting to actually interact when they are playing...playing together and not just playing near each other.

The second set of pictures is from Nolan coloring this morning.  We are starting to get into the routine of having every day together, and he's really liking to color with his washable markers.  By the way, I LOVE THOSE MARKERS!  Makes me wonder why the previous owner of this house didn't let her kids use those instead of normal markers and crayons that permanently stay on walls and doors! 

Some New Pictures

It does seem like all I do on this blog is post pictures...oh well, that is all I have time for currently. I have a little boy running around who takes up a lot of my spare time! I love it...he is such a joy to have in my life :) Here are some recent pictures from February and this past week.

Visiting friends in Medford, Wisconsin.  Nolan got to put on his snowsuit and play in the snow.  He did a few face plants, but enjoyed the experience!

Daddy pulling Nolan on the ice.  This was not his favorite activity!

Toothbrushing time with Daddy.  Nolan LOVES to brush his teeth!

Checking the mail.

So much fun!

Posing with Mommy.

No, Daddy should wear this hat, not me!

Tired little guy on Grandpa Garth's visit at the MOA.

I want to drink out of a BIG cup!

January Pictures

January has been an exciting month for Nolan.  He's really figured out that he can now talk and his vocabulary is quite extensive for a 14 month old.  His words to date include:

Mommy, Daddy
Hi, bye
water (probably his most frequently used word)
banana
cheese
please (this one Grandma Teri taught him!)
spoon, bowl
key
door
up, down


As you can see, most of his words revolve around food.  This makes sense, since our little guy still LOVES to eat.  It is getting a little more difficult to get him to eat veggies, but overall he still has a good appetite. 

Nolan is such a curious little boy.  He loves to open all the cupboards, drawers and refrigerator to see what he can find inside them.  He will spend some time reading books on his own now too!  Here are some of my favorite pictures from this last month. 

Watching the Vikings game with Grandma Teri

A Car Ride with Frank

Climbing in the fridge at Grandma Sara and Grandpa Mario's

He loves to crawl under the TV stand

Reading time

Random Pictures

Since I haven't posted in so long, I wanted to at least put up a few pictures from the last couple of months here.  Here are some of the highlights of November and December.

First Birthday Party Cake

Frosting was everywhere...even in his hair

Fun in a leaf pile

Cancun, Mexico with Grandpa Garth (Hiromi, Great Grandpa Don and Janet not pictured)

Whoa!

Our Cancun group

Loving the beach

Chubby baby getting tickled in the water

Shoving face full of Teddy Grahams in airplane

I'm stuck in this basket! (look at that hair)

Helping Grandma Teri and Aunt Summer unload the dishwasher

Coolest ride ever...at the mall with Grandpa Ken and Grandma Jayne

Chillin' on Cousin Chayton's awesome Spiderman couch

#1 reason why Mom can't get house clean

That's all!  I hope to start blogging a bit more again once things settle down.  We just finished deep cleaning the house to put it up for sale, so that is one big accomplishment.  Now if only we can keep it clean!