What a fun, fun weekend!

We had a great weekend. The weather was perfect and felt just like summer! The weekend started off great, Derek's last day of baseball! Whoo hooo!! I LOVE that he will be here more often with us and that he'll have a chance to finish up on a few things that he still needs to complete for his master's that he'll earn next month. It's going to be so nice to play the going to bed game with someone else on my team...

What a fun weekend. Saturday morning we woke up and packed up our boating items to head on the boat with Brenda and Jeremy. It was kind of a flash from the past cruising around in Mike and Cindy's old boat that they sold to Brenda and Jeremy. It was a lot of fun. Tessa was soooo excited to go but once it was actually time to step on to the boat we had a little bit of a meltdown. It just lasted for a short time and then she warmed up to the whole idea of boating. We went to the sandbar and the girls just loved playing in the water. Evan liked it for a short time and Nolan wanted nothing to do with it! I love spending time with family and friends...and this weekend was full of that!

Sunday we had Clint and Jill's wedding in the Dells. It was a blast. Tessa and Nolan had a slumber party with Grandma and Grandpa while Derek and I stayed the night in the Dells. The wedding was beautiful, Jill was gorgeous, and the night seemed to go perfectly. So much fun. We shared a lot of laughs, a lot of funny stories, and a lot of dance moves (nice work Derek...as he said yesterday..."no one can ever blame me for having a lot of spirit on the dance floor"). I love just observing all of the action. We have the best friends in the world and I love that we can go months and months and months without seeing our friends and we can pick up right where we left off. Bren and Meg - thanks for the good laugh...loved the dresses!! :) We had a very, very, very late night and of course we are paying for it today. Man, we are getting old! Having the fire alarm go off at 4:00am didn't help anything either. Oh man, you should have heard this alarm. I know that the alarm needs to be loud so it will wake people up but I was concerned that I was going to lose my hearing. I've never been at a hotel that had the fire alarm go off. Sure in college it happened all of the time, almost daily, but not at a nice resort. Of course I headed to the stairs (and Megan, Maria, and Erik too!!) to go outside and I was heartbroken to see all of the families that were carrying their little ones. Hopefully someone from the wedding didn't pull it but I wouldn't put it past a few of the guests:)

Two hours later Derek and I got up and started the day. Derek moving a bit more slowly than myself but we needed to get back for the Memorial Day Parade. Tessa loves parades, even if it lasts ten minutes. We then spent the afternoon at my mom and dad's swimming.

What a fun weekend. I hope that everyone had a great weekend and got to enjoy family and friends as we did!!

"Mama"

I think Nolan officially said "mama". He started doing it a few weeks ago when I was gone one evening and when I got home he looked right at me and said it. Tonight I was in the other room for a few minutes and when I was gone he started saying it over and over again. I like to think that he was calling for me and wanted me to come back:)

PS...for those of you following the going-to-bed-game played by Miss Tessa...we had a huge success tonight! We completely skipped her nap today and oh my goodness was bedtime peaceful. It makes me feel sad to think that maybe the poor girl is just starting to grow out of naps and here we've been pushing the naps everyday. Maybe she just doesn't need them everyday?!?! So confusing. We'll see how the night goes. Hopefully she doesn't get up in two hours thinking that this is her nap. Could be an interesting night!

Mason and Tessa

Today my mom sent me this picture on my phone and I couldn't help but put it on the blog. Cute...that's all I can think of when I see this. Cute. Tessa and Mason having a snuggle moment at the park today.

Happy 2nd Birthday Marah!

Happy 2nd Birthday Marah!! Our favorite niece...Tessa and Nolan's favorite girl cousin...(shhhh, she's our only girl cousin or niece!!) We had fun celebrating with Marah at her birthday party. It was very low-key and fun. After a rather long week that started out with Nolan very sick, ended with Nolan feeling better and Tessa still just hanging on to a little cold.

This week we made three trips to the doctor. The first on Monday. Nolan's breathing was getting worse and worse (it wasn't bad enough to head to the ER but we could tell with time that his lungs were getting tighter and tighter). We used the nebulizer on Sunday and we were being hopeful that he'd wake up on Monday a bit better. Not the case. Not the case at all. Poor guy was really struggling. We made an appointment and my great co-workers covered my afternoon classes so I was able to take Nolan in. I have almost no time left to take off because of everything that went on last fall. I used a ton of unpaid time but had to save a few days for the sick kiddos that I knew we'd need later in the year (like now). I never know how many to save! Sometimes I go back and forth wondering if Tessa and Nolan need to be seen or am I overreacting. I knew with Nolan this time that I wasn't overreacting. He was sick. His pediatrician definitely thought the same. He had to take an oral steroid right when we got to the appointment to try to open his lungs up a bit and this helped a little. She talked several times throughout the appt about possible hospitalization but thankfully it never came to that. Right when he looks so big and strong on the outside, we are reminded that his lungs are still a bit fragile.

Wednesday was a recheck for him where she found that both of his ears were infected. So she prescribed a medication for him. Friday was an appt for Tessa that I also took Nolan along to. Tessa had a sinus infection and also got meds but Nolan was still acting really goofy so she checked his ears again on Friday. Thursday night was the worst night that I can recall since having children. I guess that I shouldn't say worst and should say best...I got to hold Nolan almost all night! He needed to be snuggled all night to be comfortable so we could tell that something was up. Sure enough his ears had gotten a lot worse. She changed up his meds and our smiley, kissable cheeks, big boy is back and better than ever. Tessa sure was a trooper this week with sick little Nolan needing so much attention...but darn it girl, this going-to-bed-game is getting old:)


Marah's new camera smile! "Cheese"

Happy Mother's Day

Our day started just as expected. "Mommy, mommy. It's time to get up, I'm hungry" as Tessa was about an inch from my face this morning waking us up. She talks in the sweetest voice right away in the morning. Way more pleasant than my blasting alarm music during the week.

Today we spent the day in Madison. We ran errands all morning and our last stop before lunch was the hospital. The four of us went to St. Mary's to drop off a gift card to the NICU, similar to what Derek did for Christmas. Sure for Mother's Day I'd love this and that but do I really need those things? Those mommy's in the NICU need to know that even strangers like us care about them and are praying for their babies to be home happy and healthy just like we've been blessed with. Traveling back sure was anxiety filled. I've been back to the hospital three times since Nolan was discharged in October and the same emotions and feelings come over me each time. This nervous, gut-wrenching, sickening feeling that I had the very first day I went to the hospital to learn that I'd be staying until I had a baby. The same feeling I had when the doctors and nurses came into labor and delivery that first night when they thought there could possibly be an infection and the explained all of the "what ifs" and my head started spinning. The same feeling I had when I found out how long I could be there on bedrest knowing that I wouldn't be able to spend as much time with Tessa as I would have hoped before baby #2. The same feeling I had the night before he was born. The same feeling I had when he was born and he looked and sounded perfect and when we went to see him he was "complaining" and it was heartbreaking to see my little guy that came out screaming like a mad-man struggling to take the tiniest breaths. The same feeling I had leaving the hospital without him. The same feeling I had when we thought he would be coming home in a few days only to learn it would be at least five more.

For some reason today this feeling came back just as it has the last two times I've been back to the hospital since bringing Nolan home. Looking back I know that the situation should not have been that stressful. I had to stay in the hospital for one month (big whoopy) and Nolan had to spend just over one month in the hospital in the NICU (once again...really not that big of a deal looking back). Why does it cause me so much anxiety to go back? I don't know. I never will. Maybe because I know how lucky we are and that everyone isn't as lucky as us. I feel guilt because of this and that definitely could be where some of this anxiety comes from.

Today we did the walk from the car to the NICU that I could do with my eyes closed. To get to the NICU we need to walk past the room that I referred to as my apartment for one month, room 2130. I would also like to share that the fountain is still not completed (the last picture below)...thank goodness:) We thought for sure that this beautiful fountain/garden that they started shortly after I was in the hospital was going to be finished before I was discharged. Sure enough it wasn't done yet!

Happy Mother's Day.

Tessa's "New" Bike

Tessa's cruising around on her new bike. We bought it last night (at a garage sale in Waunakee!!) and she's wanted to be glued to it ever since. Tonight we ventured out of our driveway. It was adorable. She did SOOOOO well. She went all the way around our block and the other side of the block is uphill. It was so much fun. Derek wasn't with us as he had baseball but he's going to be impressed. My Tessaroo...loves riding her new bike and is still LOVING her going-to-bed-game.






Tonight Nolan, Tessa, and I were outside while she was riding her bike. She was loving it. I ran inside (yes, I had her get off to wait for me since she's just learning) and came out to video tape her. Oh man, poor girl tipped right over. She didn't get hurt but sure got scared. I'm sure this isn't going to be the last time she tips over. As much as I felt bad for her, I had to put it up here!

Mitchell Girls "Chicago" Weekend

I'll chalk this one up as another wonderful girl's weekend! Well actually girl's and Nolan:) What a fun day. We started the day at my mom's where she had spent hours and hours and hours doing something really special for all of us. She got fabric ready for us to put together our own throws (or table runner Mandy...loved yours!!!). It wasn't any old fabric it was something very special. Pieces of fabric that live in our hearts and minds forever. The memories just came flowing. Looking at some of the pieces I thought that any second Grandma Mitchell was going to walk down the stairs wearing that floral housecoat, or tell us that dinner was ready and have the chili, cheese spread, and pineapple cake on the table where she would be wearing her striped red or blue shirt on. It's amazing how memories just stick in our minds. It truly is amazing.

After we decided which pieces of "clothing" that we wanted to use in our blankets we tried to lay out our blankets on the floor to piece them together. Mom and Mandy (and of course baby Gibbo too) went to town on the sewing machine. Mandy is already a natural! It was a really fun afternoon (with Tessa and Nolan adding to the craziness for a bit) and before we knew it we were off to Aunt Nancy's for dinner. Dinner, funny stories, laughing, oreo balls, laughing, oreo balls, and I think some more oreo balls. Before we know it the two youngest of all of us (Mandy and I!!) headed to bed. The mom's kept on trucking late into the night but then there were the two that wanted to be in high school again...Jessie and Niki. Sleeping on the pullout sofa reliving prom. I think that the morning came a bit too quickly for them!

It was a great weekend. Always such a great time and I know how lucky I am go have such a great family.


Here's my throw laying on the floor in pieces waiting in line for someone who knows what they are doing to help me!




Becky sporting another favorite of everyone...another floral housecoat. What fun memories...


Before I even explain this picture I'm not surprised at all that a "circle" is directly above Mom's and Nolan's head. Hi Grandma!

To start the day off Mom and Nanc showed us a few pieces of clothing that they had knitted about thirty years ago. WOW, they had some really neat stuff to show us. Nolan is showing off my mom's...umm...her...umm...not sure what to call it but it was an old fashioned swaddle-me blanket...I think. It was a bit stiff and appeared to never have been worn. Nolan was a trooper as he was sporting the sleeping bag-ish blanket. The items that they showed us were really impressive.




Tessa stayed overnight with Grandpa while we went to Nancy's...do you think she had fun with Grandpa??!??