Nolan is 7 weeks, Wyatt is 16 months

Our big boy is almost two months - how did that happen?! He is getting so big and so expressive, which is very fun. He is "talking" more and reaching for things a lot. We also get tons of smiles when he is awake and full :) He is eating every 2 to 3 hours which is making mom work hard! He is already in 3 to 6 month clothes...I can hardly keep anything in his drawers before it is time for the next size up! He is a very strong boy and LOVES to be walked around in his Bjorn - a life saver when he is fussy and wants to be held.

Big brother Wyatt is doing very well - he loves his brother and is becoming much more aware of him. He will randomly come over and give him loves or point him out. He is trying to say brother, which is more than most words we try to get him to say! He is at a very willful stage (16 months going on 30 years!) - it is teaching me patience and to take deep breaths :) I have even more appreciation for my parents these days...this part of parenting is very hard. Although he pushes buttons, he is also taking so much in and learning so many new things. It is so fun to watch him figure things out and enjoy learning new things. He is so much fun to watch and we love seeing his personality come out more and more each day.

We have been getting the boy cousins in Portland together more often and it is a blast watching them play together. Their favorite things are playing cars and running around the house chasing each other and screaming/giggling. An accident waiting to happen, but what can you do :)

Life with two boys is very chaotic, but we are having so much fun! They are such a joy and we have no idea what we did without them - they are pure entertainment :)

Love,

The Bales

Santa is here!

Well, it is officially Christmas season and we have been busy! We managed to get the tree, decorate the house, put up lights, meet Santa and wrap all our gifts this weekend :) Now we can relax and enjoy the season...or so we hope!

This past week has been a tough one - Nick's dad went into the hospital Tuesday night since he couldn't swallow food or drink and a week later is still there. We found out that there is a tumor on the outside of his esophagus that was making it hard to swallow, which in turn meant eating was a chore if even possible. They were able to put a stint in that will allow food and liquid to pass through (huge relief!). Unfortunately, this put Mike's treatment on hold until he can regain his strength. Although we are all disappointed, we are so glad we caught this now and can help Mike get stronger so he can continue his fight. A huge thank you to all of our friends and family who are thinking of Mike and willing him to good health. It means a tremendous amount to us and we are so very thankful.

As we continue into the holiday season we wish you all the best...

The Bales

Brotherly Love

I don't think it gets much cuter than this :)

Civil War 2011

Yet again, we were able to beat OSU and win the yearly Civil War game :) Coming off our loss to USC, it was great to see the Ducks come out and play the game their way. We watched it over at my parents house and had a great time (maybe a little too much!) rooting on our team. Nolan enjoyed his first game by sleeping through it :) All in all, it was a great win and a fun day spent with fellow Duck fans...can't wait for the Pac 12 Championship!

Nolan is 6 weeks old

Nolan is already a month and a half and that means maternity leave is half over! Both boys are doing great and Nolan and Wyatt have bonded quite a bit this week :) Nolan is now in 3-6 month clothes (!) and is eating about 5 ounces a feeding. He is going to be one big kid :) Wyatt has taken to "holding" his brother and giving him lots of loves and hugs. It is pretty stinkin cute. Wyatt is also a dancing fool these days...we will have to take a video and post it up. We are loving family dance parties!

This week was full of Thanksgiving fun...we were able to celebrate with both families and eat lots of yummy food :) The boys had a great time and enjoyed playing with their cousins...the sunglasses were a hit ;) We are so thankful we got to spend time with our families - including our family of 4!

Friendsgiving 2011

Our wonderful friends, Genny and John, host a Friendsgiving dinner every year at their house. It is a fun day that gives us all a chance to recognize and be thankful for the wonderful friendships we have with each other. Nick and I know we are so fortunate to have so many wonderful people in our lives that care about our family and we care about theirs. We love getting together with all of them and taking time to reconnect and enjoy each others company. This year was extra special because there were 4 kiddos there to share the day with. As our families expand and grow so do our friendships and we are so thankful for that.

This was a great kick off to the Thanksgiving week and a good reminder of how lucky and fortunate we are for all that we have. We wish you all a very happy Thanksgiving - here is to health, happiness and love :)

Love,

The Bales

Parker's 2nd Birthday

Wyatt and Nolan were invited to their first "big boy" birthday party at Pump It Up! Our Godson Parker is turning two on the 21st and had his birthday party Saturday. It was SO much fun to watch the kids play and see how Wyatt interacted with them all. I had no idea we would need to be playing with them, but we ended up having a BLAST on all the blow up toys :) Wyatt LOVED it and Nolan slept through the whole thing...it was perfect. All the kids loved it and Maria did an excellent job on the Thomas the Train decorations and cake. We may just hire her to do Nolan and Wyatt's birthday's from here on out ;)

Here are some pics from the party and a video of us sliding...Wyatt was excited and I was terrified, go figure.

Love,

The Bales

Nolan is 5 weeks

Nolan is the big 5 weeks...so hard to believe! We are still adjusting to two kids and a routine is no where in sight :) Needless to say, this is a lot more work that I thought, but we are so happy to have our two little men.

Nolan is awake most of the day now (even though he shouldn't be!) and is starting to coo and talk a little. I love this phase because you start to learn their personality :) Wyatt is doing great - talking more and constantly moving. He has warmed up to "brother" very well and loves to give him high fives and loves. I think they will be best buddies very soon :)

Love,

The Bales