Sparks Remarks

Say What?!?! Wishful thinking...

2009-07-14T08:52:00.002-06:00

Yes folks, yet another famous "Nolan quote":

The set up - we are watching television and a momma holding a baby girl comes on the screen...

Nolan: "I like that baby with the purple shirt on. Momma, do you see that baby?"

Me: "Yes bubby, she is cute."

Nolan: "When we don't have sister any more we can have that baby!"

HA HA HA! Wishful thinking Nolan, trying to out your sister already! :) Too funny!

April 2009

2009-06-20T23:30:00.008-06:00

Nolan started swim lessons at the beginning of April and is doing GREAT!

Misc...

Adeline holding hands with her BFF Aliya!

She love's being "taken down" by her brother!

Nolan got his tooth pulled,

we tried to save it but it was dead and therefore,

had to go... :(

He don't need no stinkin' front tooth!

Still my cutie!

Afternoon fun in the tent...

Nap time walk with momma...

The Yard

2009-06-20T23:13:00.002-06:00

Patrick has been adding to our yard and it is looking good! I need to get picks of the front yard too!

Here's my stud hubby...

Nolan helping Daddy!

Texas Bluebonnets and Red Poppies

2009-06-20T22:56:00.005-06:00

Some favorites:

Family shot...

Joe Cool :)

Addie picking the flowers...shh...don't tell anyone!
Playing peek a boo with sister!

Easter 2009

2009-06-02T14:01:00.004-06:00

Just a few of my favorites from Easter.

Momma and babies...

Daddy and babies...

Nolan turns 3!

2009-04-14T12:01:00.005-06:00

Nolan turned three and HAD to have a "firetruck guy birthday" (as he called it for the longest time!) So with his cousins and a few friends, he celebrated his birthday at the Round Rock Fire Station #4. They got a tour of the fire station and then they got to see the truck. Momma made Nolan a firetruck birthday cake. It was a great 3rd birthday!

Nolan played shy guy for a little bit...

Well, there was a guy approaching him with a huge mask on his face!

Here's the cake I made for him! :)

Happy 3rd Birthday Nolan! We love you!

Nolan's classroom birthday party

2009-04-07T12:25:00.001-06:00

Nolan had a party with his class to celebrate his third birthday!

Baseball season is approaching!

2009-02-23T16:00:00.006-06:00

So Nolan has been practicing in our backyard when Dada gets home from work. He truly enjoys his time with Dada in the evenings! Today he said to me "Momma, I'm really sad that Dada isn't here right now." Heart breaking! Too bad someone's gotta make the money around here! Okay, back to baseball. Then, we went last weekend to the ball park with Uncle Chris, Aunt Laura, Eli and Ava. Nolan had a great time and he said that he wishes he had a uniform like Eli's! :) Eli will get to play on a team this season since he is old enough. Poor Nolan will have to wait a while longer!

Not sure what this was all about...

Good hit Nolan!

Eli

Good throw Eli!

Trying to get Nolan out!

Nolan needed a little help with the heavier bat!

Eli's up to bat...

Baseball chat time

It looks like they are going to beat someone up, or at least Nolan does!

Eli running the bases, he must have hit a homer!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-23T15:46:00.005-06:00

Hope everyone had a great Valentines Day like we did here at the Sparks house! Patrick made some yummy steaks, Asparagus, Squash, and baked potato! YUMMY!!!

Adeline enjoyed her card!

Momma and Addie~

The whole gang. Happy Valentines Day!

Adeline is 6 months old!

2009-02-23T13:52:00.011-06:00

Yes, it's true...time flies when your going out of your mind with a fussy baby! Ha! No, she has really turned into a great baby. Still a little finicky at times, but worth it because she is such a cutie pie! She can make us all light up with her smile! She really gets going with Nolan sometimes. She just LOVES to watch him and laugh at him.

Adeline started crawling a few weeks ago, just about two reps forward and then she decided that army crawling was more her thing. But just this last weekend, she changed her mind. She is still unaware of her capabilities but she has made it across the room to get to me. I'll post a video soon! She has also started pulling herself up on her crib (time to lower the crib matress) and today she officially pulled herself up to a standing position - in the bathtub no doubt! She was in her little bath seat which helped her from not slipping. She will be one to watch after just like Nolan. Our children are little rebels! Lastly, Addie started solids this month and she is doing pretty good with that. She likes to stick her fingers in her mouth after I feed her so she always makes a mess!!!

I had several little "photo sessions" with her in the past month with our new camera and some snap shots from our other camera, here are some of the favorites...

Sweet Smile...

Here she is trying to take her brothers face off!

For a while she was doing this thing with her pacie. It was too funny to turn around and see her looking like this, but we decided to get the bigger pacie so that she doesn't choke herself!

My baby girl reaching out for me! "Hold me momma, please!!!"
This one I loved but it is a little out of focus...

Lil' Stinker!

I used to sleep like this when I was a baby too!

First taste of food other than momma milk!
Gimme some more!!!

Lovin' the wind in my face!

Gettin' some dada lovin'!

Hi!

Cutie Patootie!

Again, lil' stinker! Ahh...the many faces of Addie!

Nolan and Adeline love to sit together in the recliner every morning! Too cute!

A view from upside down! :)

Silly girl!

Growing up so fast! She wants out of this crib!

So that's Adeline at 6 months!

Shannon's Graduation Party!

2009-02-23T13:21:00.006-06:00

We managed to pull off a SURPRISE visit to California for the weekend of my sister's graduation party. I only got one picture of my pretty sister at her party. She graduated with a Bachelors degree in Communicative Disorders and she was accepted into the Masters program, so it's back to school for her!!! Congrats Shannon!

Here's one of Brian and Adeline...

My Mom asked me to do some hands/feet/head shots for her hallway. I had fun taking the pictures with our new camera that we got for Christmas. The star represents the Lone Star state where her grandbabies reside.

(My dad hated the star, so we justified keeping it that way!)

And on our last day there (the only day I had to go visit friends) Nolan decided it would be fun to go to the ER apparently! 3 stiches later... (second set before turning 3 years old!) They're covered with a bandaide so the picture isn't that exciting, sorry...

3 Day Potty Training - Conquered!

2009-02-23T10:38:00.005-06:00

Well, I'd say it was more like about 4 or 5 days before the night time bed wetting stopped, but we are pretty much in the clear! Of course last time I said that to someone, he had a poo poo accident on the playground at CBS (Community Bible Study) but an accident every now and then is to be expected. So, very exciting! We just conquered the fear of the "big" public automatically flushing toilet as well. I had to cover the sensor and then he made me promise not to flush it until he was out of there! He was so proud of himself! He went out and told Patrick that he "wasn't scared." Too cute!

Now, I just have to get him off of the "special treat" EVERY time we go tee-tee or poop! :)

Here's a shot of some "Lightening McQueen" bottom! :)

Quotes of the Day

2009-02-03T14:54:00.002-06:00

I thought I would throw some "Nolan" quotes in here since they are happening so often these days. (sorry Ralphie, I'm sort of "stealing" this idea from you!)

Quotes of the Day today:

"Momma, my toes are tired"

and

"Momma, I'm too hot and I'm too cold" (this was in one sentence!)

Adeline is DRIVING ME CRAZY TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just thought I'd throw that in there! :)

Potty Training & Crying it out

2009-02-03T10:46:00.003-06:00

Potty Training for Nolan is going great, and no...the "crying it out" is not referring to me during the process! Although I have to say that more laundry is not fun! Really it hasn't been that bad, each night he has had two accidents. I've got to figure out how to tackle that. But anyways, the "crying it out" is referring to Miss. Adeline. Yes, she is getting old enough to make her understand that I am in control as to when she will sleep!!! :) No, I'm starting out slowly to get her used to me not coming right to her when she wakes. She already went back to sleep yesterday after screaming for about 10 minutes. I'm currently listening to her scream, poor thing, and we are going on almost 10 minutes. We'll see...

But for those who remember, poor Nolan fell asleep standing up in his crib when I was letting him cry it out. Here's the picture I snapped of him just before he woke back up. My poor kids...

I just realized that he was 7 months old in this pic. Maybe I'm starting too early for Addie. I'm going to go get her now! :)

Almost Crawling!

2009-01-18T18:56:00.003-06:00

She is almost there! I captured this today while I was on the phone. She is trying to get to things of her brothers that she should NOT be playing with. I can line up all of her toys, but yet she always picks something of his to go for! :)

Any day now...

Another commercial to dance to...

2009-01-18T17:57:00.004-06:00

I don't know what it is about my son and dancing to commercials, but here's the latest and greatest... :)

Sorry, this one is dark also! I can't help it, it's just filming from my digital camera!

Mardy Marksbury turns 80!

2009-01-04T17:26:00.005-06:00

Here are the pictures from my grandma's 80th birthday girls tea party that we had for her. It was a surprise and boy was she ever surprised! We all had a great time. My mom and Aunts did a wonderful job planning it all.

Happy 80th Birthday Grandma (Gigi!)

This face is unforgettable!

I made her pose next to the table! :)

Grandma and her two daughters, Paula and Linda

Paula, Mardy, Mary (grandma's sister), and Linda

Here to serve you!

I loved this dress that Addie had on (thanks to Heather!)

All of us girls

Some decor/ambiance pictures

Thanksgiving trip to Cali

2008-12-09T16:50:00.008-06:00

We were fortunate enough to go to California for Thanksgiving, however we got sick while we were there and didn't get to see any friends (except for Mandie on the morning of our last day there.) We did manage to get my dad and brother in law sick though. We like to share when we can! :) My grandma's 80th birthday was on the first day we got there, and it was a wonderful tea party that my mom and aunts put on for her. I'll post those pics next.

Sorry to all of those friends and family that we didn't get to see on our visit. We love you all!

It may not look like it, but he loves to go on the plane...

Grandpa and me!

Grandma's 80th Birthday! Grandma and the grandkids...

Wassup stud muffin?

Nanny and Addie (she's a little shocked looking here!)

Nolan and Grandma Joy

Our family :)

My cousin was out for Thanksgiving too. Her son, Casey, is only a week older than Adeline.

Too cute! :)

I love these pictures of Brian with the kids.

Nolan and Uncle Brian being silly!

Look at us now! Crazy!

My mom took this photo of Addie and she was in love with it so I thought I would post for her!

Shannon & Josh with the kids...

November 2008

2008-12-09T16:26:00.005-06:00

Misc. pictures from the month of November~

Look at this little poser...
Oh, how sweet they are! Nolan is such a good big brother!

A visit to see the grandparents.

I love this picture of Nolan walking with his Dada. :)

Adeline and Grand-daddy Doyle

Nana with Ava

Eli caught a fish! So proud!!!

Eli teaching Nolan how to fly the kite...

Playdate with Addison :)

Our little pilgrim...

We were at a FREEZING cold football playoff game here.

We were singing "Mary did you know..." :)

Halloween 2008

2008-12-09T12:03:00.008-06:00

Halloween 2008 - Nolan was a Fireman (only the cutest one around!) and Adeline was a Ballerina (not a happy one!) Here are some photos~

Nolan posing with the pumpkin

Nolan asked for a silly face pumpkin

This is him showing us the silly face he requested for his pumpkin, looks like Patrick did a great job! :)

Addie got dressed up in her pearls for the pumpkin carving special occasion!

The city had an event at the park for the kids...

Ballerina Adeline with a face that says "What the heck do you have me in?!?!"

Pretty shoes!

About the only smile I got from her the entire day...

Nolan got to go up to our local fire station. He LOVED it!At work on the truck.

They even let him work the water hose!

Hi there!

So darn cute! At Dada's work.

Trick or Treating at our neighbors house

Nolan & Addie with their cousins Eli and Ava, and friend Annabelle.

So, a couple of days later, I dressed them up again to try and get a good picture of them together. Adeline, still wouldn't cooperate but Nolan was all smiles!

I guess this one was the best almost smile I got out of Addie! That lil' stinker!

Crowes Nest Farms

2008-12-09T11:39:00.005-06:00

We went to a local farm where the kids had a good time learning about the farm and animals on it...

Fun on the tractor ride...

Farmer Jen at your service...

Nolan, Jack, and the donkey

"Cheese!"

Boys will be boys playing in the leaves...

Nolan and Zach in front of the Old Friends pet cemetary, just paying their respects...

Checking out the big Turtle!

Looking cool at the farm with Madilyn!

October 2008

2008-12-09T10:58:00.007-06:00

Alright, so once again, I'm too lazy to have written anything of interest and will just post photos. That's all anyone wants to see anyways! :)

Nolan getting down to the music...
Thank you for my pretty dress Nanny!

Nolan's favorite new place to play is in my pantry, aka: his "office." He likes to stack up the paper towels and then burst thru them!

I came downstairs to find Dada and Addie having a little bonding time. Too cute!

My little Love Bug!

Some one needs a haircut!

Having fun with his best buddy Ty.

Cutie Patootie!

At the Dinosaur Exhibit at Zilker Park...

Visiting with family.

Patrick, Nolan, and Addie with Grandma Lawanda.

Addie with Aunt Gene

Playdate with Aliya!

My sweet little girl! (Sometimes!)

Nolan kept making this funny face, he had me laughing pretty hard! :)

California visit Sept 2008

2008-10-27T22:23:00.006-06:00

Well it was a short trip to California but here are the pictures I took while there. I traveled alone with two kids to go visit and actually, it wasn't bad at all! Thank goodness for JetBlue and their tv screens!!! :) We had gotten Adeline's medicine all figured out the day before the trip, so she was on her best behavior and made a liar out of me! (My family couldn't believe that this "precious little angel" could have been the reason for my insanity the past few weeks before this trip! Ha!!)

Happy Birthday Dad!

Nolan stealing some birthday sundae from Papa!

What is it with my child and always having his middle finger up in pics?!?! (even as an infant!)

Big Brother, Baby Sister

2008-09-17T15:00:00.033-06:00

Our neighbors got Nolan this shirt and I found Adeline's shirt at Gymboree. They look too cute!

Just after the photo above, Addie spit up all over herself. Whats new...

Adeline is starting to smile (non gas smiles!)

Bathtime

2008-09-17T15:00:00.032-06:00

Here are some recent bathtime photos...

Adeline looks like her brother at this age, but with boobs! ha!

Nolan already messing with his sister. So mean!

Chubarella!

Butterfly Release Playdate!

2008-09-17T15:00:00.031-06:00

Nolan's friend Talen had a butterfly release party at his house. The kids loved it. What a great idea Michelle and thank you for inviting us! :)

Nolan actually has his hand on one of the butterflies in this picture...

Adeline dressed up for the occasion, ballerina shoes and all...

Nolan starts Preschool

2008-09-17T15:00:00.026-06:00

Nolan started Preschool! He goes to the mothers day out program at our church on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9 to 2. He is LOVING it! And I am LOVING it too! No tears here when I took him the first day! Probably from the exhaustion I have been experiencing from Adeline! :)

August 2008

2008-09-17T15:00:00.022-06:00

My mother in law Vicki came to visit and help just after Adeline was born. Then my parents Ken and Paula, and my sister Shannon, came to visit and help shortly after Vicki left. We enjoyed having them all here and appreciated the help!

It looks like she is pointing at the camera here...

Not a great picture but I loved his facial expression here...

Nolan pointing at the "bumble bee" laying on him!
We celebrated my mom's birthday while she was here

Happy Birthday MOM!!!

Nolan and Adeline hanging out just before Nolan's nap. I know, he still has a pacie but don't judge me!!! Only at nap and bed time, and we'll rid of it soon...

I love Adelines face here... Just having fun. Addie looks like she's smiling here...

Adeline - 2 weeks

2008-09-17T15:00:00.014-06:00

Okay, so here's my attempt to pretend that I'm a photographer. Most of you saw the pics that my PROFESSIONAL photographer friend took and they turned out FABULOUS, but she inspired me to have fun with my camera and this is what I came up with. Some of them I could probably turn into black and white or sepia (sp?) and they wouldn't look half bad!!! But I haven't had the time to do that. Anyways, enjoy~

End of July 08'

2008-09-17T15:00:00.008-06:00

Here are some pics from after coming home from the hospital with Adeline. I'm not writing much because I'm trying to catch up and be current (as if to say that I ever write that much! ha!) Anyways, enjoy the pics...

Nolan's favorite past time - "Catch throw" as he refers to baseball as...

Nolan's got his eye on the ball.

And it payed off!

She's screaming asking if Nolan HAS to hold her!

Kisses for sister, and she's still not too happy about it!

Somebody had chocolate!

Trying to poke sister's eye out! No, he was showing me her nose. :)

I LOVE the following "morning in momma and dada's bed" pictures...

It almost looks like Adeline was watching the cartoon and laughing at it!

Nolan playing the drums for an audience of stuffed animals! :)

Then his sister joined in. This reminds me of ET. :) Too cute!

The face!

Adeline and her friend Aliya (my friend Suzi's daughter)

I did not buy this onesie for her to wear, but gladly let her wear it! ha!

Although his face doesn't show it, he LOVES having his cousins over!

Finally one with her eyes open!

Nolan and Ty, hanging out.

Introducing...

2008-09-17T13:01:00.008-06:00

Adeline Lilley Sparks

arrived on July 23, 2008

at 4:03 pm

8 pds 9 oz 21 inches

And her name will be...

2008-07-21T15:33:00.007-06:00

Most of you know, but we decided on a name for baby girl Sparks...

Adeline Lilley Sparks

Adeline, we both loved and once I heard Nolan say it, that was it!

Lilley is a family name from my side so that is why it is spelled the way it is.

We are so excited to welcome this new little one into our family, just as soon as she decides to get here!!! Here are some pics, one of a 36 week ultrasound that is 3-d so you can see just what she will look like. There's not a profile shot here, but her cheeks and mouth looked just like Nolan's. It was an amazing ultrasound because she was nice and filled out instead of still looking alien-ish. :) Also, we have pretty much finished with her room, so I am posting some of those pics too. Enjoy! Hopefully our next post will be to introduce little Adeline!

My mom made this AMAZING blanket for the baby with matching material from the bedding.

What a great Nanny Adeline has!

I made this valance!

This ceramic piece was from my room when I was a baby, I just repainted it!

I painted her initials, monogram style, on these canvas' and they turned out great!

The "A" and the "L" are the same border which I made to match the paisley in the bedding.

Now we are just anxiously awaiting her arrival!

July 4th 2008

2008-07-19T13:43:00.003-06:00

Happy 4th! We had a great day which started out with a parade. I think Nolan's favorite "float" was the Monster Trucks that came through; very exciting! :) Then we went over to the park for a reinactment of the Sam Bass Shootout. Later in the day Uncle Dennis and our family friend Steve came over for a fajita dinner and fireworks. We have a great front yard for seeing the fireworks that they put off at the park, so we don't have to fight any traffic. It was a great day!

Yummy! They tossed out candy at the parade...

I couldn't resist adding this picture.

We got this fake mustache out of a vending machine.

Nolan wasn't a fan, but it was a pretty good laugh for us!

We're making him grow up so fast... :)

And I made my flag cake (it's becomming a tradition)

Future Baseball Star

2008-07-19T13:33:00.002-06:00

Does this pose look familiar?

He just needs to have the helmet on and a bat in his hands.

I couldn't pass up posting this adorable picture of him!

Okay... so the truth is that he was pointing at an airplane!

But he looked like a future baseball star to me!!

He's actually pretty good at hitting the ball off the tee, so

who know's maybe he will be someday!

Swim Lessons

2008-07-19T13:19:00.004-06:00

I thought I would do some catch up posts while I have the time since this little baby girl hasn't decided to come out and see us yet!

So... Here's some pics from Nolan's swim lessons that we had through the city. It was a good introduction to the water, but I think Nolan was already past the introductory part. Let's just say that we call him "No Fear Nolan" around the water. :) He learned a few things from the lessons, but I think next year we'll belly up the money for some really good lessons! His favorite thing to do is to jump off the edge under water and then kick and paddle back to the ledge, only to follow by doing it over, and over, and over again...

On the last day they "graduated" and got a certificate of achievement. Too cute!

Nolan made a new friend in class named Zach! :)

Father's Day 2008

2008-06-28T13:18:00.003-06:00

We were lucky to have Patrick off work for a few days prior to Father's Day. Nolan and his Daddy enjoyed spending time together; one favorite being the pool! Patrick's parents came in for a visit, so we all got to spend Father's Day together! It was a nice day. Patrick slaved over the smoker for many hours to produce an AWESOME brisket and chicken meal. Sorry, no pics of the food, but it was YUMMY! Happy Father's Day Patrick (aka Nolan's Dada.)

Giving Dada his Father's Day card.

He picked it out himself and if you look at the pic to follow this one, you'll know why!

Yep, it's a tractor!! :)

(well, really a ride lawn mower, but in Nolans world they are all tractors!)

We like to create memories here in the Sparks household of child endangerment...

But so much fun for Nolan!

Nolan enjoyed your visit out here Nana & Papa!

Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there!

Fun at the Splash park

2008-06-24T22:10:00.004-06:00

We occasionally go to this splash water park with Nolan's friend Ty. Here are some pics from the last trip. Nolan was having a blast until he got the wind knocked out of him when he collided with a bigger kid. It's all fun & games until someone gets hurt! He survived but didn't feel like playing in the water any more after that. Poor kid...

A Shower for Baby Girl Sparks

2008-06-24T21:45:00.006-06:00

In preparation for lil' miss baby girl Sparks, my good friends threw me a shower! It was a beautifully decorated event and I am very grateful to have such great friends! Thank you to everyone for all of the "girlie" things that I received because I sure needed some pink around here! :)

These are the three special gal pals that hosted the event:

from left to right is Rachael, (me), Heather, and Michelle

THANKS AGAIN GIRLS!!!

Here is an up close shot of the flowers that my momma had delivered for the special occasion...

And as most of you know, I love tulips...

Michelle made me a beautiful diaper cake...

Not everyone's pics turned out because of the light in the background :( But the rest of the pics are of me with friends that attended the shower.

Me and Lauren

Me and Joy

Me and Ralphie

Me and Siobhan (left) and her sister (from Ireland) - forgive me Siobhan but I have forgotten her name. She was sweet to come and even brought me a lil' something all the way from Ireland!!

Thanks again to everyone for making this such a special day!

Toddler Bed...What a Big Boy!

2008-05-21T21:23:00.005-06:00

Nolan is now officially in his "toddler" bed. (Next step will be his big boy bed.) He is doing great staying in bed and not getting out. Although my threatening him might have something to do with that! Ha! Just kidding, but he hasn't had any issues what so ever since we made the official switch. Yea for Nolan!!

Here he is "pretending" to be asleep...

Peeking out to see if I'm watching him...

He is still so excited to get into his bed for both nap times and bed times.

The only draw back for me is that now he wants me to read his stories to him while I sit on the floor next to the bed. Not fun for a pregnant momma! I've begged and pleaded with him to go sit on the comfy sofa that is in his room, but no such luck! :( Oh well, at least I'm not having any issues with him sleeping in his new bed.

Oh, and by the way, isn't the little mini bed stinkin' cute, especially with his little night stand right next to it?!?!? :)

Anyways, Good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite!

Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-21T17:41:00.004-06:00

Happy Mother's Day! I had a great Mother's Day evening in which Patrick made me a yummy steak dinner (see pic below!) Well, I just have to say that I am so very blessed to have the best little boy that a momma could ask for!

Dinner...Yum!

Nolan and Patrick played ball in the kitchen while I attempted to eat each and every bite on my plate!

Some pics of Nolan and Momma...

Silly Nolan...

Hugging momma...
Kissing baby sister; what a sweetie!
Here's pregnant momma at 28 weeks along...
Almost Done!

Happy Mother's Day!

Central Texas Air Show

2008-05-21T16:51:00.003-06:00

We went to the Central Texas Air Show in Temple, Tx. Nolan had a great time.

Nolan with Uncle Dennis...

Since the Blue Bonnets...

2008-05-21T15:44:00.008-06:00

Sorry for the delay in posts, but life just goes by so fast! Anyways, here are some things we have been up to...

Nolan LOVES to go get "No-cones" on early Sunday evenings,

Momma does too! ;)

Playing in the playroom.

And using the toy bins as play toys.

I should have seen it coming, but shortly after this picture, he was running around with the bin covering his eyes and he ran smack dab into our cabinets in the kitchen. Poor kid, but survived! :)

Reading time with Dada. Too cute!

Play dates with friends. Here's Nolan and Ty.

And here's Nolan and Joshua. They were watching the landscape guys mow the greenbelt behind our house. Nolan LOVES to watch him go back and forth, excited each time. Oh to be a kid again...

Wrestling with Joshua. :)

Let's take a break from Nolan, shall we?!?! :)

I made this diaper cake for my friend Suzi for her baby shower

and it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself...

Yes, I'm "tooting" my own horn! :)

Here are the pregnant girls...

Our first of this season minor league baseball game at the Dell Diamond.

Nolan used his birthday money to buy a John Deer gator.

Nolan calls it his "tractor." He LOVES tractors too!

Nolan with a goatee (sp?) after eating a chocolate covered donut. :)
Nolan's new choo-choo train hat.

What a handsome boy...

And he likes to listen to music in his new monkey ear headphones!

I hooked them up to an old walkman today for his "portable" listening pleasure! :)

Texas Blue Bonnets

2008-04-11T14:03:00.004-06:00

I took Nolan out to get some pictures of him today with the Texas Blue Bonnets. We found a great patch over in a nearby park. Enjoy!

Our New Stroller!

2008-04-11T13:54:00.003-06:00

I know it seems lame to post in our blog about our new stroller, but I was so very excited to get it! It was an early birthday present/baby gift (and whatever future gifts deemed necessary) from Patrick's parents Bill and Vicki. So, THANK YOU to them both!!! Nolan is loving his new stroller. We took it on it's "Maiden Voyage" earlier this week. It is an awesome stroller. Right now we are using it in the capacity of a single stoller, but once the baby comes, we can turn it into a double. I'll have to post pictures of it in the double function once we use it that way. Well, here's some pictures of our "Phil & Ted" stroller...

Easter - 2008

2008-03-24T09:01:00.011-06:00

On Friday we got together with our Friday Morning Breakfast group as usual only this week we did an Easter egg hunt for the kids. They had a great time; here are some of the photos...

On Saturday we went to the park because the city had an egg hunt (which we missed his age level time frame) and Easter bunny event. Nolan wasn't into sitting on the Easter bunny but watching him from afar was okay! Nolan got to see the Fire Truck and then we walked down by the pond. It was a nice morning...

Easter morning was a nice one for us. Unfortunately we didn't get to go to church because we're not sure if Nolan has a cold or allergies and didn't want to risk it. The Community Bible Study that we go to supplied us in "preschool terms" the story of why we are really celebrating Easter and a page for him to color, so he enjoyed that time. We filled the rest of the morning with making rice crispy treats and decorating them, then we dyed and decorated Easter Eggs as a family. I dressed Nolan up in his cute Easter outfit and took pics of him finding eggs outside. We ended the day with a nice ham dinner and then we ate those rice crispy treats. It was a great day! Happy Easter to everyone!

Nolan's 2nd Birthday Party!

2008-03-18T23:52:00.005-06:00

We can't believe our little boy is already two years old. Since it's his favorite number, it's easy for him to respond with "two" when you ask him how old he is. He absolutely loved his birthday and everything that came with it. He loves to blow out candles (and I loved watching his face watching everyone sing happy birthday to him - too cute!) And he loved his presents (who wouldn't!) We had all of his friends come over to our house and we had a very special party for the two year old birthday boy. Momma was very proud of herself for making the first ever attempt to decorate a birthday cake and it turned out pretty good! (I know, I'm tooting my own horn, but I don't care! Take a look at the pic below!) Then when daddy came home we opened presents and had cake, not to mention another round of singing and blowing out candles. It was a great day for both of the birthday boys (more so Nolan since Patrick unfortunately had to work!)

While answering the question about how old he is, Nolan will hold up both of his pointer fingers, he hasn't mastered doing it on one hand so he does what works! That a boy! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY NOLAN & PATRICK!

Boy's Birthday Bonanza Weekend

2008-03-18T22:48:00.010-06:00

Patrick had a great idea to go to San Antonio for the "boys birthday bonanza weekend" and it turned out to be such a GREAT idea! He got us a really great room at the Hyatt. We think this hotel room was Nolan's favorite part of the weekend! No, but he really did like it. When you first walked in there was a living space with a nice big L shaped couch and a cushioned ottoman. He jumped right on there and leaned back to watch the 42" plasma flat screen television. Then he discovered the big window in the bedroom area. He could see planes taking off in the air from a distance and a train that went by a couple of times. He was in heaven! Saturday night we went out to dinner and then we went and walked the riverwalk (a little too crowded for our taste.) Then on Sunday we got up and went to the San Antonio Zoo! Nolan had a really great time there. We seemed to agree that the elephant was our favorite because she put a little show on for us!

Here are some pictures from our great weekend getaway celebrating Patrick and Nolan! Happy Birthday boys!!!

Our day at the Zoo...

Nolan waving "hi" to the animals...

Patrick & I thought this was Eagle was fake at first! :)

Notice how similar their walks are :) So sweet!

There was a train ride at the end of the day which Nolan loved (even though he doesn't look too happy in the last picture!)

It's a Girl!

2008-03-18T15:24:00.004-06:00

We're still trying to get over the SHOCK to find out that we are having a girl next! Yikes! We are getting excited though (well, maybe not Nolan since he keeps rejecting the idea, but then again, "NO" is his favorite word these days!)

The first one is the most perfect ultrasound picture I've ever seen (as far as being able to know exactly what we are looking at.) So that is her full body with her head on the right and legs on the left. Her arms are laying over her tummy.

The second one is the cute one of her sucking her thumb - a habit we will be getting rid of right away! Again, her head is on the right side but in this one she is bigger so you will only see her head and a portion of her body.

So, here she is... :) No name yet, but we're working on it. Girl names are harder in my opinion!

California Visit - March 2008

2008-03-18T15:06:00.004-06:00

So we were able to make a trip out to California. My mom threw Nolan a 2nd Birthday party for family and he had a really good time. He loved every minute of his visit. He is now calling my mom Nanny and Pat's mom is Nana. He came up with these names (I think because he was trying to say grammy and grandma but it didn't work out!) He is quite the talker these days but his pronunciation is a little off sometimes!

Sorry to those friends (and there were a lot of them) that I didn't get to see. I will make room for you on our next visit, I promise!

Someone couldn't wait to open presents...

(this picture was taken while I was at the table finishing my food!)

Thank you for my yummy cake Nanny!

Gigi and Papa didn't get to come to my birthday party, but I took this special picture with them before they left on their cruise...

January and February

2008-03-17T21:16:00.005-06:00

Okay, so I'm going to stop apologizing for the delay in posts, because it's just life and it sometimes can be hectic. Well, Nolan started talking in January and he is slowly increasing his vocabulary. He is just too much fun! As you know, he's in to music and dances around like a crazy guy. I'll add one more video to allow him to "show off" his mad skills again (actually in this one he appears a little tipsy because it was close to bedtime!) In addition, here are some photos from the last couple of months. Enjoy!

Bathtime!

The New Playroom...

Helping Daddy change the oil. Too cute!

Being silly on the stairs...

New found love is...goggles!!!

Trying to "blend in" at the creek!

And throwing HUGE rocks!

Christmas 2007

2008-01-29T17:45:00.000-06:00

My apologies for the delay in getting these photos posted. We had a wonderful Christmas! Patrick's parents came out and we all enjoyed a nice Christmas day together. Nolan enjoyed opening presents and he wanted me to tell everyone Thank You for everything that he received.

Wishing you all a very blessed Christmas and New Year!

Those darn beer commercials...

2007-12-12T16:32:00.000-06:00

Let's just say that Nolan really liked this Holiday Beer Commercial! Actually, we had rewound the tv and grabbed the camera because it was so funny the first time (truly, it was the funniest one!) but this one was a close second. He had grabbed his playing blocks while we were rewinding the commercial. As you'll see, he quickly releases them in order to let loose!! :) Silly Nolan! Sorry, it's a little dark but still visible. Enjoy!

Home Improvements

2007-12-12T16:07:00.000-06:00

Well, we're about done with all of this home improvement stuff, so thought we would share some pics. We had laminate wood floors layed downstairs, we've painted the entire interior of the house, and we had canned lighting put into our kitchen. It all looks so beautiful! Patrick has been sore every Monday after painting all weekend! Poor thing; but he has done a great job!!

Mixed Reactions!

2007-11-28T00:45:00.000-06:00

Oh no... what are you saying?

My head hurts from all this information...

Okay, so maybe it's not so bad, I'll go ahead and clap!

This is getting exciting! Yea!

Okay, I think I like this! (little do I know...)

Okay, now I'm just being silly!

It's Official !

In case you haven't caught on yet...

Nolan's lil' sibling will be due late July 2008!!!

Thanksgiving Sparks Style

2007-11-27T22:28:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pics from Thanksgiving 2007. It is now a tradition for the boys (Patrick & Chris) to show their brotherly love for one another by whipping the crap out of each others legs with the kitchen towels. Ten rounds later...the winner declared for this year was Patrick, his legs are shown first, followed by poor Chris and his messed up legs. (Chris did win last year though.) Don't ask, it's a strange tradition, but they get a kick out of it, and so do the viewers. It's crazy how torturing someone can be so fun!

This was the table set up that Chris and Laura did. Our meal was amazing; Chris & Laura out did themselves!

Ava planting a big hug on Nolan!

Eli & Ava showing bro/sis love!

If you can tell, Nolan is eyeing Annabelle's hair tye.

One more minute and he might have tried!

Silly Eli!

We had a great time as you can see.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Welcome to Sparks Remarks!

2007-11-27T22:23:00.000-06:00

This is a great way for us to post pictures and let you all know what is going on in the life of the Sparks. I know...Exciting. isn't it?!?! :) Hope ya'll visit often! Love ya!