Happy 1st birthday, Nola!

How can it be possible that Nola is already turning one?! The year has flown by and have we been blessed! Nola has been a wonderful baby and Brenner is a great big brother! We have two awesome kids!
Nola loves to be outside. Grandma Val snapped this picture of Nola inspecting some leaves.

Nola enjoying one of her birthday gifts from Papa and Mommy. Nola loves to bounce to any kind of music!

Although she mostly walks, Nola broke out her signature crawl for her new push toy! Nice legs, Papa :)

Our families came to celebrate Nola's big day. How many men does it take to BBQ...apparently at least six! Thank you to all of the family (that includes Schultzs - you all are like family to us)
that came to share our little girl's big day!

Grandma Val, Aunt Lynnie, and Nola supervising in the kitchen.

Brenner passed the time on his race car. Thanks to Colten for helping him out! Yes - that is his tongue sticking out....

Brenner telling Nola all about how great birthday cupcakes are....Nola seems to be listening to him!

A thank you kiss to mommy for baking the cupcakes :)

Hmmm.....I have had enough but I hate for the cupcake to go to waste.......

Hey, Grandma Val, do you want some?!

Okay, Grammy, your turn! It's yummy!

Present time! Nola enjoyed the wrapping paper of course. Brenner did pretty good "helping".

I think Nola's favorite was a blanket that Aunt Lynnie made with "NOLA" sewn on it. Nola just rolled and rolled on it. This was a really special gift - especially since I don't ever remember Lynn sewing. In fact, when Grandma Hilbrenner taught us as kids, Lynn wasn't all that interested. So - that makes this gift even more special. Nola will be wrapped in love from her Aunt Lynnie any time she wants!

A busy weekend

The weekend after Labor Day is always busy for us with the Fall Festival and the Steam Engine Show! It was a lot of fun! I have one Brennerism for this week. Yesterday, I was asking Brenner about school. I asked what he had for a snack and he informed me "cookies, marshmallows (who brings this junk!?), and wine bottle". Wine, I inquired? "Yes, I had a wine bottle and everyone else had juice boxes." I guessing it was one of those plastic koolaid bottles....just hoping he didn't call it that during class as Ms. G will think Matt and I are winos!
Nola showing off some of her new clothes and her first pair of shoes. Once she got them on, Nola immediately wanted to stand up and walk. Since then, Nola has decided that she prefers to walk than crawl!

Brenner wanted to help Nola walk but got upset...here he is being dramatic....Nola doesn't seem too impressed......

Grammy Vo came to babysit one day last week - the kids had sooooo much fun! Come back soon, Grammy!

Grammy brought Nola's birthday gift a few weeks early. Nola loves her new rocker! Thank you, Grammy! Nola is also sporting some new shoes from Aunt-ta Theresa....she is sure to be a shoe gal :)

My friend Kim also passed along some toys that her son outgrew. Brenner and Nola both love the weebels treehouse. Although, we have to keep reminding Brenner that these are Nola's toys.

We went to the Fall Festival and had some yummy German food at the beer garden. Batman seems to be tunneling his inner super powers!

Brenner's favorite ride was the spinning dragons...he wanted to ride all by himself.

Nola had her first merry-go-round ride. She did well but didn't want to sit the whole time!

Nola decided it would be more fun to walk around while Brenner rode the rides!

Brenner riding the jeeps.

The big motorcycle rider!

Papa, Mommy, and Brenner rode the scrambler - it was a lot of fun!

Nola watching us on the scrambler with Grandma Val and PawPaw Hinckle.

After the fall festival, we headed to the steam engine show which included a tractor pull. Here Brenner is with PawPaw Floyd on one of the steam engine tractors!

Papa was eyeing the funnel cake all day. Brenner enjoyed it too, but Mommy preferred the kettle corn!

The steam engine show draws quite the crowd with delicate palates........

.....and refined hobbies.

Nola and Brenner loved the goats. Nola kept saying "baa, baa, baa"!

The real highlight for Papa was taking our tractor through the Power Parade at the steam engine show with Brenner!

Nola talking with Grammy while watching the parade.

But Nola got to enjoy a ride on the tractor as well!

Playmates

Nola and Brenner have been doing a great job of playing with each other! Brenner still has some great one-liners. Yesterday, I was outside with Nola so Brenner came in the house where Papa was cleaning the floors. Brenner told Matt "Mama's not giving me any attention." Matt told him that he would play with him when he was finished. Brenner responded "When you get done cleaning the floor, Papa, just text me and then we can go play." Okay, buddy! Brenner was also funny when he woke up in the middle of the night. He came in to ask us where his spiderman figure was - on the coffee table he was told. Brenner then left our room and I could hear his feet patter around then back in bed. He laid there a few minutes, then got up and closed our bedroom door, turned on the hall light (which he uses to fall asleep at night), and then went back to bed. I was impressed that he shut our door before turning on the light!
Brenner colored these awesome pictures for school - and traced his name on the one. He loved his "rainbow hats"! Yes - he did his "homework" in his underwear - however we can get it done, right!

Grandma Val and her Nonie. Nola has been sleeping like a trooper - yahoo!

Even though Nola and Brenner love playing together, they do separate things as well. Brenner wanted to help Papa wash the dishes the other night.

Nola seems a little sad without her favorite buddy. (But check out the super cute dress I got from Hartstrings - very retro, huh!)

Finally, they got to play together again! Brenner has been asking for months if they can splash together! Nola seems to know that evil lurks around the corner!

More playtime together. Why Brenner loves my tea pot, I do not know. But the plastic container drawer is always open these days and the containers never manage to find there way back in the drawer.....

Now back to playing by ourselves. Here, Brenner left his bottom dresser drawer open so Nola decided to pull out his jammies. Thanks, sweetie!

Brenner retreated to play with his spiderman figure. Colten also gave him a bunch of toys (thanks Colten) and this little green figure was in there. Matt told Brenner his name was "aquavelva man"...I have no idea what his super power is.....

Today, Brenner and Papa headed to Hilbrenner lake to put up a deer stand. Brenner was super excited and had to dress like dad! After the boys left, mama and Nola went shopping :)