Cash in Carolina

Sick Nathan

2012-02-14T21:36:00.001-05:00

Poor Nathan has been battling a nasty cold the past week. Now Nathan does not nap anymore, but this cold knocked him out a few times in the afternoon. He is getting better but still has the cough.

48 Days To Go!

2012-02-09T21:22:00.001-05:00

Mr. Innocent

2012-02-08T21:32:00.001-05:00

"Are You Going To Work Today?"

2012-02-06T21:27:00.003-05:00

That is the question that I get every morning. Nathan doesn't like me going to work and with my new work schedule I don't get to see him much during the week. So on the weekends we try to have a 'daddy-son day.' Last Saturday we hit the local park.

Kelsey's First Birthday!

2012-01-25T22:15:00.008-05:00

I apologize for the long delay since the last post. Ever since Christmas it has been crazy around here. Between a room remodeling job for Zsa Zsa, crazy work hours, a trip to Iowa for the caucus, time to blog has been few and far between.
Anyways, last weekend we were able to go up to Maryland to celebrate our niece's first birthday! We had a great time and thank Robin and Mark for the fun weekend!

Pullen Park

2012-01-12T22:41:00.001-05:00

Nathan and Cousin Madyson

2012-01-10T22:39:00.001-05:00

Christmas Take 2

2012-01-08T21:12:00.002-05:00

Who doesn't love a second Christmas? Mom, Dad, Uncle Todd and Cousin Madyson came down around New Years. Now we put Todd and Dad to work on remodeling a room for the new girl, but we did find time to open presents!

Nathan Tours D.C.

2012-01-02T22:35:00.000-05:00

Now that Grandpa Hall is 'semi-retired', we always said he should give tours of Washington DC. Well, while we were up in Maryland, Grandpa Hall took Nathan on a whirlwind tour of our Nations Capital. They rode the bus and the metro, hit the Air and Space Museum, spend hours looking at trains, and went to the White House grounds for the Pageant of Peace. Almost 9 hours later they finally returned home. Nathan had a great day with Grandpa! Thanks for giving him the tour!!!

More Christmas Pics

2011-12-30T10:45:00.001-05:00

Christmas In Maryland

2011-12-28T10:30:00.003-05:00

We did Christmas this year at Aunt Robin and Uncle's Mark's house in Maryland. Nathan was a big help handing out presents but was always on the look out for ones "with his name on them." He helped his Cousin Kelsey unwrap her presents (her first Christmas) and Uncle Mark and his mom made a great lunch! Thanks for having us and we will see you in a few weeks for Kelsey's birthday!.

Christmas Presents

2011-12-26T22:38:00.006-05:00

We were fortunate enough to be able to go to Maryland and celebrate Christmas with Melissa's family. Nathan made out very good (mom and dad didn't do too bad either :-) Among the cool things Nathan got was the outfit made by Grandma Hall. She let him pick out what trucks he wanted to be on the front. Instead of PJ's tonight he insisted on wearing these to bed...now that is the Nathan seal of approval! Grandma Hall can make you something like this too! She has a small business up and running. You can check out her stuff at Honey Bird Creations.

Cookies For Santa

2011-12-24T22:19:00.001-05:00

Pullen Park

2011-12-20T21:04:00.001-05:00

Raleigh's feature park was closed for what seemed like an eternity. It finally re-opened and Melissa took Nathan. He had a blast

Wake Forest Parade

2011-12-18T21:00:00.001-05:00

Santa's Little Helper

2011-12-08T06:05:00.001-05:00

Christmas Decorations

2011-12-06T06:53:00.001-05:00

Nathan loves to 'help.' As we have been driving at night he sees other people's decorations up and asked when we were gonna put ours up. He 'helped' me put the lights up and he actually did help put up the penguin and snow man lights.

We had the Christmas tree up by the time mommy got home from a much deserved afternoon off. He served as the runner between mommy and me. She would hand him the ornaments and he would run them to me to put on the tree.

Youngsville Parade

2011-12-04T20:07:00.004-05:00

Nathan got to go to the Youngsville Christmas parade with, in his words, his "two best friends" in Logan and Savannah. Savannah got to help Mikki feed Isabella. Evidently there is a surplus of peppermint candies in Youngsville because that is all the floats threw out!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-26T20:12:00.006-05:00

We were fortunate enough to have family with us here in North Carolina for Thanksgiving. Melissa's parents, sister, brother in law and their 9 month old daughter joined us. We also had our Uncle George and Aunt Connie with us who came all the way from Colorado. They are doing a big road trip, since they are both recently retired, and decided to spend Thanksgiving with us. We loved having them all!

Counting Our Blessings

2011-11-19T07:28:00.001-05:00

Last Tuesday was interesting as you can probably tell from the pictures. I had gone to Lowes to get some stuff and when I got back into my car it would not start. I called Melissa, who was heading to the gym, to come and give me a jump start. As she was turning left, when she had the left green arrow, the driver coming the opposite way did not stop and hit her and Nathan. It spun them around and shook everyone up. Luckily I was only a couple hundred yards away and was able to run to the accident scene. We decided to have both Nathan and Melissa go get checked out at the hospital, especially since Melissa was 19 weeks pregnant at the time. Everything is fine and Nathan got to ride in a real ambulance. Melissa does have a pretty good bruise on her knee and she was sore for a few days. Nathan was himself an hour after it happened. I am so happy that they are both OK and that the car seat and the Kia helped to keep them both safe. The van was totaled by the insurance company ($12,000 worth of damaged), so now we are gonna have to get another mini-van.

P.S. We area accepting donations for a new van :-)

Family Photos

2011-11-17T06:52:00.002-05:00

Haircut

2011-11-15T06:49:00.001-05:00

At what point did I realize that letting Nathan help cut my hair might be a bad idea?

Hope Fest

2011-11-13T21:03:00.000-05:00

Melissa's church (and I say Melissa's church because I usually worked weekends and never went) had a festival a few weeks back. Bouncy houses, painting and pony rides were all part of the day's festivities!

It's A Girl!

2011-11-08T06:05:00.002-05:00

Evidently I am gonna be learning all about princesses, ponytails, boy crushes and Barbies because we are having girl!

Halloween

2011-11-06T22:00:00.001-05:00

Halloween here in North Carolina was cold and rainy...but you don't ground an airplane for a little rain. We grabbed the umbrella and headed out...after all, he needed to get A LOT of candy to help offset the cost of his airplane :-) P.S. Anyone wanna buy an airplane costume?

O-Dark Thirty

2011-11-05T06:39:00.001-04:00

There isn't much to do in the country when you wake up at O'Dark Thirty...so i got my camera out. The windmills are the view from the front porch. The play-doh doggies...who knows :-)

Random Ohio

2011-11-03T06:36:00.001-04:00

Birthday Party

2011-11-01T06:40:00.001-04:00

While we were in Ohio we had a birthday party/family gathering. Of course this meant cake and Nathan loves him some cake. He also got a lot of nice cards, a few presents and played with cousins he does not see very often. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for the party!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-30T06:34:00.001-04:00

The pumpkin that we carved for Halloween ended up a little crooked. There were a lot factors for that...but mostly I blame the pumpkin for not standing still as I stabbed it repeatedly with a very sharp knife...stupid pumpkin :-)

Things To Do

2011-10-28T06:31:00.001-04:00

There is always a lot to do (in Nathan's mind anyways) when we visit Grandma and Grandpa Replogle. We have to climb wood piles, ride in trailers, eat Froot Loops, help feed Grandpa's dog and show off the latest Buckeye attire. Boy, I'm tired just remembering all of it!

Ohio Vacation

2011-10-27T00:24:00.005-04:00

Last week we made the long drive up to Ohio for a little vacation and to see my parents. Nathan loved it. There are cats, windmills, and big farm machinery. We got a lot of pictures so check back later!

Arriving April 4th (ish), 2012

2011-10-21T13:42:00.001-04:00

Safety Day

2011-10-16T10:35:00.002-04:00

One of the local fire department had a safety do and with Nathan's love of fire trucks, we had to go. He got to sit in all the trucks, a helicopter and pet a bunny. Mommy got to put out a 'fire.'

Ya, Who Needs Parents?

2011-10-14T09:21:00.001-04:00

A Little Tired

2011-10-12T09:19:00.001-04:00

Sometimes he just doesn't make it too bed. Titus keeps an eye on him though.

Easel

2011-10-10T10:17:00.003-04:00

Mommy got Nathan an easel for his birthday and Grandma and Grandpa Hall gave him some new paint to go with it. He loves painting "happy little trees."

Medal Stethoscope

2011-10-08T09:18:00.002-04:00

Daddy got this medal for a 5k he didn't run in (I'm just that fast!). Anyways, I gave it to Nathan and he uses it as a stethoscope to check your heart. (P.S. we have a house full of healthy hearts)

Train Ride

2011-10-06T09:05:00.002-04:00

We took Nathan to a little town called New Hill so he could ride a train. Of course his favorite part of the day was watching the toy Thomas go around the toy track...figures :-)

Happy Birthday Nathan

2011-10-03T20:52:00.005-04:00

Day 1

Day 365

Day 730

Day 1095
Happy Birthday Nathan! We Love You!

Birthday 1.0

2011-09-30T20:49:00.006-04:00

Nathan's birthday is Tuesday and he will be 3. Grandma and Grandpa Hall came down early to celebrate with us. Of course this meant we had to open presents and have cake early...there was a lot of arm twisting to get me to agree :-) Nathan got some really cool presents from them and we had some yummy cake. Version 2.0 will be Tuesday!

My Buds---Nightvision Style

2011-09-27T21:22:00.000-04:00

A Little Something For My Fans

2011-09-23T21:31:00.001-04:00

Hockey Game!

2011-09-21T20:27:00.008-04:00

Sorry for the extremely long delay in getting anything new posted. Nathan and I went to the Caniac Carnival last weekend. It is a fun day for kids that our local NHL team. They also have a scrimmage which is free. Nathan had never been to a hockey game before so I figured what better way to introduce him to it than a free game. Daddy loves hockey and especially our Carolina Hurricanes. Hopefully Nathan will also love hockey.

Last Trip Post

2011-09-01T22:04:00.000-04:00

Can you believe I am out of vacation photos. On the last day of the fair they have a parade. Nathan had fun getting candy and hot dogs thrown at him by the floats (yes, I said hot dogs). They didn't hand out condiments though so I threw mine back :-)

BINGO!

2011-08-31T22:03:00.001-04:00

After dumping Nathan and Kelsey off with Grandma and Grandpa, we decided to hit the fair and play Bingo. After about 4 games who would yell bingo but Robin. Maybe yell is a little understated...of course she did win $19 so would be happy too. We made her buy everyone those famous 75 cent ice cream cones....we figured she could afford it!

Great Grandma!

2011-08-30T22:01:00.001-04:00

The whole purpose of the trip to Nebraska is to see Nathan's Great Grandma. Of course he also got to see a lot of other people...including Uncle George and GREAT Aunt Karen. (Sorry Karen, had to get the GREAT in there!)

75 Cent Cones?

2011-08-29T21:59:00.001-04:00

I love small town America. I mean an ice cream cone for 75 cents?!?!? I'll take 2! Great-grandma got Nathan fair ride tickets which were quickly depleted on the first night. The carousel is still his favorite.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-28T21:24:00.000-04:00

Uh, we would like to send you to the coast to cover this little storm called Irene...winds over 100mph...over 10 inches of rain...little sleep...no power...microwave Chef Boyardee...co-workers who tell stories that I wouldn't tell anyone....sign me up?!?!? Well, that is what I did because I work in news. You ever watch those reporters try to do those live shots while being blow away? Well, someone is behind the camera and that someone is me...it's my job. Did I enjoy it??? In a weird way yes...do I want another one to hit North Carolina this year....NO!

Vacation photos will resume tomorrow.

Parks and Grandpa

2011-08-27T21:57:00.002-04:00

How cute is Cousin Kelsey? Almost as cute as Nathan was at that age....almost :-)

Pools and Maps

2011-08-26T21:55:00.002-04:00

I believe Nathan and I hit the pool no less than 38 times in our five days in West Point. Alright, that my be overestimating a little, but it was not uncommon to be there 3 times a day. He also was a good map reader...much like his mom I'm told. We do need to work on his window washing though.

I 'Heart' The Creamery

2011-08-25T21:18:00.000-04:00

You can't go to Van Wert in the summer without making the short drive to Delphos and The Creamery. I mean look at that Buckeye milkshake....yum. Roadtrip anyone?

Also, I think Nathan and cousin Madyson would be good friends if we lived closer...they had a blast together.

Ah Frickers...I Miss You

2011-08-24T21:51:00.001-04:00

One must stop while in Ohio was Frickers. I have yet to find chicken wings as good as them in North Carolina. We also got an astronomy lesson from Uncle Todd.

Windmills and Planes

2011-08-23T21:49:00.001-04:00

You can't look anywhere in northern Van Wert County without seeing windmills...they are everywhere. I think they are neat but then I don't live there anymore.

We also got to watch Grandpa Rex fly his model airplane. We were there last year for the maiden voyage, which ended much like the Hindenburg. This time Grandpa did great!! He even let Nathan use the controls. Aren't Grandpa's the best!!!

The Great American Road Trip

2011-08-22T21:47:00.006-04:00

You may have wondered why there have been no updates for weeks, well we've been on vacation! We decided do the Great American Road Trip. It went like this: drive from North Carolina to Ohio and see my parents. From there we drove to Nebraska to see Melissa's grandmother. After that I flew back to NC since someone has to work to pay for this vacation. Melissa then drove back across the country with Nathan and her mom. There were stops in Chicago to see GREAT Aunt Karen and Ohio to see my parents. Clear on all that???? Don't worry, there won't be a quiz. We got a lot of pictures so expect this blog to be updated frequently...that is until Hurricane Irene blows everything away!

First stop was Van Wert to visit cousin Madyson, Uncle Todd, Grandma and Grandpa and the windmills :-)

Breakfast And Trucks

2011-08-03T04:35:00.001-04:00

Our friend Chris operates those big satellite trucks that you see at sporting events and whatever the major trial of the day is (ie. Casey Anthony). He lives in Florida but was in Raleigh for a soccer game. We met him for breakfast and Nathan got to see his big truck (have we mentioned Nathan likes trucks?).

Can I Get Your Number?

2011-08-01T11:33:00.001-04:00

Toddler Bed

2011-07-29T05:24:00.001-04:00

Well, Nathan finally did it. He broke his crib. All that bouncing he likes to do literally broke a metal hinge. It was time for him to get a toddler bed anyways. Of course Nathan wanted to help put it together. He helped putting the slats in and liked using the allen wrench to tighten all the screws.

Granpa's Blocks

2011-07-27T05:21:00.002-04:00

Grandpa Hall sent down a box of blocks with Aunt Robin. The game was too see how tall we could make the tower before they would fall on Cousin Kelsey. Aunt Robin did not like this game :-)

Cousin Kelsey!

2011-07-25T13:12:00.010-04:00

Cousin Kelsey, Aunt Robin and Miss Megan all came down for a visit. Nathan was really excited to see his cousin, and Robin and Meghan, but mostly Kelsey :-)

Nap Time?

2011-07-20T06:30:00.001-04:00

Grandparents Visit

2011-07-18T21:23:00.005-04:00

Grandma and Grandpa Replogle came down for a visit last week. It was also Grandpa's birthday so we celebrated his birthday with cake. (Side note: Nathan is now addicted to cake) We also had a lot of computer time, game time and reading with Grandma time!

For Hire---Cheap

2011-07-08T05:41:00.001-04:00

Cookies

2011-07-06T05:54:00.001-04:00

I don't know who taught him this. Ok, I do :-)

Happy 4th of July

2011-07-04T13:28:00.005-04:00

We took Nathan to the fireworks in Wake Forest on July 3rd. He did great! We got there 3 hours before the show but he had a great time. I think the fireworks scared him a little (see photo #2). But he also took a picture of Melissa and I (see photo #3)

Haircut...Daddy Style

2011-07-01T05:16:00.002-04:00

Nathan was in desperate need of a haircut. So, daddy got out the electric razor and gave it a try. I think it turned out really well and we saved 20 bucks!

Nathan and Logan

2011-06-29T05:17:00.001-04:00

Pre-school

2011-06-27T21:10:00.001-04:00

We signed Nathan up for a summer pre-school program. He goes a 2 days a week for a couple hours in the morning. He seems to like it. We'll see how he likes school in a couple years :-)

Washing My Car

2011-06-25T05:12:00.002-04:00

Now if I can just get him to wax it too!

Unlimited Train Rides!

2011-06-23T05:19:00.002-04:00

Unlimited train rides for $12! That is all Melissa and Nathan needed to hear and they packed up and headed to Spencer, NC. Of course Nathan loves trains so this was a big hit with him. He gave me the all the highlights when I got home from work.

Long Car Rides

2011-06-21T21:14:00.002-04:00

Car rides back and forth to Maryland provide for some interesting photos. Case in point, photo #2.

Playgrounds

2011-06-17T08:41:00.001-04:00

The trip to Maryland included a lot of visits to parks. We played trucks in the front yard and he got to ride on a carousel and a train. The kid loves trains...must get it from Grandpa Hall.

New Buddies

2011-06-15T06:39:00.002-04:00

While in Maryland, Nathan made some new buddies. He played football with Bennet and loved playing with Mark and Robin's niece Grace. Of course he loved playing in the dirt, which would explain pic #3.

Helping Grandpa

2011-06-13T06:38:00.001-04:00

Grandpas Have The Best Toys

2011-06-12T07:36:00.000-04:00

Kesley's Baptism

2011-06-09T05:34:00.001-04:00

We were lucky enough to be to make it to Maryland for Cousin Kelsey's (our niece) baptism. Somehow I managed not to get a picture of Kelsey and Melissa...I know, that takes skill. A lot of the next posts will be about the trip.

Sandbox

2011-06-07T20:34:00.004-04:00

Nathan got a sandbox. On a related note, my house has sand everywhere.

Game Room

2011-06-04T05:53:00.002-04:00

Before Nathan we used to have a game room. Dart board, a combo pool table and air hockey game. We finally got it cleaned out and we both played Nathan in a game of air hockey. I am not sure who won...

Um, I Think You Are A Little Big For This?

2011-06-02T05:11:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day Fun

2011-05-31T05:28:00.001-04:00

A Trip To The "Beach"

2011-05-29T21:07:00.002-04:00

Nathan and his buddy Logan went to one of the nearby lakes and hit the beach. He loves playing in sand so this was a big hit!

Fun In The Van--Parked Of Course!

2011-05-26T04:57:00.001-04:00

New Bike

2011-05-24T12:50:00.003-04:00

A former co-worker of Melissa's gave us this nice bike. It had been sitting in the garage since before Nathan could walk. On a walk, Nathan saw a neighbor kid riding his bike so now Nathan is all about his bike. The only problem is that he hasn't figured out how to pedal yet. Baby steps I guess :-)

Computer Time

2011-05-19T05:47:00.002-04:00

Is it time to get Nathan his own Facebook and Twitter account?

Logan And Nathan

2011-05-17T05:47:00.001-04:00

Yogurt In A Tube?

2011-05-15T20:48:00.002-04:00

Wake Forest Meet In The Street

2011-05-11T04:37:00.001-04:00

This past weekend Wake Forest had their "Meet In The Street" event. Nathan met his neighbor friend Savannah there and the fun began. They hit the bounce house, blew bubbles and ate flavored ice. Nathan also got to go inside ambulances and fire trucks!

Kelsey's Big Helper

2011-05-09T07:10:00.003-04:00

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T11:55:00.006-04:00

Happy Mother's Day! Nathan and I love you very much!

Metro, Zoo and School Bus!

2011-05-06T04:53:00.002-04:00

While in Maryland we decided to head to the National Zoo. That meant Nathan got to experience his first ride on the DC Metro. He loved the zoo and told everyone what we saw there. After the zoo he got a special treat and Grandpa Hall took him a ride on a school bus. A very busy but fun day!

The Wedding

2011-05-04T04:47:00.001-04:00

The #1 reason for the trip to Maryland was too see the wedding of Miss Meghan To Mr. Dan. The wedding and reception were great! Uncle Mark's parents said they would watch Nathan (Thank-You) during the wedding and reception. This allowed us to have a wonderful day without Nathan. (I know, sounds bad doesn't it) I think the day really wore out Nathan because after we got back he fell asleep on me within 5 minutes.

Nathan, Kelsey and More!

2011-05-02T21:37:00.005-04:00

With a wedding in Maryland this past weekend, Nathan had the chance to see his cousin Kelsey again! I will try to get back to posting a little more often...after all, I have a picture of me in a suit!

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-23T12:53:00.004-04:00

Tornadoes

2011-04-18T08:59:00.005-04:00

I am sure some of you have heard about the tornadoes that ripped through North Carolina on Saturday afternoon. These are some of the places that I have visited while covering the aftermath of the event. Luckily, Nathan and Melissa have been in Maryland for the past few day; although I am anxious for them to come home. Now, off to work it go!!!!! (Ya, I didn't believe the exclamation points either)

Baseball Anyone?

2011-04-08T12:52:00.004-04:00

What is a tirp to the park without a run around the bases and watching a dump truck in action?

Who LOVES The Trash Truck?

2011-04-06T12:45:00.001-04:00

Brownies!

2011-04-03T13:28:00.003-04:00

Never, ever, suggest baking a cake to a two year old unless you have the ingredients and the willingness to follow through on your idle suggestion.

Museum of Life and Science Videos

2011-04-01T05:55:00.001-04:00

I really need to remember that I can't turn the camera when shooting video or it will stay that way. Geez, you'd think a "professional photographer" of all people would know this.

Durham Museum of Life and Science

2011-03-30T05:55:00.001-04:00

Another thing we did with the grandparents was go to the Durham Museum of Life and Science. It was great. There was a train, a butterfly house, you could dig for dinosaur bones, eat ice cream and you could bang on some drums.

Duke Gardens

2011-03-28T19:52:00.010-04:00

One of the days my parents were in town we went to Duke Gardens. It basically is a place with a lot of flowers and walking paths. Nathan seems to like flowers and he really likes smelling them. (No flowers were hurt by Nathan on this field trip!)

Tent Fun

2011-03-27T21:11:00.003-04:00