Santa Fe opera week 1

This week has been a dream! I can not believe that I am a part of the Santa Fe opera this season. It is amazing!

The men's chorus and the stage director of Fidelio. The stage directors full time job is at Juliard! 

Stephen and I watching Don Pasquale. 

Sitting by the campus pool!

The view!

Watching Carmen with Marilyn Tyler. 

My BFF, Holly, at Carmen. 

Brilliant chorus master and rehearsal musical director. 

The view. 

Day one of livin' the dream! Seriously! I love this. I am so blessed. 

Upstairs Make-over

After 2 years in this house, it was time to do some much needed decorating.  This house was basically move-in  ready but there were a few things I wanted to change and make my own.  First stop, the guest room.  This room was "cabin" themed and adorable with all the right furniture; however, all that cute stuff was the previous owners.  So, I had to sort of start from scratch. 

Before

 

 After

 

Nolen's room was plain white.  It had a lot of patches and needed a real make-over.  I was waiting until he slept in a big boy bed; however, that day is not coming any time soon.  So it was time to paint and put up pictures.  I went with the boat theme and think it worked out perfect!

 

Edward's room was already painted a cute color and just needed some pictures.  He is in LOVE with cars, so it was only natural to go with vintage cars; although, he saw Nolen's room and said he wanted boats, too!

It took Amanda and I one week to get all of this done. I am so proud of her.  She worked so hard and was able to finish painting and decorating much sooner than I expected!  Now on to the loft and to finish decorating my room. 

Happy Father's Day?

This summer, I was planning to have my Mom with me.  She received some troubling news about her health, so she sent a replacement.  My parents drove over on Friday and spent Father's Day with us.  We had BBQ complete with ribs and potato salad!  I love my Father so much.  He is generous, to say the least.  He has never cared about his own personal needs as much as he cares about our needs.  It is amazing!  My niece, Amanda, is here helping out for the summer.  Watch for all the amazing projects she is going to finish for me! 

Family Pictures by Sweet Papaya Photography

Every single picture was amazing!  Thanks Erin Napier at Sweet Papaya Photography!

Speech, Speech!

Me: "What's the word, little man?"

 

Nolen: Short pause, "Hot wheels!"

 

Nolen has had a sudden burst in language.  It is amazing.  He wants to tell me stories all the time.  He has added new complicated words to his vocabulary and needs someone to listen to him talk all day.  It is amazing!  He is saying things I never imagined possible.  After getting a large bill from our ABA therapy company, I thought about giving up; however, Nolen is doing so well.  ABA therapy has changed his life so much!

 

In other news, Nolen stopped sleeping through the night.  Not sure if it has something to do with a growth spurt or the sudden language burst, but I don't like it at all.  3 nights in a row he has woke up at random times crying for more milk in his sippy cup.  Then he woke up at 5:45 AM this morning and was ready to play.  UGH!

Tonsillectomy

After years of ear infections, strep throat, and constant colds we decided to have Edwards tonsils removed. I tied to prepare him for the pain; however, it wasn't enough. Edward came out of surgery and said, "Mom, I am mad at you!"  

He also had tubes put back in his ears for the third time. I really hope this is the last of these kinds of surgeries. Here's to a happy healthy Edward!