Middle

It's hard to get noticed when you're the child in the middle. You'd like people to listen to you, play with you, admire your beauty, but there's contantly the blur of siblings on every side. This day it was Mary Tessa blurring the perfect portrait.

You might wanna be family.

If you're not going to be overwhelmed by all these pictures. And off we go . . .

But, then again, don't take my word for it. Lindsay says:

"Oh, these pictures are all FABULOUS!"


Come along for a Nolte ride then!

Just not in this one--you might end up thumbing a ride home.

How Owen didn't go loony on this breakdown with us, and our kids' bathroom sagas, and his migraine, I don't know.


So, here we are together with our family. [cue Primary song]

There's Nolen,

and Aimee, and some gu-uuy, and Bryan,

There's Alli and Ella, and Simon and Charlie,
and pet stingrays/leaves


and microscopes!


And music

and sychronized swimming (wow, we're glad to have Sarah and Owen's skills in the family!)

and ALL FIFTEEN GRANDKIDS!

The menfolk engineered some volleyball poles so we could play (not nearly enough!)

lawnchair volleyball

If someday Mark becomes like his grandpa and wears a lilac shirt, I will be so pleased. So classy, so wonderful, that Grandpa Nothum!

This is also a pretty good shot of the backyard fantasyland Mark's parents created.

Everything good happened on the tramp.

or at the Bean museum

or in a minivan

or on the tramp.

Join us again for next summer's installment!

Now, mind you, this was just our Utah week. Next I'll devote my efforts to our Boise time--but I've had a few technical difficulties with getting pictures from there. It seems that my one and only sister delivered an 11 pound boy this week--named Jackson!!!! Quite an accomplishment and quite a diversion! Just so the Tayes don't think I love them less--they're coming soon!

Thanks all you Noltes, Sneads and Nothums for being fabulous, admirable, so enjoyable, fascinating, and kind. I would gladly spend so many more weeks with you!

If you still can handle a wee bit more, here is Late Night Fights: William Nolte vs. Nolen Snead.

Taking roll

Okay, so someone noticed that I'm at the bottom of the blogroll pile. Sad sad place to be. Will you forgive me if I say last night I uploaded 183 photos off the ol' camera and all I can say is: soooon, soon, you will have too much of me. But for now, it's baby steps. Baby steps back into blogging ("Where is that 'new post' button???!!"). So much of August (theme: "Wow, that was living!!!!") to tell about, and not a single post to show for it. Shame. But for now, since we're talking about baby steps and taking roll, let's just talk about the present. Simon's first day of school was today. I'm feeling brainless about it (maybe because I got up at 5:30, maybe because I'm out of blogging practice?), so thankfully, Bethany crafted this montage:

Can you believe that those two little chubs are both now Pledging Allegiance to Texas daily? Me either.

Also, for a fitting tribute to this day and some of my real sentiments, head on over to Weeds Seeds!

Finally, I think it's great to start off your education with a Ms. Washington. What a name! Simon says she was fun, he shed no tears, we were just barely on time even though I planned to be there 20 minutes early (there is something cosmic that dogs me and dictates that I must arrive 5 minutes late), I feel good about the school change, and finally, Simon told me from his bed that "it was actually really boring and I just said it was exciting." Sigh. Here we go . . . am I rambling?

Oh, one last thing: I couldn't get Simon's school supplies before our Grand Western Tour because they like you to buy them from the PTO the week before school begins. So, when I went today to make the $28 purchase his teacher told me she had too many supplies and I didn't need to buy any--take that couponers!!! I join your ranks in the triumph of a penny saved!