Rollin' Nolan

For some reason, "Rollin' Nolan" has become one of Nolan's nicknames. It is usually used in silly song fashion to an old Western theme song called Rawhide. (Thanks to the helpful comments of Trillium, I was able to learn the name of this song and add it to the top of my playlist for your enjoyment.) The version we sing goes like this: Rollin' rollin' Nolan, see that Nolan rollin', rollin' rollin' rollin'---Nolan". Lame, I know... but we all get a kick out of it. To think of it, the rolling reference probably came to mind due to Nolan's huge, very round head, which we often tease him about. (In a loving way of course.)

In truth, we believe that Nolan's extraordinary large head was made to accommodate his extra large brain. (A fact which he does not refute, I might add.) He truly is an intelligent child; who isn't afraid to ask questions, make observations, or do what ever it takes to learn about new things. I remember when he was younger, he would often get into fights with his older brother and sister about things he knew nothing about. Soon after that, Nolan would state the exact same facts that his siblings had given him, nearly word for word, even though it was obvious he didn't really understand everything he was saying. That is when I figured it out: he was purposely starting those fights in order to get his brother and sister to teach him what he wanted to learn.

Although Nolan doesn't fight as much as he used to, he is still getting others to teach him what he wants to know. Now he uses questions instead. "Dad, are you speeding?!", "Why did you go when the light was red?" (it was a right hand turn), "Are we going West?" are some of the typical questions he asks in his bossy voice. Nolan wants to know the who, what, why, when, where, and how of nearly everything. The kid has a natural drive to learn, what more can I say?

We've concluded that after housing Nolan's massive cerebellum, any remaining head space must then be used as a place for stockpiling spare calories, as Nolan certainly doesn't store them by traditional means. For the most part Nolan eats like most other kids, that is until something extra tasty like pizza, brauts, or hamburgers is served. That is when Nolan has been known to out eat everyone, except perhaps his dad. When you watch him eat, you can't help but wonder where it all goes because he is so skinny. (He even sports a nice 6 pack to prove it. Boy am I jealous!) It will be interesting to see how long he can keep it up though, as most veggies and him don't seem to get along that well.

One of Nolan's healthier habits is the fact that he is the most active person in our house hold. He loves sports and is a very fast runner. Right now his favorite thing to play is kick ball. Sadly, the poor child has been asked to make some sacrifices this year, as last year he slid huge holes into all of his school pants and was asked not to do so again.

Another of Nolan's passions is fishing, though it's been a while since he last caught a fish. His most recent catch was a large turtle, believe it or not. It was so funny to see him scream and jump with enthusiasm! (The boy giggled until he was nearly blue in the face.) The good news is: the turtle got away. The bad news is: he got away before Dave could remove the hook. Oops!

As for talents: Nolan has been gifted with a super memory, advanced reading skills, the ability to motivate himself, and very healthy lungs (so as to make himself heard). As the years go by, more talents are bound to emerge I'm sure. Nolan has also been blessed by the taller side of the jean pool, and will likely surpass his older brother's height in a few short years. It will be interesting to see how much the dynamics of their relationship change after that.

As for now, Nolan is looking forward to following in Matthew's footsteps. He is especially eager to turn 8, as that means getting baptized, getting his own new set of scriptures, having grandma and grandpa come and visit, and joining Scouts etc... I've no doubt that soon after all of that Nolan will talk of the day when he too will be able to join band, or do some other big boy thing that he has seen his brother do. I only hope that he will endeavour to add some of his own unique twists and turns along the way and make that path his own.