Go Ducks!

We are on the countdown to the big game....Oregon vs Auburn. This will be a very interesting game since we live among many Auburn fans. For Christmas we all got Oregon sweatshirts, and you can bet that we are wearing them out. Noah likes to walk around and say "Quack Quack!" and "Go Ducks", so I think he is also ready for the big game.

Merry Christmas 2010

What a great Christmas we had this year! Noah enjoyed opening anything that was wrapped...so needless to say, none of us needed to bother with opening our gifts! He was pleased to see that he had gotten everything that he had asked for from Santa: A tractor, cars, a chair and a basket ball hoop! (Thanks to grandparents!) And to top off the Merry day, we were blessed with 3 inches of snow! Who would have thought we would get a white christmas here in Alabama! Noah enjoyed his time making a snowman with daddy and a snow angel with mommy. It was such a wonderful Christmas!

Calling off Christmas

I know I cannot be the only one who feels a little bit like a Who from who-ville, with the Grinch just peaking over his mountain top trying to taint the holiday spirit. Each year I feel the pressure of the material world crushing down on my holiday cheer. But this year, however, it is such an intense pressure. We decided to keep it simple this year and we were successful with that. But, I have found that no matter who you talk to everyone is feeling this "pressure". I guess it is the pressure to buy and give lots of gifts even during this recession, and the pressure to put on a happy face when things aren't quite going as planned or maybe it all the frowns I have seen around town. Though I didn't do much shopping this year, the interaction I have had has been very disgruntled. People just walking around doing their job with no Christmas cheer. I wonder to myself, why can't we just go back to baking and homemade gifts and remembering why we celebrate Christmas anyway. Why does it always have to be about how much you spend and what you give?
To add to all the holiday pressure, there are two other factors that I have seen. 1) Those of us that live with the Grinch's. I happen to have two of them this year. 2) The nasty illnesses that have decided to spread their Christmas cheer. I also have one very sick kid. In the past couple of days I have been in and out of the doctors office with my son, who is now on 5 medications. It is all enough to make one crazy! And, rob you of your Christmas cheer. So, today I am declaring that I am calling off Christmas in my home. We are going to refocus....we are going to celebrate Jesus' day and nothing more than that. Forget the material traditions and the pressure. After all, no matter what pressures are in your life during this season, who can be a Grinch when you are celebrating the greatest gift of all?! I pray that though there are a lot of pressures and stresses out there for everyone, that we all take a moment to pause and remember what Christmas really is. And, then, take a deep breath and look up.

Noah's Fort

Little does this little boy know his new fort is a product of a Christmas gift. (So glad they don't catch on to things this early!) Dave cut a few windows and a door in this box for Noah and he has been thrilled with it. Truly the cheapest gifts are the packaging!

Merry Christmas!

Noah trying on mommy's shoes

The holidays have snuck up on us so fast this year. I just realized that it has been almost a month since I have posted any updates and pictures! I just don't know where the time has gone. I hope that all of you have enjoyed family traditions and Christmas cheer. We have had fun enjoying trips to see Santa and watching a few snowflakes here and there. Noah has really been into Christmas this year, which is so exciting. He is infatuated with Santa and talks about him all the time. At our last visit with him at Dave's company party Noah spent the night sneaking treats from the table and feeding Santa. (He had quite the pile of goodies when we left!) He also has fun sneaking gifts from under the tree and trying to hide in the corner and open them. I am really looking forward to Christmas morning. He has told Santa that he wants a tractor, car, basketball hoop and train...can't wait to see what he gets! I hope you all enjoy the next seven days and may they be bright and cheery!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

It is that time of the year where we can take time to share how we are thankful for all of the blessings that we are so graciously given. Though we live in a society where things are practically handed to us and we hardly even know what a "want" is, it is sad to me that we need a holiday-and one with a turkey mascot- to remind us to stop and be thankful. This year, I vow to spend my days rejoicing in this lovely life full of many twists and turns of numerous blessings. For this Thanksgiving, I want to thank all of our family and friends for being such blessings in our lives. We are so grateful to have such wonderful people to support us, guide us and laugh with us. I hope that you all have a blessed day with your families, but most importantly, are able to take the time to look up and thank the one that has blessed us all!

My First Painting

My friend Erin and I took a painting class together the other night. It was a really neat experience. I have never painted before, so I was a bit nervous. To my surprise this class was very laid back with about 40 people snacking and chatting away while they created their masterpieces. I really have an appreciation for art and the many interpretations that it brings. So, I vow to keep trying this new painting thing out and see how my progress goes. But, for now, here is my first Masterpiece!

A couple random shots

Noah is really into hiding. If he can squeeze into a spot he will. Often times I will find him hiding behind all of our clothes in our closet or next to the fridge. This day he decided to hide next to my nightstand and as he told it "Scare Mommy".

Noah is really into his cars, trucks and tractors. He especially loves his shirt from Gampa Parker. He likes to point at it and tell us all about Gampa's muscle car. Thanks Gampa!

Smoothie Boy

This boy loves smoothies. (I will never tell him they are healthy!) They have become kind of special in our relationship. A couple times a week we will make them and drink them together. I enjoy the time that we get to share over our smoothies. I love how excited Noah gets to help put all the fruit in the blender. And, to my amazement, he will drink all of his faster than me and want more. That's my boy!

Diaper Cake

Here is another diaper cake that I did for a baby shower this weekend.

Hula Hooping

Here is our little monkey playing with a hula hoop at a festival that we went too.

Cute Monkey + Goose Egg

What would Halloween be like if it weren't for some real "scary" effects to Noah's costume?! My oh-so-hyper child was running around the house when he slipped and fell against the dining room table head first. The result? A very large blue goose egg. Poor little monkey. It reminds me of a song...
1 little monkey jumping on the bed. He fell off and bumped his head. Mommy called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"
Poor baby boy!

Happy Halloween!

Almost ready to go Trick-or-Treating!

Knocking some boxes down

The Jumping monkey


Since Halloween is on a Sunday this year, we spent much of the week celebrating with festivities. Noah went to his first Trunk or Treating event and made out well. (Or I should say mommy and daddy did!) Noah proudly sported his Monkey costume around asking for candy and playing games. It has been very warm here lately, so we did feel bad that his costume was a little too insulated. (70-80 degree weather in October??!) Noah also went to a festival that our church put on. He has so much fun bouncing in the blowup structures, playing games and riding the hay ride. (Which he did as many times as we would let him!) It was fun to watch him run around since only a year ago, he was there as a cheetah riding in his stroller. Finally, Noah went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood last night (they will be doing this saturday and sunday this year!) as he really has the hang of it now. We have him trained to pick our the chocolate candies for us and he loves to say "Thank you!"

Fall Hiking

We took Noah up to the mountain this past weekend to spend a family day hiking. (And we wanted to break out the backpack!) It was a beautiful fall day with weather around 78 and all the colors of fall. Noah did a great job riding in the backpack for part of the way and then he hiked the rest with us. I was a bit nervous as to how he would do, but he kept up. He loved all the rocks, and often times he would get focused on picking them up and throwing them every which way. While riding in the backpack he would encourage daddy by saying "Careful Daddy, don't fall!" and "Noah's Hiking!!" On several occasions Noah fell while hiking on his own and he would say "Uh-oh, careful Noah" and then get up and wipe his hands. He was a trooper. All in all I would say that our hiking experience was a success and there will be more in the near future!

Alabama Game

The boys playing lawn bowling

The girls

We went to a bbq at a friends house to watch the Alabama game last weekend. The weather was perfect for some outdoor fun and grilling! Noah enjoyed being the center of attention and playing with all the adults.

Girls Night Out

Last night I went out with the girls for my friend Melissa's birthday. We had a great time! I had forgotten how nice it is to go out without a diaper bag and screaming child. Ha. Here is a group shot of our fun night!

Story time Project

Here is Noah's owl that he made at story time today. Our library does the neatest job of offering story time where they get to make a craft, read three books and sing songs for an hour. Noah really likes to go and participate as well as play with his new friends.

Whooohoooo

Here is my little boy hard at work on his boat. Love the enthusiasm!!

Tate Farms Pumpkin Patch

Noah's pumpkins


The Corn Bin





Noah had a blast at the pumpkin patch! He got to play on the tractors, bikes, slides and pet the animals. Perhaps his favorite parts were the corn bin where he got to roll around in tons of corn and the corn maze. Afterwords, he picked a pumpkin (one mom can make a pie out of). There were lots of Smiles this day!

Final House Project: Fence & Shed

Well, we have been hard at work this year to finish up our yard. Here are some pictures on the shed that Dave and Christian built as well as our newly stained fence. Believe it or not, the fence was the hardest project until we got a sprayer to finish it! It ONLY took 20 gallons of stain!

Pickle-No-No

In our reading adventures, Noah discovered Pinocchio. He likes hearing about the puppet whose nose grew. But more than anything, I think he likes saying his name. Here is a short clip of him saying Pinocchio.

21 Months Old!

It is hard to believe that Noah is almost two. He is so grown up! Each day he brings us new surprises in his language and understanding. I wish I could record each day so that I would never forget a second, but I know that I can't. So, here are some of the highlights of what he likes to do and say these days.

-Noah loves to play cars. Especially now that Daddy is teaching him the names of each box car that he owns.(Right now he like the Barracuda and the Dodge Demon) He has also taken a special interest in learning all about dump trucks and farming equipment.
-Noah loves to read. He will spend many hours in a day looking through books with us. He likes to memorize each page and then recite it as if he is reading it.
-Noah loves the t.v. shows/videos of The Wiggles (music group) and Yo! Gabba! Gabba! With both shows he enjoys dancing to the music.
-Though he has many phrases, his favorite is "Bless you Noah, " after a sneeze or cough.
-Noah calls me "honey". When he is trying to get my attention he will first call me mommy and then he starts in with honey. It makes me laugh every time!
-He has learned all of his animals and the sounds that they make. Particularly, he enjoys flapping his arms like a chicken and saying "bock bock!"
-He has learned his shapes. And for some reason really likes the octagon.
-He enjoys activities such as coloring/art projects, the sandbox and running. (Mostly from me!)
-He has also developed a love for many foods. His favorite is still avacado and cottage cheese. Though he has really began to like peanut butter and jelly (if it has gma's special jelly..aka "Gama's Sandwich").
-Finally, he has began making lots of frineds. It is neat to see him recognize his friends by name and play with them. Here is a picture of Noah and his friends playing.

We can't wait to see what else Noah will discover in the upcoming months!

Today I Am Blessed

Today I wake up groggy and stumble out of bed at 4:20am to head to the daily grind at the gym. Not feeling particularly excited to spend the next hour of my life lifting and sweating...but it's what I've got to do. I finish, say goodbye to my classmates and enjoy the peaceful ride home as the sun is making it's appearance. When I arrive home, my son is anxiously awaiting my arrival with his sippy cup of milk in hand. His cheerful smile and brilliant eyes greet me as I toss my gym bag to the floor and scoop him up. "Hi Mommy!" he squeals. "Good Morning baby" I reply. He quickly jumps out of my arms to search for daddy. We finish our morning routine of breakfast, diaper changes and showers and head out the door. Today we are schedule to do childcare at the gym for three hours. Deep in thought of what the next three hours might bring, I am interrupted by a small voice in the back seat. "Twinkle, Twinkle Star...Twinkle, Twinkle Star..." The precious voice in the back seat interrupts my thoughts and I concentrate on his song in amazement. At this moment, I realize that of all the matters in this world that I concern myself, none are truly as important as this. I have been given a very special gift, which is a daily blessing. I am a mother and a wife to two very special people. To me, that means stopping in the moment and enjoying all the details of the day, including my little one singing in the back seat.

Ghosts and Bats

Today Noah and I made Ghosts and Bats to hang in the living room window for Halloween. He had so much fun stamping his hands in the paint, coloring and taping pieces. Here are a couple pictures of the completed art project.

My Latest Cakes

(Neutral Cake)

(This cake is for twins)