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)