Oh Christmas Tree

On Sunday, we went to pick out our Christmas tree. We went to Lowe's because they're not as expensive, and they put them on sale because I guess they think Dec 14 is too late to put up a tree. Anyway, since you just throw away the real tree, and our house is too small for a giant one, we just go there. There were about 7 trees left to choose from. We were a row away, and Noah spotted one that he liked -- we walked over to it, and it was a great little tree. (Considering what the other 6 looked like!) We looked at one or two more, but went with the tree that Noah picked. He was SO proud!

Later in the day, Walt got the tree in to the stand, we dragged the ornaments out and started decorating. We were close to being finished, when all of a sudden, the tree just fell over. Crashed to the ground right in front of us! And Noah started to cry. He was so upset - I think it was a combination of the crash, the noise it made and me yelling for Walt. He kept saying "MY tree! MY tree!" I kept reassuring him that Daddy would get it fixed (and with some wood to hold the tree in place AND some rope, it finally is!). Even after he finished crying, he would get sad, stick out that bottom lip and say "I'm still really upset! Will you fix it just like it was, momma?" I tried my best to make it look the way it did before, but I think once it falls over, it never looks as good again.

We did let him put the star on top, so that seemed to help him feel better. I felt so bad for him though, I really think his little heart broke when the tree fell! Notice how he and Walt are making the same exact face - I guess it takes a lot of concentration to put the star on top.

Christmas Time is Here

Christmas specials are my favorite thing about Christmas. Cheesy movies, classic movies, animated shows - you name it, I'll watch it. I wait all year for all of my favorites to be shown on television. In fact, I still get that giddy, little kid feeling when I see the commercials for Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. (And to all of my boocklub friends out there, I briefly considered staying home last week to watch it...even though I own it!) It's my all time favorite, and I guess because when I was a little kid, you only got one chance a year to watch it. That was it, if you missed it, you had to wait an entire year just to see Rudolph learning to fly after Clarice tells him he's cute. These specials hold so much nostalgia for me, and when I watch them, I can just feel the Christmas spirit.

My mother always made a big deal out of the specials, too. Which is probably another reason why I get that warm, cozy feeling when I watch them. We were allowed to turn all of the lights off and just watch them with the glow of the twinkle lights in our beautifully decorated house. I mean, that's what Christmas was all about, Charlie Brown.

Anyway, last night, Noah and I were out, and when I was getting him out of the car, I said "Let's hurry, because Charlie Brown Christmas is on tonight!" (I think I might have even let out a "SQUEEEEEEE!") I was that excited to watch my second favorite Christmas special with my own child. Quickly, Noah burst that bubble. He looked at me funny, and said "Well, Mommy, we HAVE that movie!"

At that moment, I realized that these specials that have been around longer than I have, that I grew up waiting for with bated breath each year, will never, ever mean to Noah what they mean to me. Why would it? He can watch it 100 times in the month of December if he wants to. Or, if he's really feeling like he needs to see Charlie Brown's sad little tree turn in to the best Christmas tree ever in the middle of the summer, he can watch it in July.

On one hand, I think it's great for him...he can watch it whenever he wants. It's technology at his fingertips. On the other, I feel a little sad for him. That he'll never know the true anticipation of seeing a favorite show only once a year. I guess for one time a year, the tables will be turned - I'll be the one who gets excited when I see a commercial for Rudolph or Frosty or the Heat Miser specials, and Noah will remind me that it's no big deal at all.

It's been a while...

I have been lacking in my blogging duties lately. But, we've suffered several illnesses at our home the past few weeks. Last week on Wednesday, Noah woke up screaming at 4 am. He was inconsolable - we finally got it out of him that his ear hurt. Got him in to the doctor's and he had a pretty bad ear infection. So we get him all healed from that -- on Sunday he woke up from his nap and on his way down the stairs he puked all over the place. Fun times! He had a nasty 24 hour bug. I *think* we're all healthy now, and I hope that we got all of the cold and flu season illnesses out of the way. I'm sure this is wishful thinking considering that Noah's in pre-school now, so he's around a whole new set of kids, with a whole new set of germs.

He is back to his usual funny self. These are a few conversations we've had over the past few weeks:

Walt was watching the Steelers game, and the announcers tell us that Ben has called a time out. Noah's eyes get as big as saucers and he says "WHY did Big Ben have to get a time out???" Walt told him it's because he holds on to the ball too long. It's funny what the words "time out" mean to a 3 year old. (And we don't even do time outs at home!)

During dinner one night this week, I told Walt that we should scrap our plans for Light Up Night because of the weather. I told him maybe we could do some Christmas shopping and maybe we'd have dinner and just have an evening. Noah says "I want an evening with Momma!" Then, he comes over and gets really close to me and whispers, "Momma, what's an evening?" My parents are going to watch him for us tonight and take him to dinner. My mom told me to tell him that the three of them are going to have an "evening"!

Election Day

On Election Day, Walt stopped to vote on his way to take Noah to school, so Noah was with him. On the way out of the polls (and for the rest of the day, he'd tell anyone who asked him), he told everyone that he voted for "Big Ben". When I asked him why he didn't vote for "Fast Willie Parker" (his most favorite Steeler), he told me "Daddy voted for him". So there you have it... Big Ben in 2012! ;)

Pictures

I finally got a picture of our godson, Cameron, with us. Of course, we all looked much prettier in our fancy clothes at the actual baptism - but, since I didn't get a picture then, this is all I have. He's getting so big - he's only 3 months old and already in 6-9 months clothes. He's also started laughing and "gooing". He is just so sweet.

Below is Cameron, his sister Carlee, and Noah. Noah and Carlee are besties. (Don't tell her about Olivia, okay??) The day that this picture was taken, we had somewhere to go early in the morning. Noah said "I can't go with you, Carlee will be here any minute!" The rest of the day he kept asking "When is Carlee coming?". The two of them play amazingly well together - which you know, is a lot to say for a two and three year old!

Happy Halloween!

I'm a little behind, and I have a few things I want to blog about. But, we'll start at the beginning. Last Friday was Halloween, and Noah had his first school party. Walt and I volunteered to help out at the party, which was a lot of fun. Although Noah was really grumpy that morning, and while he did get better as the day went on, he was super clingy with us. Wouldn't go play, didn't want to sit in circle time. I almost felt like maybe he'd have had a better time if we weren't there!

The party was wonderful. His teacher, Miss Trudy, organized a few games in the classroom - like pin the nose on the Jack-o-Lantern, bean bag toss, and scooping ping pong balls out of a tub of water. We then went to the "big room" at his school, and all of the kids decorated their own sugar cookie (and they were saved for dessert after lunch), they were taken on wagon rides around the school, and another bean bag toss. I had a lot of fun helping the kids decorate their sugar cookies - oh the creations! I also enjoyed meeting and getting to know all of the kids in Noah's class. Then, the school paraded around the block in their costumes. It was like cuteness overload.

Here he is with his girlfriend, Olivia. He's known her since they were babies. And during the parade, he kept holding her hand and telling her she looked "pretty". AW!

Thankfully, the party wore him out and he took an excellent nap, so he was raring to go when trick-or-treat time came around. He and Walt just went on our street for about an hour, I stayed home to give out treats to the other goblins. Noah thought trick-or-treating was most excellent, in fact, the rest of the weekend, he'd go around the house with his plastic pumpkin, trick or treating. And I'd have to drop something in to the bucket. He keeps asking when he can trick or treat again. Thankfully, it only happens once a year. We have more candy in our house than a candy store!

That's 'sgusting!

I am happy to report that I am over the black plague, finally! Last night I stayed home from bookclub to make sure I was 100% recovered, so we carved our pumpkin. Noah was really excited, until he saw the "guts". Then he told us they were 'sgusting! (disgusting) He made Walt do most of the scooping and kept saying "EW!"

Noah chose the shape of the eyes and mouth - I can't say it's the most beauitful Jack-O-Lantern I've ever seen, but it's ours! And we had fun as a family carving him.

And just a note, be sure to bring your Jack-O-Lanters in tonight. It's Devil's Night, and sometimes mean little kids smach pumpkins for fun tonight. (Can you tell I woke up one Halloween morning to find the biggest and coolest pumpkin we ever had smashed to smithereens all over the street?) Here's everything all decorated, hopefully we get lots of Trick or Treaters!

What A Week!

Last week was a little crazy at our house. First, I caught the black plague that is going around my office. I even shared it with my mom. (Aren't I nice?) Then, on Tuesday, my Auntie gave us all a huge scare and had a heart attack. It was small, and she's doing great now and is home. But, man, we were all really worried about her!

Some good things happened, too. Saturday was our 5th wedding anniversary. I can't believe it's been 5 years. And thank goodness the weather was better 5 years ago, than this year. The day we got married it was low 70's and sunny. This past Saturday was rainy and chilly. That morning, we were honored to stand up for my BFF's son, Cameron as he was baptised. I thought it was very special to becoming Godparents together 5 years after we said our vows. And Cameron (I promise to get a picture of him!) is just precious. So sweet and lovable. The priest really got him with the water, it was running down in to his eyes - I was holidng him and I was sure he was going to wail. And then I'd have felt awful. He looked confused for a minute, then just went back to his usual chill self. He was back to sleep in no time. In fact, he pretty much slept all day.

During the service, the priest told Carlee (Cameron's big sister) that she was special. I think he was doing this so she didn't feel left out. Noah got a sad look on his face and said "I'm not special?" I whispered and assured him that he, too, is special. He had a great afternoon. He and Carlee are besties, and he loves to go to her house. He really didn't want to go home!

That evening, we dropped Noah off at my mom's - they had a special movie night - and headed to Monterey Bay. We got a window seat, not on the city side, but it was still a pretty view. Walt had lobster tail, I had something called Hebi, and it was tasty! It was served with these yummy potatoes and spinach. (I usually don't like cooked spinach, but this was soooo good!) We finished it off with some death by chocolate cake. It was a nice end, to an otherwise not so great week. Here we are on our honeymoon - sigh - to be back there!

Dinner Conversation

We had this conversation with Noah last night at dinner. He was telling Walt that Walt is no longer allowed to hug me.

Me: Noah says that you're no longer allowed to hug me.
Walt: Why?!??
Noah: Because she's my momma, and I hug her, not you.
Walt: Well, can I hug you then?
Noah: No!
Walt: Then, who will I hug??
Noah: Hmm...The Big Bad Wolf.
Walt: I don't want to hug The Big Bad Wolf!
Noah: Why not? He's very soft!

And there you have it. The Big Bad Wolf, may be bad - and he might huff and puff and blow your house down...but he's really soft to hug!

Horse Back Riding

As promised, the video of Noah riding Golden. He looks like a natural to me!

Pumpkin Patch

On Sunday, we took our annual trip to Triple B Farms to choose a pumpkin. The weather was so beautiful, by 10:30 am, it was hot. That is not a complaint, I love me some Indian Summer!

Noah loved looking at all of the different sizes and shapes of the pumpkins, and this year, his favorite sport was trying to pick up the biggest pumpkins. We finally convinced him that it was better to pick up the ones that were "Noah" sized. I really thought we'd be paying for a smooshed pumpkin, but alas, that prediction did not come true.

He found a stuffed Frankenstein on a bench, that he insisted I take his picture with. He is going to be Frankenstein for Halloween, so he was really excited to pose with this Frankenstein. Here they are -- long lost twins!

He also rode 3 ponies - Little Bit, Missy and Golden. Golden was more like a horse -- his back was near my dad's shoulders. (And my dad is tall). Another one of my fears, besides birds is horses. I come from a long line of women with Equinophobia (that's the fear of horses - I heart google!). So, the sight of my baby on a BIG horse (well, bigger than ponies anyway), was enough to make my palms sweat a little. My dad walked with him, and he wasn't afraid at all - he kept saying "Are you giving me a bumpy ride?" I'll post the video of his ride on Golden the horse next. He talked about the pony rides for an entire year, so he was really looking forward to that part of the pumpkin patch. He even told the handler that Little Bit (one of the ponies from last year), missed him!

We ended the day feeding the greedy little goats and going on a hay ride. The hay ride prompted Noah to pretend he was a horse for the rest of the day. In fact, he wouldn't give anyone a high five with his fingers, he used his "muzzle" (aka his head) to give the high five. Because that's how horses would do it.

We came home with a big pumpkin, a "Noah" sized pumkin and 2 mums. We also hit up the store for various pumpkin cookies, birch beer, beef jerkey, and a cute fall scarf. (Guess which one of those things from the store was for me!) It was a wonderful day and I can't wait to go back next year.

All I Want for Christmas...

...is a small iPod. WHAT? Yes, that is what my 3 year old requested when I asked him what he thought he might like Santa to bring him this year. I thought it was going to be another member of the animal kingdom -- last year he wanted a mouse. For his birthday, he wanted an elephant for the basement. So, when he said a "small iPod", I was shocked. And honestly, I thought I had a few more years before he requested electronic equipment. What's next? A flat screen tv?

He does request that I bring my iPod on the car all of the time. His latest obsession? "Hungry like the Wolf" by Duran Duran. We can play that song 3.4 times between my house and my mom's. It' s hilarious though to hear him in the backseat trying to sing along to Duran Duran. He calls it "mustard the ground", one of the lines (I think "I smell like I sound") sounds like "mustard the ground to him". I'll try to get that on video!

In order to not have to listen to Duran Duran 3.4 times each car trip, I made him his own playlist for the iPod. I downloaded Can you Feel the Love Tonight, Hakuna Matata and Supercalifragilisticexpealidocious. I also added Duran Duran, "Hey there Delilah", "Yellowsubmarine", "Feels Like Tonight" and "Life is a Highway", figuring I'd get to listen to at least 10 songs per car trip. I was outsmarted by a 3 year old again though -- because he only wanted to hear Hakuna Matata over and over. We listened to that about 9 times between our house and Monroeville Mall. Oh well, Hakuna Matata!

Can't You Feel the Love Tonight...

I think I've mentioned before that The Lion King is one of Noah's newest obsessions. He plays Lion King with his animals, or just pretends to be the lions. (He is always Nala, much to Walt's chagrin). Here he is to entertain you, with a Lion King medley. Oh, and when he watched the video back he said "Do it again, I forgot to say "THANK YOU EVERYBODY, GOODNIGHT!" We didn't retape it, so your job as a viewer is to imagine him taking his bow at the end, just like all good rockstars do!

Family Fun Night

On Friday, after I got home from work, we headed out for family fun night. We got some food at the Get Go (Walt had coupons that were expiring and you know how he is with coupons!) and headed to White Oak park. We went to the grove where we had Noah's baptism picnic 3 years ago. We had some dinner, and then went on the slide (Noah), swang on the swings (me and Noah) and hunted pinecones. We also walked "through the forest", which was just the pine trees on the side of the grove, but Noah thought it was the forest. The weather was awesome, and it was just a great family night. It reminds me that 3 year olds don't need much to be truly entertained. I think we are going to make this a Friday night tradition, until it gets too cold. I forgot my camera, but that's us later taking crazy family photos. Another one of Noah's favorite things to do!

The Eye-Dee-Airy (or the Aviary)

A few weeks ago a group of us got up bright and early and headed to the Aviary. (or as Noah pronounces it, the "eye-dee-airy".) These sea eagles were the first winged creatures we encountered. The picture doesn't do them justice...their talons were big and pointy...their beaks were also big and pointy. They could swoop down and pick up one of my cats without any problem at all. And that, my friends, gives me the heebie jeebies. (Have I mentioned that I HATE birds?) But, the tickets were free and my family told me Noah would just love it, so I agreed to go. (And thank goodness the majority of the birds are behind glass).

The Aviary is a lot smaller than I thought, and for a bird hater like me, that was a-okay! We also ran in to two non-winged creatures who were also a big hit.

That's right, Dora and Diego were doing a special appearance that day. We were smart and got there right when the Aviary opened, so we only had to stand in a short line to meet the celebrities of the pre-school generation. On our way out, the line to meet them was snaked around the room and all the way down the hall -- the line to get in was out the door and down the sidewalk. Noah was really excited when he saw them walk in, so I'm glad he got to meet D-D-D-D-Dora! (you know the song!)

There he is with William, one of the birds in the tropical room where the birds are free to fly and walk around wherever. (I did NOT like those rooms at all!) You can see how he's pulling his hands back, I think that's because I kept saying "Don't touch him! Stay back!"

He and my dad did go in to the Lorikeet room and fed the birds some nectar. I let my dad take him in for some "Pa and Noah bonding time". Wasn't that big of me? The truth is, you couldn't pay me enough money to go in to a small enclosure with all of those birds flying at me wanting to drink that cup of nectar. No thank you! When we were at the Columbus Zoo, I stayed outside while Noah and Walt enjoyed that activity. I was watching and one of the winged creatures flew directly at my face -- I totally forgot it was enclosed in caging and screamed like I was being attacked. It landed on the fence a few feet from my face, and boy, was I embarrassed!

My mom and aunt secured us front row seats for the bird show. And all of the big birds flew right over our heads. I ducked, even though they told us not to. I couldn't help it. It was a fun day, but honestly, I'm glad we didn't pay to get in. Noah seemed to like it though, so I guess that's all that matters. He probably could have wondered around looking at the same birds over and over!

One Liners

Sometimes some of the funny things Noah says are just quick little one liners. Here are a few from the past few days.

On Saturday we picked my mom up and I told Noah to show her his new shoes. So she checks them out and says "wow! Those are really nice shoes!" To which Noah replied "Thanks! My mom bought me TWO!" I know, what a great mom I am, buying my kid two shoes. HA!

Last night after we put him in bed, we hear him starting down the stairs. Of course, he says he has to poop. (That's his excuse to get out of anything, because he knows we'll stop whatever and take him to try to poop...potty training - the bane of my existance!) Anyway, he goes in and doesn't go. (Because he really didn't have to, it was just a ploy to get out of bed one more time). So he walks over to me to kiss me again and says "I didn't poopy. I think I just had a little gas in my driveway". I can't even type that without laughing! I have no idea where he came up with that. But, of course, since last evening, that is now the new saying around our house!

I thought the picture above was rather fitting, seeing that he's in our driveway.

Nostalgic

I'm feeling nostalgic today - since Noah started school this week. Where has the time gone? I feel like it's wasn't that long ago that I found out I was pregnant, and next week it will be FOUR years. Wow! So, here is vintage Noah...taken about 3 years ago.

And this one, taken this weekend at the Aviary...what a difference such a short time makes!

Moms out there - enjoy every moment, every smile, every new little thing they do. I love the age that Noah's at now...we can have conversations, he's funny and still isn't embarrassed for me to kiss on him in public. But, many a days, I long for the little baby - when I could hold him for hours on end.

School days

Tuesday was Noah's first day of pre-school. He goes to a small in-home daycare 3 days a week, so we really wanted him to get used to a more structured "school-like" atmosphere. His daycare provider's son attends the same preschool and she's going to pick him up one day a week for us when she also gets her son.

Anyway, Tuesday was the day. He got new shoes, some new clothes and a brand new "Honk" lunchbox. (translation: honk = The Incredible Hulk). All weekend he had talked about going to school and said he was excited. But, when he got up on Tuesday and I said "today's the day you're going to school!" He started to cry! I felt awful. He kept saying "but, do I have to stay there??" I tried to assure him that he would be there only a little bit and then we'd pick him up.

So off we went to school. He posed for a pic with his lunchbox and when we pulled in he said "That's my school!" But, when we got to his room, he started to cling on to me and climb up my legs. I hugged him and told him he should go play with the kids. He just cried more. (And my heart broke). But, his nice teacher Miss Trudy came over and just kind of gently moved him away from Walt and me, and said "Show me this new lunchbox you brought!" And when she did that, we took that as our cue to leave.

I called about a half an hour later to check on him and they told me he cried for a minute and then he was fine. He was on his way to music class. He loves music, so I knew that would be right up his alley.

After school, he ran to me and was excited to see me. He told us that he sang "Sallie the camel has two humps" and played an instrument. (Those little stick things you rub/bang together). He also has a new girlfriend - he doesn't know her name, but he says she plays doctor and she was wearing something red like a ballerina. (Who knows what that means!) He says he's ready to go back today, and I hope there aren't any tears when Walt drops him off.

Somebody Doesn't Like the Classics

There are people that can quote movies to fit any situation. I am not one of them...although I always wished I was. (I can quote Revenge of the Nerds and Jaws 3 - not exactly something to brag about!) So, I was pleasantly surprised the other day when Noah asked us to sing "Name-o" (what he calls BINGO) for the one millionth time that car trip and Walt said "No! I can't sing it again!", and Noah busts out with "Somebody doesn't like the classics!" If you aren't familiar with this line, it's from Ice Age 2...which we have watched almost as many times as we sang Name-O during that car trip. I couldn't believe not only was he quoting a movie -- but he used it in the right context! (He's so smart!)

He's also used "I laugh in the face of danger" from the Lion King. And "Sometimes I throw up", also from Ice Age. Perhaps we should get some new movies? :)

So, I hope he continues and he's one of those people that can say the funny line from a popular movie at just the right moment. (And not be like me, who's only movie quote goes something like "Overman was found inside the park, the baby was found inside the park, it's MOTHER is inside the park!" from Jaws 3, thank you very much!)

On a different note - we are heading to see the Clarks tonight and to the Eye-dee-airy (if you don't speak Noah, that's the Aviary) tomorrow, so I hope to have a few new posts from those trips.

Pre-School Orientation

That's my big guy at his first Pirates game! Last night was a big night for us. It was pre-school orientation. I think I was more nervous than the pre-schooler! The first 15 or 20 minutes the director just gave us some general info - you know, don't let your kid run in to the school by him/herself. (Really, people would do that with a 3 year old??) Don't let strangers in to the building with you - just common sense rules.

Then, we were called by room color to meet the teachers and see the room. Noah is in the Yellow Room. He listened with gusto, and marched right along when he heard them call Yellow. Miss Trudy and Miss April are his teachers. He even stopped in the hallway to chat with the receptionist, who we had seen and talked to at International Village in McKeesport a week earlier. He says "Hi! I think we saw you at Idlewild, remember?" She laughed and said that International Village and Idlewild are sort of a like.

We enter the Yellow room, where we found his cubby. (he has a cubby! My baby is growing up!) And we found his name on an apple on the bulletin board, showing that he's an official member of the Yellow Class come next Tuesday. There's also another "Noah" in the class, so I guess starts the time in his life when he's known as "Noah V".

He walked in, met two other classmates and never looked back. He just began to play and even cleaned up when he was finished playing with something immediately! I really think he's going to love going to school. In fact, he got a little sad when it was time to go home. Next Tuesday is the big day...stay tuned for a report on the first day of school. We'll see who cries more - me or him! (I have a feeling it will be me!)

We've got a rider...

I've been MIA lately. I've had to work, go figure. Anyway, I've been meaning to post about this for a while. At the end of our vacation, we went to Idlewild Park and a few weeks later, we headed to Kennywood. I wasn't sure what he'd think of the rides - but he loved them. His first, was with Walt on the Whip at Idlewild. Being the nervous nelly that I am, I stood and watched in terror...imagining my baby flying out or being scared. But, they rounded the first corner and I saw the biggest smile on his face I had ever seen. And then I heard the giant belly laugh. And I knew that Noah had finally found the joy in amusement rides.

We rode the ferris wheel and the paratrooper, both of which he loved. Then, he said he wanted to do the roller coaster. I wasn't sure, but told him if he was tall enough, we'd ride it. Sure enough, he met the height requirement and off we went on the Little Dipper. He loved it. So, he was all geared up for Kennywood. We did a nice mix of big rides and Kiddie land rides. He even rode a bigger ride in Kiddieland that went up down and all around all alone. (that one made me nervous...) I am so excited that he loves rides like me, and I can't wait for the day that he is tall enough to ride the Thunderbolt with me! (And there's the pic I promised!)

Tagged

I am finally getting to it... I was tagged by Emmy. Here are the rules...
Name five things that you can't live without. It can't be a person, it has to be something material that actually makes your life easier. It can't be something in general, it must be exact. Also, it can't be the obvious like a cell phone or computer.

1. Diet Coke - I don't drink hot beverage, so I drink a Diet Coke in the morning to wake myself up. I try to stick to one a day, but sometimes I just NEED another.

2. Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturizer - it's the yellow stuff. I love it - keeps my dry skin from flaking in the winter.

3. Digital Cable - not so much for the channels, but for that awesome guide thingy. Even if I am going to watch tv in another room (without digital), I put on the tv in the living room and scroll through to find out what's on. Makes the TV guide seem so archaic!

4. Kitchen Aid Mixer - I profess my love to it, each and every time I use it. I may not need it every day, but it sits on the counter and waits patiently for me to use it. And it never fails to disappoint.

5. Pampered Chef Stoneware - I use my bar pan at least twice a week, and it is now black. I love that I don't have to flip things over when I bake on it...

I'll tag Sara...I didn't see this on her blog yet. ;)

Church funny

During the service at my church, the pastor asks if anyone has any prayer joys or concerns. You raise your hand and tell your joy/concern and then the congregation will include you or your loved ones in their prayers. The day before Walt's surgery, I raised my hand and asked everyone to pray for Walt during his surgery. As soon as I finished, Noah's little hand shot up in the air and he says really loudly "I get rashes!" He had a mystery rash (that even the doctor didn't know what it was!) and I guess he wanted to make sure that everyone prayed for his rash. It must have worked, because the next day, the rash was just about gone.

Tag

Emmy...I see your tag and I promise to get to it once I'm home nursing Walt back to health. :) Just wanted you to know that I saw it. :) It's about 5 things I can not live without

The ride home...

...was not nearly as smooth as the ride in. In fact, I felt a bit traumatized. I get to my bus stop and I see my 61 C, so I jump on it. It's great, not crowded, I have my own seat again. I'm just chilling, listening to my iPod telling myself how easy this was! Then, I notice the bus driver telling us something, so I take one ear piece out and hear him saying something about getting off in Homestead. I think "well, I don't get off there" and back in went my ear bud. Then, he turns off of the road he should be taking and EVERYONE gets off. So I start to worry...I go up and we have this conversation:
ME: Is there a reason everyone is getting off of the bus?
DRIVER: Yeah, this is my last stop.
ME: (with deer in headlights look): WHA?!? What do I do? How do I get to my car? I'm parked at....at....(I blanked out)....the Duquesne Park and Ride....WHAT DO I DO???
DRIVER: There's another bus, he should be at the corner shortly, if you head up now you can catch it.
ME: It's a 61C, right?
DRIVER: Yep!

So, I step off of the bus, and honestly, if I didn't have to dart through traffic like Frogger, I know that I would have just stood on the street corner in Homestead and cried. I know it was broad daylight and there was tons of traffic, but I was overwhelmingly frightened that I was alone on the street in Homestead. I catch the REAL 61C (perhaps Pat should call the other one, something else...like 61C and a half!) and it's jam packed with all kinds of scaries. I have to stand. And I'm totally paranoid that this bus is also going to bypass my stop. Eventually, we got close enough to my stop that I was scared not to get out, knowing that at least from there I could walk a block or so to my car. I may have to reevaluate where I park and ride. Saving the $13 a month on parking and whatever it is I save in gas, is not worth feeling the way I felt on that bus ride home.

The good news is because of Walt's surgery, I'm off this coming week, so I get a 2 week reprieve from any more bus traumas. :)

I survived the 61C

This has nothing to do with Noah...but today was a big day for me. I had to take the bus to work. I signed up for a 3 day a week parking pass. I work 4, so that leaves one day to take the bus. So, I drive to the park and ride, and first, I'm freaking out because 61 C is not listed on the little bus sign. But, I decide to wait anyway. I sit in my car because I didn't want to sit at the little bus house by myself. I can see the road, and figured I'd hop out when I saw the bus turning. Of course, as soon as the bus turns towards the bus house, a guy is backing in right next to me, so I can't throw open my door and jump out. CRAP! I was relieved that it was my bus...but it just drove by! Now, I did what any out of shape girl (who's also carrying around 30 extra pounds) would do. I ran after it! I thought maybe I could catch it on the way back down from around the block. Not so much. I saw it drop someone off about a block or so down and away he went.
So I had to walk back to that little bus house, where there were now a few people, and I couldn't help but think they were laughing at this girl who must be new to the bus system. Anyway, their bus shows up, so I'm left alone again. But, just then, another 61C comes around the corner, and I jump on. The rest was smooth sailing. I had a seat all to myself (and as we got closer to Oakland and more people got on I'd think "PLEASE don't sit with me...." I know this isn't a huge deal - but yet, to me it was. I was so scared this morning! I hope soon I look like the girl across from me who was just chilling with her coffee and looked like she enjoyed the ride. My iPod knew exactly what to play this morning, I think she felt my vibe.
Now to survive the ride home...we'll see how that goes!

Roses are Red...and Firetrucks are too!

This weekend we were in the car and passed an accident. We were in the left lane, and the accident was in the right lane, right next to us. We got stopped at a light and a firetruck was going to pull up. So I told Noah to look out of the window that a firetruck was coming. The firetruck goes past us and stops at the accident. Noah says "Well, THAT truck didn't look red to me! Who painted it yellow? Who did that??" I guess we've spent so much time learning colors and things that are those colors - it really didn't make sense to him why someone would paint a firetruck yellow. And he was MAD about it!

The New Zoo

During our recent trip to Ohio, we decided to take a trip to the Columbus Zoo. We're members at the Pittsburgh Zoo and Noah loves all animals. He told anyone and everyone that would listen during our trip that we were going to " a new zoo". And then he'd list all of the animals he'd think he'd see at the new zoo. The Columbus Zoo has these great statues all over the place, he wanted his picture taken with each one. Above he's hugging the Kimodo Dragon. When we ask him what his favorite animal that we saw was, his answer is "that one that is half zebra, half moose or something." He's referring to an Okapi. Which none of us had ever seen before. But, here it is. And it does sort of appear to be zebra on the bottom, moose on top.

A lot of people asked me if the "new zoo" is better than Pittsburgh's zoo. They do have some different animals, and it was laid out in a nice way. But, the thing that made it highly superior to the Pittsburgh Zoo - is that it had a Chick-fil-A inside.

Freak Out

This morning, Walt and Noah were eating breakfast. They could see that our neighbor had some kind of workman there to clean her gutters or do something on her roof. He put his tall ladder up to the top of her house. (Which is visible from our table). Walt said Noah got up and walked to the window and said in a very serious voice "Oh my God. If that guy falls I'm going to freak out!" Sometimes I can hear my voice coming out of his small body - that's totally something I'd say, too!

Vacation...All I Ever Wanted...

Last week we packed up the Jeep and headed west to our neighboring state of Ohio. We rented a cabin in the Hocking Hills area. It's a lot of woods, a few caves and probably more churches than houses! But, it was beautiful, and we had a very relaxing time. Noah had a great time. He experienced a lot of firsts during this trip - his first nights in a big boy bed. (We just haven't moved him at home yet). He did fantastic! In fact, he slept in until 8 am every day. I'm glad one of us slept because I didn't. Between being worried about him in a big bed in a strange place and just knowing that Jason was going to come creeping out of the woods to chop us in to bits at any minute, I barely slept a wink.

Anyway, Noah also visited his first cave. You can see him above in a little recess in a place we visited called Old Man's Cave. It was truly beautiful, we walked back through huge trees, crossed these great stone bridges and climbed about a million steps to get to Old Man's Cave. Supposedly an "old man" and his 2 dogs settled there and lived out their lives there in the late 1700's. Surprisingly, Noah walked the entire hour we explored the caves. He kept saying "This is AMAZING!!" And he was very independent, and would only hold our hands when we insisted. (Like on this bridge - I had the death grip on him!) Below us is a thing called The Devil's Bathtub. The shape the water has worn away in the rocks looks like a bathtub, and they say that once you get in there, the current is so swift, that there's no way to pull you out. And over the falls you go.
He also sat around his first campfire and roasted his first marshmellow. He found that eating them right out of the bag was much quicker! He came away with a mantra from our time out there. "Mans pee in the woods and get dirty". This came from him not understanding why I didn't pee on the trees like he did. It was one of his favorite activities. All in all we had a great time. I'll post a few more specific stories later.

Buh, Buh, Bove

Here's a little video of Noah singing Twinkle, Twinkle. I love how he sings "buh, buh, bove the world so high". HEE!

Things from the weekend

This past weekend, we took Noah to see "Horton Hears a Who" at the 99 cent theatre. He did so well! He sat in his seat like a big boy, and watched the entire movie. At the end, when it was a happy ending he yelled "YES!" and sort of pumped his arm. Ah, he's getting to be such a big boy. During the movie, I shed all of my weird phobias and let him eat popcorn and share a pop with me. He thought that was awesome, and we quickly downed a Diet Coke. He went to take another drink, and when he discovered it was empty, he took it out of the holder, handed it to Walt and said "We need more pop!!!"

We also watched Shrek the Third on TV. Which prompted him to pretend to be "Cat in Boots" all weekend. He would wrap his favorite blankey around himself, a la a swashbuckler and declare himself "Cat in Boots". Who is this cat in boots, you may ask? Why, none other than "Puss in Boots". He kept asking me during the movie what they called him, when they'd refer to him as "puss". He'd say "What did they call him? He's CAT...in Boots!"

Make it your own

If you watch American Idol, the title of this post means something to you. Randy and Paula and Simon are always telling the contestants to take a song and "make it their own". Meaning, sing it your way, not a "karaoke version" of the original artist. Noah loves to watch American Idol (he thinks Paula is pretty!), so I guess he's taken their advice to heart. He takes everyone else's stories and makes them his own.

My brother told a story about a bat in his friend's basement that ended up being only a bird. Noah thought this was the greatest story ever told, and all of a sudden it became HIS story. It went something like this: "I went to the basement and there was a bird! So I ran up the steps and slammed the door and the bird SMACKED in to the door! When I opened it, I saw it was a hawk! Then, the hawk flew out of the window." (In the original story, my brother runs up the stairs thinking a bat is chasing him, slams the door and then the "bat" hits the door. He opens the door to his friend laughing at him, because it was just a bird. Like a sparrow or something. Not a hawk!)

Walt found a baby bird in our car the other day. It was on the headrest and he had to get gloves and get him out. Noah's version goes something like this: "I got in my car and there were BEARS! I turned my head and there were the bears. So I got my gloves and I got all the bears out and they runned away."

If he doesn't become an actor or an author, then I think he will be wasting his God given talent! Of course, as his mother, I am still hoping he turns out to be a doctor. Then, when I'm at Bingo when I'm 80 I can tell all the other ladies about "my son, the DOCTOR!" HA!

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

My parents had a greyhound named Subtle who had to be put to sleep before Noah was born. But my parents have pictures of her, and a scrap book that I made for them, that Noah looks at all of the time. So he has seen pictures of Subtle and probably heard us reminisce about her stealing hamburgers off of our plates, which must make him feel like he "knows" her. Lately, he's been talking about her ALL of the time. He even showed my mom the part of his hand where she bit him!

This past weekend, he asked if he could pet her and I told him that she went to heaven because she had died. Well, that opened a whole new can of worms. All weekend he would ask these questions:

• How did Subtle get dead?


• Why did she die?


• How did she get sick?


• Can we go to heaven to pet her?

He even told my mother-in-law on the phone that Subtle had died. Of course, my mother-in-law had no idea who Subtle was...she asked him if she just died yesterday. Noah replied, "No, tomorrow!" On a less morbid note, here's a picture of Noah and my brother, Adam's, dog Lloyd. He has not "got dead"!

A trip to downtown McKeesport

In case some of you don't know - downtown McKeesport is now a shell of it's former self. When I was a kid, after my dentist appointment, my mom and gram and I would go shopping and have lunch there. Fast forward 25 years and here I am taking my son to his first dentist appointment at the same office I went to! Except downtown McKeesport has no shops or luncheon spots...it has abandoned buildings and scary looking people hanging on the street.

Noah and I parked in a parking garage near his dentist's office. When we walked back to the garage after his appointment (which was AWESOME!! He got 4 out of 4 stars!) we have this conversation:
Noah: "Do horses live here?"
Me: "No honey, this is a garage, cars live here."
Noah: "NO!! Horses live here! I smell them...they pee in here!"

I didn't know exactly how to explain to a 3 year old that while he was smelling urine, it was not horse urine, it most likely belongs to the scary people hanging out and living on the streets of downtown McKeesport.

Picture

I'm new to this...I thought I posted a picture of our family...don't think I lied to you in my very first post. Here it is...I will try again.

I thought I'd never see this day...

I used to be on the "I'd never create a blog" bandwagon. I mean, my life isn't all that terribly exciting, so I thought I wouldn't have anything to share. My day usually goes something like this:

• Wake up before the birds
• Go to work
• Work (if you can call it that!)
• Drive home, pick up Noah
• Start dinner, play with Noah
• Give Noah a bath, put him to bed
• Watch some tv or read, go to bed myself
• Lather, rinse, repeat

Not all that exciting, right? I thought, who in their right mind would want to read about THAT? Then, one day, my adorable 3 year old said something hilarious. He's truly a riot. And I thought, "I should start a blog to document all of these things he says". And well, here I am, I've succumbed to the peer pressure. I hope you enjoy these "Noah-isms" as much as we do. I think he's a card, of course, I am biased, but he does have a great personality. EVERYONE tells me so. (SO it must be true, right?) Maybe once in a while I'll throw in some things about me and Walt. ;) Here's a pic of our lovely family.