What Noah Says

Brothers

2010-06-04T06:30:00.000-07:00

Brody thinks Noah is the funniest guy ever. Noah thinks it's awesome that he can make Brody laugh. I think this video sums it up...sibling love is awesome. And by the way, pink Bumbos are totally manly! :)

Happy Birthday to Noah!

2010-05-27T10:05:00.001-07:00

So as of my last post I had all of these great ideas of posts to remember Noah through his 5 years. Then, the students that I work with kind of went mad last week and all hell broke lose at work. The blog posts that filled my mind, were swept away by arguments over water coolers and electives. (But that's a story for the book I'm going to write about working with graduate students some day!)

Anyway, today's Noah's birthday! And when he woke up I told him that he now fills up a whole hand's worth of fingers, and I asked him if he felt different. He looked at himself and said "yeah, I kinda do!"

I can't believe 5 years has gone by so quickly. Five years ago at this time (1:06pm), I was happily enjoying my epidural and Walt was telling everyone "Any minute now!!!", meanwhile Noah wasn't born until 9:31pm. I am so blessed to have him in my life and am so lucky to be his mom. He's taught me a lot - and you wouldn't believe all of the things I've learned about animals in 5 years. Did you know that sloths only leave the trees to go to the bathroom? Now you do!

I'll leave you with a "then" picture - here he is, just after he was born. My how he's grown!

10 days

2010-05-17T11:58:00.001-07:00

In 10 days Noah will be 5. Can you believe it? Because I can't! It hasn't been that long and yet he's changed so much. In 5 short years he's gone from a tiny baby who needed me to do everything for him, to a toddler hobbling around on fresh legs and saying mama for the first time, to a little boy who can say and write his ABC's, can do basic math and carry on a decent conversation. It's amazing what a transformation they go through in such a short time.

So I decided that over the next 10 days I'll do some reminiscing of Noah in the last 5 years. Remembering all of the things he's learned and also, all of the things that he's taught me. As his parents, Walt and I guide him and teach him a lot of things...but one thing I didn't really know until I became a mother is how much children teach us. One of the best things I've learned, is how to see the world fresh again. Once I grew up, things like lightening bugs and a deer in the yard weren't things that could excite me anymore. But, seeing these things through Noah's eyes has made me slow down and remember it's the simple things in life that matter the most.

Just a few months ago, we were driving somewhere and crossing a bridge. Noah sighed from the backseat "Isn't the world just beautiful?" And it was that moment, when I looked at the river, which was so still it looked like glass, at the trees that were all shades of orange and yellow and red, and I realized how right he was. So I said "Yes! You are so right! The world is beautiful". And we spent the rest of that drive naming things in nature that are beautiful. So today is the kickoff to 10 days of remembering things that Noah said.

One of those days...

2010-04-30T09:44:00.000-07:00

As a mom, you have the days where you think this is the best thing on Earth. Things like the day you finally get to meet your newborn baby, when your baby says "mama" for the first time, or takes his/her first steps. Then, there are the bad days. The days where you think "Did I really willingly sign up for this?" (And I signed up twice!) Yesterday was one of the "bad" days. :)

I scheduled Thursday off from work to get some things done while the kids were at daycare. You know, like getting the maternity clothes out of my closet and drawers. Since Brody is now almost 7 months old, I think it's time. However, that plan was quickly changed at 1:30am when Noah woke up with a terribly painful ear infection. We were up with him most of the night...and he was crying so loud, that he kept waking Brody. Oy!

On the way to the doctor's office, poor Noah was so sick that he fell asleep in the car. Before we left, he asked for a cup of juice. Of course I let him have one in the car because you know, he just had an ear ache, so juice is fine. (BIG mistake). I pull in to the parking lot of the doctor's office, and just as I go to pull in to a spot, the sleeping child turned in to the girl from the Exorcist. Spewing red juice everywhere. (I will never be able to pour him this kind of juice again! The smell will bring back BAD memories). So now, the poor thing is covered in vomit. (Luckily it was all juice). I had to try to put on a brave face getting him out of the juice covered car seat, when really I wanted to yell "EW! I'm not touching THAT!" We walk in to the office, I take him in the restroom and clean him up as much as I can.

He's really sick, so he wants to sit on me and have me hold him. Again, I wanted to say "EW! You're all wet, get off of me!" But instead I held him, like a good mom. Then, I become the mom that every other mom both pities and is glad isn't her - because he makes me wet from the top of my thighs to right above my knee. The best part about being covered in vomit was that they got us in and out of the appointment in mere minutes. I think they didn't want our vomit covered selves stinking up the place. Perhaps I should have him do this before every appointment! (I kid....so not worth it).

Anyway, he's doing much better today - and so I'm hoping to have more of those "aw, I'm so glad I'm a mom" moments this weekend...to help me forget about the Exorcist moment yesterday.

The Zoo Class

2010-02-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

Due to weather, Noah's zoo class was cancelled last Friday. We did manage to get him in to the class on Saturday though, so it wasn't a total disappointment. Walt was under the weather so I got to go with him...I was secretly happy! Not that Walt was sick, but that I got to go!

I don't have any pictures, there really weren't any picture taking opportunities, and besides, none of the other mothers took pictures and I didn't want to be "that" mom.

The class was great though and Noah had a blast. First they watched a little video about what zookeepers do, then the "teacher" showed them pictures taken at our zoo of the zookeepers taking care of the animals. Then, they got to meet and touch Bindi the lizard. I love how 4 and 5 year olds just blurt out whatever come to their mind. "What does she eat?" "Can we see her walk?"

We made a craft - a zookeeper vest made out of a grocery bag. It's really cute. And then, they got to meet and pet Bernie, the guinea pig. The best part though, was that we got to go in the "behind the scenes" area of the education complex. This is where all of the animals that they use in the education programs live. The zookeeper was there, and showed them all of the different food that is in the fridge. (Including frozen rats and mice...ick!) And even fed a few of them while we were there - a fox, a porcupine, some other thing that looked like a kangaroo (I forget it's name). Noah's favorite part was that the opossum ate yogurt, just like him. Now when I ask him what he wants for lunch he says "Yo-grit, just like the possom". (I love how he says yogurt!) I swear the parrot or macaw or whatever it was was watching me and somehow knew that I hate birds. At one point it let out this big screech and I think I screamed louder than the kids! Noah was always right up in front when the keeper would open the cage and feed them - he's definitely not one to hang back and miss out!

Finally, we got to meet Flower, the skunk. She was in a little fenced in area and the instructor fed her meal worms and she gobbled them up. It was a fun time, and Noah has told me that I can the secretary at his zoo. My dad and Walt are in charge of helping him pick up poop. HA!

What Noah is up to

2010-02-18T11:08:00.000-08:00

Let's see...Noah has been up to a lot since I updated last. He can write all of his letters (amazingly well), became an expert sled rider, and won the Heisman trophy. Okay, I am kidding about the last part...it hasn't been THAT long! But, he did get his picture taken with it at the car show.

It's hard to believe in just a few months he'll graduate from pre-school and Kindergarten will be looming in front of us. In our school district, K is all day, every day and while I think that's a lot for 5 year olds, I think he's ready. Am I ready? Not really - it seems like he was just born. They grow up so quickly.

He's going to a class at the zoo tomorrow. "If I were a zookeeper". He's really excited, so I'll be sure to post about that experience. I think if he enjoys it, we're going to think about sending him to zoo camp in the summer. He says he wants to be a zoo keeper, so when I saw this class listed I knew it would be right up his alley. He got to pick who went with him, and he chose Walt. (Much to my chagrin). So I keep saying "Well, when you're there, you could ask THIS question." I can't wait to hear all about it. Although I think he might be slightly disappointed that he's not in the tiger cage schlepping tiger poop! ;)

And to leave you with a funny Noah story - I'll tell the tale of the "Cup O Soup". About a month or so ago, Walt and Noah were out playing in the snow. When they came in Walt asked Noah if he'd like a "Cup O Soup" for lunch. Noah said yes. Walt brings Noah a mug with soup in it. And Noah says "WHAT IS THIS? You put my SOUP in a CUP? What is wrong with you? This could spill all over me and burn me!"

We tried to explain to him that it was soup that you put in a cup and sort of drank, and it was fine. He insisted on it being poured in to a bowl. Sometimes it's like he's an 85 year old man set in his ways, instead of a 5 year old!

What Brody is up to

2010-02-18T07:09:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Brody had his 4 month check up. I can't believe it's been 4 months already! He got an A+ and seems to be doing great. He weighs around 14lbs and is 25 inches long. (To compare, Noah was 17 pounds at his 4 month check up! I forget what a big baby Noah was!) He's so close to rolling over, he gets on his side, lifts his head, swings his legs, but he just doesn't have quite enough oomph yet. Which I'm totally fine with a non-mobile baby for a little longer. Noah crawled around 5.5 months, so I'd like a little more time this time around before I have to worry about him not being in the same spot when I come back! He had a double ear infection last week, and the doctor said it's almost all cleared up. I guess we did get more medicine in him than he spit out....sure doesn't seem that way when we have to give it to him.

He's really starting to develop his own little personality lately. The video I'm going to post is his first real laugh. And you know, there's not much else in this world better than a baby's laugh. (Sorry it's so dark!) What made him laugh so hard? I was fanning him with the coupon circular that came in the mail -- the wind would get in his face, blow his hair and then he'd laugh and laugh. Oh! And one of the most exciting things about Brody is that he sleeps in the stroller. Noah was one of those odd babies/kids that never fell asleep anywhere but his bed (and sometimes the car). I would wait and wait for the stoller to lull him to sleep, but it never happened. I keep trying to come up with new places I can take Brody in the stroller just so I can see him snoozing in it!

The Elf on our shelf

2010-01-18T10:28:00.001-08:00

Have you heard of The Elf on the Shelf? I've been meaning to post about this for a while, but when I was home with Brody I was mostly unplugged from the internet world. (Probably because Brody likes to nurse and I barely had enough time to shower and get laundry done before he wanted to just hang out and nurse some more). Anyway, my BFF gave Noah an Elf on the Shelf for Christmas. We received him about 2 weeks prior. How it works is you read the story about how he comes to your house and then reports back to Santa each night and every morning he's in a new spot. You can talk to him, but he can't talk to you. And you can't touch him or all of his Christmas magic disappears. You have to name him and once you do - he's your elf and the fun begins.

So we read the story and Noah tells us that he has the "perfect" name for our Elf. His name will now be "Ho". You know, because Santa says "ho, ho, ho". Walt & I had to hide our amusement that we now had a ho living with us. Anyway, the first night at 4:30am I wake up in a panic and realize that we forgot to move Ho...so I stumble out of bed and find him a new spot. Thank goodness I did because Noah looked for him right away. And so it began. Every morning, first thing, Noah would search and search to find Ho. He talked to him and told him what was on his Christmas list. And we'd threaten that "Ho is watching" when he was being somewhat naughty.

The sad part was on Christmas Eve when I told him that Ho would be going back to the North Pole with Santa that night - and Noah burst in to tears. I mean, real, big crocodile tears. He was sad that Ho had to leave and he loved him and would miss him. It's January 18 and we STILL talk about Ho all of the time. In fact, Ho left Noah a letter and a shark book (Silly Santa forgot to leave it for Noah!) just the other night.

If you have a pre-schooler and dont have an Elf on the Shelf, I think you should think about getting one. It's a really fun tradition to start and it's amazing how much joy that Ho brought to our holidays!

Meet Brody

2009-10-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pictures, the first right after he was born. The next meeting his big brother for the first time. And the last, taken on his 1 week birthday.

We found "Nemo"

2009-10-27T08:44:00.000-07:00

Most of you have probably heard by now, that "Nemo" - who is now officially known as Brody Alan - found his way in to the world on October 13 at 8:44 am. Here is his birth story:

Oct 12 - All day I just didn't feel good. I didn't have pains until later in th evening, but I just felt awful. Like it took everything I had to get up out of the chair and make lunch.

7:30-ish that night - I got the first of what I thought could be a "pain". I told Walt and we started to watch the clock. By 11:30 they were about 20 minutes apart. We had no idea how fast they'd get closer together, so we decided to call my parents to come over and get Noah.

1:30am (Oct 13) - By this point, I was SURE it was labor and the pains were coming about 5 minutes apart, so we called the doctor and she told me to come on in.

2:30 am - We arrived at Magee...and what a difference driving in the middle of the night makes. I think we made it there in 18 minutes.

3:45 am - I waited in Triage for over an hour for a doctor to check me. When she did, she informed me I was at 6cm and they were going to move me to a Labor & Delivery suite. The nurse was surprised, the monitor wasn't showing my contractions were that strong and they didn't even think I was in labor. Guess that's why I waited over an hour. On the way out, the doctor asked if I wanted an epidural. I said "yes please" and I started to cry to Walt. I told him that since I was already at 6cm and it takes HOURS to get an epidural (I didn't know this! I just wanted it then!) I would surely die.

4:30am - I arrived in the L&D room and we waited. And waited, and waited....all the while the pain got worse and worse.

6:30am - Finally sweet relief! I guess there was an emergency in surgery and all of the other patients got backed up. But, finally I had my epidural and I got that warm, fuzzy feeling instead of all of that pain. The doctor came to check me shortly after I received my epidural and I was at 8cm! I have brought up the fact that I was only 2 cm away from a completely natural delivery to Walt about 10,000 times in the past 2 weeks. ;)

7:30am - They told me it was time to push! I couldn't believe it was happening this fast. It seemed like it took forever with Noah.

8:44am - After a little more than an hour of pushing, and me crying to them that I couldn't do it...I DID do it - and Brody was born. He weighed in at 7lbs, 80z and is completely and totally perfect.

I will add here, that I feel like I was cheated out of my epidural goodness. I only had it for 2 hours - and I would have taken it a week before he was born! Walt gave me a lovely gift in the delivery room, a necklace with Noah's, Brody's and my birthstones. I told him it isn't a "push present", it's an "8cm present". :)

Soccer and The Olive Garden

2009-10-08T11:33:00.000-07:00

It's been a while...I know I've been saying that a lot lately. But, now that things at work have slowed down and I'm going to be on maternity leave any day now, (Hear that "Nemo"?...ANY DAY NOW!! ) so I'm going to try to be a better blogger.

Noah started playing soccer in late August. I can't even tell you how cute a bunch of 4 and 5 year olds running around chasing a ball in their shin guards is. They all crowd around the ball and just run and kick - it's awesome. I do see some improvement each week, and last week, Noah even scored a goal. Of course, it was in the OTHER team's goal, but still!

There he is putting on his best "pirate" face. And another just taking a "water break". He says that's his favorite part.

And, I will end with a conversation that he had with my parents. They were out to eat together...I will call my parents "Ma & Pa" because that is what he calls them. (Don't ask!)

Pa: Oh, don't forget I have that Olive Garden gift card to use.

Noah: Oh!! I want to go there! Tell Momma and we can all go there for dinner tomorrow!

Ma: Well, we're out to eat tonight, we can't eat out two nights in a row.

Noah: But, I REALLY want to go to Olive Garden!

Pa: And what would you get to eat at Olive Garden?

Noah: (with that "duh" look already perfected at the age of 4) Black Olives!

Somehow I think he'll be quite disappointed when we go to the Olive Garden and it's not just a giant olive buffet. :P (If you can't tell black olives are one of his favorite foods)

A few videos

2009-08-28T08:51:00.001-07:00

The first one is Noah playing in some waves. The second is the feeding of the seagulls. Enjoy!

A long overdue beach review

2009-08-28T08:35:00.001-07:00

It's been almost a month since we've returned from our trip to the beach...and I'm just now getting around to posting about it. My excuse is that this is our busiest time of year at work -- we have a class finish and a class start in the same week. I worked over 50 hours last week, which is no fun for a woman who is almost 8 months pregnant. I am still recovering, I think!

Anyway, enough about me and my complaining, right? You want to hear about Noah at the beach. He had the time of his life. I think that first picture says it all -- it was pure bliss from the moment he stepped foot in the sand. This picture was shortly after we arrived and had unpacked the Jeep. We walked down (Walt & I still in our clothes) just to take a walk. I did put Noah in a swimsuit - just in case. I will chalk one up to a good parenting decision there. Of course, a 4 year old isn't going to want to just take a walk. He's going to want to dive right in. He was soaked within seconds, and Walt finally gave up, unloaded his pockets, left me on the sand and dove right in with Noah.

We were busy every day and luckily the weather was perfect beach weather. We managed to fit in some mini golf, nights on the boardwalk and lots of good food. The highlight for Noah though was feeding the seagulls. The gulls ate really good the week we were there - we saved food from dinner for them (fries, shrimp tails, rolls), fed them a half a box of Cheerios, and even bought several bags of popcorn to feed them. I'm surprised they didn't follow us home. Noah would actually cry when he ran out of food, and make all of us tell the gulls goodbye and we'll see them later.

The weird thing about seagulls is that they can hover over you while catching food in mid-air. There were a few times that we were surrounded by our feet and over our heads. And miraculously somehow none of us were pooped on. If you're ever looking for the best thing to feed a seagull (the most fun that is, I don't think they care what they eat) - Ritz Crackers. You can throw them like a frisbee and the seagulls catch them out of mid-air. :)

I will end with our funniest beach story - the one night at dinner, we start saving up things to take with us to feed the gulls. We then noticed that on the table next to us there was a package of Ritz crackers left there. So we asked the bus boy if we could have them. At the end of the meal, the waitress brings us a box and we pack up all kinds of leftovers in it (even a roll that fell on the floor). As we're walking out of the restaurant, Walt drops the box all over the floor. Of course, seagulls don't care if their food has been on a dirty floor, right? So we scooped it all up and leave. Walt was laughing hysterically, thinking about everyone in the restaurant watching us steal food from other tables and the floor - then dropping ALL of it on the floor and packing it back up. Perhaps there's a blog somewhere out there telling the tale of the "poor" family who had to take so much food and even ate it after it was on the floor. ;)

One Liners

2009-07-16T11:29:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the short funny things Noah's said lately:

1) He asked Walt if they're going to dig the baby out of my belly with a shovel. (Dear Lord I hope not!)

2) I was drinking a Diet Coke the other day and he asked for a drink. He was also talking like a baby. I said "No, especially because you're talking like a baby and babies can't drink Coke". He looked at me and said "Well, YOUR baby is drinking Coke when you drink it". Touche. I guess he had me there. :P

3) My aunt is watching him while his daycare is closed for vacation. He was helping her and he put some Kleenex on my cousin's dresser for her. He swiped his fingers across her dresser and said to my aunt "Boy, she sure does need to dust in here!"

The surgery

2009-07-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

It's been almost 2 weeks since the surgery and I'm happy to say that I think Noah is back to his old self again! And he's eating like a horse. Walt even joked yesterday that he's going to tell any other parents of "non-eaters" that the solution is to have their tonsils removed. (For example on Friday for dinner he ate: pasta, blackberries, applesauce, 1/2 jelly sandwich, fruit cup and a popsicle! This is almost a week's worth of dinner for the "old" Noah!)

Anyway, everyone at Children's Hospital was so awesome! We arrived at 10:30 on the day of his surgery - and were quickly called to the pre-op room. We met with some nurses and then the anesthesiologist came in. He was so wonderful and even did some magic tricks with Noah. Noah was totally at ease with him. They also allowed one of us to accompany him to the OR, where we could stay with him while they put the sleepy gas on him, so he wouldn't have to see us leave. I didn't think I'd be able to hold it together, so Walt went with him. The doctor let Noah have a choice of walking down or being wheeled in his bed -- and he walked. So it was like a parade through the halls - a couple of doctors, Walt, Noah and me. We got to a set of double doors and one of the doctors held back and told me that this is where I exit the parade to head to the waiting room. It was so hard to leave him...but it helped that he wasn't scared or upset. It was also hard not to cry my eyes out as I checked in with the people in the waiting room. But, I must say I did pretty well! Walt arrived about 10 minutes after me and said that Noah was sound asleep when he left.

Then we waited. And while it was only about 30 minutes, it seemed to last forever. In walks his doctor (a shout out to Dr. Chi -- he was really awesome!), he comes over to us in the waiting room and asks us to follow him to a little private room. Now, when you watch as much tv as I do, you know that on medical dramas, they only take the people to a private room for BAD news. This was probably the longest (20 foot) walk of my entire life. But, my nervousness was quickly washed away when the doctor informed us that everything went perfectly -- in fact, so perfectly that he was breathing without any problems and we would NOT be admitted to the ICU. I could have hugged him, seriously! He said as soon as he woke up we could go back to recovery. And in this few minute conversation, he must have said 3 or 4 times just how LARGE his tonsils really were.

We waited again, but this time, the waiting wasn't as bad. In fact, Walt & I downed zebra cakes and pretzels (it's the lunch of champions, don't you know) - because we hadn't eaten since early that day and it was now after 1pm. We ate breakfast early before Noah got up since he wasn't allowed to eat -- I would have felt awful eating in front of him. When we walked in to recovery, he was sitting up, eating a popsicle. The poor little girl in the bed next to him had the same surgery and was crying to the point of making herself sick -- it was awful to hear that.

They came to take us to his room, which was very nice. He ended up eating 2 packages of Jello and since he did well with that, they approved him having a soft dinner. He had a rough night that night - and fought us like crazy to take the tylenol with codeine. But all in all - I think he did great. We're slowly introducing more food within the past few days and he's doing great. He has a follow up on July 22.

And while I hope to NEVER have to return to Children's Hospital again, I will say that the commercials are definitely true. If you have children, be glad you have Children's. It was a wonderful experience, I honestly can't say enough good things about it.

Sleep Studies, Tonsils and Adenoids...Oh My!

2009-06-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

I mentioned a few weeks ago that Noah needed to see an ENT about his tonsils. At the first appointment, it was determined that he does have extra large adenoids that block his nose and that those would definitely have to come out -- he wanted us to go for a sleep study to determine if his tonsils would come out as well.

Last Thursday, we headed out to Wexford for the study. The Tech had us put in a movie that we brought and then she came in with her cart full of wires. She glued 8 electrodes to his head, several on his face, a few on his chest/belly, two on each leg - plus he had to wear this thing that went between his lip and under his nose and one of those oxygen tubes (like where the two prongs go up your nose). My poor baby looked like a robot! I have no idea how he even slept - but he fell alseep right away. And he really took it all in stride -- I think I'd have cried if they wanted to hook me all up like that. They told us it would take 2-3 weeks for results.

On Monday morning, the ENT's office called us and informed us that he does have sleep apnea and they wanted us to come in for our follow up appointment on Tuesday morning. Wow! Already, they were fast! As it turns out, the doctor that reviewed the study was so concerned about Noah, that she emailed his doctor over the weekend. He stops breathing 19 times per hour.

At the appointment, he advised us that of course because his tonsils are obstructing his breathing and causing the apnea, he wants them out ASAP. Like within a week. He also ordered an EKG because the stopping breathing can cause heart problems - which was probably one of the scariest things that has ever been said to me. So we schedule the surgery (for Tues, June 30), head for pre-op bloodwork and an EKG. And here I thought we'd be in and out just like the last appointment! (I am happy to report that his EKG did come back normal, thank God!)

Typically, they do the tonsils/adenoids surgery as outpatient. But, because of him having the apnea, they want him to stay overnight, in the ICU. Again, I know it's just precautionary and because there will be a doctor there at all times...but hearing that my child has to be in the ICU scared me so much. And of course, they have to tell you the worst case scenario, which most likely won't happen (he could get fluid in his lungs as his body learns to breathe without obstruction), but it's still a lot to take in.

So if you have some prayers or good thoughts to offer to Noah on Tuesday, we would appreciate them. I will be happy when all of this is over - I haven't slept well since we found out, I must check on him (to make sure he's breathing) a hundred times a night.

The 4 year old animal activist

2009-06-16T08:34:00.000-07:00

I think if you're one of the readers of our blog, you know by now that Noah likes animals. A lot. In fact, I have learned more about some wild animals in the past 2 years than the rest of my life. I've also learned all kinds of new and obscure animals. (Can you pick out an Okapi or a Tapir?) This is a story about how no matter how big or small (or even if it has vertebrae), Noah loves them all. It's a story about worms.

Walt is a big fisherman. And of course, he wants to share his hobby with Noah. He got him his own pole last year and they've been practicing casting. (Noah is actually really good - much better than me....but I only ever went with Walt when we were dating...you know, because that's the kind of thing girlfriends do. And wives say "eh, I'll stay home and read!") A few weeks ago, Walt planned to take Noah fishing one sunny afternoon. A few days before he had gone out on his own to the river, and had bought worms. He took the leftover worms with them fishing.

They get to the pond and Walt proceeds to get out a worm, cut it in half, and put it on the hook. Much to Noah's horror! He said to Walt "SHAME on you, Daddy!!!" He was appalled that not only did Walt kill the worm, make him bloody, but he was also going to feed him to the trout. He made Walt promise that this would be the last worm that went to a watery grave, and instead they brought them home and set them free in our garden. It was the first thing he told me when they got home! (All about Walt, the worm killer!)

I figure at this rate, he'll be vegetarian by the time he's 5...and he'll be throwing cans of red paint on fur coats at the ripe old age of 7.

The Par-Tay

2009-06-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

A few days after his real birthday, Noah had what he likes to call his "fake" birthday. (AKA a party that is NOT on your actual birthday). We had a party at the park near our house. It's the perfect spot because 1) there is plenty of room for everyone 2) there is a playground for all of the kids to keep busy on 3) I have no mess at my house. (And guess which one is my #1 motivator to have the party at the park??) The playground. What were you thinking? ;)

The theme for this year's party was Scooby Doo. He has a major crush on Daphne from the show. He's always telling us how he buys her makeup. And he also told us the reason he likes Daphne and not Velma is that he only likes girls who wear make-up. Yes, he is 4. (He must have a thing for red heads because "Jane the wife" from The Jetsons is also one of his "girls". ) Anyway, here is the cake that my cousin Holly made for him. She always does such a fantastic job...and the cakes taste good too!

He had a few friends at the party and one of the big hits was the pinata. They all took turns taking a whack at poor Scooby. He held together pretty well, until finally we let my 14 year old cousin take a turn, and he knocked his head clean off. Then it was a kid swarm on the candy and treats we stuffed him with!

He got a lot of nice presents - and had fun running around with his pals. So I'd say his "fake" birthday was a success!

Fabulous Fours

2009-06-11T06:18:00.000-07:00

I'm a bit behind...but a few weeks ago, Noah turned 4! Since his birthday was in the middle of the week, I convinced Walt to take one of his 500 vacation days and we headed to the zoo. Here he is with his present from us - a classic Big Wheel!(Yes, he is wearing Christmas pj's...but they fit and they're the perfect weight for this weather!)

We had an excellent day at the zoo, even though it was field trip day for what seemed like 57 schools. The highlight of this zoo trip were the baby beavers. Have you seen them? If not, you should. They are unbelievably cute. The momma beaver would tuck them in to the nest...and the second she turned her back to continue moving a big stick to where she wanted it...they would escape the nest and go for a swim. Here's momma carrying one of her pesky babies back to the nest.

After the zoo, he took some time to ride his Big Wheel, then we went to Red Robin for free birthday burgers! (Walt's birthday is the day before Noah's - so they each had a free burger coming). They sang to him and gave him a free icecream, which he thought was awesome. We ended the night by letting him stay up past his bedtime to watch the TV show, Wipeout. He gets a kick out of seeing all the people doing the dumb stunts. His party was the following Saturday and that post will come soon!

All about Tonsils

2009-05-18T06:49:00.001-07:00

Everybody's got them (well, unless YOU had them removed), but they're not really a part of the body that we think about much. They just hang around in the back of our mouths and do whatever it is that tonsils are supposed to do. But, lately, Noah's tonsils have been the subject of many conversations at our house.

A few years ago I talked to his pediatrician about his snoring. Basically, my concern was that someday no one would want to be his college roommate because of his horrible snoring! He checked them, said there were large, but a lot of times they do shrink.

Fast forward to a month ago when we took him in for a bad cold. The doctor looked at his throat and his tonsils were so huge (they actually touch each other when he opens his mouth) that she thought he might have strep. He didn't have strep, but she said to have them rechecked at his 4 year well visit, but her thinking was that they're too big and they'll need to be removed. Last week, he had an ear infection and the pediatrician he saw this time, said that we need to get him to a ENT doctor ASAP to have them looked at. Her personal opinion is that they're going to have to come out.

They also told us to pay attention to how he sleeps - to see if he gasps and/or startles during his sleep -- which he does. (In between loud snores). This could be sleep apnea and if left untreated could mean some problems down the road. So that's where we are. We'll see what the specialist has to say, but from the people that I've talked to, my non-professional opinion is that they're going to need to come out. So it will be 2 weeks worth of popsicles and Jell-O for Noah.

A Day at the Museum

2009-04-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

*Tap* *Tap* *Tap* Hello out there! It's been a while. And I'd like to have a good excuse, but the truth is, I've just been lazy. Anyway, I'm going to try to be better about blogging the Noah-isms from now on. Really, I am. REALLY! :)

Anyway, a few weeks ago we spent the day at the museum. All of a sudden, Noah's really in to dinosaurs. (I think it's a boy thing). And he can point out many dinosaurs and says the names better than me! Here he is posing with a stegosaurus. (One of the few I know). He wouldn't smile...I guess making a tough face is better when posing with a giant lizard.

I was afraid that he thought that he'd see actual dinosaurs, and I kept preparing him that we were only going to see "bones"...but he didn't seem to mind. And he wasn't one bit disappointed. The museum has done a wonderful job with restoring the dinos and making the new area really cool.

Here is he with my dad posing in front of the very imposing T.Rex. Noah thinks that it is awesome that my dad's name is Rex...lately instead of referring to him as Pa, he calls him "T. Rex"! We all agreed though, that back in the day when the T. Rex was standing on his hind legs and you could see him from the 2nd story, he seemed to be much bigger. Or maybe that was because we were little kids at the time? (And you can all call that lady that just walked in to my picture a bad name, okay?)

Anyway, Noah enjoyed the "stuffed" animals part just as much as the dinosaur part. And of course, he can name even the most obscure of animals. He called my dad over to a "rhinocerous hornbill" -- it's a bird -- we saw one at the aviary and it's been a favorite of theirs ever since. (And for those of you that have been to the Carnegie Museum, remember that scene with the guy on the camel and the saber toothed tiger is attacking them? It's still cool 30 years later!)

They also have a new section where little kids can "dig" for dinosaurs. Here's Noah digging away. HE didn't want to leave because he hadn't dug up his bone yet! All in all, it was a great day. I think Noah really enjoyed himself.

One Liners

2009-02-24T07:20:00.000-08:00

Here are a few one liners that Noah has thrown out over the past few weeks:

1) The other day he was doing something that he wasn't supposed to be doing. When I gave him a look, he came over to me, put his hands on my cheeks and said "Don't be mad, sweetheart!" Of course, I got over whatever it was that had made me mad, and gave him a big hug.

2) I was watching Grease 2 on tv over the weekend (no comments, please! HA!) and Noah looked at the tv and said "that man looks like John Bryson!" Walt and I said in unison "Who is John Bryson??" Noah replied "Oh, I'm just kidding! I made that name up!"

3) We were counting and saying "on Noah's next birthday he'll be 4"...then 5, 6, you get the idea. When we got to 10, I said "I'll be sad when you're 10, you won't be my baby anymore!" Noah says "Don't be sad, momma, I'll still be your son!" He also promised me that he will still let me kiss him (and he will kiss me) and hug him. However, he said that when he's 10, he wont' ask me to feed him anymore. :P (I just hope he keeps those promises!)

The Zoo!

2009-02-24T07:08:00.001-08:00

I've been a bad blogger lately...I will blame it on the winter blahs. I've just been unmotivated.

Anyway, a few weeks ago we had one of those crazy warm days that tease us during the winter. Since it was close to 70 degrees that day, Noah and I decided to spend the afternoon at the zoo. It was one of the best trips we've had so far, because we practically had the joint to ourselves! There were maybe 30 other cars in the lot that day.

So we really got to see so many animals that day and linger as long as we wanted. Some highlights were:

The lions were both standing on the rock, looking at all of us like they wanted to have us for dinner, and daddy lion was roaring. 99.9% of the time, daddy lion is passed out on his heated rock, so it was really cool to see him awake AND to hear his mighty roar!

Luckily by the time we made it to the polar bear tunnel, one of them had jumped in. We were in the tunnel with 3 other people. So we all just plopped down and hung out, watching him play and swim. Usually the tunnel gets jammed, esp if the bears are in the water. People won't keep moving, and it is no fun at all.

We also had the corridors in the aquarium to ourselves for about 10 minutes. Again, it is sometimes so crowded in there (esp by the penguins), that it's just no fun.

So, the next unseasonably warm day (probably a week day is better, I think everyone will have my idea on a weekend), if you're not busy, hop in the car and go to the zoo. I think you'll see it in a whole new light! And to leave you, here's Noah, pretending to be a flamingo! (Sorry for the crazy spacing in this post...I can't fix it!)

The Social Life of a 3 year old

2009-01-23T11:16:00.001-08:00

I knew there would come a day where Noah had a busier social calendar than I do. You know, high school football games, sports, taking girls on dates (oy!). But, what I didnt' know was that his social calendar would start to get busy way earlier than high school. He's invited to more parties than we are. (So if you're having a party soon, take pity on me and invite me!)

This is what his week looks like:
Sunday - my parents took him to a movie and lunch at Cookie Park. (You may know it as Eat N Park)

Friday (tonight) - classmate's birthday party at Chuck E Cheese

Saturday - friend at daycare's birthday party at a bowling alley

Sunday - Walt & I are taking him to a movie.

I'm glad he could at least find time this weekend to squeeze us in! :)

Barack Obama is a Tiger

2009-01-13T05:36:00.000-08:00

Do these guys look like twins or what? The other night we were watching some TV and a commercial for something (maybe a video game) starring Tiger Woods was on. Noah watched Tiger sink a ball in to a hole and we had this conversation:

Noah: He won!

Walt: Yep, do you know who that is?

Me: His name is Tiger! Cool, huh? (You know because of Noah's animal obsession)

Noah: No, momma! That's Barack Obama!

Walt: (Laughing) No, that's Tiger Woods! He's a golfer.

Noah: Nope, it's Barack Obama!

I guess they do have a slight resemblance. Although, I think Noah just likes to say Barack Obama. It is pretty fun to say!

First goose egg

2009-01-12T06:03:00.000-08:00

Well, Noah has made it 3.5 years without having a goosegg on his egg. Sure, he's had bumps and bruises and scrapes and cuts every where on his body...but this weekend was the first giant lump on his noggin. On Friday night/Saturday morning, Walt and I were jolted awake when we heard a giant THUD! Noah had fallen out of bed. Walt ran upstairs and Noah was crying and so upset. We finally calmed him down, figured out he was okay and went back to sleep. But, by morning, he'd grown a giant lump right above his eye, and it's a lovely shade of blue/purple.

You may be wondering why we don't have bedrails, but of course we do! He somehow managed to fall out of the bottom of the bed! I think he was dreaming because he hasn't given the same answer as to how he actually fell out of bed. I told him from now on, if he wants to get up, to please call me and I'll come and get him.

I was going to try to take a picture, but I am not sure if it would show up or not. I'll wait until it's that great shade of yellow/green, I'm sure it will show up in a picture then.

Christmas Morning!

2009-01-06T05:36:00.001-08:00

The longest night of the year (Christmas Eve) was finally over. At 5:45 am, I heard Noah rustling in his bed, and caught him as he started to climb down the stairs. First, we checked out the kitchen, and Santa had been there! He left all kinds of cookie crumbs on the plate and drank his nice warm coffee.

See the amazement on his face? Santa came! And he left tons of wonderful presents. Noah got an mp3 player, some toy horses, play doh, a remote control truck and some board games. The most favorite toy from Santa were the horses. Santa could have saved himself a lot of time and money, and just gone for the horses. But, he's a generous guy!

Mommy and Daddy must have been good this year, too...because they got a Wii! Santa doesn't wrap the gifts that he leaves for Noah, (he's too busy for wrapping!) but he did wrap Guitar Hero that he left for all of us. Walt is now a Guitar Hero addict...me, I'm getting better, but don't know if I'll ever graduate from the "easy" setting! We also got Big Brain Academy (Walt is ahead of me by a measly 75 points...I will beat him!), Wii Fit (I love it, even though it insults me and tells me in so many words that I'm fat), and Raymon's Raving Rabbids (so far, I think I'm too old to figure out how to play this one!).

Later in the day, after we played with all of the toys, we headed to Walt's parents' house for more ham and presents. It was a whirlwind couple of weeks, but I think it may be one of my most memorable Christmases ever.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season, and I'm wishing you many good things to come in 2009!

Christmas Time is Here

2009-01-06T05:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas was really excting and fun this year. Noah could hardly contain himself, especially as the big day drew closer. He has an advent calendar that he gets to untie (and eat!) a piece of candy every day. (We used Smarties) He knew that when he untied the last piece of candy and got to the bell, it meant it was Christmas. The day before Christmas Eve (I guess that's Christmas Eve eve), he kept saying "One more day! One more day!" He knew that the next day, when he took off the smarties, that was it! Christmas had arrived. And he was bouncing off of the walls!

We hosted my parents, brother, aunt and cousins for Christmas Eve. We all went to church while my brother stayed at my house to put our side dishes in the oven and take the ham out. What a great brother he is! Our dinner was ready when we came home - and the feasting began. Afterwards we open presents. It's Noah's favorite part!

Also on Christmas Eve, Santa comes around our 'hood on a fire truck. (I guess he gives those reindeer a rest at the athelic association??) Noah was so excited when he saw the fire truck coming up the street, that he started talking in gibberish. He's pretty well spoken for a 3 year old, but I guess the sight of Old Saint Nick just was too much. After he got a hug and a candy cane from Santa, we hurried inside, put on his jamas and left cookies and coffee (because it's cold...who wants all that milk when it's cold??) for Santa and carrots and reindeer food for the reindeer.

The Chistmas Play

2009-01-06T05:14:00.000-08:00

It's been a while! I took a long break over Christmas time...but now I have so much to catch you all up on. So, we'll just start at the beginning!

Noah's school has an annual school play. They do the Nativity Scene - the 4 year olds (aka "the big kids") are the people in the nativity, the 3 year olds (Noah's class) are the animals. Which as you all know, an animal was the perfect part for Noah to play.

For weeks before the play, we'd ask Noah which animal he was playing. He would never give us a straight answer -- an arctic fox was the most popular answer he'd give, but sometimes he'd tell us a skunk and once, he told my mother he was going to be a werewolf. Can you imagine a werewolf at the nativity scene? Makes it a whole new story! Turns out...he was a donkey! Our pictures didn't turn out that great - but here he is. He even shook his head and moved his ears around like a real donkey. I see a future in acting!

After the big kids put on the little nativity scene, they all joined in a big sing along. Noah didn't do a whole lot of singing. Walt thought maybe it's because Noah only goes to school 2 days a week and didn't learn the songs. But, most of them were traditional Christmas songs, that I know he knows...and the other we heard him belting out a few days later. He told me he was too nervous up there to sing. I guess considering that I'm his mother (and if you remember, I was nervous in the hot tub on vacation, thinking a crazed maniac was going to come out of the woods to get me)...I guess it's a good possibility. It is funny to hear a 3 year old say he's nervous though!

There's the group shot. I do have to say that a few times, I choked up. Seeing my baby in his first school play. I can only imagine next year when he's IN the play and playing a person...I don't think I'll be able to hold back the tears!

Oh Christmas Tree

2008-12-16T05:21:00.000-08:00

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

2008-12-09T04:32:00.000-08:00

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...

2008-11-21T06:22:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-07T06:15:00.000-08:00

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

2008-11-07T06:08:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-11-07T05:53:00.001-08:00

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!

2008-10-30T10:23:00.001-07:00

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!

2008-10-28T06:25:00.001-07:00

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

2008-10-17T04:35:00.000-07:00

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

2008-10-14T05:40:00.001-07:00

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

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-14T05:19:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-10-02T12:43:00.001-07:00

...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...

2008-09-22T09:31:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-22T09:26:00.000-07:00

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)

2008-09-12T05:13:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-09T09:37:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T05:34:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-05T05:21:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-29T11:11:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-26T06:30:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-08-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-25T11:45:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-22T12:24:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-12T05:04:00.001-07:00

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...

2008-07-12T04:50:00.001-07:00

...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

2008-07-11T04:39:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-07-07T05:38:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-03T07:42:00.000-07:00

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

2008-07-03T07:40:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-07-01T06:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-19T04:01:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-16T12:31:00.001-07:00

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

2008-06-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-06-09T05:05:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-06T12:56:00.000-07:00

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

2008-06-06T07:43:00.000-07:00

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...

2008-06-06T07:30:00.000-07:00

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.