While Daddy's away...

Noah will play!!!

***With a little help from mommy who "helped him" pick out his clothes--Go Longhorns!--and helped him pick out a new toy, which he LOVES! Noah has been admiring this toy for a while now at various friends' houses...we finally had an "excuse" to buy it! :) We had LOTS of fun together, but we miss daddy who is spending time with HIS dad in NYC. (PS...apparently Noah's support was not enough for the 'Horns...)

Helping me with the box...

I could NOT get the batteries in quick enough!

"Oooh, windy!"

"So, I just push this here..."

"The balls go here..."

"Wait! Where'd it go?"

Stunned silence...

"I LOVE this thing!"

I just thought Noah's expression was cute in this picture. :)

Seriously...great toy! It's the Busy Ball Popper from Playskool/Hasbro if anybody needs a good Christmas idea.

More Fun with Friends

Just some fun pictures of Noah with two of his best buddies...

(Notice how Noah has already perfected the art of ignoring mommy??)

Noah and Nate

Having a blast together! Noah and Nate have been friends since Nate came into this world in January...although as much time as Laurie and I spend together, they were probably "friends" when Nate was in the womb. :)

Noah and Owen

Owen and Noah have been friends for over a year now! It's amazing to see how much they've grown. These pictures are from when I babysat Owen last Monday. His mommy and daddy were busy welcoming his sweet new sister, Victoria Grace, into the world.

(Side note: Leslie--wow, friend, two boys is tough work. I admire you even more! :))

Tagged Times TWO

So, I've been tagged twice on two different occasions, with two different "tags," from two wonderful people. So, I am finally caught up with both (see below). If you don't really care to read 18 things about me, then just ignore this whole day of posts. :) Sorry for the info. overload! Have a GREAT weekend!

Tagged Part 1: Ten Things...

My blogger friend Leslie tagged me. Her husband and Eric were pledge brothers at Baylor, and we met through them. She has two adorable twin boys who I have yet to meet in person (but am anxious to do so!) I have enjoyed reading all about her life as a mom of twins on her blog...she has some humorous moments!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
September 1997: My freshman year at The University of Texas. I was rooming with Kim Larsen at Kinsolving dormitory...I have SOOOO many great memories with her, and she is still one of my closest friends. Eric and I had just broken up for the first time (several more to come :)), however we got back together soon after.

2. What were you doing 5 years ago?
September 2002: Eric and I had just gotten engaged (September 22nd--the day after Bill and Michelle's wedding), and I was living in an apt. down the street from him (the closest we had lived since high school!) I was teaching kindergarten at Central Elementary in Jenks and loving every minute of it (the next year however was a different story...)

3. What were you doing 1 year ago?
September 2006: Noah was about 7 months old, and I was having a blast watching him grow and discover the world around him!

4. What did you do yesterday?
Yesterday I took Noah to children's playgroup at the park, then we stopped by Laurie's on the way home to visit the little baby playgroup. It made me flash back to playgroup with Noah at that stage---while Noah (and his baby friends) were busy sitting, drooling, crawling, etc. I was actually able to decently eat lunch and chat IN ONE PLACE with other moms. Flash forward to present: I ended up in a room opposite of the other mommies, while attempting to keep Noah from sticking his hand in the beautifully prepared lunch. :) Ahhh, life... During Noah's nap, I watched admiringly as my handy hubby finished organizing our garage (way to go Eric!) Then, yesterday evening we met up with friends at the "chicken shack" for some chicken fingers, patio sittin', and great adult conversation (while Noah followed some big kids around the grassy area next to our table...) Busy day!

5. Snacks I enjoy: Chips/crackers and dip, Snickers, smoothies...

6. Things I would do with $100 million dollars:
WOW! I wouldn't know WHAT to do with that kind of money. Save some, give some away, and then enjoy life! Travel(!), new house, personal shopper (see tagged part 2 :)), etc.

7. Locations I would run to:
Maybe not run, but fly :)...St. Lucia, Italy, Texas and Oklahoma to see family and friends. Technically, I'm about to run upstairs since Noah just woke up...does that count?

8. Bad habit I have:
I overthink everything!

9. Things I like to do:
Spend time with Eric and Noah, hang out with family and friends, read, watch evening tv, spend time outdoors (on nice days), eat good food, cook,

10. Biggest joy of the moment:
Noah! (Eric is out of town or I would say him too. :)) Someone remarked the other day that Noah is "just so happy." He truly is JOY! To borrow a bible verse from our dear friend Nate's birth announcement (Laurie's little one): "You have filled my heart with greater joy!" Psalm 4:7
**To illustrate the above: I am currently listening to Noah on the monitor while he reads Peek-A-Who? in his crib. I can tell he is on the train part because he is saying "Choo, choo...ticka, ticka, ticka, ticka." He makes me smile. :)

Whew! That was a long one...I tag LAURIE, ALYSON, and BETSY...you're it!

Tagged Part 2: 8 Random Things

I was tagged:

The Rules:
1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.
2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write a post on their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

After a month or two, Laurie, here goes :)...

Top 8 random things about me:

8) I loved math in school...I was the weird one who actually enjoyed algebra and calculus.

7) I know how to drive (is it called driving?) a motorcycle and ride a horse...thanks Dad and PaPa for these very useful skills. :) Kidding..it was fun.

6) I grew up in the suburbs, but spent a lot of time in "the country" at my grandparents' ranch as mentioned above. In fact, I've had a cow poop all over me while helping my family "work cattle" when I was in junior high....not the most attractive moment of my life. My brothers got a BIG kick out of it, though.

5) My favorite book is The Notebook, however I won't see the movie because I'm scared it will ruin the book for me. (although I've heard it's wonderful...)

4) My first job (other than babysitting) was working the counter at a dry cleaner. My best friend and I applied for the job because it was easy and we could work together...only to find out that you work alone.

3) I LOVE musicals...my dream job would be to act on Broadway, however I am seriously lacking the talent to do such a thing...hence the title "dream" job. :)

2) I don't actually enjoy shopping (gasp!) It stresses me out a little, and it's hard for me to spend money. I've gotten better though, but I'm still a bargain shopper. Funny...I don't seem to have this problem, though, when shopping for Noah. :)

1) Hmmm...last one....I know how to fix a toilet!

Okay, for this one, I tag Ashley, Leslie, and Meredith. If you're all tagged out, no worries!

Just like daddy...

There is really nothing quite like seeing a dad with his son (or daughter as I'm sure Ashley K can attest to...:)). Especially when the dad is the love of your life and his son is your everything! I love my boys more than words can say, and nothing delights me more than seeing them together. Whether they are watching sports on tv ("ball" to Noah), taking out the trash together, or just playing around and laughing--those moments are amazing. I am so thankful that Noah has Eric as his model for how a man should be. Noah will watch Eric's every move and follow along just like daddy. And if Noah turns out just like his daddy, then I will be one happy and blessed mama.

Mowing the lawn just like daddy ('cause mama sure isn't going to do it... :))

"Taking a break from all that mowin'...now if I could just get this inside, life would be good...."

Mommy's Little Helper

Over 10 days since my last post! Wow--I've been slacking. Really, our lives just haven't been that interesting. :) Eric has been off, too, so we've been spending a lot of time together as a family. So, on to a completely unrelated topic, here are some pics of Noah helping me around the house. :)

LAUNDRY

Look at those cute rolls!
Such a big help!
Trying to recruit Oscar
Little does he know, laundry is really not this fun!

WATERING THE FLOWERS

"Let's see now..how do I turn this thing around?"

Better...

Thank you dear friends for all your kind words and encouragement! It made me smile. Noah LOVES school, so that makes all this SO much better. His teachers said his little personality really started to come out on Thursday--they said he was full of energy and "very busy." Hmmm, yep, that sounds about right! I'm glad he likes it. And I made it through Thursday without crying, so I consider that a step in the right direction for me.

On the funnier side, Noah has started picking up the other phone when someone calls. Then he "talks" to whomever is on the phone in some sort of foreign language (who knew my child was bilingual?? I only wish that were true!!). It is SO darn cute! And the person on the other end gets a good laugh, too. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of it, but someday...

Thanks again everyone for your thoughts and support! I told Eric the other day that writing on my blog and reading other mom's blogs is like therapy. It's always comforting to know that you have allies (allys?) in this crazy journey called motherhood.

My child is now sweeping the floor with our decorative flowers...off I go.

Only two days...

I told myself that I wasn't going to be "that mom"...the mom who drops her child off for his first day of school with a tear-stained face and sad look in her eyes. I just knew it wouldn't be me. As a kindergarten teacher, I saw this mom countless times and always felt bad for her but never truly knew how she felt. And I surely never thought I would be her. But, alas, despite my thoughts otherwise, I was "that mom" this morning as I dropped Noah off at our church for his first day of "school." Granted, I will give myself a little credit...the tears did not come until another mom asked how everything went (after I left)...so Noah was saved from the embarrassment of watching his mom turn into a sobbing mess. (He may have seen a few of the tears in the car when I talked to my friend Tiffany on the way there...but I doubt it.)

So, I realize my child is NOT starting kindergarten and that it's only Mother's Day Out. I have had several people say to me...don't worry about it, it's only two days a week. But that's two days that I don't get to be with my baby. And two days a week for a year REALLY adds up when you only have so many years until they're not your baby anymore. He's been my constant companion for the last year and a half, and our schedule has pretty much centered around him. I KNOW I am being silly about this, and I know this will be SOOO good for both Noah and me. And I know that I will be a better mommy because of it. And I KNOW I will look back and laugh at my absurdity (probably when I head to the dressing room to try on clothes by myself...not having to worry about whether or not Noah will crawl under the door and out of the dressing room, while I run after him with my clothes half on with the entire store watching and laughing at the spectacle that is mommy and toddler.) I know I will be fine and that one day I will be excited to have a few hours to myself.

But until that day, I am going to take this moment to be sad and to miss my little man and best bud.

To cheer myself up, I have made a list of all things I was able to do today without my little toddler:

1. Go to breakfast with some mommy friends and actually be able to eat and talk and stay longer than 15 minutes.

2. Browse through a woman's boutique and try on jeans alone (gasp!)

3. Go to a jewelry store and not feel nervous about what was going to be touched/knocked over/eaten/broken/etc.

4. Update my car registration without fear of how long the line would be (and if I had enough snacks and/or toys to keep Noah occupied)

5. Straighten up my home without someone following me and un-straightening everything.

6. Start the washing machine/run the disposal without fear of Noah waking up early from his nap.

7. Finish a blog entry without stopping!

While all this was LOTS of fun, I am now off to pick up my sweet baby boy. I will add pictures later...

"My bag is packed, I'm ready to go..."

"Let's go, mom!"

Before heading to class, we had to make a quick stop at the "Bye-Bye Buggy"

Pushing a lady out of the way to get into class (while mommy takes a picture instead of correcting this behavior...) "Yes! A ball! I love school."

"Mom, what is this lady sticking on my back?"

"Mom, I think you just need to go..."

Breakfast with mommy friends who are also kid-free

After school with my buddies (and that would be Noah after only an hour nap...)

Noah had a great first day of school...and Mommy is getting better! :)

Fun with Friends

Here are lots of pictures of Noah with some of his friends...

Happy Birthday, Owen! The big 2-year old:

"Oh cool! I get presents too!"
Noah's new safari hat
These kids know how to party!

PLAYGROUP

Carter is deep in thought...
Brady is loving the nesting blocks
Carter: "Hey, watch this, tee hee hee..." Brady: "Hey man, back off! I was here first!"Brady: "Look Carter, I'm older, so what I say goes." Brady: "Ha! I told him..."
Noah watches all the drama from afar...



TRIP TO THE ZOO


And they're off...
"Come on slowpokes!" The petting zoo...Owen and Noah sharing the brush"Don't worry Elise, I'll protect you.""Come on, this way.." "Cool, did you see that big fish?" "Look, Owen!"
Owen, Elise, and baby Zion
"Here fishy, fishy."Giving the fish a big kiss

Checking out the iguanas with Owen



Feeding my fur-friend Roxie

Playing peek-a-boo with Oscar

"Peek-a-boo"

"I see you!""On your mark, get set, GO!""Tee, hee, hee...tricked you mommy!"