Matt, Emily, Joshua, and Noah

Joshua, Noah, and the rest of January

2012-01-31T15:09:00.003-06:00

Brothers having fun

Joshua is all about talking and playing games and making up friends. Today he was playing with his Woody the cowboy toy only he said it was "Busty" the cowboy. He and "Busty" had a great time playing in the car. And Joshua loves to play games. We recently introduced him to Chutes & Ladders which he loves... mostly because this version has a superhero theme and he enjoys assigning everyone their superhero before we play. I think his favorite part about this game is that we usually play it when Noah is taking a nap so he loves to tell us "I think Noah needs a nap and I need to play my game." even if it is 9AM on a Saturday morning.

Noah is such a happy baby. He loves dancing, laughing, and his brother. He usually falls asleep clutching one of his loveys close. He alternates between the Raggedy Andy doll (that Grandottie made him), Mickey, his giraffe, and Barney. He loves to hug and snuggle his toys. It's so precious and new to us as Joshua never cared much for plush toys. He sways and claps whenever he hears music. Joshua is also a fan of dancing, especially if he's dancing to the Big Bang Theory theme song. I can't really describe his "moves" so I'll attempt to video them and post it to youtube.

The boys are really starting to play well together. They wrestle and wrangle for the same toys from time to time but they usually work it out with few tears. It's fun to listen to them because Joshua is doing all the talking and Noah is giggling and throwing out the occasional "Da!" They are well on their way to be good buddies.

I like to read!

Today Noah is sick with a double ear infection and an eye infection. Poor baby! I took him to the doctor's office and he was a sick little fella. Fortunately he should bounce back quickly. I will comment that there was a student doctor in the room today with our pediatrician. At one point the pediatrician and I we were talking about allergies and our doctor mentioned Noah is allergic to apples, strawberries, peanuts and cashews. The student doctor turned to me and said "Really? I couldn't live! I love those foods. I couldn't imagine not eating apples and strawberries, wow or nuts." Our pediatrician tried to cover for him and casually said "Well, it's not that uncommon. I have lots of young patients allergic to strawberries and nut allergies are on the rise, though he is my only apple allergy..." He handed me the prescription, told Noah to feel better and quickly left the room. I suspect not long after that there was a discussion about how to not make the patient and patient's family feel worse about a diagnosis than it actually is, especially one that won't change, like a nut allergy. Matt and I had a good laugh about it. It reminded me of a scene in Zoolander where Ben Stiller's character said "How do you live!?!"

My Blue Angels

My Negotiator

2012-01-27T17:34:00.033-06:00

I tell Joshua stories all the time but here are two prime examples of my expert negotiator. I must admit that I thought I'd have more time before he started to outsmart me. This is humbling. Well for your amusement...

Case 1
Joshua likes to eat a snack in the car on the way home from school. There are two snacks that I offer in the car: individually wrapped fruit snacks and granddaddy crackers (aka Nilla wafers). I usually let Joshua eat 2 fruit snacks, one right away and one after we drive over the bridge. (I should add the the entire drive from daycare to the house is about 30min so it's not that long of a drive.) I do this to make them last longer so I don't have to listen to how hungry he is the whole way home. Recently Joshua said "Mommy can I have 2 fruit snacks?" I repeated my standard answer and said he could have one now and the second one after the bridge. He said "Okay so the first one before the bridge, right?" I agreed as I handed him back his snack. He happily ate it down right away and asked for his fruit snack about 5 minutes later. And here's the rest:
Me: We aren't even to the bridge yet. You know the rules. You'll have to wait.
Joshua: But Mommy, you said I could eat the first fruit snack before the bridge.
Me: I know and I already gave it to you and you ate it.
Joshua: No Mommy, you gave me the second one and I already ate it, now I want the first snack.
Me: What? No I gave you the first snack and you ate it.
Joshua: No you gave me the second snack first and I ate that one. Now I want the first one. You said I could eat it before the bridge. Pretty please!

All I can say is wow, my son's a negotiator! How can you say no to logic like that!?! Of course I caved and gave him the other fruit snack. Now on to part II.

Case 2
As I've said I have two snacks in the car. The second snack, granddaddy crackers, is really for Noah, although Joshua eats them too. These are less of a choke hazard and Noah's not allergic to any ingredients. Anyway I usually hand them back to Noah two at a time because he is in a rear facing car seat and it's a pain to stretch back that far from the driver's seat when he can't see me and hand them to him. Anyway after handing Noah a snack I usually hand back 3 crackers to Joshua because, according to J's logic, "I get 3 because I'm 3 years old!" He must have been hungry the other day because he worked this angle:
Joshua: Noah is growing. He will get bigger and bigger and bigger. You should give him 2 crackers because he's almost 2 years old.
Me: Well he's not even 1 1/2 so I wouldn't say he's almost 2, but he is a growing boy so I'll give him 2 crackers.
Joshua: Well you know I'm a growing boy too and if Noah's almost 2 then it means I'm almost 4, right?
Me: Sortof, but Noah's not almost 2 though he will be 2 on his next birthday and you're not almost 4 but you will be 4 on your next one...
Joshua: So since Noah got 2 crackers for being almost 2 can I have 4 crackers since I'm almost 4? It will be fair mommy.

I really have my hands full with Joshua. These stories remind me a lot of myself when I was little. All I can say is that I hope Noah can outwit him from time to time, otherwise he and Aunt Stoppie will have a lot to talk about at family gatherings.

A few conversations

2012-01-23T18:53:00.013-06:00

Joshua keeps us laughing and on our toes with his thoughts. Here are a few recent quotes:

"Mommy, scary tree is bad and you are good. That is why you are my friend and scary tree is not my friend."

Joshua: I want a different snack
Me: What kind of snack?
Joshua: I want something chocolate-y and very good.
Me: How about some cheese?
Joshua: Mommy, really?

Daddy: Do you want a donut for breakfast?
Joshua: Real Space Rangers don't eat donuts.
Daddy: Well what do you want to eat?
Joshua: I just want one little tomato.

Me: How's my astronaut?
Joshua: Mommy, an astronaut is an astronaut and a space man is a space man, and tonight I'm a space man.

This is sweet. On MLK Day we were in a parking lot when someone cut me off and I hit the brakes. Joshua asked what happened and I told him that that car wasn't very nice. Then he said "But Mommy, God loves everybody. He loves us and sent His son. That's why you're supposed to love everybody - not just the people just like us, but EVERYBODY." So true. Makes me think someone's definitely been paying attention at AWANAS.

Me: I have a fun surprise for you.
Joshua: Yea! What is it? A baby sister?
Me: Um, no but that would be surprising...

Can't wait til Noah really starts talking so I can post his silly conversations. I know he's got some funny things to say, he just doesn't know how to communicate them yet. He favorite funny thing to do these days is to pull his shirt up and pat his belly. It's hard not to laugh when he does this as he's so proud and laughing. That's my boy!

Yea Alabama!

2012-01-10T19:29:00.036-06:00

The boys showing their team spirit at school.

So I first must open with Roll Tide! That's right, Alabama won the National Championship game against LSU. The final score was 21-0. It was an exciting evening in our house. This is Bama's 14th National Championship Title (Joshua's 2nd and Noah's 1st). We are happy for our team though Matt and I must lament "Why weren't they that good when we were in school?" Regardless I enjoyed dressing my boys up in their jersey's for school. And Joshua got into the spirit of things by electing to wear an Alabama toboggan despite the temperature being in the mid 70s.

Noah was not that interested in the game and fell asleep before half time. Joshua really enjoyed cheering during the game with his typical "Go Bama! Roll Tide! Haha - he fell down. Daddy that is a football, etc." We let Joshua stay up a little later and then put him to bed in mommy and daddy's room hoping he'd stay in there. Instead he kept coming out of the room for one more hug, one more kiss, more more high-five, one more Go Bama, etc. Finally he was asleep and we tried to quietly watch the game (which is hard to do).

Roll Tide!

On a completely unrelated note, I must brag on my Noah that he has learned to wipe his nose. This is a very important skill as it is cold and flu season. Way to go Noah!

Happy New Year

2012-01-05T18:21:00.030-06:00

Joshua's ready to go hiking

Happy New Year! It's 2012 and what better way for me to kick off my blog than to quote a few of the many funny things my boys say and do.

Noah's favorite word is still "No." One of his favorite past times is to grab the tv remote and run away giggling. I think he always knows he'll get caught, but that's probably the best part.

Joshua recently told me "Mommy, I'm going to grow bigger, and bigger, and bigger. Then one day I'll be a person or somethin'."

Last night the dogs came inside the house and stood side by side wagging their tails wildly as Matt prepared their food. Joshua looked at them and laughed out loud saying "Look, the dogs are playing swords!" I'd never thought of it that way but what a perfect description!

This made mommy a little sad. Last night I asked Noah "Are you ready to eat?" and patted his high chair. He answered "Ya!" then walked to the big boy chair across from Joshua (a kid-sized table), patted it, and climbed into the seat. I think my baby's trying to tell me he's not a baby.

The rest of 2011

2011-12-30T17:42:00.010-06:00

Joshua and Daddy in The Muppets

We had one last "first" to finish off 2011, we took Joshua to see his first movie at a movie theater. We went to go see the new "The Muppets" movie. We did popcorn, a drink, the movie. It was great! He really liked all the previews - which is good considering there was 35min of them. He sat in Daddy's lap the whole time because his view was partially obscured by the headrest in front of him. He loved the movie. As soon as it was over he said "I want to do that again!" So glad mommy and daddy had some special time with Joshua.

Noah stayed home with Grandma & Grandpa, and his Aunts. He had a great time too. Speaking of Noah, he has a new favorite word that he's used over and over on this trip. His new favorite word is "No." Although when he says it, it sounds more like nyo. He doesn't always use it correctly, he just likes to say it. He'll say no to everything except if you ask him "Can you say yes?" He'll answer "Yesh!" then he's back to his standard "No."

Joshua loves playing Wii Resort

We drove home on the 30th to relax a few days before heading back to work. It was a wonderful Christmas break. We feel so blessed to be surrounded by so much love and family. Joshua and Noah are growing up to be such fine boys. We couldn't possibly be prouder. We wish everyone a Happy New Year as we are looking forward to 2012.
Much love and Many blessings!
The Chatham Family

Christmas 2011 - Part 3

2011-12-28T19:42:00.004-06:00

Noah, Granddaddy, and Joshua

Joshua and Ridley

Sweet Noah

After we left Maw-Maw's house we drove to Granddaddy's house to wish him a Merry Christmas. The boys enjoyed opening presents and visiting with Hardy and Ridley (our dogs) who are spending the holidays at Granddaddy's house. Joshua sang Christmas songs and Noah was running laps through the kitchen, hallway, and living room. We enjoyed yummy chili for dinner then we went back to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Joshua, Titus, Noah, & Alice - The only pic where they are ALL looking at the camera.

Chathams and Smiths

The next day we drove up to Huntsville to spend a few days with Grandottie and Jerry Pop. The boys enjoyed playing with Grandottie and Jerry Pop. Also we all got to help out with a project by painting the dining room a lovely shade of cherry tart. While we were in town and the Smith's were also in town visiting relatives we got together with them. All 4 of the kiddos had a great time. We enjoyed seeing our friends. We miss you guys!

Titus and Joshua

Alice and Noah

The boys with Grandottie and Jerry Pop

We drove back to Birmingham on Wednesday and Joshua got o go fishing with Daddy, Grandpa, Granddaddy and John Davis. Joshua was super excited to catch a fish. Grandaddy did the best catching 8 while Daddy was not too shabby, catching 5. We hope Grandpa and John (caught 0) do better next time. :)

Proud fisherman

Fishing buddies - Joshua and Grandpa

Joshua, "the fish", and Granddaddy

Christmas 2011 - Part 2

2011-12-26T15:26:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Chathams!

The boys with Grandma and Grandpa

Christmas Morning

Christmas Eve was a lot of fun. First my mom cooked a big lunch that we all enjoyed. Then Joshua and I made cookies which we would later leave out for Santa. Next everyone got dressed and we went to mass with mommy's family. Afterwards we went to the Garrett's house as we've done every year since mommy was little to celebrate, track Santa's sleigh (which is really sophisticated these days with a fancy app), eat, drink, and be merry. It actually wasn't hard to get either boy to sleep that night. Noah is always a good sleeper and Joshua was tired and while he talked about Santa, I'm not sure he totally understood he'd be getting presents. We did have to say good-bye to Zoopy (our Elf on a Shelf), at least until next year. I asked Joshua to remind Zoopy that he'd been a good boy this year and Joshua said "No Mommy, I've been an extra-good boy."

Joshua and Grandpa

Noah and Mommy

Extra good boy!

Santa put a new sippy cup in Noah's stocking and he kept testing to see if there was any juice.

The next morning Joshua slept in the latest. When he woke up I asked him "Do you think Santa came last night?" And he said no so I asked "Do you know what today is?" He looked at me still sleepy and answered "Sunday?" I prompted him further "And..." Joshua's face lit up and he said "It's Jesus' birthday!" "Yes that's right! And what else?" He looked at me "Um, we'll sing him Happy Birthday." It is so sweet that he paid attention and remembered it was Jesus' birthday. Then I asked him "Did you hear any sleigh bells or reindeer hooves last night?" He asked "Did you?" I told him I did and he said "Me too! Do you think Santa came?" And with that excited revelation we joined the rest of the family upstairs to eat some breakfast and then open presents.

Joshua to Noah "Look at my moon!"

The boys and Daddy

We opened so many presents from Santa and family. Everyone was so generous - if it weren't for the van and Daddy's car, I'm not sure everything would make it home. I think Noah's favorite thing was an empty box which he thoroughly enjoyed climbing in and out of. I'll have to tell UPS "Way to go! You really outdid yourself this year..." Thanks so much Grandma, Grandpa, and Aunts Celeste and Elaine! We missed seeing Aunt Stoppie and Uncle Chad as they were in Missouri, but we did see them later that week. After opening presents and cleaning up we got dressed and went to Maw-Maw's house in Oneonta for Christmas lunch. Maw-Maw made a delicious lunch. She was happy to have her great-grandchildren together. The boys got to play with their cousin Landon and Logan. I should mention that in probably every picture I took Joshua was wearing a Santa cap because he LOVES it. I'm actually writing this post after Christmas and backdating it so it's in the correct order, but for days and days he wore that hat from sun up to sun down. Thanks to Aunts Celeste and Elaine for the hat. Oh and for as much as Joshua loves his hat, that's how much Noah hated wearing one, whether it was a Santa hat or reindeer antlers. Different brothers, different likes.

It's a box!

After leaving Maw-Maw's house we went to Grandaddy's house in Pleasant Grove. Pictures from that trip will make the next posting. More Christmas cheer to come!

Christmas 2011 - Part 1

2011-12-23T21:55:00.060-06:00

Merry Christmas 2011

All the grandchildren with their stockings

Joshua, Noah and I drove up to Birmingham for Christmas on Wednesday the 21st, with Daddy driving up the following day. It was a good trip up and I have to say how much I enjoyed traveling in the van because even after loading our luggage and gifts in the van, there was still room! Friday we had Christmas with Daddy's family at the annual Nelson, Chatham, & Tilton shindig. The boys loved playing with their cousins and all the kiddos had a great time opening their stockings, which Grandottie made, and all of their presents. Grandottie gave Noah a Raggedy Andy doll, which she has made for all her grandchildren over the years. Joshua was an absolute pro at opening presents. Matt and I had a great time visiting with his brother and sister and their spouses. Joshua - who did not need a nap - fell asleep before we left the neighborhood. Noah who took a nap with JerryPop still fell asleep a few minutes later. Here are some pictures from the party. Thanks to Aunt Dana and Uncle Jesse for hosting! Merry Christmas!

Joshua and Noah opening presents while Jerry Pop looks on

Grandottie with all her grandchildren and the Raggedy Anne & Andy dolls she made them

Wow! This game really is for ages 3 and up.

And to all a good night...

Joshua is taller than the nutcracker

Doesn't that look just say it all: Hold Me!

Santa pictures!

2011-12-19T16:11:00.002-06:00

We took the boys to get their picture made with Santa on Friday night and as you can see... it was a success! There were no tears and actual smiles. It started out a little shaky because Joshua fell asleep in the car about 10 minutes before we got there after having skipped his afternoon nap. Then he was greatly offended when I took his socks and shoes off. Luckily, the play area at Chick-Fil-A didn't allow shoes so that improved his mood.

On Saturday we took Joshua bowling for the first time. We all had a great time! He liked watching his ball crawl at a snail's pace to the pins. He only crossed the slippery line onto the lane once as did his mommy. Noah watched from a highchair and if he could talk I think he would have expressed his displeasure at not being able to bowl. Sorry buddy, you'll have to wait until you are older.

Joshua and Santa

Noah and a Reindeer

Afterwards we went to Christmas in Allentown. It's a house that decorates with over 300,000 lights. It's impressive to see! They invite you to walk in the yard and look at all the themes they have set up. They even had a Santa who was handing out toys. The boys had a great time and were happy to see Santa. I think we'll go every year!

Joshua and Noah admiring some lights

Gingerbread Man Cookies

2011-12-12T22:05:00.037-06:00

We had a fun weekend. On Saturday we went to the Plant Crist Christmas Party. Santa was there and we had a family photo made with him - mostly because Joshua wanted nothing to do with him. I'll consider this our starter Santa, and perhaps he'll get braver in time. Noah was a great sport about it. He sat in Santa's lap and posed for pictures. Joshua's favorite part was jumping in the bouncers. I'm so glad he had fun! Other than being super paranoid about looking for items that contained nuts, we enjoyed our Saturday.

Joshua is such a negotiator. We had the following conversation about what he was going to wear.
Joshua: Can I wear my baseball shirt all day?
Mommy: You can wear it a little bit, then we have to change into our party clothes for the Christmas party.
Joshua: Oh, then can I wear my Charlie Brown Christmas shirt?
Mommy: Or you can wear your red Christmas tree shirt...
Joshua: I like that idea, but how's about I wear the Charlie Brown shirt instead.
And you can see from the pictures who won. :)

Ta-da!

On Sunday we started a new tradition of baking and decorating gingerbread cookies. Joshua had a great time mixing the ingredients, then icing and decorating the cookies. His least favorite part was waiting on the cookies to bake and cool but luckily there were plenty other distractions. He thought it was funny we were using a baby bottle as a rolling pin. It was actually Daddy's idea and I thought it was innovative. Noah wanted to help so badly, but he kept putting things in his mouth so we'll wait til next year.

Mommy and her Lil Baker

Joshua's List and more

2011-12-10T09:17:00.001-06:00

I've asked Joshua what he wants for Christmas and he has been very specific:
1. A laser, but not a calculator (This is for his Buzz Lightyear costume and apparently accuracy isn't important.)
2. A shrink-ray gun "you know, to pick up big things" (from Despicable Me)
3. And ALL the Buzz Lightyears

Santa better get crackin' if he's going to supply these items to a good little boy. It has been fun preparing for Christmas. Joshua is really getting into everything. We have an advent calendar that forms a nativity scene to count down to Christmas and Joshua is so excited to every morning to see what we are going to add to the scene. He likes to pull out 25, which is Baby Jesus and inform us that this is for Jesus' birthday.

We also got an Elf on the Shelf this year. Joshua named him Zoopy (sounds like Snoopy, but with a Z). We've read the book to him a couple times but I'm not sure that he's grasped all the concepts yet though he's surprised every morning to see what kind of mischief Zoopy's gotten into. And there was a 30 minute cartoon on tv that we recorded that told the story of an Elf on the Shelf and I think watching that has helped as well.

Joshua and Noah still enjoy moving the ornaments around the tree and the room in general. Matt hung lights on the house and when Joshua went outside to look at it, his mouth was open and he almost fell down because he was so excited. "I like it!" he told us. Another decoration he likes is at an establishment we pass on our way to and from school. It's called "Mugs-n-Jugs" and they have decorated with an inflatable Santa and Snowmen on their roof. On Friday we passed it and he said "Oh Mommy, it's so nice. Can we go there?" My response, "Um, no." Speaking of Fridays, it has become known as "Funday Friday" in our house because it motivates Joshua to get up and get dressed so we can go to Chick-Fil-A and get chicken minis for breakfast. We were driving there yesterday and Joshua was so excited that he started singing the following song to the tune of The Muffin Man, "Do you know the chicken momma, the chicken momma...." Matt and I thought that was too funny and have considered making that my handle.

15mo check up

2011-12-04T19:56:00.081-06:00

Noah thinks the best way to view the Christmas tree is to empty your toys out of the toy bin and climb inside

My sweet Noah is 15 months old. Here are some fun facts about my happy guy:
* Noah loves to eat. He'll point at what he wants and grunt at it until you give it to him. It's hard to list favorite foods because he'll eat all foods. At daycare they tell me his favorites are cheese grits and beanie weenies.
* He loves to snuggle plush toys. His current car buddy is a Mickey Mouse which he'll hug and love on in the car.
* He loves to climb. This is beginning to be a problem. :)
* Noah can say the following words (though they aren't very clear yet): mama, dada, diaper, bye-bye, more, uh-oh, and nose
* He likes to find your nose and can also find his nose, mouth, and ears
* Noah has a temper. He's not afraid to let it flare when he's upset/ frustrated
* He is still an excellent sleeper. All we do is tell him night-night and lay him down in his crib and he goes to sleep. He sleeps with his booty in the air, his ankles crossed, and one hand behind his neck.

* Noah is currently wearing 18mo clothes which means he's getting new clothes because his brothers 18mo clothes were all summer clothes.
* Noah loves to dance. His teacher tells me all he has to do is hear music, even if it's not in his room and he starts dancing. Also the ones start every day with music time. If Noah walks into the room and the stereo is not on, he'll point at it until the teacher turns it on, then he'll start his uniquely-Noah style of dancing.

On Friday I took Noah in for his 15mo check up. He is a happy, healthy growing boy! Here are his stats:
Height: 32 1/4in ~ 78th %ile
Weight: 22lbs 14oz ~ 25th %ile
Head Circum: 18.5in ~ 42nd %ile

Noah was good at the doctor's office today although one thing is certain, he does not like the nurse. He cried when she tried to weigh him and when she tried to make friends with him he would look away. It really didn't help matters when she gave him a shot. At least it was just one and he also got a sucker which will always make life better. He didn't really show off any tricks for the doctor except for waving and saying "bye" when he was leaving. I think Noah just wasn't in the mood to entertain others.

Joshua was such a good boy during Noah's appointment. He asked if he could "Pretty please, play with mommy's phone" after which he sat quietly in his chair playing with my phone. He's usually a good boy, but today he was extra good. Makes me wonder if he's heard that Santa's watching.

On Saturday we went to the Crestview Christmas Parade with our cousins, the Edwards family. Both boys had a good time though Noah was not too fond of all the police cars and fire trucks rolling by with their sirens on. Joshua especially liked the bands that marched by. He would shape his hands like an air trumpet and play along with them while they passed by. It was super cute. Special thanks to Ryan for entertaining both boys and helping us catch all the candy and beads. We had a great time!

Joshua at the parade

O Christmas Tree...

2011-11-28T18:28:00.003-06:00

That's my name J-O-S-H-U-A!

After our 4 1/2 hour drive beck to Milton, we decided to pull out our Christmas tree to start decorating it. The boys were so excited to help. I was really surprised that Joshua remembered where we set up the tree last year because he moved his activity table as soon as I said Daddy was getting the tree. Joshua enjoyed hanging all the ornaments on one branch while Noah enjoyed taking the ornaments off the tree and lining them up on the floor. We sang Christmas songs, watched Joshua's favorite Christmas movie - Elf, and talked about Christmas and Jesus' birth. Overall it was a great evening. Mommy, Daddy, Joshua, and Noah were full of Christmas cheer!

I think I found just the right spot...

Oh yea! That's perfect!

Shhh, don't tell brother...

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-27T20:33:00.052-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We went to Birmingham for Thanksgiving as always. The car was very full on the way there and back as it contained Mommy, Daddy, Joshua, Noah, and our dogs Hardy and Ridley. We made our rounds and got to see everyone and eat lots of yummy food. Mommy made pumpkin bread and pumpkin pie. We stayed at Granddaddy's house and watched some of the Macy's Day parade. Joshua really enjoyed the music and the dancing. Then we went to Maw-Maw's house (Emily's grandma) in Oneonta for Thanksgiving lunch with mommy's side of the family. Next we went to Aunt Dana's house in Helena for Thanksgiving dinner. The boys enjoyed playing with their many cousins and getting extra loving from extended family. Mommy especially enjoyed dressing up my little turkeys in their Thanksgiving clothes which were gifts from Grandma & Grandpa.

Noah is looking at Joshua who is wearing Grandpa's Thanksgiving hat

That night, mommy went out to Best Buy and Old Navy for shop midnight Black Friday shopping with Aunt Stephanie and Uncle Chad. We had a blast hanging out together and joining in on the madness. And we were able to get everything we came for. Later on Friday we went back to Aunt Dana's house to celebrate Thanksgiving with Granddaddy. We had chili and pumpkin soup, the latter of which was Noah's favorite. Afterwards we went to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a Thanksgiving dinner. Noah ate everything! I had told Joshua he had to put at least two things on his plate so he opted for ham and turkey and a roll - all of which he ate. It was a long, but fun Friday.

On Saturday we went to Uncle Jason's house to watch the Iron Bowl. Alabama beat Auburn 42 to 14. Roll Tide! The boys enjoyed wearing their Bama gear and visiting with their cousins. We started our trek home early on Sunday so we could arrive in time to start decorating our Christmas tree. I'll detail our decorating adventures in the next post. Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and Roll Tide!

Noah and Gracie cheer for the Tide with their Mickeys

Joshua says "Touchdown!"

One last Thanksgiving note, when I went to pick up Joshua from school I saw in his folder where he was asked what he was thankful for and his response was: I am thankful for my Mommy and Daddy. What a sweet boy! We are sooo thankful for you too! And for your sweet brother!

Noah's trip to the Allergist

2011-11-18T18:06:00.034-06:00

Daddy and his boys

Matt and I took Noah to see a pediatric allergist yesterday. The most interesting news was that we found out that he is allergic to both peanuts and cashews. The allergist did a scratch test to test him for various nuts and those came back positive. We talked with the allergist a lot about Noah's allergies and learned more about them. She confirmed that it is unlikely that he will outgrow his nut allergies and said that she was not concerned about his apple and strawberry allergies because he will likely outgrow those as a toddler. She gave us another prescription for epi-pens as well as instructions on how and when to use them. We will follow up in a year where he will be re-tested. Noah was really not happy about the scratch test. He cried and daddy held him while mommy tried to entertain. He was tested for peanuts, cashews, almonds, and pecans and as previously mentioned, only tested positive for the first two. Of course since most nuts are all handled/ processed in the same manufacturing facilities, we will be avoiding all nuts - except for family which we are looking forward to seeing over Thanksgiving.

Our 2011 Christmas Card

2011-11-16T18:16:00.000-06:00

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

We actually planned ahead and designed our Christmas Card early this year. Woo-hoo! Step 2 will be mailing them out...

Mommy and Daddy at work

2011-11-14T12:43:00.066-06:00

I don't usually talk about work very much but for the sake of documenting our life in Pensacola I thought I'd update what we are up to. Above is a picture Matt took of me working at my desk. If anything the picture did motivate me to clean off my desk - well maybe not "clean" it but organize it better in color coded folders and refill my candy jar.

Below is a picture of Matt at work - well actually it's Wilson, his stand in when he's out of the office. One day when Matt was out, his coworkers created Wilson to fill in for him. He started out as a water jug and paper head. Overtime he's gotten arms, a name tag, a coffee mug, and even a hat from time to time. While our friend Wade would shake his head and say "And this is how I know I pay way too much for my power..." I would argue that you have to have a little fun - even if it means making up friends.

These days we are working on an SCR (Selectrive Catalytic Reduction). Basically it's an environmental project that reduces the nitrous oxides (NOx) in the flue gas. This gets our power plant in compliance with various government regulations. In my role I am the Mechanical and I&C (Instruments and Controls) Lead. That means I am responsible for the installation of all piping systems, rotating equipment, and instruments. The critical path portion of my work will be the installation of 2 ID (Induced Draft) Fans during the Spring Outage. We'll demo the old fans and install new, bigger fans in their place - all in the span of a 10 week outage. That's not very much time!

Matt is the Controls Specialist for the project. He works on the Admin side of the project handling contracts, writing purchasing reqs, project controls, and various reports. He's a jack-of-all trades. Our offices are in different trailers but we still stop by to say hi and go to lunch most days. There is usually a ROOK game going on during lunch so one or both of us might play a game if we stay in for lunch. As a whole the project is going well and is much less stressful than our last project, the FGD (Flue Gas Desulfurization - which removes sulfuric oxides or SOx). Overall it's an interesting job and a great group of people to work with.

Oh Nuts!

2011-11-08T20:53:00.001-06:00

Mommy and her Noey-Bear

Well the title of this blog is my weak attempt to lighten up about something serious. We found out on Monday that our sweet 14 month old Noah is allergic to peanuts. When I went to pick him up from daycare yesterday I noticed a few hives on his jawline. I didn't think much about it because his sensitive skin breaks out alot. In the time it took me to walk out to the car and get Joshua in his seat and strap Noah in his carseat Noah had hives all over! His torso, face, and his neck were covered - his neck was so swollen and broken out, it looked like he had a rope around his neck. I took the boys back into the daycare to find out what he had eaten and when. I found out that right before I picked him up, Noah was given a peanut butter cookie as a snack. This was the first time he'd ever had peanut butter. I gave him some Benedryl and we got in the car. I called Matt and we decided to stop by the pediatrician's office to have Noah checked out. Of course it was closing time and they weren't answering their phone but it was on the way so we were going to stop. It was a stressful drive as I heard Noah starting to have a wheezy cough. The doctor came out to meet us in the waiting room. He took a look at Noah and decided he wanted to check him out in an exam room. Dr. Hensley was great. He stayed and answered our questions, gave Noah a prescription for an epi pen and gave us a referral to a pediatric allergist. Overnight his hives disappeared and we took him back to daycare this morning.

While we are glad the reaction wasn't worse than it was, the disgnosis is scary and disappointing. This is just not something we wanted for our son. Most children do not grow out of a peanut allergy and have to learn to live with it. Also no one in either of our families has a nut allergy so this was a complete surprise. We have a lot of questions and a lot to learn. Right now my biggest concern is protecting Noah - especially now when he's at an age where he can't speak for himself to ask if something contains nuts. On a positive note, I was pleased that when we showed up at daycare today, the director had already seen a note I posted about this on facebook and made signs to post in the kitchen and classroom about Noah's allergies. I'll post more about this after we see the allergist.

My boys/ Beach pics part II

2011-11-06T16:29:00.006-06:00

Why play with the toys when you can empty the toy box and play in it?

Pensacola Beach 2011

Joshua and Noah are growing up so fast. Here's a little bit about what they are up to. Noah is talking more now. For a long time the only word he said with regularity was "diaper" although you could occasionally coach out a "mama" and sometimes "dada." One of his favorite words to say these days is "Uh-oh!" He loves to drop things then say it, or say "uh-oh" and then drop something. He's a cutie pie! He also really likes waving and saying "bye-bye" though it sounds more like "ba-ba." He waves by extending his arm and twisting his wrist. Noah loves to eat! You can ask him "Are you hungry?" And he gets the biggest smile on his face and giggles. I swear he eats more than his brother, though he's a slim guy. He loves to dance. His teacher said all he has to do is hear some music - even if it's coming from another classroom - and he starts dancing. He is still the best child at going to sleep. We simply carry him to his room, say "Time to go night-night" and he leans out of our arms to get inside his crib. He immediately puts his head down, his booty in the air, and crosses his feet and he is out. No negotiating, crying, or extra snuggles. It's impressive - though sometimes mommy and daddy wish he would want the extra snuggles.

Joshua has so much personality. He's very imaginative and talkative. He spends a lot of time in the car talking. One of his favorite topics is super heroes. He loves talking about super heroes and what their super powers are and which one he is that day. He also has several costumes which he likes to dress up in. He even knows how to strike a super hero pose with his hands on his hips. My favorite is when he says "I am Batman!" His other favorite topics to talk about is the moon/space, the scary tree (Grandma and Grandpa used to have a "scary tree" with a face at their house, though they have made it a friendly tree by getting rid of the face), and Cubbies (his class in AWANAS). Joshua loves going to Cubbies on Wed nights. He's really good at memorizing his Bible verses and talking about how "God loves us." Of course sometimes his theology is a bit off. Recently in the car he told me "God loves us. He made mommy, and Joshua, and Noah, and the sun and the water, but not the stars." "Why not?" "Oh the stars? They've been bad." Joshua is very good in school and almost always comes home with a green light. He likes to report on who got a yellow light and if anyone got the dreaded red light. One of Joshua's favorite stores to go to is Sam's Club - which he calls "the diamond store" because of their logo. I have to admit it does sound more exciting when he says we shop at the "diamond store."

Last story: Matt made an unexpected purchase at the grocery store recently. Apparently Joshua got ahold of an apple and took a bite out of it. Matt took it away from him and explained we have to pay for it and then when Matt turned his back it happened again. I guess that's what you get with a free range child (he prefers to walk instead of ride "like a baby"). I'll try to look for the silver lining and be glad he went for something healthy.

One more note: We took the boys to beach to take more pictures for our Christmas card. I think we have some winners between the two shoots. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween/ Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-11-01T20:45:00.002-05:00

Halloween 2011

Happy Halloween! Happy Birthday Daddy! This is always an exciting time of year because two things happen - first, it's Halloween which brings all the fun and cuteness of dressing up and handing out candy, secondly, it's Daddy's birthday which marks the start of the 20 days in which he is 2 years older than me and I get to call him an 'old man'! Happy Birthday bebe!

We had a great time for Halloween this year. First of all I must take a moment to brag that I made the Woody (Matt) and Jessie (Emily) costumes using glue and safety pins. Not bad, eh? I was super happy with the way they turned out. Joshua had been saying for weeks that Daddy was going to be Woody and Mommy was going to be Jessie, and Joshua was going to be Buzz Lightyear, and Noah would be Slinky Dog. Well he almost had it right, except Noah was actually a pumpkin, which is an adorable costume that Grandottie made for Joshua for his first Halloween. Joshua was so excited to be Buzz Lightyear. We surprised him and gave him "rocket shoes" before we left - they are actually Buzz Lightyear slippers. I think this made up for him not having a "bubble helmet." When I was dressing Joshua I left his hood off because it was pretty hot and I knew he'd be sweaty if he wore it for a long time. I told him before we left the house I'd put on his hood on so he wouldn't get hot. He spent the rest of the time following me around the house saying "I'm not hot. I'm so cold mommy. Look how cold I am. I need my Buzz hood. Brrr!" What an actor!

Fun at the festival

This year we went to a festival at a neighboring church. Joshua was fearless and loved playing on an inflatable slide and jumping in a bounce house. I was particularly proud of him because just a week ago he was afraid to do this. We had a great time and even Noah got into playing some games. Joshua's theme for the night was orange - he had to have an orange balloon sword, an orange sucker, and orange balloon, etc. Afterwards we went to the house and Matt and I took turns taking the boys trick-or-treating while the other handed out candy. Noah seemed to really like the costumes. In fact he plopped himself down on the threshold of the front door so he could watch everything and I handed out candy over his head. It was the best seat in the house. Joshua would hold our hands but run to the houses and say "Twrick or Twreat!" then comment "Oh I like candy! Thank you!" He was cute at the end of the night and turned to me and said "I think I have enough candy. Let's go home so we can eat some before bed." It was a memorable and fun evening. I'm already looking forward to next year!

Whee!!

You can't make me wear that hat!

Buzz and Woody: Best Friends

Fun with the Smith Family

2011-10-28T19:14:00.009-05:00

The Smith family came for a visit! We always enjoy it when our friends from Tuscaloosa stop by for some fun. Audrey, Wade, Titus, and Alice spent the night with us Thursday night. We caught up all the kids' birthdays which was great because everyone got a present. Then all the kiddos took a bath together. It was a great night. Thanks for coming! We miss you!!

Alice and Noah

Titus

Joshua

There's story behind this picture. Joshua decided to "read" a book to Titus. He picked out the Brown Bear book which he has memorized. After he read "I see a (insert animal) looking at me." He would turn the book around and pan the picture to the room just like his teacher does to the class during circle time. Titus kept saying "Why you do that? I right here. I can see the picture!" That did not deter Joshua who kept on reading his book. Ha, ha!

Chatham a winner...

2011-10-27T14:06:00.012-05:00

Here is the article from the photo contest that Noah won:
Emily Chatham, SCS Construction-Plant Crist, was the winner of the 101 Days of Summer photo contest.

Chatham submitted a photo of her 13-month-old son, Noah, sleeping in the arms of his grandfather on Pensacola Beach this summer.

The photo was the top choice among more than 20 summer photos submitted by employees at Gulf Power during the 101 Days of summer.

All employees could vote on the top photos. A tie for second was between Debbi Felt and Carl Jackson, both of Risk Management.

Chatham, whose husband Matt also works for SCS Construction at Plant Crist, also submitted a second photo of her other son, Joshua, 3.

"I wish I had put them in the same photo," she said.

She received a Target Zero safety blanket to use the next time they go out to the beach.

Pumpkin Patch Part II/ Doughnut Thief

2011-10-24T20:18:00.056-05:00

You want some corn?

We took the boys to another pumpkin patch over the weekend. This was a place near our house called Holland Farms. They grew pumpkins, had an inflatable jumper, a hayride, a maze, a big slide, animals, and a sand box filled with corn. Joshua was too timid to try out the jumper. We got his shoes off and he started to climb inside then he put the brakes on and said "No. I'm not big enough." He and Noah really liked the maze, but their favorite part was the corn box. They loved playing in the corn! The weather was pretty nice as in not too too hot but very dusty. The hayride was ok though a little long for the boys' attention span. I must admit Joshua spent a lot of time "posing" with the pumpkins as he did at the previous pumpkin patch, though we did not take pictures this time... The slide was super fast. I don't have a great track record with Joshua and slides but I held him on this one and wound up with the bruises on my back to prove it. Luckily daddy did much better and Joshua loved it!

We went out for dinner Saturday night and at Joshua's begging request we got some doughnuts for breakfast. We handed Joshua his doughnut and was getting breakfast ready for Noah when he went after big brother's food. I love this picture because Joshua is so concerned and Noah has climbed into his brother's chair with a devilish grin. Joshua kept saying "He's trying to eat my donut!" We did feed Noah after we snapped this photo. Oh and if you notice Noah looks a bit rosy, he proved that yes you still can get sunburned in late October.

Mr. Independent

2011-10-20T19:59:00.002-05:00

Here is "the" Buzz Lightyear flying in the backyard

There is a saying that we hear quite frequently at our house. Sometimes it's stated matter-of-factly, other times in a shrill pitch or through gritted teeth. What are those magic words:
I do it all by myself!

That's right, Joshua has become Mr. Independent. Getting to school/ work on time has just become a more challenging task as Joshua insists on dressing himself - even if it means his underwear is inside out and backwards. (I'm a mean mommy and insist this be corrected.) To complicate matters Noah recently figured out how to take his pants off which he loves to do then run free through the house. Of course Noah's easier to handle because if I put shoes on he can't manage to take his pants off.

It's not just getting dressed but all kinds of activities he wants to do solo. But I guess that is a part of growing up and as much as this mommy wants to molly-coddle and do everything for him, it's probably good that he asserts some independence. And it would probably be fair to note that he comes by this independent streak honestly as there's a story or two about his mommy and her stubborn, I mean independent ways. ;)

And here's the Sheriff keeping an eye on things.

And here's my Mr. Independent sleeping like an angel. Isn't he the best?

Pumpkin Patch/ Touchdown!

2011-10-16T16:13:00.046-05:00

We had a fun weekend. First we took the boys to the pumpkin patch at the church. Joshua was really excited about this and couldn't get enough of patting the pumpkins and trying to pick them up. Noah on the other hand kept running away to the parking lot. He didn't care for them and couldn't get away fast enough. We still got some great pics of the boys choosing pumpkins for the house. I have a side story about the pumpkin patch. In an attempt to get an artsy picture I told J to sit on a pumpkin and rest his hands on the pumpkin in front of him. Apparently I wasn't specific enough because he did do this, except he chose a pumpkin two in front of the one where he was sitting making it look like more of a seductive pose - generally NOT what you are going for at a church function... or ever! For a little added flourish his overalls were falling off. His daddy was so proud....

Okay so later that day Alabama played Ole Miss and it was a killing (52-7). The best part was that Noah learned how to signal "Touchdown!" It was really sweet. It has been a fun football season this year with Alabama having a great season. We have enjoyed dressing the boys up in their colors and listening to Joshua cheer for Bama. He'll say "Come on Bama! Roll Tide!"

Our trip to Disney World

2011-10-12T20:16:00.051-05:00

Hey, it stopped raining! (Magic Kingdom)

Turkey Leg and Beer at Epcot. Yum!

Matt and I took an anniversary trip to Disney World. Let me explain all of our disclaimers up front. We decided to go in October because it's really too hot and crowded to go on our actual anniversary in July and I was nursing Noah at the time. Secondly we decided not to take the boys because they are too young to really remember it thus making this our scouting trip to plan for the family trip. But back to the trip, it was a lot of fun! Matt had never been and I had only when once when I was very young. We stayed at Coronado Springs and spent 3 days visiting the parks. Our trip began by driving the boys to Brmingham to stay with family (who knew you had to leave FL to go to Orlando?). Then we flew to Orlando. We visited the Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot. The first day we had monsoon-like rain most of teh day. Luckily in all my planning I packed inexpensive ponchos for Matt and me - $1.29 at Target vs. $15.95 at Disney. I also used a website, Touringplans.com, which has maps and itineraries for virtually any type of group. I highly recommend it for anyone planning a trip to Disney World. It was great! We followed the itinerary which also provided tips about when to get FAST Passes and ended up riding everything we wanted. Don;t get me wrong, we criss-crossed all over the park, but knew where to be when to catch rides and shows. The website also had an app which was semi-helpful. I preferred going old school and carrying my map/ itinerary in a plastic baggy (which was thoroughly soaked by the end of Day 1). It was so much fun! We missed our boys but enjoyed spending time together.

Awesome LEGO creation

Seriously, look at that rain!!

Buzz is friendly!

The boys first stayed with Grandottie and Jerry Pop in Huntsville and then went to stay with Grandma and Grandpa in Birmingham. They had a great time. Grandpa and Granddaddy even took Joshua fishing for the first time! When Matt and I got back to Birmingham we had a surprise for Joshua. Matt and I had picked up a plush Mickey Mouse which we strapped into his car seat. (Noah had one too but he really wasn't that interested, though he did squeal with delight when he saw his mommy and daddy come to get him.) Joshua's face lit up when he saw Mickey and he hugged him and asked 'Did you come all the way from Disney World?" It was very sweet! Our small camera died when we got to the resort so the only photos we have are the ones we took on our phones.

Fun at the Beach

2011-10-03T20:05:00.007-05:00

In an attempt to really be on top of our holiday greeting cards this year and because the weather was so nice we went to the beach over the weekend. The weather was perfect and in typical fashion, out of the gazillion pictures we took, you can count on both hands the number of pictures where they are both looking at the camera at the same time! Plus Joshua wanted to put the big stockings on his feet and the small stockings on his hands. He's such a clown! It was still fun and we got to enjoy lunch at The Grand Marlin. Yum! I'm not sure that we took "the" picture but we have some ideas for next time. Oh and as a bonus a nice lady decided to take our picture on the beach.

The rest of September

2011-09-30T20:52:00.002-05:00

The boys get along great. Well most of the time. Joshua recently pushed Noah over while they were playing so I told him he needed to apologize to his brother. Joshua said "I sorry you in my way, Noah." That's sortof an apology, right? Then they had some fun in the tub. They both really like bath time and don't mind mommy and daddy pouring water over their heads. One of my favorite things to do is spike Joshua's hair. As a bonus I got to spike Noah's hair for the first time. That's right - there's photographic evidence that he has enough hair to spike!

Afterwards Joshua and Daddy went for a walk down the street, something that's become part of their bedtime routine, so they can talk about how they're going to go to the moon. There's talk of rocket shoes, jet packs, etc. It's fun father-son time. Of course I get some sweet time with my Joshua as well. On the way to school I commented on how pretty the sunrise was and Joshua said "God make a great day." Then he told me "Mommy, I love you so so so so much, all the way from the sky to the ground." Doesn't that just melt your heart?

Noah has recently become a good hugger. I think it's part stranger anxiety/ clinginess to mommy, but he loves to snuggle in close these days. I just love it. Of course he's not above a little mischief, especially with his go go gadget arms! I found this guilty boy right before we left for school/ work.

And the Winner is...

2011-09-22T16:42:00.038-05:00

Noah's Winning Photo

I recently participated in a photo contest at work. The Gulf Power safety department has the "101 Days of Summer" campaign which highlights safe work and home activities. To encourage participation they asked employees to submit photos of their families playing safely during the summer. I submitted two photos - one of each boy because naturally I couldn't get a good picture of both boys looking at the camera at the same time. Anyway when I submitted my photos it never occurred to me that later when it was time to vote I'd have to choose between them. I call it poor planning - not poor parenting! So when it was time to vote I decided our best chance at winning was to block vote and I asked everyone to vote for Noah (who is being held by Jerry Pop). Matt and I were accused of favoritism as we shamelessly campaigned for our sweet Noah.

Joshua's equally as cute photo

In the end it worked out as our sweet boy won by a landslide and was awarded (drum roll please)... a Target Zero blanket. He even had his picture made with his prize for an article. The article hasn't come out yet but I'll update the blog when it does. In the meantime here are a couple pictures that my coworker Dewey took of Noah hanging out at work.

Football, Family, and Tiny Tim

2011-09-19T20:15:00.031-05:00

Joshua has really gotten into cheering for Alabama football. He'll keep asking if it's time to "get my game face on." He also likes to cheer "Go Bama!" and "Come on Bama" during the game. Noah is still easily startled by the sudden cheering making naps an alternative to watching the game. They both are good sports about posing in their jerseys. Though there was an "incident" regarding the jerseys. I bought Joshua's jersey on sale during last season - it's Mark Ingram's #22. Noah exceeded my expectations and outgrew the jersey Joshua wore when he was Noah's age so I bought him a new jersey - Trent Richardson's #3. Joshua could not understand why Joshua, who is 3 years old has to wear a #2 while Noah, who is 1 gets to wear a #3. "It's not right! I'm free, not brother!" Hopefully we won't have to discuss this every week.

Go long!

Noah's "game face"

Grandma and Grandpa recently came for a visit. It was fun to hang out with them. Joshua was itching for some company. A few days before they came we had the following conversation.
Joshua: How's about we go to school, have a good day, and then go to Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Mommy: That's sweet, but...
Joshua interrupted: No Mommy. I say we go to school, have a good day, AND THEN go to Grandma and Grandpa's house.
Mommy: Tell you what, we'll go to school, have a good day, and then call them on the phone...
Joshua interrupted again: so we can tell them "We coming! We coming!" and Grandpa will take me fishing.
Mommy: We'll see...

Noah really loves Joshua's golf clubs. He loves to walk through the house holding them like crutches, which reminds me of Tiny Tim. He's so unstable hobbling around the house and falling down. It does make us laugh though.

"God bless us, everyone!" Tiny Tim aka Noah

Birthday Portraits

2011-09-14T16:11:00.007-05:00

I recently took the boys for their birthday portraits with our family photographer. There is a link to all the pictures on the right side of the webpage under the heading "Hartman Photography." Here is a copy of the ones that were our favorites. Enjoy these pics of our handsome fellas!

Joshua quotes and a joke

2011-09-12T08:30:00.004-05:00

September is rolling along. I can't believe I have two toddlers. We've had to get Noah a new car seat. It's actually the same type as Joshua's, Britax Boulevard, but we've got it facing backwards. Joshua's good about giving me updates on his baby brother as we are driving in the car. Joshua actually has a lot of opinions about everything, whether he's shouting "I dit it! I did it! I used the potty!" while out in public or roaring like a ogre-dino-lion, etc., he has a lot to say. I'll share a few of his quotes.

Advice from a 3 year old: "A snake is not a good friend. And neither is a lion or a hippo."

When Noah is fussing in the car: "Don't be afraid Noah. There's no monsters."

Conversation when I stopped at the gas station:
Joshua: Why are we stopping?
Mommy: The car needs gas.
Joshua: Grandpa has lots of gas.

Joshua was being very "busy" while we were out at dinner.
Daddy: Joshua sit down!
Joshua: But Daddy, I a superhero...

While talking to Daddy on an evening walk...
"When we get superpowers we can fly to the moon. Then we can share the moon with mommy."

Joshua's first made up joke (that actually is funny). Chick-Fil-A was the inspiration:
Joshua: Mommy, I'm gonna wake up a cow.
Mommy: How are you going to do that?
Joshua: I'm going to scare him.
Mommy: How do you scare a cow?
Joshua: Um, you say Moo Boo!

I should add that Noah's a funny guy too, I just don't know how to translate his jokes. In the meantime I'll enjoy playing peek-a-boo with him and singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to him.

Check ups and Gross outs

2011-09-03T14:36:00.093-05:00

Yesterday I took the Joshua and Noah for their 3 year and 1 year check ups, respectively. First the stats, then the stories.
Joshua
height - 37", 35th %
weight - 30lbs, 35th %
Noah
height - 30.5", 70th %
weight - 22lbs 4oz, 40th %

Both boys are growing and growing. Joshua recently has shown an interest in saying "look at my muscles" and flexing which is made funnier by the fact you can count all his ribs when he does this. The only time we got him to stand still long enough to get his height measured in the dr's office was when he was showing off his muscles to the nurse. He really likes his pediatrician and was chatty talking about everything from the characters on Cars to telling him "I have crazy hair." (When he wakes up in the morning we like to tell him he has 'crazy hair.')

Look at my muscles!

Noah got 5 shots and Joshua got 1. My boys once again proved to be opposite. I assumed Noah would recover quickly and Joshua would be upset about the shot, but actually Noah cried and wailed and didn't settle down even after I picked him up whereas Joshua didn't even cry. Joshua left with 2 stickers, a sucker, and a "prize" from the toy box. Afterwards we ate lunch at a local pizzeria and headed home.

First Bama game of the 2011 season

At some point after we got home, Noah looked like he was chewing on something and gagging on it, but I didn't see anything at first. And then I reached in his mouth and realized he had pulled off one of his band-aids and was chewing on it. I was totally grossed out. I was about to text Matt and tell him how gross his son was when I realized Joshua was a little too quiet. I went looking for him and found him in the bathroom where he had pulled off his band-aid and was "washing" it in the toilet so he could keep in forever and ever. Eww! I'm not sure which is grosser, the chewing or the washing, but either way it was appalling. What am I going to do with these boys?

Okay here's one last story that I should have mentioned in my Noah birthday summary. Something Noah has always done is get really excited about eating. As soon as he sees a bottle he starts giggling and pumping his legs. It's absolutely adorable. He just radiates happiness. He's such a sweet boy!

Beach Vacation

2011-08-30T19:12:00.003-05:00

Joshua and Noah - August 2011

We went on a vacation to Rosemary Beach with mommy's family. It was so much fun! The weather and the water cooperated. It was extra special because Noah turned 1 during the trip (as noted in the previous post). Joshua really liked the swimming pool. As soon as we'd get to the beach he'd ask "We go to the pool now?" Noah did well in the pool and the ocean, though he was greatly offended when saltwater splashed in his face. He was really interested in the sand and wound up with a mouthful a few times. I have too many pictures to post so here are some of them.

Joshua showed Noah how you eat a cupcake. Noah says "I'm done!"

I was soooo glad we had the wagon to cart the boys and all our stuff. The picture you won't see is both boys strapped into their seats and towels, coolers, and floats up to their ears in the wagon. I think I'll be using it until their teenagers, though by then I'll have them pulling it rather than make them sit inside.

My Silly Monkey

Noah looks concerned with Joshua roars like an ogre

Ahhh! Brotherly Love

My other Silly Monkey

Noah is 1!

2011-08-24T19:55:00.005-05:00

Happy Birthday Noah!

Look how you've grown!

Happy Birthday Noah Kinnaird! My baby boy is now a one year old. Time has really flown by. It seems like we were just bringing him home from the hospital. I partially think I feel that way because I feel like I haven't caught up on sleep. And Noah is a good sleeper these days, it just takes a lot of work to keep up with both my boys.

We are celebrating his birthday at the beach with mommy's family this year! Daddy is working but drove over to celebrate with us. An evening shower (with lightning) popped up so we weren't able to go swimming but we still had fun. Specifically Noah really got into eating his birthday cupcake. It was super cute! Daddy said he bet that if Noah could make a birthday wish, he'd wish for some hair!

Yummy!

Here are some tidbits about Noah:
* Noah has 12 teeth, including 4 molars!
* You are practically bald. Daddy likes to kiss his head and say "It's just like kissing a peach!"
* You are a professional walker - and getting faster! I miss not *hearing* you crawl as much. I say that because the way you slap your hands on the ground we can hear you all over the house - even when you are on carpet.
* His favorite song for me to sing to him, especially when changing a diaper is How Much is that Doggie in the Window. His second favorite song is Itsy Bitsy Spider.
* Noah is allergic to strawberries and apples.

* You have a temper. When you get angry, you yell, cry, put your head on the ground, and your face gets red. Recently you got angry at Joshua and yelled at him "Da! Da! Da! Da!" We don't know what you said, but we all knew you meant business!
* You babble a lot but do not form many words. You can say "mama" and "dada" but you don't say them frequently. You like to click your tongue and mimic when people click at you.
* You are a good eater. You nurse in the morning and before bed, but in between you enjoy stage 2 baby food, Gerber crunchies and puffs, and even bits of other food like peas and bananas.
* You are a great sleeper! Not only do you sleep through the night, but all we have to do is turn off all the lights and place you in your crib and you are asleep within 90 seconds. Yea! Daddy will say "I think it's time for Noah to power down."
* You love your brother. And you love playing with him and copying his every move. Joshua is a sweet big brother to you as well.

I could go on and on but this is already a long read. Mommy and Daddy love you soo much! Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Noah and Mommy

Noah and Daddy say "Hmmmmm"

Going to the Beach

2011-08-20T16:09:00.030-05:00

Let's Go!

We arrived at the beach for a week of fun today! (I am backdating this post to tell a story but including a preview of beach pictures.) Joshua is super excited about going to the beach. After I picked him up from school a couple days ago we had the following discussion:
Joshua: We go to the beach now?
Me: No, we have to go home first.
Joshua: Why?
Me: Mommy has to pack our clothes.
Joshua: I don't need clothes, I need water wings!

My silly pumpkin! If only it were that simple. Of course he's always making me smile. Here's another car story. On the way home he told me in earnest "Mommy, did you know that in Alabama they have football?"

Bring me more rum!

I'm going to fly in the water with my wings!

Birthday Party for Brothers!

2011-08-15T19:49:00.002-05:00

Happy 1st Birthday Noah

Happy 3rd Birthday Joshua!

We went to Birmingham over the weekend to celebrate Joshua turning 3 and Noah turning 1. We had a great time visiting with our family on both sides of the family. The boys especially enjoyed playing with their cousins. Joshua was somewhat of an expert at celebrating his birthday by this time, but Noah was a little unsure of what to make of it. In fact he wanted nothing to do with his beautiful birthday cake (which mommy decorated) and cried rather than played with it. What a difference between my boys! I remember Joshua absolutely tearing up his birthday cake. Of course I wouldn't have them any other way!

I used up all my creativity for the year decorating treats for the boys. My sisters helped me decorate cupcakes to look like the aliens on Toy Story. Ohhh! I think they turned out awesome. Then I decorated Noah's cake. I have to give props to Aunt Stoppie for mixing the icing colors to match the birthday plates. While I'm thanking people, and it takes a lot of help to have a party out of town, I must thank the Tiltons for hosting at their house, the twins for making a last minute trip to the store for a high chair, and then everyone else for coming!

Noah said "It's my party and I'll cry if I want to..."

Joshua spent a lot of time trying to blow out the candles before mommy helped.

Joshua loved opening presents so much that he helped Noah out as well. This worked out because Noah was still upset about his smash cake. Joshua was super excited to get his very own Toy Story bike and helmet. Unfortunately the helmet turned out the be too small (see, it's the helmet that's small, not my son with a large head) but Joshua wanted to wear it anyway so we loosened the straps as far as they would go and he wore it to ride his bike up and down the sidewalk. We had a great time! Happy Birthday Joshua! Happy Birthday Noah!

The Helmet

The Chatham's with Grandma and Grandpa Goforth

The boys with Granddaddy and Nana

The Chatham's with Grandottie and Jerry Pop

Joshua is 3!

2011-08-10T21:33:00.126-05:00

I'm 3 years old!

My baby boy is 3! Although as Joshua would remind me, "Mommy, I not a baby, I a big boy." He usually follows this statement by flexing his muscles which is made more humorous by the fact that you can count all his ribs! We decided to take Joshua out for his birthday dinner yesterday since we had church plans tonight. We asked Joshua what he wanted for his birthday. His response "Steak and donuts!" These are two of his favorite things so first we took him to McGuire's where he nearly ate his weight in steak and bread. Noah did pretty good eating some of the senate bean soup and mashed potatoes. Afterwards we took him to Krispie Kreme so he could watch them make doughnuts and then take home a dozen. All in all it was a great evening!

Today he had a class party with the 3 year olds, the class he has been visiting and will formally join soon. I brought cupcakes and watched all his friends enjoy their cupcakes. Joshua is not really a fan of cake or icing so he mostly watched everyone else eat theirs after they sang to him. He would put the tiniest amount of icing on his finger tip and act like he was going to lick it. In reality he was wiping it on his upper lip which gave him a Hitler stash, not exactly a look we encourage. It's most important that he had fun.

So here are a few fun stories about Joshua and his likes and dislikes:
** Joshua really likes listening to Bruno Mars' Lazy Song. The song is rather slow paced where a line is sung and then the singer whistles. Joshua likes to use the whistling time to recap what was just said. It goes something like this:
Mars: Today I don't feel like doing anything...
Joshua: He not doing anything!
Mars: I'm just gonna lie in my bed...
Joshua: He gonna lie in bed!
Mars: Don't feel like pickin' up the phone so leave a message at the tone 'cause today I don't feel like doing anything, nothin' at all.
Joshua: He not doing anything. Nuffin at all!

Shhh! Sleeping brothers.

** Joshua likes to talk about taking a rocket to the moon.
** He likes to say he's a super hero. He really likes to be Buzz Lightyear, Woody, Spiderman, and Superman. Both when he's playful and when he's mad at you he's been known to fling spidey webs or shoot Buzz Lightyear lasers at you.
** His favorite tv shows are Super Why and Dinosaur Train (He's also a fan of Big Bang Theory and it's theme song)
** His favorite movies are Toy Story, Shrek, and anything Veggie Tales, especially Bad Apple and Josh and the Great Wall. And he insists on holding the case when watching a movie so that when he movie is over he can remove it from the DVD player and put it up.

Joshua watching Cars

**His favorite foods are steak, crab claws, Krispie Kreme donuts, grape tomatoes, broccoli, and any fruit. I'm particularly amused that he doesn't like loaf bread. When he does eat it, he'll eat the crust and hand you back the middle. We like to laugh and say when he's in school he'll be somebody's favorite lunch buddy! His favorite drink is cranberry juice.
** He enjoys being a backseat driver and telling me where to turn. Of course he has no idea where we live but he's sure he knows how to get there.
** Joshua constantly amazes his mommy and daddy with all he learns. He can spell his name, count over 30, sing countless songs, count to 10 in Spanish, say the days of the week and most colors in Spanish. He loves having us read him a book and then he "reads" it back to us. Also he's a whiz at puzzles.
** Joshua blesses the food before meals saying "God is Great. God is good. Let us thank him for our food. By his hands, all are fed, thank you God for our daily bread. AMEN!" All we have to do to remind him is tell him to make his prayer hands.
** Joshua is very good natured. And I'm not just saying that because I love him - he really behaves well, follows directions, and is pleasent to be around. He's very gentle with his brother. He loves giving hugs and kisses and saying "I yove you!" to everyone. He's my little snuggle bunny who still sleeps in his mommy and daddy's bed - but we're going to start working on that. We love our little button boy so much and look forward to watching and hearing about all his adventures as he grows. Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Noah looks a little unsure while Joshua roars like a lion, or was it an ogre?

Joshua's Birthday Party

2011-08-07T14:57:00.003-05:00

Joshua is having a few birthday parties this year. The theme for all of them is Toy Story as Joshua adores Buzz and Woody as well as the other characters. First we had a small friend party at our house. Then we are having a class party at school and a family party for both Joshua and Noah. The party this weekend turned out great. Joshua had four buddies come to the party and Noah had a friend there too. It was too hot for outside activities (temp ~99deg, heat index ~105deg) so we kept activities indoors. I think the kiddos liked the craft table the most. They got to decorate party hats. Happy Birthday Joshua! Thanks for coming everyone!

The birth mark

2011-08-02T18:23:00.006-05:00

Me: Joshua did you color on yourself?
Joshua: No.
Me: What is that (I ask as I point at the marks on his leg)?
Joshua: It might be a birth mark.

*sigh* What am I going to do with that boy?

Noah's 1st Steps

2011-08-01T21:02:00.022-05:00

BIG NEWS!! Noah took his first steps last night! We knew it would happen soon. Mommy and Daddy and Joshua are so proud of our big man. He took a few wobbly steps then fall down. He was startled when we clapped and cheered. Then he clapped for himself.

He has another new trick. He opens the kitchen cabinets and claps at himself. Then closes the cabinets and claps at himself. He hasn't tried to pull anything out yet which makes mommy happy. Good boy!

Also he has 3 more teeth coming in...just in time for Shark Week on the Discovery channel. And by the way, that brings his total up to 11 teeth.

The tables are starting to turn... Last week I took Joshua to a follow-up with his ENT (his tubes are still in place and look good). When we got there Joshua looked at the Medical Center Clinic which has 9 or 10 floors and said "Whoa! It too tall! Can we climb the tallest tower?" (Not the point of the story, but I love a good shout-out to Shrek.) So here's the good part. Both boys were loaded in the double stroller with Noah in the back. While we were waiting Noah realized if he straightens his leg he can push Joshua's seat. He did that a couple times and Joshua said "Hey! Stop pushing my seat Noah." Noah's eyes lit up big and he smiled a mischievous Eli smile and did it again.

Joshua-isms and Joshua stories

2011-07-30T20:02:00.008-05:00

Joshua is very excited about his upcoming birthday. In fact it's his favorite topic in the car. Here are just a few of his comments that he's made about the big day.

"One day I'm going to be bigger and do grown up things. I won't need a step to reach the movies or the moon." This makes me want to tell him, slow down baby, you've got plenty of time to grow up. (We keep the frequently viewed DVDs on top of a cabinet that J recently realized he can reach if he uses a step.)

Joshua wants a bike for his birthday. First he wanted his very own Toy Story bicycle. Then he wanted a TS bike with a helmet. Then he asked for a TS bike with a helmet and pedals. Pretty soon I think he'll be asking for brakes and a handle bar.

"Mommy, I not ready yet, but when I'm 5 years old I'm gonna take a rocket to space. That means when I'm 4 you'll have to get me a jacket because there's no flying without a jacket." Joshua loves to make plans. He also loves space and rockets and talking about going to space. Lately he tells me I need to go to the store to get the batteries for his rocket. He says I can ride with him into space on his rocket, but Daddy and Noah have to watch from an airplane. He also said he needed a "space helmet with a bubble." I love his accurate description of an astronaut's helmet.

Joshua said "I'm gonna be 'free' and Noah's gonna be 1." I told him we were going to have a big party with family and have cake and ice cream and there would be presents. He replied "Wait, Santa's going to be there? Is he bringing Buddy Elf." And as anyone who knows my son can tell you he loves Will Farrell's character in Elf. He'd watch it year round if I'd let him.

Noah laughing

2011-07-26T22:26:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary/ Noah's 11 months old

2011-07-25T19:08:00.002-05:00

Happy Anniversary on July 24th! It's hard to believe 7 years have gone by. Our lives are so different now than they were before we married, but it's all for the better, as cliche as it sounds. A couple months ago our pastor did a series on marriage and one of the statistics he quoted was that the average American marriage lasts about 7 years. Matt and I have both had a little fun as this date was approaching about getting back in the dating scene/ getting a new trophy husband/wife or deciding if we want to buy something since we were just going to divide it in a few weeks. All fun aside I feel so blessed to be married to my best friend, who shares the same values as I do, is a wonderful husband and father, is funny, and it especially doesn't hurt that he's so good looking. I love you bebe!

My Thing 1 and Thing 2

For our anniversary we decided to hire a baby sitter and go out for the evening. We started out going to the movies. We planned to go see Captain America, but when we got there it was sold out (which we should have assumed could happen because it was opening weekend). We ended up seeing the final Harry Potter movie which was interesting considering we hadn't seen the previous two movies in the series. While we were waiting for it to start I asked the lady next to me if she could summarize any major events that happened in the previous movie and she said "Oh honey, you've missed too much." We still had a good time and enjoyed our time out. Afterwards we went to the beach to have dinner at The Grand Marlin which is probably our favorite restaurant around here. Dinner and drinks were great. It was also pretty cool not to have to change diapers during dinner or share "just one more bite" with a toddler with a taste for upscale dining. Our gift to each other will be a vacation to Disney World in a couple months. We're looking forward to it.

Another milestone on the 24th was that Noah turned 11 months old. I can't believe my little man is closing in on being a one year old. The birthday planning has already started. So here are a few facts about Noah. He is really close to walking. He still "powers down" at bed time. We are fortunate to have such a good sleeper and one who goes down so effortlessly. He loves clapping and smiling and playing with his brother. Joshua likes to tell him "I love you No-ie beary." or "I love you brother!" Noah has recently turned the corner on eating and has become much better at eating foods with textures (he used to have a big gag reflex). We can tell Noah has a bit of a temper. Whenever Joshua takes a toy away from him or mommy takes the tv remote from him his face contorts and he screams, sometimes falling to the floor. I think we will have our hands full with him. His favorite song for me to sing to him is "How much is that doggie in the window." He is a delightful boy and we've enjoyed getting to know him as his personality blossoms.

A Sign and a Milestone

2011-07-19T21:21:00.001-05:00

Yet another sign… While all the other kids in Joshua’s class decorated their balloons like confetti, Joshua opted for the more sophisticated grid pattern. He’s our future engineer! Daddy is so proud that he’s got the art work hanging up in his office at work.

Is that comfortable??

And now for the major milestone – Noah stood up for the first time all by himself! YEA! Claps and cheers for our big boy! I think he was as surprised as we were when he stood up in the middle of the room (without any assistance) and looked around the room trying to keep his balance. Our happy boy even clapped for himself when he fell down. He’s such a good boy! Unfortunately I don't have any good pictures of this because he doesn't stand for very long and is easily distracted by cameras. For now we'll enjoy this special treat with memories.

Arnold Family Reunion

2011-07-13T20:55:00.041-05:00

Gulf Shores, AL 2011

For the record, they wanted to be in the suitcase.

We spent last weekend and part of the week at a family reunion for Matt’s family. It was a special gathering that started in Clanton celebrating what would have been the 100^th wedding anniversary of George and Ida Arnold (Matt’s great grandparents). We had a great time meeting relatives from New York, South Carolina, and more. There were some exciting firsts on this trip: Joshua got to ride in a boat, both boys played in the lake, and Mommy and Daddy went tubing! Jerry Pop worked his magic with both boys proving once again that he can knock the boys out anytime, anywhere. After spending a couple days in Clanton, a smaller group travelled to Gulf Shores where we played in the pool and the ocean. Most of the cousins were there so the boys got to spend time with them. I was really impressed with how good the boys were in the ocean. Joshua loved his Buzz and Woody ring and his water wings which he said ‘make me fly in the water so I can swim.’ And Noah was content until he got hungry.

The ocean wore Noah out!

Add caption

We learned on this trip that Joshua speaks Spanish. He can count to 10, say the days of the week, and sing the “Buenos Dias” song. It’s impressive considering he’s picked those up in a couple weeks from his new teacher Mrs. Maria from Spain (who also happens to be his best friend Xavi’s mom).

Joshua ready to "fly" in the water.

Also having spent so much time in the car we got to hear Joshua talk about one of his favorite topics: his upcoming birthday. First he said he wanted his very own Toy Story bike. Then he wanted a TS bike with a helmet. Then he wanted a TS bike with a helmet and pedals and a balloon on the back. Pretty soon I expect he’ll want brakes and a handle bar!


Grandottie and Jerry Pop with the grandchildren

Captain Adorable

2011-07-12T05:27:00.014-05:00

This video was actually taken a couple weeks ago but I love it. Joshua's favorite pajamas are his "Captain Adorable" ones because they have a cape. He likes to make sounds like he's flying as he runs through the house. He also thinks if you wear pants when it is hot you are wearing "hotpants." Enjoy!

Independence Day

2011-07-08T20:29:00.010-05:00

Joshua wearing Daddy's work boots

Joshua declared his own Independence Day on July 4th and has been using the potty and has not had an accident since then. He gets a few Skittles and a "prize" from the "prize closet" for each success as well as high fives and a celebratory "I did it! I did it!" He is so proud and knows that mommy and daddy are proud of him too. We are still working on #2 with some success. When we were leaving the bathroom this morning, J ran back to the potty and pointed and said "I'll have poop for you later." I'm not sure if that was a threat or what.

What we are up to...

2011-07-03T18:49:00.017-05:00

So when drove home after our last trip to Bham we were surprised to find our AC was out. It was 86deg inside the house at 9PM, seriously! It was equally as surprising that it took a couple days to get all the parts to fix it, but we managed. Needless to say I wouldn't have been happy living in ye olden days.... Matt agreed saying "Don't take this the wrong way, but if I'd known you in ye olden days I probably wouldn't have married you given the amount of complaining about it being so hot." *SIGH*

Noah's doing more "talking" these days. It's very sweet. He's also gotten much better at escaping the boundaries we set up for him in the great room. Of course he does have a little help from his brother. Also Noah can walk across the room using a push toy. I know pretty soon we'll see those first steps.

Joshua and Hardy

Joshua is as entertaining as ever. Here are a few funny things he's said lately.

-- Joshua's really been talking up building a fort out of blankets with Daddy. He said "This weekend we build a fort out of blankets for Joshua and Daddy, but not mommy because she's not a boy, yet."

-- Joshua’s teacher (Maria) told me this story about him playing at daycare. Joshua was playing with his friend Christian. At one point Christian said “You my best friend. Am I your best friend?” Joshua said “No” and kept playing. Christian’s feelings were hurt so he stopped playing and asked “Why?” Joshua responded “Because mommy’s my best friend.” Then Maria jumped in and said “Mommy’s are best friends but Christian is your friend, right.” And Joshua agreed “Yes” which made Christian happy so they continued playing.
Isn't my boy the sweetest?

-- A sign that we may go to Krispie Kreme too much. When we go out to dinner all the way across the bridge, we sometimes stop at Krispie Kreme to get doughnuts for breakfast. Over the weekend we went out to eat, but we weren't going to stop when Joshua said "I want to go say hi to the doughnuts. I watch them be made." So we stopped for donuts.

Happy Anniversary Grandma and Grandpa

2011-06-27T21:20:00.031-05:00

June 25, 1971

We were in Birmingham for a special occasion over the weekend. Grandma and Grandpa (Emily's mom and dad) celebrated their 40th anniversary. They received a blessing from Fr. Bill at the 5pm mass at Holy Infant in Trussville followed by a party which Celeste, Elaine, Steph and I put together. We got to visit with lots of friends and family that we haven't seen in a long time. It was a beautiful evening. The food was delicious, the flowers were beautiful, and the photo montage was full of so many memories. I look fondly at my parents and wonder what Matt and my 40th anniversary will be like. I hope we will be surrounded by our children and maybe grandchildren, friends and family. Congratulations Mom and Dad! We love you!

June 25, 2011

Noah crawling all over the floor

Joshua playing with his friends

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-20T13:54:00.013-05:00

Happy Father’s Day! Overall we had a great Father’s Day, though it did start out a little sketchy. Saturday night we went out to Bonefish Grill for a nice Father’s Day dinner. The meal and family time was great, but when we got out to our car we saw that someone had hit our new van, denting in the bumper and did not even leave a note. It was pretty disappointing considering the van isn’t even a month old. On Sunday the boys gave Daddy a card which they colored. Also they both made him cards at school. Church was special because it was the last service before our pastor is leaving for a new assignment. We will really miss him and enjoyed the farewell service. Afterwards there was a picnic under a tent on the front lawn. The thermometer said it was 96deg but the heat index in that tent had to be over 100deg. It was hot!! We enjoyed the rest of the day at the house with Mommy cooking a special meal for “Super Daddy.” (A few times during the day Joshua told Matt “You my super hero. You Super Daddy.)

Joshua really enjoyed wishing his daddy as well as his grandfathers and even a few other people from church “Happy Father’s Day.” It was so genuine and super sweet. So to all the dad’s out there especially my dad, Matt’s dad and stepdad, and my wonderful husband Matt, Happy Father’s Day! We love you!

A Funny little Joshua story:
Joshua was trying to climb over the ottoman with an armful of toys and fell and started crying.

Me: Oh no! What hurts?
Joshua: (big tears) the ground.

Proof that he is his father’s son…

Fun with Daddy

Joshua's Haircut

2011-06-16T17:52:00.004-05:00

Before

After

After the haircut Joshua said "I not shaggy!"

Peek-a-boo!

2011-06-13T18:50:00.019-05:00

Noah has some new tricks! He now plays peek-a-boo with me. He’s played before, but I had to do all the work by covering his eyes. Now he uses a blanket to cover his face when I say “Where’s Noah?” Then he giggles and removes the blanket so I can say “Peek-a-boo! or There he is.” Noah thinks this is absolutely hysterical and mommy and daddy find it endearing as well. I’ve attempted to videotape this, but Noah turns into a serious statue whenever I try so I’ll just have to enjoy the memories and write them down for posterity’s sake.

Another new trick that Noah has is that he’s learned to click his tongue. He enjoys doing this, especially after he finishes nursing. He also enjoys mimicking so we alternate clicking at each other. It is a sweet game.

Conversation with Joshua:

Joshua: I need bread please.
Me: Not before dinner.
Joshua: It’s for the ducks.
Me: We’re not feeding the ducks today.
Joshua: But Mommy (insert big, serious eyes) they HUNGRY.
Me: Okay, let’s go feed the ducks.

Joshua getting ready for Beach Day

Sweet Stories

2011-06-07T21:35:00.007-05:00

It’s June! Schools are closing for the summer, traffic is getting lighter, and the temperature is swelteringly hot. I feel like I’m melting at work. But enough about me, here are some short stories about my sweet boys!

One night it was storming pretty hard at our house when Joshua came into our bedroom w/ a couple toys under each arm and said “Buzz and Woody are scared. I sleep here tonight.” All three of them slept peacefully between mommy and daddy.

When Joshua wants something he’s gotten where he will repeat what he wants and start getting louder. This is particularly a problem when you are already talking to someone else and indicating to him he needs to wait. Instead this is what he says “I talking to you. Hey! I talking to you. You hear me? I still talking…” It’s cute now, but we are still working on patience. I told my dad about this and he said “Awww! Tell him he wouldn’t have to tell Grandpa twice. He would listen to him.” I sarcastically replied “Just like when I was growing up… Wait, that’s not how I remember that going down.”

Joshua can be so stubborn. Last night he threw a toy up in the air *again* after Matt and I had told him not to about 20 times already and it landed on my shin. I told him he hurt mommy and needed to say sorry. Usually we tell him he has to say sorry or sit in time out until he’s ready to say sorry. This time he crossed his arms, stuck out his bottom lip, and ran to time out before we could go over the options. He eventually did apologize. Where does he get that stubbornness? ;)

Deep thoughts: Driving to work a couple mornings ago Joshua saw the sun reflecting off the bay and commented “Look Mommy, the water is glowing!”

A small rebellion: Last night at bedtime I told Joshua to put his head on his pillow. I tell him this (head on pillow) at least ten times every night. Anyway, this time he shook his head and said no. I told him “You don’t say no to me. Put your head on pillow.” So he did, but he also shot spidey webs at me. It was so hard not to laugh!

Noah has become my shadow. He follows me all over the house. Fortunately he’s very loud the way he slaps his hands on the ground while he’s crawling so I can keep track of him. If I run out of the room to put up laundry and then get back in his line of sight he giggles ever so sweetly as he crawls towards me.

Memorial Weekend

2011-06-01T19:43:00.020-05:00

Hmmm, Should I smell the flower or attack the flower?

Well it was Memorial Weekend and we celebrated by not going to the beach. Most of my blog readers know what that means. ;) Instead we headed North. Friday evening we drove to Birmingham and stayed at Granddaddy’s house. It was the first time we’d been to Pleasant Grove since the tornadoes stuck on April 27^th. The destruction was unbelievable. PG was unrecognizable. Trees that were so big around that Matt and I couldn’t stretch our arms around together were snapped like twigs or else blown over. Joshua was concerned by the demolition and asked “What happened? Where did it go? Who took it?” I told him it was a tornado and he spent the rest of the weekend asking “’Nado gonna take granddaddy’s house?” So sad.

Saturday we went up to Huntsville to visit Grandottie and JerryPop. We had so much fun! Mommy and Daddy got to go to the movies for the first time in 1 ½ years and saw the latest Pirates of the Caribbean movie. The movie was entertaining, and the best part was being able to sit down for more than 5 minutes without having to pause the movie to change/ soothe/ read/ entertain/ wipe off/ pick up one of the kids. Seriously it takes us an hour to watch a 30 min show even though we are fast forwarding through commercials.

Big brother sharing with baby brother

On Sunday we visited a small church to hear Jerry and Dottie’s friend Larry speak as a guest pastor. When we got there we saw that Noah had had a massive poop explosion. I mean he was literally dripping when we got him out of the car. (He wasn’t sick, he just had a lot of poop, which is still pretty soupy but not too smelly since he’s breastfed.) Matt held him out while Dottie and I stripped him down in the parking lot and wiped him with about 50 wipes. I dressed him in spare clothes while she found an outside trash can to dispose of the foulness. Then I had to find a restroom to rinse out his clothes. It was awful! I can’t believe a boy that little can have so much poop! Joshua’s had some doozy’s in his day but nothing like this.

Here’s the good part. Immediately following the service I had to change Joshua’s diaper because he stank it up at the end of the service. Then I went back into the sanctuary to meet up with the family. They were talking to the pastor when he turned to me and said “Your family is just exploding isn’t it.” *I thought they must have mentioned the diaper* so I said something like “Well church must bring it out of him…” I saw his confused expression and realized he was referring to our growing family, not the poop explosion before the service because no one had mentioned that. Oops!

Noah, Jerry Pop, Joshua, and Grandottie

Matt and I have a friendly competition regarding the drive on I-65. One of the Clanton exits has a water tower that is painted to look like a peach. Well you could also argue it looks like a giant butt when you are headed Southbound. Matt and I always try to be the first to call out “Peach butt!” when we pass it. (This is only after I clearly established a few years ago that it is against the rules to call ‘Peach butt infinity.’) Anyway both the boys were asleep and Matt and I were searching the skyline for the peach when we both saw it at the same time and yelled “Peach butt!” In our enthusiasm and subsequent debate over who actually called it out first we woke up Joshua. (Since I’m writing this blog, I’ll state for the record that I won.) Um, are we too competitive?

Noah is 9 months old!

2011-05-27T21:05:00.005-05:00

My baby boy is 9 months old. He had his well baby checkup today and here are his stats:

Weight: 20lbs 2.2oz, 42 %

Height: 29in, 73%

Head Cir: 18in, 61%

I love Noah's expression here.

He was a happy boy and showed off some tricks, like crawling. There were no vaccines today – yea! He only had a toe prick which he didn’t cry about and we found out he’s not anemic. Joshua started to melt down towards the end but he gets a pass from me because the wait was really long (1 ½ hrs) even though we were the first appt after lunch. The office is going paperless and everyone seemed slowed down by the new computer system. So here are nine fun facts about my happy, little Noah:

I have bounced til I can bounce no more.

You are pulling up on everything and have even started a little cruising on furniture
You say “Mama” all the time. Joshua tries to coach you into saying “Dada” which you sometimes say, but not as often as “Mama.”
You have changed crawling styles. Instead of an army crawl, you have a traditional crawl on all fours. And boy are you fast!
When it is time for bed, Daddy and I like to say “It’s time for Noah to power down.” We put you in a crib, in a dark room and (usually) you’ll fuss for less than 2 minutes and are asleep. It’s amazing.
I am told that you refuse to hold your bottle at daycare. Miss Maria tells me that you may be hungry but still refuse to hold it and they end up feeding you while you cross your arms behind your head. Easy living!
You and Joshua are playing together more and more. You get so excited when Joshua plays with you, especially when he crawls with you.
You aren’t a very good eater when it comes to anything with texture. You literally gag when the Gerber puffs or wagon wheels, or crunchies are put in your mouth. Also you are a casual eater when it comes it baby food and consume about ½ a Stage 1 container at a sitting. Your favorites are bananas and squash. Also you now have 6 teeth.
You are wearing 12 month clothes and size 3 diapers. I’m at a point where I’m having to buy you new clothes because even though you are both August babies, your different builds have made the clothes seasonally off.
You really enjoy playing with toys (even Joshua’s). It’s so cute to watch you play, chew on, and carry toys around the room. When Joshua catches you playing with one of his toys he’ll take it away and say “No, you too little.” I think we’ll be hearing more and more of that.

You are a wonderful little boy and we enjoy watching you grow and learn. We love you Noah!

Brothers

I can't believe it...

2011-05-23T19:54:00.001-05:00

Joshua and the "Big Car"

We are the proud new owners of a mini-van, or as Joshua likes to call it, our “big car.” It was just a few years ago that I swore I would never own a mini-van, but time changes everything and I’m actually excited about it. It’s a celestial blue Honda Odyssey EX-L w/ Navigation. It’s got lots of room – leg room, storage, trunk space, etc. It has automatic everything. As a bonus, this was probably our best, headache free (with regard to salesmen) car buying experience. We are selling the Hyundai Santa Fe. This was supposed to be our family car. And it was a great car, but the biggest drawback was that when there was a rear facing carseat installed, the front passenger seat had to be moved so far up that the passenger’s knees were hitting the dash. I hated riding in it because I felt like even in a small crash I ran a risk of breaking both my knees/legs. And now we are excited out a new van. This is a perfect example of why you should never say never.

I have crazy hair in the morning!

Weak parenting moment – The other night I was trying to get Joshua to go to sleep and he kept sitting up to play. About the tenth time I came into the room and said (again) “Head on pillow Joshua.” Instead of complying he defiantly shook his head then stuck his tongue out at me. Without thinking I stuck my tongue out back at him. He thought it was funny and smiled. At that moment I realized my credibility was lost and wouldn’t be able to explain how “It’s not nice to stick your tongue out at people…” so I called in Daddy to take over. Eventually he did go to sleep but still likes talking about how “Mommy stuck her tongue out at me.”

Mid May Update

2011-05-17T18:11:00.014-05:00

So life has been sailing along so quickly these days. My mom came for a visit recently which was great. The boys love their grandma! Noah is pulling up on everything. He's altering his crawl. His normal crawl is an army crawl, but sometimes he'll do a traditional crawl on all fours and other times he'll do a crab crawl, reminiscent of Joshua. He loves chewing on my knuckle as he's teething like crazy. He loves it when Joshua plays with him. He gets so excited. Here are a few short stories about Joshua.

I'm standing!

Joshua is always talking. He's got quite a personality and sense of humor. Also adorable is the way he sorts through situations to figure them out for himself. For example, recently Matt brought Joshua to work at the end of the day. He pointed to the scrubber stack which was billowing a white plume and said "Did you know that Mommy helped build that?" Joshua looked for a second and replied "Just like Bob the Builder?" An interesting way to put it but yes, it was like Bob the Builder.

Joshua, Grandma, & Noah

Something else Joshua likes to do when he's stalling to go to sleep and he's had one last sip of water, one last Bible story, one last hug, and one last kiss, is he'll say "I love you. You my best friend." It melts your heart and always warrants one more snuggle and kiss good-night.

From time to time I mention the drive across the bridge. It's not really that far, but it always seems far. I think living in a small town and having children have changed my viewpoint. Anyway the other night we were crossing the bridge on our way to dinner and Joshua exclaimed "Wow! We went far!" This just further goes to show how he is always paying attention and mimicking his mommy and daddy.

One last Joshua story. We have been working on potty training with limited success. Here's a conversation:
Me: Let's go sit on the potty!
Joshua: No! It's dangerous!
Fortunately his courage can be bought with a couple m&m's.

Noah is standing!

2011-05-11T18:52:00.000-05:00

Here is photographic evidence from late that week (May 6th) that Noah is now pulling up. Here he is playing at day care. (Thanks for the photo Ms. Kathy!) He's been close to doing this for a little while and now that he does, we can't keep him down. He's pulling up (and pulling down) on everything. Yea Noah! We are so proud of you!

Mother's Day

2011-05-09T18:59:00.009-05:00

Joshua, Mommy, & Noah - Mother's Day 2011

Brothers - May 2011

I had a wonderful Mother's Day thanks to my sweet, thoughtful husband and my two little men. It started a few days before Mother's Day when I got to get a manicure and pedicure. Then Matt cleaned out and vacuumed my car which was really nice because if I had had one word to describe it, it would have been crusty. Over time there was quite a collection of partially eaten Ritz crackers, Nilla wafers, etc. in the backseat of the car. We went out to eat Friday night at Outback. Joshua asked for 'my very own steak' but got to enjoy eating mommy and daddy's steak instead. Then mommy had to work all day Saturday (big outage going on at the plant). While I was gone my baby boys made me a card with their hand prints. On Sunday we went to church where they gave all the moms a rose. Joshua told me I was "pretty like Tinkerbell." Then I wanted to go out to lunch somewhere without a long wait so we went to Buffalo Wild Wings which worked out perfectly. Then we decided to go to Sam's on a diaper run and discovered that moms do not (typically) shop at Sam's on Mother's Day as it wasn't crowded at all. We were in and out. At home Matt took some great pics of the boys. Here are a few of them. Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful moms I know

April Fun!

2011-04-30T22:33:00.006-05:00

So I forgot to mention this earlier, but before Easter Matt had LASIK done on an eye (he only needed correction in one eye). Yea! It went really well and he's seeing great. Now we have no corrective lenses in our house... at least for now - genetics does not look good for Joshua and Noah.

Cute as a button!

We went to the beach for some fun recently. I dressed the boys in complimentary colors for nice some brother pictures and when we got to the beach I saw that Noah had pooped out his diaper and all over his clothes. Needless to say he got a costume change and fortunately I had also packed a spare shirt for Joshua so he would semi-match. It was hard to get both boys smiling and looking in the same direction. Joshua spent most of the time either roaring like an ogre or slinging spidey webs at his mommy and daddy. Noah found this slightly amusing though it meant he wasn't looking at the camera. We fought for daylight a little while, then caved and got some dinner at Grand Marlin. Yum! Here are a few pics of our sweet boys.

Noah is laughing at big brother roaring like an ogre

Um, what's going on here?

Happy Easter! Noah is 8 mo old!

2011-04-26T13:50:00.008-05:00

Happy Easter! We spent a wonderful Easter in Birmingham. We visited with all our family on both sides. Joshua and Noah dyed some Easter eggs. Then Joshua "found" eggs over and over again. I used quotations because Joshua didn't really want to hunt for eggs. They had to be in plain sight or he would say "I not see them. I find them all." Luckily his aunts didn't mind helping him out. We went to Holy Thursday service with mommy's family and Easter service with all of daddy's family. We enjoyed visiting with everyone and celebrating cousin Eli's birthday. The Easter bunny brought Joshua an extra special treat - golf clubs (specifically left handed ones!) He's having a great time hitting the ball in the hole. Oh and Joshua is feeling much better. He got pneumonia the week before Easter but is now doing great!

Easter morning 2011

For the last time, I am NOT an Easter Egg!

Noah is growing so quickly! Here are eight facts about him:

Noah is an active crawler! He army crawls all over the place. Once he started he never slowed down.
He now has 4 teeth. The top teeth are really large. I can't help but go "wow" everytime I see them.
And we do see you teeth alot because you are my smiley boy! You are so happy and have a sweet giggle.
You also have a temper. When mommy/daddy sets you down and you want to be held or if Joshua takes a toy away that you really wanted you start shrieking and crying. I'm talking about really loud wailing. It's pitiful!
You currently are allergic to strawberries. Mommy fed you some strawberry yogurt when you were sick last week and you broke out in a terrible rash and your skin started peeling. The good news is that the dr said you will likely grow out of it by age 2-3.
You are a poopasaurus! Seriously you have to have a change of clothes 5 of 7 days a week and it's not because the diapers don't fit, you just produce a large volume.
You say "mama." You babble a lot, especially in the car, but the only word you clearly say is mama, often with arms reaching up for me.
You no longer suck your thumb yet you still easily go to sleep. Mommy or daddy can get you nearly to sleep, lay you down, and usually you stay down. Also when you wake up, you usually start playing with the toys instead of screaming. This is a nice treat!

Noah Crawling!

2011-04-17T18:43:00.003-05:00

Another first

2011-04-14T12:46:00.007-05:00

Noah recently experienced a "first" which he did not like. I had to tell him no for the first time. He bit his mommy (while/after nursing) so I sternly said "No!" He started crying hysterically. It was absolutely pitiful! What made it worse was for a day or two afterwards he wouldn't nurse on that side. He'd almost start, then he'd look up at me with big eyes and his lower lip would quiver. It makes me feel like the meanest mommy ever! I must have really made an impression on him.

Aunt Elaine and Noah

In happier news, Noah loves bananas. I fed some to him recently and he didn't miss a drop! Literally his bib was dry and he kept grabbing at the spoon because mommy wasn't fast enough. Also the twins, Aunts Celeste and Elaine came for a visit. We had a great time going to the Strawberry Festival in Loxley and then shopping at the Outlet. Then we all went out to dinner at McGuire's which is always fun. Thanks for visiting! The boys have a great time and Mommy loves the break from all those diapers.

Working the System

2011-04-08T17:37:00.001-05:00

A short Joshua story:
While I was folding laundry, Joshua kept throwing balls at me. Frustrated I said "If you hit mommy one more time, you're going to time out!" He said "Oh" then thought for a second, smiled and said "Mommy, will you play catch with me?"

The Art of Roaring

2011-04-05T20:16:00.003-05:00

I recently had a geek-out moment with Joshua. Normally on our drive home he likes to point out the places we are passing, i.e. our Church, Dr. Hensley's office, the gas station, the water tower, etc. Anyway on this particular afternoon, J - having named everything else - said "what's that?" and I showed him transmission towers and power poles. Then he asked "Mommy, what is power?" I got all excited and explained as simply as I could saving the "good stuff" for the follow-up question I hope to one day hear - "How do you make power/ electricity?"

Grandma and Grandpa came for a visit toward the end of March. It was great to see them and Joshua was excited. He actually kept saying "Grandma Grandpa are coming? I so excited!" Our camera is getting cleaned so unfortunately I didn't get any pics, but maybe next time. Noah was just barely ooching when they were in town and he continues to get stronger. Also his top right tooth came through this morning. Goodbye gummy grin! (I still can't believe he's such an early teether like his brother!)

Another activity Joshua enjoys in the car is practicing both his dinosaur roar and his ogre (Shrek) roar. I specify the difference because when the roaring gets old it goes something like this:

J: ROAR!

Me: No more roaring right now.

J: But I’m a dinosaur.

Me: No more dinosaur roars.

J: okay. ROAR!

Me: What did I just say?

J: Mommy I a ogre now.

Me: No more dinosaur or ogre roars.
J: okay.

Noah's first food/ Brotherly love

2011-03-21T18:00:00.008-05:00

Last week (March 13th) we decided to let Noah try his first food. We decided to start with peas and later try more appetizing food. You can tell from his face what he thought about them. I am happy to report that the carrots and sweet potatoes we tried later were a hit.

Then on March 18th as I was leaving Noah at play school he waved goodbye to me!! To make sure it wasn't a fluke, I walked out of the room and the his teacher brought him to the door and he waved again, ever so sweetly. It made my whole day. I'll take a moment to brag on my good mannered Joshua. Everyday when I leave, after I get my kiss he tells me "You have a good day, Mommy." I'm so glad both boys (and their parents) are happy and comfortable at the day care center.

Brother story:
Recently I was driving somewhere in the car with the boys. Joshua was playing with his Buzz Lightyear doll when I heard him say "Look Noah, this is Buzz." I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw him holding Buzz by the feet so Buzz stretched all the way across the car for Noah to touch. I got all excited and thought I was witnessing some genuine brotherly sharing. And then Joshua said "That's *my* Buzz." And then he took Buzz away and continued playing with him. Noah didn't really seem to care, but I imagine such antics won't be appreciated in a year or so.

My Sweet Boys

2011-03-14T22:39:00.019-05:00

Here are some pics of the boys that I took recently. I must confess I had to bribe Joshua with Skittles to get him to pose next to his brother, but it was totally worth it. My boys are beautiful!

Here are a few short stories about Joshua:
Recently I went out to lunch with Joshua and Noah. I changed Joshua's diaper, then washed his hands and warned him not to touch anything while I changed Noah. I looked over my shoulder and saw him plant both his hand on the bathroom stall door. I fussed at him saying "Joshua! What did I say?" To which he replied "I sorry. I wipe them off" and proceeded to wipe them on the bathroom floor. Ewww!

I love how Joshua phrases things. Our neighborhood faces a golf course. J likes to comment on whether people are out on the course. He either says "Everybody's playing golf" or "Everybody's not playing golf." Such absolutes!

Finally, Joshua has a new favorite thing to say. It's "Why?" He's used this word for awhile but only recently has he decided to use it 30,000 times a day. Most of the time he's asking "why" about his own questions and statements. "Mommy, I want juice. Why?" I know it's harmless, but the onslaught of "Why?" passed cute at least 10,001 why's ago. I'm hoping that along the way he's at least learning something. Oh and for the record, his second favorite expression is "I do it all by myself."

Fun at the Park

Noah Talking

2011-03-07T21:02:00.000-06:00

6 months old/ First Tooth

2011-03-02T19:08:00.007-06:00

Noah Kinnaird is 6 months old. He is a delightful baby boy! The comment I get the most regarding him at play school, church, or family is 'He's such a happy boy!' And it's true, he is happy. He smiles all the time. He hardly ever cries aside from the normal issues such as hunger or dirty diaper. I took him for his well-baby check up so let me start with his stats:

Height - 28in, ~90th percentile
Weight - 18lbs 8oz, ~60th percentile

Look at my tooth!

It was an interesting trip to the dr's office only because I drove there straight from Birmingham so all of us had some cabin fever. Noah smiled and talked to the nurse and doctor. He showed off some skills including sitting up by himself (the doctor was impressed that Noah sat solidly. He has the strength, but is still developing balance and should be sitting up by himself within the month). He has another new, new trick which he did not show off for the doctor which is the ability to push up on all fours with his head up and rock. Apparently he's trying to become an early crawler. I'm sooo not ready for him to be mobile. He really needs to slow down! Noah got one oral vaccine and three shots which he handled well. Best news of all, his ears, as well as Joshua's looked good. Yea!

While waiting in the exam room Joshua enjoyed reading the children's books. His favorite part was counting the seven dwarfs. He would count slow and there would be 7 of them, then he would count fast and there would be 10 of them. He's very interested in singing/ reading/ counting normal, then fast, then slow. Most of the time during the exam he spent walking around me and sometimes through my legs singing "Round and Round the Garden..." Then he started singing louder and playing the chair like a drum. As silly as he was being I know he was paying attention because towards the end of the checkup Noah was fussing so the dr handed him back to me and he stopped crying and the dr said "There are you happy now. Are you a happy boy?" And J stood beside me and declared "No, I'm a happy boy!"

So here are six fun facts about Noah:
*You got your first tooth on Sunday, Feb 27th. It was the lower right tooth and the one next to it looks like it'll be coming in soon as well. I knew you were teething, but overall it wasn't too bad.

*As I mentioned above you are trying to be an early crawler. What's up with that? You will pull yourself up on all fours and rock. You also have the ability to ooch and roll wherever you want to go.
*Ever since you learned to roll over, you have preferred/ insisted on sleeping on your tummy.
*You are a talker. You talk all the time. You'll talk about half the car ride to play school before falling asleep. Joshua likes to say "Noah's talking." You will also say "mama" from time to time.
*You are a right handed thumb sucker. It gets you to sleep.
*Your favorite toy is a purple Eddie the Elephant that we keep in your carseat. You crinkle the ears, chew on the feet. It is so sweet. Joshua even refers to it as Noah's toy.

My impersonation of the Gerber Baby

One last piece of information, as you'll notice from pictures, you don't have much hair. You wear size 3 diapers and 9 month clothes. You are a big boy! Oh and Joshua plays very sweetly with you. He hands Noah toys, food (which we are teaching him not to do), gives him sweet, wet kisses, and tells him "Noah, don't cry!" I think they'll be good friends.

It could be worse...

2011-03-01T20:11:00.001-06:00

There is a side story associated with Joshua getting sick before the rotten ears, before I left for Bham that I wanted to share. After an incredibly long wait at the doctor’s office (we were there 1 ½ hrs), I was starving. Joshua said he wanted pizza for lunch so I decided to be adventurous and try a place *across the bridge* (Yes, it’s not that far away, but anything across the bridge just feels like a huge ordeal because you have to cross a body of water). After feeding Noah in the car we went in to this small place and I ordered the lunch special, pizza and salad, and some breadsticks. Of course by this point Joshua changed his mind and wanted chocolate ice-cream so I promised him some as soon as we left because the restaurant didn’t have ice-cream. Shortly after the salad and breadsticks arrived, J had what can best be described as volcanic diarrhea. He was sitting down and it literally shot up his back to his shoulder blades. It looked and smelled horrible and got on J, me, the seat… and J started crying. I gathered the boys and headed to the restroom only stopping to ask the waitress to box the pizza and bring a check. She said “I’m sorry. It’s a dine-in special.” Not wanting to explain how diarrhea went everywhere I said “My son just threw up. We have to go now. Can’t you please box it up?” She went to ask the manager and I went to the restroom. Unfortunately it was a tiny old fashioned bathroom with a pedestal sink and no change table. I stripped J down, changed his diaper, cleaned him as best I could, and wrapped him in Noah’s blanket, which of course upset Noah. I paid for lunch, grabbed the Styrofoam box holding the pizza, and staggered out the door balancing Noah in his carseat, Joshua, the diaper bag, the pizza, and a drink. I made it to the car, when my load shifted, I dropped the box, and the pizza fell on the ground. Oh well. I got in the car and headed toward Target to fill the prescriptions. I hated taking Joshua out in public, but I really wanted to start him on his medicine and I was afraid if we went home another disaster would strike so I loaded him in the double stroller wearing a diaper and a jacket. I bought him his prescriptions and chocolate ice cream. Then we headed home. I unloaded the boys, gave Joshua a bath, and then fixed him a bowl of ice-cream. To which he said “That not ice-cream. I want ice-cream.” There was no way to reason with him and I still don’t know what he thinks ice-cream is. It was an exhausting day.

So getting back to my title you are probably wondering ‘How could this be worse?’ After I got home, I called my dear friend Audrey to get some sympathy as she too was home with sick babies (Titus – 3 and Alice – 1). She patiently listened to my story and then said “You want to hear about my morning? Titus ate some breakfast then had to take some medicine which he threw up on the floor. I used a wash cloth to wipe his face and placed it over the vomit on the floor to I could clean it up after T was clean. After re-dressing T, I went looking for Alice. Guess where she was? In the kitchen, sucking on the wash cloth (she’s teething).” And that is called perspective. Yes, it could be worse.

200th Blog Post

2011-02-28T21:27:00.019-06:00

I can't believe I've made it to 200 posts. What fun it has been watching my family grow! I've enjoyed going back to look at the pictures, laugh at the stories, and sigh with contentment at how wonderful life is.

I play the Wii game!

A couple days after Grandottie and Jerry Pop left I took the boys back to the dr's office. This time I had two little boys with 4 rotten ears. I also found out the boys are now 8 1/2 lbs apart. Joshua was excited because the nurse gave him 3 Toy Story stickers. He was wearing a Toy Story shirt and when the dr came in he said "Look at my shirt." Then they had a nice conversation about Buzz and Woody and how both characters are both their favorites. As for Noah, it turns out it is possible to have another ear infection when he just finished his antibiotic 2 days ago for a previous ear infection. He was not a happy camper! In time, both my little pumpkins were feeling better.

Silly Monkey! (Thanks Maw-Maw!)

A couple days later I went to Birmingham for a celebration lunch. A project I worked on was nominated and received the Generation One Team award. As a bonus, I was able to take the boys to Birmingham for the weekend since the luncheon was on a Friday. They traveled well and we had a great time visiting Grandma, Grandpa, Maw-Maw, and their aunts. They were spoiled with love and covered with hugs and kisses. Apparently we had so much fun I forgot to take any pictures. I'll try to remember next time. Also Noah turned 6 months old which will get its own posting in a few days.

We ended up staying a few extra days for a sad occasion. Our dear friends Erin and David lost their beautiful baby, Elizabeth Anne. Our hearts are broken for them and we continue to pray for them and big sister Sarah Katherine. We love you!

The rest of February

2011-02-21T20:41:00.023-06:00

February has been a busy month for us. Joshua went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate his best friend Xavi's birthday. It was fun to watch him light up and run around. I should note that Joshua now likes to end his bedtime prayers "and God bless Xavi. Amen!" Joshua did end up getting sick (he was questionable in my last blog entry) and going to the dr's office a few days after Noah went for similar symptoms. He also wound up getting an X-ray and was prescribed steroids and breathing treatments, but unlike Noah, they made Joshua wired. He was cranky, emotional, teary - a pitiful sight to see. Fortunately he bounced back pretty quickly.

I pet the rabbit!

Bump, Bump with JerryPop

A couple days later Grandottie and Jerry Pop came for a visit. It was great to spend time with them. We went to the Gulf Breeze Zoo on Saturday and hung out at Pensacola Beach on Sunday. The Zoo was interesting in that it didn't have many signs so it was hard to know what you were looking at most of the time. Joshua liked petting a baby rabbit and seemed really impressed by the giraffes which would lean over the fence and eat out of people's hands. There was a really strange whooping gorilla that was loud and scared Noah. We had to move him away from that area.

For the first time ever Joshua didn't seem scared by the ocean. He played in the sand near it and watched the waves crashing without much fuss. Noah was awake briefly then took a nice nap. Noah was under an umbrella, wearing a hat, and covered by a blanket except for a small area on his face so he could get fresh air, yet he wound up with a vertical stripe on his face. He wasn't sunburned, you could just tell he got some sun in an unusual pattern. Joshua did get too much sun on his face (as did his mommy) and I felt terrible about it so I'm packing the sunscreen into the diaper bag for all future excursions. But really, a sunburn in February???

Valentine's Day

2011-02-13T21:06:00.057-06:00

So a lot has happened in February and I'm trying to play catch-up. I think the reality is that I'll never *really* catch-up but I will keep trying. So here are a few things my Joshua has been up to. We took him for a haircut over a week ago and it looks ok. The bangs are shorter than I like and I can't shake the feeling he looks like young Spock in the most recent Star Trek movie. Matt and I did try to teach him the Vulcan greeting "Live long and prosper" though it didn't make much of an impression on him. Joshua correctly picked the Packers to win the Super Bowl. We don't follow professional football so we didn't care who won. It was pretty cool that he started saying "Go Packers!" when we asked him who would win the SuperBowl, Packers or Steelers. He is officially 2 1/2 so here are my guy's stats:
Height: 34 1/2in 11th percentile
Weight: 27 lbs 17th percentile

Buzz Lightyear, Space Ranger

One last note about Joshua, his favorite phrase these days is "I do it by myself." Now this can be cute, annoying, time consuming, and impressive given the setting. I'm sure family will be quick to remind me he comes by it honest, or you reap what you sow, or ha ha ha - you've earned this, so I won't complain. I'm just trying not to show frustration and add an extra 30 min to whatever activity I'm planning.

This has been a rough week for the Chathams. Daddy, Noah, and Mommy were all sick and went to the doctor at various times. And Joshua has been questionable, but at present seems ok. Noah had his first ear infection, a sinus infection, and wheezing. He's miserable, but the breathing treatments seem to make him feel better or at least wear him out so he'll sleep. One funny surprise was that the nebulizer is shaped like a panda. The nurse told me "I'll bet you didn't realize you'd be going home with a pet today."

The church had a Valentine's Dinner and silent auction to raise money for the Ecuador Mission Team. We had a great time at the event which also included baby sitting and we went home with 3 of the items we bid on: a spa certificate, a sonic toothbrush, and a rotate & balance tires certificate. It was fun to get dressed up and spend time together. Yea for Date Nights!

Pre Hair cut but awfully cute!

Lastly after church we went out to lunch. On the way Joshua said "Mommy, you an octagon." And he said it with such confidence. Now I'm not really sure what he means - do I look like an octagon? is my head as big as a stop sign? But I do know one thing, his favorite shape is an octagon so maybe that was his special way of saying I'm his favorite.

Joshua blessing

2011-02-05T16:24:00.003-06:00

Knock, knock...

2011-02-01T20:06:00.018-06:00

A couple Joshua stories:

Joshua knows one “joke” which he likes to repeat over and over. It goes like this:

J: Knock Knock (and he knocks on as imaginary door)

Me: Who’s there?

J: Joshua

Me: Joshua who?

J: Joshua Chatham ha,ha,ha,ha…

Oh and he will say “Knock, Knock…” over and over getting louder until you acknowledge him so the joke can continue.

Joshua still likes talking about Buddy Elf from the Christmas movie Elf. This morning he kept saying he wanted waffles with syrup for breakfast. Well there is no way I’m letting him eat syrup in the car so I just told him he could have waffles with syrup and bacon. As we were driving down the road he started asking for syrup saying “There not syrup on my waffle. I want waffle *with* syrup.” So I talked up eating his waffle with pretend syrup and went so far as to hand it back to him and he poured it on his waffle. I told him to take a big bite which he did and then said “I not taste it. I not like pretend syrup.” He eventually ate his waffle and bacon sans the syrup.

One last story, recently Joshua was watching Toy Story 2 and got really upset when the other toys started chasing Buzz. We turned the movie off and daddy consoled Joshua but he keeps bringing it up. As J was getting ready for bed last night he told me “I not like Toy Story 2. They chase Buzz. It makes me cry. I not like that.” Matt and I are hoping he forgets about it and we’ll watch it together later. We’re not talking about it in front of him but he is.

One last important note. We recently took Noah for some professional pictures. The link is on the right side of the page. Check out my handsome boy as well as some pics of some brotherly love.

5 months old

2011-01-24T21:35:00.056-06:00

Noah is 5 months old! I'll be honest, time seems to be passing by so much faster with two boys as opposed to when I had one. It seems like Noah just turned 4 months so how can he be 5 months old? He's doing new and exciting things all the time and so is Joshua which makes it harder to keep up with both, but I'll try my best. Noah had a new first on the 22nd. He said "mama." Now I know he doesn't know what it means, but it still makes a mommy smile. He said it in the evening and before I reacted I looked at Matt and said "Did you just hear that?" He sighed and agreed, then playfully accused me of coaching. Regardless we were both proud of our little man. He also makes other sounds as he is learning to expand his vocals. He is starting to drool and chew on everything which may mean teeth are just around the corner. This means I'll also have to step up my "Please don't be a biter" prayers. ;) Noah is proud of his rolling over skills. He does that all the time. He also can spin 360 degrees on his tummy to reach for toys. He is a strong boy! Joshua got upset at him the other day because he spun around on his tummy and grabbed a puzzle piece. In Noah's defense, it took him 20 minutes to maneuver and twist and actually grab the piece so it shouldn't have come as a surprise to Joshua, but Joshua was still put off by it.

Some Joshua tidbits. His favorite shape is the octagon. It has been for some time. I'm not sure why that is. He likes to say "Oc - Oc - Octagon!" His favorite books right now are Goodnight Moon, A Seasame Street Lift-the-Flap book, and Alabama 101. He has these memorized and "reads" them to us frequently. He has several memorized that he likes to read to us. Right now he likes to ask you "What is that?" Then we reply "I don't know. What is that, Joshua?" Then he'll answer. He knows what it is the whole time, but he really wants you to ask him. It's hard to name his favorite songs because he sings everything! At daycare I've been told his favorite song is "Do you know the Muffin Man?" At home and in the car he's been singing the Alabama fight song "Yea Alabama" as well as the Alma Mater. Impressive since I know college students and alumni who can't do that! He also likes singing Elmo's theme song. His favorite shows are Veggie Tales, Super Why, Toy Story, and Shrek.

Notice the stick in my hand...

One last Joshua story. Matt was outside with Joshua and J saw one of the dogs walking around with a stick in his mouth. Joshua asked why the dog was carrying a stick in his mouth. Matt explained that dogs don't have hands like Joshua does so the only way they can carry things is with their mouth. Matt continued taking pictures and playing with the dogs and moments later when he looked at Joshua he saw Joshua with a ball in both hands and a stick in his mouth. Matt wished he'd taken a picture of this but his parental instincts jumped in first and he told Joshua to get that stick out of his mouth. He did get a picture right before the incident as the picture above shows J with a stick in his hand. It's cute, though. You never know where their questions will lead.

New Skills

2011-01-14T18:03:00.020-06:00

Drum roll please!!!!! Noah rolled over for the first time on Jan. 9th! We are so proud of him! He is growing, growing, growing all the time! He's such a pro now that he does it all the time. In fact his preferred sleeping position is now on his tummy, sucking his thumb. So cute!

Joshua has also been busy learning new skills. He recently mastered opening doors and climbing up into our bed (it's tall)! We are in trouble! His boundaries keep getting smaller and smaller.

Joshua has a new trick which we will try to capture on camera this weekend if we can slyly do it. He likes to “read” books to himself, sometimes out loud. Recently he was reading the “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see?” book only he kept peeking ahead then closing the page so he could read it. It’s so cute!! It goes something like this:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you see? I see a…

[peek at the next page then close it]

Red Bird looking at me.

[Turn page.]

Red Bird, Red Bird, what do you see? I see a…

[peek at the next page then close it]

Joshua stories

2011-01-07T18:46:00.008-06:00

A couple Joshua stories:

Joshua has gotten used to sleeping in bed with big people over the holidays which means we are retraining him to sleep in his room. On Monday morning he woke up in our bed (~5:30) after I changed Noah and was about to feed him. He sleepily said “Mommy I need Buzz and Woody,” because he had left them in his room when he joined us around 2AM. I said “Okay, I’m going to feed Noah then we can go get Buzz and Woody.” To which he replied “No Mommy. I NEED Buzz and Woody…right now.” He said it ever so sweetly and earnestly that I had to go get them.

On Sunday night, Joshua was stalling about going to bed and kept asking for one more kiss, then one more hug, then one more drink, etc. and we’d give him one more and then send him back to his room. His last attempt, which I thought was fairly creative went like this. We heard his door slam (because he doesn’t know how to gently close doors), then he ran to our room carrying his night-night pillow and a big grin, and said “Door is shut now. It not open. I sleep in here.” I don’t remember if we sent him back to his room or not after that, but I do know he eventually wound up in our bed, along with Buzz and Woody.

Brotherly love

Mommy and Daddy story:
Mommy and Daddy have been having a lot of fun with Joshua's Mr. Potato Head. It started out with Mommy hiding Mr. Potato Head's eyes so they were peeping out from under Daddy's pillow. It surprised a tired daddy. Next thing I knew, the eyes were hiding under the loofah in the shower. This has escalated and those eyes are popping up everywhere. We should probably thank Joshua for sharing his toys with us.

4 months old

2011-01-03T16:31:00.003-06:00

Noah is 4 months old and I took him for his well baby checkup. Here are my happy boy's stats:

Length - 27in, 95th perecntile
Weight - 17lbs 4.2oz, 90th percentile
Needless to say, he's a big boy, about the size of a 6-7 month old. He's even wearing size 3 diapers now. He had 3 vaccines, one oral - which he must have thought was yummy, because he did not miss a drop. He had two shots and got all red in the face, but I picked him up immediately and he recovered without actually crying. Noah did show off his tricks - smiling, "talking", clasping his hands together, grabbing his feet. The dr repeatedly remarked what a happy boy he is. He truly is a good-natured little boy! Noah is so close to rolling over. He gets on his side and uses his arms to stop. He's also cooing and "talking" to us. Sometimes in the car Joshua will translate and say "Noah says 'Watch Toy Story on big TV.'" when he wants to watch a movie at home. Noah is a beautiful, smiley, bald little boy!

I must say that Joshua was in rare form. He was quiet the whole time but very busy. First he decided to be a frog and hopped on his hands and knees saying "ribbit, ribbit" to and from the exam room when Noah was weighed. I was cringing at the germs that would be all over a doctor's office floor, but what can you do. At some point he stood up in a chair (which none of the adults noticed), got my phone out of my purse, sat down in a chair and started a search on google. I took the phone away and he started circling through and around one of my legs which he is really a little too tall to easily do anymore. Later he was hanging on my legs partially upside down smiling at the doctor who said "Joshua, is that comfortable? I don't think I could do that."

I did tell the dr about Joshua getting an ear infection and also about how we gave him the prescribed decongestant and J freaked out for hours. Poor guy was hysterical, kicking, bucking, rolling on the floor - absolutely miserable. Dr. Hensley said he would have never prescribed it and to throw it away. Mommy and Daddy learned he is too young for a decongestant. Then the dr had to bribe him with a sticker to look in his ears which looked fine. He spent the rest of the visit quietly opening and closing the door. When the dr and med student left he followed them out and headed for the waiting room (Noah still had to get his shots) so the dr grabbed his hand and led him back to the room "Let's wait for mommy to leave, okay?" I can't really complain because despite being busy he was quiet and would sit in the chair when I asked him to, he would just climb back down seconds later looking for something to do.

Joshua reading Good Night Moon.

Chatham Smith Christmas

2010-12-30T12:00:00.003-06:00

It would not be the holidays without getting together with our good friends the Smiths. Titus and Alice exchanged gifts with Joshua and Noah. Joshua wasn't feeling well and the Smiths were on a tight schedule so it was a short visit but still a good one. Audrey noted that we have doubled in children since last year. Hopefully that won't happen by next Christmas! Happy New Year!

A little Just Dance 2 fun with the twins.

OK, here is one last picture from Christmas. Joshua absolutely loved the Buzz Lightyear that Grandma and Grandpa gave him. Here he is just after we finished opening all the presents and were getting dressed to go to Maw-Maw's house. Look at how lovingly he holds his new friend.

Merry Christmas, Part 3

2010-12-28T21:29:00.057-06:00

Christmas morning 2010

This is the final installment of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Santa came to visit at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Christmas started out interesting because in keeping with Joshua's tradition about major holidays, he was sick. If you'll recall, the day before we left, he got pinkeye, then during the middle of the night he spiked a fever and had ear drainage from an ear infection. This turned into some excitement which will be shared in another post. Anyway Noah woke up early (as well as during the night) on Christmas while a puny Joshua slept in. This meant that Noah slept through most of the opening of presents, but Joshua being the good big brother that he is, opened most of Noah's presents for him. We all had a great time. And it snowed the whole time we were opening presents. Joshua took turns sitting in everyone's lap and giving out kisses. Joshua's favorite presents were a Buzz Lightyear that Grandma and Grandpa gave him and a Woody doll that Maw-Maw gave him. Noah liked everything, especially the crinkly tissue paper that came with gifts.

Noah totally unaware of what's going on

Helmet! Helmet!

It Buzz Lightyear!

I'm awake!

The boys with Grandpa

You can barely see Noah all bundled up in these pictures, but I do like that he looks like he's saying "Are you kidding me? Get me inside where it's warm!" Also I should note that we only posed with the Snowman for the pictures. I didn't let Joshua (nor was he interested) play in the snow given the fever and ear infection. (What a mean mommy. When did I get to be so old?) Also We questioned our judgment as we drove to Maw-Maw's house in Oneonta because of the slick roads, but thankfully all was well. We ate a yummy Christmas lunch and visited with extended family. Overall this was a perfect Christmas. We feel blessed to be surrounded by such loving family. Merry Christmas!

White Christmas

I just keep adding to this post. So many cute things happened over Christmas. I have to show the picture of Noah with Grandottie and the stocking she made for him.

Lastly, I love the picture of the boys with Granddaddy, mostly because it captured the suspended M&Ms. A split second later they were everywhere! Fun memories!

Merry Christmas, Part 2

2010-12-28T17:30:00.054-06:00

We celebrated Christmas with the Chatham-Nelson-Tilton Clan at Uncle Jesse and Aunt Dana's house on Christmas Eve. All the cousins were so excited and couldn't wait to open presents. Being the grown-ups that we are we made the kiddos wait and eat lunch before the festivities could begin. We had a lot of fun and wrapping paper was everywhere! We were also excited to see the stocking that Grandottie made for Noah. Like the rest of our family's stockings it was decorated with a non-naked bear. ;) It was also great to visit with everyone and to have all the cousins together.

"Help Mommy. This is wrapped pretty good."

Here are our group poses. Special thanks to Uncle Jason for blocking the light from the blinds so we wern't striped (like he is)!

The "other" Chathams, aka the Chatham 5

The Chatham Family

The Tilton Family

Grandottie and JerryPop with the grandkids

Afterwards we went to church with mommy's family and then to a Christmas party at the Garrett's. Joshua had a great time playing with and following "the girls." One of the girls brought her fiddle and played Christmas songs. Joshua clapped when she played and kept saying "my turn" and reaching for the instrument. He also sang Christmas carols with the "big kids" and was really happy to be included. Later we went home and dressed in our Christmas pajamas to get ready for Santa's visit.

Merry Christmas, Part 1

2010-12-28T16:02:00.020-06:00

We had a wonderful Christmas this year!! It snowed all day on Christmas and also the day after giving us our first White Christmas. It was magical for all! Mommy and the boys drove up on Tuesday and visited with lots of family and friends. Daddy and the fuzzy brothers came up a few days later. Granddaddy was kind enough to keep our doggies at his house while the rest of the Chathams were at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Ridley has been a sick doggie and we hope he gets better. Here are a few pictures from a party at Aunts Celeste and Elaine's house.

Joshua is Joshua practicing for Christmas morning.

Here is Noah trying to open a present. Such focus!

Noah's First Illness

2010-12-20T16:49:00.050-06:00

It has been an interesting few days. Noah had his first illness. Poor baby! He's had a runny nose for a couple weeks and started coughing so we took him to the dr on Thursday and got some medicine. Of course he never actually coughed for the dr, but smiled and looked cute. Also I found out he now weighs 16lbs 8 oz. Joshua was a very good boy sitting in the guest chair and reading books. He was so good that he was given a sticker.

Then around 5pm on Friday afternoon, Joshua got pinkeye. (I noted the time because that is when the doctor's office closes.) Anyway he suffered through the weekend with the nasty, goopy eyes so I called the dr's office to get an appointment first thing Monday morning and instead they called in some drops. Yea! I really need to get the boys to start synchronizing their illnesses so we can make better use of our time. ;)

Mommy and her boys

Now for the cute stuff...
* We were in the car listening to Christmas music and "What Child is This" came on the radio. Joshua misunderstood the words and started singing "What Time is it?" Matt and I had a good laugh over that.
* I recently got my hair cut and styled differently. When I came home Joshua told me "Mommy, you pretty like Tinkerbell." It just melted my heart. Also special props go to daddy for the minor coaching involved in getting him to compliment his mommy.
* Joshua was not feeling well over the weekend, but was still getting into the Christmas spirit when we went up to his daddy and said "Ho! Ho! Hold me!"
* Joshua LOVES singing and has the following songs in his play list "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," "Jingle Bells," "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer" as well as some songs on our Veggie Tales Christmas cd.
* Both boys had classroom parties at their play school and I have photographic evidence that both were smiley for Santa. Joshua appears to have been bribed with a ball, but he was still happy to be there.

We are hitting the road tomorrow to spend the holidays with family in Birmingham and Huntsville. Merry Christmas from the Chathams!!

Joshua Laughing

2010-12-16T18:32:00.004-06:00

Santa, Take 2

2010-12-13T22:13:00.020-06:00

Every year our photographer has a Santa shoot at a couple local businesses. The set and Santa are really nice so it is a favorite of mine to visit. I thought that since the Santa picture at work went over pretty well, that we could try for our "nice Santa" pictures. We got up Saturday morning to bathe the boys and dress them in their dressy Christmas clothes. We have really been talking up the jolly fat man (Joshua is sooo cute! If you ask him what Santa says, he'll respond "Ho Ho Ho! Merry Christmas!") and I thought Joshua would be excited, until we got there. He was super clingy and not happy. Joshua cried and squirmed to get away. Noah was okay with everything until his head bobbed the third time (Santa must have thought he was older or had better head control). Then he too was "done" and started screaming. We took the picture and were left with two crying boys, one of which appears to be wearing hot pants due to his escape efforts. Oh well, maybe next year...

Santa, Potty Training, and more

2010-12-08T18:37:00.013-06:00

I am excited that Christmas is just around the corner. Plant Crist had a Christmas Party recently. We were excited that both Joshua and Noah were okay with Santa. I say this because they sat in his lap, though Joshua was looking a little anxious. However my other theory is that perhaps Santa was just the lesser of two "evils." You see, Ronald McDonald was there in full gear which even creeped me out a little. He approached us while we were in the Santa line and asked to hold Noah. Joshua clung to daddy and ultimately gave Ronald McD a high five. I think he may have been relieved that the clown left which made Santa a good guy.

Joshua enjoys turning the Christmas tree on in the morning, and when we come home from school, and then turning it off at night. He also enjoys counting the ornaments and touching them. He still takes them off the tree and puts them back on. He keeps biting the plastic gingerbread man like it will turn into a cookie. We tell him not to eat the ornaments and he says "Ohhh," like it's the first time he's ever heard that.

Quality time with Daddy

Here's a funny Joshua story. I was told that Joshua has had success with potty training at day care the past few days so when I picked him up I said "Mommy is so proud of you! Did you have a good potty day?" He answered "Yeah, I not fall in!" I guess that's a bigger deal than actually using the potty.

Noah is as cute as ever, though he is wearing his mommy out with his lack of sleeping at night. I have been dragging at work. Hopefully it will get better. All the while Noah remains a dedicated right-handed thumb sucker.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-29T17:57:00.015-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving! We went to Birmingham for the holidays. The boys rode up with mommy and their fuzzy brothers (Hardy and Ridley) rode with daddy. We stayed at Granddaddy’s house and had Thanksgiving lunch at Granny’s house (with mommy’s family) in Oneonta and Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Dana’s house (with daddy’s family) in Helena. Everything was wonderful! We enjoyed getting to visit with family. Noah got to meet extended family at these gatherings. In keeping with his holiday tradition, Joshua got sick Thanksgiving morning, but felt better by the afternoon. And being the generous boy that he is, he shared with his mommy who got sick the next day and missed the second half of the Iron Bowl. Of course, given the outcome, I’d say I got to watch the best part. The boys also got to see their cousins, the Green family, who were staying at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. While I missed out on the Black Friday shopping, I did get to do some shopping on Saturday with one of my sisters, which was fun. Also Grandma cooked a yummy lunch on Saturday which we enjoyed. Then we stayed at Aunts Celeste and Elaine’s house for our last night in town. I enjoyed spending time with everyone… and all the help with the diapers!

Noah is all smiles in his picture but he had a raised rash show up all over his body (even on his eyelids) over the weekend. I had been lotioning him with Aveeno baby crème which we have always used on Joshua’s skin. It didn’t seem to help, in felt Noah acted like it stung him. I took him to the doctor’s office and they said it was eczema. Joshua also has eczema, but his is really, really mild compared to this- in fact, it doesn’t even look similar. I have started lotioning him with Aquaphor ointment and otc cortisone crème so hopefully he’ll be feeling better soon. There is nothing worse than a pitiful baby.