Cousins!

We went to Ohio to visit the cousins (and meet our newest nephew Ryan) over Memorial Day weekend.  I really wish we lived closer so we could see them more - the kids had so much fun together.  The weekend had a rocky start when we decided to leave at 2 am for the drive instead of right after work (due to a thunderstorm).  Would have been fine, except both kids woke up and stayed awake for the entire drive.  They were actually amazingly good all weekend considering that they had so little sleep that first night (thank you Jesus!)
Noah obviously understood and remembered his cousins, so he was super excited and had an amazing time.  Chloe tried her hardest to keep up with all the big kids too. 

Aunt Rachel and Grammie got to come too...

Chloe and Allison - such sweet girls:)

Noah and Luke.  Noah really looked up to Luke and had such a great time playing with him.  Luke even let Noah play with some of his Legos - it was really sweet. 

Swingset in the backyard - Win!

We just love sweet Ryan. Noah doted on him quite a bit...

What a bunch of cuties!

The gorwn-ups had fun playing too...

Noah loves his cousin...

And he had so much fun playing big boy games with Luke and Uncle Michael.

Chloe, Noah, Ryan, Luke and Allison

The drive home - these were some tuckered out kids. 

Easter

First thing Easter morning we gave Noah his new Bible and talked to him about what Easter really means.  He'll still tell you that it's about eggs and Easter baskets if you ask him though.  We're working on it...

Here are their Easter Baskets.  I hid them so we could focus on talking about Easter before the kids started eating chocolate.  One of the first things Noah will tell you about this day is that he got a vitamin in an egg.  He was so excited even though he gets a gummy vitamin every day - somehow it was just thrilling that he found it in his egg.  And yes.  I'm that mom.  They each got 3 eggs containing 1 M&M and 1 egg with a PB cup (but Matt didn't let Chloe eat hers).  Sorry, but more chocolate than that before 8am is just madness in my book.  (Plus I knew that Mimi and Papa would make sure they got plenty of sugar later in the day.)


Chloe liked the grass - until she got some in her mouth. 

All dressed up.  I wonder when Noah will stop freaking out if we try to take a family picture without him holding at least one car or truck...

I just love this picture.  Special time with Papa. 

Easter Baskets from Mimi and Papa!  And yes, there was plenty of chocolate (AND cotton candy which is still hidden away.)

Love this boy!  And he loves lollipops.

Quality time with Joanna:)

It's egg hunting time!  Noah got A LOT of eggs.  He was too busy collecting them for me to get a good picture.  This kid is serious about his candy...

Chloe got quite a few eggs too...

...such a sweetie!

Love love love that the kids get to spend holidays with their cousins (some of them anyway).  Can you believe how big Micah is getting?!

Noah is 3 - Photo Dump

 Monster Truck madness this birthday.

 

Lightning McQueen Carrot Cake.  Decorating cakes like this takes a LOT longer than I thought.  But it was worth it to see Noah so excited about his cake.  

 Party at Hillandale - the weather ended up being wonderful.  (Remind me next year to bring a broom - the park wasn't officially open yet and everything was D-I-R-T-Y.

 So glad for all Noah's friends that came out.  We love you all - thanks for coming!

 Noah likes the frosting best...

All pictures were taken before Noah fell off the table and hit his head on the pavement.  Praise God he was fine - pretty shaken up, but fine.  We pretty much celebrated his birthday for a week leading up to his party...and had leftover cupcakes for another week after that (Noah just had the frosting of course).  So fun to celebrate my sweet Noah's first three years - and the many many years to come. 

I have plenty Mommy...

Noah says the funniest things lately.  I know that I've forgotten plenty of funny things, but here are a few that I remember.

Noah pretending to sleep.

Just tonight at dinner Noah asked for some juice...
Me: "You can have milk or water."
Noah: "I'll have nilk."
Me: "Milk?"
Noah: "No, Nilk."
Me: "What's nilk?"

Noah: "It's sunshine." then he got a big grin on his face.

 *******

On the way to Mimi and Papa's for Easter, Noah was reading his new Bible we gave him.  He 'read' us a couple or stories - about Jesus healing the blind man and about the tomb being empty...then every time he turned another page he said (in a preachy voice), "And then God said, 'Build a marshmallow!'".  Every page he turned he said the same thing but with different items God was commanding us to build.  Build a towtruck, build a road, build an egg...etc.  Marshmallows came up several times - apparently God is a big fan.

Me: "Noah are you ready for breakfast?"
Noah comes running into the dining room," yes Mommy...don' take my socks off!"
Me:  "Okay Noah, I wasn't going to take your socks off...lets have breakfast."

*******

Noah likes to make up his own verses to "The Wheels on the Bus".
Matt's favorite is "The bottoms on the bus go toot, toot, toot."
My favorite is "The Daddy's on the bus say 'tiiiiiiiiiired'"(you have to hear it - so sweet)
Here are a few more from a recent car ride home (in the rain):
"The giraffes on the bus say 'I love you' - later they said "I love mommy" :)

"The trucks on the bus say "it's raining"
"Chloe on the bus is getting wet."

A couple of months ago Noah started complaining that his bottom hurts after we'd change his diaper.  Turns out that he was getting diaper wedgies...
Noah: "Mommy I have a wedgie.  It's okay, it's my fault."

*******

 Walking down the stairs one morning with Matt:
Noah:  "I have a wedgie.  I call it a wedge-ahhh."

Too busy playing to even look at the camera.

12/17/10 
Noah: "NO - Me no eat amimawls. Me eat food." (After Matt said that a picture of a chicken was like the chicken we ate for dinner).

Apparently making giant piles of toys in the most inconvenient places is really fun.

Still the sweetest...

Chloe is over 16 months now.  Insane.  She wants to do everything her brother does.  And she wants to do it NOW.  She loves sitting in the chairs.  She also loves climbing up and standing on them, so we've been keeping them on top of the table when they aren't in use...

Chloe also loves the coupe.  We are all so grateful for the warmer temperatures...the kids would probably be happy to live outside if they could. 

 

She also likes to help me cook.  Rather, to mess around in the fridge.  

She's still a picky eater, but she's doing better.  She loves tortellini and gets pretty upset when she runs out. 

The last Sunday in March we had a little accident.  Chloe hit her head on the coffee table.  It bled a lot and terrified me.  It stopped bleeding after a minute and she was done crying in two...so I knew she woudl be okay.  That first minute though...very scary.  Praise God she's fine and didn't even need stitches.  We took her to the hospital and they were able to use glue to hold the would closed.  It just fell off this weekend and looks great!  Below was the day after the accident. 

 

Every once in a while Chloe will let me put a ponytail in - so cute.  I usually turn on cartoons to distract her...

This is one little sister that can hold her own with her big brother.  They just adore eachother...but like all siblings, they have their disagreements.

Again...whatever big brother is doing is what Chloe wants to be doing.  And yes, that's a stick in her mouth.  Gross.

Three Years...

I've known this was coming for a while now.  But I'm still in a little bit of suspended reality here.  Noah is three years old today.  THREE!  Take a little look back with me.  I remember being so tired when Noah was finally born that I was in and out of sleep through the whole surgery.  I mostly slept.  I remember hearing him cry when he was out, and then when they held him next to my face, (my hands were shaking too much to hold him at that time - stupid epidural!) he stopped crying.  He just looked at me, the blurry blob that I probably was, and he was just quiet.  He started crying again when they took him to get cleaned up.  Since that day there have been many times that I've held my sweet boy and calmed his tears.  Many boo-boos kissed, many books read.  Many cars raced, many hugs, snuggles and kisses.  I wouldn't trade a single one of them - not for anything.  I'm so grateful to God for His miraculous creation.  For the sweet boy, the tender heart, and the contagious laugh.  I loved Noah when he was still in my belly...but it multiplied when I got to hold him in my arms.  It multiplies more every day.  Thank you thank you sweet Lord, for my sweet boy!

And a quick look back...he was always such a good sleeper.  Such an easy baby...

Noah at one - a mischief maker for sure.  

And at 2 - already such a loving big brother.

Noah my little man is 3.  And he's still such a joy every day! 

His party is next weekend, and if it hits me that day - I may cry a little.  Time is moving way too fast...

"Going to the store..."

This was Noah's game last night.  He said he was taking all his games to Target.  Since he started this at 7pm - we just left it there overnight...

This morning he started moving his "pile,"  He said he had to take them to the store.  He's currently putting everything back on the couch.  He won't tell me why...but he has added his books and the shoe basket and all it's contents to his "pile."

 

Noah is such a crack up lately.  He comes up with the craziest things to do sometimes.  Remember when I semi-bragged about how he wouldn't get out of his big boy bed in the morning?   Well, we finally convinced him (about 2 weeks ago) to get out of bed and come into our room to get us when he wakes up.  (He was screaming for us from his room and waking up Chloe previously).  So two days ago, Matt and I wake up to Noah turning the light on.  We're groggy, not really awake.  Suddenly, "Mommy, whas dis?  Mommy, is Handy Manny?  Mommy..."  Matt and I bolt up, "Noah no, get out of the closet!"  Uh oh.  He's discovered where I had hidden his birthday presents.  Sigh.  We did end up giving him a couple of pieces out of the box.  Manny and 3 tools.  I'm just glad he didn't see all the rest of the stuff in the closet as well.