Photos - no crying, screaming, yelling

Finally!

A photo shoot where my kid smiled.

I may or may not have threatened him like crazy.

Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.

But he cooperated.

And I even had to jam his feet into size 7 shoes since his regular shoes have holes in them.

Photo shop just can't fix everything.

And I do believe this was the first photo shoot in 3 years where no one was crying.

Crazy, huh?

Maybe we should stop while we are ahead (or not ahead, depending on the day).

Anyway, that is totally not the point here.

So he cooperated.

And Jeremy didn't have his eyes closed.

And my hair wasn't sicking out or up in any crazy way.

And, we only broke one ornament the whole time we were there. 

Sometimes you just have to celebrate the small victories.

And just ignore the fact that I never got around to Christmas cards this year.

 Merry Christmas from our crazy family to yours.  

:)

7 Falls

We got an opportunity to take a Christmas Eve hike.

Daycare was open for a few hours, so we decided to check out one of the higher rated Tucson hikes.

It was about 6.5 miles total, but not pretty flat.

The scenery was amazing.

It was just so expansive!  

At the turn around point of "seven falls" was literally seven falls. (surprise, huh?)

Cascading one into the next into the next, forming these big pools.

It was totally worth the walk.

And of course I had to take my picture with a big saguaro.  :)

It was also crazy to me how many adventurous Arizonians there are.

All kinds of people...young, old, fit, not-fit, runners, kids...you name it.

Anyway, here are a few pics. 

What a great way to spend Christmas Eve!

Memorial

This post is very different from my normal blog post.
But it is something that has been heavy on my/our hearts over the past few days.

We didn't know Captain Willian DeBois.
He was an f16 pilot.
A very good one from what we have read.
He was killed December 1st when his f16 crashed overseas.

He was friends of our friends.
It could have been them.
We were very worried it was when we heard.

He was a newlywed (2 months).
He was 30.
He had a lab puppy.
He was so obviously loved by many friends and family.
I'm sure it will be a challenging holiday week for them.

Though we didn't know him, we are so grateful for his sacrifice.
So glad so many people were able to come out to honor his life.
Here is a video clip of his service.  It's very much worth watching.

http://vimeo.com/114527403

Watch Love

Turns out I'm a watch person.
I have never, in 31 years worn a watch.
I've tried several times to wear one.
I've even owned one or two that I never really wore.

But officially, I'm converted.

The day before our cruise, I bought a watch from target for $15.
Ships don't have many clocks, and I'm just the kind of person who likes to know what time it is.
That way I can know how close it is to dinner, and why I'm not even remotely hungry.
Just kidding, that was because I was busy stuffing my face.

I also like to know what time it is in the middle of the night.
I know it doesn't change anything, but I like to know how much time I have left to sleep.
Does anyone feel me on that one??

So I bought the watch and loved it the entire cruise.
So much easier than pulling my cell phone out.

But 10 days later, the time was off.
Then the light stopped working
So I returned that sucker (sooooo thankful I saved the receipt)

And the same day times watches went on sale on amazon
So I got an ironman watch for $12.
And I haven't taken it off since.
Except to sleep.   And to shower (though it is waterproof, I don't want to risk my $12)

I use it all the time.

To tell time.  Obviously
To set a count down timer for my kids at work.
Think "1 minute left in the ball pit!   Ten, nine, eight".
Beep beep beep
"GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT".
Just kidding.
I use it for my own kiddo at home.
And to figure out what the date is.

Anyway, this is a looooong post to say, if you don't wear a watch, you should try it.
You might like it.
And it's pretty addicting.

Snow and Santa

Snow is a hot commodity here.

Literally.

So we took full advantage of the snow day.

And here are a few (rather rough) pictures to prove it.

Love free stuff.

The base really did a wonderful job of putting on this event...everything from a live nativity (the sheep were amazingly soft!) to huge piles of snow, inflatable bouncy castles, slides, santa, santa's workshop, etc.

We haven't really talked about santa too much.

However apparently our little man has been thinking about it.

Yesterday he asked me how santa was going to get in if we don't have a chimney. 

uhhhhh........

And a full discussion about how if he ever saw santa he would run away and hide until santa left.

oh boy.

I'm not really sure how to respond to this.

I'm just making it up as I go along.

t minus 5 days until Noah meets the big man in red.

:)

Should be fun.  For all.

Sick weekend

I had a pretty bad weekend.
Normally I wouldn't complain because a weekend is a weekend.
But this one was pretty bad.

I didn't feel quite right on Friday night.
I had some stomach pain, but couldn't quite put my finger on what was wrong.
But I woke up 5:00 Saturday morning...and it wasn't good.
Stomach pain, cramping and nausea.
By 7:00 I was puking.
Then it started coming out the other end.
And didn't stop until about 3 am.
Almost 20 hours later.
I'll spare you the details, which is not something I normally do. ;)
But it was bad.  Real bad.
Like lying on the floor/bed/couch moaning.

And so we let Noah watch tv all day.
Which was actually his forth day in a row doing that since he has been quite sick and jeremy was out of town.
Go us.  We are awesome parents.

I woke up this morning feeling better.
Not all the way better, but no longer puking.
Though slightly hung over from the drugs I had taken the night before.

Jeremy loaded Noah up and the boys went off to the hanger.
Boy stuff.
And I headed off to RE BUY all of the Christmas gifts for some kids from work.
I ordered from kohls before Black Friday and the box never came.
Turn out it said "delivered" on 12/3.
So anyway, off I went to now pay full price and buy for the second time.
And I'm still trying to work things out with the usps and kohls.

So I took in line at Ross for 50 minutes.
But my chestnut praline latte helped considerably.  ;)
 And when I came home I got the bright idea to eat practically a entire box of mozzarella sticks
Ok, so it technically was the entire box.  But it was a relatively small box. ;)
Uhhhh.....for future reference, that is a really really bad idea.
Enough said.

So when things (like my stomach) calmed down, we made dinner (noooooone for me).
And I gave the kid a haircut.  Which he hated.
And dumped him in his bed promptly at 6:55.
Yeah me.

So that was our weekend.
Hope yours was better!

Another update

1.  I keep meaning to blog, I really do. Somehow it just never seems to happen.  Things like sleep, laundry and chocolate chip cookies seem to keep getting in the way.

2. I've been a crazy Etsy shopper.  I'm not a crafty person at all, which is ironic since most OTs tend to be creative and crafty.  The idea of crafting just gives me the shivers.  But, interestingly, I love yo look at and buy other peoples crafts.  So I bought a purse (scary, I know) and another DIY craft item, which I'll blog about later.   After measuring and measuring my current purse and pretty much every bag I have in the house I settled on one.  Jeremy is very glad to be done talking about it.

3. We won "parent of the year" on Friday (not really) when a series of miscommunications led me to drive Noah to school in an open top jeep in 45 degree weather. I don't know if it was actually 45 but it felt like it.  Also when I got there I remembered it was picture day, and there stands my kid in a scraggly dolphin t shift with ragged looking buzz cut and his teeth not brushed.  Oh well.  It will keep me from buying the over priced pictures right??

4. Speaking of pictures, we got a photographer on base to take a mini Christmas session (for $25!!!!). We should be getting the DVD this week, but I think they turned out pretty good.  Especially when you compare the session to last years scream-it-out-in-jcpenny-parking lot.   What a difference a year makes.  This year we just said "smile" and he did.  And there may or may not have been a lecture in the car along with a mysterious treat bag that also took the car trip with us.

5. Surprisingly, I'm somewhat on top of Christmas shopping this year.  As you may remember from my last post, it's not my favorite thing to do, but I do try to put a decent amount of effort into it.  I started early this year, and I have gotten some great deals along the way.   Jeremy and I (not really me at all) have been hard at work at Noah's play house.  He got a glance at it accidentally and said "I want to see that house" but we whisked him away and he totally forgot. It is not disassembled and sitting on the side of the house awaiting Christmas Eve.

6. Yesterday I used chalkboard paint for the first time.  I added a little chalkboard to the inside of Noah's playhouse. And for $3 in spray paint it was done.  I tried it out last night and it works quite well!!  I've always seen/heard of people using it and always wanted to.  Now I know!

7. We let Noah have a sleepover with two friends from the park.   She is a mom of three boys under 5 and she was the only other one crazy enough to go along with it.  Noah had a REALLY hard time sharing and getting along, but he did have fun.  And the boys keep asking their mother why they couldn't do 2,3 or 4 days.  ;). One is enough for this momma.

8. I read an article on why moms are always tired.  This article suggested that it is fatigue from always being in a state of "hyper vigilance". I could totally understand that (though obviously not at the level of some) but I'm definitely always tired despite getting a full nights sleep.  Anyone agree??

9. We have been enjoying some colder weather and Christmas decorations in the neighborhood.  Noah is spending a lot of time discussing why the decorations are "plugged out" during the day time and not at night.  He also likes to guess what a deflated decoration might be when it is blown up.  Tonight he wanted me to explain what elves are ("elbs" as he calls them).   It was quite a sight watching me stumble through that one.  Fortunately it was dark so no eye contact was required.

10.   Another thing Noah has wanted me to explain over and over and over is senerios of what is fair and what is not fair.   When we were out driving the other day, Noah asked me what a street was called and I told him.  To which he replied "that's not fair". Since he was using the statement totally out of context, I gave him a scenario of what wasn't fair (if daddy got 10 candies, and mommy got 10 candies and beagle got 10 candies and Riley got 10 candies, but Noah only got 2 candies, would that be fair or not fair???) .   And so on and so forth a million times a day.  I run out of scenarios, so if you have any suggestions, leave them in the comments.  I could sure use them.

Happy Monday. :)

Scrooge

I'm kind of a Scrooge.
I'll go ahead and admit it.
I like Christmas, I really do.
I'm so thankful for the birth of Jesus and I am so thankful to he able to celebrate.

It's just some of the extra stuff I can't stand.

Three years ago I decided to quit secret Santa.
And gift/ornament exchanges.
And white elephants.
And whatever you call that thing where you give secret gifts to someone for a week and then reveal.

It was the ornament exchange where I spent my time and money buying a nice ornament and I got a re gifted bride and groom ornament in return.
Crap I tell you, crap.
Yes, I wrote crap.  

And after that Christmas, I decided no matter how nice the group is, no matter how tempting the money limit is, no matter what potential gift I may or may not get in return,  I'M BOYCOTTING!

I'm just tired of getting crap.
It's not that I don't like the gift exchanges.
I do actually enjoy watching them.
And eating during them.
And watching everyone else get crap. ;)
And really, I've been much happier ever since.

And while I'm on that subject, I've never been big on decorating.
Last year I wrote a blog on how much I love take-the-tree-down day.
But this year, (and admittedly only 6 days in) I am actually enjoying the tree.
It's not really the tree I love, it's watching my child enjoy the tree.
And plug and unplug the lights, though I hold my breath for safety each time. ;)
And watching his pull something out of the advent pocket to hang up.
And eat the little chocolate (that seems to be his favorite part for some reason).
We will see how long the tree loving lasts.

Tonight Noah asked me if Santa was "coming to our house".
I hemmed and hawed and finally asked him what he thought about it.
And that was the end of that.
(Sigh of relief).
Hoping to buy myself another year or so on that question.

So Scrooge?  Maybe.
The girls at work got a good laugh out of it.
And the 21 day countdown till Christmas continues!

Remorse

It's been one of those weeks.    Maybe you can sympathize.  It's the kind of  week when something simple like "I can't reach my books" turns into an all out war.   That goes on and on and on.  With all kinds of discipline, including losing all of his books.   And it was the second one in three days.

So when (most) of the flames had been put out, jeremy and I lay in bed and wondered what the heck we were doing wrong. And if we were raising a future inmate.  Or worse.

And as we were scrambling, racking our brains for a plan, we saw a little body step into our room.

And he said "I didn't mean to have a tantrum".  And with all kinds of regretful tears running down his face, he said he was sorry. And he wanted to get a hug from both of us.

And then he confessed to "breaking" a Christmas decoration when in time out earlier (that we didn't even know about yet).  He said he was sorry and that he would fix it in the morning.   We asked him to show us what he had broken (which actually was just a stand that had fallen over and was not broken at all).  

And then he went back to bed and never even once asked for his books back.

And then...we had the slightest glimmer of hope for our child's future. :). That for once he has some insight and remorse on his own without prompting.    And that maybe just maybe, one day he will call his momma to announce that he had a son of his own....and I will do my best to stifle a looooooooong laugh.

Post Thanksgiving Update

1. I made these today.  After my recent obsession with pinterest (it's not really an obsession, just an interest.  After all I only have 38 pins). N is really into ninjas, so I thought these would be a perfect addition to our tree this year.  I'm super happy with them. ;)

2.  I got a tree from Ace hardware for $20. It's 6 foot, prelit, and I'm really hoping, a beauty.  I'm just kidding, I have seen it and it's fine.  Not perfect, but good.  

3. Last night, a friend and I unexpectedly went Black Friday shopping.  We went to only stop by Walgreens, but we decided to spin by Toys R Us too. I didn't buy anything, but I was shocked by how organized they were.  Zero lines!   I actually got a chance to stop by this morning again (the play dough I wanted was only on sale today) and again, organized and fast!   Amazing!   I didn't venture anywhere else, but I did a drive by of the mall.   No thanks. 

4. Noah has been spending a bit of time at the hanger with Jeremy.  Jeremy loads up Noah's toys and his bike and off they go!  ;). Win win. No, I'm kidding. It is nice to have some quiet time though and jeremy enjoys bonding with the little squirt. 

5. I worked Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday this week.   So I am enjoying 6 whole days off!!!  Yeah!   Love my job, but love spending time in my pajamas and glasses drinking coffee in the morning too.   ;)

6.  We had a wonderful thanksgiving in phoenix. We also had a great thanksgiving here, having lunch and spending time with friends.  We are sooooo thankful for this past year and a half living in AZ.   What a blessing. 

7. I've officially made it through the second week of the 8-week program for busy people.  It's very very different than the last one I completed.  In  a good way!   (Who doesn't love cutting back to 30 minutes for a workout?!). Love fitness blender!!

8.   I have about 5-6 pumpkins in the trunk of my car.....prepped and primed to be blasted into outer space. ;). We have pumpkins and we have guns.  Bring it on. 

9.  Jeremy and I had our 6th anniversary!  6 years, 3 moves 2 house sales, 1 crazy kiddo...and having fun every day. ;)

That's all tonight.  Happy Thanksgiving!!

What's happening

1.  Does anyone out there still blog or read blogs?   Not trying to get warm fuzzies, however I am curious if it is still worth it, after almost 6 years go keep up blogging?

2.  Noah had a rough morning.  He had a big tantrum around 6 am (over something small that escalated). He lost his show, which was pretty traumatic (for all, if you catch my drift).  Sometimes, though, if learning didn't talk place, correction didn't happen.   Thank you childwise. ;).  Hoping for a more smooth morning tomorrow.  He has promised me one!  ;)

3.  Did a really rough workout today.  http://www.fitnessblender.com/v/workout-detail/Butt-and-Thigh-Workout-with-Fat-Burning-HIIT-Cardio-At-Home-Legs-On-Fire-/kd/.  It's called "legs on fire". Ummmmm yes.

4. I begged Jeremy to go to the local Mongolian BBQ.  I've been thinking about it for weeks and I was so pumped.  MAJOR fail.   Yuck.   Didn't even take home leftovers. Guess you win some and lose some.

5.  Noah started calling me "mom". I am guessing he heard his cousins calling Aunt Amy "mom".  It's a little disturbing, I think. ;). Like my kid grew up over night!!!  Isn't he still my baby?!?

6.  Reality hits hard after cruising.  Nobody has cooked me a 4 course meal in a week and nobody made my bed or left chocolate!!   Boo.  When is the next cruise??

7.  We are celebrating Thanksgiving this weekend up in phoenix.   I'm super excited to stuff myself with turkey (and everything else).  Also hoping for a nice run with my dad (do stuffing yourself silly and running go together??). Hope you are up for it B!  ;)


2 work days down, 1 to go.  :).  Ready to snuggle with my little dude Saturday morning. ;)
Happy Thursday

Earning

Noah outgrew his Jake bike.

He was ready for the 12" bike.

I found one on the yard sale page for $10.  

It was in great condition and was Lightening McQueen (which he has never seen but is somewhat obsessed with).

So us being the sneaky, manipulative parents that we are, made a chart for him to earn his new bike.

You don't get anything around here for free.

It was important to us that it was a reward (kinds like a surprise) and not a bribe.

He got a happy face (with a nose- very important apparently) for doing something above any beyond everyday expectations.

For example a girl pushed him down at the park and he handled it right.

Smilie face.

Then with no repeatition, he cleaned up and organized his toys.

Smilie face.

Got a good report at school (not always typical).

Smilie face.

And so on.  

It took about 4 weeks.

And he finally earned it on Sunday.

And has been non stop ever since.

Guess he was pretty overdue for a bike that actually fit him.

Cause he can ride uphill now.

And go up and down curbs.

Less effort now that his tires are 2" bigger.

This morning I ran a mile while he biked next to me.

It wasn't perfect, but it was far from the painful stop-and-rest-every-two-houses we were doing on the old bike.

And even better, I scored a great nap time.

For two.

And, even better than that, I sold his old bike.

For $15.  

:)

The Move

And so the airplane moved to the hanger.

And I have a garage back. sort of  ;)

Well not really.  But at least there is more space in the garage anyway.

Yesterday was the big day.

The tow truck (or "car transponder" as Noah called it) pulled up around 8:30

And it was loaded by about 8:37.  ;)

These guys were good.  And very professional.

I took the pictures.

Actually the driver took pictures too. 

Seems like it is not an everyday load.

Anyway it was carefully and safely deposited at the hanger.

In great shape.

Ready for the next step and the last 100 or so hours of work.

Can't wait to see this thing up in the air!

Awana Attitude

A few pictures of my boy in his Awana vest.

Cause he is just so cute, even if his attitude is not so cute.

And even if his verse is "children obey your parents in the Lord".  

But anyway don't ask what he is wearing.

Its quite the combination.

And it is not what I put him that morning.

But the vest is cute anyway. 

And he sure enjoys going.

He had a stink attitude prior to Awana on Wednesday.

I told him to shape up or he wouldn't be allowed to go.

He said "but I want to go learn about Jesus"

Rough.

Guess we need to say an extra prayer or two for that attitude.  ;)

Updates

1. 3 days till cruise time.  Technically we don't leave till Monday, but Friday is my last day of work, and my last real day to get things done, so I'm counting down.  :).  Soooo many things I'm excited abut doing.  (Quiet dark room, reading, relaxing, movies under the stars)....sounds soooo good.

2. I saw a sign today that said "behind every great kid is a mom who is pretty sure she is screwing it up". So very true.

3.  We have had a few, uhhh, challenging days here.   It's weird cause my child will be sweet at pie one minute and screaming in anger and hate the next.  I have finally started banning him from the kitchen/living room during a tantrum.  It's mildly effective, but I'm open to suggestions. He is such a lover (kisses, hugs, up in my face, saying he loves me). But wow.  It sure can turn quickly!!  ;). Hoping for a quick turn around before we drop him off with Amy for 6 days (sorry Amy!!)

4. Recently I discovered pinterest.  Yes I know I'm like 4 years late, but better late than never.  What fun!  And it's totally mindless, so a great way to relax!!  I totally recommend it.

5.   Feeling excited about  thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I really didn't want any more toys for Noah, so jeremy and I decided to build a little outdoor play house for him. Actually I decided, and jeremy is going to build. That's closer to the truth. ;).   It will be fun for him to play house, ice cream stand, grill, library, whatever. :). He is gonna love it.

6. The airplane is just weeks away from moving to the hanger. It's only gonna take weeks because of our trip.  Really it's ready to go!  Huge progress has been made, and we are counting down till that thing is in the air.

7. Survivor is in full swing. For some reason our hulu is not recording it, so it is painful to watch it (and a million commercials) on the cbs ap.  But still such a good show.  We have watched every season since we started dating!

8. Speaking of dating, our 6th anniversary is coming up!  Hopefully we I'll be a little more with it this year than we were last year.   ;). With thanksgiving so close, it's a bit easy to forget!  Can't wait to celebrate 6 years with my bestest buddy. ;)

9. It's Tuesday night, the laundry is caught up the house is clean, the grocery shopping is done.  It's a good time to say good night!  Happy Tuesday!!

halloween

Halloween this year was fun.

I guess having a 3 year old who is really discovering things for the first time brings a whole new light.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are going to fun too.

On Halloween morning, Noah wasn't quite sure how it could be Halloween because the moon wasn't out.

I assured him it was possible.

He picked the car costume from his dress up.

I don't think he realized that he could have actually been anything.  

I think he thought he had to pick from his dress up.

Trust me, I didn't correct him.

I didn't really get into it too much. 

I'm glad I didn't though, cause thats really not where his enjoyment came from.

So we did three things.

First, we went to the chapel on base.  

They had trunk or treat, and Noah totally racked up on candy.

They had a dunk tank, and they were so gracious to let pretty much everyone dunk the guy.

They had games, and food and bouncy castles.

It was really a blast and N was so well behaved.

Then we went home and did a little trick or treating. 

Base housing is close together, so N got to knock on a lot of doors (most people were actually sitting outside with candy).

There were soooo many kids out and about.

Some of the decorations were a little scary, and Noah asked one lady why "is that guy in jail??" (some creepy zombie guy was behind a bar display).

She told it him it was because he didn't listen to his mommy.

That really stuck with him and we have talked about it several times today.

Lastly, we sat on our front porch and handed out candy.
Noah REALLY enjoyed this part (he told me it was his favorite part about the whole night)
He couldn't even wait for the kids to get to our yard.
He would hurry down the side walk in his socks stuffing candy into their bags (and he even stuffed it in someone's purse!)
He didn't want to put any M&Ms in the bags though because he said he was "saving the fast candy" (whatever that means??!?!)

Surprisingly, he really didn't even eat much candy!
I expected him to pack every bit of chocolate in that he could, but all he ate was one little bag of M&Ms and a lollipop.
We aren't even gonna talk about what the parents packed in. :)

So wonderful.

Since joining Awana, Noah has a weekly bible verse to memorize. 

It's pretty simple usually, maybe like "God loved us and sent His Son"

This week it is "I am wonderfully made". 

We go over it daily, sometimes twice a day. 

He's having a bit of trouble this week. 

I prompted him a bit. 

"I am....."

To which he finished off "I am sooooooooo wonderful". 

And clearly not so humble. 

Um, okay.  Totally not getting it. 

Guess we will work on that a bit more tomorrow. 

Toilet Paper Mystery

I'm not exact ally sure what happened.

I just know we had toilet paper on the roll before nap.

And after nap, I had an empty roll and a clogged toilet.

He said "sorry mommy, I didn't know"

Don't tell me he didn't know not to empty the roll into the toilet.

Probably while it flushed so he could watch it go down still attached.  

Ahhhh, oh well
At least he had fun.
And sometimes a boy's gotta learn by doing.
And it was sooooo hard not to laugh.

Little Geocacher

We have been geocaching almost every weekend since it cooled down a bit.

This little dude is getting the hang of it.

We have been out to this bike path twice. 

There are 12 caches there.

We got smart this time and packed the scooter.

Last time we were 2/3

Only 1/3 this time. (boo)

Geocaching in AZ is a lot different than back east.

You need to be alert for all kinds of critters when you are digging.

And bush whacking, though I'm not big on bush whacking myself.

This little guy likes it though, and has to be reminded on a minute to minute basis to kick things before he grabs them.

Definitely enjoying the outdoor activity though! 

Good to see that little body move!

Play date (?!?!?)

We had a play date this morning.
Normally I avoid them at all costs.
It usually turns into Noah fighting and me yelling.
Not good for new company.
That usually scares them away really fast.

I've been so busy the last few weeks/months that I have not really had a day home in a long time.
With nothing of the calendar.
So when I saw nothing to do, I got a bit nervous.
That can be a looooong day of nothing for me and him.

I got brave and invited a gal from the park and her two boys over.
The accepted.
And it was a total hit.

Only there was no hitting involved.
(Except two instances-one with a blow up hammer, and one with a toy car, both of which were diffused quickly).
It's so nice when kids click.
It's kind of interesting how some kids click and some kids don't.

But anyway, they did, and I really enjoyed the company of the mom.
And the little brother was just soooooo good.
I've never seen a baby so chill before.

So truth be told the play date wasn't as scary as I thought. ;)
And it turned out considerably better than I expected.
And I can't tell you how pleased I am with the whole thing.
It's such a great feeling when your kid gets along with the kid and you get along with the mom.

I'll update again at the next one (already planned!!!).

6:30 Snuggles

This boy is a snuggler.

I'm not, so its definitely been a learning experience for me.

This morning, I heard a little "mommy!" at 6:30.

I went it, mostly because its not typical (usually its "I WENT POOPY!!!")

When I went in and he said "mommy, can you lay with me?"

Why not.  Maybe I could close my eyes for a few more minutes.

Then he said "mommy can I lay next to you?"

Sure.  He is not always going to want to do that.

And then "Mommy can I tell you a story about a dog that was jumping around on the bed and then fell off, and it was soooooo funny?

uh....sure.

Visions of sleeping were rapidly diminishing at this point.

So then I took a deep breath and giggled at the story about the dog, and the several others that followed soon after.

Love this little kiddo.

And am cherishing every snuggle I can get.

Even at 6:30 in the morning.

Pumpkin Patch

We were a little hesitant.

We are in behavior boot camp again.

And the pumpkin patch is a 40 minute drive.

And $12 a person.

Including Noah.

But we went for it.

And it was so worth it.

The number of fun things they had to do went on and on and on:

a jumping pillow,

straw mountain,

train ride,

tractor ride to the pumpkin patch,

a petting zoo,

play areas,

a mini zip line.

It was insane.

This little dude had so much fun.

And so did we.

Some people were kind enough to help us get a family picture too!

So fun to watch your kid get the opportunity to experience these things!

Love it!

Sweet Snuggler

This old guy turns 13 in 4 days.

He has slowed down some, however he still has more than his fair share of spunk.

We found him like this lat week.

All snuggled up with Noah's stuffed animals.

Cozy as could be.

Wish I could have remembered this sweet sight when he woke me up this morning howling for breakfast.

After all, he is only so sweet.

Scavenger Hunt Fail

I was trying to get the kid a little structured exercise.

After all 30 minutes of structured exercise is recommended per day.

So we set out on scavenger hunt bike ride.

With the above list.

We reviewed it before hitting the road.

"Leaf, swing, lamb..."

Uhhh, lamb?

"Yup, see he has legs."

Um, okay.  I guess I could see that.

Except we would have to ride a lot more than 30 minutes to find one of them.

Back Float

WHAT?!?!?

Who is that kid??

Oh wait, he's mine.

And he is doing his very own back float.

Without help.

And his legs aren't perpendicular to the water.

And he isn't screaming (well he is in one of the pictures, but not all).

Who knew it was possible?!?!?