A Halloween Party

With a mind of his own, Noah thoroughly enjoyed his first Halloween party. It was at the home of one of the mom's in my group, and it was backyard heaven.

I was hoping for a nap en route to the party, but I didn't get it. So, he was a little tired, but content to roam the backyard. He showed a particular interest in the playhouse and spent most of his time.

He did have his first experience in a bounce house.

And, he thought it was pretty fun.

He briefly checked out the trick or treat circle.

But, decided he preferred to watch from a distance.

Being the good Momma, I collected his goodies for him.

Exhausted and very unhappy about leaving the party.

What a Beautiful Day!

Today was a beautiful day here, and dare I say it, it felt like fall. Enough so that Noah and I both left the house in pants and long sleeve shirts. I thought Noah looked especially adorable in his new fall outfit. So grown up. I knew Daddy wouldn't want to miss out on the cuteness that was Noah today, so we stopped by for a quick visit this afternoon. How could I not share it with you too.

Goodbye Twenties

I started this post on the eve of my actual birthday. I was pretty ready to bemoan the passing of my twenties. It read.

I have felt it all week. Each day I crept closer and closer to the end. The end of my twenties. I am mourning the passing. 30. Ugh. It just sounds so... so... well, old. With an October birthday, I'm used to being younger. The last one to turn 18. Met with anticipation. The last one to turn 21. Met with even more anticipation, but now... sigh. I'm 30. I mean the stress of it all. It should be read slowly with just a hint of whine and a touch of exasperation, shoulders slumped and with deep sighs interjected occasionally for dramatic effect.

But, for some reason, I woke up on my birthday totally okay with the whole thing. I think mainly because when it comes down to it no amount of whining or complaining will bring back my twenties, and birthdays, at least for me, are always good, no matter what. So, with one foot in front of the other, I enjoyed my day with my family. Here is how it went.

On Friday night, Dean and I went on a date. A real one. We finally found a babysitter, and our birthdays were the perfect opportunity to put her to use. What a great evening! The restaurant was near the water, and the atmosphere was great. We shared a bottle of wine and dined on seafood risotto and filet mignon. Definitely a delicious treat. We had adult conversation with no sippy cups, no high chairs, no toys. Just Dean and I enjoying each other while Noah slept peacefully at home.

Yesterday morning, we all got dressed with Noah and Dean dressing out for game day.

We went over to the mall, so I could pick out my birthday gifts. Thanks guys for the new coat and Benefit cosmetics.

We had lunch at Chick-fil-A... Momma's choice.

While at the mall, we ran into some storm troopers, and Noah and Dean took a green screen picture with light sabers.

See Uncle PNut, LSU & Star Wars can go together.

In the afternoon, our friends Chuck, Jodie, and Billy came over to watch the game. Noah loved having a house full of people. He ran around the house chatting everyone up. When it was time to eat, he scooted to sit next to both Dean and I, and begged for scraps off our plates even though he had just finished eating his own meal. It was really cute. He had some trouble going down because of all the excitement.

After our guests left, Dean loaded up one of his birthday presents, Rock Band 2, and we played for a little while. What a great way to end my milestone birthday by totally fulfilling my dream of being a rock star. Happy birthday to me... and to my sweet husband too.

Goodnight Mom

I found this in the back of the November issue of Parenting magazine, and I just had to share. I can recite Goodnight Moon in my sleep, and this version is one I can definitely relate.

Goodnight Mom (with apologies to Margaret Wise Brown)

In the messy green family room
There was a telemarketer ringing the telephone
And a crying toddler because his brother
just popped his red balloon
And a picture of -

The cow jumping over the moon
(which someone colored on with permanent marker)
And there was a missing teddy bear,
and a girl with gum in her hair

And one to be scolded
And laundry to be folded
And a very hungry spouse
And something stinky in the house
(that no one else seemed to smell)

And a comb and a brush and a colicky
baby who just won't shush
And a frazzled mommy screaming #*%#@

Goodnight messy room
Goodnight scribbled-on moon
Goodnight cow getting out while she can
Goodnight telemarketers and the
popped balloon

Goodnight long-gone teddy bear
Goodnight cereal bar smeared all
over the dining room chair

Goodnight spitup
And goodnight leaky sippy cup
Goodnight much-too-little house and
goodnight grumpy spouse
Goodnight comb and goodnight brush
And goodnight to a certain 4-year old
who just needs to hush right now I mean it

Goodnight Elmo
Goodnight toys we'll pick up tomorrow,
or the next day
Hello chardonnay and TiVo-
"me" time finally -Sarah Jio

The Pumpkin Patch

Yesterday, my mom's group had a playdate at the pumpkin patch. Well, technically, it was a little farm that puts out pumpkins for the fall. It was a cute place with a red barn, a butterfly garden, and lots of farm animals.

Bails of hay were stacked up and covered with pumpkins. It made a perfect backdrop for a fall photo-op. Well, perfect for the little ones who had time to sit still for those shenanigans. Noah was not one of those little ones.

Noah much preferred running around the pumpkin display. Luckily, the farm had lots of open space for Noah to run and lots of leaves and sticks for Noah to pick up.

He was very interested in the animal petting area. He thought the duck was particularly funny and laughed at him from outside the fence. Sorry, Mister No. Maybe one day Daddy will take you to pet the animals because Momma is so not particpating.

Meeting Mickey and Minnie

During our visit to Mickey's ToonTown Fair, we waited in line to meet Mickey and Minnie. Noah is a big fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and I think it was like meeting his idol.

His first look at Mickey and Minnie.

Excuse me, nice lady with the camera. Is this really happening?

Although it looks like Noah is tentatively touching Mickey's hand, he is actually about to grab Mickey's nose and shove it away from him.

Momma, hold me please.

The Magic Kingdom

Noah's first trip to Walt Disney World, and what did we do? Well, first we remembered that we forgot that Disney World is always crowded, especially on a Saturday. Secondly, we remembered that we forgot that the lines are always long, especially in Fantasyland. Thirdly, we received a crash course in the rules of Fast Pass in that you can only have one at a time. And, finally, we discovered that little boys who are in desperate need of a nap will uncharacteristically take said nap in their stroller. Now for our our trip in pictures. Let's begin.

Driving into the Magic Kingdom. We are all very excited about our adventure. Although Noah is sleeping, I have no doubt that his dreams are filled with Mickey Mouse.

It's a Small World. I am not really sure whether Noah loved it or hated it. He kept this expression of total awe (or shock) the entire ride.

The Mad Tea Party (aka the Teacups). Same expression. Different ride.

Pooh's Playful Spot. Plenty of fun at the Hundred Acre Wood. Noah was immediately drawn to the splash pad. Luckily, we stopped him from getting totally soaked.

Walking the Magic Kingdom with Daddy.

Dumbo The Flying Elephant. A popular ride, Noah and I decided to give Dumbo a try while he was grounded. Check. Off the list.

Getting sleepy. After an afternoon spent in Fantasyland, which also included the Winnie the Pooh ride and Mickey's Philharmagic 3-D show, Noah was exhausted.

Time for a nap. Noah slept for about an hour, while Dean and I strolled through Tomorrowland. Adventureland, and Frontierland.

Here is our Disney picture outside Cinderella's castle. We were headed out the park, and it had started to rain... hence the dreary sky and our bedraggled appearance.

A Mickey Mouse balloon. We kept our eyes peeled for the balloon man all day, and finally, we found him on our way out. Noah loves his balloon, and two days later, it still shows no sign of deflating.

Guess Where?

Noah had his first Disney experience this weekend. Orlando is just a 4-hour drive from Miami. We left Friday after Dean got off of work, and we spent all day Saturday at the Magic Kingdom. The weekend was fun, although lacking in sleep. I'm off to catch up on mine. Tune in tomorrow for more pictures.

The Running Man

Have I mentioned that Noah is pretty active? A lot of my shots of him come out blurry, because he is so active. I decided to try out a new camera setting. The action setting. Or what I like to call... the running man.

Today our mom's group had a playdate at a splash park near our house. We have been to this park several times, and Noah always has a blast. Today was no exception. I did get some great shots using the running man, but a few times believe or not, the water was quicker than Noah or was it because Noah was quicker than the water. Hmmm.

Hey Momma! Think you can catch me?

I'm too fast for you.

Peekaboo.

Oh no. You caught me.

I totally let you win.

Extra Wide

Back in July, I bought Noah his very first pair of real shoes. Two first pairs to be exact. Both from Stride Rite. One a sandal and the other a sneaker. Living in Florida, the sandals have been put to good use, but with upcoming travel and some sort of fall weather to arrive at any moment, I decided it was time try out the sneakers. With socks on, I tried to slip on Noah's brand new pair of shoes, and... they didn't fit.

What an aggravation because of course, I didn't have the receipt. Of course, I threw away the box. And of course, he never wore them, except for one day in the house, so I could she how they looked.

So on Grammy's suggestion, Noah and I toted his over 90 days old purchase stuffed in an old Target bag back to Stride Rite. And, I have to say that for all the complaining I have done about the lack of friendly service here, the lady was extremely nice and helpful. She measured Noah's foot and exchanged the old pair for a new one in the correct size at no charge. Noah's foot had only grown about 1/2 size length wise, but my poor sweet boy went from a regular to an extra wide.

Of all the things to inherit from his Momma. Extra wide feet. Sorry Noah.

Tooth #9?

Noah has 8 teeth. 4 on top. 4 on bottom. And, if his 5:45 AM wake up this morning, his random and numerous fits of tears, and his complete inability today to keep anything out of his mouth, I am hoping that another one is on its way. Maybe he'll wake up tomorrow morning with tooth number 9. Here's to hoping.

A Trip to the Zoo

One morning last week, I decided to take Noah to the zoo. We went on a weekday, so aside from the occasional groups of school field trips, the crowd was pretty thin. We went early, so it was cooler. Apparently, it was a little too early because most of the animals were still sleeping. After we passed the elephants, I realized that we still had about a mile and a half to walk and Noah didn't really seem all that impressed. In fact, he was getting pretty antsy. Luckily, those zoo people know what they are doing. At about the halfway point, we ran right into the playground.

As soon as I unstrapped Noah from his stroller, he was off.

There was lots of fun things to play with on the playground.

Some were a little too big for him.

And some were just right.

But, mostly he enjoyed running this way.

And that. It's kind of his thing.

The Wizard of Oz

Congratulations to my super cute nieces and nephews for all their hard work in the Wizard of Oz production. I heard you all did great, and you were a big hit! We are sorry to have missed the show.

Let's start with Seth, who called me on the phone this week and proceeded to sing all the songs from the production using the appropriate voices. Here he is dressed up in his flying monkey costume. He also played a munchkin.

Here is Katie in costume as a poppy. She played a munchkin too.

Brooke also played the part of a munchkin and a poppy. Here she is in her munchkin dress being silly with Seth.

Zachary really got into his role as a flying monkey. Scary. Zachary also played a munchkin.

Blake had the speaking part of the famiy, since he is a theatre veteran. He got laughs as the Gate Keeper to the Emerald City. He also played a munchkin.