Smack Talking

Noah has started to do a bit of back talking. We have had multiple conversations about not using ugly words. I guess it's part of the territory that comes with age 5. And, if I had any doubt that I have a sweet little boy on my hands, his choice of sass has removed all doubt. Here are just a few things he's told me recently when I corrected him.

"Mom, I will cast a spell on you."

He usually chooses his words based on whatever he is doing or in this instance has in his hand.
"Mom, I will paint you with this paintbrush until you are happy."

"You stop that Mom, or I'll pound you."

Ok... not sweet, but I can go ahead and thank Charlie Brown Thanksgiving Feast for that one. It is definitely out of the rotation for more reasons than one. Those Peanuts characters are mean to each other.

And, my personal favorite... "Mom, I'll take this paper and fan you until you're cold."

LOL at the Lake

We had such a fun day at Mr. Eddie's lake last weekend.  The weather was gorgeous, and it was just a little slice of heaven for Noah, what with all the sticks.  Emma had fun too and made a few new baby friends.  I took over camera duty, and I have a ton of great pics and a full blog post in the making, but this picture had me cracking up laughing last night.  We attempted to get an updated grandkid picture with Baby Taylor included.  Well, it all started off as an epic fail since Morgan had just taken off in the paddle boat.  We forged ahead anyway, and this is one of the best outtakes.  I love Seth's face, and the fact that he is holding a squirmy Emma, so he can't stop Noah from poking him in the face. 

All Lit Up

So, here's the story. I always wanted a Santa tree. But, for some reason I started collecting angel ornaments in college. It may have a little something to do with Greek life, but moving on.  I always just stuck with the collection. But, the year we moved to Miami, I left all the Christmas decor behind. When Christmas rolled around that year and it was determined we would be staying in Florida, I insisted on a tree. And, it was the perfect opportunity to go Santa. Fast forward four Christmases to now, and here is the evolved Santa tree.

 

 

With a very mobile Emma and a bit of travel on the horizon, I didn't feel the need to go all out with the decorations this year. So, I decided to stick with just our Santa tree, stockings and a door wreath. And, after hitting HEB late Wednesday for a pre-Turkey Day run, I passed the Home Depot. I checked the clock and at 10 minutes to 10:00 PM, I swung into the parking lot to procure an artificial. Nothing like coming in hot six minutes before closing. Well, I walked out of the store at 10:08 PM with a tree. Mission accomplished.

Daddy's first honey-do on Thanksgiving Day was moving the tree from the car to the house. Once inside, a quick and easy numbered assembly, and just like that... Voila. Let there be light.

I chose a 12 feet tree. Considering we have 12 foot ceiling, it barely fit fit perfectly.

Noah was super excited to get started. And, he was a really good, albeit jumpy, helper.  After assembly and the lights were on, he said, "Mom, where are the Oreos for the Christmas tree?" It took me a bit to realize he was talking about ornaments. Ha.

 

Here's the jumpy!

I love a real tree, but I must confess. Pulling something pretty out of a box with the lights already on. Our house was filled with the Christmas spirit in less time than it took Emma to take a nap. Here's what she thought when she woke up. 

 

And, then she tried to climb the ladder.

 

 

Daddy, Noah and I talked a bit about our favorite ornaments on the tree. Noah's favorite was the boot, which happened to be the first ornaments he pulled out the box. Daddy and I share a favorite. Our Mr. & Mrs. Claus kissing fish. I gave them to us on our very first Christmas as a married couple.

(Insert really cute, first Christmas picture - circa early 2000 taken in our NOLA apartment with my non-digital cameras self-timer - as soon as I find it upstairs in my extensive filing cabinet of to be scrapbooked pictures.  PS - I don't scrapbook anymore.)

Noah's First Sleepover

On our first night in Louisiana, Seth called over to Grammy's.

Seth: "Can Noah come sleep?"

Me: "Um... sure. As long as your mom says it's ok."

Seth: "That's what she said to ask you."

So, I asked Noah, and he gave me an enthusiastic, "YES!" It was his very first sleepover. And, he waved me away with a "bye mom. See you tomorrow."

He was so super excited.

 

 

Checking in with Aunt Mo.

 

 

 

 

Apparently, it wasn't all sunshine and happiness. About midnight, Mo heard some shuffling down the hall. The big boys were still up, and she told Noah it was still night, and he needed to go back to bed. He said, "Someone needs to clean up this mess." Sweet boy had gotten sick. Aunt Mo took it all in stride. Cleaned it all up and put Noah in Seth's bed. The night continued without any other incident, and my big boy had a great time playing in the morning.

 

Thanks for the suggestion, Seffie Doo! Noah had an awesome first sleepover!

Mozart in the Making

Or maybe a Jerry Lee Lewis!

School Picture - PreK

We practiced smiling on the way to school, and I take full responsiblity for him inheriting a tendancy to hunch up his shoulders when smiling or laughing.  I'm going to call this pic a winner though.  Great job on picture day, Noah!

I'm Thankful For...

 

This week Noah asked me what I was thankful for.  I figured with all the prep for today's Thanksgiving feast that the holiday had been hot topic.  I told him I was thankful for my family.  And, he told me he was thankful for "toys."  Tonight, as I was cleaning out his school bag, I found his school worksheet.  First, I love that he drew a pencil as one of his favorite toys.  Second, he also listed Emma as something he is thankful for.  It's possible there was a bit of prompting from the teacher on this one, but I love the sentiment.

Update from Noah's teacher (I emailed her for a fact check) -  I wanted to talk to Mrs. B before I emailed you back because this was done in art. Mrs. B started with her example first and then Noah got to go to the table and come up with his own words. He thought of Emma all on his own J

School Holiday Bazaar

Noah's school had a fun holiday bazaar yesterday! It was fun to share Stella & Dot with teachers and school friends, and I loved that Noah got to stop by and see my display. He's well acquainted with Momma going to her "jewelry party," but now he finally got to see me in action. It was a fun day!

Noah stops by for a visit!

 

Yay for a great display!

 

Much better to play with then Momma's bardot bracelet!

Five Things Friday 11.09.12 - Dad's Day

 

1. Noah has our address memorized. And, apparently every other kid's in the class too.

2. Year two that Daddy is not happy with the snack situation. Thank goodness, I'm not the school snack coordinator anymore. He better take it up with someone else's Momma.

3. Thursdays are show and tell. The fact that Noah's routine is to go to his bag and say, "do you have one to share." proves that Momma forgets a bit too often.

4. Thursday is extra curricular day. During gymnastics, Coach B commented that Noah was having a great year and that he noticed a huge difference in his attention and interaction.

5. In karate class, they had a contest to see who could throw punches the fastest. It was immediately apparent to Daddy that Noah inherited his mother's competitive spirit by coming in dead last and not caring at all. Posting a time that quadrupled the next closest contestant. Master P made it a point after to let Daddy know that although the slowest, Noah's punches were the hardest.

Emma's First Carousel Ride

Emma and I hit the mall for a bit before picking up brother from school. It was around lunch time, so we headed food court for a quick bite. Emma spied the carousel across the way, and she seemed super eager to head over. Noah hates carousels. I usually have to bribe him to take a ride, so with Nosh at school, it was the perfect opportunity to give sweet Emma a spin. I can't say she loved it. She was a bit scared at first and pretty much clung to me. We stuck to the non-moving parts, and she did start to marginally relax and enjoy the sights as the ride went on. I have to admit, I felt a little motion sick after the thankfully quick ride. Looks like Noah is winning himself a get out of carousel rides for free card. Turns out neither Momma or Emma are much of a fun.

Driving Mr. Noah

Noah has decided that he only wants to ride in the "way back." You can only imagine my apprehension with our many, many frequently occurring bouts with car sickness. But, it's been about two weeks and so far, so good. As an added bonus, he's learned to buckle his seatbelt solo. It's just part of the rules for sitting in the back. It's up in the air whether its good or bad for still rear facing Emma. She pretty much wants whatever he wants and cries when she can't get it. Although, just today, I had him sing to her when she was fussing. She immediately started laughing and that really gave Noah the biggest smile on his face.

Saturday Plans

Me: "Were you planning on taking Noah to the cupcake house this morning?"

Dean: "That or ride bikes. I was going to give him a choice."

Me: "Do you mind adding another choice? I need a couple things from Target."

Dean: "Um... So instead of doing something fun for Noah, you're sending us grocery shopping."

Me: "Noah loves Target. Should we add 'Go to Target, and buy milk' as a choice, and see what he says?"

Dean (with confidence): "Sure!"

Me (two minutes later): "Noah, three choices to do something fun with Daddy. 1. Ride bikes, 2. The cupcake house, and 3. Go to Target and buy milk."

Noah (without hesitation): "Um... go to Target and buy milk."

What can I say the boy loves him some Target!