Picture of the Day 09.27.14

Photo booth at Katy Mills Mall.

Quote of the Day 09.27.14 (Noah)

After struggling to go to sleep, Noah ends up in our bedroom around 10:00PM. We head back to his room where I find his lamp on and books everywhere.

Me: "Noah, when lights go out, you need to stay in bed."

Noah: "We need something sticky to keep me in the bed."

Me: "You need to use your brain power. That's what keeps you in bed."

Noah: "No. That won't work. Brain power is what makes me get out of bed."

Today... 08.11.2014

Add one more check on our road warrior sticker chart.  First, we drove to Sugar Land to drop Noah at science camp.  Then, we hustled back to Katy for Emma's 3-year well check.  She's grown a lot since our days of pedi gi docs.  85% for height and 96% for weight.  Everything else is going great, but she cried quite a lot for shots. Boo.  Never fun.

We weren't the only ones looking to squeeze in well checks before the start of school, so we were a bit late heading to Houston to meet her dance friends for lunch at the American Girl store.  Looks like Emma is ready to add a few things to her Christmas list this year.  It was a cute and fun outing, and I am thankful, we have met such nice moms and littles to share it with.

We headed out from lunch to Disney Jr. dance camp.  Emma was a little shy when she first got there, but some of her girls (Cami and the twins) were there too.  Theme of the day was Sofia the First, and I'm pretty sure it didn't take Emma long to warm up.

I headed solo back to Sugar Land to grab Noah and checked a bit of HEB shopping off on the way.  I seriously have been running out of dish soap for about 3 months.  It was an imperative.

We headed back to Katy to grab Emma, and we arrived about 10 minute early.  Noah snuck into the end of class and was very excited to participate a bit in Emma's activity.

Quote of the Day 07.14.14 (Emma)

"Hey Mom... Sometimes when I suck on my hand rely hard, I get a big booger."

She would know. 

TUTS The Little Mermaid

Pre-event comments made by Noah and Emma. 

N: "I don't want to see the Little Mermaid."

E: "Is the sea witch going to be there?"

E: "Does the sea witch have a mole?"

N: "Oh... Alright. I'll see the little mermaid."

We Bought a Big 'Ol Lot

Yay for our new lot and the amazing house we're going to build! Hooray!

Can you spy Dean? He's standing at the furthest part of our new backyard. This is fun stuff!

Seven

Noah turned seven on a Sunday. He was up bright and early at 6AM. Here's what we did. We started the day with cinnamon rolls. His favorite breakfast. 

We then watched a DVRed episode of Wheel of Fortune. We had a discussion about how the boys don't always have to win and that if a girl ends up in the bonus round, you should still cheer for her to win. 

We planned an outing to the movies, but the pickings were a bit slim. Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return was the lucky winner. It was an ok movie until the china princess was broken and died in a huge storm which really upset Noah... I totally get it... I cry at sad movies too. Luckily the marshmallow man melted some of his mellow and put her back together and then she started singing. But, we won't be seeing that one again. 

Emma may have crossed the threshold into the "I can sit through a movie." Yay!! She was bummed it wasn't actually the original wicked witch, but she sat and watched and even carried in her own popcorn. 

After the movies, we ran through the arcade and ran through about $30 in tokens in less than 15 minutes. It did include a quick game of bowling too.

A late dinner was next, and it was Noah's  choice. And, he chose Denny's. Why you might ask? "Mom, it was the mystery wheel on Wheel of Fortune in Mother's Day week" Who can argue with that? Slave to marketing, just like his Momma.

We headed home after a quick run into Baskin Robbins where Noah insisted his loved Rainbow Sherbet, but ended up trading with Emma. She'll try anything. 

At home, Daddy set-up Noah's new Disney Infinity game, and he and Noah played until bedtime. I think our big boy had a super fun day!! P

Today is Mother's Day...

I am not going to pretend to catch up.  I am just going to share a few super trendy e-cards that will definitely express what the past two years have been like for me.  Little Miss Em is so stinkin' cute that I have to document all that cuteness, so I won't forget.  Stay tuned... the plan is to be back in action soon!

 

 

School Picture Success

Both kids took A-MAZING school pictures this year!  HOORAY!

 

 

Noah, Age 6

Kindergarten

 

 

Emma, Age 2

Pooh Bear Class

Are You Ready for Some Football?

It all started on a trip to McDonald's.  Happy Meal Toys are kind of a big deal at our house, and sometimes that take a bit of precedence over the whole eating thing.  In fact, I learned pretty quickly, that you don't even have to order food.  Just fork over $1.50.  So, at times our standing order is a large Diet Coke and a happy meal toy.  Don't judge... you probably spend that much at Starbucks for a latte.  So, earlier this month, the toy happened to be an NFL football player.  And, included in the dark blue concealed wrapper was a player with matching football and a paper with a checklist of ALL 32 TEAMS.  Guess who wanted to collect them all.  Yep!  This all started around the week before Thanksgiving.  We headed to Louisiana, and then over to Gulf Shores, AL, and by the time Turkey Day was through, Noah had collected 6 of 32.  The drive back from AL to LA, we passed about 50 McD's, but I know Grammy and PaPa would have none of the constant stopping.  However, on the drive from LA to TX, I decided to indulge my sweet boy, and we drove through the drive-thru of about 6.  We actually bought food at the first, but the rest... "three happy meal toys, please."  I was pleasantly surprised that we got no duplicates until about Beaumont.  As we arrived back in TX, I realized a good bit of time and money was being invested in this project, so I decided to phone my friends.  I sent out this email:

SUBJECT: Did you know that there are 32 NFL teams??

 

Dear Friends with kids who may or may not eat at McDonalds,

 

I've decided to indulge my son and help him collect all 32 NFL players from the happy meal. Let's just say that this crazy momma stopped at about 5 McDs on our drive back from Louisiana yesterday, and we have successfully collected 19 of 32. It wasn't until we started collecting/buying duplicates that I decided I am so over forking over the 1.50/toy. Yes... You don't have to buy food. I will however, totally pay you the $1.50. So, if anyone has collected any and their kiddos don't mind parting with them. We are missing the following: [list of missing teams]

Thank you from the mom who sometimes jump through hoops for her kid!

XO!! Sarah 

The result?  In one week, we went from 20 to 25.  Emma's super sweet Kindermusik teacher, reached out to her entire neighborhood, and these sweet lady's more than happy to ride their homes of one more dragging toy, left these guys on porches in Ziploc bags, and to Noah it was like GOLD!  Every day, he'd come home and line up the players in order from the insert.  We'd talk about which ones were missing.  I knew he was memorizing the order and the characteristics of all.  I could hear him say, "does this one have a helmet?  is this one an animal?"  It also helped that he was recently into the US Map.  He could easily pick out familiar states and cities. 

So, then there were three.  San Diego Chargers.  Miami Dolphins Chicago Bears.  Nora from Daddy's work, who is a card carrying member of the TX Kickboxing Academy actually stepped into a McDonald's, ordered a happy meal, magically pulled out a San Diego Charger, and threw her food away with out eating it.   And then there were two. Andrew from Noah's Kindergarten class had the Miami Dolphins, but in an effort to declutter, his mom tossed it.  Noah was totally ready to head to Galveston and start digging through trash.  By the end of the week, friends were reporting, no more football players at McDonald's... the new toys were Ninja Turtles.  Sigh.  Off to Ebay, where I paid an only slightly overpriced amount for the remaining two.  They arrived tonight, and I left them by his door, sealed in the bags, with our Elf on the Shelf watching over to see how it all plays out. 

The set is complete! Pretty cool.

Show Me Your Smile

Emma had her first trip to the dentist, and let's just say, "she rocked it!" We prepped with the Dora "Show Me Your Smile" book. She listened and even let the dentist use the scraper on her front teeth for a quick plaque removal. Verdict was no cavities and a larger than normal frenulum that may require some creative brushing on the front teeth. She was nabbed a princess sticker and picked a toy from the prize drawer. She did make a special request for a "star sticker just like Dora." Kudos to the dental office staff for scrounging up a shiny red star sticker. 

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Little Emma has learned early the fine art of waiting on Noah. I'm hoping this early lesson in patience will serve her well as an adult. She waits in carpool. She waits in therapy rooms. And, on days like today, she waits in the car while Noah has speech therapy. Today we killed time taking a few selfies. 

I Like Big States...

Mom, LOOK!! All my chicken looks like Missouri! 

Except for this one... It looks like Arkansas!

Field Trip - The Cat in the Hat

A fun morning at the Main Street Theater for a performance of The Cat in the Hat. Noah got a bit concerned early on when they went off script. He quickly got into and laughed out load at the cat balancing on the ball. He also got a bit teary when the sadly went away. He even raised his hand to ask a question at the end. Although, he didn't quite get it out. Overall, an excellent outing with the kindergarten class.

It's Like School All Over Again

Kindergarten homework is kicking my butt... Just saying.

The Thing About Carousels

They make me sick. Motion sickness at its finest. And aside from the handful of times I've forced/bribed/made Noah ride on them, we've steered clear. I have a feeling they make Noah sick too. 

Well, last Friday, Dean and Emma had a daddy/daughter day. They went to the mall, ran around, had lunch and ride the carousel... 12 times. Emma loved it.

Today, to get a bit if shopping done before picking up Noah. Emma and I hit the mall. She asked for the carousel, so we did... Twice. And, bleh. Carousels make me sick. 

Car Conversations - Part 2

Emma: "Noah, I had a fun day at school."

Noah: "Oh... You did. What's your best part of your day? Mom, can you play 'Dry Bones' again?"

Emma: "I'm in the Pooh Bear class."

The End.

Emma's MDO Picture Day

Doesn't miss a thing...

"Mom, I need a bib!"
"Mom, what this say?"
And, when I told her it was her initials, "Emma Elizabeth C. She laughed because she thought it was awesome!