A Birthday at the Bounce House

I debated whether or not to have a "real party" for Noah.  I already had a playdate with our Mom's group on the calendar, but I finally decided that Noah's love for the "bounce house" warranted a need for him to celebrate his special day there.

Friends from school, friends from playgroup, new neighbors, old neighbors, and Noah's Nanny Aunt Mo and boy cousins all made up the crew celebrating Noah's third birthday. 

Did I mention we had the party at the local bounce house?  Noah loves the bounce house.  About twice a month, Noah and I usually make it over for open play.  Normally, we walk in, and I barely have a chance to pay the man before Noah is running into the bounce area.  Today, we got there a bit earlier than the party start time, and the doors to the bounce area were closed.  Noah was not very happy about being shut out from the bouncing fun.

Once the party started, it was a lot of this...

And this...

And this...

I am pretty sure he had a blast, and I know he loved being surrounded by a ton of familiar faces.  I am so grateful for everyone who was able to make it.  It made my little guy's party pretty special.  

About an hour and fifteen into the bouncing fun, Noah was ready to move on to something else.  Luckily, it wasn't long until we headed into the party room for "Happy Birthday" and cake.  I am not sure if this was the highlight of the party for Noah, but it was for Momma and Daddy.

The candles were lit, and everyone started singing "Happy Birthday."  Noah loves "Happy Birthday," and was super excited to hear everyone singing.  But, when he heard everyone sing in unison, "dear Noah," his face just lit up.  It was really, really awesome.  

I am so happy that Daddy and I were able to give you such a fun birthday party today.  We love you so much!

Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall.

Humpty Dumpty had a great...

Faaaallll!

So much fun playing with Zack!

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Early in the Month of May

What a busy month May has turned out to be. Despite his age, Noah is not immune to end of the school year madness. Dean and I have been struggling over decisions on Noah's continuing therapy and schooling for the fall. At the young age of three, he is now thrown into the school district where speaking in acronyms becomes the norm. ARD. PPCD. ECAP. ABA. DIR. It's difficult to navigate and determine what is best for our little man. And, then you throw the option of private school into the mix. O-M-G! He's only three, but my instincts tell me, the time is now. A mothers instinct. Yep, Momma instinct is playing a big part in this decision, as well it should. Because, I know him best, right?

Anyway, aside from all this decision making laying heavy on our minds, we have managed to squeeze some fun into Noah's last month of two.

We helped our good friend Aidan celebrate his 3rd birthday.

The party was at Chuck E. Cheese. Daddy was so happy to play with Noah in this children's video game mecca.

Noah loved singing Happy Birthday and watching Aidan blow out his candles.

Noah and I also hosted a Cinco de Mayo playdate at our house.  It consisted of lots of backyard fun and of course, a pinata.

I think Momma was a little too optimistic in loading up the pinata with candy.  None of the kiddos came close to putting a dent in that thing.  Probably could have saved money on junk candy, and just passed out fruit snacks. 

We've also been spending a lot of time with our new friend Henry.  What's not to love about Henry with his bright red hair or as Noah refers to it, pink.

We spent Mother's Day with Henry and family, and the boys had a blast playing together in the backyard pool.

I forgot to mention Henry's super cute little sis, Molly.  Noah really likes Molly and is always trying to pull her over to play with him.

Noah also had his spring program at school this month.  Mrs. A was on hand to make sure Noah stayed with the group.  Noah didn't seem to mind hanging out with Mrs. A during song time.

What a big boy helping his friends with the parachute.

No... Not Doctor

Usually in the mornings, when I go to get Noah out of bed, I will tell him what we have planned for that day.  I'll say something like, "we have school today."

Noah will respond with something like, "noooo... not swim today."

You see swim and school are on opposite days, and being the smart little guy that he is, Noah knows that when he has school, he does not have swim. 

So, this morning, when I went in to get him out of bed, before I even finished my good morning, he looked at me and said, "nooo... not doctor today."

You see yesterday we went to the doctor.  But, only after we had swim, OT, lunch with friends, speech, a car nap, and a therapy evaluation.  Yes, we had an extremely busy day, and it wasn't until he woke up from his car nap and started acting so lethargic and not-Noah like at the therapy eval did I even realize that he didn't feel well.  Way to go Momma.  We headed straight from the eval (which did not go well) to the doctor for a 4:30 PM appointment.  Noah was the lucky winner of a positive strep test.  Sigh.  I should have known since I did get a report from school on Tuesday that he was exposed to strep.  The doctor asked if I would like her to prescribe a 10-day dose of oral antibiotics or would I like for Noah to have a shot.  Ummm... does anyone really choose the former?  So, Noah got a shot yesterday at the doctor.  And, he was not too happy about it, however, it did make him start to feel (act) better almost immediately.  Ahhhh... the wonders of modern medicine. 

So, today we've had nothing on our agenda...except, not going back to the doctor.  May has been a really busy month, and despite the reason, Noah and I have enjoyed staying in our pajamas all morning, actually making it upstairs to play with toys, and leisurely shopping at Target.  Too bad it takes a bacterial infection to make us slow down. 

Happy Birthday Morgan

Today I am wishing my super cute niece Morgan a very happy birthday.

She turns five today.  F-I-V-E.  Translation: Kindergarten.  AKA: Big Girl.

Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that she was just a sweet baby girl, and now...

Well, can you say personality?

Happy Birthday Morgan.  We love you, miss you, and hope you had a GREAT day!

Five (OK Six) Things Friday 05.14.10 - I ♥ Etsy

I am pretty sure that I've mentioned a gazillion times that I love Etsy.  And, since Christmas is long gone, I figure I can share a few of my favorite shops.  Be warned though, once you start surfing Etsy it seriously could take up your entire day.  There is so much creative yumminess on this website. 

Lettergirl : Love these stamps.  Ordered these for a couple friends for Christmas, and they are so very cute!

Olliegraphic : Stationary customized to look like your little munchkins.  Precious!

KAH Couture : Nothing cuter than a customized baby wipe case.  This is my go-to baby gift.  I recieved one at my baby shower for Noah (thanks Michelle O.), and I still love it and use it.

Gorno Couture / Sweet Leaf Prints / Mak May Designs : Etsy is a treasure trove of super cute, one-of-a kind children's clothes, especially t-shirts  I have ordered many a t-shirt for Noah from the site.  These ladies are a couple of my favorites. 

Miss Ruby Sue : I love floral headbands, and I think they should never go out of style.  I love the look of these.  They are so pretty and so well made.  It made such a great bridesmaid's gift. 

Annie's Pinking Shear : Although it never got put to use and only got brought to school on day one, this nap blanket is comfy, cozy and oh so adorable.  And, the lady who makes them is super-sweet. 

A Conversation with Noah

This afternoon we were playing outside in the backyard. And, I am ecstatic to report that Noah and I had our first little conversation.


Me: "Oh no. Your slide has water on it."
Noah: "It's wet."
Me: "It is wet. What do we need to do?"
Noah: "Get a napkin."
Me: (I run inside for a napkin and hand it over.) "Here you go Noah.
Noah: "Clean up."
Me: "Let's clean up."

I am so proud of my little man. What a great moment for us! I have a strong feeling that this is just the beginning.