A Very Merry Week

We took the kids to North Park Mall in downtown Dallas to see Santa.  We arrived at 10am and were given a ticket and instructions to return at 3:30pm.  When we checked back, they weren’t even halfway to our number.  I asked what time the earliest person arrived to get a ticket and was told 7:30am!  We’re going to try again this weekend and make sure to get there earlier.  They did get to enjoy watching Santa read a story to the children, as well as seeing a puppet show, a children’s choir and a few dance teams perform.

Mike’s office had a Christmas party last Saturday night, and it was so great to be able to meet his coworkers.  We had a wonderful time, it especially nice for me to get to know some of the other wives!  Everyone was so friendly.  There was even some dancing, which I was thrilled about.

Noah’s Boy Scout pack had a float in the Christmas Parade; our den was responsible for making it, so we got to ride in it.  I had never been to A Christmas parade, let alone be a part of it, so it was a really neat experience.  Our theme was “Leave No Trace,” so our float was second to last, and some of the boys walked alongside the float and picked up trash in bags they were carrying.  

A Lot to be Thankful for...

We've had some fun in the last few weeks!  I wish I could do a better job blogging more regularly, but we made the mistake of setting up the computer outside Amelia's door; apparently, hearing keys tapping doesn't exactly lull her to sleep. 

We are fortunate to have wonderful neighbors, and the Nigro family invited us over for Thanksgiving dinner!  It was such an amazing meal, and they made us feel right at home.  Rayna is an awesome cook, and the food was seriously outstanding.  She's inspired me to try new recipes!

The Friday night after Thanksgiving, some other friends in our neighborhood invited us to a skate party at a local inline skating rink.  It was so much fun!  I hadn't been skating in probably at least 10 years, and it was a first for Noah.  He did such a great job!  He's a brave little guy... he kept falling and getting right back up, determined to get the hang of it.  By the end of the evening, he had it down.

Mike surprised me on Saturday with a "Day Date"!  Without me knowing a thing, he got a babysitter and set up the whole date.  I was shocked and very pleased!  We went Rahr & Sons Brewery in Ft. Worth.  They had live music, and with the price of admission, they give you a pint glass to keep and three tastings.  After the brewery, we went to Sundance Square in Ft. Worth and got a much-needed coffee (not accustomed to having three beers in the middle of the afternoon) and walked around the shops.  We ended the date with one of our favorite pastimes, which is to visit a unique grocery store.  It is a completely different experience to go to a grocery store without kids and makes for a cheap date.  When we got home and put the kids to bed, he made me a candlelight dinner that was delicious!  It was truly one of our best dates ever.

 

We have a children's consignment shop close to our house with which I'm obsessed!  I found this kitchen with the food and dishes included for only $20, and it is just like the kitchen I had when I was little!  I'm not sure who was more excited, Noah or Amelia.  They have played with that kitchen for HOURS . . . easily the best $20 I've ever spent!

My brother, Jason had given us two tickets to Medieval Times, so a few days before Thanksgiving we took Noah.  Neither Noah nor I had been before, and it was such a cool experience (perfect for little boys)!  They really put on a neat show that includes a dinner you eat with your hands.  Noah was especially excited because the kingdom we were crowned with won the overall tournament, which he thought was awesome!

  

Yee Haw

We were so happy to have our good friends, Mike and Amber Marion, come stay with us for a few days recently!  They have been driving around the country for the last two and a half months, which I think is so awesome.  They were so great with the kids; they will make amazing parents!  They spent a lot of time coloring, reading and playing with Noah, and Amelia was especially taken with Amber.  I’m so mad at myself for not a getting pictures of all the great interaction.  Luckily, we did get a photo of the four of us the night we went to Billy Bob’s, the “World’s Largest Honkey Tonk.”  That was such a fun night – it was great to walk around Ft. Worth and then see “live” bull riding; we even got to do a little line dancing, something I have wanted to do since moving here.

Poor Amelia has had a rough couple of weeks!  She had a bad ear infection in both ears, a yeast infection and was getting six teeth in at one time.  I’m happy to report that the ear infections and the yeast infection are all cleared up, and we’re just waiting for those last few teeth to break through.  In an attempt to distract her from all the pain, I took her to the aquarium.  She has a had a fascination with fish and fish tanks since she was probably six months old, so her face lit up when she saw the huge tanks!  Part of the aquarium has a tunnel that is all glass.  She has never walked on see-through glass, so when we got to that part, she laid down her tummy and tried to “swim” across.  We had so much fun that I decided it was definitely worth buying the membership!

She was trying as hard as she could to get into the water, if it were up to me, I would have let her!

The first graders at Noah’s school put on a Thanksgiving performance last night.  They have been practicing four songs for the last few weeks, so it was so fun to get to watch him sing while dressed up as a pilgrim! 

Noah and his two best friends.

 

Trick-or-Treat

I can’t believe this is the first time Mike and I have ever dressed up in couple-themed costumes!  It was a lot of fun brainstorming for ideas – not sure how we choose the “Grease” theme, but I think it worked out well.  I’m already thinking of ideas for our costumes next year!

Halloween with little kids is the best – both Noah and Amelia got really into it this year!  This is the first year we did a homemade costume for Noah; it took some convincing, but once it was all put together, he really got into being a zombie.

I wasn’t sure how Amelia would react to wearing a costume.  However, as soon as I showed her what she looked like when she was wearing her ladybug costume, she didn’t want it to come off!  Especially the red glitter shoes . . . those were her favorite part!

I got to award Noah with his first Scouting badge this past week; I think it was great for the boys to stand up in front of the older boys and be recognized!

Pumpkin Patch Fun

Mike’s mom, Nancy, was in town for a few days, so over the weekend we took the kids to a pumpkin patch.  Our next-door neighbors have a daughter, London, who is also in first grade at Noah’s school, and they have become quite the playmates.  They’re pretty much inseparable, so we invited London to go with us.  The kids had a great time; Amelia especially loved playing in a large pile of pumpkins!  

Getting fake wounds

 

Amelia Update:

She is currently getting four molars in along with her second set of bottom front teeth.  I’m never sure of what kind of mood she’ll be in when she wakes up; I think we’re both ready for the teething to be over.

"My teeth hurt!"

Her newest words are thank you, bubbles, slide, kitty and pretty.

About a month ago or so, I thought I would try getting her a potty seat and just introducing her to what it meant to sit on the toilet, and it went surprisingly well!  She now goes on the potty about 85% of the time; I am thrilled about changing a lot less diapers

Welcome Home, Daddy!

It was so wonderful to have Mike back home!  The kids and I met him at the airport last Friday night.  Noah and I had made a sign that Noah held up when we first saw Mike.  Amelia was mesmerized by Mike . . . I think she was surprised to see him in person and that he didn’t permanently live inside my phone!  We had a great weekend together and we really didn’t do anything except enjoy each other’s company.

Noah had his first Boy Scouts Den meeting and I am one of the leaders.  This was not my original plan, but there wasn’t one person who wanted the job.  So, two other dads and me are splitting the responsibility three ways; I have to admit it’s a lot more work than I had planned on, but we’re enjoying it.

Noah also had a “fun run” to raise money for his school last week.  He called family members to ask them to pledge a certain amount for each lap he ran.  The information his school sent home said that the average was 25 laps; well, Noah took this fun run quite seriously!  He was weaving in and out of other kids and his face was cherry red while he ran.  After each lap they would mark his shirt and, in total, he ran 42 laps!  I was amazed, to say the least, and his school got some good donations from Noah’s family!  Thank you to all who gave money!!!

It’s officially been over a year since I started this blog, and I have to say that I am really happy I did!  It has been an amazing year; we have had some huge changes, and it’s great to get to look back and see some of the highlights.  I’m excited to see what’s in store for this next year!

Noah's first grade class after the hat parade.

One Lucky Lady

To be honest, the last two and a half weeks have been really tough for me but thankfully I have people in my life that truly care about me and have helped out so much!  Unfortunately, I have spent all but the first day Mike was in New York pretty sick.  Currently, I am waiting to hear back on the results of a blood test I took yesterday to see if I have mono.  I am really hoping that mono isn’t the case because that would mean I couldn’t give Mike the big kiss I have been planning on when I pick him up from the airport on Friday.

Not only I have been sick but Amelia has been really sick too!  One night her breathing was so bad, that I almost took her to the ER.  It turns out that she has an ear infection and a sinus infection and she’s now on antibiotics, so I’m hoping that she’ll start feeling better very soon.

Noah’s 7^th birthday was on Saturday, September 17 and I had the biggest birthday surprise for him ever.  My friend Azra, who also happens to be Noah’s biggest crush, flew out late Friday night and surprised him on his birthday!  We had such a wonderful weekend and Azra being here made Noah’s birthday so special.  She was such a big help, especially since I wasn’t feeling well!

Azra and the birthday boy!

Noah practicing some moves on his birthday present.

Noah had his first flag football game on his birthday.

The following Wednesday, my parents flew into town so they could see our new house and the town we’re living in.  On Thursday, we drove up to Enid, Oklahoma to stay with my brother Jason, his wife Emilie and their two adorable little boys, one I’d never met before.  Early Friday we drove to my mom’s hometown of Medicine Lodge, Kansas for the Indian Peace Treaty Pageant that takes place every three years.  It was great to see so much of my family; we always have a great time when we get together!

Amelia and her cousin Preston having lunch next to each other.

So despite being sick, these last two and a half weeks have gone by quickly but I am so excited that Mike is coming home Friday.  Speaking of Mike, in the middle of writing this blog my doorbell rang and it was bouquet of flowers from the best husband in the world!

My Grandma had the top of a wedding cake made for my parents.  Apparently, the first one from their wedding 34 years ago was eating by someone else.  It was such a thoughtful gift and my parents were nice enough to share it with everyone else!

2 Down, 19 to Go

. . . days, that is, until Mike gets home from New York.  He’s doing a three-week mini MBA for his job.  Thanks to the iPad and my iPhone, we can do “face” time every day (video chatting) – we look just like an Apple commercial every time he calls and he can see Amelia and Noah.  It’s been especially fun to watch Amelia when they talk; after he hangs up, she turns the phone over and over saying “Dada”!  Today she accidently hung up on him and threw a temper tantrum . . . she clenched her fists, turned bright red and screamed at me like I was responsible.

Mike’s parents were here last week to visit.  It was nice to be able to show family where we live.  Unfortunately, Noah was really sick and it developed into bronchitis, so he had to take it easy and stay home from school for a few days.  He’s better now, which is great because he started flag football and had his first Cub Scout meeting.  I’ve always been excited about him starting into Boy Scouts; both my older brothers are Eagle Scouts.  My parents were always very involved with their packs and I always thought it was such a great program.

While Ray and Nancy were here, we took Amelia to the zoo for the first time.  She had about the best reaction to the animals that I could have hoped for.  She truly is an animal lover, so this was like heaven for her!  The coolest part about the Dallas zoo is one of the restaurants wraps around the lion exhibit and the lions lay right up against the glass walls.  The day after Mike left, I took the kids back to the zoo because Noah was in school the first day we went.  We had such a great time – they have a petting zoo and Amelia LOVED the goats!

A bird actually landed on Amelia's head, she wasn't too excited about that!

My brother Jason, who’s in the Air Force, flew into an airport only 15 miles from our house.  We met up for dinner, and it was great to see him.  Amelia really took to him.  The last time she had seen him was last Christmas, but she definitely wanted him to hold her.  We even got a tour of the aircraft he flies!

Monkey See, Monkey Do

This picture might be one of my all-time favorites: I looked down at Amelia the other day, and she was actually trying to put on my bra!  She has been imitating us so much more this past week . . . she’ll hold the phone up to her ear and babble, she’ll get a tissue and try to wipe her nose, and she’s started to try and put on shoes.  Speaking of shoes, she learned to say “shoe” this week and “turtle.”  I’ve started this thing of every time I take her downstairs,  I stop at each framed picture and say the name of the person in it – she has learned to expect it and she starts pointing and saying the name… either bubba (Noah), mommy, dada or doggie.  Last night she was flipping through a family photo album taken at Christmas, and she looked at each picture and would point out “Bubba.”

Noah started first grade last Monday and is really enjoying his new school.  After he came home the first day, I asked if he made any friends, and he said, “Oh yeah!  I made two best friends!”  So I asked what their names were; he said he didn’t know… Noah’s never been so great with names!  When his teacher asked each child in his class what they like to read, Noah responded with “The Wall Street Journal”; I got a pretty big kick out of that one.  I’m so excited to be able to help out more at his school this year; I’ll be going to the library and P.E. with his class every week. 

Noah’s been asking me if he can start playing football.  I’ve never been a fan of the idea of him playing tackle football, so we compromised and I signed him up for flag football.  (Before it starts, I really hope it cools off from the 107 degrees it’s been every day this week!)

Amelia is officially walking!  The thing that finally got her to do it was French toast made from banana bread.  That girls LOVES to eat . . . since moving to Texas, we’ve discovered some of her favorites are biscuits and gravy, cinnamon rolls, and BBQ sausage.  We went to this awesome BBQ restaurant called “Dat’s Good BBQ” last Friday and they had a blues band – Amelia was probably their biggest fan!

Whoops-a-daisey

I had a big “Mommy blunder” this week!  Since Mike started his new job on Thursday, we wanted to do something fun with the kids on Wednesday, and we thought a day in downtown Dallas would be fun.  We decided we needed something specifically Texan, so we looked up the best-rated BBQ restaurants close to where we were.  When I skimmed over the reviews, I was looking for how people had reviewed the food… forgetting about the “atmosphere reviews.” Well, I picked what looked like a promising place and we headed over.  Upon arriving and being seated, we started to notice the attire of the ALL-female staff, which to say wasn’t much.  The top of the menus read: Bone Daddy’s House of Smoke, THE OTHER REASON YOU’RE HERE.  The place opened at 11am and by 11:30am, the place was packed . . . yet I was the ONLY female there who wasn’t dressed like in a similar manner!

However, the food was amazing and, all in all, it was a fun lunch!  Noah didn’t seem to notice what the waitresses were wearing -- at least he didn’t comment on it.  I guess it’s not much different than what he sees women in at the pool every day.  It definitely made for a good laugh!

It has been a rough week for Amelia; my poor baby got Hand-foot-and-mouth disease (I’m guessing from the childcare center at the fitness club).  Luckily, it sounds a lot worse than it actually is -- she had a low-grade fever and a rash around her hands, feet and a little around her mouth.  The rash is almost all gone, and she’s back to her cheery little self.  She’s been trying to communicate much more lately; it’s so fun to watch her explore her surroundings!  She points at everything, especially dogs and lights.  Whenever I change her diaper, I give her a book to look at to distract her.  This past week, the book had a ladybug named Louella.  When I hand her the book, I always say, “Louella, Louella” and I swear she’s started repeating it.

Amelia having fun with tissues when Mommy wasn't looking!

Noah starts school this coming Monday and he gets to meet his new teacher tonight.  Mike and I went to the 1^st grade back-to-school night yesterday and got to meet her -- she’s very nice!  I think it’s going to be a great year for Noah!

The last piece of furniture we bought was delivered this week, so the house is really coming together.  I took a few photos to share (sorry for the quality… I took them on my iphone).  I also worked really hard spackling, taping and painting Amelia’s room; it’s a little more pink than I had planned, but I’m really happy with how it turned out!

Amelia's room is almost finished!