Santa Claus!

This weekend we took Noah downtown to see Santa Claus.

He was definitely not a fan of the big guy in red.

But Josh was.

Right before we left, he went up to Santa and said,

"You're the most realistic Santa I've ever seen!"

And Santa looked at him like he was crazy and said

with his jolly voice, "Oh... well, thank you."

So funny.

p.s. Happy birthday Dad/Granddad!

We love you and hope your day is wonderful.

Anxious to see all of you this weekend!

The Bonjour Elves

Well, I spent way too much time playing

around on Elf Yourself tonight.

I get suckered into this silly thing every year. I just can't

help myself... I love watching us transform into dancing elves.

So, without further ado, I present to you the Bonjour Elves!

Love it! Makes me laugh every time.

Have you ever Elf'd Yourself? If not, you

should try it out. It is too much fun.

Daddy's Hat

What an ornery little stinker!

Linked up at:

Little Yellow Treehouse From the Belly

Funny Story

Our church hosts a monthly get-together at Starbucks, so tonight before we went over to hang out, we decided to grab something to eat. I really was planning on cooking {been on a roll lately}, but Josh mentioned going out, so I wasn't about to complain.

Josh and I split a steak {ahhh heavenly} and Noah got a corn dog and some cinnamon apples, which he pretty much picked at the entire time we ate. Of course, I kept trying to get him to eat more, but all I could get out of him was a nibble of it here and there.

He only nibbled, that is, until I mentioned giving his corn dog to Einstein. I said, "Noah, if you are finished eating, then let's take the rest of it home to Einstein."

"Noooooooooooo. No. No. No," was his response. And then he stuffed that corn dog in his mouth like he hadn't eaten in a week.

I guess we know the trick to getting our toddler to eat now: offer to give his food to Einstein. Haha. Love it.

"Uh Oh"

We have had the sick bug visit our house this weekend.

My poor little Noah has dealt with a snotty nose,

fever, and pretty much all the yuck that goes with it.

Noah & I have laid low the past couple of days,

and I am hoping that with rest, Tylenol, and a lot

of snuggles he will be over all of this very soon.

I just had to share a picture I took of Noah today.

Despite how bad he has felt lately, he was still running

all over the place and being such a funny little guy.

I heard Noah in the kitchen saying, "uh oh.. uh oh.."

so I thought I'd better go check on him and see what all

this "uh oh-ing" was about. I walk in the kitchen and saw this:

He crawled up on the window seal and couldn't get down. Haha

Thanks for the laughs you little stinker.

Free to a Loving Home

Einstein here. I'm putting myself up for adoption, and I thought this might be the best way to get the word out.

Three-and-a-half-year-old champion bloodline Pug free to a loving home. I am house broken, well mannered, and low maintenance.

Adopting family must not have any young children who will use me as a bean bag, landing pad, or any other form of pre-kindergarten entertainment. In fact, an ideal adoption candidate would not have any children at all; I am at my best when I am the center of attention.

Additionally, the adopting family must be willing to accommodate my daily exercise regimen, namely, a half-block's walk at a leisurely pace in which I will have free reign on the leash and will be able to stop and sniff, eat, or relieve myself on anything (or anyone) I choose. Interested families with even the slightest predisposition to taking me on a Bataan Death March of a walk--lasting longer than a half-block, walking in temperatures above 73 degrees, or jerking the leash like it's a thirteen-year-old lawn mower--need not apply.

I have a pleasant, easy-going temperament, and you will find me easy to love. My current owners complain about my tendency to shed, but they fail to realize how fluffy the carpet is when I've shed all over it. My current owners may also spread venomous lies regarding my snoring and various noises I produce. I've never heard myself snore, so I have no idea what they're talking about.

Any potential candidate should be ready to accommodate my strict diet, which consists of only the choicest cuts of beef, dark meat poultry, and slow roasted pork. Oh, what the heck, I'll take white meat poultry too. And Spaghettios. And...well, my diet may not be as strict as it may seem. Just know this, the words dry and dog food do not find themselves anywhere in that diet.

Interested families that meet all of the above criteria are welcome to come and take me immediately. As my current owners spend all their attention and energies on The Golden Child, it will probably take them a few months to notice that I am not around. Come to our apartment in an unmarked limo and leave a trail of Swedish meatballs to the vehicle. I'll find you.

Thank you for your interest. I've lived a cold, harsh life, especially in the past 2 years, but with your help I'll be able to salvage what's left of it.

--Einstein

Music to my Ears

Most of the time, Noah favors the word "Dadda."
But this morning, his new favorite word was "Momma!"
And it was so funny because the way he was saying it
almost sounded like he had a foreign accent. It was oh so cute!

Of course, Josh was trying to get him to say, "Dadda," but
Noah wasn't having any of it. He wanted to say, "Momma!"



Melts my heart every time I watch it. :)

The Little Things

While I was in Hobby Lobby yesterday,
I came across the cutest camo fleece.

It was on sale.

So, I decided Noah needed a new blanket.

I have a feeling the fabric stores are
gonna get me in big trouble.

Anyway, early this morning I wanted to
get a picture of Noah with his new blankie.
I laid the blanket on Noah's bedroom floor,
and I told him to go sit down on it so
I could take a picture of him on it.

Noah couldn't care less about taking a picture
on his new blanket. He was bound and
determined not to cooperate with Mommy.

I decided it was a lost cause.

So, I grabbed a few of his stuffed animals
and decided they would be my models instead.



Then Noah did the cutest thing.



He decided his animals needed shoes
for their photo shoot.



What a funny little guy you are Noah.

I read a quote today that I just
love, and it holds so much truth:

"Enjoy the little things in life, for someday you'll
realize they were the big things."--unknown.

Have a lovely Wednesday!

p.s. Don't miss the fabulous ruffly
camera strap giveaway below!

Somebody...

has discovered...

where Mommy's secret...



stash of suckers are.

A Noah Face...

... I always want to remember.

This is the face Noah makes
when someone is trying to get
him to smile or if he's trying not
to laugh about something.

I just love it--he is too cute!

I Want Rock Eyes...

Oh, so cute!

I'm a Pug, Not a Beanbag!

Oh, Einstein...



Bless your sweet little heart.

Couldn't Resist

One thing my brother is famous for is his funny expressions.
And, as you can tell, he isn't shy about it. So, when I came
across this picture of him tonight, I just couldn't resist.

Love you, Matt.

p.s. The photography page is done! Check it out.

"No."

Me: "Noah, do you want to go to Walmart with Mommy?"

Noah: "No."
Me: "Well, sorry mister, you have to come with me {as I try not to burst out laughing}."

Mommy Learning Experience of the Day: Only ask yes/no questions if you will genuinely accept a "no" answer.

Oh the joys of hearing the word "no" a hundred times a day.

Pump It Up, Baby

When we moved to Fort Worth a little over a year ago, we not only left the only home we'd ever known, but we left our family and some of our closest friends. Moving away from the people you love is never easy. In fact, to be truthful, it just plain sucks. There were many days I cried until there were no tears left and just wanted to go "home." I'm pretty sure that is a natural reaction to picking up your life and moving to a whole new place, but even so, it was hard! Regardless of how difficult a transition it was for us, we trusted God and knew if Fort Worth was the place he was leading us, he would take care of us and provide for us. Has he ever! He has provided for our every need, in every area of our lives.

From the beginning, our church family at New Life Deaf Fellowship has been such a wonderful support to our family. I can't imagine our lives without the close friendships that we've developed there. God has blessed us with such wonderful people who love us and who love Noah as well. Josh and I thank the Lord often for the church he has placed us in.

It was also my desire when we moved for Noah to have little friends around his age to play with, as well as for me to develop friendships with other moms who have young children. When we first moved, there were many Sundays where Noah was the only one in the nursery. Oh how I longed for it to be filled with little buddies for him to play with. God has been working because this past Sunday we had five little boys, all under the age of two, in the nursery! God is good!

I am so thankful to the One who knows my heart. He knew not just what I wanted for Noah but also the kind of friends I desired for myself. Not just any friends, but friends who are deeply rooted in Him. Friends I can relate with and share my heart with. Friends I can be myself with. And, wow, God has abundantly provided for those needs and desires.

If you have been reading our blog for a while now, you've probably met Laura and Ian. What a true blessing they are in our lives. Laura and I have become great friends, and we often find ourselves chatting the night away on Google Chat. And even though Noah is several months older than Ian, I know they will grow to become close buddies. Thank you Laura for reaching out to me when I needed a friend.

But our good Lord wasn't finished. He had another friend for Noah {and me!}. Several weeks ago on a Sunday morning, I was in the nursery taking care of the children, and in came Lindsey and AJ. Lindsey and I immediately hit it off and started talking. Come to find out, her sweet little AJ was, you guessed it, 22 months! Exactly the same age as Noah. And she was sharing with me her desire for AJ to have friends his age to play with. Isn't it amazing how God works?! Of course we decided a play date was a must.

Laura and I had already decided a week or two ago to get together for a play date, so I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to ask Lindsey and AJ to come along and play. And, let me tell you, I found the perfect place to take our wild little Indians. The place is called Pump It Up: The Inflatable Party Zone. It is a huge building filled with huge inflatable slides {Noah's favorite!}, bounce houses, obstacle courses and more. It really is amazing! And it is FREE for all of us to play. Can't get any better than that! Noah and I have been going twice a week since we found out children under the age of two are free. And, they encourage parents to get in there and play with the kids. So much fun!

So, we decided this past Wednesday to all meet up at Pump It Up for our play date. We all had the best time! It took Ian and AJ a little bit to warm up to the place, but not little Noah. Oh no, he was all over the place jumping and sliding. He was ready to play!

I almost didn't bring my camera along {gasp, I know!} because I didn't want to have to keep up with it, but I'm so glad I decided to bring it along. I got some really cute pictures of our fun at Pump It Up!

All six of us: Me & Noah {far left}, Lindsey & AJ {middle}, and Laura & Ian {far right}
I love all the boys expressions. Makes me laugh.

Cute little Ian & AJ



Ian holding onto Mommy for dear life! But don't let that little face fool you.
I could barely get any pictures of him because he was running all over the place!



The boys in their police cars! AJ is the cop you want to pull you over.
Noah, well, you better hope he's having a good day.
And Ian, he must have been having car trouble.

Adorable!

Just a few of the inflatables.
You would not believe how big this place is!



These next two pictures of AJ and Noah are so funny.
They both loved the slides! And I have to admit, so do I.
Their expressions are priceless.



Then some little girl thought AJ and Noah were little hotties.
I had to break her little heart and tell her they
aren't allowed to date for another 30 years.
She ran off crying.
Should I not have done that?



Ian and Noah discussing how many tickets they had given out that day.



AJ and Noah downing their CapriSun's that Laura brought for the boys.
Poor little guys were so thirsty. Noah had never tasted the goodness of a
CapriSun before, so it didn't take him long to flatten his out.
Looks like he is considering stealing AJ's. Haha.

We decided on our way out we must get together for weekly play dates. Thank you Laura, Ian, Lindsey, and AJ for playing with us! We had so much fun.

Isn't God so good!

Interview with the Hubby

So, I was recently reading a blog-buddy's blog, and I came across a fun little post that I just had to borrow steal from her {thanks Jess!}. I thought it would be fun to interview Josh, because I'm sure you all get tired of me blabbing all the time. Oh, and I also thought I'd do it so you can see just how much he needs me. :) So, without further ado, here are the questions. And yes, I'm posting his answers word for word. He actually made me blush a few times when I read it.



1. What is the first thing you noticed about your wife when you met?
We met in high school, and it was about a year and a half before we became really good friends and started dating. Before that, I knew Libby as the girl who took really good notes in English class who would let me copy off of her when I didn't finish the reading assignment.

2. What is something your wife does that drives you crazy?

I can beat Libby at most things, but she kicks my butt at Ping-Pong & Rock, Paper, Scissors. Every time. And I can't stand it because I'm so competitive.

3. If money wasn't an option what is one thing you would make sure you always had done for your wife?

Time plays a part in this too, but i'd love to make sure we always took a week long trip alone to somewhere really fun every year.

4. When do you find your wife most attractive?

When she's happy.

5. What does your wife do for you that you totally appreciate and would miss if it was gone?
At the risk of sounding like a chauvinistic pig, if she didn't do my laundry or keep the house clean, FEMA might have to tend to it after a while.

6. If you had your wedding day to do over again and everything was your call, would you keep everything the same? Change something? Everything? Elope or if you eloped vice versa?
Wouldn't change a thing. I look back at our wedding as one of the best times in my life.

7. What's one beauty up keep that you wish your wife didn't do? Or what's one beauty thing you wish she did do?
Well I'm glad she wears deodorant, I just wish she'd buy her own instead of stealing mine every morning.

8. If you could go or be any where in the world with your wife right now, where would that be?
I would say on the beach, but we're going in a few months. Actually, I'd be happy to be in bed together watching LOST. I love the time we spend together doing little things like that.

9. What is one moment you wish you could go back and relive with your wife just to get to experience again? Would you change anything?
Our honeymoon was the best trip ever. It was fun, not just for the obvious reasons, but because it was our first trip out of the country together. If I could change anything, I'd make sure we didn't try to put all of our pictures on our iPod (the iPod crashed and we lost 75% of our pics).

10. What do you love most about your wife?
That she loves the Lord and she loves the ministry he's called us too. There are many sacrifices she makes as a Pastor's wife, but she does them (mostly) joyfully because she wants to serve God. I will always love that about her.

My Hubby's got Talent

As most of you know, we were gone at camp last week.
We played a lot of wild & crazy games as you can imagine,
but my favorite of the week was who could eat
an Oreo first without using their hands!

It was so funny!



I'm pretty proud of my hands free Oreo eating champion!

p.s. Sorry for the poor video quality-- I videoed it on my iphone.

Momma's Sunglasses

Noah loves his Mommy's big-buggy eyed sunglasses.



How cute is he?!



I just love this little boy.