Then and now

May 29, 2005, 8:36 am

Lily at 1 day old:



Lily at 273 days old:

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Peek-a-boo

May 29, 2005, 8:34 am

Lily playing her favorite game:

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Noah's thoughts

May 27, 2005, 9:58 pm

Some things Noah said today that made me chuckle...

"That's the American flag. The United States of America! Never let the flag touch the floor, Mom!" (Said every time we see a flag)

"JJ and Troy are summer-vacation-ers. When are they coming to see us? Are they coming to visit us? It's summer vacation, you know!"

"Why is it raining? It's summer vacation! It should be hot!"

"It's summer vacation, so we have to go swimming and to Kansas. We need to stay at hotels with swimming pools and games. Let's do the same things we did last year."

Longer conversation:

Noah: Wow, that painting is big! (Staring at painting that has been on the wall for years)

Mama: Yeah, Grandpa Hottman painted that painting.

Noah: Really?

Mama: He is an artist, you know. He teaches art at a college. The college you went to with him.

Noah: Why do people go to college?

Mama: To learn things. I went to college to be a dietitian. Papa went to college to work in computers.

Noah: Oh.... (long pause) I'm going to go to college to be a doctor.

Mama: Really?

Noah: A doctor AND a builder. I'm going to build buildings. It will have to be an OUTSIDE college. They will have to teach me how to build buildings outside. Backhoes will be there.

Mama: You'd be great at that.

Noah: Yeah.

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Summer vacation

May 27, 2005, 8:54 am

Preschool is over for the year. Noah's teacher, Mrs. Williams, informed the kids that it is now summer vacation. So yesterday after his last day of preschool, Noah wanted to put on his swimming suit and go swim in his friend Emily's pool. He asked multiple times, and I had to explain that the water is way too cold. "But it's SUMMER VACATION!" he insisted.

Mrs. Williams also told his class how much she would miss them this summer. I caught Noah sitting at his desk writing very dramatically in his Spiderman notebook. I asked him what he was writing. He said, "I'm writing about how Mrs. Williams will miss me this summer and how sad I am because I'll miss her."

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He's 4

May 23, 2005, 12:42 pm

He rarely naps
He loves his toys
He cuddles with his Mama
He goes fishing with his Papa
He loves his Papa and Mama
He sleeps with his special blankie
He doesn't like to share with his sister
He loves his little sister
He loves his grandparents
He loves his aunts and uncles
He loves his cousins
He has a crush on one of his cousins
He misses his dog Sam
He loves his dog Jack
He loves his friends
He thinks some friends are super-cool

He has an imaginary friend named "Tickle Man"
He loves Jesus
He is scared of carwashes
He is shy around adults he doesn't know
He hates eggplant
He loves preschool
He thinks he is a superhero

[ 4 comments ] ( 34 views )

Personality

May 23, 2005, 12:32 pm

Lily is so sweet. Her personality is starting to show, and Nathan and I have fallen in love with her. She is very goofy and constantly snorts at us. When she wakes up in the morning, she is so happy to see us. We will snort at her, and she turns to us already in full snort.

Yesterday during Noah's birthday parties, Lily had so much fun. She was happy to play with paper and bows or sit out in the yard and watch everyone else running around her.

She danced during Noah's birthday video:



And here she is helping her big brother attack her Papa. She thought this was very funny:



We wonder what her personality will be like as she gets older. Right now she's all about fun and very carefree. I hope she stays that way...

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Love

May 19, 2005, 3:13 pm

I went to get Lily out of her car seat today and caught her kissing herself in the mirror. Her favorite book has a mirror on the back, and she was laughing and kissing herself. Now that's love.

[ 3 comments ] ( 32 views )

School birthday

May 19, 2005, 9:38 am

Today is Noah's school birthday (as he calls it). He came home last month with the May calendar for school. He was in the backseat and exclaimed, "Ohhhhh! Look!!!! My SCHOOL BIRTHDAY is on 1-9." So I looked at the calendar and sure enough it said "Noah's birthday" on the 19th. The boy is brilliant.

Yesterday at 8:00 a.m. he told me we needed to make cupcakes for his school birthday today. I thought that was a little early, but he explained that we might mess them up and need to get more cupcake mix and start all over. Is he my son or what? There is no procrastination here. So we made the cupcakes, and they turned out fine. Noah ate 3. He believes in quality control.

This morning he woke up so excited for his school birthday that he didn't want to eat or drink anything (or maybe it was the 3 cupcakes from the day before). He asked if he could wear his nice new white t-shirt that he wore for pictures yesterday. I was shocked. This is a kid who only wants to wear shirts with Spiderman, Superman, or Batman on them. His shirt was dirty from yesterday, so he settled on a nice green shirt.

Here is the picture from yesterday in his nice white shirt. I think he could be a Gap Kids model, but I am his Mom...



By the way, 3 more days until Noah's home birthday (a.k.a. actual birthday), but who's counting?

[ 3 comments ] ( 34 views )

Drawing of Mama (Not safe for work)

May 18, 2005, 12:46 pm

Noah brought home a picture from school yesterday. He loves to draw people now, and he drew me. Here is it:



I asked him, "Noah, what are those round things sticking out of me at the top?"

Noah responded very seriously, "Those are the big things you use to feed Lily."

I sure hope his teacher didn't ask the same question...

[ 4 comments ] ( 46 views )

Favorite quote of the month

May 16, 2005, 2:28 pm

Noah: "I grabbed Jack's feathers, and he almost bite-ed me."

(The fact that Noah thinks Jack has feathers kills Nathan and me. Sometimes I'm out in public and suddenly bust out laughing at the thought of Noah pulling Jack's feathers.)

[ 2 comments ] ( 24 views )

Budding photographer

May 14, 2005, 2:50 pm

I had a post earlier about how Noah could be a future rock star. Now he's dabbling in photography. Here are a few of my favorite pictures he has taken this week:

"Striped tail"


"Circle track"


"Nice Mama"


I had no idea he took this picture, and when I found it on the camera it killed me. He likes to take food from our pantry and set up a store. Here is a picture of his sweet, organized store:

"Noah's store"

[ 4 comments ] ( 32 views )

A face...

May 14, 2005, 2:48 pm

only a Mama and Papa could love:

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Brand New Bike

May 8, 2005, 4:19 pm

I'm thrifty. Some would even say cheap (and some have called me that to my face). But I think it's just smart. I was raised by a thrifty father, and my family takes pride in getting a good deal. You can't compliment anyone in my family about an article of clothing or piece of furniture without hearing something like, "Oh, thanks...two dollars!" If we ever bought something at full price it would be a shameful thing.

Noah wanted a new bike for his birthday. Nathan and I were discussing getting him a new bike as his big gift. This weekend our neighborhood had a multifamily garage sale. Noah, Lily, and I were walking around the neighborhood (looking for deals with our $4 of course). We saw a boy's bike in a yard, and as we got a little closer I noticed there was a "FREE" sign on it. Noah was so excited and wanted this bike. He got on it, and it was the perfect size. The family giving the bike away was excited to see Noah's excitement. It was an exciting moment.

So we brought the bike home, put training wheels and a horn on it, and Noah was ecstatic. He rode it over to his friend Emily's house and exclaimed, "LOOK AT MY BRAND NEW BIKE!" Emily wanted to try it out, and Noah looked on so proud. I love that although the bike is used and free, it is brand new to Noah.



Of course after getting this super deal and saving myself $70 or so, I had to call my Dad. These are the moments my family lives for.

[ 3 comments ] ( 35 views )

The snorter

May 8, 2005, 4:12 pm

Lily has started snorting. There is nothing funnier than a snorting baby. Noah started snorting around 9 months of age and soon after that got his first tooth. I think teething makes babies a little crazy. Lily started snorting about a month ago and got her 1st two teeth a few weeks ago.

Here she is...the snorting baby with her two teeth:

[ 2 comments ] ( 23 views )

More threats

May 5, 2005, 11:18 am

What is it with almost 4-year-olds? Do they all threaten their parents as if they are the adults?

Last night Noah and I made oatmeal cookies. Noah wanted to eat all of them when they were done, but I allowed him 3. We were sitting on the couch together eating cookies when Noah got up and said...

"Mama, I'm going downstairs to check on Papa."

Then he cocked his head to one side and got a very adult-like look on his face and pointed his finger at me and said, "Now, when I come back upstairs if you have taken my last cookie I will (pause while he thinks of appropriate punishment) take it right out of your hand. Do you hear me?"

Well, I heard him alright, but I don't think I gave him the answer he was expecting. I didn't eat his cookie by the way.

[ 5 comments ] ( 35 views )

Overachiever

May 3, 2005, 5:12 pm

Lily is growing up too fast. She seems to master a new skill every week. She started standing on her own last week. She lets go for a few seconds when she is standing and looks around to make sure someone is admiring her talents. I have tried to get a picture of this, but so far I can't catch her in time. Trust me, it's very impressive.

Her latest skill is climbing the stairs. She snorts as she quickly climbs away from us. It's a sight to behold.


[ 3 comments ] ( 33 views )