Park Days

With the nice weather we've had this winter, we have spent alot of days at the park. Sometimes we meet up with friends, but most times it is just the boys and me. I so cherish my days with them. We have so much fun just running around and playing, and both boys love swinging lately. I remind myself how quickly these days fly by, which makes me relish them all the more. I really try hard to keep us from getting so busy that we can't just enjoy a beautiful day at the park every week. I thank God for those days that always seem to refresh us and leave us with fun memories.

More Noah's 2nd Birthday

Noah's 2nd Birthday

Today is Noah's 2nd birthday! I still can't believe it has been 2 years since we welcomed him into the world. He is such a wonderful and unique little guy . . . so much personality and energy. Kind of a whirlwind of excitement, emotion, and, at times, destruction. He loves books, building blocks, and the Crocodile Hunter. Some mornings he wakes me up by yelling, "Crikey!" He is full of affection and still loves me to hold him all the time. I am okay with that :) He has done a pretty good job of transferring to his big boy bed. I think it has been harder for me than him. He just seems to be growing up so fast! It is funny to hear his bedroom door open and see him just come walking out with this look, like, "Is this allowed?" We had his birthday party last weekend with the neighborhood kids, my parents, Austin and Ava, and some other friends from church. We played games, had pizza, did a pinata, and had Noah's much anticipated cookie cake (with Lightning McQueen on it). Noah really enjoyed being with all of his friends. Today, we met my Mom and the kids at the park and went to lunch, and then Brian and I took the boys to Texas Roadhouse and Wiregrass mall this evening. The people sang to Noah at the restaurant and he was pretty excited! We will celebrate tomorrow night with Brian's family and Andrea and Tammy. What a blessing to be able to celebrate our little guy with so many friends and family. I love my little Noah so very much and thank God for each moment I spend with him. I look forward to watching him grow and change this next year, just hopefully not too quickly!

Potty Training

Noah has been showing some interest in potty training for a few months now, though we certainly haven't been working at it much at all. The last couple nights he has actually gone on the potty before his bath. We made a HUGE deal about it the first night and gave him a couple tic tacs, his favorite treat. Well, tonight, he had it all figured out! He went just a little on the potty, ran out to the kitchen for his tic tac (naked, of course), went back to the bathroom and went a little more, ran back to the kitchen . . . you get the picture. He repeated this a few times and demonstrated amazing bladder control in the process. He is something else!

Harry Cocoa

I don't know why I thought raising Noah would be much like raising Cole. It amazes me just how different they are! Noah is certainly challenging, wild, and very loud, but he is also incredibly sweet, affectionate, smart, and HILARIOUS! Just the other day in the car, Cole said, "Mommy, Noah makes me laugh SO hard!" And that is so true. Just today, Noah was playing with the laundry pile in the living room while Cole and I finished lunch in the kitchen. Noah comes walking in the kitchen with two shirts on, Cole's underwear over his diaper, and two different socks of Brian on each foot/leg. Cole and I laughed for a good 10 minutes and I managed to get a couple pictures too. This past week, Noah jumped off our king bed onto the hardwood floor. He had a good sized goose-egg on his forehead, but was pretty much back to normal after just a couple minutes. I, however, was not so okay and made him stay up an extra hour so I could monitor him and do periodic neuro checks. A couple days later, while I was going to the bathroom, he managed to somehow throw our 30 lb piece of glass from our coffee table onto the floor. Thank the Lord, it did not break or land on him. He is a piece of work. He has a Frosty the Snowman book that we sing to him when we read it. For some reason, he calls Frosty the Snowman, "Harry Cocoa." He even sings it very loudly in public when he sees snowmen Christmas decorations. He also thinks some of the ghosts people have put up in our neighborhood are snowmen and also calls them "Harry Cocoas." Noah wears me out, but I sure enjoy him and couldn't love him more.

My Student

When I set out on this homeschooling journey, I had no idea how much both Cole and I would enjoy it. We are having such a great time, and I know I'm his mother, but he is doing AWESOME. The picture above was taken on the day our ants arrived in the mail for our ant hill. You can see that Cole was just a little excited about it :) We do school for an hour to an hour and a half when Noah goes down for his nap. At this point, I just can't focus on school with Cole while Noah is awake. As Noah gets older and a little less in need of constant supervision, I am sure we will adjust our schedule and do some things involving Noah too, but for the time being, this is working well. Cole loves math and reading and is always up for a science experiment or art project. I am really enjoying watching him learn to love reading. He has even started reading to Noah sometimes. Cole is also wonderful at memorizing his Bible verses and loves learning the Bible stories. He has really started to ask me some tough questions too. I haven't quite figured out how to explain the Trinity to a 4 year old :) We talk alot about heaven, as that seems to intrigue him, and also alot about what it means to be a follower of Jesus. I have been very careful not to push him into making a decision to follow Jesus before he understands what it means, as I want it to be a decision he makes on his own when he realizes his need for a Savior. I also don't want him to do it just to make me happy. I do pray for him and Noah constantly that they will come to know Christ at a young age. I get excited to think about how God may use them in the future. I am so thankful to have a son like Cole who is critically thinking about all of these things and asking really good questions. He does have a kind, kind heart, and I see it daily in his sensitivity towards both Noah and me. I couldn't ask for a better "student," and I thank God for the opportunity to be a part of these amazing years of growth in knowledge and understanding of so many things. What a joy and honor it is to be Cole's Mommy :)

My Baby

I can't believe how fast Noah seems to be growing up! He is such an energetic, talkative and happy little guy. Cole and I spend a better part of our days just laughing at the silly things Noah comes up with. Noah really doesn't mind being the center of attention either. I am amazed by his ever-growing vocabulary! It probably helps that he has an older brother who is constantly telling him to say things. I must hear Cole ask Noah 50 times a day, "Noah, can you say . . . (fill in the blank)?" Noah sings all the time and frequently makes up his own songs too. One of his favorites is the "Daddy Song." It basically just goes "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy, Doh" and is repeated over and over. There are other versions where "Mommy" or "Cole" gets inserted. Noah is just like his brother and LOVES his blankie. Unlike Cole, however, he is also a big fan of his "Pappy" (pacifier). We are working on that these days, but he always seems to find one under his crib, and it takes super powers to pull that sucker out of the death grip he's got on it with his teeth. Noah is also a destroyer . . . of anything Cole is trying to make, of Cole's books, of paper, of food he doesn't like. Noah is also very loud and gets louder until he is acknowledged. He loves the man who helps us with our groceries at Publix, "Mr. Robby," and yells the man's name the entire time we are shopping. I think Mr. Robby really enjoys that, and I have just grown accustomed to that being part of my shopping experience. Noah loves reading books and in the mornings before Cole wakes up, we often read 10-15 books together. I enjoy that one on one time with my baby in my lap. Noah adores his cousin Ava (Ay-Ay) and anytime we are going somewhere, asks if she will be there. Noah also loves praying, though he continues to interject names of people he wants to pray for during the entire prayer. Usually this person is B-Pa. I guess Noah thinks B-Pa needs alot of prayer ;) Noah can be a challenge, but I am thankful to God for his strong personality and his sweet heart. I can't get enough of his "huggies" as he calls them. I so love my baby boy.