My Noah

This picture is of Noah 2 years ago.

I started to post this on the boys' blog, but I really prefer to keep that one mostly devoted to pictures of Noah and Wes. However, these days most of the pictures that get posted are of Wesley so I feel like I neglect Noah. Well, today was a Noah day. A fabulous day in fact. I am completely blown away by the cuteness, sincereness (? had to stick with a 'ness), thoughtfulness, and awareness that Noah beholds. I'm just going to jot down a few things that happened. My heart is overflowing with love for him right now as I type.

-Everytime Noah wakes up, he wants to see Wesley immediately. Upon seeing him, he says in the cutest voice really loud and squeaky, "Weeeesssssleeeeeey!! Hiiiiii!!!!" And tilts his head all over so that Wesley will look him in the eyes.

-Noah is a creature of habit. Once he gets into a pattern of eating something, singing something, playing something, etc, he wishes to continue the pattern for days, weeks, months even. So he is in a pattern right now of immediate breakfast. He wakes up and wants it now. But not any breakfast will do, right now it is pumpkin bread. And even though he knows exactly how it is going to taste, after the first bite he rubs his tummy and says, "Mmmmmm. Thanks Mama. I haven't had pumpkin bread in a looong looong time!"

-He thanks me for everything. Now yes, this type of behavior comes and goes, but we are in a "come" pattern right now. When I say everything, I mean, everything. Here is an example, "Mommy, thank you for getting my breakfast."

me: Sure Noah, no problem. Thank you for getting the plates to eat our breakfast on.

Noah: "Thanks for saying thank you to me."

The thank yous range from big things to little things, but it is so precious to see what he chooses to thank me for. Sometimes it's for something that happened the day before and he is so thoughtful to remember it!

-He gives the greatest hugs. He can be a real lover bug when he wants to. And right now, with daddy gone, he wants to. He kisses me and rubs my back and touches my hand. I LOVE IT!!

-This one was so adorable and yet a tear jerker at the same time. Brian has been working in Indiana and Noah is very aware of it. So we are getting ready to say prayers tonight and I started saying, "Dear God, thank you for--" and Noah said, "Wait, Mom. Um, can you ask Him to bring daddy home?" I paused, and couldn't believe he said that. It meant that he was actually understanding what we are doing at prayer time. It made me sad and happy all at once.

-I thought Noah was asleep and about 40 minutes after I put him to bed tonight he called my name. I have to admit I was excited to see him again and he was all tucked perfectly in his bed. He said, "I need some more friends, please." He has never said this EVER at bedtime. Oh, friends are his stuffed animals. So I found a couple of his favorites and tucked them all around his head and shoulders. He seemed so content after that and I said, "Noah, I sure love you" while kissing his face. He said, "Mom, I sure love you" with the most serious of tones.

Thankful Monday

LOTS of things to be thankful for today, guys. Here it goes:

1) A very warm house on a very cold day.

2) Seeing my hubbie wear his very plush robe and love every inch of it. I got him it for Christmas and he didn't think he was a robe person. Ha!

3) Public libraries. The ability to check out books, videos, DVDs, play on computers, and browse around all for FREE is quite ingenious I must say. However, my "browsing" time these days is about .15 seconds due to the fact that my 8 month old does not tolerate anything about a quiet, hands-off environment. So I not so patiently await the day that he will sit and read a book......even if only for a couple minutes. Sigh.....


4) Naps. They don't come often, but when they do they can be quite glorious. I think I only got about 20 minutes today...not sure. I'm pretty much in another land when I take a nap and so I'm totally out of it no matter how short it was. Either way, the chance at laying down in my oh so cozy bed with silence in the house is genuinely priceless.


5) My husband is home. Kind of a funny statement because in general you kind of expect your husband to be "home". But this phase of our life is an unusual one in which he is gone about every other week, so I am enjoying his presence thoroughly. He is so helpful, patient, and full of energy for my 3 year old, Noah.


6) A good dinner. I love it when you decide to make something that ends up tasting so much better than you initially thought. Tonight we had mashed potatoes; which I only make on holidays except for maybe 3 other times. Tonight was one of those three. Mini-meatloaves; which sound maybe a little scary but they are YUMMY. Crunchy, gooey, cheesy, saucy, and again, yummy. And then green beans. Not much by themselves, but when mixed with buttery mashed potatoes and meatloaves, they are the perfect fit! Then for dessert, vanilla pudding with fresh blueberries on top. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm


7) Turbotax. I love it. I'm a faithful user for now the 6th year and it is just lovely. Never lets me down and we are due this year for the biggest refund we've ever had! Woo Hoo! Couldn't be a better time.


8) My sisters. They are very unique individuals but at the end of the day, we can tell eachother anything (probably) and still love eachother (probably). Ha. We would do anything for one another and I'm going to miss them so much when we move. I had so much fun just hanging out, making dinner and watching American Idol last week at Kim's house. This week we're going to have a sleepover. I'm very blessed to have such a great family.


9) Wesley. There are so many things I simply love about the little guy but for whatever reason this one thing is a curse but also a blessing. I love how he needs me. I love snuggling with him, nursing him, making him laugh, feeding him new foods, cheering him on when he crawls, and just looking at his utterly perfect face. He needs me like Noah never did and I don't know why that is, but for now, I like it. :)


10) Coffee. The friend who will always be there, always energize you, always keep you warm, and give you that "all is right in the world" kind of feeling. It is how I start each day and it is indeed the perfect start. Right along side my bible study which the combination ensures that I start my morning off right. I may have to reheat it about 10 times, but it is always worth it.

Advice

Okay, calling all parents. I've got a question that I was thinking about throwing out there earlier today. I know you all have been in this situation, so give me your thoughts. Picture this:

Your child has thrown a fit for one of various reasons and it ended in an all out tantrum in which they were sent to their room. This happened to be at nap time and therefore they fell asleep eventually in bed. So here is your dillema, when they wake up, do you talk about it? Or do you let it go and carry on with life? I'm not looking for a "just this once" kind of answer, but what you think is best on a regular basis. A couple key factors in making your decision: a) You have a very smart 3 year old that will remember exactly what happened prior to him falling asleep. b) this sort of thing happens a lot.

:) Happy Advice giving!

Noah's prayer......

This could possibly be the most classic prayer that Noah has prayed to date. It was random because he did it in the car on our way to the movies:

Dear God,
Thank you for me..........with a beard...........a long long time ago............with all the animals..............

At this point Brian and I are dying laughing and consumed with the utter cuteness of this prayer. I think Noah really thinks he is Noah (from the ark). God bless this kid!

Thankful Monday

Despite most of my house, including me being very ill right now, I have several things to be thankful for:

1) Puffs Tissues with Lotion. Blowing my nose, and wiping Wes' nose is so much nicer with these kleenex. (And they are on sale, 4 for $4 at Target. Woo hoo!)

2) My caring, wonderful husband who has played Mr. Mom for the last 3 days. Brian is truly amazing, cooking all the meals, keeping up with Noah's energy level, and waiting on me hand and foot. Not to mention taking care of my slightly high maintenance almost 8 month old. Mind you, he has a TERRIBLE cold while accomplishing all of this.

3) My new physician, Cody Mihills. What a refreshing sight to behold a doctor that is social, kind, thorough, caring, and evaluating you beyond what you came in for. And he gave me a heartfelt apology for running late. Something I have been aching for from all the doctors we are involved with for a very long time. I'm just sad that I've only found him right as we are about to move away.

4) The miraculous progress Wesley has made because he has gone down for 6 consecutive naps WITHOUT CRYING!! Only I know what a miracle this really is. He can even be heard squealing and playing a few minutes before he suddenly becomes verrry quiet. It is such a relief. I am so happy that he has come to finally like his bed and understand how great naps really are.

5) The park that is in view from our front porch that we can walk to at a moments notice. All 4 of us walked there after dinner tonight even though it was almost dark. I love getting out and feeling the wind and seeing how happy Noah is outside. I have spent many hours locked up in this house the past few days and it was so nice to be under the sky.

6) Last but definitely not least, I am starting to feel better. Wow, feeling nauseous and having NO energy with a fever for 3 days was my version of hell. I actually ate something today which was progress and managed to color with Noah and do a puzzle. Feats I could not perform a mere 10 hours ago. Thank you God for answering my prayer and healing my body. You are amazing, God for more than these 6 reasons!

My boys

Just in case you ever forget to look, I've posted quite a few new pics of the boys on their blog.
Scroll down and click on the link to the left.

It's a wonderful NEW year!

Happy 2008 everyone! I hope your eve was exciting and filled with laughter and friends. Now we are on to the actual first day of 2008 and so far so good! Unfortunately though, Brian is leaving for Bloomington soon so that's no fun. But I guess it's perfect timing to put my new "full time stay at home mom" status to work! I'm not sure if this is what you would do, but I've been really, really, really thinking about how I want this all to look. I mean, seriously, what will my average day look like? Yes, I know that some days will go brilliantly well, and others will be chaotic and anti-productive. But I operate much better when there is structure in my day/week and so I've got to find a way to make a good start with the boys. The problem is, I am not a organizational person. I know what I want, but not really sure how to get there. What's funny is I'm a detail person........I mean, really a detail person. I remember every little bit and piece of a conversation, or every number off a page. But when it comes to making details to organize my life.......ummmm I'm lost. That's where my wonderful husband comes in. He is so organized and creative it's amazing. So the other day I was admitting to him that I felt a bit lost in trying to figure out what we would "do" all day and how to do it. He laughed and gave me some pretty good advice. "April, you have to realize that all your friends who stay at home didn't just wake up one day and decide this is how they want it to go. It evolved, over years of doing it, and their routine came out of everyday experience." I thought that was pretty smart.:)
The thing is, if I don't come up with atleast a fragmented plan, then I will be totally unproductive and unhappy and feel lost. This being at home stuff is totally different than sitting at a desk and having a very structured task list! (Duh, that's a given)
So if you have any great tips, or resources or tools to send my way, please do. I'm all ears. I need ideas on fun things to do with the kiddos as well.
I need to get the boys in the bath so I'll pick up soon with this post. I am also really excited about getting healthy, exercising and losing weight in 2008. I'm reading Bob Greene's The Best Life Diet and it's actually not a diet as normally thought of. It is a wonderful book and very very different from anything I've ever read before. Highly recommend it! Ok, be back soon!

Indiana

Good morning friends. It's a brisk 38 degrees here in North Texas with a high of only 44 expected today. I would say we'll stay in all day but we actually have to take Wesley in for a minor surgery on his private part. :) His circumcision wasn't quite successful so they have to do some cleanup if you will. So say a little prayer for him today if you think of it. He will have the surgery around 2:30pm. I pray for quick recovery and very little pain. I feel bad for him but I am glad this is happening now rather than a couple years down the road when he might remember.
So I keep forgetting to write about Indiana. Several of you that I don't talk to on a regular basis wrote emails about Noah's "announcement" awhile back and I have yet to post anything about it since. I apologize for the delay and here are some details:

~Brian was offered a position as a Global Product Manager (marketing in place of his current sales position) at the Cook headquarters in Bloomington, IN.
~After much prayer and thought, as well as one trip up there to visit (first time for me, Brian's been up there dozens), we decided to accept the offer back in September.
~God has made it very easy so far. We knew that He was giving us so much peace about it because regardless of how ridiculous it seemed to leave our family and friends, we still felt excited and blessed with the opportunity.
~The original date was to move up there after Christmas. However, our house has yet to sell and we can't move till that happens. We are going up to Bloomington this weekend to scout out houses but won't move on one until our house is under contract. Please pray that this happens soon.
~I will be finishing up my 6 year position at Let's Start Talking in just a couple weeks. God has blessed me with a wonderful option to stay home with the boys once we move up to IN. I never thought I would want to do this. Even 8 months ago or so I could be heard saying, "I'll never stay home completely. I'll always atleast hold a part time job for sure!" However, God turned my heart during my maternity leave with Wesley and I realized how nice it would be to not have the stress of working/childcare always hovering over me. Now with that said, I absolutely loved my time at LST and will miss my family there dearly. The Lord gave me work that was very fulfilling and a perfect fit for my personality. Brian and I still plan to participate in LST projects in the future and expose our boys to mission work early on.
~We would love your prayers as we make this big transition. Here are a few things I would like you to petition the Lord on our behalf:
1) That our boys will make this transition smoothly and will always feel loved and secure. That Noah will make new friends and we might find a preschool that blesses our family.
2) That Brian and I find a church family quickly to get involved in and experience God more fully in.
3) That God bless me with a few very good friends that I can get to know deeply and share my life with. I would love for this to start in our neighborhood.
4) That God bless Brian with some friends that he can be real with and that will encourage and challenge him.
5) That we will be protected from Satan's attacks. Indiana University is a very liberal university and it hits you in the face at every turn the various ways he is scheming in that city. I want Brian and I to be lights and for God to prepare us to show love regardless of who or what we confront.
6) And lastly, that you lift me up as I transition to staying at home full time. This is a big change for me and I want to embrace it fully. Just pray that God will really work on me and show me how He wants me to use this time successfully.

Thank you everyone for reading this lengthy post. I appreciate your prayers and thoughts, emails, etc. I'll definitely keep everyone updated as we move closer to the move.

Cluto

There is a Disney Christmas movie that was on a few nights ago that Brian taped for Noah. So Noah has been watching parts of it each day. In the movie, Mickey loses Pluto and is on a hunt for him. I didn't know that till after this conversation. So here is Noah's and my conversation:

Noah: I want to watch that movie where Mickey tries to find Cluto.
Me: Cluto?
Noah: Ya, Cluto. The dog.
Me: Oh, you mean Pluto.
Noah: No, Cluto.
Me: Ok.
Noah: It sounds like Cluto.
Me: Ya, I know. But trust me, it's Pluto. Can you say, Plu-to?
Noah: Pluto.
Me: Good job. That's it.
Noah: Well, when Mickey says it, he calls Cluto a little bit Cluto.

Needless to say, despite this conversation yesterday, he has chosen to call him Cluto all day today. I have stopped fixing it. :)

Crying Part 2

Good evening everyone. Well, I had hoped to be writing an entry about a miraculous slowdown in crying episodes. Many of you have emailed me about it and gave me your good wishes that it would stop. Well, folks, quite the opposite has happened. And tonight might have just taken the cake. It started out really funny (I'm trying to be more light hearted about it when possible), but you know, after about 25 minutes, the amusement got lost and things started to spin wildlly out of control ending with me yelling LOUDLY about 3 inches from Noah's face. Not sure what kind of emotion that evokes in you...........maybe you think it is funny, maybe you feel bad for Noah. But please just try to imagine:

Both boys in the bath. They are having fun. Wesley is chewing on all those spongy bath toys while Noah is doing who knows what splashing around. Well, I'm in Wesley's room folding clothes (next door to the bathroom) and I hear Noah yell "Roar!!" to Wesley and start giggling. Suddenly Wesley shreaks much like a bottle rocket and it started growing louder and louder. He has huge tears, huge bottom lip, slightly traumatized by Noah's roar. Well, I very calmly said, "Oh Noah. You scared Wesley" and came running in the bathroom (while Wesley is still shreaking). And then as if in slow motion, I see Noah's face turn very solemn and his bottom lip start to poke out. I start to say "Noooooooooooo" and before I can do any kind of reassuring, comforting, encouraging, Noah's mouth flys open and he WAILS. Instantly sending Wesley into a second tier of screaming. They are both looking directly at eachother crying harder and harder and louder. Neither one will calm down because both of them are crying so loudly. I'm trying to giggle and tell Noah that it's totally ok, and he's not in trouble.... Wesley is fine and will be fine if only he will stop crying....etc etc. But Noah feels so terrible for scaring him that he just cannot help himself. I try distracting Wesley with all kinds of different toys....an occasional bucket of water over the head....nothing works. Still screaming. Which means Noah....is still screaming. So I yank Wes out of the tub and spend a good 10 minutes in his room getting him calmed down and ready for bed. Noah is still going on and on and on in the bath. I put a video on for Wes and then tried to regain my strength to tackle Noah.
I ask him why he's crying, tell him to stop crying, ask him if he wants to get out, wants to stay in, wants to watch the video........anything to get through to the kid. Nothing. All he does is cry harder and louder while staring at me. I tell him, "Noah, I cannot just stand here and listen to you cry. You have got to stop." Well, naturally, that makes him mad and he cries louder. So I shut the door and walk away. Repeat of the previous sentence. I go back in for another try (this is probably 20 minutes into it) and use a real sweet voice, try to break through some how. He just reaches for me. I go over and hold his hand and ask him if he'll please stop crying. I tell him to use his words and hop out if he wants to hop out. He simply looks at me with tears everywhere and continues to scream. So after much anger simmering inside me, I yell....really loudly.....in his face. USE YOUR WORDS!!!!!!!!!! He looks at me in shock and need I say it, screams even louder but atleast talks to me and says "You yelled! You scared me!" and I said, "YES. I DID YELL. BECAUSE YOU WON'T STOP CRYING" So while the crying ensues, I go over, grab his towel, carry him to his room, and get him ready. I bring him in to the video where Wes is and set him down in a chair and walk out of the room. Crying episode finished.

Now. If reading this at all exhausted you, I apologize. You can only imagine what it was like to be here. I didn't mean to carry on for so long. But there was really no way to shorten the story. So that's Noah's new thing. He thinks that any time I get mad or yell that him saying "You scared me" means it's all my fault and I need to apologize right then and there. I'm so frustrated. I cannot win with this kid. He is beyond any sort of strategy.

Today was actually a pretty good day all the way around. I have lots of things to be thankful for. But isn't it amazing that one 25 minute twilight zone can make you feel miserable about your whole day!?! Okay, now I have to post a funny post about Noah just to get myself to snap out of it.