Busy Busy BUSY!!!

My goodness - these last four weeks have been so busy.  It seems we've been in Go! Go! Go! mode nonstop.  The boys and I have done quite a bit of traveling.  We spent time with both sets of grandparents (Nate's in southern Indiana, mine in northern Michigan.)  Had great times in both places.  Will post pictures soon (check back tomorrow for Wordless Wednesday!)

Since coming home from the grandparents' houses, we've still been BUSY!  We were lucky to have my cousin Bre come stay with us for a week - it was great!  She's 12 and loves loves LOVES the boys.  We had lots of fun and Bre was a great help to me.  That same week, we got to spend more time with Gma and Gpa Martin as they camped nearby - we even camped with them for a few days.  The mosquitoes were pretty thick, but the boys loved it!  We spent a day at the beach, and went to see all the airplanes at the Kalamazoo Air Zoo - very cool!

Last weekend, we had a visit from Nate's parents (and grandparents and aunt!)  It's so nice when family comes to visit.  We had fun - very laid back, but a great visit.  Noah loves playing with Mamaw and Papaw and we were glad to have them here.

Tomorrow, we're off to the zoo with our buddy Sy and his mom.  It will be our first zoo trip of this year.  The weather should be perfect, not too hot and low humidity.  Can't wait - Noah knows giraffes, zebras, kangaroos, and monkeys, so I'm excited to show them all to him.  I'm sure we'll have more pics to share soon!

What a difference a year makes . . .

Today is a day to celebrate and to reflect.  It is Noah's Homecoming Day!!!!  One year ago tonight we were anxiously waiting in the baggage claim of O'Hare Airport for our precious little man to come home forever.  I remember it so well.  Pacing, constantly checking the screen for flight updates, trying to find a place to buy a soft drink (just about impossible that late at night!)  Waiting, waiting, waiting.  And then, there he was!  I look at pictures now and it seems so surreal - he looks so different now.  He's grown so much!   I think back on all the great things we've shared this past year and all the joy he's brought to my life.  I can't find the words to describe it.  I'll never be able to convey in this blog all the emotion of that night or all the wonderful ways this little boy has changed my life, so I'll just say, 

"HAPPY HOMECOMING DAY, NOAH!  

We love you so much."

Wordless Wednesday {Intro & Our Favorite Things}

One thing I love about blogs is stealing other people's ideas!  I have a few mom friends who do some weekly features, namely the "Wordless Wednesday."  Just a couple snapshots every week to share what our crazy kiddos are up to.  Here are a few showing the boys doing their favorite things.  Enjoy!

Every day is something new . . . .

One of my favorite things about being mother to a toddler is that you just don't know what each new day is going to bring.  New words, new tricks, new experiences.  I love watching Noah grow and learn - every day I get a front row seat to The Noah Show.  I'm so blessed that I get to stay home and share all his accomplishments.

That being said, I must note that not all of Noah's accomplishments are necessarily good or worth bragging about.  Case in point:

It's very hot here now and we haven't put the air conditioner in Noah's bedroom window yet.  It was pretty warm at bedtime last night, so we put him to bed in a T-shirt and his diaper in the hope that he wouldn't be too hot.  Noah is a great sleeper and he wakes up in a great mood.  He is content to play in his crib and sing and laugh and babble to his best friend Dog Dog until I go up to get him.  If I don't go get him right away, he will eventually throw his pillow and blanket and all his other stuffed animals out of his bed onto the floor.  This is nothing new.  This morning, I went up to get him and found he had thrown everything out of his bed, including his diaper.  I found him sitting in his crib singing while playing with his weiner.

Oh my.

Lyrics for today

I am a sucker for a well written song.  I love and am very jealous of singer/songwriters who can convey events, emotions, and thoughts in music and lyric.  I wish I could do that.  There is always a song playing in the back of my mind.  Sometimes it's an annoying ear worm that I hear and gets stuck in there.  Sometimes it's a commercial's jingle.  Sometimes it's a nursery rhyme or kids song I've played for Noah.  Most often, it's just a favorite song that I relate to at the moment; something that brings me comfort, or maybe a laugh.  I think I'd like to share some favorites here on the blog from time to time.

Today I've had a song by Eric Church in my head.  It's called, "Those I've Loved."  The lyrics to the bridge of this one speak very true to me today.


 . . . and I hope they know,
I never would've made it this far on my own
Where would we all be without those
Fathers and mothers, sisters and brothers
The friends I've made, the long lost lovers
I wouldn't be who I am today
If not for those I've loved along the way

I know I wouldn't be who I am without those I've loved and those who've loved me.  I'm grateful for both.

By the way, if you ever have the chance to see Eric Church in concert, I highly recommend it.  Good times - such an amazing show!!!!

Vocab Test

Today I had lunch with my friends, the other three moms of the Fantastic Four boys.  While we were chatting, one asked me how many words I thought Noah could say right now.  I really had no idea; I guessed about 30.  It got me thinking, so I've decided to make a list of the words and expressions that Noah knows, understands, and uses on a regular basis.  He understands SO MUCH MORE, but these are the ones he uses to speak with right now.

FAMILY
Ma/Mama
Dada
B (That's Baby Eli)
"Low" (That's how he says Emily)
Pawpaw (He always whispers this one when he says it - so cute!)

BODY PARTS
Head
Eyes
Shoulder
Knee
Elbow
Toes
Nose
Neck
Ear

FOOD
Cheese
Snack
Broccoli (although sometimes he says this while pointing to a cupcake!)
Apple
Egg
Milk
Water

NATURE/ANIMALS
Outside (he always whispers this one too - I don't know why!)
Bird
Flower
Kitty
Dog
Fish
Elephant
Bear
Zebra
Moo
Pink Pig (it's never just pig, it's PINK pig)
Frog
Duck
Quack
Moon
Star
Grass
Stick
Bug

THINGS THAT GO
Car
Truck
Airplane
Helicopter

TOYS
Ball
Stitch (he has a stuffed Stitch from the Lilo and Stitch movie)
Book
Bubble
Block
Elmo
Color

CLOTHING
Shoes
Socks
Hat
Necklace
Button

AROUND THE HOUSE
Light
Clock
Nap

EXPRESSIONS
Thank you
Please
Love you
More
Hi, Dad!  (or Hi, Kitty!)
Night Night
Brush Teeth
Whoa, Mama!
Bye Bye
All Done
All Gone
Yuck
Phew!  (as in phew - stinky!)
Uh-oh

Wow - I counted over 70 different words and phrases.  That's amazing!  And remember, these are just the words he actually says and uses.  His comprehension is so much more that this.  What an awesome little man!!!

Noah at 21 months

Eli at 4 months

Can you believe Eli is already 4 months old?!?!?!?  He's really starting to show his personality now - lots of smiles and giggles and oh my goodness does he LOVE to kick his feet!  He's rolling over regularly now (only from his tummy to his back.) We just got him an Exer-saucer to play in.  We had him in it for the first time today and he loves it!  He also loves to be outside where he can watch the trees blow in the wind.  He's a pretty stinkin' adorable kid and I marvel every day at the fact that I get to be his momma.

At his checkup this week, he weighed in at 14 lbs  7 oz.  That puts him in the 50th percentile for weight.  He is 26 1/2 inches long, which is the 90th percentile for length.  It seems he's built like his daddy - long and lean (or at least how his Daddy used to be!)   :-)

Sweet sleeping boy

Hello, Handsome!