Buh-bye, Emmy!

We said goodbye to our favorite roommate this week.  That's right; Aunt Emily moved out.  She didn't move far - she's got her own apartment shared with three other friends close to campus, which is great.  She'll certainly still be around a lot, but I can tell that Noah knows what's going on and that he already misses her.  We've been talking about his "Emmy" moving in to her own house and we took both the boys to see her place when she moved, but every once in a while Noah will stop whatever he's doing, look around, and say, "Emmy, buh-bye.  Buh-bye, Emmy!"  Awwww . . . . I wonder who will miss who more?  Emily or the boys???

I've noticed a change, too.  Even though Em's been gone working as a camp counselor all summer, the house feels a little bit emptier now.  She lived with us for over 2 and a half years - that's a long time!  She was here when we brought both boys home and is a big part of our family.  I will admit it's not ALL bad . . . . . I'm loving the extra space in the bathroom cabinets!  Still, we miss her.  Thankfully she's just a phone call and a 10-minute drive away.

I thought I'd dig out a couple pics of our favorite roomie, Aunt Emmy. 

Buh-bye, Emmy - We Love You!

There's a two-year-old living in my house . . .

. . . and to be honest, it's freaking me out a little!

We celebrated Noah's second birthday last week.  We had a great "All-Star" themed party that was SO MUCH FUN.  All Noah's friends and grandparents were here to help us celebrate.  We had fantastic, not-too-hot weather so everyone got to play outside in the newly improved backyard playground.  I can't tell you how much joy it gave me to see all the little ones play together in our backyard - it was great!  I concocted a crazy-but-cute giant cupcake birthday cake, and of course there was ice cream, so I think it was a hit!

But now, I have this two year old "Big Boy."  Nothing baby-ish about him at all any more.  It seems that Noah has grown so much in just the last two weeks.  His vocab is exploding and he's linking words together into 3- and 4- word sentences.  We moved him to his toddler bed, so now he comes downstairs on his own in the morning.  He transitioned great into the big boy bed - I was really nervous about it, but Noah did great, as always.  He's learning his colors - purple is his favorite!  He's having a serious love affair with Elmo.  He's also a big fan of bubbles right now.  I do see a little bit of jealousy with Eli, but I'm sure that's normal.  Sometimes it seems his favorite phrase is, "Eli!  No!!!"  I'm anxious to go in for his check-up in a few weeks to see how he's developing physically, too.

I love seeing him grow and learn things so fast, but it makes me a little bit sad.

It's just going too fast!

Wordless Wednesday {A Big Boy in His Big Boy Bed}

Wordless Wednesday {At the Pool: with Grandma, Grandpa, and Daddy}

When you visit our house . . .

When you visit our house, you may find dirty dishes in the sink

When you visit our house, you may find laundry piled on the floor.

When you visit our house, you may notice the trim that still hasn't been painted, or the paint that needs touching up.

When you visit our house, you may find that dinner is being served from a can, or a box, or a bag.

When you visit our house, you might see a dead shrub in the yard where we can't get anything to grow, or a flower bed overrun with weeds.

When you visit our house, you might notice the couch with cat claw marks, or the stained carpet.

It seems there's never enough time, money, or energy to do all that we want to do, or all that we should do.  There is always a project to finish, or another to start.  And, Lord knows I am not the world's greatest housekeeper.  There's never enough space to put things away.  Sometimes it feels like we're living on top of each other in our little house, which some days feels like it's falling apart.


BUT,


When you visit our house, you may find two brothers jumping up and down just to make each other laugh.

When you visit our house, you may find Mama reading the boys a story, or Daddy playing with them in the backyard.

When you visit our house, you'll find pictures of our family and friends on the fridge, including another little boy we can't wait to bring home.

When you visit our house, you'll find a Mama and Daddy who love each other and are best friends (and are probably sitting on the couch together watching "Wipeout" on TV.)

When you visit our house, there's a good chance you'll find something sweet, homemade, and fresh-baked in the kitchen.

When you visit our house, you're welcome to share anything we have.

When you visit our house, we're glad you're here.

Almost . . Wordless Wednesday {That's How I Roll . . . }

"Shhhhh . . . . don't tell Papaw Tom I'm riding a GREEN tractor!"

:-)

Sick day

I woke up this morning feeling like poo.  I've got an allergy/sinus/summer cold combo going on and it just stinks.  I feel like my head is the size of a hot air balloon and weighs about 3 tons with lots and lots of sinus pressure.  Blah!

Thank goodness it's the weekend so Nathan was home to take care of the boys.  I'd have been truly miserable if I were home alone taking care of the boys while feeling like this.  Daddy hung out with the boys all day; fed them and kept them entertained while I rested.  That was so great - I needed the sleep!  When I did come out to spend some time on the couch, I got lots and lots of hugs, kisses, and cuddles from Noah so being sick isn't all that bad!  Daddy also taught Noah a new phrase.  All day he walked around saying, "Ma, sick."  "Ma, sick."  Gotta love that kid!