Nothing is Safe Anymore.

Nothing.

He did it twice in a row just before this and so this time, the third time that he's ever done it, I grabbed the camera so Ben {and ya'll} could be amazed too.

Nothing is safe anymore.

Reason #348

Reason #348 my stress level is a little high today:

We are having a garage sale this weekend, along with some of the other couples in our small group, and tonight is the first chance that we will have had to start labeling and pricing the items we're selling.

Reason #349 you ask?

I've still got to go through two more rooms and the baby clothes in the attic.

Just for you....

...Daddy-man/Papa. Ben thought you might like this video....

I told him you wouldn't.
And even though he said that he thought this would look really great in Noah's room, I reminded him that Sooners eat Longhorns for dinner and that the only rocking chair that will be in his room is a red one. ;)

Oatmeal Mornings

My favorite mornings are the ones when Noah wakes up before Ben eats breakfast... because that means that Daddy and Noah get to share! Noah will pitch a fit if he doesn't get to have a bite {or three} of Ben's oatmeal and Ben willingly shares.

And sometimes he shares his water too.

Heading Home

We spent the night last night at Nick and Lendy's and then spent the morning with them too before we started heading home.

But not before both of the little boys got to have a nap:

I just love sleeping babies.

The Boys. :)

Noah was still pretty unsure about Mack, even as we were leaving!

We're so happy and excited for you guys! Congrats and we can't wait to see ya'll again soon!!

And, for those of you who are curious and know about them, we did get stuck with an Oompa Loompa, but only for a short drive... he ended up back with the Kurths. :)

Meeting Mr. Mack

This morning, the three of us loaded up the Sequoia and headed towards Dallas/Ft. Worth to visit Nick and Lendy and to finally meet Mr. Mack. Mack Sullivan Kurth was born March 20th and is just perfect! We just fell in love with that sweet little guy the moment we met him! I also finally got to give them their baby gift {Nick really wanted to do a Jetson's theme, but since there isn't a crib set available with the Jetson's on it, I offered to make them a quilt}. I'm hoping to put a few extra pictures of it on the craft blog... and I'll update this post once I do.

Opening the gift up.



Mack, the Boy Genius!

Lendy and I got to have some girl time and when we got back to their house, I found Ben like this... and evidently he had barely put Mack down while we were gone. He also kept stealing Mack's kisses, so I'd dare say that he's quite ready to have another little snuggle-bug around our house too. :)

Noah, on the other hand, had no interest in Mack {we almost think he was scared of him though he was very concerned for Mack when he cried}, but was in love with Maggie and Grace. He would go over to the back door so that he could watch and laugh at the pups while they were playing outside.

Later in the afternoon, Jerod and Elaine came over to spend some time with us and finally get to meet Noah. And they are expecting their first right now too! Elaine is about 36 weeks pregnant with Miss Cana and we can't wait to get to meet her also!


I tried to find a non-scrapbooked copy of this same picture that we took nearly five years ago of all of us sitting on mine and Ben's couch in our apartment in Oklahoma City the day that we first met Lendy... but I couldn't find it. {Jerod, you read this, will you scan it and send it to me so that I can add it please?!}

So, here we are, five years later and while not a lot has changed... their are definitely some new, well-loved, and very welcomed additions.

Introducing "The Speaker" and a Giveaway

{Okay, it's another "I'm kinda bragging, but not really bragging" post.... sorry!}

Words cannot describe how truly proud of my youngest sister I am. But, I'll try... the girl has just had her first book published! I'm so impressed and so proud of her determination and strength to not only put in the time and energy that it takes to write a young adult novel, but also the patience that it takes to see it through to publication. Jessie, seriously, I couldn't be more proud.

Jessica's book, The Speaker, is the story of a young girl named Nata who finds that she has an exceptional gift. Here's a quick excerpt from the book:

***

"I shivered, aware that my blankets were at the foot of my bed. I pulled them up to me, and tried desperately to get warm. I was still shuddering.

Why was it so cold?

The weatherman said to expect the hottest summer South Dakota had ever seen. Even at night, there was no way the temperature was below 70 degrees. I slowly rolled over to my ride side and was immediately unable to move.

I was not alone.

Near my bedroom door was the boy from the news. He was not standing, or floating in the air as I half expected my first encounter with a spirit to appear. He simply glided swiftly, to the left and right staring at my wide eyes.

“Don’t scream,” he whispered...."

***

You, my lucky blog readers, have a chance to win an autographed copy of The Speaker! Simply visit the Jessica Akers website and then leave a comment here {on my blog}. I'll close the comments at midnight May 1 and draw a winner from those who left a comment. Good luck to those who enter!

And, if you don't want to wait to see if you are the lucky recipient of the giveaway, you can always order your own copy here.

A Busy Thursday

We met Ben's Dad and Brenda for breakfast this morning at the Dixie Pig before they headed back home. {Noah didn't really want to cooperate for a picture.}

***

Noah and I spent the rest of the day getting the house cleaned up, finishing up a few projects, and getting ready for our big trip to meet Mr. Mack this weekend, while Ben went in to the office for his only real work day this week... hence, no other pictures today!

Museum and Dinner

This afternoon we loaded up in the Sequoia and went to the 12th Armored Division Memorial Museum in the downtown area. While it was a pretty neat museum, I had more fun watching Noah and Ben wander around, looking at items and laughing at Noah as he tried to pick up the items through the glass.

The yellow stars next to the soldiers names on the memorial walk bricks indicated that their life was lost while serving their country.

***

We ate dinner at Lytle Land and Cattle Company - I highly recommend it!
{It also makes me really want to try Sharon's BBQ since it is owned by the same woman!}

Zoo Trip

The first time we went to the Abilene Zoo, we went in the afternoon {so that Noah could nap} and while we did get to see almost all the animals, some weren't very active. Today, we went to the zoo again, but this time, we went first thing in the morning. And what a difference it makes in the activity level of the animals! {Not to mention the fact that it was a good thing we went early since it was in the 90's this afternoon!}

Noah and Daddy watching the flamingos and ducks.

Looking around the bird exhibit.

One of the highlights of the trip was feeding the bear - the zoo allows you to purchase crackers to feed to the animals and obviously the bear is a fan.

So are the giraffes.

The Pink Egg

Ben's Dad and Brenda arrived in town today for a visit. And of course {and as usual}, Mr. Noah was spoiled rotten. He got his Easter basket from them, filled with sidewalk chalks and new toys.

His favorite thing? The big pink egg filled with bunnies.

My Hubby, the HandyMan

I really don't like to listen to other people brag, but since I'm bragging on my hubby, I suppose it's more than okay... right? And really, it's more like giving him words of affirmation for the world to read. :)

***

When the part of the fence/gate fell down earlier this month, we couldn't decide on the best way for us to fix: do we hire someone?; should we just buy all new pieces and put it up ourselves?; or should we just "fix" it as best as possible? Enter HandyMan Ben. Yesterday, Ben ripped down the old fence/gate, dug post holes for the metal beams and set them in concrete.

And today {after mowing and edging the lawn, fixing the other fence portions and covering the dried concrete with the displaced dirt} he built a new section for the gate {they didn't carry the exact size we needed}!

Dear One, I am SO impressed by you! And am SO grateful for all that you do for us! We are truly blessed to have you!

Waffles and Yogurt for Dinner

This is what happens after Noah finishes his waffles and yogurt {no syrup for this kid yet!}... he gets to have the rest of the yogurt with a spoon. He also thinks that he does it well enough to feed himself.

Too bad more of it didn't get on his face.

16 Weeks and a 16 Month Tantrum

Baby #2 is growing!

I'm starting to feel actual little kicks every once in a while.... I had been feeling the "fluttering" for a while {around 11 weeks or so... just like with Noah}. Today, Noah was sitting on my lap and while we were watching Sesame Street, Baby #2 kicked at Noah! Now, of course, Noah couldn't feel it, but I'm already wondering: was it out of sibling love or the beginnings of some sibling rivalry that Baby #2 kicked at him?

***

And, though I took this video just to show Ben what a stinker Noah was this afternoon, I thought I'd share it with ya'll too since I didn't take any pictures today...

Noah was not happy when it was time to put away the Tadoodles and get ready for dinner.

Poor kid... Mommy puts away his colors and makes him eat food.

Shutterfly is Updated

I updated Shutterfly a while back, but I forgot to post about it! So, our Shutterfly site is updated if you'd like to look at more pictures from the past few months. I will be sending out an email reminder when I update it with April's pictures. If you need the password, just let me know by leaving a comment or sending me an email and I'll get it to you. Enjoy!

When Mommy is sick....

...the playroom {and the rest of the house} gets destroyed.

And I'd dare say that he is pretty proud of the mess too.

15 Month {One Month Late} Well Baby Check-Up

We finally, over a month later, had Noah's 15 month well baby check-up. And, like Ben and I, I'm sure the rest of you will be pleased to know that Noah has actually gained some weight! He now weighs in at a whopping 20 lbs 11oz {4%}, 31.5" {52%}, and a head circumference of 19.7" {98%}. Still a skinny little kiddo with a big head, but he's moved up 2 percentiles in his weight! :) I still think it's funny that his six-month old buddy, Ethan, outweighs him by an entire pound! But he's gained exactly 10 lbs and 10.5 inches since he was born! And, the only shot he had to get was his flu booster - yay!

****and, we take a moment for a PSA****

Even though he now weighs enough to be changed to forward-facing in his car seat, we're keeping him rear-facing for a little while longer. Why, you ask? Read this and watch this.

****

Noah's favorite thing to destroy lately: the cabinet that holds the printer... he loves the floppy disks {yes, we still have some from college!} and all the extra papers. Crazy kiddo! :)

My New Toy

Ben got his new toy a couple of weeks ago.... and I got mine this weekend! {Can I just say how grateful I am for a hubby who is so talented in small business operations??}

I got the new Silhouette SD digital die cutting machine! I'd been debating back and forth between it and the Cricut Expression, but decided that the fact that I didn't have to buy cartridges outweighed the fact that the Silhouette SD's cutting width is 8.5". And, unlike the Cricut, the Silhouette uses any fonts or shapes you already have on your computer. Not to mention the fact that the one we bought came with bonus gifts like glass etching cream, vinyl, and a free six month subscription to download their online digital designs!

To my California scrapbooking friends - come visit me!!! And to my Abilene scrapbooking friends - when is our next craft day?? I'm so excited to own this bad boy and hopefully, just maybe, I'll get caught back up in my scrapbooks now! :)

16 Months

While I know I say this every month, I can hardly believe our little guy is 16 months old. Even when people stop me to say how adorable he is, ask his name, and how old he is, I often just want to say, "He's still a baby!". But I know he's not. And the last week or so, whenever I get him out of his crib in the mornings, I'll swear that he's grown a whole inch overnight.

Happy 16 Months Dear Little One!


Things Noah loves at 16 months:

• Coloring, making music, and getting into trouble.


• Sharing Daddy's oatmeal with Daddy in the morning {I really, really need to get some pictures of that!}.
  
• Bringing books to Mommy to read to him {especially his favorites: Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, all his Dr. Seuss board books, and his lift-the-flap counting book, among others}.
  
• Trying and pretending to eat with his own spoon and fork {and, as you can tell in the photos, he also likes to carry it around with him everywhere}.

Easter 2009

He is Risen!! Happy Easter!!

***

Since the three of us were planning on heading back home to Texas just after lunch, we decided that we would celebrate Christ's resurrection by spending some extra, quality time together at home, instead of going to church. {And I thought this was the first time that we've ever not gone to church on Easter Sunday, but I just remembered that we didn't go the year Nick and Lendy got married because we were on our way back home from California!} And I think it was a good choice. It was great to be able to just spend some relaxing time with the family before the drive {in the RAIN!} back home.

Noah got several fun things from the Easter Bunny and he was so excited to open it all up that I didn't even get a "before" shot!

One of his favorite gifts in his basket was his new marker Tadoodles.

He enjoyed it so much, that he didn't even notice when he got a little on his face....

...which made Papa have to try it out too. :)

And his new favorite nose? Papa's.

Happy Easter 2009 from the Smiths!

A {Very} Busy Saturday

**Warning: pic heavy!**

Since we are leaving tomorrow afternoon {instead of the originally planned Monday}, it was decided by all that Noah should get his Easter baskets early {the ones from Nana and Papa, and Aunt BB and Aunt Jessie at least}. It was so much fun to watch him dig through all the gifts and get excited about the new toys. {And also get upset when he wasn't allowed to open something right away!}

Opening up his basket from the Aunts. :)

Sorting through some of the new toys from Nana and Papa. {My favorite though, was his "No, Noah!" book made by Nana... to the tune of "No, David!" Adorable!!}

The boy is seriously in love with his Nana - he would follow her around and if she was busy, he'd hug her leg. Normally he does this to me, but when Nana is around Noah says, "Mommy-who?"

Spending some time with Grami and Papa Snow!

After dinner, we took Noah outside to play with the sidewalk chalk that Aunt Jessie and Aunt BB got for him in his basket. It was definitely a big hit!

Showing Aunt BB how to put the chalk back in the container.

It was a very busy, but very fun Saturday in Oklahoma!