Noah B is 3!

Noah lived it up on his 3rd birthday! He played with family and some favorite friends --- and wore a humongous smile all day.

Some highlights of the day--
A new buzz costume and so many cool toys & games. A fun jumpy castle that was set up for 7 hours!! Lots of fun with water -- including Noah dumping water and bubbles on his head and ending the party with a fun romp in the sprinkler. A new basketball goal -- which had daddy smiling all day, too. A rockin' ninja turtle cake.

To see all of the pictures, check out www2.snapfish.com/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=219343331/a=45492824_45492824/t_=45492824

Noah's Birthday Begins!

Noah kicked off his birthday celebration with a party at school. Miles played hookie from his class to help me set up the room and spread birthday cheer. The boys loved their cupcakes (mostly the icing) and as soon as Noah was done eating, Miles ran over to him to help with the clean-up (it very cute to witness, actually!). Here comes age 3!!

We'll Call Him Rex!

With Noah, Miles is rough-and-tumble. With Griffin, Miles is doting and protective. The first thing Miles does in the morning is run to Griffin's room to say good morning. I hear things like, "well, hello, you little cutie!" Then I hear intense laughter from Griffin and I know that Miles has just jumped into his crib to play. Miles loves to entertain Griffin and loves to keep lookout for...."Ah, Mom!! A CHOKING HAZARD!!!" Its too cute. Recently Miles decided that we must have another baby. "Three is not right, mommy....we need 4 kids." When I asked him if he wanted a sister or a brother he looked at me sideways and said, "a brother, of course!" I asked him where he would sleep and he said that Griffin would sleep with him in the top bunk and the new baby would sleep with Noah in the bottom bunk. When I asked him what his name would be he said (with great excitement!), "We'll name him Rex!"

Noah B!

Its hard to believe that Noah is almost 3!
He continues to grow like rapid-fire and
he's a really funny and sweet little boy.




He walked into the pantry today and exclaimed, "Huh! I got taller and now I can reach the light switch!!!!" (You'd have thought he had just won a gold medal)

He looked at the sliver of a moon last night and said, "Look, Mom! The moon is broken!"

He asked me if Batman was really a bat. I said yes (Mike later said this was wrong) -- but Noah continued by saying, "that means Superman is a soop"! (I interpreted it as "soup" and cracked up).

He alerted us one day in the car that 'lions would NOT be good pets'. He said 'a lion would bite my head off......and then I wouldn't be able to see!' Probably the least of his worries, should that happen...

Last night Noah called to me after I had tucked him in. I quietly said, 'do you have a problem, Noah?' He said that he did and told me about the monsters in his bathroom. After we worked that out (I told him that monsters are actually afraid of the dark, so they go home to their moms at night), I started to leave. In the tiniest, sweetest voice he said, "mommy, you need to stay....I have more problems". too cute. (Of course, the "problems" were things like...."ah - I don't have a monkey lovie. I need one.")

A couple of weeks ago Miles had strep throat. On the way home from school (before we knew that he had strep), Miles said, "mom - my throat hurts." Noah immediately piped up, "mommy - I feel so sad about that!"

I got my hair cut a couple of weeks ago. Miles immediately said, "mom - you look weird." Noah ran over and said, "mommy, you look so pretty!" Already the "middle-child peace-maker"!

Happy Birthday Mike!

Mike turned 36 and we had a "bash"! We went to dinner with our neighbor, Shawne, and her kids Evan & Sidney. Afterwards, we all came back to our house for cake and ice cream. Miles & Noah picked out treats for the party (Incredibles stuff, ninja turtle masks) -- exactly what Mike had in mind, I'm sure!


My camera died as the party started -- so I've included a hilarious bowling shot from a couple of months ago as a bonus (we had a funny double-date w/ the Haenni's). We'll take more pix when Mike's bday present arrives: a new basketball goal!

Happy Birthday Gram!

We were in Summerville to celebrate Gram's birthday! We made a chocolate cake from scratch, we played with bubbles while it baked, and then we ate two pieces each after dinner! YUMMY!

Another Day at the Park - Part 1

We spent a couple of hours at the park one afternoon -- we all had so much fun! We spent a lot of time playing "monster" which is a version of chase (Dana & I took turns being the "monster"). The boys also loved the big red swing. They actually took turns picking on each other - it was hilarious (e.g. Miles would sit still while Noah would pull his nose; then Noah would sit still while Miles pulled his ear). We all thought that it was hilarious!

Another Day at the Park - Part 2

Gram and Pop got in on the fun! Pop was going so fast on the slide that he's blurry! :)

During our picnic, Aunt Dana became the "apple holder" whenever the boys wanted to run and play for a minute.....that's what aunts are for! :)

'Back to Basics' Fun!

Gram delighted in a childhood game -- and drew quite a bit of kid-attention at the park (one child was overheard saying, "mom, we've never played that game before!"). She would throw the ball up, and clap once, then catch it; then throw the ball up, clap twice, and catch it, etc... I think she made it up to 8 -- Aunt Dana did too (sadly, I didn't get Dana on tape)!

At times the game was crazy....she almost fell on the camera once, to make quite a daring save -- and another time the ball went wild when it flew backwards out of her hand and sailed over the fence (you can see her look of panic in the last picture). No worries....and eager six-year-old came out of nowhere, yelling, "I'll climb over the fence to get it!"

Hangin' at CSU!

Pop was in CSU's production of Wizard of Oz. We all went - and as predicted, Miles sat on the edge of his seat with his month open wide! Pop was the Wizard and a professor (he's in his prof costume here with Noah) and did a GREAT job! We fed the ducks afterward and the boys raced on the lawn.



The picture of mom, Dana, and I laughing cracks me up (mom & I swung one way & Dana the other) -- who knows what we were laughing at. As a bonus, it gives a glimpse of Paul, too!

Fun at Gram & Pop's!

We visited Gram & Pop for a few days and had so much fun! Here are a few pictures from their neighborhood playground. The older boys loved the merry-go-round and kept saying, "look, Mom, no hands!"

Future Red Sox Fan?

At first glance, a 10-month old....
at second glance, I see a 60-year-old
Red Sox fan. :)

Its Great to be FIVE!

On Miles' actual bday, I took Noah, Miles, and two of his favorite school friends to a cool new spot in Charlotte. The kids played mini-bowling, arcade games, and wore themselves out in jumpy castles. We were the only ones there (amazing!)

The kids loved the bowling -- and Miles would often slide down the lane after he bowled (reminded me of some sort of John Travolta move). He got a paper hat from school and did not take it off until he went to bed. Another item for the keepsake box - much to Mike's dismay! :)

We went to the pancake house for dinner and ended the day at an ice cream shop with Aunt Dana. Its great to be FIVE!

"No Fence!"

The boys have been begging for bunk beds for months - and now that Miles is 5, their dream is a reality!
Noah no longer has rails on his bed, since they moved with Miles to the top bunk. When he noticed he screamed, "Look! No Fence!" Too funny!

The first night they stayed up until 10:30pm playing (Mason was 'sleeping' on the floor which added to the fun). The first few days, they jumped off the ladder about a million times...but it has settled down since then (so maybe no broken arms right away?). Our boys are growing up!

The room looks cute thanks to Peggy -- she held Griff and helped me rearrange the furniture/pictures. :)

Griffin: A 10-month Cutie!

Griffin is growing fast! Hard to believe that at the end of next month he won't be a "baby" anymore! He just had his 10-month appt. He is 18.2lbs (10%), 28.5 inches long (50%), and his cute little head is 18 inches (25%). He continues to eat everything we give him and loves to play with all of his big bro's toys. He is awesome!