fieldtrips and more fieldtrips...

the beautiful weather as of late has allowed jamie and noah to visit many parks around austin!

my new favorite stage

I know that many moms will agree with me when I say that our kids just keep becoming more and more fun. Now, I know that this might change as we enter the preteen and teen years; however, for now, my little 15 month old boy continues to simply fascinate me! Noah is learning and speaking more and more words every day and actually uses his "signing" without being prompted. Some of his favorites to sign are "thank you", "please" and most importantly, "MORE!" (that is, when it comes to food!!!) Yes, Noah is an eater... hence, his "thickness!" :) Noah is also very enthusiastic about exploring new things, especially when it entails climbing up and onto things. He is also fearless in going down the slide at the park all by himself!

One of my favorite moments with Noah happened last night. Every night when we put him to bed, we say our prayers. Well, Noah will now actually clasp his hands... so cute! Then, we place him in his crib and he'll say "bye-bye" while waving us out the door. Last night, in particular, was a rough one for our typically "plus12 or plus 13-hour" little guy. He woke up a couple of times crying... at just a little after midnight, I went upstairs to check on him. I took him out of his crib and we sat in his rocking chair. Once he calmed down, my sweet little boy, leaned over and gave me a wet, slimy kiss on the cheek and then placed his head on my shoulder. Yes, that definitely melted my heart... at that moment I sure wasn't thinking about the fact that I had to roll out of bed 4 1/2 hours later!

Hope you all have a moment like this with your kids sometime soon! ... Thanks for letting me share mine.

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let's just say that when mommy and daddy leave town... there's a lot of playing to do!

here are some photos from noah's 4 days with grandma :)

Noah really enjoys standing ON all of his toys...

on a side note, john and i had a fabulous trip down to Mexico... just long enough to relax and enjoy sleeping in... and just short enough to not go crazy from missing noah. we would go back in a heartbeat!

so thankful

we are so thankful for our newfound friend, jamie, who is taking care of noah for us while I'm finishing up school this semester. noah absolutely loves her... as evidenced by all the hugs he gives her when she arrives for the day and leaves in the evening. as a mom, it is so wonderful and comforting to watch your child really open up to those who take care of him!

i love to take photos of noah... but, i'll be honest, i've not been diligent lately in doing so. What a blessing it is that jamie LOVES photography - so, she's been so kind to capture moments of our little guy in action throughout the day.

the snow in vail

We had an absolutely wonderful trip to Vail, Colorado. John and I enjoyed visiting with friends (~20 of us in a spacious house)... the skiing was incredible... and Noah certainly enjoyed playing with the snow. However, Baron (Courtney and Luke's golden retriever), won the prize for keeping our little guy entertained! Noah chased Baron around the house, and then Baron would chase Noah... lick him from head to toe... and, yes, Noah would even hop on top of Baron and bounce up and down as if riding a horse! Here are some photos from the trip.

okay mom...

"I'm ready to go snow-skiing!"

A Round-a-bout way home...

Every time we travel to Dallas, it is imperative that we visit with our dear friends, Kent and Grace. Their little boy (Ellis) was born just a few days after Noah, so we love to get the boys together to play. And, boy did they play... chasing each other up and down the hallway, sharing and "not" sharing toys, and of course an occasional tackle. Evidently, we already have them in football training :) Thank you, Grace and Kent, for opening your home to us! We had such a wonderful visit with you!!

Here are some photos of the boys :)

Merry Christmas

We headed up to Dallas for Christmas morning this year... Noah enjoyed playing with the ornaments on the tree... taking rides around the house in grandma's old wagon... playing chase with Aunt Debbie's dog, Lucy... and playing with all of the toys that have been accumulated at grandma and grandpa's house over the years through 4 grandchildren. In fact, Noah was so enamored with the "new" toys at grandma's house that he quickly lost interest in opening presents that took more energy and effort to discover. I'm sure that next year will be quite different...

We had a wonderful time visiting with family. Merry Christmas!!!

family photos

I've been looking forward to having our first "official" family photo taken... We were blessed to have our friend, ali take photos of us a few weeks back.

Just thought I'd share some of my favorites :)

dedicated...

This morning at church, John and I joined a handful of other parents dedicating our precious little ones unto the Lord. We are extremely blessed to be surrounded by such a wonderful community of friends supporting and encouraging us as we learn and grow as parents.

Noah, you are indeed a treasure! You have brought much joy into our lives... We love you, little booger!