Noah, Mommy, & Daddy

Noah & Mommy coloring

Mommy gets some Noah kisses

Daddy & Noah- I love this picture of my boys. Today, during Nicholas' birthday party, lots of people were commenting on Noah's beautiful red hair and how much he looked like Michael, minus the red hair. The discussions lead to how babies favor certain parents, which baby has whose features, etc. My dad said, "Yeah, I've got 6 grandkids and the only one I ever thought looked like anybody right from the start was Noah. He looked like Mike from the day he was born." I want my Noah to know that Grampa thought he looked like Daddy from the day he was born. What a special memory.

~Just a few pictures of our family all in red for Nicholas' 2nd Birthday party~

Happy 2nd Birthday Nicholas

Mommy, Noah, & Grampa Rogers playing together. "I'm gonna get those toes," Grampa said.

Nick Nick blows out 2 candles at his 2nd birthday party with a little help from his Mommy (my sister, Susie) and big brother, Matthew

It's an Elmo cake for the Elmo party!

Today we celebrated the 2nd birthday of my nephew, Nicholas. He's a sweetie! Noah calls Nicholas "Nick Nick" and was so excited about the party. Nick Nick loves Elmo right now, so our family dressed in "Elmo red" and Noah had so much fun that HE DID NOT NAP ALL DAY! This was the 1st time ever that Noah wouldn't go down, but he was overstimulated by all his cousins and party events, that he just refused. He didn't even sleep on the way home! Noah had the best time visiting all his cousins and Grampa Rogers (my dad). Happy Birthday Nick Nick! We love you!

Noah joins the opening presents chaos

Nick Nick enjoys some Elmo cake

Noah Got Mail

Noah enjoys walking to the mailbox to get the mail each day. Today was a special treat because when he opened the mailbox there was a special card just for him! It was an invitation to his cousin, Alice's, 4th birthday party. He was so excited about his special mail and can't wait for the party. Noah opens his birthday party invitation

It's going to be a unicorn party with unicorn rides!

Alice's invitation

My Tired Little Angel

My tired little angel woke up early and by 9:00 could barely keep his eyes open. Just wanted to watch his "shows" and eat turkey bacon.

Noah woke up very early this morning. How early? Let's just say that the minute I pressed "go" on my treadmill, I heard him wake up. I got off the treadmill, disappointed I couldn't even run on the treadmill. Frustrated because it was raining and I couldn't run outside; cross because Noah's pillows, bed, & everything in it was soaked in urine. Nervous about the day, knowing Michael's back is hurt and he's got 10 patients to see...NOT the attitude that would facilitate a good day. I was cross a few minutes more and talked myself out of it. The day will be as bad OR as good...as I CHOOSE to make it. So the morning didn't go as planned. So what. I can handle it. Noah is healthy. I'm home today with my son. I've got a husband that adores me. Life is good. We gave Daddy our kisses and hugs bye bye and watched some shows because my sweet angel was sooooooo tired. Now my attitude is in check and it will be a great day. As I write, I'm glancing out the window, watching the raindrops dance on the lake. How blessed I am to have such a view. The plants are smiling and I'm now smiling, too. Thank you, God, for my wonderful life.

Daddy's Down Again

Michael went golfing yesterday and woke up today with a hurt back again. By the time he got home from work he was making those all-too familiar grunts of pain and walking funny. It's official---his back is messed up again. We were hoping to kayak tonight but that obviously didn't happen. I'm grateful that he had meds from his prior back problems on hand, so hopefully he can heal faster. I'm also grateful that I was able to get my running done before I came home. Noah was sweet as ever ...no surprise there. He LOVES to dance, and asked me to play his songs when I got home. His favorite dance song is Ghostbusters of all things! He'll dance for the entire song, and if I turn the music volume down, he will yell out, "More, more," while signing "more." We turned on Dancing With the Stars and Noah couldn't resist busting a move. He just danced and danced and clapped his hands. I hope he keeps this enthusiastic spirit and continues to dance!

My Dear Friend Elizabeth

As I write this, I'm watching the Emmy Awards and texting my best friend, Elizabeth, back and forth. She's the only person in the world who I'd do this with, but she has this ability to read my mind...ESPECIALLY when it comes to fashion! And she's the only person that will appreciate the hoopla the way I do. A famous movie star will come on, and she'll text me her opinion of the dress, the hair, etc. My favorite text was when some lady won for best director and I get a text saying, "Bad red dress, the boobs." Of course she was right. The dress was SUCH a What NOT to Wear Dress. Her boobs were almost down to her naval, and the dress just accentuated that. My response was, "Reading my mind! Get her a wonderbra...but she is a director." (Like it's o.k. to look bad if you're behind the camera). Elizabeth's response, "So what, it will be everywhere."
She's right about that, too. Anyway, it was so much simple fun. I love her dearly.
We're both going to take our Advil PM & call it a night. Good night, dear friend.

Sunday with My Noah

Daddy went to play golf today, so Noah & I had a Mommy & Son day at home. We played a lot, read books, and watched some "shows" as Noah calls them. We took a nice walk through the neighborhood & Daddy brought us dinner so that was a nice treat. Another treat was having whipped cream straight from the can! YUM!

This is Noah's fish beach towel. For some reason, when he gets up from his nap, he often says, "fish, fish," and we spread out his big fish towel and he says hello to the the fish & frogs. I don't know where this came from, but, as my mother-in-law says, "It is what it is!"

Ready for bedtime..."milk milk & pi-woe."

Visit to Tiger Creek

Noah's favorite animal right now is a tiger, so we decided to take him to Tiger Creek after he woke up from his nap. The weather was perfect, and we got to see the tigers, lions, bobcats, and pumas. Our guide showed us two tigers that were previously owned by Michael Jackson and a pair of tigers that were featured on Animal Planet...not that Noah cared. He just liked growling, "GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR" the whole time we were there! Noah had so much fun!

Since our morning nap was late because we were at the garage sale, Noah didn't have an afternoon nap. He was soooooooooooo tired on the way home...could barely keep his eyes open. But, he is strong-willed (don't know where he gets that!) so he managed to stay awake until bedtime. Busy day for my little guy!

Cancer Support Group Garage Sale

Each year, our cancer support group participates in Relay For Life (supporting American Cancer Society) & does a garage sale to help raise funds. I'm proud to say that last year our little support group of 20 or so members, (most of which are on Medicare), raised the most money for Relay for Life! Think about that...this non-corporate team of cancer survivors (& myself as their counselor) raised more money than big corporations. It's a testament to the human spirit, and I'm honored to be a part of their group. I'm so glad Noah gets to experience the importance of giving back at such an early age. Today's garage sale was a hit, and I'm sure we'll be having bake sales and other fundraising efforts as the year progresses. I'm sure proud of them! Some of our support group team members Mommy & Noah

Michael was there with us, helping & supporting!

Noah wore his Relay for Life shirt & welcomed the customers!

Our nap time was several hours late, and my poor little angel was literally lying on the floor waiting to go to bed about 5 minutes after we got home. What a great sport!

Sidebar: My goal this weekend was to run 10 miles (unfortunately, in a row without stopping) and I met my goal while Noah was napping. It's been several years since I've run that far so I'm proud of myself for pushing past that comfort zone...and it was definitely uncomfortable!

After the Rain

We attemped to take our family walk tonight outside after it rained all day. The clouds were dark and gray and I asked Michael if we needed to turn around. "I've got a bad feeling about those clouds," I said. Michael looked up at the clouds and said, "Oh, those won't get us. They're headed away from us. Look at the pattern of the clouds." I told him that I didn't know how he could read the clouds but we moved ahead. Suddenly, I felt drops of precipitation. Then I saw the drops on the ground and said, "Turn around. That's rain." Was it ever! It started pouring rain, and we had Noah with us. I told Michael, "Run!" We put the stroller cover over Noah's head and started running. We were laughing our heads off, soaked from head to toe! Noah started laughing when he heard us. Keep in mind that Michael hasn't run in a long time and he was pushing a stroller and trying to sprint. Cars and trucks were passing us...we looked hilarious! Not the leisurely stroll I had in mind, but it was fun. What did John Lennon say? "Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans."
We ended the night with fudge bars, because my beautiful boy was such a great sport!

A New Mother's Love

Today I was cleaning up Noah's room a bit, and I came across a poem that Michael wrote me for my 1st Mother's Day, May 2008. Noah was 3 months old at the time. It's titled
"A New Mother's Love."

An exciting day it was on February 4th of this year,
As we welcomed our new little boy, Noah, with joyous tears.
In an instant our lives had new meaning.
We were so happy and blessed, surely we could only be dreaming.

From the instant you first held him tight,
Noah knew that everything would be just right.
A New Mother's Love was also born this day,
A beautiful baby boy, with a loving mommy to lead the way.

Your loving touch has only grown softer.
The immense love and care you already display, Noah cannot falter.
The smiles and giggles of a precious little prince,
Brought about best through his mommy's hip-hop dance!

Only such a great love can breed such contentment,
Noah has got to be the world's luckiest infant.
You obviously learned from the best~Marie,
A New Mother's Love, a thing of beauty!

Happy 1st Mother's Day!!
I Love You!!

Bryyyyyyyy

Noah has always had a special attachment for his Uncle Brian. He started calling Uncle Brian "Bry" during our vacation to Rosemary Beach, Florida. It has since progressed to "BRYYYYYYYY!" He growls it like a tiger. Since a tiger is Noah's favorite animal & Uncle Brian is his favorite uncle, I guess it's the ultimate compliment to combine the two!

Noah's 1st Fudge

It's been raining and raining so there was not a lot we could do outside. Instead of taking a walk around the lake, we ate greasy, cheesy Mexican food and gave Noah his 1st sampling of fudge. He loved it. "More, more," he said. There's nothing better than coming home to your loving boy at the end of a long day!

My Sleeping Angel

I just got done rocking Noah to sleep. Having him drift off to sleep in my arms fills my heart with joy. He is such a gift. How did I ever live without him?

A WONDERFUL WEEKEND:)

Michael & I had our 1st overnight stay without Noah in 19 months. I was surprised how hard it was for me to leave my precious Noah because I've been needing a respite. But when it came time to leave a few minutes turned into about an hour. Michael's sister & brother-in-law & their kids came over (THANK YOU!) and Noah had the time of his life. Didn't cry or care much when we left. Said, "Bye bye" and blew a kiss.

We stayed at the Hilton near the Galleria & had a WONDERFUL time! I got to do some shopping at stores that actually have my size without it being the tacky juniors section! We watched the ice skaters & spent $26 on chocolate at some specialty candy store. As if that weren't enough, Michael & I went to an old Italian restaurant that we frequented often with my parents when my dad used to work at Lutheran Social Services in Dallas. It was nostalgic and brought back great memories. Michael & I actually talked without picking up thrown food or having distractions, and that was nice. I actually woke up AFTER Michael this morning, which is a RARE event...8:30! Considering I'm usually up at 5 am, that's sleeping LATE! It felt great. We were happy to get home to our little Noah, and Rebekah made tons of food, so we've been eating all day! Is it me, or is my child channeling a bit of Gene Simmons from the band KISS? Scary.

My Favorite Little Longhorn.

Bubble Bath Time

Playing "Pins" with Dadd'N

Reading his Family Book with Mommy. I'm the luckiest girl in the world.

Little Things Mean the Most

It's the anniversary of September 11th, and I am especially conscious about treasuring the importance of family and those moments of perfection we have in our daily life....like this moment today with my angel, Noah. Thank you God for my precious, precious son.

A long but good day

Noah woke up at 5 am today so I didn't run because I let Michael sleep when I'd normally run. But, I was able to get in 7 miles while he napped, so that's always a sigh of relief when it's over. Noah had a busy day, playing with the waterhose, reading books, dancing, and doing the "shark" (that's what he calls my Shark sweeper.) Actually, he calls everything that makes loud noise "Shark" because I have the Shark sweeper, Shark Steam Mop, and the Shark handheld. He calls my hairdryer Shark, too. On a silly note, Noah said "Bevo" today for the 1st time. I got him a Baby Longhorn video and he LOVES watching the Longhorns! He'd watch it nonstop if I'd allow! Grammie called and Noah was blowing her kisses when she was on speaker phone. She later asked me what the noise was and I had to tell her it was the longhorn video. She said, "Michael has already got him brainwashed with that thing." Sooooooo true, Grammie!