Pinata Fun

We ended Nicholas' 3rd birthday party with an Elmo pinata that I actually had left over from Noah's Elmo party last year. The kids had so much fun and were SO cute! After Elmo was decapitated, I loved watching Noah gently and slowly pick through the candy on the ground. I know this will soon change, but it sure is sweet to watch. He didn't even fill his cup all the way up. He took a few pieces of candy, and then said, "Show Hoopa," which means, "Show Grampa."  He took his blue sucker to Grampa and was so proud. Noah fell asleep about 5 minutes after we got in the vehicle. This little big guy was partied out!

Happy 3rd Birthday Nicholas

Today Noah & I traveled to Athens to celebrate Nicholas' 3rd birthday. It was a Thomas the Train party, which is Noah's FAVORITE right now, so Noah was SO excited about the party. Michael is in Austin at the UT game but Noah did VERY well! He played outside, played trains, played with Grampa & his cousins, ate cake, and even got to hit a pinata! Susie couldn't find a Thomas the Train pinata, but I had an Elmo pinata left over from last year, so I brought that and the kids loved it just as much. So far, Noah & Nicholas have had identical themes for their parties: a prince party for their 1st birthday, a Elmo party for their 2nd birthday, and now it will be Thomas for the 3rd! Susie & I pitched in to just buy all our plates/etc and split the cost, so I'm happy to report that I've already got quite a bit done for Noah's next birthday---even though it's not until February! Happy 3rd Birthday Nick Nick! We love you!

Grampa & Oma help with Noah

Grampa & Oma graciously came by this afternoon to help watch Noah so I could get a few hours of work done at the hospital. Noah had SO much fun! Grampa is SOOOO great with Noah! They played and played. Noah can say Grampa, but he gets so excited, he calls Grampa "Hoopa."  After I got home, Noah had to go pee pee, so we went to the potty. Noah said, "Show Hoopa! Come, Hoopa!" It was just so cute. I love watching them together. It makes my heart happy. Noah gave Grampa lots of kisses when it was time to go. We'll get to see Hoopa & Oma tomorrow at Nicholas' 3rd birthday party. Thank you Grampa & Oma! We love you!

A rainbow in our backyard

A couple of days ago, Noah and I went into the backyard to play and noticed a beautiful rainbow.  Noah said, "Show Dadd'N."

Noah's 1st Underoos!

Here is my SUPERMAN in his 1st pair of Underoos! Noah is such a ham---He told me to get the camera and take more pictures! I had to buy size 6 Underoos to fit my big 2 1/2 year old! Oh, Noah...how you make your Mommy laugh and smile:) I love you, Angel. How much? SOOOOOOOO MUCH!

Daddy's Old Hat Fun

While we were cleaning out the study, which is being transformed into Jackson's nursery, Noah stumbled upon Daddy's old hat. What a cutie, this kid!

Noah takes the cake!

Noah was so happy to wake up from his nap to find that there was leftover cake! He dug right in & we had a little party at home.

After Shower Balloon Fun

Noah was napping when I came home from Jackson's baby shower, but he was so excited to wake up to balloons and cake! Michael was cleaning the nursery closet when Noah woke up and had his own little party. "Baloons....FUN," he shouted!

Funny Baby Shower Games

As I think back on it, this had to have been the best shower ever. There were so many things that made it perfectly individualized to me and my loves. For instance, I told Vicki that I'm NOT a fan of shower games, but she said that she had some that she knew I'd love, so I went along with it. By far the funniest game was when Vicki announced that I was formerly a cheerleader, so she divided the women into teams, gave them each 5 minutes to come up with a cheer, and I got to judge. The team that won got a "spirit stick," which was a "it's a boy" sign to go in my yard after Jackson is born. I didn't have to do any work, yay! The cheers were hilarious! I haven't laughed that hard in months! There was mention of "getting Michael snipped" in one cheer, and in the picture below, "Push him out! Push him out.....WAAAAAAAY out!" Hilarious!
Because I love fashion, they also had teams to dress up a person in a diaper and hat. Again, I picked the winner & got the prize. Fabulous idea.
Anyone who knows me knows that I love pictures. There was a table of old baby pictures of several of my friends and we all looked at the pictures and guessed which baby was which friend. They topped it off with a game of Baby Bingo, which I thought would surely only go one round after all of this...but the ladies were more competitive than I knew and wanted to play again! It was just perfect.

Pretty Baby Shower Decorations

The baby shower decorations were so cute, I decided to give them their own post. Janice ordered a beautiful (& delicious) cake from Village Bakery, and I can testify that the booties are filled with ICING! My crafty friends Christyi & Vicki made the beautiful diaper cake, and I even had a corsage to wear, complete with little baby booties! I didn't know people even did that anymore, but it sure was special.

Baby Shower

My friend, Janice, from work told me a week ago, "Oh, I'm going to do a shower for you on the 18th at 10:30." Janice has no kids and has never even been to a baby shower! With less than a week to prepare, I didn't know what to expect, but she & some of my friends from BHC pitched in to make it absolutely beautiful! (And I'm not one of those people that loves showers!) I told them to just do a low maintenance shower, but my friend Vicki later told me, "You always throw the best parties for everyone else. We wanted to do this." My friend Mary Beth would've loved the food---homemade strata, cucumber quiche, and lots of other homemade treats...with fresh fruit and non-alcoholic (for me, anyway) mimosas and hibiscus drinks.
The most memorable (and unexpected) moment was before we ate. All the ladies gathered in a circle, held hands, and said the most beautiful blessing for me, Jackson, and a safe and healthy delivery. When I thought the prayer was over, several people told me about specific prayers that they had been praying, and how they had felt through silent prayer that God had a special plan for Jackson, and that He may be glorified through Jackson's life. My friend Arleen said that she even called a friend of hers on the way to the shower and said, "God has put it on my heart that I need to tell Brenda about this prayer, but I don't want it to be weird or out of place or anything." Her friend told her that God would work it out, and he did. Perfectly. Anyway, several of us were tearful after such an intimate moment, and I want sweet Jackson to know how blessed he is to have people praying for him and sending him love before his birth. What a testament.

Noah napping in his big boy bed

Noah napping in his big boy bed for the first time.