Pre-School Picture Day

Things got off to a good start


And went down hill from there...


And got even better!

Noah had school picture day and it was hilarious! He walked right in front of the camera alone and Josh was able to get him to smile. Then it was time for the class pictures. We felt especially bad for his teacher, who seems to have unlimited patience, and the photographer as well. Because the parents go to class with the kids, they suggested having the Mom's in it to calm the kids down. Two out of the four of us are pregnant and weren't crazy about the idea, so thankfully, those turned out even worse! Overall the experience was really traumatizing for a couple of the kids and just irritating for the others who weren't wanting to sit still (our son is in that category!) I think that everyone was glad when it was over, but we were thankful to get such funny pictures.

Pumpkin Patch Fun!

Pumpkin Picking


Noah and Nana on the Wild Ride!


Noah riding the Horsie

Noah, Josh, my Mom, Mike, and I went to a pumpkin patch in Peshastin this weekend. They had a corn maze and a petting zoo which were very fun for Noah (and the rest of us.) We also picked our pumpkins and Noah had a great time riding with them in the wagon. The really funny part was when Noah wanted to go on the cow ride. We couldn't believe how fast the guy was pulling them with the tractor. We decided that Noah couldn't go alone and my Mom was the only one small enough to fit in the little car. Noah laughed the whole time, but my Mom was ready to get out of there!

We discovered that one of the big fruit growers in Wenatchee sells organic fruit directly to the public at a much cheaper price than at the Farmer's Market or the grocery store. We are going to go today and stock up...the things I get excited about these days!

Day of Fun!

Lately, Josh has been gone ALL the time. He leaves early in the morning to work on his Internship hours and is gone until the later evening or sometimes the middle of the night for volleyball. On the weekends he has either a Volleyball Tournament or class in Tacoma. It has been really hard on all of us, especially being in Wenatchee without our family and not having as many good friends around. It gets lonely around here!

So, I convinced Josh to play sick from work, internship stuff, and volleyball on Monday and we had such a fun day! I named it Mommy, Daddy, and Noah's day of fun! We decided to go to Seattle and head to the zoo, as Noah had never been there. I think I was the most excited out of all of us, mostly just to get out for a while. We realized also that Noah hadn't been to Seattle since he was a baby. He kept pointing and "Wowing" at the big buildings. We don't want him to be a weird Eastern Washington kid, so we need to make sure that we are getting him out more!

We started off at the Spaghetti Factory (Josh's pick...of course!) where Noah drank A LOT of pop, I let him because it was a day of fun after all! We then went to the zoo where Noah pointed and said "Wow" to all of the animals. He had a ton of fun walking around and looking at everything and watching him was the highlight for Josh and I. He especially liked a gorilla who was also very interested in him. He just learned how to make the monkey sound, so the timing was perfect. Noah kept almost falling asleep and I kept reminding him that he couldn't because we were having fun! We then went to Whole Foods Market, my favorite grocery store, to stock up on some things. This wasn't fun for Josh or Noah, but it was for me, so I think it fit in with the theme for the day!

It was so nice for all of us to spend some time together and to just play and not think about anything. We miss Josh and are counting down the days until he gets to be with us more. We are proud of him as he works so hard for our family. We love you!

Here we go again...

I went to the Doctor yesterday and I was a little worried about what she would tell me. I had noticed that I seemed really swollen and that I was getting very dizzy and light headed, so I was worried that I was having blood pressure trouble again. I was right. My blood pressure was 160/100 (its normally 110/60) and I had gained 10 pounds in the last three weeks (thats what really freaks me out, thank goodness it's water!) With Noah I had pregnancy induced hypertension around 30 weeks and was put on bed rest and then induced at 37 weeks. I knew that my odds of getting it again were better because I had had it before, but I was really hoping that it wouldn't be the case, especially this early. I am starting medication (which makes me very nervous,) and I'm going to a specialist in Seattle in the next week. On the bright side, they are having me do a 24 hour urine test (it seems all too familiar!) and when we got home Noah decided to play with the "supplies!" He thought it was a hat and that the big jug was like his sippy cup! Thank goodness he got it out of his system before I had to use them. They are now hidden as he can't be trusted!

Noah and Jack

Those two boys really love each other! Lately, Noah has been very into his brother. When he doesn't feel like being cuddly with his Dad or I, it is not uncommon to find him snuggling Jack. He also loves to give him kisses, he is so funny about that. We'll tell him to give Jack a kiss and he goes over and gives him a very loud one! It's hard for me to get pictures, but today when Noah was watching Curious George, he had some good cuddle time with Jack.

Sometimes we feel so sorry for Jack. He looks at you with these big eyes and you can tell that he would like to move, but he knows that he can't if Noah is laying on him. I think he likes it more than he lets on though! It is so nice to have a dog who you don't have to worry about. If I can't find Noah in the house for a minute, he is almost always somewhere with Jack.

A couple of weeks ago Noah and I came home after having been out for about five hours and when I pulled in the driveway I realized that our front door was open. Jack is an indoor dog and only goes out in the backyard to play or go potty, so he stays inside when we're gone. So, when I saw the front door open, I threw the car into park and ran toward the house (already crying, of course!) and when I was almost to the front door Jack came running out to greet me! I could not believe that he didn't leave to go exploring. I was so happy that he was safe, especially considering that we know that he likes to run in front of cars! As it turns out, I didn't lock the dead bolt on the front door and the wind blew it open. Someone later asked me if I was nervous that someone was in the house or if anything was stolen and it was funny because I didn't even think about that. I won't make that mistake again!

I think that I am far too neurotic to have a dog and that Jack will be my one and only doggie baby. I am not taking into account how the rest of my family feels about that, but its definitely how I do! I worry about him so much when I'm not with him and I am always concerned about his physical as well as emotional safety, he gets his feelings hurt so easily! I know that Josh feels the same way that I do, thought he tries to act tougher about it. We are those crazy dog people that you hear about, I'm sure if they made clothes big enough for him that he would have some! Jack is hairy, a worthless guard dog, and often very lazy, but we love him so much and can't imagine what it would be like if he weren't a part of our family (obviously as I just dedicated a whole long blog to him!) We have two great boys and we can't wait to see what gender this third baby is!

The Fair

We went to the Fair last Sunday with my Mom and Mike, and Noah had such a good time! I think to say that he was overstimulated is a huge understatement. He fell asleep in his stroller, something that he hasn't done since he was a little baby, I couldn't believe it! We weren't sure how he was going to do on the rides, but we thought we would give it a shot. We should have known that he was going to love them! Noah is very good about trying new things and the Fair rides were no different. He had so much fun doing that, petting the animals, and of course, eating all of the different foods. (I had been dreaming about scones and so we headed there right away and then you have to bring the huge bag home...it's terrible!)

After having worked there for all of high school and most of college, (me and every other kid from Puyallup!) I don't think that I have the same love for the fair as most people. After a few hours I am ready to get out of there, but its always fun to go. Josh is so funny about it, he's very serious about his food, so he plots what he is going to eat before we get there. It is so funny, but to give him some credit, he did share well with me this year. Though I'm sure he was cringing on the inside every time I said, "I'll just have a bite of yours," he went along with it!

Noah Update

Noah in the Paint!

Noah is doing so much better and we are so thankful! He has had very few fits or even melt downs in the last five days. I think part of it was that it was just a phase and part of it is that he is understanding that it's not getting him anywhere. I felt like things were improving and I knew that the true test would be how he did at school.

Josh was able to come with us to check out the class. He was coaching a game in Walla Walla that day and they let him miss the whole day as the bus left so early. Noah got off to a great start and was going from station to station very well. Teacher Noel told Noah that there was paint in the other room and acting as if he understood he took off running. Before we could get in there Noah is covered in paint. He had so much fun with it. The other kids didn't want to get their hands dirty, but Noah sure didn't mind! Paint and glitter make me very nervous, so it was hard for me to sit there and let him get himself, his friends, and the whole room painty, but he was having so much fun that we just let him do what he wanted. His teacher is great and really encourages them to experiment, even at the expense of a huge mess.

It was fun for Noah to have his Daddy there with him and it was good for Josh to see first hand what Noah and I do at school. The first thing he said after we left was that this is really good for Noah. I couldn't agree more! It is such a neat group of kids and parents and it is really good for Noah to hear other people give him directions. He is also learning that he doesn't always get to do what he wants, when. We are so glad that he is making better choices, having fun, and learning a lot at school.