Happy Birthday Noah!

Today is Noah's first birthday. I can't believe how fast the time has gone. My baby is getting so big! With Clayton I was so eager to see him reach his milestones that I didn't take as much time to enjoy his baby stage. I have to say, I have enjoyed Noah's baby stage! However, he is growing so fast. I thought I would make a list of ten things you probably don't know about my sweet second son!
1. He rolled over at 4 months, crawled at 7 months, and started walking at 10 months. He has been quite a mover and a shaker!
2. He loves to dance! Whenever we hear music he starts to bounce up and down and get his groove on. I love it!
3. He loves his big brother and always wants to be wherever Clayton is. They play together so well! I think they will grow up to be great friends!
4. He actually likes it when Justin and I sing to him! In church, he sits so still and just listens to the music. He loves the music!
5. He was such a laid-back infant. He was content wherever I put him. Justin and I joke around that we can't have any more kids because after a baby like Noah, any other baby could not possibly be as easy or as pleasant!
6. He is a cuddler! I LOVE this. He will sit on my lap and let me hold him for long periods of time. I think he realizes that I need it more than he does!
7. We affectionately call him our puppy. He is into everything. I suppose most babies are this way, but Clayton never really was, so this is new to us. He loves to walk around with things in his mouth, he tries to squeeze into places that he doesn't fit (and gets stuck a lot), and he absolutely LOVES to play with anything we don't want him to (like our stereo, the TV, and any kind of cord or plug).
8. He is a typical boy. He chases bugs (yuck!), he loves to be outside, he prefers to play with balls and cars (I think he gets that from Clayton), he loves to make a mess, and he loves to rough house with his daddy.
9. He has a smile that is contagious. He has a big toothy grin (hopefully the gap will close eventually). You can't look at him when he is smiling and not smile back. It truly melts my heart.
10. He has the best little personality. He is laid back, but he is also very funny and sweet. He is definitely my little comedian. And he is so sweet! He is just so happy all the time. People may think I'm making this up, but ask anyone who knows him! It's true!
I hope you have learned a little bit about my baby, although he isn't such a baby anymore. I am so blessed to have Noah as my son. Sometimes I worry
because I am not as focused and attentive as I was with Clayton, but he will look at me and smile and I just melt. He has me wrapped around his finger (I think he knows it). I am so thankful to Heavenly Father for allowing me to be Noah's mom. He is such a joy and a light in my life. Happy Birthday Noah, I love you!

Thanksgiving and Black Friday!

I was fortunate enough to have my parents come out for a week. They were here for Thanksgiving and we couldn't have been more happy about it. The worst part was dropping them off at the airport. We had an amazing Thanksgiving! Justin made the turkey again. He made a brine and marinaided it for two days. It was delicious! The day after Thanksgiving, my mom and I woke up at 3:30 so we could be to the mall by 4:00. Neither of us had ever done any black Friday shopping before, so it was a new experience. Fortunately, South Burlington is a small town, so it actually wasn't that bad. We got everything we went for (and a few things we didn't)! Some other highlights of my parents trip include: the new bathroom that is fully functional (I will post pictures of it later), celebrating Noah's birthday, and going to the Joseph Smith memorial in Sharon, VT for the Nativity Pagent and lighting ceremony. Here are some great pictures of the trip!

I am proud of my Thanksgiving place setting! I rarely get to use my china (which used to be Justin's Grandmother's), and I LOVE when we use it!

All of us on Thanksgiving!

Clayton and Noah with Grammy and Grandpa.

Me and Justin on Thanksgiving.

Me and Mom at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday!

Mom, Dad, Clayton and Me in Sharon for the pagent and the lighting ceremony.

There were so many pictures, I couldn't add them all, so here's a slide show of all our fun!

It was such a great and fun week! Mom and Dad, we will miss you!!

Coming Soon!!

I am so lucky to have such a talented dad and such a hard working husband! Our house right now only has one bathroom (yuck). However, by this time on Saturday, we should have 2!! Justin and my dad have been working really hard and the second full bathroom is only days away from completion. It is so amazing to me that they are able to go from nothing to bathroom in just 4 days! Can we say, "Resale value"? Because that is what it is really all about. So here are some pictures of my hard working men. In a few days I will be posting pictures with the final result! I am such a lucky girl!

What a mess!!


My hottie hubby hard at work!!


I can't wait!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tagged

Okay, Natalie tagged me. I liked this a lot because I am supposed to list 10 things I am thankful for. What a great season to do that! As I got thinking about it, I had a hard time narrowing it down to ten, so I may go over!

10. Girlfriends. I don't think guys understand how important this is. I love that I have friends that I can call and say, "Oh my gosh! Did you see the Biggest Loser!?" or "I'm headed out to the park, let's hang out!". My friends out here are amazing! I love my new Vermont sisters! I am also grateful for the friends that I have found through blogging! I am talking to people that I haven't seen in years and couldn't be happier about it!

9. Enrique Iglesias. Yummy!

8. Sisters. I love that I have two people in this world who know me better than almost anyone. People who call me in the middle of the night because they can't remember the rules to card games. No matter where we go or what we do, they are my best friends. I rely on them for more than they realize. I love you Ashley and Anisha. (Plus, good sister-in-laws are just as great, and I have two of the BEST sister-in-laws ever!)

7. Washable markers. I think every mom is thankful for this.

6. Clayton's prayers. He prays like he is talking to a good friend. I noticed this while I was listening to his prayer at lunch today. He talks to Heavenly Father like they are having a conversation. He knows that Heavenly Father is listening and he fully expects Him to answer. It brought a tear to my eye to think that he knows something about Heavenly Father that so many adults struggle with. What a sweet experience!

5. My parents. They are great. They are always willing to listen to me, help me, and support me. I hope that someday our kids will have the same amount of love and respect for Justin and me that I have for my parents.

4. The Gospel. I am trying to think of something I can say that would be profound enough to express how important this is in my life and the life of my family. But nothing seems good enough. I know that I wouldn't be half as happy as I am now without it. It is the greatest blessing of my life!

3. Clayton. I am thinking about Jen Roper's blog. What do you say about the child that turned you and your husband into parents? He is such an amazing kid. The older he gets, the more blessed I feel that I am allowed to be his mom. He challenges me, that's for sure. But his strong-willed personality is one of the things I love most about him! The other day I came home from the store and he said to me, "Mommy! I am so happy to see you!" There is nothing on Earth that can make a woman feel so fulfilled! What a blessing!

2. Noah. He is my sunshine. He has the biggest grin that is just contagious! No matter what kind of day I am having, he can make me smile. He has such a great sense of humor for such a young guy. He is learning so quickly. I am in awe of him. He walks everywhere. He never gives up. I think that I learn a lot of valuable life lessons by watching him!

1. Justin. We have a very sarcastic relationship and we joke around a lot, but in all honesty I would be lost without him.
He works so hard to balance school and family and he does such a great job. The boys absolutely adore him and I love to sit back and watch them play together. He is my biggest fan and he allows me to feel like I can do anything. I have such a freedom in our relationship. He empowers me. He makes me feel like what I do is the most important thing and I am the most important person. How many women get that!?! The longer we are married, the more I am certain that I married the man of my dreams!

I kept it down to ten! Yay! I am not going to tag anyone because I think, at this time of year, we should all think about what we are thankful for! So, if you feel inspired, make your own list! You will be surprised at how difficult it is to narrow it down to ten (it also makes the things you are struggling with right now seem not so important)! Before I forget, I didn't add my brothers to the list!! Jared and Bub, I am very thankful to have you in my life! Consider yourselves #11!

My Ninja Warrior

This year, I wanted to sign Clayton up for a sport. You know, something like t-ball or soccer. However, the rec centers here don't let you start playing those kind of sports until you are 5. This made me kind of sad because Clayton won't start pre-school until August and I really wanted him to do some sort of organized activity. One day, as I was reading the community newspaper (I love that paper) I came across the parks and rec page and it said that a class called "Tiny Ninja Tots" was now beginning enrollment. So how could I pass that up!! Basically, the community feels that traditional sports are too dangerous for 3 and 4 year olds, but Tae-Kwon-Do is okay! So for the past couple of months, Clayton has been doing Tae-Kwon-Do. He has two stripes on his belt (one for learning 3 kicks and one for listening). It is the cutest class ever and I am so proud of how well he is doing! I just wanted to share these pictures because it is so fun. I really enjoy watching him!

This is Clayton and his instructor Ms. Miller. He learning how to do a chop with a "blade hand".

They have a punch/kick series that they do individually every class. This is Clayton doing his series for the other kids! He does it so well!

This is Clayton and his friend Luke getting ready for a training activity.

I am so proud of my little ninja! He had a slightly rocky start in the class, but he has worked hard and is doing amazing!

Surprisingly, he has not tried to use his ninja skills at home. They talk in class every week about how you are not supposed to practice at home. Thankfully, Clayton has obeyed this direction. What a great kid!!

Happy Birthday Mom and Dad!!

(The boys are holding signs that say Happy Birthday. This was the best shot I could get!)

My mom and dad are the greatest people in the world!! They are hard-working, dependable, and loving. I know that if I ever need ANYTHING they are always there for me! From my mom I learned how to be a mother, a teacher, and a friend. My dad taught me how to live a gospel-centered life, always think kindly of others, and work hard. I don't know what I would do without them. They are more than my parents, they are my examples, they are the people I call when I feel like everything is going wrong, and my best friends (other than Justin). Their birthdays are October 29th and November 7th. So I just wanted to give them a little tribute because they mean so much to me and my family. We are so excited to see them in A WEEK AND A HALF!! So, Mom and Dad, happy birthday! We love you!!

Pajama Party

Call me crazy, but I am a sucker for my kids in pajamas! I think they look so cute in their little jammies! I think part of its appeal is the fact that my kids are so sweet in the morning, all rested and happy. They wake up happy and ready to play. This morning Clayton woke up before Noah. When Noah woke up, Clayton wanted to play with Noah in his crib. They were so cute in there together, I just had to get the camera! So now I have to add these pictures of my cute kids in their cute p.j.'s!

I love that my boys enjoy playing together!


Clayton's face is so expressive here! He is such a great big brother!


Clayton looks so cute in feety jammies that sometimes I let him stay in them a little longer just because I like how he looks!


Noah has just learned how to use a sippy cup! Bye bye bottle!! This is just another cute pajama shot!

Family Photos

I saw on Cherine's blog that she had had a frustrating photo shoot with her son. So Cherine, this was our last family photo shoot! Hopefully it makes you feel better!

This was taken right after we got there, the fun was beginning already!


Justin and I were reduced to acting like three-year-olds!


Noah had had ENOUGH!


This is my personal favorite. We tried to do a cool "guy" shot, but the boys were having NONE of it!


This was how Clayton was for A LOT of the shoot!


We had to bribe Clayton with crackers to get him to smile for us!


We did end up getting some cute pics, but honestly, some of my favorite ones from that shoot were ones that weren't "perfect". I think they give my family some character!

fun fall pics!

These are some fun fall pictures that we took! They are mostly of my boys having typical fall fun, but when you don't live close to family, it is the typical, everyday moments that you wish they could experience with you.