Just a Little CDO....

...much like OCD, but the letters are in alphabetical order. Yes, it is a condition that I struggle with! You would have seen its effects firsthand if you had been in my living room today!! Since we gave Hannah away, I've been needing to get behind the couches and sweep up all the dog hair. I thought it would also be the perfect opportunity to do some rearranging...so I put Noah down for his morning nap, and got to work. Well, about 4 arrangements later, I finally settled on this one!For those of you who have visited our home, you may be thinking--that looks a lot like it did before...yes, you're correct...but everything is on the opposite wall, and I got the dog hair taken care of! :)

Teagan's T-Ball Game

We all met up at the local YMCA to watch Teagan's last T-ball game of the season. Jason's brother, Uly, and his kids were there too. We all had a great time hanging out together!

A New Home for Hannah

Well, we finally did it...we found a new home for Hannah. She's been such a great dog for us, but she was definitely used to being the "only child". She just turned 9, so she's a bit set in her ways. Hannah has always gotten grouchy with little ones, and one day she decided to "correct" Noah for hitting her on the head. Needless to say, that was the last straw! Let me tell you, it's extremely difficult to find someone who wants a 9 year old dog that snaps at small children! After much discussion, we decided to ask Jeff's parents if they would like to have her. They've always really enjoyed having Hannah around (she's really a great girl!) and we knew that they would really love her. Long story short, they decided to take her. While we were up there last week, we dropped her off at her new home. I'm happy to report that she's adjusting well, having fun with Grandpa, and enjoying her walks with Grandma!

The Cristner Family

We had a full house on Monday night! Steve, Glenda, Hannah, Jonathan, and Zachary all came to spend the night. We had such a great time with them! They are missionaries and are doing work with an orphanage in the Ukraine. I was thrilled that they would be able to spend some time with us while they're in the States!

Glenda and I have had many adventures together! We were roommates while attending Bible College (1999-2001). We both worked at the Perdido Key Oyster Bar (which is where she met Steve), and we spent a summer working as camp counselors at Life for Youth Ranch.

Their kids are so sweet! Hannah was terrific with Noah. She wanted to hold him every chance she got!

I think he liked her too!

Steve and Jonathan playing in our backyard.

Zachary (Check out those eyes!

Teagan and Hannah

All of us after lunch at Golden Corral!

Daleville, Frankfort, Lafayette, and Beyond!

Let's see...we just returned Sunday evening from a 5 day trip to Indiana. I'm having a little trouble knowing where to start, mostly because it was such a great trip! I have a lot of pictures and stories to share, so this has the potential to be a LONG post. Here we go!

Noah was having a blast playing on the floor with Grandpa! He decided to show off his talented toes! He can grab anything with them! (If you're wondering who he inherited the amazingly long toes from, check out Jeff's feet sometime--his second toe is freakishly long!)

On our way to Lafayette, we stopped in at Frankfort Middle School. My first year of teaching was at FMS. We dropped in on the Nighthawks' team meeting and got to visit with all of them for a bit. We had a great time, and ended up being there for 2 hours! Then it was back in the car and off to Lafayette...

While we were in Lafayette, we stayed with our friends Greg, Martha, and Will. Will is about to turn two! We wanted to try to catch a visit with them before they move to South Dakota, in May. We're so glad we were able to spend some time with them! Thanks guys for letting us crash at your house!

This is my favorite picture from our visit to Lafayette! Our friends Tyler and Whitney had us all over for a cookout. After our bellies were full, we all headed for the family room to watch the Purdue game! As you can see, we all made ourselves right at home and enjoyed relaxing and visiting with each other. Here are some more pics from that evening...

Jeff &Trey chatting

Ben & Noah

Chase, Ben, & Noah

Janet & Noah

(He wanted me to stop taking pictures and hold him!)

Hanging Out at the Daugherty's

We went to church that next morning and were able to see many of our friends from Lafayette. After church, we ate lunch with our good friends Dave and Judy. Then we headed home...of course, we couldn't make it all the way through Cincinnati without stopping for some Skyline (Jeff's favorite!). They really didn't have anything there in the way of baby food, and we had run out of our supply, so I let Noah have a little nibble of my ice cream sandwich...

A Visit with the Kirkhams

We stopped in to see Gary and Mary Jo today. For those of you who grew up in Daleville, you know exactly who the Kirkhams are! Let me give some background for the Non-Dalevillian crowd...Mr. Kirkham was our Science teacher in high school. He taught everything science related, from Biology to Chemistry, and everything in between. He's an excellent teacher and guided many of us into a love of learning! They had toys and books (left from when their grandkids were little) to share with Noah. He had a great time playing with them!

Back Home Again...

Jeff has this week off, so we decided to head up to Daleville, to see Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Don. We traveled up yesterday and had a beautiful drive! Once we got through Rushville, Noah was starting to get a bit hungry and a little restless. I tried to hold him over by letting him take some sips out of my water bottle. It was so funny to watch his face when the cool water flowed into his mouth! He loved it, and kept reaching for the bottle every time I pulled it away from him!

Today we went by the elementary for Grandma Nancy's lunch. We paraded Noah all around the whole building and got to see a lot of friends and teachers (some of whom taught Jeff and I in grade school). We met Grandma's 1st grade class, and they all knew right away who Noah was...maybe Grandma has mentioned him a time or two? :) It was a lot of fun! (Sorry, I don't have any pictures to share!)

Our Little Tarheel

Noah was playing with his basketball goal today...first we were just watching him, then Jeff decided to get in on the action! As I was recording, I got to thinking about how Noah was born in North Carolina, and that his parents are Hoosiers*...so he's got a pretty strong basketball heritage. Unfortunately, our genes don't offer much in the way of height...maybe there's a chance at being a point guard!

*Sidenote: Well...Jeff's actually a Boilermaker...thought I should include that for Uncle Dave and Aunt Kim! (And the rest of the Boilermakers who read this!)

Aunt Nay

This article was in the Muncie paper yesterday...You Go Aunt Nay!

http://www.thestarpress.com/article/20090315/LIFESTYLE/903150305&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL

This Will Brighten Your Day!

There's nothing better than the sound of baby laughter! I have a few videos that capture Noah belly laughing. I thought I would add them all in the same post...Hope you enjoy!

This first one was taken while we were traveling with Andy and Jess around Christmas time...Jess was playing peek-a-boo with Noah...

Tara took this one last week when we were in Middletown, IN, eating at Pizza King. Great-Grandma & Great-Grandpa Ashton were playing peek-a-boo with him to make him laugh. Then I told them that he really likes it when you bark like a dog, so they tried that for a while. Tara was cracking me up because after I told them to bark like dogs, she said, "He REALLY likes it when you get down on all fours!" (Don't worry--they didn't try that!)

This last one was taken today at dinner. I know that Jeff can get Noah to belly laugh, and I wanted to see if I could do it too!

Hey! He Stuck His Tongue Out at ME!!

I know most moms try to teach their children NOT to stick out their tongues at people, but I was so excited to actually SEE Noah's tongue stick out! While he was taking his bath tonight, he was splash, splash, splashing like he always does, but this time was different! He stuck out his little tongue to catch the water droplets and lick them off his lips! He looked thrilled to be able to do this new trick! Unfortunately, I couldn't get a picture of it. Taking pictures at bath time is a two man job, and my man was still at work! Before his recent procedure, he had never been able to move his tongue so freely. So I felt a sense of relief knowing that we made the right decision.

Mamaw and Noah

New Jogging Stroller

We got a new jogging stroller with the hopes that I can train for a few 5K races this spring. Tara and I have been trying to gear up for some 5K's and the weather just isn't cooperating! Anyway, we had it out the other day when it was 76 degrees, (by the way, today it's snowing!) and you have to see how much Noah enjoyed the ride!

He Did Great!! Thanks for Your Prayers!!

Jeff and I got up at 4:30 this morning to get ready to take Noah to the hospital. It was a very short night for us! We woke Noah up at 5:20 a.m., and headed for the hospital.

On the way there I asked Jeff, "Will he have to wear a hospital gown or will they let him stay in his pj's?"

"Probably they'll just have him stay in his pj's," Jeff replied.

I went on to say that I thought he would look cute in a little open-backed hospital gown! We both laughed at the thought!

Well, we got there, registered, and got prepped for the surgery. I grinned at Jeff when they handed me a tiny little hospital gown!

I couldn't resist! I had to snap a few pics...he was just too cute!

After waiting until 7:30 a.m. for the doctor to arrive, Noah was starting to get tired and a bit fussy. We just kept trying to distract him, and he did so well! They took him from us at 7:45 a.m. We went to the outpatient waiting area, and were only in there 15 minutes before the doctor came in and said they were done! He said everything went really well, and they would call us to come get Noah as soon as he woke up. We got a call 5 minutes later, and rushed back to the operating room doors to get him back. The nurse carried him out to us, and he whimpered a bit and reached out for me. He had laughing gas during the procedure, so I thought he might be a bit loopy. He really wasn't at all...he acted as though nothing had even happened! We took him to the recovery room where he nursed right away. We put him back in his pj's, and then went home! It was amazing how fast and painless the whole thing was! Thanks for all of your prayers!

Please Pray for Noah!

When Noah was only 1 week old, the pediatrician informed us that he appeared to be tongue tied. He told us that Noah may have to have his frenulum clipped. Well, after moving here we asked our new pediatrician about it, and she referred us to an ENT specialist. The ENT agreed that it would be beneficial for Noah to have the simple procedure. We asked about bleeding, pain, etc. The ENT assured us that the surgery only lasts ten minutes, there's no bleeding, and Noah will be able to eat and drink within the hour after the surgery. As far as pain, he said it will only cause slight discomfort that can be remedied with Tylenol. So we decided to go ahead with it, and he's scheduled to have it done tomorrow. I just got the phone call letting us know that we need to be there by 6:00 a.m. Noah can't have anything to eat or drink after midnight tonight, so pray that this all goes smoothly!

I'm a bit nervous, but Jeff will be with me and we'll be able to support each other. Noah and I are playing a lot today and eating as often as possible to get ready for tomorrow! Here's a video of him playing his new piano that I put together for him today...

And We're Back!

Though it was a whirlwind trip, we all had a great time up in Daleville for Jessica's shower! Thanks to Don and Nancy for letting us crash at your house (we kept them up until 1:30 a.m. on Friday night)! Thank you to Aunt Karen and Brandi for helping to throw the shower! Thank you Imy for being such a gracious hostess and letting us use your home! Also, thanks to everyone who pitched in to get things ready!

I made a diaper cake and a diaper baby for the shower...I had a lot of fun making them, and they took me a while to make, so I wanted to show them off on here too!

Poor Noah was a bit overwhelmed by all the traveling and activity. He would hardly let anyone else hold him, and he cried on and off the whole time we were there! (Just a little stressful for me...but we did our best!)

Big Cousin Trystan

I remember a time soon after Noah was born, it was one of the first times Trystan had ever held him, Trystan asked, "So when can I babysit him?"

"Well," I replied, "Probably when you're 12 you could start helping me out with him."

As I watch Trystan interact with Noah, I am very impressed with how well he takes care of him when we're hanging out together. For an 8 year old, he sure does have a lot of experience with how to treat little brothers! They are quickly becoming great buddies. I'm so glad to have such a fun bunch o' boys for Noah to grow up with! Even so, he'll have to wait a few more years before I'm ready to let him babysit!