still around!

These are a few snaps of Greta's music performance.
What a busy week, have you about given up on me?  Work this week has been ridiculous!  And it was a short week at that!  Time at home has been busy as well.  Clara is transitioning to the one year old room, her first full day is tomorrow.  We are excited, but it means she is down to one nap a day, and so she still wants another one in the late afternoon.  Also, no more bottles!  We've worked really hard this week on that sippy cup transition.  She has been drinking water in a cup for several months, but milk was a whole 'nother story.  Now, however, I am proud to say that Clara is a cup-drinker with the best of us.

Greta had a music program on Friday evening, and we were very proud that she sang most of the songs.  She did leave one of the songs in the beginning to come give me a hug, and she waved a piece of paper through the first song to show us that she picked it up -- I really don't know what she thinks sometimes -- but it was cute nonetheless.  Of course, this time I DID'T get it on video, but oh well.  Pictures.

I hope I will get back to some more interesting posts soon, I have a backlog of pictures to add.    Until then, enjoy these.

follow up

Just in case anyone needed some closure to the previous blog...

I bought the real thing,

and they're delicious.  I'll never go generic again.  

For these.

cheapskate

Yes, I am frugal.  I enjoying finding the best bargain, rarely pay full price for anything except groceries, and have been known to spend a ridiculous amount of time comparison shopping.  I like buying 'off brand' or 'store brand' products and reveling in the savings.  

I have to say, however, that is not so for certain members of the family who are convinced that  there is no way that "Great Value" pain killers work as well as Tylenol, and the list goes on for other medicinal products.  I don't know, I only see the savings.  I personally have become used to store brand yogurt when I remember that each time I eat it I am saving minimum 20cents per container.  That's about a dollar a week!  Think of the savings!

I have tried to get into the whole coupon thing, but haven't been as successful as I would have liked.  Probably because most of what I buy is cheaper as a store brand anyways.

So, on to the point of this....I have always bought generic Cheerios.  They are well over a dollar cheaper than real Cheerios, and while I know that don't have that same magical taste, well a dollar is a dollar.  BUT, the past couple of boxes I have splurged and bought the real thing.  Yes that big yellow box of goodness that just oozes memories of childhood.  Those perfect little o's that we  so generously litter every restaurant floor with.  They have to be the most perfect baby snack made.  And in my endeavor to be a healthier me, I have convinced myself that at lunch they do make a healthy and crunchy alternative to chips.  But the last time I went to the store I went back to the orange box.  Store brand.  Generic.  Basically yuck.  No one will eat them.  Clara picks a few and then pushes them away, Greta will do the same if she is starving.  I was annoyed the other day and packed a heaping sandwich bag of them determined to prove that this is ridiculous.  But as I'm sitting at my desk munching on my generic Toasted O's, a bottle of water, some strawberries  and cheese, I realize that they are yuck.  It's like chewing on cardboard sprinkled with a hint of Cheerio dust.  The initial taste isn't bad, but the chews after that just don't make the grade.  

And so, I'm going to search the internet to see if birds or squirrels might like these mixed in with their bird food, and I'm going out today to buy the YELLOW box.  The one that says Cheerios, costs $1.27 more, and is the perfect food for us all.  Is there such thing as generic bottled water?  oh yeah, it's called the tap.

Say it Isn't So

Clara, when are you going to talk?  When are we going to hear Momma, Dada, or whatever you manage to get out?  Sure you've been grunting what several have identified as "hi" for a few months now, and I've noticed that you can also grunt out a good "woof woof", especially when George is doing his best to alert the neighborhood to the mailman, UPS, or any other unfamiliar vehicle in view.  You did a great version of a bird today when we were outside, shrieking in an eerily similar way to the blue jays annoying call.  But seriously.  I'm ready for more.  

I can't wait to find out what your voice -- your speaking voice that is -- will sound like.  I can't wait for you to ask questions, say yes, no or whatever else.  I can't wait for you to let me in to a little more of what you are thinking.  We've tried sign language, but you have always just smiled and laughed.  I need more.  I need you to tell me when you're hungry or thirsty.  I want you to tell me "more" or "no", or ow.  

But most of all, I'd like to ask you, what exactly were you thinking when that adorably plump little hand of yours mysteriously dove into an occupied bowl of dog kibble and grabbed a handful?  And then, what did it taste like?

Psst...Clara.  Yeah, you.  Just listen to me a moment, I really want to tell you this.

I smell you.

No, no, no, not that way don't worry.  I mean, I like to smell you.

You see, I have worked with very small people enough to know that sometime between your first and second birthday, something happens.  You babies turn into...bigger kids.  I will steal the word I saw someone use -- Waddlers.  I like that.  And as you make that transition, somewhere during that time, you lose that magical scent.  You might not know what I'm talking about, but oh it's magnificent.  That baby smell that can turn any woman into a bloodhound inhaling every inch of you like your very being was euphoria.  It's that milky breath, sweaty neck, magical freshness that babies just exude.  But then, somehow, it starts to disappear.  So you see, Clara, I keep smelling you.  You might think it's part of your cuddling routine that you dictate so regularly.  You might think that I'm just enjoying nuzzling that soft skin on your neck and under your ears, but really, I'm sniffing you.  I just can't get enough.  I mean, I really think that if that scent could be bottle it could give Chanel no. 5 a run for its money.

I'm so glad you still smell.  I always enjoy hugging you and snuggling, but right now I'm savoring every moment a little bit longer, so I can remember that magical scent.  I know before long, one day I'll lean in for a hug and you'll push me away too busy to hug anymore when there are other things to do.  Or I'll go for that nuzzle and realize, that while that skin is still soft and your arms are grabbing me a little more purposely for a hug, that smell is just not the same.  And I'll realize that right then is the moment when you go from baby to child.

Thank you for being so SCENTsational, Clara, and for letting me smell you just a little bit longer.

Straight from the (surprise) wedding announcement...oh the memories. 

On May 16, 2003, in a private sunrise ceremony

Chris and Adrienne both joined hands

and said "I do" upon the sands.

Vowed were expressed so happily

at Carolina Beach, beside the sea.

For yesterday, today and tomorrow...Happy Anniversary!

    I had a lovely Mother's Day last Sunday.  We 

                                            ate a delightful breakfast and later in the day 

    we visited the Horticultural Gardens, one of 

    our favorite places.


I didn't take nearly as many photos as usual,

probably because I had so much fun just 

hanging out with my favorite people.
And here they are.

Bike Race

A couple of weeks ago there was a little Spring Fest

in our area, that had crafts, kids activities, etc.  One of the activities

was a bike race for the kids.  We asked Greta if she wanted to do it, with her 

fancy new bike and everything, and she seemed excited.  I know she had no idea what 

a bike race was, but I was completely mistaken when all she talked about the day before was how she was going to win.  (Everything Greta does right now revolves around winning, Greta always "wins".  I do not have to worry about her confidence levels....)

So here are Chris and Greta before the race...practicing.

It was nicely organized, with different heats for different

ages as well as different bikes (big wheels, training wheels,etc.)

She's off!

  Go Greta Go!!!

I was laughing so hard standing at the finish

line.  It just seemed so funny!

Notice the tongue in full concentration.

Notice no one anywhere near her!  WOW!

That's because she was dead last.  4th out of 4.  She was peddling so slowly, Clara probably could've beaten her.  But that's okay, because when she (finally) reached the finish line and received her ribbon she looked up and said "I won!".  It was a moment I'll never forget.

She's Clara Lauren Noll, 

an avocado loving, milk drinking, sippy cup learning, 

super crawling, giggly, wild climbing, sleep loving, 

people watching, sand box exploring, bopping to music

 teeny tiny bundle of happiness.  

She's a picture of smiles and health, 

just a miniature version of perfect.  

She's 27.75 inches and 18 1/2 pounds of cuteness.  

It might not seem like much, but it's all we need.

mindless ramblings #1

Okay, just a few things whirling through my brain that might just make some people laugh, so I thought I'd share them with you. I will do them in pieces so that I do not burden you with more than you care to read.

Mindless thought #1: Spring Storms

Naturally, spring storms are inevitable and a natural necessity. Clear away the extra pollen, water in the fertilizers and new seedlings, renew life, all that good stuff. I love rain, and I'm always one to enjoy a thunderstorm. HOWEVER, I draw the line at Tornado watches. I know, I know, it's just a watch, but honestly...that just leaves me time to sit and wait for the possibility of it to come. And why is it that the majority of these watches happen in the evening -- or, at least lately, between the hours of 8pm and 3am....Now I know the scientific reasoning behind it all, but come on Mother Nature, cut me some slack!

Let me preface this with some background about -- lucky you -- me.

If there is an emergency situation, I'm your gal. Trust me on this one, I'm the one you want around if you are choking, injured, or the like. I truly believe that, as each wonderful human being has their own unique qualities (idiosyncrasies, general oddities...weirdness), we also have something that we obsess about (come on now, don't we all. I guess I'm hoping that's true). For me, it doesn't matter where I am, who I am with, or the occasion I am prepared for an emergency. If we are in a restaurant and there is a fire (or gunmen, earthquake, flood, etc.) I am going to be the one to know where the nearest or most reasonably accessible exit is. Yes, I listen to the safety speech on airplanes, yes I know where the nearest exit is, and yes I make sure there are floor lights to light my way. I think of how I could clambor over or around crowds in the event of a mass rush to an exit; I think of ways to push, shove, and physically get me (and my family of course) to safety in any given scenario, and know what to do in case there was a fire in any area of my home at any time of the day. While I am not one to believe in keeping a firearm in the home, I can guarantee you that I know of teh nearest weighted golf club or other device to protect me and my family. I know that, because I do not have a basement, in the event of a tornado I will grab the kids, the dogs, and hope the cat makes her way to us and go in the closet in our bedoom where I will protect us with the very clothes hanging there. Yes, this might seem extreme, and yes perhaps a bit maniacal, but you know the saying "chance favors the prepared mind". At least I think that's a saying, and if it isn't then please give me credit in the future.

As a child, I distinctly recall tornado watches and warnings at home. Frankly, watch or warning to me it was all the same. Fortunately for me, a special closet full of dressup clothes provided hours of fun and some of the best safety devices my young mind could think of. What better than putting on the basement radio (to hear for emergency updates) sitting under the table, wearing my dad's old powder blue (think 1960's people) wide-collared leather jacket -- perfect for the dangerous construction debris sure to fly around me during a tornado. Yes, I indeed had this vision of my huddled by myself under this table safely tucked in the emergency position (come on, you remember, kneeling down with your hands over your head -- like your arms and hands could offer your poor head that much protection!).

So, all of that brings me to my seemingly innate fear of storms, winter spring summer or fall. Anyone in Michigan over Christmas MUST remember that unbelievable wind storm. Staying at my mom's right on the lake, where the wind is always blowing hard, it was the closest to being in a tornado that I ever want to come. I have never heard such an awful sound, all of that wind blowing around. Yes, it sounded like the proverbial train that everyone describes a tornado as. I KNOW it wasn't a real tornado, and I KNOW it was just wind but you have to understand how that damages someone like me mentally (take your own potshot, I'm leaving it open). It was weeks and I was still hearing the wind in my mind....

Am I going nowhere with this post? Quite possibly. My point? None. Except that next time you have a storm, perhaps you'll think of me. You may roll your eyes and call me ridiculous (mom), but maybe, just maybe, you'll need me and I'll be prepared. When we're dining together and a band of wild kangaroos comes hopping into the restaraunt holding our waiter hostage...wait. What would I do then? I better go think about this one.

boost your brain

and bust boredom too. Not enough to do (then come to my house, please) or just bored at work? Need a new place to go on the internet? Well do I have the site for you! (No, this is not a paid advertisement.) This little gem is an awesome site! I am addicted. And not only is it fun, but you learn things AND help world hunger at the same time. When you first go to it, the first quiz that will automatically pop up is the english vocabulary, but if you click on the subjects tab at the top, you will find a slew fo different categories. So, start earning those grains of rice and then: GET BACK TO WORK!

Sweet Swimming Sisters

   Doing daring Daddy stuff...
I guess we just need an elephant in the shower at home...much more fun than plain water!
 Here's what happens when you're expected to swim at your nap time.
 Ahhh, much better.

Loving the sand this year!

I think Clara needs an extra chin to help her hat fit properly....

 

Some things just go together so well:

sand and water

cookies and milk

cake and ice cream 

hamburger and french fries

...you get the point.

THEN, however, there are the things that do NOT go well together:

oil and water

roller blades and gravel roads

me and late nights

AND, most recently from experience...

Wet Bathing Suit and Dry Baby.  

These are the before pictures, trust me in that you do not want to see any of the during or after shots (not that there was any, as I was wrestling with a wet bathing suit and a dry baby.  Like nailing jello to a tree, it was nearly impossible.)  For those of you who have not experienced this yet, here's a word of advice:  before attempting this...STOP Make one of the following choices before proceeding:  1) Dry the Bathing Suit  2) Wet the Baby  Trust me, it will be worth it for all involved.

The Word

She did it. This weekend, while enjoying a lovely time away at the beach, Greta said it. One of the words that ranks right up there with the worst of the worst. Now, we realize that in some homes this is perfectly acceptable. We realize that most of her friends will be saying it, in fact most already do (now I've got you thinking don't I), but in our house it is going to be a no-no. It's not like that we have ever told her NOT to say it, in fact that never even occurred to us. But we should've seen it coming. Her southern twang is getting stronger than ever, in fact there are times I struggle to actually understand what she is saying. (An aside, this morning she was asking me about Belle, one of the Disney princesses, and I honestly had no clue what she was talking about because it came out 'Bayyyyle'.)

And so, should it really be any surprise when in regular conversation Greta just comes out with

"and where are ya'll going now?"

Oh the horror, recalling it just gives me the chills.