Just saying "Hi"

I've gotten several complaints about the blog as of late. I'm sorry...but I'm not. We are having a fabulous fall, with lots of busy-ness and fun to be had by all. We work hard, and we play hard. And at the end of the day, Mama just doesn't feel like blogging sometimes :)

So though I don't feel the need to write about all the interesting adventures Noelle and I have had in October, I thought I would let her say "hi" to the blogosphere...

PS - Yes...she is that amazing all the time.

New every day!

I'm failing on that posting more in September thing.

Sorry.  Well not really - we've been busy in the best way possible!

I've been in a great work groove and volunteer groove...gotten some "Mama" time in at the gym, some fun date nights with Josh, and had lots of fun playtime with Noelle. And Josh had a big old birthday this week...he's old now :)

The fun part about this stage is finding fun stuff to do with Noelle. Whether it is the park or a bike ride, or just finding a silly game to play at home together. 

The other thing that is terribly fun is that Noelle literally learns something new almost every day.

For example, this week she learned:

How to climb up onto her bookshelf. Ahem. Trouble. Oh and she now plays the game of turning her lamp on and off. And I didn't teach her that. As far as I know, she just watched me and figured it out.

How to go down her own little slide all by herself...

How to successfully finish a juicebox all by herself! (sorry - no pic)

And then today, what felt like out of the blue, she learned the complete words for eyes, nose and mouth. She had been practicing for weeks, but it was more like  "eeehhh, noooo, maaaaa" when she would practice on me, Josh, her dolls...heck she even practiced on her fork that had some dots on it.

But Josh was dropping her off with her sitter for Saturday afternoon while we were at church, and on the way in the car he heard from the backseat "Eye...noooose....moowf" !!  It was like she just woke up today and could say the words completely. I'll try to get video sometime soon.

She also went ahead and showed everyone her knowledge of facial parts in Kidsquest because when I went to go pick her up tonight the volunteers were telling me how she walked around with a doll and kept telling them where the doll's eyes, nose and ears are.

I know it's corny, but I really treasure these little steps of growing up. All too soon she will probably talk my ear off and it will be old news (although I look forward to some interesting and amazing conversations). I look at her and I can't remember not having such a sweet little toddler in my life...it's like you can't even remember when she was just a little baby who couldn't do much other than eat and look super cute. I almost only remember what she is like right now...though I do try and remember having that sweet little baby in my arms sometimes :)

Labor Day Laziness

August went by so fast!!

It always does, so I shouldn't be surprised, but I can't believe it is actually September!

As we recover from an unbelievable Questapalooza weekend - and some kick a preaching from Christine Caine (seriously - go watch her preach on our website www.questcommunity.com) I thought I would write  quick update. Embarrassingly I have only posted once in August!

I had an amazing time getting to serve with our pastors and leaders on their Chicago trip to Willow Creek's leadership summit. I had no idea how much I could improve my big-city driving skills - but I managed to master tolls and crazy Chicago drivers! I also had no idea just how much I love having fun with Micki Ginter - she is a gem of a human being!!

Micki and I having a blast in Chicago on Navy Pier

Then Grandma and Grandpa came to visit so that Josh and I could go to Quest's Leadership Advance - and we had a fantastic time. We are so ready to advance into this fall after that time away!

Grandpa got to take her from carseat to crib one afternoon - best cuddles ever!

Playing with Grandma's camera

Noelle is also advancing herself - She had her 15 month check up which went well. She weighed in at 22 pounds which put her in the 37% for weight. She is 29.25 inches tall, which put her inthe 16% for height (my little short stack!) And that head...well it is holding strong and coming in at the 94%...she's a genius - I'm telling you!

Grandpa also built Noelle a booster seat on this trip - which means she has been eating at the table with us. That has been so fun for her. She LOVES it. Actually she loves doing anything that the grown ups are doing or that the big kids do. She's just advanced :)

Here's a video of dinner one evening:

I'll admit, it is much messier having her at the table, but it is teaching her some good habits I think. The other night she even paused while I blessed our food. It certainly makes her feel more like one of the family to sit at the table with us!

I won't make any promises - but I will try to be a better poster in September :)

Mid Week Pick-me-up

You're welcome.

She can make putting away the HUGE load of laundry cute, interesting, and FUN. :)

Note to self...

When your toddler learns how to play with an old clock radio, make sure she doesn't learn how to turn on the alarm.

Yes. The alarm just went off. At 11:15pm. In her room.

Poor thing was startled and confused. I got there as quickly as I could, but of course it was already too late.  And it's not a gentle alarm clock. It is one of the most hateful and aggressive alarms I've ever heard in my life.

It is Josh's alarm clock radio from BEFORE we were married. And I'm pretty sure it was quite old when we got married!

We had used it to improvise white noise (putting it on FM static) after we were too lazy to unpack our ipod dock we had been using for white noise. But the stations changed recently and at the same time Noelle learned how to use the radio (she loves to play with it - Josh has a fabulous video of her dancing to K-Love). So it has just been in her room for her to play with when she feels like it.

Tonight it has been unplugged and tomorrow it will be moved to another room. And when she plays with it next I will check it to make sure the alarm hasn't been accidentally turned on.

Lesson learned.

All this has reminded me that no one should ever have to wake up to an alarm...

Practicing Obedience

Just a normal toddler conversation.

I just say she is practicing obeying her mother...over and over and over again...

Life with a Toddler

I've said it before and I'll say it again - my baby is gone.

A full blown toddler has replaced her. Don't get me wrong - I love the toddler just as much as the former baby...it's just different! Everyone tells you how different it will be when they are into everything, but there's nothing you can do to prepare for it when it finally hits.

We are more than just surviving this new phase - we are enjoying it!  There are down sides and plus sides...just like any stage of life, but we are making the most of this one that we are in.

Here are some of the plus sides:

• She is much more portable (doesn't need as much stuff, can be entertained fairly easily)
• She is more mobile and independent (it's great to be able to set her down to open a door and not worry about her falling off a ledge or something)
• She gets cuter by the minute (so cute it hurts)
• She can communicate a little better (it is very clear when she wants more, or if she wants something different)
• She can entertain herself for small intervals of time (can't wait to work on extending this!)

Here are some of the down sides:

• Now that she can communicate, she has an opinion about many things (She is vocal about this and it sometimes includes screeching)
• More mobility means she wants independence in things she can actually do yet (she loves stairs, but has no idea how to go down them without potentially breaking her arm)
• She gets into mischief (my bedroom lamp is plugged into the powerstrip. She learned how to turn the powerstrip off. While I was putting away laundry tonight she turned off the lamp 6-10 times.)

With all that being shared, I love everything about her - even the challenging toddler parts. And I am well aware that we haven't even hit 2 yet. Mostly we roll with the punches. I let her roam and get into trouble and sometimes I let her learn the lesson the hard way and don't protect her from it. Even if it means some extra cries or some extra clean up along the way. We improvise when we need to. I have definitely needed to buy a spare paci at target (and opened it immediately) because someone wanted to roam the aisles in target independently (can you blame her?) and became very agitated when I forced her to stay in the stroller.

I am shocked with how much she gets more and more like a little kid. More hair, more personality, more teeth - you name it! She is a joy to all she meets and even more so to us!

Picture Friday...A hot week in pictures!

I'm not sure how much longer "Picture Friday" will exist. I'm still finding my rhythm with my new life schedule and I'm not ready to commit on weekly photo sessions at the moment. However, I am always posting a few photos here and there on instagram and facebook, so be sure to check there if you find you have the shakes from Noelle withdrawals :)

That being said - here's to another picture friday. Just a few fun shots from our week!

That drool sheen means it has been another teething week. Working on another top tooth!

Ready for church on Sunday

Cute exhaustion after church on Sunday. Thanks KidsQuest!!

Clean and happy

I couldn't resist.

Noelle loves her wimbledon towel that Grandpa got her last year!

She loves it almost as much as she loves watching herself in the camera!

Pretty Things & Kisses

Noelle is learning new things everyday it seems like. She will try to repeat different words that we say a lot. It feels like there is always a new sound or word she is mastering. We have also tried very hard to teach her how to blow kisses. Some days it goes well and some days she looks at us like we are crazy. One thing that has stuck is that if she is giving a kiss she will very often say "mah" when she does it. When she adds her hand to the mix and "blows a kiss" it is sheer cuteness.

Another thing she has learned with the help from her Daddy is the joy of making funny faces at the camera. She loves taking pictures and I actually "play cheese" with her sometimes. She says cheese and stares at the camera and has a blast.

Noelle has also learned that jewelry is fun. For my birthday I got a beautiful watch from my parents. I really like it. It is certainly more of a fashion piece and I don't use the watch to tell time. I use my phone and haven't worn a watch for years now. Someone else likes my watch too. Actually she likes everything shiny and pretty. My earrings, my rings, my necklaces...all of it. She is 100% girl, and apparently she has good taste!

Take a look for yourself at these new learnings... (pardon the nudity - it was the end of the day and sometimes that little belly is too cute to hide with a shirt!)

A New Chapter

Alright, I kind of skipped over an important milestone last week.

July 7 was my birthday, and it was the big 3-0.

I honestly didn't skip it on the blog on purpose - I was just busy and didn't get a chance to say anything :). And let's face it - this blog is mostly about Noelle. She is far more exciting than I am!

I will say that it was a truly fantastic birthday. Maybe my best birthday as an adult.

My mom and dad came up to celebrate their baby getting old. And somehow we realized that it had been a full 11 years since they had been with me on actual birthday. So I had extra help on my whole birthday week! That meant getting to be lazy in the mornings, not having to stay up alone when Noelle had sleeping issues, free lawn mowing, free babysitting, and lots of delicious homemade meals that I didn't have to cook. It's like a little vacation without having to go anywhere when Mom and Dad come to town! And Noelle...well Noelle gets undivided attention and gets to have WAY more fun than usual because someone is always there to make sure she is happy and laughing.

Then my fabulous husband went way out of his way to make me feel celebrated and loved for my birthday. He threw a sweet gathering at our home and lots of people I know and love came to celebrate me. He overdid it and had everyone chip in to get me a massage and an ipad mini - an item I had been wanting and avoiding getting all at the same time!

A brief rundown of my big day(s):
-Wimbledon in the morning (even though I didn't watch all of it) where an Englishman finally won after 77 years
-A phenomenal church service taught by the fabulous Helen Musick
-My favorite panera lunch with a few great friends
-A quiet afternoon with the family
-A fun dinner out at Shakespeare and company with the family
-Monday afternoon, I got a little naptime after work
-Monday evening was my party :)

I felt wonderfully celebrated - top to bottom. But the best part was, I didn't need any of it. I have found over the years that my July birthday friends have some sort of odd complex. It's like a birthday complex. When your birthday is smack dab in the middle of summer, you tend not to have huge birthday parties. Most of your friends might not even remember your birthday because they aren't seeing you regularly. This was before facebook so lovingly reminded you of all your friends birthdays. All that to say - there was always a struggle in my heart to feel recognized or celebrated on my birthday. And sometimes there would be an expectation I would put on the day, which sometimes led to disappointment.

This birthday was different though. I was freed up to just enjoy the day, whatever it brought. I had no expectations. It was like Jesus finally convinced me that I am whole and complete and need nothing else to add to that. I knew that for every other day of the year, but somehow it didn't seem true on my birthday. A little backwards, I know. It was probably the best birthday gift I got. It really was a turning of the page, a new chapter.

The past 30 years have been remarkable. I can't believe the life that I have been given to live...I am unbelievably blessed and privileged to live this life. I am so excited for the next chapter too...I think that the 30's and beyond will be amazing.

So thanks for celebrating my birthday - whether it was a text message, facebook post, card, or lavish gift. I am grateful for each and every single friend and family member and for all the love that has been poured into me these past 30 years.

A Glimpse into the Future

Today I went for it!

I bought those teeny tiny rubber bands and pretended that Noelle had enough hair to make pigtails.

She might have a tender head like I had, because she was slightly annoyed with me...but the end result is pure cuteness!!

I don't have a good front shot because frankly, the little piggy tails are too small to see from the front!  It was very exciting to see her with a real hair do - and before I know it I will have to do this every day, instead of doing it for a little rainy afternoon activity.

I asked Noelle when she thought I would be able to do real pig tails on her. 18 months? 2 years old?

Her response:

How should I know? This is my first time growing hair Mama!!

The Nap Battle

Noelle has never been a good napper. She prefers to be where the action is. Even when she was small she didn't want to nap on her own, she wanted to be snuggled up with one of us.

Well I don't know what has happened recently but we have been having full on nap battles at the Watkins household. We thought it was teething. But that second top tooth has come through now. Then we thought, maybe she only needs one nap. After just one hour and 15 minute nap in the middle of the day we had one cranky toddler in the evening who thought that at 10:30pm it was time to play again. 

Noelle is clearly winning the battles but I know Mama is going to win the war eventually. I dream of 3 hour naps in the middle of the day - and I will continue to pray for them. Until then - we will battle on!!

Below are photos from a successful 3 hour nap we had randomly a few weeks ago. Look at that glorious nap hair!

Picture Friday - Post Vacation & A Happy Birthday

Today is my mom's birthday - and there is no better way to say "Happy Birthday" to her than to put new pictures up on the blog. So have a very happy birthday mom - we love you and can't wait to see you again :)

Here are some of the best and brightest from vacation. There was a serious lack of any photos of anyone but her...but that isn't all that surprising!

First Beach Encounter: I'm not so sure about this beach thing...

True to form, she rejected the beach on the first visit.

Day 2: You know this isn't so bad...I got my shades and my grandma. Life is good.

Aunt Meagan and Uncle Jason were cheering me on to enjoy the beach - even though Uncle J is NOT a fan himself.

I discovered that sand was confusing but also very tasty.

And the beach makes your hair lots of fun!

And I just loved walking along the shore!

Grandpa let me swing in the waves - and that was a blast!

It is awfully bright though. Where did those sunglasses go?

I discovered that salt water was also quite tasty...especially for washing down the sand.

Then we tried the pool....her response was "ahhhhhhhhhhhh"! Literally.

But by far, Noelle's favorite place was the POOL!

LOOK AT THIS POOL BUNNY!!!!!!!!

Too cute for her own good.

Wanting to get in on the camera action.

goofing off with Grandpa on our last morning...

I'm ok with leaving the beach Mama - as long as we can go to another pool back home.

I agreed to more pool dates. Noelle applauded. :)

The Mystery of "Pachee"

It's been a while! Life has been busy or full of vacation time. It was fun, Noelle had a blast, and she changed so much over the vacation! She was certainly the star of the whole week. I think some of our favorite memories will be all the funny things she did on vacation. It was great getting to spend a week just playing with her - and she is getting more and more of a personality every day!

Part of this personality involves lot of chatty talk. Some of them are actual words, some of them are noises she learns fro her Daddy. And then some of them we don't know what they are at all.

The most mysterious of these communications is what we call "Pachee"!

She started doing it a bit before vacation, but then did it ALOT on the plane ride (to complete strangers of course). Now that we are back, she continues to do it, and responds to our promptings of "pachee".

Basically she takes one hand, holds the wrist of her other hand, looks at you with those big blue eyes and mutters, "pachee" - although on occasion it can sound more like "bajee".

Take a look for yourself...

So she wasn't doing it in the clearest fashion, but I think you get the point. And you also get a glimpse into her clearer "thank you" - which had started by a very distinct "dah doo" a couple weeks ago.

If you think you have the mystery solved on "pachee" please let us know. She talks about "pachee" everywhere. At meal time, in the carseat, in the bath, walking around the house. We've even tried other words to see if we say them and it prompts more "pachee" and therefore solves the mystery. No dice.

Maybe someday we will know... Until then, "pachee" to you and yours.

We did it! And then some...

Tomorrow morning, Noelle will wake up, and the first part of breakfast will not be from Mama.

We've been getting closer and closer to being fully weaned. By her first birthday we were down to only the morning feed, and lunch and dinner were successfully transitioned to whole milk after her meals.

I've been looking forward to this change and dreading it all at the same time.  I think she is ready though, and I think I am ready too.

When I had Noelle, I decided to try to breastfeed for 6 months and re-evaluate once I hit that mark. It was really clear at 6 months that breastfeeding was one of her favorite things in the whole world, and there was no way we were ready to quit.  After that 6 month mark, breast feeding just got easier and easier. It was also free and extremely good for Noelle - so I decided to keep going until she was ready.

For months I got teary thinking about the end of this part of our bond, but I'm not on the verge of tears thinking about it now. She's ready as much as she can be, and it's just a little step of her growing up more and more. I've convinced myself that for each sweet baby thing she stops doing, she starts doing 2 new fun kid things that I love just as much.

Even so, I will never forget how special those moments have been with her. Her little "boob laugh" as we called it when she would get so excited to eat...the early days when she would fall into a complete milk coma halfway through eating...and her extremely fidgety final days where it was like she was trying to walk/crawl/eat all at the same time. She would even just stop eating from time to time and pause to give me a huge grin - just a little way of her saying "Thanks Mama!"

The good news is I still get those grins...when I go to get her out of her carseat or when I just take a minute to get her attention while she is playing with her toys. We are so blessed and fortunate to know and love this precious girl. 

I hope this transition is barely noticed by my girl!! We had an accidental trial day of it, when I woke up late for work on Monday. So I am hopeful that she will go on unaffected. 

After this process, we will work on dropping the bottles...for whatever reason she won't drink milk out of anything other than a bottle. If it's not one thing it's another, right? We'll get there...eventually!

Picture Friday...or Sunday: First Swim

We have been adjusting to a new life and schedule this week! Picture Friday may turn into a different day, but I'm not ready to commit to anything at the moment :)

We DID get to go play at the Evans' pool this past Tuesday though, and I though you all might enjoy images of Noelle's first pool swim!!

It's like a big bath!!

Sophie loved showing Noelle how fun swimming can be.

Sophie and Kennedy had lots of questions about Noelle

The squirting polar bear was a hit

She loved it!

She also loved the starfish

And wanted me to enjoy it too!

Noelle said "thanks for taking me to the pool Mama!"

And of course it was all followed by a long and cozy nap that started in the car ride home :)

Movin' on up!

You may recall my Goals post of January...where I laid out my goals for the year.

One of those goals was to do something about my job.

I don't talk about my job on here much because...it's just my job. Nothing exciting, nothing much to share. I have worked for the same boss (but not done the same job) since I got out of college 8 years ago. That's pretty rare in this day and age to work for the same employer for so long!!

But 2 weeks ago, I put in my resignation. And this monday - I start a NEW job!

I am very pleased to announce that I am now employed by Marshall Pediatric Therapy!  I will be doing some general office administration for the company and I am so excited about this transition. It's more flexibility for our family and I get to do something so positive that is helpful to so many kids and families in the Lexington area.

I will miss lots of my coworkers at my old job - but I do get to keep in touch with them thanks to some minimal contract work I will do once a week for my old boss. And I am so unbelievably grateful for the steady and dependable job I have had for the last 8 years when the economy was all over the place.

I am also so ready for the next though, and for all the excitement this transition will be!  Pray for me - I haven't had a new job in a LONG time!! I hope they like me :)

Celebration of the Little One turing the Big 1!!

What a whirlwind of a weekend!

Josh's parents arrived the Friday before her birthday, and my family arrived that Saturday afternoon. Noelle had so many people eager to love and spoil her. It was so fun having everyone here - but there was one part I did not anticipate...My people-loving child wanted to be a part of the party 24/7. So sleeping was verrrry difficult. Bad naps, a hard time going down for bed, you name it!

On top of that she was battling some sort of illness in the days leading up to the weekend AND appeared to be working on potentially 4 new teeth coming in. Ouch.

So then it was finally party day and the big birthday on Monday. She refused her morning nap, but ended up having a fantastic two and a half hour nap in the middle of the day. I thought it would be perfect! She would be well rested and ready for the festivities.

Wrong.

She was CRANKY and CLINGY.  My normally always happy baby had chosen her big day to be extra crabby. Hey - if you can't be crabby on your birthday, when can you be crabby? She really took that song "it's my party, and I'll cry if I want to..." to heart.

All in all, everyone had a great time, even though the guest of honor wasn't having the best day.

The funniest part was that after everyone left - she couldn't have been happier. She played with her new toys and had an absolute blast!! I think she likes to be a spectator more than she likes to be the center of attention.

I'll have more good pictures from Josh's dad later and will post more - but here are a few fun ones from my camera!!

Welcome to the party!

Backyard set up, complete with posing "G" :)

Festive Faces of Noelle thanks to CC & G!!

Welcoming festive wreath 

Yummy patriotic strawberries!

The singing wasn't so bad...she tolerated it...

The happy baby who hated cake!

Seriously guys, I don't like this!

I don't like the cupcake EITHER!!!

Can I get out now??

The cupcake tasted much better in Mama's arms...

Cutie cupcake face...

She mostly hung on to her outfits from the McCarty's the WHOLE time we opened presents. She really liked the hangers :)

The best part of present opening was that her buddy Ian decided to take his first steps!!! Look at his Mom's face and then Megan to the right cheering him on!! Fantastic!!

Noelle didn't like her new pool from CC and G either. Poor thing!

But Noah thought it was awesome!!

Noelle ended the party by encouraging Ian to walk some more by showing him how she does it :)

We tried so hard to get our chair picture for our 1 year shot...and we failed miserably. She was so cranky during the day and then wouldn't sit still at night!

It was much more fun to stand UP in the chair

Maybe even do some clapping while standing in the chair...

And then of course laughing when we plopped down on our bottom :)