I forgot I had taken these pictures a few weeks ago and meant to post them on the blog. The other day Andy and I were talking about how big Noah is getting. Yesterday I felt like he was my little guy, and looking at him today I realize he is turning into a little boy. When did that happen?!?! He is such a good boy, and if that didn't make his parents proud - the fact that he loves football is just icing on the cake (for Andy at least). It's only fitting that since it's college football season (or has been) Andy should take some time to show Noah the basics. Noah LOVES to play football with daddy. He loves football so much that his cars and crayons even play football (or so Noah says).
Andy recently taught Noah how to 'take a handoff'. Noah will do it over and over - and then they will tackle each other. It's so funny to watch. Here are some pics of the guys in action.
Taking the Handoff
Going in for the tackle
Hook line and sinker!
If daddy isn't around to play, Noah will just put on his 'helmet' and pretend like he's playing.
And of course, Clare is always there to cheer him on....
I have a feeling Noah's love for football is only beginning!
I have been waiting for this day, for like....ever. So you can only imagine how Andy's been feeling. We've known for a while that we would probably get out of the army after Andy's commitment was up. Andy expressed interest in going to grad-school , but wasn't sure exactly what he wanted to do. Sometimes it would change from day to day. After exploring a lot of options he decided to start preparing for the GMAT. He studied all the time, and devoted a lot of energy to it. About a year later he finally took the GMAT, hoping to receive a score that would be good enough for him to compete at his top school choices. Harvard, MIT and possibly Stanford. Thankfully, with help from the Lord - his score was better than we hoped for and we moved forward with the application process. There is a lot of time, money and energy (a lot of prayers too) involved in applying to grad school! Once the application process was over I was relieved...and I know Andy was even more so.
Soon after his application was submitted, Andy got an invitation to interview at Harvard. He spent a week out there, touring the campus, meeting other students and even attending some classes. If he wasn't sure about Boston before that, then this trip definitely sealed the deal! He loved it, and we became even more excited about the possibility of going there. Needless to say after his interview we have had to wait 6 LONG weeks to hear back...and are happy to report that this morning Andy received an acceptance letter to Harvard Business School, class of 2014! I couldn't be happier or more proud of him and all of his hard work. We are so excited where our next adventure will take us (even if we will be broke! haha). We truly have been so blessed as a family, and couldn't have done it without the Lords help! For now we will enjoy our last months in the Army - and in the West!
One of my favorite Christmas Traditions growing up was taking a plate of goodies (and receiving a plate) to all our neighbors. So this year, as in many years past...we made a plate of treats to share. If you are looking for some tasty baked goods this Holiday season, these ones won't disappoint!
Noah has the life. No cares, no responsibilities...two parents who adore him and a little sister who thinks he's the worlds funniest comedian. He has been especially curious/adventurous/mischievous lately. He loves to sing songs, play with his cars (surprise), pull out the DVDs-just to watch Mommy put them all back, climb in the window sill, push Clare over and exclaim, 'Uh oh, Mommy! Baby Clare fell down!' He climbs on things, pulls ornaments off the tree and loves to quote Toy Story 2 (not sure if that's a good thing). He is definitely hitting his stride, I love it...and you better believe we both sleep well at night after a full day together!
Here is a picture journal of a day in the life of Noah...(or probably any 2, almost 3 year old, ha).
Noah loves to climb on the counter and play with the change in our 'key dish' - I guess he decided to use the Panini maker as some sort of cash register...
And naturally, one always gets hungry while counting all the money they have...why not grab some french bread from a near by bowl to gnaw on.
Here he is, climbing in the window sill...like he knows he shouldn't. That's the fun of it I guess!
One of Noah's favorite things to do is play schlootball (aka Football) with his daddy. Here he is, all dressed and ready to go. Yes, the basket doubles as a helmet. Andy has even taught Noah how to take a hand off...which is also pretty adorable.
If Noah doesn't decide to become a professional football player, he may just decide to become a singer. I've tried to catch him on video several times but could only get this small little bit. Here he is doing two of his favorite things, playing with cars and singing twinkle twinkle little star.
And of course, there's nothing like watching a little Disney movie on the computer - headphones and all.
Lastly - Noah loves to make videos for his Uncle Mike. Noah insisted on holding the the camera- and you can tell he loved every minute of it (don't mind the angle - it gives Noah's cheeks the chipmunk effect-ha).
Even with the tough moments and the many tantrums, I am really enjoying this stage in Noah's life. Through it all he still let's me call him Sweets (my silly nickname for him), still wants me to sing him songs at night, still wants to play games with me and loves to have me cheer him on. Watching him grow up into a little boy has been one of the greatest joy's I've experienced so far as a mother.
Yesterday was great. I love Sundays - and besides the usual meetings at church, they even had us sing Christmas songs in place of the usual musical numbers. I love this time of year. Another thing I love about Sundays? Having friends over for dinner. Last night we had some friends over. We ate well, if you ask me. One of my favorite parts...
A little homemade guacaMOLE. Andy's grandma recently gave me her old food processor that she no longer used...all I can say is - how did I ever survive without a food processor?! I think I am in love! Thanks Nanny.
Another Simple Thing I enjoyed this week...
The Hallmark Channel's plethora of cheesy Christmas movies. I can't get enough! Aside from the fact it's one of the only channels we have, I can't help but curl up on the couch and enjoy a feel good Christmas story. Even if they can be extremely awkward haha.
Only 19 more days til Christmas! Might as well enjoy it while I can.
You know those moments, as a parent, where you look at the situation and think - 'How are my kids still alive?' Yeah. I had one of those yesterday.
Since we have gone down to only one vehicle, it has been sort of a juggling act. Andy will take the car to go workout in the morning, come home and get ready and then we will take him to work (some days he just takes it to work and we stay home). Anyway, yesterday I had a few errands to run so we took Andy to work and headed to the commissary. After getting what I needed I helped Noah into the car, strapped Clare in and started driving home. We only live about 4-5 miles from the commissary, so the ride was short. As we turned the corner to our house I turned around to tell Noah to sit down - "I can't believe he got out of his seat belt!" I thought...but it only took me a second to realize that I had never even strapped him in! Seriously?? I knew it would happen eventually - I am just glad it was on a short trip! I think my brain is going on on me.
