Mustard anyone?

Just 3 more days and we're off to see family for Christmas. Can't wait! Feels like we're just killing time now. We've finally finished with all the holiday parties (nine in all) and we ate dinner at home tonight for only the third time in like 2 weeks. No, we did NOT finish with all the holiday shopping. But hey, we still have 2 or 3 days.

Noah has so many teeth coming in, I can't tell if he has 4 on the the top or 5. He seems to possibly be cutting another one--biting his fingers, fussy, etc. Of course he may be fussy due to the fact that we are trying to get him to sleep through the night AGAIN, and so he loses sleep while he is screaming at the top of his lungs 3 or 4 times a night. So do we, so the fussyness is not only on his part.

Thought I'd post a few pix from the week of anticipation.
Noah loves getting everything out of the fridge door.

Noah figured out how to knock all the toys off the wooden beam and climb over it, then attempted to back himself into the 6 inch crack on the other side. That's when he got stuck and started yelling for help.
He also started helping me with housework this week, by unloading the dishwasher. Tell me, why did I put glass plateware on my Christmas list again?
And finally, Noah and his kitty. He loves hugging Moseley.

12 Randomness/Days of Christmas

Okay, so I got tagged by Sherrie to do my own 12 random Christmas facts, so here goes...
# 12. The traditional Christmas meat of choice in Sweden is Ham. Just kidding....while that's true, that's not about me. And I think that's the point of this meme.

12. This year we will celebrate our 6th Christmas season of wedded bliss and our 6th while living in Florida---but I have yet to host a Christmas at my house here. We always have and still do travel to see family up north and out west. This year we're headed to Nebraska to spend Christmas with my parents and brother and sister.

11. I do NOT like Eggnog. The very thought of it churns my stomach.

10. I (too) love listening to Christmas music and enjoy the 24/7 radio station, to the (echoed) dismay of my husband, who could probably do without holiday music all together. My favorite songs to listen to this year are probaby...as always, Carol of the Bells, What Child is This?, and O Come, Emmanuel (accapella).

9. Matt buys me an ornament for our tree every year. This year I am determined to buy him one. I also have planned to add 2 ornaments for Noah each year. One that we'll always keep in honor of his past year, and one that will become HIS for his own family tree when he one day leaves the nest.

8. I miss not having a class at school to teach the "motions" to the 12 Days of Christmas to...especially a partrage in a pear tree --(one person jumps on a partner's back and flaps their wings) and six geese a layin (pretend like you're laying the world's largest egg). Immature, I know, but the kids always love it.

7. The Hays family does "Stockings" first on Christmas morning--soon as you wake up, you get to open your stockings, but you have to wait for the family to roll out of bed for your presents. The Hawkins family however, saves stockings till last, so that after all the present opening is over, "Wait!, there's still stockings!"

6. I prefer the white, classic lights to colored lights. I love the icicle lights and greenery (wreaths) with red bows outside on the house look. We don't decorate like this, but if we ever own our own house, I plan to.

5. We grew up with the tradition of caroling to shut ins from our church...always 3 or 4 part harmony, and my mom would play the accordian! I learned to sing loud so the old folks could hear you, and you have to sing loud to balance out my dad! Our parents used to have to drag us around, but now I miss it.

4. I reeeeeally don't like the hustle and bustle of Chrismast shopping. It totally stresses me out and takes all the joy out of it. I prefer shopping online now or shopping at those wierd hours when nobody else is at the mall.

3. I always knew where my mom hid the presents when growing up, and I can't honestly say that I didn't peak sometimes!

2. I hope to one day go to New York City during Dec. and see the Rockefeller Tree, iceskating, etc. I also think it would be fun to go to Disney on Christmas Day, just once, for the memory of it. Maybe the 24th or the 26th would be better...

And of course, #1...I did not grow up believing in Santa Clause. Gasp. Yes, I know, shocking. I don't really even remember having a discussion about it or feeling like I was different for not getting presents from Santa and sending off my list to the North Pole. But apparently, I am like in the 2% of people who were "deprived" of this. The big discussion now is what are we going to teach/allow our own kids to believe? We're still not sure.

Hope you enjoyed the randomness, thanks for the idea, Sherry!

Aaaaawww, Mom!

Things got a little out of hand at dinner one night last week. Actually, Noah was tired, and he kept wiping his hand all over his face. Thank goodness I had the foresight to skip the bib and take the shirt off ahead of spaghettio time.

Piano Man

Forget the recalls from China.
Every few days Noah discovers something new at our house to play with, and I usually enjoy watching him play with his new "toy" for a few minutes before I find it so cute I have to run and grab the camera. Here are the new toys of the week.

First, this is actually from Ms. Bev's house. Ms. Bev is our Florida Grandma--she watches Noah for me more than anyone else, and buys him more toys than we do. This piano was her kids when they were young. She couldn't wait to break it out for Noah. Of course, he loves it. He stands up at it (the best part) and bangs on the keys. Looks like a MWS in the making here.

Next, I was wondering when he would find his way behind the door in the bathroom. Doesn't he just look thrilled with himself, too.

A real toy, but new to Noah. He's not so sure about this car yet, but he did sit on it for about 5 min, not sure how to get off.
And finally, Noah loves to stand at the window(s) and play with the blinds. He grabs at the cord to the blinds and lets it bang loudly against the window, and then smiles and laughs. Don't worry, it's not long enough for him to get his head into. Just long enough to barely reach at.

Elemeno....Alphabet Soup

Alas, I have been behind in the ABC Soup blogging for several weeks. I enjoy making entries even if nobody reads them but Carrie and Shortie/Sherrie. I tried to catch up with I, J and K, but didn't want to overwhelm the blog with more of my silly "likes"...

I'm going to throw a bunch together and only do what comes to mind in one sitting for each letter. As I started to type my title, I realized that these are the letters of the ABC song that get jumbled together anyway---as a teacher I know that many young children think "elemeno" is a long name for one letter !

L....oh wait, I DID do L last time! Because LISTS was my first thing! So I guess I'm already on to the next...

Mmmmmmm
Matthew of course makes my number one spot. He is the best thing that's ever happened to me (uh...tied with Noah, now...!). God knew what he was doing when he created both of us and brought the two of together. I already mentioned him under the Hs (hubby) but he's worth repeating. I could go on and on about how wonderful I think he is. I hope one day my brother and sister will find someone as perfect for them as he is for me.

Mom is an easy second. I admire my mom for her strength, wisdom, and patience among so many other things. She has always been such a Godly example of how a woman should be and how to raise a family. She has taught me about faith, trust and total reliance on God.

M & Ms I love my chocolate. When Matt and I got married it seemed only fitting to use M&Ms (red and white) as a favor to give at the reception. Every holiday I fill a candy dish with the seasonal-colored m&ms. Now there is a store at the Florida Mall dedicated to M&Ms...I love looking at all the colored cylinders on the walls!

Music I love music, nearly all kinds. I owe much of this to my parents and to my brother. My parents instilled an appreciation for music growing up--we were always singing in church, carolling with the accordian at Christmas, or playing our instruments for Grandma. I learned to play the piano and the flute as a youngin. I learned about some of the best musical groups of all times from my brother: The Beatles, DC Talk, Wierd Al, Bobby McFarren to name a few...I remember borrowing his tapes before there were c.d.s and making my own mix tapes. Haa, I may still have them. He taught me all about early Christian groups, like MWSmith, SCChapman, and Petra, as well as ALL the 50s and 60s music. Next I need to give thanx to my middle school carpool mom for introducing me to Celine, Michael Bolton, Rod Stewart, and Lionel Richie. No one else would take credit for them! Then, I learned to like 80s (alternative) music from the teen girls at church, country music from a few boyfriends along the way, and of course the 70s, 80s, and 90s music from the local radio mix station. I've since picked up some decent music that I'm actually proud of listening to, like jazz, piano, and worship music. There's really only a few things I steer completly clear of: Southern Gospel, Gangster Rap, and Heavy Metal. But other than that, I'll take any of ya'll on in a game of Name that Radio Song.

Now to the Ns...

Noah is the JOY of my life! If I could only name one thing, he would be it. It has been so much fun to stay at home with him these last 9 months and watch him grow and develop and go through all sorts of stages already. I am sooo grateful for this time that we have, because I know that not every one is soo lucky. He is soooo fun right now, so adventurous and happy. I spend most of my days just watching him and laughing at what he does. We couldn't be happier with his name. It suits him so well, I can't imagine having named him anything else.

Naps--I still take plenty. When you have a baby, everyone tells you to learn to "sleep when the baby sleeps." Well, 9 mo. later, I'm still doing that. Since he doesn't sleep completely through the night, I'm often still tired when he gets up in the morning. And so when his morning nap rolls around, I thankfully roll over and crash for a few more zzzzzzzs too.

(The) Notebook and Nottinghill--two good "girl" movies that I can watch over and over.

Oo oo oo oo...
Speaking of movies:
(The) Other Sister--Haven't seen it??? Oh, you have to. It's hilarious. How many times do I have to tell you? Don't put gum under the cafeteria table! But Daniel, you didn't fail... by much.

Organizing--I think I've mentioned this in a blog before. I actually like to put things in order. I organize my groceries when they're on the conveyer belt at Walmart. I'd choose organizing over cleaning any day of the week. Not everything in my life is totally organizing, but I feel at peace when it is.

Olive Garden--one of Matt and my all time favorite restaurants. We currently have a gift card that's been burning a whole in the wallet for like 5 months, because the closest OG is an hour away and with the baby, we haven't made it up yet. But I'm planning what I'll order now...Yum...

Old Navy--one of my favorite stores. Also an hour away, but we go out of our way anytime we can. Their online line of career clothes nearly give me a reason to go back to work.

The Olympics --I love watching the US compete. But I also just love the excellence of the event and the competitiveness in general. Only problem is: I CRY at the end of nearly EVERY medal ceremony. I can't help it, it gets me EVERY TIME. When NBC covers the individual athletes' stories, it's all over. I'm a mess.

Oreos--Nuff said.

Oprah--My list would not be complete without mentioning her, although I'm not completly proud of liking her. I don't agree with her views or tolerance in every area, but I DO enjoy her personality and respect her for becoming who she is. I love how she interviews celebrities, challenges people to own their mistakes and of course, live their best life. I also love it when she laughs!

So, I think that's enough me-time on the blog for quite a while!

Three-Quarters of a Year...

Here's Noah's 9 month chair picture! Doesn't he look like such a big boy? I only snapped a couple before he started climbing out of the chair, so these'll have to do. No toothy smiles, but kinda funny still...

And a few more from this past week...
First, the teeth....look closely or click on the pix to enlarge...3 on the top, 3 on the bottom. They are through!

Next, Noah discovered how much fun it was to chew on a wet wipe during bath time. He would NOT let me take it away.

Then, today, he snuck into the laundry room (aka cat's hiding spot) and tried to offer him a paci and a piece of straw grass,I have no idea where the straw came from.

Finally, Noah as he pushes past the barracades and reaches for the scantily clad tree.

Happy December!

Just because he's soo cute...

Just a few more photos from SC