Sunday, December 28, 2008

Santa

If you take a close look at this picture, you will see that Noah is sending a clear message to the Elf taking this picture- "one step further, and I will Punch Your Lights Out!"  Perhaps next year he will be more open to the idea of sitting on Santa's lap...

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Parties and Pneumonia


Well, it turns out our son is a Party Animal... Here he is at the Taylor Elevator Christmas Party proclaiming the virtues of Southern Comfort to all who would listen.  He had a blast at the party- the Taylor ladies filled him up with yummy ribs, baked beans, biscuits and pie.  He was carried and doted on the entire time- even allowing Scott and me to enjoy a game of "corn hole..."  Really folks, it's not what it sounds like.  The name of the game struck me as odd as well, but when Scott showed me a bean bag full of corn meant 
to be thrown into a small hole from a distance all the pieces started to fall in to place.  Honestly, I don't know what I was worried about- the employees at Taylor Elevator are some of the most refined, clean-cut people you would ever meet...


Seriously, aren't two adorable heads better than one...

Noah also attended one if his first Birthday parties recently.  His friend Jade turned three.  During her party, he built a bear at the "Build-A-Bear Workshop."  It is a Koala named "Pierre" and is dressed in FSU wear.
Following this exciting event, the party continued at McDonalds- where the fun never stops.  I am a neurotic mother in some aspects and am completely
paranoid about fast food-chain playgrounds- especially those with ball pits.  On our way to the party I wondered aloud to Scott if the other parents would think me a snob for not allowing our son to play in the ball pit (you know, because of the Heroin needles, rattlesnakes, and dirty diapers found in them).  Much to my relief, there was no ball pit.  Noah insisted he be allowed to join in the fun.  At first we only allowed him to play on the little slide- pictured to the top left.  Of course, all of the other children were playing in the massive, elevated, colorful, plastic wonderland next to the dinky little slide and Noah quickly became far more interested in the spiral staircase they were all headed up.  I looked, hoping for some excuse, and read the ominous sign "Parents welcome to play."  Needless to say, up we went... Oh, what a wonderful maze of plastic and children it was.  I was petrified the entire time of trampling Noah and kept picturing my large rear end stuck in the middle of the slide, children screaming at me to move, holding on to Noah for dear life.  Actually- it was a lot of fun.  Scott said Noah's squeals could be heard throughout the "restaurant."

The fun had to end sometime.  Unfortunately, it ended with Noah catching (and giving me) Pneumonia.  Not to worry- he is feeling much better this week than last (as am I).  Santa will be visiting a very healthy baby next week.  Perhaps, rather than rattlesnakes and Heroin needles, I should have been more preoccupied with Hand Sanitizer- lesson learned.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Gobble, Gobble



Noah's first Thanksgiving began with lunch at Nana Joan's house with the Andrews family.  Noah enjoyed mashed potatoes, carrots, turkey, and cranberry sauce... Ok, mostly he enjoyed the cheerios in his snack trap and chewing on Nana's pretty white tablecloth, but he did try the traditional Thanksgiving feast.  Unfortunately, I have no good pictures of him there as we used the "good" camera- the one that is incompatible with the Blog and all other things downloadable.

When we arrived at the Howard household for Thanksgiving Dinner, Noah was greeted by his cousin Paige with a "Full Nelson" hug and a big open-mouthed kiss on the lips.  Absolutely adorable, to say the least!


On Saturday, we spent another day with the Howard family celebrating Lisa's birthday (Happy Birthday Lisa!!)  Coincidentally, Lisa's birthday fell on the same day as the Florida vs. Florida State game.  We all know how that ended up- no hard feelings- just cute pictures...










On Sunday, we spent the day at Gams's house hanging Christmas lights.  Noah watched lilly and played with Mom's wheels while we were busy with the lights.  He met dirt and is now in love... like father, like son.


This Thanksgiving was undoubtedly one of the best examples of all that we have to be grateful for.  It was filled with family, friends, and Noah, our most favorite blessing.



One more, picture- just for good measure... Here is Noah playing in his "yes" cabinet (every other cabinet is met with a resounding "NO!"... to which he promptly smiles and giggles at our reprimands)... I have to go put the Tupperware away now...

Sunday, November 23, 2008

10 months of perfection

This week began with a photo op... Gams will be forwarding plenty of pictures- I think she ordered 600 from Shutterfly...
We will be forwarding this one to Santa.  There is no way Rudolph will pass this house by Christmas eve- Scott is such a Renaissance man- photographer, musician, vertical transportation industry technician (Thank you, Taylor Elevator, for that title!)
Noah finished up his week with a few e-mails to Mom's co-workers.  
This kid can really pump out some work when he puts his mind to it.  From the time he sat in Gams's chair and found the keyboard he so desperately has been wishing to get his sticky little fingers on (apparently for about 10 months now!)  to the 1.5  minutes later when we removed him from the desk- her search engine was up and security was on their way.  It's all in a day's work for our little man.
Noah had his first trip to Bass Pro Shops this weekend.  By no means do I wish to see him toting a rifle on his way out to hunt live creatures- but doesn't he look adorable in camo?!
Last night one of Noah's "lady friends" came over for a visit.  While we are opposed to him dating a such a young age, Scott has made sure to point out that we women are naturally drawn to the Howard men- even at a very young age.  I was told not to hinder Noah's wooing... Not to worry- Annabelle was far more interested in rolling on the carpet and generally being a cutie in every possible way to notice my son's "natural ladies'-man" qualities...

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Noah Balboa...


I think Harper's blog title "Belated Boo" may have been more appropriate here...

At any rate, now announcing... Center Stage... weighing in at 19 lbs 8 oz... standing 27 inches tall...

NOAH BALBOA!








Noah wowed everyone with his perfect impression of an infant "Rocky"

His outfit was made lovingly and expertly by his Gams.  This is one of the many uses for a bridesmaid dress, previously left hanging in the closet for years...  I have heard rumor several others may be used for super hero capes... Though that is for one resourceful grandmother to know and for several future heros to find out


 








Noah's first Halloween was quite a success.  We spent it with friends and family- a tradition I hope will last for many years to come.  As you can see below, he was visited not by his nemesis Apollo Creed, but by one precious pumpkin (Annabelle) and an absolutely adorable bug (Harper).


Happy Belated Halloween!!!

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Disney!









Without a doubt- we were the best looking family in the park...

As you can see here, Noah was far more interested in his cousins who were sitting in front of him rather than the zebras and giraffes which were mere feet away from us on the safari we drove through.


The best part of the trip though, was the family!  Pictured here, are 4 generations of Howards.  Pappy and Grandma thought Noah was very cute after meeting him for the very first time.




We all had a blast.  We want Lisa to know it was a great idea and we cannot wait to do it again.  We also want to extend our heartfelt thanks to Mema and Gramps for everything- we all love you so much!

Monday, October 20, 2008

Shopping, Swimming, Dining, and Driving

Noah enjoys shopping just as much as his parents.  Susie Orman, I'm certain, would look on in disgust as Noah is pictured here trying out a $700 sink at the Expo.  His father, however, viewed it as the perfect photo op- I think he is going to be the next Anne Geddes.  Seriously, though, don't you think Expo could benefit from this kind of advertising?  Who wouldn't want to buy this sink after seeing this picture?  I may just contact Kohler and see if they could use another ad angle...


Last Friday we joined Ben, Amanda, and Harper (the Bug) for dinner at California Pizza Kitchen.  As you can plainly see, Noah and Harper already understand each other- words are not necessary.


  As promised, here are some pictures of Noah 
at the Water Park.  Even though he needed a nap, he had a blast and we are looking forward to taking him back with his Dad.

I will post more pictures next time when he is more well rested and I am more thin in a bathing suit...



After the water park, Noah drove Scott and me to Joann Fabrics to meet Gams, who you can see through the window.  She told us how proud she is of us for letting Noah try new things and not being afraid to let him grow up.  She did mention, however, that she felt he might not quite be ready to take the wheel- he has some aggressive tendencies and might take them out on the other drivers... just ask Phoebe, our cat.

(By the way, we were waiting in the parking lot while this picture was taken)



In other news, Noah has decided he will no longer be consuming Baby food.  He has made it very clear to us that he has a discerning palate and he feels baby food is "the pits."  He refuses to eat anything spoon-fed from a jar.  He literally smacks it out of our hands in disgust.  At first we thought he was still getting over his cold and had no appetite.  Then, after flinging baby food all over the Dinning Room this evening, he opened his mouth big and wide for spaghetti off of Scott's fork.  After consuming half of a cup, he looked up at us, completely satisfied.  He made his point- teeth or no teeth, we will share our meals.  I guess I will have to make something other than pizza for dinner from now on- and Scott will have to lead by example- bring on the veggies!!!

Here is a short glimpse of Noah's Halloween costume, made by his Gams.  This is just a prototype- the actual costume remains to be unveiled.  He will be making his debut in at Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party in Disney World this weekend- I won't lie- it is adorable!  I promise plenty of pictures and video of Noah in Mouse land where there will be no fear of me donning a bathing suit.

Until then, Happy Belated Birthdays to Nana Joan and Uncle Jerod!!

Saturday, October 11, 2008

Stuffy Noses

It was bound to happen- Noah got his first cold this week.  It started Sunday with a stuffy nose and escalated from there.  By Monday evening all three of us were a sneezing, coughing, nose-blowing, yet still good-looking family.  Noah has ben a trooper, even without the comforts of DayQuil and NyQuil Scott and I have enjoyed.  Yesterday, Gramps and Mema suggested we take the day off together.  So we went for a walk and cuddled just like we did when he was smaller.

In other news, I said "bye-bye" to Ole' Bessie, as our neighbor Amanda has termed it.  The breast-pump has been put away for good.  As many of you know, Noah preferred his bottle from the very beginning.  So, I pumped 6-8 times per day for the first 3 months, then down to 4 times, 3 times, 2 times, and finally 1 time per day up until he turned 8 months old.  He enjoys his Organic Similac now.

Today Noah and I will be going with Gams to the North Collier Regional Water Park for the first time.  Scott is taking an Elevator class.  We are very excited... I am anyway... Noah is unaware, perfectly content to chew on a credit card while I prepare for our outing.  We will post pictures and video soon!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

1st time at the Park





This weekend Noah joined his cousin Paige for his first time at the park.  We all had a great time together. 

Paige and I slid down the slide together while Noah sat and ate some mulch with his dad.   Scott opted for a Cuban sub over the fiber-filled bark which was Noah's delight.

After sliding, we gave the swings a shot.






Noah apparently loves to swing.  He gave us huge smiles each time he went back and forth.  Paige laughed and squealed just as much as Noah and we had the two cutest kids in the park that day.

We cannot wait to go again!

Afterwards we came home and Noah had a bath and a bottle.  As you can see, he was not in the mood to have his teeth brushed.  When I put him on his changing table he just rolled over and went to sleep.  We will definitely be going to the park again soon!

Noah would like to give a Happy Belated Birthday shout-out to his Grampa Red!!!

We have to go now- his newest crush, Sarah Palin will be on T.V. shortly.  Noah is simply impossible to deal with when he doesn't get his daily dose of our future vice president...



Friday, September 19, 2008

Happy Birthdays!!












Noah wanted to give a shout-out to all the birthday Babes he knows are celebrating this week:

Happy Birthday (9/14) to his "Aunt" Amanda- he loves you very much!








Happy 6 month Birthday (9/16) to his best bud, Harper!  We are looking forward to our next playdate!  (We will work on his sharing skills...)







Happy 2nd Birthday (9/16) to his cousin Blake!  His favorite days at Gramps's house are the ones with you!




 


Happy Birthday to Gams too (9/18)- he is so lucky to have you!!












Noah also wanted to say 'Thank you' to his cousin Paige for the great dinner we had with her and her parents Friday night.  He loves your dog and your toys- thank you for sharing both!  You are a gracious host just like your parents~!





He will be dreaming of you all tonight... right after he has his bottle, of course.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

If Noah was born back then...





I noticed this sight on Kelley's blog and could not resist... Please forgive the double chins- his face was a little small to fit...
Here is what Noah would look like in 1964

Here is what he would look like in 1968


And, here is what he would look like in 1980- how do you like those sideburns?  
Oddly enough, this photo reminds me of my dad... "Grampa Red"