Idols.

Oh my goodness.

Yesterday, during worship at church, the Lord just reached down and calmed my soul. I mean, a peace that completely overwhelmed my whole heart. Oh how thankful I am for a God who is so good.

Then, the message yesterday just spoke directly to my heart. I thought I would share the link on here. I would love for you to take 41 minutes of your day to listen to it. The truth of scripture hit home yesterday for me.

Here's the link!

I feel like there's so much more I could say...but it literally took me all day yesterday just to process all my thoughts enough to share with Brad...which didn't happen until we went to bed - so I'm just going to say please watch it.

Have a good day!

29.

Brad turned 29 yesterday! We were pumped it was a Friday so we could have a date night. We have not gone on many dates since Noah was born...so we were SOOO excited!

Our awesome friends the Benaglio's watched little man so we could have some time together.

We went and grabbed Uchi (DELICIOUS) for sushi. So strange because I really don't like sushi all that much..but this is our third time and it was just as amazing this time if not even more. So good. Seriously.

Afterwards we went to grab some cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory to eat at home ...which I am eating for breakfast because I was way too full when we got home. Yum!

So in honor of the sweet man in our life..Noah and I had a little photo shoot! :) Printed a framed a couple for Brad because he has no pictures in his office of our little dude.

Happy birthday Brad! You are L-O-V-E-D!

11 Months Old!

One big sweet boy turned 11 months old this week!

I just can't handle the fact that it has already been almost a year.

I hate to say it...but it truly feels like we delivered him last week.

So much so that when I walk through the baby department I get really sad and teary when I realize he can't fit in the "baby" clothes anymore. Or when I think about the fact that in about a month he will no longer need me for nutrition. Or when he giggles at something like he understands and I realize that my precious little baby is getting big. Oh boy do I have tears often. Happy tears.

I kinda cheated this month and already updated a couple of posts ago about what he's learned...but for my own memory here we go again!

Learned to wave...he waves at anyone and everyone. If you look his way he will wave. My heart breaks for him when he's waving at someone who doesn't see him and doesn't wave back. Hahaha I always feel like it must just be so sad for him. (Mind you- he doesn't care...he moves on to the next person to wave at)

Dances when I ask him if he wants to dance. Wiggles his little body from side to side. ADORABLE.

Signs for more..but lately has been stubborn and won't do it.

Had croup, pneumonia, and this just in - his highest fever ever. Yuck. Rough Month.

First Christmas. So sweet! Which I can finally post pictures of now because I fixed them on the computer.

Spent time with all his family.

Started rocking out nap times! This has made our days so much better.

Loves to swing at the park.

Likes to be in on a joke..if someone is laughing Noah will start all out giggling right along with them and then look for approval. He especially does this after Brad is teasing me and starts laughing..Noah has to get in on it too. I am already feeling outnumbered.

Had his first full day of a babysitter that wasn't family/or close-as-family friend last Friday. Oh let me just tell you that was ROUGH on this mama...but she is WONDERFUL, and Noah did great.

Really loves to play with empty cups. Seriously. Best. Toy. Ever.

Plastic balls too. He has a couple of toys that have balls and he just carries those things around all day.

Really seems to understand more what I say during the day. As in dance, more, yes, no, uh-uh.

He has realized that if he pounds his hands on his high chair his cheerios will bounce right off of it onto the carpet. He thinks that's hilarious.

He actively plays peek-a-boo. So cute! The other morning he got up early nursed and when he was done he pulled up the blanket and started playing peek-a-boo. Oh this boy.

Still doesn't want to walk on his own. But cruises all over the place and uses his walker with such pride.

Has discovered he can open cabinets - so I have discovered our apartment is NOT child proof. We'll be addressing this over the next week.

Wrestles with his puppies.

Really he'll wrestle with anyone who will wrestle back.

Not interested in a sippy cup. I bought 2 more different kinds tonight (these are #3 and 4) to give a shot to. He will eventually need to be drinking from a sippy cup, and well currently he's just not doing it. We have one available all the time..but he just looks at it. So hopefully one of these will work.

Really loves big kid food. I'll be ready to get rid of baby food completely...but then again it is SUPER easy.

I'm sure there's more but I won't put you through it! :) This month this mama's goal is to get to work on some sensory things and just spending our time wisely together enjoying time outside and learning through the day.

Hard to believe next month it will be a whole stinking year. Wow.

We didn't take many pictures this month..except for Christmas as he was sicky most of the month. Here are some fun ones..there will be more from Christmas later.

First SNOW!!

With sweet Nora. He loves her. We know it.

Opening up his Christmas gifts from Mama and Dada.

Helping Mama cook dinner.

Playing with his new toy from Christmas.

Have a great week!

Brushing the teeth

Noah is on the mend over here...and we've been working on learning to brush his teeth.

He thought Mama trying to teach him how to spit out the toothpaste was pretty funny.



Please excuse my clearly not ready for the day appearance. That's how I roll.

Oops.

My pictures are broken (or corrupt as says my computer) so no Christmas pictures until I reload those.

Also. Our baby has been sick, so no 11 Month picture, so no 11 month update yet.

He's on the mend..so it's coming.

But guess what I did tonight.

Noah has been sick AGAIN. (I mean seriously.) Also, I use the term sick loosely - our sweet boy is not sick in a way that some babies are sick, and we are so blessed in that!

However...boy did have a fever this week. Let's clarify...from Saturday morning at 6am he ran >101 non-stop until this morning.

He peaked at 103.8. Can't lie...I don't get too nervous with fevers..but I began to panic a bit when he hit 103.5 after motrin at 3am. You'd be amazed the things you can google.

He's ok though.

Took him to the doctor- he literally tested negative for everything. RSV, Strep, Flu (A&B), even his white count was normal. So I am very thankful for that.

Turns out..just a virus. But our sweet pediatrician called three times in the last two days just to check on Noah. (This was validation for my crazy by the way. I figure if the doctor himself calls three times to check he must be worried too.)

Anyways..we've been fever free since he woke up this morning..but at about 1000 tonight I went to check on him and I was CERTAIN he had a fever.

I told Brad to check him and see what he thought..Brad checked and said "No way he has a fever. Not at all."

To which I very confidently and smugly replied..."You'll be sorry at 3am when his temp is 105."

Then we dropped it.

Then I (OF COURSE) had to bring it up again and said "What are you going to give me if I'm right?"

So Brad said "Do you really think he has a fever? Go wake him up and check it."

Me: "No way, you made me feel dumb I'm not waking him up now." (So rational)

Brad: "You always err on the side of caution...why wouldn't you get him?"

Me: "Fine. I bet it's at LEAST 101. Seriously." Note: I definitely thought it was at least 102...only verbalized 101...you know just in case I overshot.

So we checked it.

97.6.

Then I couldn't look Brad in the eye, because I was embarrassed. He very kindly and graciously did not say "I told you so."

Good move dear husband. Good move.

I'm a delight to be married to.

Have a great night!

He cracks us up.

I love the precious innocent giggles. Seriously. We crack up every day.

This was tonight while we were getting him ready for bed...silly boy.


Our friend gave Noah this puppy for Christmas. He wrestles it every day. He was also given Scout for Christmas (the vtech dog) and he does the same thing to Scout. I think he's trying to give some love!


He learned to dance! :) I LOVE this.


Who knew a bowling pin could be so entertaining!

Christmas was different this year.

Oh my goodness. I LOVE Christmas. If you don't believe me..just go back and look at the last 4 years on this blog here...trust me...you'll see I do not tell a lie.

I LOVE IT!

This year was especially amazing. There is something about Noah..and it being his first Christmas...it made it so very special for us. That precious boy just brings such a light and joy to our lives.

More importantly though...this year I felt like my heart was truly focused on Jesus.

I would like to be able to say that every year I am completely focused on Jesus..but after this year...I guess I can look back at other years and see how my heart wandered.

But this year it looked different. This year has been tough on our family and on many of our friends...in different ways...and as Christmas approached I struggled and wondered what it would look like for us. (Read any of the past month of blogs..there is a trend.) Thankfully the truth of Jesus touched my heart so deeply this year. I'm thankful for that. SO very thankful.

One of the messages we had at the Stone a few weeks ago Matt spoke about sin and death...and about Christ. Paraphrasing he touched on the fact that Christmas is so much more than just Jesus' birthday. It is the day God fulfilled His promise to save us from sin and death. On Christmas night God looked at the sin and death in this world and said - I've had enough of you. God gave us Jesus and on that night he served notice to sin and death that their days are NUMBERED. 33 years after his birth Jesus died on a cross for us and he FOREVER destroyed sin and death.

We haven't had death this year...but the brokenness of this world, and the truth that we will not stay young forever, and that there will be pain and hurt for us and for those we love - it has absolutely never been as evident to me before as it was this year.

So as we celebrated Christmas I was rejoicing. I rejoiced that God gave us Jesus. Almighty God who is perfect and holy and righteous...He gave us Jesus so that we can forever be with him in eternity. The magnitude of this keeps hitting me harder and harder. I think the Holy Spirit is just beating me over the head with it...and I'm so glad for that. I want to OVERFLOW with thankfulness and joy for the Savior we have in Jesus. I want to live and breathe Jesus.

I want there to be no doubt when someone speaks to me that I am completely and wholly His and only His.

I have a long way to go. But how thankful I am for Christmas. For the opportunity to worship Jesus and remember what he saved me from.

So this year was different. Don't get me wrong..we had an AMAZING Christmas home with our families. Celebrating Christmas with them...oh I LOVE it! (There will be pictures in the next post of this!) But for me, personally, Christmas was different. And I'm ok with that.

New Year...New Fun!

So to follow up the depressing post about Noah being sick.

Today I will share that the last two weeks have been amazing with our little man!

I usually save these updates for the monthly update..but I am just LOVING this!

Here's what he's learned!

If you ask him to dance...he shakes it. It's maybe the cutest thing I've ever seen. If I could JUST get it on video.

He also just dances whenever there are some jams going. We went shopping today and he was just grooving to the songs playing in the stores. It was cracking me up! I was trying clothes on and he was rocking out watching himself in the mirror.

He is standing by himself more and more. He usually doesn't fall either, just sits himself down like he's over it. I'm not so sure he'll be walking soon because he's completely content to crawl and army crawl. He LOVES his walker..but shows no interest in doing it on his own. I'm ok with that.

He's been SOOO giggly lately! About everything and everyone.

Today he cried when Brad left for work. Heartbreaking yet so precious to me. I love how he loves his daddy.

Last night he slept until 7am. I'm soooo hoping he does that again tonight. Yesterday I told Brad I felt like maybe I've been lying to myself or living in denial when I say little man is a good sleeper. Because it feels like we haven't had a solid night of sleep in about 2-3 months. But Brad gently reminded me that he was an AWESOME sleeper from 7weeks to about 7.5-8 months. Then at 8 months we started waking up in the middle of the night/early early am, and then not going back to sleep. Poor little guy though..in the last two months he has been traveled to Missouri and Indiana, had an ear infection, croup, and pneumonia (holy stinking cow), gotten two teeth, been switching up nap schedules, and learned all sorts of new skills. So it's only fair that sleep has been a bit of a struggle. If he sleeps through again tonight I'll be so thankful! 5am wake up calls every day are just a little tiring!

That's about it! We have 12 uninterrupted days together as I don't go back to work until next Friday! This Mama has big plans for organization each day, and for fun together as a family! :)

Hope you have a great week! Maybe we'll get a few more blogs posted in the next 12 days!