Oh-Bla-Di

*Finally getting around to catching up on our Kansas trip at the end of May.  I think I could write a whole blog on the study of how time flies!*

Just one month after our roadtrip to Texas, we climbed back into the Blue Blur and set off for the Land of Oz.  We chose to  follow I-70 this time since the mountains would be passable this time of year.  It was a very pretty drive and largely uneventful since both kiddos were relatively healthy this round.  We rolled in to my folks’ house by noon on Saturday and got to enjoy a whole afternoon of outside relaxation before we ever even ate a meal!

Ava settled right into outdoor roaming and busting out every toy Granddad had set up for her.  Wes’s daughter, Denim, was home for the weekend, so we got to meet her for the first time.  Noah and Denim are only about eight weeks apart in age, so they fell right to the baby-sized work of  stealing each other’s binkies and staring at one another.

Sunday morning we got all gussied up and took some family photos…

And then Monday, we hit the road to go visit the farm for Memorial Day.  We had a great picnic, in spite of the howling Kansas wind and the nearly-unbearable heat.  We had a lovely time seeing our cousins (Ava talked about nothing else for the week before we left) of both the original and new generations.

After all the excitement of driving halfway across the country and then the trip to the farm, we were pretty content to spend the rest of the week just putzing around with Grammie and Granddad at their house.  We played “Ariel” over and over again, fed the birds, climbed the climbing wall, rode the swing, and had a picnic lunch at the duck park.

Grammie & Granddad hanging out with “Ariel” on the porch swing.

Granddad & Ladybug Girl doing morning “chores.”

Noah just chilling in a chair perfectly sized for him.

Relaxing on the patio.

Going for a bike ride.  Huge advantage to taking the van…lots of cargo room!

We didn’t travel far from the folks’ home this time, so didn’t gather much in the way of souvenirs.  But, Matt managed to find something to bring home when we stopped the gas station in Lincoln to use the restroom on the way to the farm.

And here’s Ava modeling the front of that glorious hat for us.

That one’s a classic, I’d say.

Of course, a roadtrip this year wouldn’t have been complete without a trip to see a medical professional for Noah’s ears.  He spiked a fever Tuesday afternoon and we got to experience yet another parenting first…a trip to the ER!  McPherson doesn’t have an urgent care facility, so the ER was our only choice for instant care.  I’ve heard horror stories of ER visits from other mommies, so was delighted to find the ER nearly deserted at 5:30pm and the staff to be agreeable and helpful.

Just because we stuck close to home didn’t mean that we stopped having adventures, though.  In addition to the trip to the ER, we had some after hours fun as well.  Matt & I got to go on a double date with Aubrey and Lance one night and then another we had a patio campfire with Grammie & Granddad.  Ava got to make and eat her first s’more and then, after Ava’s bedtime, we adults got to have our own fun.  Who says booze and fire don’t mix?  Even Grammie thinks it’s fun to spit whiskey on a fire!

All in all, this trip was a “blazing” good time.  Thanks for the fun, Grammie & Granddad!  See you again soon!

When we first moved West, Matt & I were young (oh, so young) DINKS embarking on a great adventure. We marveled at the new topography of our surroundings and stopped a LOT to take pictures of all the neato rocks. Just like the cliffs we stood on, we were staring out at the metaphorical horizon of our lives knowing that there was no going back once we took the next step. My Air Force career was done and our career as parents was just beginning.

(Me, three months pregnant with Ava)

(Matt, pre-TPS and Vegas.  Notice the lack of under-eye bags!)

When we drove back from Kansas in early June, we stopped at the same spot.  The rocks haven’t changed much in the last four years, but wow, our family sure has!

It’s been a crazy ride from there to here and seems like it has gone so fast!  Grateful for every minute and this wonderful little family we’ve grown!

It’s happened again.  I’ve blinked and too much time has gone by since I’ve written about our littlest dude.  We were on the road for his nine month birthday and, somehow, I never got it blogged after we got home.  Perhaps that is because, while we were traveling, he decided to become a very mobile baby and we haven’t stopped moving in the last two months.  So, in an effort to avoid the impossible to comprehend thought that our baby will be a year old in eight short weeks, let’s take a minute to dwell on the awesomeness that is right now, shall we?

Between eight and ten months, Noah has learned how to crawl, begun to show a real affinity for music, pulled to standing, learned to climb stairs, cut 6 (!!) teeth, and had five ear infections.  He’s a cruiser now and can get just about anywhere he wants to be.

And, right now?  Where he wants to be is wherever Ava is.  This baby boy loves his big sister and just wants to play with and do everything she does.  In the mornings, when I’m changing his diaper and before Ava wakes up, he turns his head toward the hallway and shouts “Aya!” and then follows with some sort of baby gibberish.  He talks to her all the time and it’s just about the cutest thing ever.

Noah is definitely showing a real interest in music.  He pulls up to the boom box in the play room and pounds on it until someone turns on some music for him.  Then he stands in front of it and bounces to the beat – and sings along!  He also really likes to play with the drum full of noisemakers we have.  As Aunt Jan says, “Noise is power” and Noah is certainly harnessing his power!

Doozers is expanding his vocabulary, too.  He says “Aya” and “Hi” (including waving) and when we walk into school in the morning he starts shouting “Hi” at everyone we see.  He’s so happy at the end of the day when I pick him up.  He shouts “Hi” and crawls over to me and then immediately starts bouncing to go get Ava.  When he sees her in her classroom, he shouts “Aya!” and then continues to shout at her all the way through the center on the way to the car.  I think he’ll have a lot to say when he gets more words!

One of my favorite things about Noah is how affectionate he is.  He gives some of the best hugs I’ve ever experienced.  You know that sound you make when you give someone a squeeze?  He does that.  And then he gives kisses.  Not just one kiss, but an open-mouthed chicken peck series of kisses.  It’s slobbery but so full of love that you just soak it up.

Noah is so busy!  I know it’s been coming on slowly for months, but it seems that overnight Doozers has become so very, very busy.  He moves fast and we’re just trying to play catch up!

(This video is super long but, you know, grandparents.)

I forgot how quickly this phase goes for babies.  The time from eight to ten months has flown by and our little dude has changed so much.  I know that the time from now until his first birthday will fly also and I’m not sure I’m ready for that.  I love all the growing and learning Noah is doing but, as I chase him down the hall and shoo him away from outlets, my heart breaks just a little bit that we’re already here.  I hope that, in the middle of all the busy (his and ours), we remember to soak up as much of this sweet time as possible.

Happy ten months, little dude.  You won’t mind if I slow down the clock for the next eight weeks, will you?

Following a maniacal giggle from the backseat….

Ava: “I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart!”

This is SO why we have kids.  More posts soon…downloading tons of photos and videos.  Kansas trip & Noah at 9-months…soon!!

Over lunch the other day…

Sally: “Hey, Pappers…eat your sandwich.”

Ava: “I’m not Pappers.”

Sally: “Ava, what should we call you?”

Ava: “Whoozers McNuts.”