Noe News is Good News

So glad we're in the same school!

I always have such big plans for the holidays!! Unfortunately- a lot of those plans got washed down the drain this year because of my lack of ability to actually make and do things with my right hand. But sending cute valentines to school is a must! Since a lot of my free time was spent on Pinterest on my phone, I came across so many cute ideas. I decided to do these fish valentines and thought they turned out pretty cute!! Sad fact: Joselyn got sick on the day of the valentine exchange... we sent them to school anyway though!

Just in case you can't tell.... they are supposed to be fish bowls with swedish fish in them!! 

They read:
"Saw you and I was hooked"
"So glad we are in the same school"
and
"I o'fish'ally like you!" 

 

Christmas in pictures

I couldn't really decide if I wanted to do one big Christmas post or separate them into different posts... but in the end I decided to combine most if it into one post because I've already posted so much today!!!

So in no particular order here are some fun Christmas memories!!

Catching a few snowflakes with our tongues... this was really funny because it has been such a MILD winter this year with barely any snow! The snow didn't even stick this particular day but the kids were so excited that we got all dressed up and played in the falling white stuff. 

Joselyn's dance recital- Ariel's Christmas Island. She was adorable! (she's on the far right just in case you are wondering)

Our snowglobes... really a total fail but they were fun to make anyway! We'll probably try again next year!

The Nutcracker with Joselyn, Autumn, me and my mom. Joselyn's little friend Bella was a honey fairy and it was so fun to go watch! This was actually the "Nutcracker in one act" but it was still a little too long for Joselyn's taste! She did pretty good up until ALMOST the very end. Then she wanted to leave. But she had a little crush on the nutcracker prince. She told me he was handsome! Loved it. Before we went I let each of the girls unwrap a little nutcracker ornament to remember the day. I got these at Michaels for $1 but the girls LOVED them! Then they sat down and looked at the Nutcracker book together and we talked about the story so they would have a little bit of an idea what was going on. Afterwards the girls got to meet some of the dancers and that was definitely a highlight too!

 

Christmas Tree Picking

We started a new tradition last year when we discovered there was a charming little Christmas tree farm about 5 minutes from our house! We paid a visit and fell in love with the place and I couldn't wait to wake up on Black Friday and pick out our Christmas tree! I won't mention the small meltdown by Joselyn... we don't really want to remember that although I did take a picture just so I could show her later. Is that mean? Maybe I'll post it right smack in the middle of this post that way I start on a good note and end on a good note- since that's pretty much how it all worked out anyway!

One thing I remember from last year was that it was SO COLD. It was the first snowfall of the year I believe and the kids did NOT have fun. Instead of picking one out and cutting it down ourselves, we chose a pre-cut one so we didn't all have to be miseable. This year we were blessed with BEAUTIFUL weather, which made the whole experience so much more enjoyable! The kids ran up and down the rows of trees in search of the perfect tree.

Occasionally, we would find a cute little one- and Joselyn ALMOST talked me into getting one of those!











And the meltdown happened... can't even remember what triggered it, but most of the time a specific trigger is not needed.



We finally settled on a smaller tree we thought would fit perfectly in our little space and Adam cut it down. He said it was very satisfying- I think it is too! I love that we picked it out together as a family and that we get to enjoy it's freshness throughout this Christmas season.









One thing I love about this place is that they take a picture of everyone who comes to pick out a tree and displays their picture the following year in their barn. The kids and I had fun searching for our picture from last year on the large wall! And here's our picture from this year :)



After our picture, the crew shakes out the tree, drills a whole in the bottom and attaches it to the stand then helps you load it up! We tie ours to the top of the Jeep and since we just live down the street practically, this is no big deal and quite fun for the kids!



We waited until that evening to decorate the tree, and now we have it all decked out. It's amazing how a simple thing such as a Christmas tree can bring such the Christmas spirit into our home! WE kept it really child friendly, and I love the eclectic look of the soft ornaments we've collected (or made) over the years. Pictures of the tree coming soon!

Giving Thanks

I loved Thanksgiving this year... it made for a lovely transition into Christmas!! And for the first time EVER I contributed to the feast! This is big... considering I've been known as the non-domestic one in my family. I fixed pumpkin pies, google berry pies, a pear/apple/pomegranate salad topped with sugar crusted pecans (complete with home made honey-lime-cilantro dressing) and "dump" salad, which is basically a fruit salad. Nothing too fancy, but gosh was it fun! And everything turned out amazingly great! I could SO get used to having more fun in the kitchen!

We enjoyed Thanksgiving feast at the Noe's this year and as always it was lots of fun. My kids must have been super excited because Landen woke up at 4am that morning and climbed into bed with us... and tried to get us to play with him and get him a snack.... that woke Joselyn up who was already in bed with us sleeping, so then they both wanted to get up and play. Around 5:30 I finally succumbed and turned on the TV and laid next to them as they watched. None of us were happy campers for most of the morning... but around 11:30am Joselyn laid down on the couch and fell asleep. This is unusual for her, but considering the circumstances I knew she wasn't sick.



She looked to peaceful and sweet! It wasn't surprising either that Landen ALSO fell asleep in an unexpected place- on his aunt Nora, who ticked his arms softly for quite some time! He was enjoying his time sitting between her and her boyfriend Doug, who his one of his new heros. (his hair is getting awful long again- he SO needs a hair cut!!)



We visited my parents later that day for a little moment, and saw them put the finishing touches on their newly remodeled KITCHEN!! I've had a lot of fun helping my mom with some renovations around the house and I must say- I am quite in love with everything. I'll post some pictures up soon when everything is complete. There is still a rug and a sofa coming as well as a fix to their new cabinetry. But let me tell you the transformation has been amazing! I have loved playing part as interior design consultant for sure, although I definitely can't take credit for all of it- I more so helped my mom make decisions she was wishy washy on, ha ha!

Since it really was no one's turn to spend time on Thanksgiving at my parents this year, we decided to have a Black Friday feast at her house instead. I really liked that tradition on the off-years! Two Thanksgiving meals :) It was also fun to see Seth, Holly and Rockwell now that they are off in Cincinnati and we hardly ever see them! Gosh Rockwell is so cute and LOVES Joselyn. He pretty much threw himself at her and hugged her for a good long minute.

I loved spending time with my families this year. I have the best without a doubt and there is always fun!

Preschool Thanksgiving Program

It won't be long until our thoughts of Thanksgiving have turned into thoughts of Christmas... in fact, it may have already taken place. But it wouldn't be right to not express my gratitude for all that I have- because I have SO MUCH. I can't help but be grateful that my Father in Heaven really thinks I deserve so many blessings. Too many to name really, and I'm not even going to try. But this season I am especially grateful for my sweet little family. First and foremost, I'm thankful for my incredible extremely hot and harder worker of a husband. He puts up with so much yet shows me unconditional love. He's always seeking to improve- not only for himself but for me. And although at times in my frustration I might just tell him I think he's being selfish over something, I know in my heart that he is one of the most self-LESS people I know. And he has given me some beautiful amazing children. Yes they drive me up the wall most of the time and I wish I could be a more patient mother... but they are so forgiving of my faults and show me so much love! Then there is the little one in my belly who loves to kick me and remind me of how sweet it will be to hold a new baby in my arms :) I seriously can't wait!

We kicked off our thanksgiving month of November with a Gratitude wreath- much like our tree last year, but this time we wrote all of our thank yous on leaves and tucked them into a heart shaped vine wreath. It is good practice to write down all that you are thankful for- it makes your trials seem less difficult.

Joselyn's preschool Thanksgiving program was precious :) She walked out holding her little teepee and was so proud of herself... she walked right up on to the stage all by herself (she was supposed to sit down first) and smiled really big for the audience... she got a good chuckle out of everyone :)



She finally was ushered off the stage and sat down by her class- right in front of us :) I was really stricken with how much she had matured over the course of the year. Last year was kind of a disaster when she started crying really hard on the stage. It was her bedtime and she wasn't really into it, so I really don't blame her. This year was the complete opposite though and she was so happy.



I did her hair in Tiger Lily braids. She was excited about that :)

Father's Day - so grateful for the Grandpas

My children are lucky to have 2 amazing sets of grandparents. Each grandparent is unique in what they offer to my children. This past father's day my children spent some amazing times with their grandpas and I was able to reflect on just what it was that made each of them so amazing and special.

If you were to meet Adam's dad Bob you would probably think that he is soft spoken, gentle and kind. You would be right. But under that gentleness is an amazing strength and abundance of courage. He has the healthiest eating habits of anyone I know and is always out going for a walk almost every day. He loves the Lord and serves him well. I've never seen him miss church. He's intelligent and good at what he does. I love watching the way he interacts with Joselyn and Landen because he is just so sweet to them. His face lights up when we go to visit, and he talks to them with the sweetest kindest voice. I don't think Joselyn and Landen quite appreciate right now the kind of a grandfather he is and how much he really really loves them. I wish they did... and know some day they will. I will make sure of it.

One thing a lot of people don't know is that Bob plays the banjo! I remember him bringing it out sometime either when Adam and I were dating or right after we were married... but that was the one and only time I'd heard him play. Recently, Joselyn and Landen have been kind of obsessed with this song that has a banjo playing in it... so on fathers day I mentioned to them that Grandpa played the banjo and all of the sudden he was on a whole new level of cool. So the banjo was brought out and we got to listen to him play. What a treat!! It got even better when he let each of the kids take turns sitting on his lap to play the Banjo. These pictures to me are PRICELESS. SO priceless. It tells of the love a grandpa has for his grandchildren... and it speaks of his gentless and kindness towards them. More than anything it shows the simple priceless moment shared between grandfather and grandchildren. I LOVE these pictures.









My dad is a different kind of fun. He's the kind that will let you climb all over him and will say fun things to make you laugh. He's always been that way- even to us when we were children. I know I've mentioned "climb on daddy time" before. But maybe I haven't mentioned the time he let me and my sisters do his hair with billions of bows and barrettes or the time he let us paint his nails. He is fun- and it's the kind of fun my children crave. One day they will also see that although he is strong and big and fun, he is also a gentle soul with the biggest heart you can imagine. I love my dad and I am so so blessed that he is not only my father, but an amazing grandfather to my children. My children were so blessed with special time with their grandpas on fathers day... and I'm so glad I caught the laughter in my children's faces that day as my dad let them pretty much torture him. The laughter and giggling was music to my ears.

My children are the luckiest

The other day I was out with my mom shopping when I heard my phone ding- I knew it was a message from Adam so I took a look at it... and instead of a text I found a video.

What's so sweet about this video is that Adam takes the time to record things like this for me so I don't miss out on my kids' laughter when I am away- even for just a few hours. He always sends videos like this to me. Sometimes I will even get a little video of them while I am shooting a wedding, which is super sweet since that is when I miss them the most.  (Since videos can't be posted in blog books, I will summarize quickly that this is a video of the kids playing on the slide/hammock that Adam built for the kids from the couch cushions and ottoman) It's also sweet because it shows just how much fun Adam is with the kids.  He is always coming up with something fun and creative to do with the kids and it's always a hit. I know my children's minds will be filled with sweet memories of playing with their dad and that's always what I have wanted- since I have my own memories of playing climb on daddy time with my own dad and putting bows in his hair. ;)

We also love daddy very much for the hard worker he is. You will never find someone so dedicated to his family- OR work. He has been taught to have a very good work ethic and although sometimes in the past I have complained about this, I am now starting to appreciate his honesty and integrity when it comes to his job and his hard work. It has paid off with many unexpected bonuses and raises over the years, and it's obvious he is a value to his company. I am so proud to call him my husband and the father of my children. And he works hard because he wants to make sure his family is provided for and taken care of. It's his way of showing his love for us. And yet when we need him... when I need him... he is always there. Willing to work from home so I can have help with the kids, coming home early when I am especially emotional or just taking time away to listen to me vent. I love him so much for that.

I wanted to do something extra special for him this year. I saved up a little bit of money so I could for once buy him something nice since he is always getting me nice things. So I did a little bit of research and found him a grill... not the biggest and the best but something that would definitely last us 5-7 years. You see Adam loves to be creative with his culinary skills- and he definitely has a talent. He was mentioned here and there that he would love a grill but never would have expected me to get one for him.

So this is kind of funny. I also got him a grilling tool set, a grill brush to clean the grill, a lighter, and an apron that the kids and I ruined made for him. Those were the gifts we had him open first. We did this all on Friday when he got home from work because we knew we would be in a rush on Sunday morning since church starts at 9am. I hate to say it but I'm not always the best gift giver and so when Adam opened these gifts he was a little confused and thought it was a prank. But the kids and I were so excited!









Finally we told him we had one last gift for him and we took him outside. "It all makes sense now!!" he said revealing he really did think these were all gag gifts. He LOVED the grill. It made me so happy to see him enjoy this gift this much!



He seriously deserved it. We love you so much Adam/Daddy!!

Easter

I had really big cute plans for Easter weekend... but with the events happening those all got put on hold. The good that came out of all of this was that we were able to focus more on what Easter was all about. Joselyn was able to see the Easter pageant and I have lots of cute stuff for next year! However, I had already got a few things for an Easter basket so I felt I should give it to them. So we went to go pick out some baskets (couldn't find one for Landen that I liked so I used one we had at home) and set them out for the Easter bunny to fill and hide after I had returned from Arizona. In a haste to fill eggs, I did something I told myself I wouldn't do- I filled the eggs with candy. Only a jelly bean or two in each egg or a cadbury mini egg or two, but nonetheless I will never do this again. Candy makes my kids awful cranky!!! Especially lots of it. Seriously- never again. But watching them look for and open their baskets was priceless.





We hid Joselyn's in the kids' bathtub and Landen's in the laundry room. Since they were on different floors searching, there was no confusion as to who's basket was who's. Joselyn was so cute looking for her basket.



When they finally found their baskets, I ordered them to sit on the couch so I could take pictures of them showing off their stuff- so glad they cooperated!





My kids love their hooded towels for bathtime... and they only had 4 between the two of them so I decided to add to the collection. Joselyn got a duck and Landen a monkey... since he loves this little song about monkeys that Adam made up for him. They also both got a book and some carrot bubbles. But of course the first thing they went for was the candy and it was gone fast, except for the jelly beans in the carrot bags which got thrown down and bust open. So glad I am not doing candy again. They would have been happy with empty eggs. I know they would have.

It's Not East being Green

Green isn't a favorite color among the Noe children. Especially when it's food. It could be the yummiest of things, but if it's green, noses are automatically turned up. Landen is a little more open than Joselyn. In fact the other day we went to Cheddars to celebrate the fact that my sister-in-law Suzanne is having a little girl... and Landen was feeling michevious and stole some broccoli off my plate. He thought it would bug me I guess. When he didn't get the reaction he wanted he ate it. That was sure to bug me. He made a weird face at first- probably the new texture- but then he realized he actually loved it! So he kept sneeking and sneeking until there was no broccoli left on my plate. That was the first time EVER (since he was a little baby) that he showed interest in anything green.

Then came St. Patricks Day today. I wanted to make it fun- so despite my kids' dislike of the color green, Adam and I thought it would be fun to have green chocolate chip waffles for breakfast. I told the kids all about St. Patricks day so that they would all be prepared for the explosion of green. Landen must have overcame his fear of green because he dug right in and LOVED his waffles.

Joselyn just observed... when she saw Landen giggling and laughing over their yumminess, she decided to take a small bite of the green food. Just to see. To her surprise, the green waffle was actually good- or even better. DELICIOUS!

So green food was a success today :) Too bad it wasn't as nutritious as we would have liked for green food. And it's definitely not filled with antioxidants.

After breakfast, we went to see if the Leprechaun had left any green treasures. The kids followed the trail of green Andes mints to find out...





The Balloons were a hit! After playing with them for a while they discovered two green buckets- one with boy stuff and one with girl stuff! Joselyn found a green bucket that had a fairy, green bubbles, stickers, frog notepad, green bracelets and "gold". Landen's had the bubbles stickers and gold too- but he also got a green car and green football- which he would not let go of all day. In fact, he's sleeping with it right now.





This was the first time I attempted any kind of St.Patricks day tradition- and it was really really fun. I don't even really know any kind of history behind the holiday, but any chance to see my children giggle in delight like that gives me a good reason to start a fun tradition!

Easter dreaming...

I LOVE putting together Easter baskets! But I don't like the abundance of candy!! SO I've been gathering some cute ideas for the kids' Easter baskets that are non-sugar. I know... a little Early to be thinking about Easter baskets but I can't help myself!

Since spring brings flowers and gardening, I thought it would be fun to get the kids some gardening supplies! I spied some really cute mini watering cans and gardening supplies for kids at Target. They had some in the $1 spot and some back in the seasonal department too.

Then there are these adorable bunny crackers!! Annie's Homegrown brand... some of them are all organic, but even if they weren't would be so cute to fill eggs with! I've also seen people fill carrot shaped bags with these! They are orange so they look adorable!



I am waiting for these cute bunnies to come out from Blabla kids... Joselyn's favorite stuffed animals are bunnies... so I know she would cherish one of these. She seriously loves bunnies!



Jellycat also has the SOFTEST plush animals!! They have them at the Gap sometimes and every time I see them I want to hold one and pet it the whole time I am there. They are SOOO soft!! So this might be an option too!



Joselyn might appreciate a few new pairs of cute undies :) Gymboree has some cute ones with bunnies on them!


This little pack from the Gap would be cute too:



And I wouldn't doubt Old Navy has something cute.

For Landen, I bet he wouldn't mind some new ties or Sunglasses. Children's place has a great selection! Maybe even a new hat that looks like daddy's... or socks!

I'd love to put all this stuff in a basket I can reuse... maybe one of these from Land of Nod to re-use in their rooms.



I already have two in Landen's room. They are sooo nice. We keep all his balls in one and all his stuffed animals in the other. I'm sure we could find a great use for another one in his room... They are a little on the large side so they would work as a place for dirty clothes. If I put a lot of paper grass at the bottom it would be kind of fun!!

My kids also LOVE rubber duckies! Bath and Body Works always comes out with a cute selection this time of the  year!!




I'm excited for Easter!! We're going to hide the baskets this year now that they are old enough to go find them... and of course we'll have a cute little Easter breakfast. I'm excited to set the table! I saw these place settings somewhere and I might try to recreate something like this. All of these were put together with dishes found at Goodwill and Salvation Army type places!



Then on each place setting I hope to have a napkin shaped like this:

Tutorial here. Cute huh?

Any fun Easter traditions you have?