Noe News is Good News

A family cook out

My mom has been really excited about her new Big Green Egg- so she has had us over for a few cookouts since. I didn't stay outside very long this day...  got eaten ALIVE (as did the kids) but not before I could get these ADORABLE pictures of the kids and their cousin Autumn. We sure love her!!

THe Kentucky Aviation Museum

On a day that was really really hot, some friends and I decided to pay the Kentucky Aviation museum a visit. Kids got in free and adults were fairly cheap. The place where they display all the planes only has a huge fan on the ceiling so it was HOT inside too... but the kids still managed to find things to do for almost an hour. The biggest hit was the helicopter they let you get in. Landen rarely left the seat!

Joselyn thought the little plane was so cute... it was apparently a baby plane.





Forgot what they are watching... but it had everyone's attention for about 5 seconds...



When we first got in the museum, Joselyn gave one of the maintenance guy a high five and it made his day so he gave Joselyn one of the things below.... you know, you spin them and they fly. Don't know what they are called. Everyone took turns with it.





Joselyn is pouting because she is hot and ready to leave.

Crab and Crabby

When we were at the mall yesterday to get the ZOKU, the kids, as usual, wanted to go see the crabs. The lady there was especially friendly that day and let the kids hold the crabs. They fell in love with them and I kind of did too... so we came home with two crabs. My kids were very creative with their names. Despite my suggestions, they wanted Crabby (Joselyn's) and Crab (Landen's). It was kind of cute, so the names stuck.

We brought them home, played with them a little bit and I started reading up on how to take care of the little guys only to realize I had been misled a tad bit. The colorful gravel and small cages that they came with were not going to cut it. They needed sand to dig in, things to climb on, a friend to play with and a lot larger of a cage. Today I went out and bought some new things for them to make them more comfortable. I would have bought a few more playmates for them, but the ones at the pet store were infected.




After we got their new little home set up, the crabs were very excited. It was immediately obvious that they loved their new little home. So now I introduce you to Crabby, the little crab Joselyn picked out.







So far he's been the friendlier one of the two. As soon as we got him the sand though he buried himself deep inside. There are a few reasons I've read why he may be doing that, so I hope he's ok! Only time will tell. Sometimes they say it's just what they do to get used to a new environment.

Here's Crab, Landen's blue little crab. I love his shell. We are just making assumptions that all the crabs are male, lol.





We, including Adam, have all kind of become attached to these little crabs. They are fun to watch!





They also need a few days to get used to their new environment, so we will not be playing with them for a few weeks. I just hope I can keep these little guys alive!

Our ZOKU!!!

Have you heard of the Zoku??? If not, then get ready to be wowed. I was first introduced to them by my friend Holly and her husband... I went to her house one time and her husband presented us with yummy lemonade ice pops. And then she claimed he made them in 10 minutes!! Ever since then, I wanted one. I finally went out and got one yesterday. I got mine at Williams Sanoma, but I know you can get them other places too. I somehow got an amazing deal on mine... they rang up about 40% off so go check it out now if you want a good deal! Mine came with a tool kit and a recipe book.

So, here's how they work. You put the "machine" in the freezer for 24 hours so it freezes. There is some sort of liquid in there that makes this all work so fast. Then you can put in a variety of mixes or juices to create your popsicle.

My first attempt was simple... pink lemonade with strawberry pieces. My tool kit came with little mini cutters in the shape of a heart and star, so I used those to make heart shaped strawberry pieces. They turned out perfect!!



You can see the outer rim already freezing... cool huh?


I love that these popsicles are so photogenic!




This was on my summer to-do list so I can now check that off!!

Little Details

My kids are soooo observant. Or maybe it's that I've stopped being so observant since I've grown up. Landen can spy a construction vehicle 10 miles away and Joselyn will point out the smallest details. It's like they are always on the lookout for new and amazing things. Always searching. I love that about children. I think as adults we start to get so caught up in our mundane lives that we forget to slow down and take in all that is around us. So Joselyn and Landen's keen eyes and their findings are always refreshing and help me to slow down just a little and enjoy life. 

As we were driving off for church on Sunday Joselyn said she spied something SOOOOOO pretty in our yard and she couldn't wait to show us when we got home. So when we pulled into our driveway after church she ran out to the side of the house where a little butterfly bush was growing. I hadn't even noticed! I had planted it last year and never really expected it to grow... it's not like I can keep plants alive for very long.

It didn't take long before Joselyn screamed in excitement "MOM! There's a PRAYING MANTIS ON HERE!!!" I looked and looked. I did not see a thing. Finally she pointed the little guy out to me and sure enough! A teeny little praying mantis was hanging out on the butterfly bush blending in perfectly. It seriously looked like a little leaf!! Do you see it??








Why the obsession with Praying Mantis? Well, last year Joselyn observed a BIG one on the little window next to the front door. The funny thing is this Praying Mantis was ALSO observant. I have read they have really good eye sight. It started copying Joselyn and Landen. When they knocked on the door, it knocked. I AM NOT KIDDING! And luckily, Adam got it all on video! Unfortunately, it's not very clear because it's very hard to focus on the bug with an iphone through glass.

<video coming tomorrow- so check back! It's sweet!>

Speaking of being observant though, I couldn't help but notice a little curl in Joselyn's hair this day. She has great hair. I love it's color, the golden highlights, the perfect smoothness and how it curls just the right amount in the heat and humidity. I got a little caught up in this sweet detail... which I would have never really noticed had I not been forced to slow down and just observe.








THAT and Landen's cute little vampire teeth.




And just how much Joselyn loves to strike a pose and gosh is she good at it! Where does she pick up this look? She did this on PURPOSE!



And just how cute my kids are as well as how fast they are growing up! Although I do notice these little details quite a bit.






AND how much my children love each other.




And gosh how I got caught up in the sentiment that I LOVE this little family of mine!

Noe Family Summer Fun List

I love lists and I love having something fun to do every day. Sitting at home is fun every once in a while, but most of the time I'd rather be out having fun! So inspired by friends and others in the blog world, I've put together our own summer fun list. Maybe we won't finish all of this stuff, but that's ok. At least it gives me a source of things to do when we're bored! Finished ones are linked to the post where we did them and are in BOLD.

If you want to access this list quickly (just in case you'd like some ideas) I've put the list under "meet the noe family" on the right. I also added a few other links to fun ideas on the left!

- Wash the Jeep together
- Blow giant bubbles!!
- Have a lemonade stand/bake sale (got the cutest lemonade stand stuff at Target this year!)
- Pick berries (there's a great place on the corner of Man O' War and Nicholasville Rd.)
- Make pancakes/waffles with the berries we picked
- Make Wind chimes
- Buy a Zoku and make our own frozen bars! (http://www.zokuhome.com/)
- Zoo (Louiville Zoo: http://www.louisvillezoo.org/, Cincinnati Zoo: http://cincinnatizoo.org/)
- Newport Aquarium (http://www.newportaquarium.com/)
- Cave Run Lake (http://www.caverun.org/)
- Sparklers
- 4th of July Party for church
- Bowling
- Bluegrass Railway Museum (http://www.bgrm.org/)
- Free Friday Flicks (http://www.lexingtonky.gov/index.aspx?page=241)
- Ice Cream Sundae bar with friends
- Visit a bakery and buy a treat
- Farmers Market
- Water Balloons
- Tie Dye Shirts
- Catch Fireflies
- Press Flowers
- Scavenger Hunt
- Collect Rocks and paint them
- Take Walks in the morning when it's still cool out
- Nicholasville swimming pool (the best ever!)
- Evan's Orchard (http://www.evansorchard.com/)
- Sweet Corn Festival at Evan's Orchard (July 16th 9:30-6 pm)
- Boyd Orchards
- Make fruit salsa and chips
- Draw Sidewalk Art
- Watch the sun set
- Carnival at Seton
- Feed ducks/fish
- Help sort the Laundry
- Go to the park in my parents' neighborhood and listen for bull frogs
- Father's Day gifts
- Make little boats and float them in water
- Take RCs to the park and race them
- Visit family in Corbin
- Visit KY Children's Garden often (http://www.ca.uky.edu/arboretum/KCG.php)
- On a cooler day go for a hike
- Build a bird house and watch the birds
- Carriage Ride
- Visit a horse farm
- Horse Park
- Louisville Science Museum  (http://www.louisvillescience.org/)
- The Aviation Museum (http://www.aviationky.org/)
- Cincinnati Museum (http://www.cincymuseum.org/)
- Cars 2
- Kung Fu Panda 2
- Keeneland (http://www.keeneland.com/visit/lists/copy/workouts.aspx)
- Visit the downtown fountains
- McConnel Springs (http://www.mcconnellsprings.org/, calendar of events)
- Old Kentucky Chocolates- see how chocolate is made
- Visit Downtown Library to see the world's largest ceiling clock
- Henry Clay Estate
- KY State Capitol Building
- Art Fair @ Woodland Park (August 20th)
- Plant flowers in a pot for front porch
-Trip to IKEA
- Hang Large Chalkboard in the backyard for kids to draw on (instructions here and here)
- Road trip to Florida, Chicago, Gatlinburg or some other fun place
- Play in the rain
- Walk to a gas station and get a popsicle
- paint something
- take the Jeep top off and go for a ride
- play in the sprinklers
- eat corn on the cob
- eat at a cafe with live music
- girls day with Joselyn- get nails done
- donate unwated things to charity
- build a sand castle


Noe Family Summer Get Done List

- Save money for a family vacation to New Mexico!!
- Finish decorating master bedroom
- Organize closets, kitchen cabinets, bathrooms etc
- Clean out garage and have a garage sale (build shelves for all the plastic boxes)
- Mark an art cabinet/shelves to keep all of kids art supplies
- Go through toys and purge/donate
- Finish blog books and print
- Buy patio furniture, umbrellas etc. to make our back yard nicer
- Finish landscaping front yard
- POTTY TRAIN LANDEN
- Keep a good calendar, get a good daily schedule down
- Set up a better budget
- Get Photography Business in order
- Organize old clothes, sort by size and season and label boxes

Should keep us pretty buzy don't you think? Any other fun ideas you'd like to share?

 

Pool Fun

When it's 90 degrees outside and you're bored INSIDE there is only one thing to do... get wet in some nice cold water!! I'm still not feeling up to going to a public pool, so I set up a little blow-up pool that I got last year but never used. It's big enough for me to sit in with the kids and for them to have fun in. We had a blast. Landen wouldn't get in the water much... he is still a little cautious... but I know he'll warm up as summer moves along. He loved the water last year!

I'm sure you won't be surprised that Joselyn had to sing "for the first time EVER, I'm completely free..." as she splashed some water up in the air. My little Rapunzel.





Joselyn watered my weeds for me. How sweet.






I love their towels. Got them at Target. Joselyn calls hers her "learning to be a mermaid" towel. Landen just calls his "my towel". Ha ha. I couldn't get over Joselyn's little wedgie... so humor me for posting these! She'll dislike me one day for it... but oh well!









What else have we been doing this past month or so? Well, all of May and the beginning of June has been really really busy for me but things are finally starting to settle and I am looking forward to a fun-filled summer with my kids! I've been seeing a lot of summer bucket lists floating around and I'm thinking I'm gonna make one. I've been making a bigger effort to actually PLAY with my kids instead of observing or doing my own thing and I'm amazed at how my love has grown for them through that interaction with them. Landen's little "Wanna go play in my room?" request is too irresistable to ignore... and Joselyn's sudden desire to create has me mesmerized. I've always wanted a little artsy girl... someone to create things with. Gosh I love my kids. I love them for making me want to be a better person!

Fun at the Pool

Let me just say that I've NEVER been a big fan of wearing my swimsuit out in the public. I don't know what has caused me to be this way, but I never liked it. Adam was able to convince me to wear one at the beach on our honeymoon and that was a great fete. But ever since I had my kids I have not even thought of buying a swimsuit. I never really much liked swimming anyway... but my friend Sarah invited us to join her at the pool today in Nicholasville and the kids were really excited about it, so I went and bought a swimsuit at the last minute today. It was not an easy task! I ended up wearing my clothes over the swimsuit, but at least I bought one and wore it! Making progress. And swimming is much more fun when you're playing with your kids!

At the Nicholasville pool, they have this play area with water shooting out of the ground. Perfect for toddlers and nervous mothers alone at a big pool with kids who can't swim.

Landen was a little scared (he's always been a little nervous around water) so he stayed pretty close to me. I ran him through some of the water and he got wet so we took a little break and I wrapped him up in his towel. He just looked adorable.



I attempted to take a picture of the two of us together... and both times one of our faces got cut off. But I love these pictures anyway :)



Joselyn was being pretty brave. She does not like bugs very much at all- in fact screams when there is a fly buzzing around, but after she saw another girl catching a butterfly she had to try. And she succeeded! It wowed me! I told her to let go of it after telling her how amazing she was and off it flew away.



We ended the fun at the pool with ice pops. Lots of them :)










I knew Joselyn and Landen had fun when Melanie and I had to literally drag them out of the pool kicking and screaming when it was time to go home!