Update on Emily

Emily has been in the hospital for a few days, due to a large kidney stone stuck in her ureter. They went in and took it out and opened up the ureter a little bit because it had some narrowings in it. So the surgery was successful but due to it that kidney swelled and the surgery caused much pain. At this point (Sunday night after pain started Wednesday morning) it looks like at least another day in the hospital until Emily can keep food down and the pain is manageable. Thanks for praying for her in this time as she heals and recovers. God is good, all the time!

John

Noah's Birthday

I think Noah had a really good time at his party. He woke up right around 2 when it started. He was a little clingy at first wondering what all these people were doing at his house but shortly after that he was excited to see all the family and wanted to show off his walking skills.

Our was a pretty full house with the family and kids. It got pretty excited at one point when all the kids decided to go outside and chase the dogs (my two chihuahuas and Amy's wiener dog). We somehow got a family picture in the middle of the chaos but I will have to get it from Amy.

Noah sat on Daddy's lap while he opened presents. I was giving him cheerios in order for him to stay interested in sitting for so long. My cousins' children were so kind to hand us presents! Great helpers!

Finally it was time to eat cake. It was the first time Noah had ever had any dessert and boy was it a sugar overload! He was not too excited at first because he thought the icing was pretty sticky....but boy was it yummy!!

I had to feed it to him because he didn't want to get his hands sticky.Here is Makenna (my niece) eating her cake too. It was a great birthday party. Noah really enjoyed playing with all his new toys and reading his new books. The gifts were perfect! Thanks everyone!

Thanks also go to Rebekah Moore (bekahscakes.blogspot.com) for making the cake! She is so talented! Her cakes have a homemade taste but professional in look! You can't ask for more!

~Emily~

Another exciting park visit...

There is a wonderful park about 10 minutes from our houes. Noah loves it! Here are a few things he likes to do even in the bitter cold!

The swing of course!

Wow, I am dizzy!
I am already driving!

Bouncy, bouncy, bouncy!

So fun!!! He is all boy for sure!!

~Emily~

Noah and the swing...

Noah LOVES the park. He has so much fun and is very sad when we have to leave. I've even taken him to the park in the cold and by the end his lips are shivering...but he starts crying when I put him in the car !!! He especially loves the swings! Here are a few of his many expression that I enjoy seeing everyday.

Look at me!Wow, that was high!

Yea, did you see me?

Thank you for letting me swing!

It's like I'm flying!

Yeah!!

What an active and joyful boy! I love hanging with him and seeing him enjoy life.

~Emily~

Dallas Mavericks Game

So I (John) had the opportunity to go to the Dallas Mavericks game with the president and senior VP of our company. They have fairly good seats, as you can see below.

This is Mark Cuban, the owner of the Mavs, who is known for his crazy behavior. He was in control of everything during the game, including when the announcer would talk and his volume.

Really cool experience, but I would never pay the face value on the tickets (way expensive). But if someone else offers, no worries! Thanks, Huitt-Zollars!

Dallas Cowboys Staduim

I (John) got to go to a work training day at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium in Arlington. The whole day was on the concourse and they also offered tours throughout the day. It is an overwhelming place (huge!) and a lot of cool touches. Here's some pics:

On the star in the middle of the field. This was only the third day they even let people on the field in the tours.

This is where the Cowboys walk out onto the field (under the star) with fans on both sides.

The end zone

The locker room

All in all, a cool day of work...

First steps!

Due to Noah having a virus, we just played at home the last couple days. It is only the second time he has been sick (besides ear infections) and both times it was just a virus. He takes viruses like a champ even when everything is coming up. He has acid reflux the first several months of his life so it is nothing new. I did forget all the cleaning and laundry I did...no fun!

I missed my workout at 24 Hour Fitness so I just decided to workout here with Noah. He enjoyed watching me look silly as I worked out and also tried to grab (and chew on of course) my elastic band. He didn't want to miss out on all the fun!

He did not miss a beat with his walker either.

But, the most exciting news of all is that he took his first steps unaided. Last night he walked a few steps to John and then back to me. Today he was walking with my finger and when I let go and continued walking a few steps toward me. I am such a proud Momma! And this big event is on a day that he cannot keep anything down. Who would have thought? One day I will not have to carry him so much! Praise the Lord. Yes, I know He will be very mobile and get into everything even more but I am ready and excited for him! :) What an exciting time!

Proud Momma,
Emily

Pictures of Noah...surprise, surprise!

On a rare event, I will actually sit still for a few seconds (but only because Mom was tickling me). My Dad actually got in on camera!My first time to find dirt...what a glorious day!Although it is pretty gross!

But still, I will pretend to be innocent!I am getting closer to walking everyday.

My new favorite thing is playing in an empty box. Dad and Mom push me all around!

I also love learning new things from Dad. He is the best!

I got a bath in the kitchen sink again since my bathtub was dirty (sewer problems). Look at my old man hair. My Dad is silly!I am a pretty crazy sleeper at times and my sleeping buddies roll around with me. Love you all! Have a blessed day!

Emily (on behalf of Noah)

Halloween Weekend

Our weekend started off very exciting with plumbers here for over an hour in the afternoon and then several hours in the evening. They even had to take out one of our toliets! Needless to say, we had raw sewage on our walls, floors, etc. Around 10pm Friday we started cleaning and deotarizing so we could feel comfortable walking into our bathroom. We finally got everything cleaned and went to bed. I couldn't believe it but Noah slept through all the noise of the plumbers and cleaning! I guess he was pretty tired. It was his first day to switch from two naps to one. He completed the day like a champ by talking away, pretending he was a motor boat, pushing his new walker (thanks to the Gibsons!), and everything else he could find to play with. John could win husband of the year too. He was so much help cleaning (as always), washing dirty towels (more than once just in case!), and so much more. He even let me sleep in Saturday morning (as he often does), got Noah up, feed him breakfast, did a couple loads of laundry, folded the laundry, did the dishes...and whatever else I may have not notice. What a good hubby he is! I feel so blessed that he always does what he can although he is so busy. He treats me like a queen. Ok, enough bragging (John says not to brag on him like I do but I can't help it. The Proberbs 31 women did and he was praised at the gates...just trying to be like her...Ha)...

Saturday night was fun, we took Noah to the Trunk or Treat at our Church. Noah started out in his OSU stuff like Dad and Mom but changed into his Tigger (thanks Azi!) costume later.

Noah was so tired at the end of the night. The 'one nap thing' was a little harder with a later bedtime. He was past the climbing out of your hands tired stage and into zoning out. It is a rare event to have Noah sitting still on your lap!Really...do I have to wear the hat?

Meet my friend Caleb, the Lion.

We were also able to get a lot of cleaning/organizing done. I organized my scrapbooking stuff (I now know where everything is!), cleaned several areas in the house, cleaned out our closets for good will (how do we always end up with so much to give away when we RARELY buy clothes?). Boy, it is nice to be home, get things organized, and be rested for a new week! We even had an extra hour this weekend! But, I do feel sorry for those on the night shift...they had to work 9 hours instead of 8...what a bummer!

I hope you all had a good weekend too!

Love, Emily (on behalf of the Woogies)

Yo, that's right I'm standing...

I love me some boxes! It's like my first car!

Ummmmm, is somebody going to clean my face????

Oh yeah, Go Pokes! I'm the cutest boy ever!

Look at me, Daddy!

Ready for church!

Enjoying a rare Baby Einstein moment in my cool pj's...


Until next time, Love,

Noah