The Last Present

One of the things that has made our Christmas so exciting this year (2007) is that someone who loves us (so the note said) has been leaving us pieces of a nativity scene for the last two weeks. The first time we got a part of the nativity scene, one of Noah's dad's friends brought it in for us. We hadn't even realized that there had been something on our front porch. Andy and I were a little puzzled that this friend would bring us this as a gift; we didn't quite realize that he was only being the messenger. We began to realize it when the next night, there was again wrapped up in the same clear bag and beautiful Christmas ribbon another porcelain figure. I put the two together and thought they looked nice. And then we got another...and another...and another. It has become such a source of fun for us to try and see who it is that is leaving us a nativity set. The children can't wait to see what the next piece is and always say, "Is it going to be the baby Jesus?"
Tonight is Christmas Eve and we have just had our final delivery. Wrapped in the clear plastic bag is the manger which sits empty. Along with this bag, also delivered, was a package with a note to open up this present last on Christmas morning. As Andy and I realized that the baby Jesus must be wrapped up in the gift for tomorrow's unwrapping, we both became teary eyed. The magnitude of the message, and its true applicability for tomorrow, filled our hearts with tenderness. Andy, spoke first and said, "This is the true meaning of Christmas." We don't know who is leaving this gift for us, but the love we have felt from it has been truly amazing. We love the message and the opportunity for our children to once again be reminded of the reason we celebrate this holiday. We are grateful for the birth of that baby, whose birth is unique in all of history. And as we open up that last gift tomorrow as a family, we shall place him gently in the manger to complete both the nativity scene and our holiday.

Christmas Eve 2007

I sit here blogging as Andy wraps the presents he won't let me see (translated means they are for me), enjoying the wonderful lights of our Christmas tree and the Christmas decorations and scents that abound on the main level of my house. I love the peace of right now as I know the morning will bring quite a different feel.

Andy and I have just nestled the kids in their beds and I am sure visions of sugar plums are dancing in their heads. We went on the website to find that Santa had entered Florida and I am surprised that the kids actually settled down into their beds. Well, Noah is still awake, I just went and checked. He is worried that Santa will not know what to bring him as he didn't sit on Santa's lap this year. We told him not to worry, there are elves in Gaithersburg watching and listening and reporting. This is the hardest time of year for children to be good and to hold it over their heads that "Santa is watching" is, I think, sheer torture. Ahh, the creatures are stirring.... Noah has just knocked on our bedroom door to tell Andy that he can't sleep. Oh the excitement.

Anyway, I can be so distracted....

With a free and open day today (no dinner to prepare for) we wanted to do something that the children would remember. Se we decided to make gingerbread houses. What a fun activity. Everybody's came out completely different, even though we used the same candies and the same frosting. Some of us had trouble right from the start getting our house to stay together and thus the house ended up as a "candy mountain." Others were deemed too bare so the artist was put back to work to address the minimalist attitude (which I actually think derived from , not a lack of enthusiasm for the project, but rather, too much enthusiasm for the materials and thus they ended up not on the house, but rather in the tummy.) Everyone was such a good sport and enjoyed the easy banter as we sat together in the spirit of Christmas togetherness, each of us focused on the gingerbread houses that lay before us on the table. The big question becomes what to do with them, now that they are done. Any ideas? Maybe an auction on ebay? Food for the reindeer? Next year's table decorations? Merry Christmas!

Christmas with Andy's family

Our friends made us this wonderful lemon cake for Christmas. Tobin wanted her to make his birthday cake for him, but when it didn't happen, she must have stored the idea to make this for him (and us) at Christmas time. It was so much fun to be surprised with this.

We had a wonderful Christmas dinner with Andy's family on the 23rd. We usually do a Christmas Eve dinner but some had plans to travel and we didn't want them running into Santa's sleigh so we had our "traditional" dinner early. Lamb is usually our main meal and this year didn't disappoint. Andy made a wonderful lamb with stuffing,...mmmmm. We had roasted rosemary potatoes (I actually helped make those and realized that there actually was something called rosemary), Andy's mom's wonderful holiday jello salad, and green beans.

The real fun started when Andy pulled out the karoake machine that, due to unconcealed packaging, became an early Christmas present rather than one that remained hidden until Christmas morning. (I don't think the kids have realized that maybe they should be complaining that Daddy got his present before Christmas, why shouldn't they.) I will tell ya, that karoake brings things out in people that you didn't know existed! It took a while but Andy's brother and his son had quite the fun time with it. We stayed up til 1:00 in the morning, singing the night away. I must say that Sarah, Ali and I make quite the singing trio!!

What kind are you?

My sister found this great website for when you absolutely have nothing to do, no where to be, or no people to see. Yeah, right. Anyway the quiz I just took was, "If your life were a movie it would be...." And would you know, they had it right. If my life were a movie it would be a Drama:
You're rich in feeling and emotion. You constantly play life out in your mind, imagining the "ifs, ands, or buts." You constantly feel like the world is your audience, which might inevitably affect your sanity! While your passion is endearing, the over-dramatics may grow a bit too intense after a while.

When you have nothing but time on your hands, check out this fun site.

I hope the Holidays are finding you bright and merry!!!

Wrapping Daddy's heart for Christmas

Brenna is such a delight to have in our family. She can wrap EVERYONE around her little finger, especially her dad! She has stayed home from school for the last two days with a bad cold. She actually fell asleep today for the first time in ages which lets us know that she really isn't feeling well. Anyway, Andy had to take her to the mall to run an errand and she talked him into taking her to Build a Bear workshop to make a dog. That is so typical: Andy can not resist those eyes and that charm she knows how to dispense at the right times. So, the dog is cute and Brenna named him Max. I have banished Andy from taking her anywhere before Christmas.

We have managed to get our lights and garland on our Christmas tree and that's it. We haven't been able to get the ornaments on the tree yet. I think there must be some Scrooge in our house or something. Anyway, in the this set of pictures, Brenna decided to write on a leftover Halloween skeleton that she loves Santa Claus and because it needed ornaments, she decided to put the skeleton on the tree. Only Brenna would think it full of Christmas spirit to put a skeleton on the tree. Andy laughed the hardest of all. I hope you're all enjoying the Christmas spirit.

Brenna's birthday

I can hardly believe my youngest turned six last Sunday!! It is so weird for me to think that my youngest is older than my oldest was when she was born. Brenna woke up, as is the tradition, to candy and streamers strewn about her room. The Primary children's group sang "happy birthday" to her in church as she stood in the front of the room with all eyes on her! This is her version of paradise. After church we were able to have lunch with some of her cousins. After we returned home from lunch, Brenna would have bouts of excitement. I would see her just burst with the need to say something. I caught her telling her webkinz stuffed animals and her dolls that it was her birthday. She had them sit in a row and sing to her as well. She was so cute and full of life. This is the way I always want to remember her: little enough to be cute and melt our hearts, but old enough to entertain herself. Six seems like such a milestone for her as she is now closer to ten than to her birth day. Wow--crazy. Enough thinking like that.

Later that night we gave Brenna her birthday present: an American Girl doll, Nicki. Brenna has been asking for an American Girl doll since last Christmas when she got her 1st American Girl doll.

We have been reading the Nicki story which is actually full of fun as she trains a service dog and takes care of her horse, Jackson. Brenna said we had to hurry and read the story so that she could tell her cousin Julianna what Nicki's story is. We had a great day. Happy birthday baby girl.

How can cucumbers be......

FROZEN! When I went to peel my cucumber for dinner tonight, I peeled the skin off to find ice below. How does your cucumber freeze like that?!

Thanksgiving

Brenna having fun during thanksgiving dinner with her cousins Sarah and Jacqueline.

Tobin began his day early with a turkey chase. He entered a 2 mile fun run with his friend from school. Tobin and his friend finished the race in 16:20 min. Wow!! May he continue to enjoy the good health and energy he does today. Noah was invited by his friends to play in a turkey bowl. Noah enthusiastically agreed, always up for some football. Brenna played on the sidelines with her friends and had so much fun. The weather was absolutely beautiful; it truly was like a summer day. We were in shorts and t-shirts for the first half of the day. I was able to take a wonderful bike ride through the neighborhood. It was great to exercise for the first time in a while and not have to worry about my foot. It was the perfect day and we hadn't even gotten to the food yet. We went to Andy's brother's house for dinner.

We have had a wonderful dinner. We have so much to be thankful for individually and as a family. We have definitely had a year that won't easily be forgotten. It is nice to know that through thick and thin, we can count on each other. In the lesser moments of this year, the moments where I have felt like I can't handle my life as it is in this place and time, my family comes through and I have one of those moments where your heart pounds and burns, because you have just witnessed the miracle of your children thinking outside themselves, for the greater good of the family. It seems something so small, but it's the actions that they take. For instance, it is Tobin inviting his little brother to play in the game of pickup football, or Noah coming over to cuddle Brenna because she has just fallen and hurt herself, or it's when Brenna comes over to me with a picture she has just drawn and wants to give it to me, while hugging me tight and saying, "You're my best Mommy ever," and it's my husband sending me a card from his last destination of travel. Because.... in those moments ..... I know that I have done something right and that my children are kind, decent and thoughtful children and that my marriage for all its external jolts and bumps of this last year is still strong and flourishing. Feeling the peace of doing something right helps me remember that although I haven't been able to influence the events of this last year, that those events aren't going to win anymore and that the sense of balance that we need as a family is slowly returning. How can I not be thankful for this blessing? Happy Thanksgiving everyone; I hope you find much to be thankful for. Enjoy the pictures from our day.

Tobin proudly holds up his race number and shows off his shirt.

Doesn't this turkey look absolutely divine? It was so juicy and tender and ohhh so worth the wait.

Brenna with her cousins Jacqueline and Erica. Brenna had a great time hanging out with them and I was thrilled to learn that Brenna let them straighten her hair.

Tobin and Noah with cousins Brett and Bradley. They spent their time playing playstation and jumping on the trampoline and didn't even come in for dessert! Happy Thanksgiving!

Twins

I just finished taking Noah and Brenna to the dentist to have their chipped teeth (one each)pulled. It seemed quite painless to me as Noah waltzed right off, seemingly without a care in the world and I went with Brenna who quickly jumped into the hot seat and immediately began inspecting the light above and the utensils around the chair. However, as we were waiting one of the dental hygenists came in and told me Noah was very nervous. Now, I don't know about you, but the "very" word catapulted my stomach into my throat and I realized I needed to be with my other child and not the bright, inquisitive child who had no gut instinct as to what was about to happen to her. I got up to go to the room next door and the hygenist told me not too. Darn it!! So, then the dentist came in and kicked me out and left me to wander the waiting room as I looked for xray vision to see through the walls to my Noah, where I didn't know what was occurring in his mind or his mouth. An eternity to me of waiting culminated in Brenna sneaking up behind me and garbling her words. I turned around to see a gauze pad tumbling out of her mouth. Brenna took a few minutes to communicate with me that she wanted to see Noah. I replied that we couldn't and we had to wait for him. And as the hygenist spoke to me about my wonderful darling and how well she did, Brenna snuck off into the room where Noah was! I couldn't believe Brenna had the courage to do what I had been wanting to do! By the time I got to him Noah, too, wore his guaze pad of courage bravely and confidently. The dentist told me he had done a fabulous job. Anyway, here are a few pictures of the last hour.

7 things you didn't know.....

1. I really do like eminem, the rapper. Yes, the one who seems to have nothing nice to say. One night I pulled up to a fast food drive thu window and had the eminem song "Loose yourself" blaring. The cashier gave me this funny look, so I turned down the radio apologizing for how loud it was: he replied, "no, that's not it. I just didn't expect someone like you to have the song on. What can I say, I like to work out to this song and it kinda caught hold of me.

2. I want to get a tatoo. Not a big one, just something small on the inside of my ankle. Something that means something. But that's just it, I can't think of something that would be that meaningful my whole life w/out it being cheesy.

3. In my next house, I want to decorate a bathroom with a panda theme. Some people love animals for certain reasons. And Brenna and I have watched the pandas on the webcam to really love them. But, the real reason I want pandas on my wall is because if you took the P in my name and the A in Andy's name and added an and in the middle, PandA.........sitting in a tree....you know the rest, it becomes a cute little symbol for us without being too cheesy obvious, except to you who read my blog.

4. I want to write children's books. My sister and I have kicked around having a book series where the characters are pen pals, but it hasn't developed into anything yet. I keep waiting for not the "right time", but simply any time where I'm not busy. Although, the book I have started writing is titled: "Things I want to tell my daughter, but she's too busy acting like me to listen." Catchy, huh?


5. I have a beautiful dress that hangs in my closet that I wore on my wedding day. I wore it to a luncheon we had afterwards. To this day, it is still one of my favorite dresses and hangs in there waiting to be worn again. But the usual has happened, being married weight, baby weight, emotional eating weight, etc. and so it hangs, lonely and waiting.

6. I sometimes wonder about reconciling God with science.

7. When Tobin was a baby and our only child and he would sometimes wake us up in the middle of the night. I always woke up instantly. But I was also working and sleep deprived. Can you tell I'm trying to justify what I'm abou to tell you? Sometimes, when I heard Tobin, but was simply too tired to get up, I would gently kick Andy's legs so to wake him up so he would hear Tobin crying out. He would always go get Tobin and take care of him. :)

More schoolwork

Hi everyone,

I just wanted to share with you some of the artwork from the kids. They are always so proud of their schoolwork. Brenna's homework was to make a disguise for her turkey so we made a peacock together. If you look closely, you can see the turkey behind the plate. Noah made a self portrait and wrote a bcr describing himself. Noah describes himself as atheletic, funny and shy. I think it's so interesting to see what they choose; it's the closest thing to reading their mind.

Funny sayings are another way to get into their head. The other day, when Andy returned home from Spain, Brenna said, "daddy, it's a good thing you came home today, so I didn't have to miss you anymore."

High School Musical, the play

I took Brenna to High School Musical, the fall play at Northwest High School. We were originally supposed to go with two little friends of hers, Lauren and Madison, from dance class. Unfortunately, Lauren was sick, so we invited my friend Katie and her children, Delaney and Jaiden. Brenna and Madison sat together and sang every song amidst giggles and laughter. We have every version of HSM II on our tevo: the original, the dance along, and the sing along. I will often catch Brenna dancing and singing to the movie at home. It's fun when I catch her in the act, but she gets embarassed and stops. And then, I have to walk away with a smile on my face. Oh to be young again....

Oops! Alzeihmer's already?

I forgot to add the climax of Tobin's Halloween outfit! Are you sitting down? He didn't even wear the costume I got for him. Hence the football costume, which isn't really much of a costume. Now is that the epitome of a teenager or what!!

Trick or Treat?

I forgot to mention that Tobin lost his tooth on Halloween. He greeted me at the door after school with his mouth wide open. At first I couldn't see what he was trying to show me. Then it dawned on me that there was a gaping hole in the right side of his mouth. A missing tooth!? How old is my son again? 11? Which tooth is this that could be missing? Please tell me it is a baby tooth. It seems to be, a molar. Does the tooth fairy visit at this age? Please let her know either way as I will be trying to catch up on my beauty sleep.

Happy Halloween

What a night!! Actually, it was pretty uneventful which I consider to be the best success. Tobin is definitely getting older. I would say he was acting like a teenager, but I don't want to face my future yet. I took Noah and Brenna to Hallmark to buy a webkinz for a friend of Noah's and my cell phone rang and lo and behold it was my son telling me he had changed his mind and he now needed a costume for trick or treating! Was he kidding? Doesn't he know how many errands I run for them almost everyday!! In fact, now that I think about it, if I could save the gas, wear and tear on my car and most of all wear and tear on me, I would have his college paid for! So, I schlepped his younger siblings to some huge megastore and found the costumes on sale, which was a plus for me. As I was waiting in line, I started talking to the woman in front of me and I relayed my tale of woe as we waited painfully for the clerk. She told me that I was a much better mother than she was b/c she would have had him either make do or do without. It was some small gesture of niceness but it always makes you feel good to be told you're doing something right.

As soon as it got dark, Noah and Brenna were ready to go. Brenna and Noah practically ran between houses. They had so much fun asking for tricks and treats! They loved it best when they were able to dip their hand in the candy bowl themselves. One house in our neighborhood really goes all out for halloween. In addition to handing out candy, she hands out glow necklaces, hires a magician and has fairy dust for the kids to throw for good luck. Brenna and Noah probably would have been happy at watching the magician all night; he was quite good. During one of his tricks he had Brenna right the word TOP on a card. It was part of the trick which I can't explain because the magician's hands were faster than my eye, but he tore it in half and gave it to Brenna to remember! She was as excited to get that torn piece of card as she was a huge candy bar. We ran into several of Brenna's friends which was fun. I love looking at all the costumes. I kept asking Brenna if she was ready to go back home, but she would adamantly say no. What I forgot to tell her that was as far as she walked from home would be how far we had to walk back. Two minutes after I asked her for the 10th time if she was ready to go home, she finally declared in her most tired voice that she was ready to go home. Oops, were we far from home. Luckily, we knocked on the door of a friend who took pity on us and gave us a ride home.

As we were trick or treating, Noah was pretty quick and would scoot ahead. I wished he would have stayed with us, but he is definitely growing up. Noah was hoping to catch up with his buddies to complete the costume as a rapping trio, but we never did much to his dismay. I had hoped when Noah told me he wanted to ge a gangster, that it was the glorified Al Capone 1920s gangster version. Nope-- it was the thoroughly modern "gangsta" version complete with bling! Andy convinced me a few years ago that Halloween costumes were about their individual freedom of expression and not some creative version of a trio I could come up with (the 3 musketeers; Hermoine, Ron and Harry) to create a perfect costume. I mean what was I thinking, they weren't triplets after all! Happy Halloween everyone!

Pumpkin carving

Our time spent together carving pumpkins was fantastic. Andy and I couldn't believe how meticulous the children were in carving their pumpkins. We searched the internet for free pumpkin carving patterns and each child found one to their liking. Brenna carved a pig, Tobin carved a dragon and Noah carved a traditional pumpkin face (that's my boy). You have to use this one tool to punch the holes of the pattern onto the pumpkin. Andy and I didn't think much about it, but after about an hour, Brenna said, "my hands hurt, Daddy, can you do some now?" We couldn't believe it that when we looked at her pumpkin, she had only punched out the ears and the eyes: After an hour!! When we lifted the pattern up, the light bulb went on. I couldn't believe it. She was so painstakingly careful that she had pretty much punched out the lines in her pumpkin so much that we just had to push the pumpkin through the punched out holes. The boys, never to be outdone by their baby sister, stepped up to the plate and used the carving tools in the same meticulous way. Overall, we had a great day!! The missionaries came over for dinner afterwards so we were able to show off the pumpkins and hard work.

Babysitting woes

Hi everybody!!

As most of you know, a couple of times a month, I am lucky enough to have my niece come and babysit my children in the morning before school. The last time she babysat, boy did she have an encounter with my darling Brenna.

The first indication of the morning was when Brenna came downstairs in capris and a tank top. My niece politely explained to her that if she wanted to wear that she would have to put on a jacket as well. Brenna, hands on hips (can you picture it!), said, "My mom doesn't want me to wear a jacket. She will only let me when we go to church or to nice events."
To which my niece responded, "Brenna, I don't care. When I am here, you need to do as I tell you. Now, please, go upstairs and put on a jacket." Brenna huffily pumped her arms and made a big todo about going up the stairs. Quickly forgetting the incident, my niece started playing with Noah; they were kicking a balloon around when they accidentally kicked each other's foot. And they promptly laughed (but have you heard Noah laugh, cry, screech, make any primal noise: it has a scream in it. I don't know where he learned it, but boy does he scream). So, apparently Brenna heard this noise.
A little while later, my niece called up for Brenna to come down for breakfast. When she finally did, Brenna came down crying, huge tears running down her face. My niece asked her what was wrong. Brenna, drew in a deep breath and let it go, "you are being mean to me by telling me to do something my mom won't let me do and you scared me! You really, really scared me and that is not nice. Besides, it is my balloon and you need to ask me if you want to use it. How do you think I feel, knowing that my balloon is being used without asking me? I was very scared."
All my niece could do is laugh!! All I can do is make the next reservation on the next plane to get the fartherst away before she becomes a teenager.

Annoying Funny Mom William Tell Song Video

This is really funny. I love anything that puts a humorous spin on being a mom. Too often I get caught up in the stress of wanting to raise happy, healty and productive people that I forget the fun along the way. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Brenna spells her first sentence

I am so proud of Brenna. We are sitting here doing her homework (I am also scrapping so I don't become the overly, obsessive mother--it's a great way to be available and not anal). Her homework is to write two sentences with the word can, her spelling word for the week. Her first sentence is "Can you trust me?" Brenna sat there and sounded out the word trust. I was so excited. So, Tobin of course, mimiced me. Little stinker! But Brenna wrote this sentence completely on her own and I was excited to see her smile at something she had accomplished. If you can catch it, this is certainly like when they eat their first food, get their first tooth, first roll over, you get the idea. Brenna is growing up. Someone asked me yesterday if my kids were growing up to fast. What I do think is that the days go by like weeks, and the weeks go by like days. In essence, the days are long and the weeks are fast. I love this stage with my children as I have loved every stage before (although I wouldn't mind a shortened toddler period), so I look forward to the next stage to discover what I still don't know about my children. Although I will admit that having them go visit their grandmother for a weekend is always fun. Breaks are fun; it makes you appreciate them more.
On another note, Andy and the whole sports car thing: He called me soon after he picked up his car and was like a child on Christmas Eve. You could hear the excitement in his voice as he retold the event where he asks for a more European car than the Ford he was supposed to originally have. Doesn't that sound like Andy? Andy was so excited to have that car; it is on his list of dream cars to own one day! I hope he has a great time in England.

Brenna beats to her own drum

Today has been a crazy day for all of us. In addition to our usual games, Tobin and Noah had pictures at times and locations other than where their games were played. But today has been the day of Brenna. I couldn't help laughing as I watched her dance. She is soo funny and definitely has her own direction in which she is headed. Then this afternoon, as I was coming downstairs to get something, I saw that Brenna was outside and in the street!! I opened to door to correct this mistake when I saw our young neighbor was outside skateboarding. He waved and said, "hi."

I stepped outside my front door and onto the first step and then I saw that an entire group of young teenage boys were skating right outside my doorstep. And where was Brenna? Skating right along with them!! Crazy. Enjoy the videos. They make me smile.

Which image best represents you?

It hit me last night! Just how crazy my life is. I was trying to think of a dinner that would sit well, waiting for those in the Pagley family who waltz in the latest to the dinner table. I realized that I have gone from squeezing in dinner between homework and sports practice to now squeezing in dinner on the way to the sports practice. I just hope there are enough red lights for my children to digest their food!

When did my life become this busy? When I wasn't looking obviously. We have something every night of the week-- sports practice, a school event, or cub scout event. It is completely crazy. And how do you limit? If, as a mom, you say to your children, "you may do one sport and one music instrument." What happens to boy scouts? We have all heard stories of boys who have gotten scholarships or something great (like a job, even better) because they were an Eagle Scout by the time they were 14. So, if you put boy scouts in, then what do you leave out? Sports? But if you leave out sports then what happens to the epidemic of obesity that is plaguing our young children? I can certainly tell you that the kids who are playing on sports teams are not the ones experiences a greater girth. So, if you need scouts and sports, what about music? You can't give up music--there is too much beauty in it and it provides value to your enjoyment in life to actually be able to have a trained ear when you listen to music. So, as a mom, you try to be supermom and do it all.

schoolwork

Brenna was so proud of her "roller coaster" I simply had to take pictures. Plus, a picture fits into her scrapbook a lot better than the actual art itself. :)

Funny, Tobin and I are both sporting ice packs today. Tobin jammed his fingers in football practice yesterday. I am taking him to the doctor tomorrow. His biggest hope is that he gets to play in Friday's game. My biggest hope--that he will make a full recovery with no long term, permanent injury. (Mine may be a little bit exaggerated, but who knows). I, on the other hand, had bacon grease splatter onto my wrist as I was cooking bacon for dinner. Yes, I'm trying something new and the consequence of this is a burn. Really makes me want to cook more often. Anyway, I hope you are all having a great week.

fairy realism

What a night!! I was so prepared for my little shift in roles last night. I actually remembered to bring the $ with me upstairs when I was turning off the lights, setting the alarm and closing down everything for the night. I decided IT would be the last thing I did before I lay down for the night, so I wouldn't have any explaining to do as to why I was still awake should it come to needing an explanation. So, bleary eyed, around 11:00 I went in to snuggle Noah. Would you believe, he woke up? I was shocked. Noah sleeps through EVERYTHING! I told him I was just cuddling him and kissing him good night. My thwarted attempt made me nervous b/c I wasn't sure now when to do the deed. I went to sleep and woke up around 4:00 am. I thought this would be perfect! Would you believe that Noah startled awake and sat up so quickly that he fell back over into a reclining position! I told him I was still just kissing him goodnight. Multitasking, I quickly placed the NEW object of desire under the pillow while I pretended to guide Noah's head down to the pillow, when in all actuality I was holding off the moment. Earlier in the day, we had put the object of our desire into a little baggy which seemed like a good idea at the time. But: Note to self--when everything else is quiet, baggies make a lot of noise. I did succeed in moving it from the bed to the floor though. Finally, at 6:30 as I was walking downstairs for the day, I thought I would give it one more try. I bent down to Noah's level and I looked at his eyes. I thought he looked asleep, but he started to laugh. All I could do was laugh, call him a "goofball" and push the object from plain view to under the bed. I quickly left before the truth became completely unglued from my lips. While downstairs, Noah came to me and said something to the effect of "I saw what you did. I woke up when you pulled my tooth out from my pillow." He had a huge grin and I simply didn't know what he was talking about. I am innocent. :)

Lost tooth

Noah lost his third tooth today!! Boy, has it been a story of neverending drama. About two weeks ago, Noah came home from the dentist with the knowledge that he had a loose tooth in the middle of his mouth. How it took a dentist to tell him his tooth was loose still hasn't been clarified; however, having gained knowledge of its shaky origin, Noah could no longer leave said tooth alone. He was constantly picking at it, touching it, wiggling it, and moving it. I seem to remember a Mark Twain story about Tom Sawyer's loose tooth and remember Tom had the same fascination with his loose tooth that Noah does with his. So, yesterday, Andy decided to take a Twainian approach to the tooth and use dental floss to yank the tooth out. He wanted to tie it to the door, but I deemed it to archaic. I noticed that Andy was having trouble wrapping the floss around Noah's tooth. The tooth kept slipping out of the noose. As Noah showed his panic by backing up, Andy pulled tighter on his legs to keep Noah still. It clearly wasn't going well. Why Andy persisted I don't know. I happened to look over and saw Andy yank on the floss. Two things happened: Noah shrieked and Andy's arms, loose with the broken floss, slammed down into his sides. Now, when Noah shrieks nothing else can continue in our house. He accompanies the shriek with the flailing of body parts and dramatic falls to the ground. Unfortunately, I have to say that I am no longer the compassionate mom I once was; this certainly doesn't bring out my sympathies and one would think Noah would have learned that by now. But knowing that he didn't want the tooth pull in the first place, I tried to act compassionately and enfolded his crying, shaking body into my arms. His shrieks turned louder and his tears came bigger. It was hard not to laugh. Only promises of popsicles would calm him down.

Dinner tonight was more of the same drama. He took a bite of soft pasta and bellowed out his pain. I tried cottage cheese after this, but he spit it out saying it was bad. He was right. Amazing how a popsicle turned his frown upside down. ;). And then, while I was making lunches for tomorrow: another shriek pierced my ear. I couldn't imagine what could have hurt Noah equal to the sound he was making. Oh, how I mistook his shriek. It was the shriek of laughter and joy. His tooth was out. So, I shrieked (yeah, I never could be a dentist) and Noah laughed. Guess it would be kind of insensitive at this point to tell him about the tooth fairy!

Soccer

These pics. are from this morning's soccer game. Noah played a heck of a game and hustled the whole way through both halves. This last picture was snapped right after Noah kicked the ball. You see the ball if you look closely at the people closest to Noah (man in blue). The ball is just to the right of him. The score was 3-1 not in our favor, but they played their hearts out.
Andy is off with the boys to Six Flags today. They should have a day of fun, roller coasters, funnel cakes, games and boy stuff. I'll have to update you when they return. Brenna and I are off to a scrapbook date and a movie later on this evening with one of her friends.