Six Years

Yesterday, Bryan and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary. It is crazy how fast time flies!

Bryan had to work part of the day, so Noelle and I began the day with some errands and lunch with Jacqueline and Catherine. When we got back, Bryan had just gotten home from his half day at work, and right after Noelle went down for her epic 3.5 hour nap, the doorbell rang with a delivery of some beautiful flowers! In 2010, Bryan sent me flowers twice, for my 30th birthday and our anniversary, so he has set the bar high for 2011!



To celebrate, we decided to head down to Baltimore for a nice meal. First, Noelle helped me to pick out my shoes...



Then, Aunt Catherine and Uncle Jake were nice enough to come over to babysit Ellie, and after she opened her Christmas presents we headed on our way to Salt Tavern down near Patterson Park.



Bryan had been to Salt recently for a work event and raved about the food he had. While I have a pretty bad cold and couldn't fully taste all the offerings, it was all great. We went all out with a bottle of wine and three courses each, and left happy with full tummies!









We certainly have been blessed in our six years of marriage and look forward to all that year seven has to offer!

Working!

Noelle got a "laptop" and "cell phone" for Christmas in the hope that maybe she would stop trying to steal ours! Here she is "working" with her daddy!

Coloring Fun

As it turns out, Noelle's favorite Christmas present appears to be a $1 box of crayons and coloring book from the dollar store. Looks like we have quite the little artist on our hands!





Here's to hoping she has more talent than her godfather, Uncle Mike!

Merry Christmas!

Noelle and the Saxtons very much enjoyed her 2nd Christmas, and were blessed to have the Grandma and Grandpa Hayhoe, Uncle Mike, and Juneau up from NC for the celebration. Here are the pictures from our post-Christmas Eve mass photo shoot!







As you can probably tell, we were all more excited about our upcoming dinner of crab soup, prime rib, and all sorts of other goodies than posing beautifully before the tree!

Christmas morning was exciting. Noelle didn't quite get the whole thing this year, but she was pretty excited with what Santa left behind. Actually, it took 3 attempts to get through the presents, since after each gift Noelle played with her new goods for about 20 minutes before wanting to open the next package. Highlights of the day were a lego duplo table and blocks, a rocking horse, a Little People airport, and her personal cell phone, laptop, and "I-Pod." Of course, everything she likes pretty much makes noise, so Mommy and Daddy will probably be ready to throw her new toys across the room in a matter of weeks!







Noelle also got lots of clothes, books, and a reading system to help her learn to read. Mommy and daddy got some new pajamas, gloves, GA southern paraphernalia, and the 2011 Saxton Family Photo Calendar. We are certainly blessed to have so much and to have been able to spend this special day and long weekend together with my family!

Ready for Santa

Noelle's been counting down the days to Christmas on our trusty advent calendar and is ready for Baby Jesus's arrival. And Santa too!



She has already learned the tricks though - what Santa doesn't bring her, Grandma probably will!

Accessorize!

Noelle might not like gloves, but we found something similar she is pretty fond of - oven mitts! She decided they were pretty darn cool and gave us a fashion show with them this weekend when we went to Mario and Kristin's for dinner.





Noelle also has a new found love and appreciation for her hat. Mostly she likes to wear it when we are inside, but hey, baby steps! Maybe by the time we get a major snowfall she'll be ready to where it out in the cold!

Puppy Kisses

Took this one at exactly the right time...perhaps we should be concerned about the tongue action?



I'm pretty sure Maddie can't get away with pretending she doesn't love Noelle after this one was recorded on film!

And here's one of Noelle trying to get Maddie to play with her...

Snow!

The past week we've had bone chilling temperatures. In fact, I don't think it has gotten above 40 more than 1 or 2 days all month. The wind chill most of the week has been in the teens during the day (and single digits at night!) Needless to say, walking Maddie hasn't been the most pleasant of tasks during December. Thankfully, Maddie hates walking on the frozen tundra almost as much as I do!

Today, all that cold finally came to something - some real snow! A year ago today, we had our first of 3 blizzards of the winter, so I guess what we had today hardly counts, but it was enough to land, and of course in MD, create panic in the masses! CTY had our holiday party today, and for the first time in 6 years, didn't get out early after it. However, this turned out to be a blessing since most schools had an early dismissal and the beltway became a parking lot at about 3 pm. When I left at 5, it wasn't clear, but it only took me about 10 minutes longer than usual to make it home.

Since Noelle was too little to enjoy snow last winter, she was pretty intrigued by the white stuff. Of course by the time we got home it was dark, so we didn't get good pictures, but I took a few anyways. Here is Noelle exploring...





She was pretty excited about it til she touched it. Since gloves only last about 2.3 seconds, she wasn't quite prepared for her freezing little hands!

And Bryan got his first glimpse of how treacherous our new driveway is going to be. He did some shoveling and survived, but when that thing ices up we might be stuck in the house all winter long! Thank goodness for the garage!

Goodnight

Noelle has always liked the concept of going to bed. Even on nights she doesn't want to sleep or gets angry when you put her in the crib, when you tell her it is bedtime, she smiles and begins her goodnight ritual. This usually consists of going up to Maddie, telling her goodnight and giving her a smooch before heading up the stairs for her bath, pajamas, teeth brushing, and book time.

Since the Christmas tree went up, Maddie, Noelle, and I usually finish our night by the tree for a few minutes, since Noelle loves the tree and Maddie can sit on the sofas in that room with us. Normally, after Noelle gives Maddie her goodnight smooch she stops near the tree, says night, and heads for the stairs. Tonight though, she truly lived up to her name. When I told her it was time to say goodnight, she kissed Maddie, went over to the tree, leaned down, and kissed a branch. She then headed up the stairs. It was pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen!

Now, I guess we just have to worry that our 16 month old doesn't go in to a state of depression when the tree disappears in January!

A One Eighty

What a difference a day makes!

Of course after I posted in my tired state earlier today, Noelle was an angel all evening. Sometimes I think kids (and dogs!) know when you are at your wits end and just need a break. Bryan has been working late a lot this week - which is great for job security, but less exciting for family time! As I drove home to get Noelle tonight, I hoped we didn't have a repeat performance of last night since I would be flying solo. And I got my wish! When we got home, Noelle ate her dinner nicely, played with Maddie, read her books, gave hugs, said please, and just generally acted cute. She told me she needed to go the potty and did, loved bath time (even hair washing), put her toys away when I asked her to, and helped me put the folded laundry away. It was a great evening, and I'm hoping maybe Noelle will even sleep decently! So far so good at 10:15!

Sleeping Like A Baby

Who came up with this saying? I mean really, from my experience, babies don't sleep well. I'd rather sleep like an old man. They seem to fall asleep anywhere and everywhere! We love Noelle to death, but at almost 16 months, I really thought we'd enjoy a full night of sleep each night. Or at least some nights! Nope, we are getting up 2-3 times every night to comfort her again. Actually, in our 16 months together, I think we have had a total of 3 where we pretty consistently slept each night. From about a year to 15 months, we were zooming along. And then Bryan went to Florida on his own, the pacifier needed to make a come back, and it was all over.

Perhaps things would be better if I let her cry it out longer. But when you are exhausted at midnight or 4 in the morning, and up anyways, its really hard not to just cave, address the problem with a pacifier, and all go back to sleep. 15 minutes of screaming is just not fun. So, the problem continues.

Adding to our sleeping difficulties is Noelle's transition from 2 to 1 naps each day. We are in this weird in between world where 2 naps is almost 2 much, but 1 nap just doesn't cut it. She really needs 1 nice long nap, and then a 20-30 minute powernap before dinner. She does pretty good with this at home, but at daycare she has been refusing to go down for a nap until 1:30 (she might miss something!), thus making her miserable from 6-7 each night. Last night, when we wouldn't give her a second cookie (and made her ask please for the first) she screamed for 40 minutes straight. Yup, super fun. Thankfully Bryan and I were both home, so we could take turns trying to calm her down, entertain her, and get her ready for bed. Which she went right down for, but only with pacifier in hand!

I am optimistic things will get better soon for the sleep deprieved. Probably right around the time we decide to have another, and go through the pregnancy and new-born sleeplessness again! Good thing she is so cute! And usually super sweet!

The Girls

Lately, Maddie, Noelle, and I sit together for a few minutes before Noelle goes to bed to admire the Christmas tree. Ellie and Maddie were being super cute the other day so I took the opportunity to get a few pictures of my girls!


Bookends (Kind of!)


Kisses!




Posing!

Oh Christmas Tree!

Noelle and Maddie are enjoying the Christmas tree! So far, Noelle has been pretty good, although she does like to take the balls off their hooks occasionally. I chase her around the tree putting everything back together!


Maddie and Noelle enjoying the tree together!

Under the Sea

Since Noelle liked the Seas with Nemo and Friends and her other fish experiences at Disney, we took advantage of the National Aquarium's Friday night deal and had a little family visit with the fish!

The day started with Noelle and I dropping Bryan off at work (which is conveniently a block away from the aquarium) before we headed to Olney to visit with my high school friend, Kristy, and her sons, 22 month old Dylan, and 1 month old Parker. Dylan was quite the gentleman, sharing his many toys with Ellie and showing her how to act around a newborn. I was surprised how well she did with the visit, as recently she hasn't been great at sharing, but for the most part she and Dylan were on their best behavior, and Dylan was even nice enough to clean up most of her messes during the morning! Ellie also was less possessive of me than I expected, as she let me hold Parker without climbing totally on top of him. Maybe she'd like to be a big sister someday after all! It was great seeing Kristy and the boys, and I was totally impressed with how well she handles 2 under 2 and how great she looks for just having a little one a month ago! Hopefully we'll get to play some more after the New Year!

Noelle's morning of playing lead to a gift for mom, a 3.5 hour nap! It started on the drive home, but when we came inside, she went right back to sleep in her crib and proceeded to sleep til after 3! While I do like the 2 naps, if 1 nap a day means we'll get a huge stretch to allow for relaxation and chores, I'll definitely take it!

After Noelle got up and we did a few things around the house, we met Bryan down in Baltimore. We had a quick visit at his office, dinner at Five Guys (yum!), and headed to the aquarium. We didn't pay for the dolphin show since sitting still isn't Ellie's forte right now, so we just enjoyed the exhibits. The hit of the day was probably the jellyfish invasion room! This was a room full of tanks of different types of jellyfish from around the world. Noelle thought they were pretty cool, and I was probably even more amazed!



Actually for Noelle, the real hit of the night was actually probably these tubes with water bubbles shooting up every few seconds! Seriously the girl could have run around these tubes for hours!





We also saw the amazon exhibit, the sting ray tank, the different habitat exhibits, the shark tank, dolphins, and the big fish tanks as you walk down the gallery. We only spent a little over an hour at the aquarium but Noelle seemed to really enjoy herself. We all left tired, but satisfied from a good evening spent together!



Tomorrow Bryan and I get to go on a date thanks to our babysitting co-op! Harry Potter and lunch at Iron Bridge, here we come!

Mom Friends

I am lucky to live close to where I have grown up. Two of my current best friends went to school with me since 3rd grade. One has always been my best friend and was maid of honor in my wedding, and the other is a girl I grew up with, but just recently got back in touch with, and both live less than 15 minutes away. I also have a few other great girlfriends from B.N. (Before Noelle), but other friends have faded in to the background a bit as our lives have diverged. I understand this is normal at this time in our lives, and am totally ok with it, but it did leave a hole that needed to be filled. I firmly believe good mommies need adult time, and not just with their husbands, but with close friends too!

You may remember my post from soon after I had Noelle about my first mom's group experience. Millionaire moms with their 3 month olds in 4 classes a week pretty much summarizes the experience. I won't say I never do anything with the moms in that group, but it is a rare occasion, and usually only when I see that 1 or 2 moms that I really like will be attending an event. Thankfully, I've found a mom's group right here in Catonsville that is much more accepting and down to earth. I'm not judged for being a working mom, and discussions are less about one upping one another with our child's latest accomplishments, and more about supporting one another and hearing about wacky things the little ones do! Despite not being able to attend many events with Noelle in tow due to working four days a week, I have really enjoyed attending the mom's dinners, craft nights, and book clubs with this group of women and consider some of the members to be good friends now. Just last night I was able to attend a craft event where we were able to make lovable sock monkeys (huge current trend for those not in the know) as holiday gifts for kids in shelters here in Baltimore. We helped others while eating, laughing, and sharing stories and it was great fun.


Sample sock monkey - Sad to say the ones I helped with aren't quite as impressive, but close!

So my circle of friends has certainly changed since B.N., and I'm sure as she gets older that will become even more the case as we befriend her friends' parents, but I'm excited to have such a great group of people to turn to for support, and most importantly fun! And the mix of friends from the past and new friends who are going through similar things as moms has really been great and certainly made me a happier, and more well-balanced mom!

Giivng Thanks

Last weekend we were able to spend "Thanksgiving" with some of my family in Philadelphia. The Saxtons, Mom Hayhoe, Grandmom Gidjunis, my Aunt Donna, Uncle Mark, and Uncle Joe, enjoyed some turkey, football, and fun.


Noelle enjoyed some toys from the 1950's at Great Grandmoms

Since we didn't have a lot of time or money to travel for the actual holiday, we spent Thanksgiving Day with some of our favorite friends, the Hollywoods. It was a great day filled with way too much food. In fact, I am just now recovering 24 hours later! Nicole went out of control with 5 appetizers, and then we had a 12 pound turkey, 8 pound ham, macaroni and cheese, collard greens, green beans, rolls, apple cranberry pie, chocolate pie, and ice cream. We decided not to even cook the potatoes we had waiting. That's because, wait for it, this was for 4 adults and Noelle. Now Ellie can take down some food, but this meal was even too much for her! But it was a great day, and we were especially thankful that we didn't have to drive up or down 95, given the news of 6 plus mile back-ups at some of the tolls!

We thought we'd take this time to give a little thanks! First, having Noelle this past year has been amazing! We are so lucky that she is a healthy and happy little girl and love watching her grow! It isn't always easy with us both working long hours and not having our families around, but we have some great friends here (and afar) that have really supported us through the good and hard times over the past year. We are so lucky to have a few close friends who live nearby who we really love and trust. And of course we are thankful for our families! We wish we got to see you more, but love every second we get to spend together and perhaps distance makes the times we do get to spend together even more special! We are thankful for our new house and neighborhood. We have loved getting settled and feeling finally part of a community. And we are thankful for our little family of four (yup, Maddie will always be our first child!)



We truly thank God for all of his blessings and hope you have had a great Thanksgiving!

Decks Finally Done!

About a month ago we finally finished the deck project. My estimate: Over 100 man hours. Next time, we'll definitely be hiring someone!

Before


During


After

Storyville Part Deux

My mom came to visit this week for a day and a half before we headed to Philly for the Gidjunis Thanksgiving celebration. We spent Friday at Target (a thrill for my mom who lives an hour from the nearest Target) and then a visit to Storyville to show her the free fun for the little one. This time the grocery store was the big hit. This was the one area we didn't get to at all on our last visit, and now it will be our staple on future visits. Noelle loved filling her basket, weighing her goods, and operating the cash register. I told her she could continue to be amused by the cash register until after college, but then I hoped she would be a physicist or something more exciting! Here are some pictures of our little explorer!

Building:


Grocery shopping:






Three Little Pigs puppet show:




Reading with Grandmom in the playhouse:


Climbing through the log in the forest:




I still can't believe this place is free. And it has great books in each area which Noelle will love more and more the older she gets. We'll be back again soon!