Yo Grabber Grabber

Noel's new favorite show is Yo Gabba Gabba. His new name should be Yo Grabber Grabber. No matter how well I think I have put things far out of his reach, he seems to be able to easily grab them. Tonight was no different. I intentionally moved Chase's new shampoo out of the tub and onto the back of the toilet thinking Noel wouldn't really notice. I am so delusional. I was straightening up the bedroom just outside the door when I smelled the strong aroma of Mango. The brand new bottle of Woody's Giddy Up and Go Mango Shampoo had been dumped into Noel's bath. I was wildly frustrated, but ultimately could only laugh, and take pictures.


Say Shampoo!

You can't stay mad at this face!

Turbulent, Terrific Tuesday

Today my firstborn turns 9. How on Earth can it be nine years ago that they placed that tiny bundle in my arms? I had only intended to drop off his requested cookie cake to be served for desert at lunch. Last night, however, I was shocked when Chase was quite affronted that I was not going to be there to serve his birthday cake. He then accused me of never coming to school for his birthday. (Last year, I not only came to school, I came dressed as a tiger in my University's mascot outfit). So, even though he is likely to forget it, I did indeed eat lunch with him at school, serve his cookie cake, and then checked him out early to spend one on one time to boot. That was the the terrifice part.

The turbulent part was mainly the morning. Noel and I walked Chase in to school, because I wanted to make sure the cake was there in case something came up at work. I caught up with Chase's teacher in the hallway and chatted with her for awhile about Chase's schoolwork. I thought Noel had walked into the classroom with Chase. A few minutes later Chase and his classmates filed out of the room with no Noelly. A brief moment of panic led to him being found in the computer lab using copious amounts of hand sanitizer. Then as we made our way to the office we turned around to avoid a traffic jam only to be right smack dab in another.

By the time we got to daycare, Noel had made a stinky. I went to change him and then made him go ahead and peepee in the potty. The operative word being made him. At daycare they sit down to do all their business, so to be consistent I sat him on the potty. Well, let's just say things weren't pointed in the right direction and he soaked his shorts, socks, and the floor. I really think he wanted to tell me, " I told you so", but he doesn't quite have the smart alec vocabulary down pat.

I am going to have to watch that one though. He did not eat enough supper to get leftover cookie cake, but his naieve mother left the cake on the counter. I walked into the kitchen to find him licking icing off his fingers. I closed the container and told him he could not have any then went back out of the kitchen. The second time I returned to the kitchen he had a handful of icing. I moved the cake completely, but also started cleaning off the table and mess from dinner. After he licked the icing off his hand, he came up behind me and tried to push me out of the kitchen saying "leave" and looking to where the cake had been.

Just another day in the life of a mom and her two fun sons!

Chasecation

When Chris and I arrived home from our anniversary trip, Chase informed me very bluntly that he and Noel needed a vacation too. When I asked him what he had in mind he said, "I don't know. Six Flags or a trip to Granny's." Boy was I relieved, because if you know Chase he could have just as easily requested Tahiti or a Round the World cruise.

After looking at, what turns out to be a quickly vanishing summer calendar, the 2 fun sons and I headed up to Charlotte to see my mother for "their" vacation. I was super anxious about sticking Noel in the car for a 3+ hour road trip with only Chase to assist, but he actually was way more patient than Chase. In fact our only mishap was when we took a pit stop at one of the peach houses in South Carolina. I was making a b-line for the restroom when I glanced down to see that Noel had just helped himself to one of the peaches for sale as we walked by.

Saturday Chase, my brother, Rus, and I headed for Carowinds for amusement park fun. I don't think I have ever been so hot in my life. Chase was tired and whiny, and Rus was well, Rus. He and Chase really butt heads because not only do they look alike but...well, you get the idea. So all in all, not a super "d" duper kind of day. We had, however, bought 2 day tickets. I could honestly not face going back the next day so a new plan was formulated that included Noel's first trip to an amusement part on Monday.

He was only mildly impressed by the Merry-go-round, the Choo-Choo train, and all the other rides for the kiddos, but his reaction to the water park made everything worthwhile. He could have literally stayed in the 4 inch pool with it's variety of water squirting mechanisms forever. I have never seen such a content child in my whole life. He would leap, as though jumping from a high dive, into that for inch water over and over, and never tired of running through the same little water splasher.

That evening while we were putting dinner on the table Noel looked at Chase, and with as much conviction and seriousness as he could muster declared, " You'll never get elected!" The things he comes up with! We all cracked up so it has become his latest catch phrase.

Chase's vacation or Chasecation as I like to call it, continued as he convinced me to stay on at Granny's the rest of the week while Noel and I made our way home. True to form, Noel did great on the ride home too, for the most part, and has quite enjoyed being the only child at home for a while.

You are likely asking yourself why I have no pictures to go along with this post and Noel's first amusement park trip. Well, in my glamorous Puerto Rico post, I neglected to mention my brain went on a major vacation the last day of our trip and I left my purse in the resort parking lot!!! Long story and about an hour's worth of sickening panic later had me with purse (and wallet with all important contents in tact) in hand but the camera long gone. That is why there were no pictures of Old San Juan in the other post. Oh well, that wasn't the worst thing that could have happend. Hopefully, we will get a new camera soon and I will do a better job of blogging on the joys of 2 Fun Sons!

The Enchanted Isle

That is what they call Puerto Rico, and how could I disagree? Puerto Rico truly has it all big city, tons of history, mountains, and gorgeous beaches! We were lucky to celebrate our 10 year anniversary trip here.

We splurged on renting a Jeep while there, and that was the best thing we could have done. We plugged in beaches to the GPS and hit the road.

The one lane road, that is, for the most part. The views were gorgeous and the beaches mostly empty.

Not that we weren't tempted to stay at our amazing resort pictured here from the water taxi.

Old San Juan was neat, but touristy. We toured one of the two large forts there and the History nerd in me really enjoyed that.

We had a blast at the Bacardi distillery and sampled some of their fine products!

This was the view from our balcony.

We had the trip of a lifetime and I am so thankful my mom came to stay with the boys. After 10 years and 2 kids, it was great to spend some quality time with my "boyfriend". We have been home for a couple of weeks and the children are beginning to come off their Granny induced sugar high. Chase informed me I had to take him on a vacation, and when I asked where he wanted to go he said I don't know, Six Flags. I think we can swing that.

My 2 and a half month absence, explained

I can honestly say that the past two and a half months have been, perhaps, the busiest for our family yet. We have celebrated a wedding, a First Communion, the end of Chase's 2nd grade year, Mother's Day, Noel's adoption day, 6 birthdays, and our anniversary. Oh, and we took a weekend trip to the Aquarium in Atlanta. Without further adieu, here are some photo highlights.








Noel really enjoyed the Olympic Park Fountain.
Both boys loved the Aquarium, which was a surprise for Chase to celebrate the end of his school year.

They also enjoyed staying in the "big" city in the Hyatt.

Chase was on the honor roll and was given the "Excellent Infering" award in his class.

Noel very much enjoyed his A-day cupcake I brought to his daycare class. We has a dinosaur themed adoption day party. Which was overshadowed by Chase recieving his first set of stitches. He cut his finger while trying to make a dinosaur costume out of cardboard for the party.

He has a wonderful 1st Communion and was able to celebrate with two of his besties, Patrick and Christopher.


I have lots more to report and once I get my hands on some of Chris' sister's wedding pictures I will devote an entire post to that.

The Easter Bunny is Dead

This past Easter weekend began with us missing Holy Thursday Mass due to soccer, and ended with Chase finding out the 'truth' about the Easter bunny. Here's what happened in between.

Chase had his monthly eye therapy appointment in Marietta on Friday morning and I had planned to take him to see How to Tame Your Dragon as a treat. Chris suggested we meet up to see it and that started the domino effect that resulted in our not only missing the movie but Mass that evening as well. It is a long, frustrating story, that also resulted in Chase seeing the Easter basket goodies in the van without me knowing.

As it turns out, it was likely a blessing we missed church because Chase's complained of a tummy ache right before bed, and woke up in the middle of the night vomiting. This changed all our Easter plans including the most important, Mass. Chris needed to make an announcement at our church so that meant I would go to the 2 hour and 45 minute vigil on Saturday night putting me home, exhausted, at 11:00.

Here is where things start to go really wrong, and I made the fatal errors that lead to the loss of the Easter bunny. First, I use the same candy in the baskets as the eggs. Second I use some extra candy we had in the candy bowl because they honestly don't usually pay that much attention, and we decided to hide more eggs than usual since we weren't attending the family egg hunt. Third, we decide that rather than get up at the crack of dawn to hide the eggs we will wait and do it in the afternoon, again because we don't plan to go anywhere, but I write the bunny a note to leave the eggs for us to hide later.




Here are the innocent looking baskets that lead to the discovery.

Noel is quite pleased with his basket, especially the jelly beans!

Here is Chase saying, "I saw this in the van. Mom, do you make our baskets?" I figure I am busted at this point and so I just confess. That yes, I make the baskets but the Bunny d0es the eggs, and this year instead of hiding them we asked him just to leave them and we would hide them later. He is not impressed, but grudgingly accepts it.

This photo is taken right before Chase puts two and two together after finding the same gummies that were in his basket and some obscure candy that only he knew we had in our candy bowl. He angrily asked if I was the Easter bunny, and because I am a terrible liar, and well he is 8 years old, I gently say yes. He sat down in yard and cried, we sat down in the yard and cried.

Later on, we decided to take in How to Tame Your Dragon and this time we made it. Noel loved it and sat riveted the entire time. Chase told all his grandparents he knows the truth. And, well, I have recovered from the tragedy as best I can, and am working on keeping Jolly Ol' Saint Nick alive and well.

It's a Pity(riasis)

I currently have a harmless, but most unattractive skin condition called Pityriasis Rosea. I look like I have a cross between poison ivy and a bad case of Chicken Pox. Being the overachiever that I am, I have an atypical case because unlike normal strains mine is on my face, below my knees and on my hands. While I never considered myself a vain person, but this little predicament, which can last up to 16 weeks in some cases, has really made me question that. I am trying not to have self pity (get it), but I am a bridesmaid in my sister- in- law's wedding next month and I so don't want to look like a leper. Anyhoo, I said all that not to whine, but to convey the following about my dear oldest who is getting into the "embarrassed of my parents" stage.

Chase has been monitoring my condition closely and everyday greets me with a grimace and informs me I have more spots. The other day he was quite taken aback to see I had spots on my face. He actually asked if I knew I had spots on my face now, which oddly enough I did. The look on his face was pure mortification and he asked, "How long does this last again?" I told him it could last up to several months. I asked him if he was embarrassed by me and his sweet, priceless response was, "not on purpose". Now he will just walk by and shake his head and mutter "more spots".

The good news is Noel remains oblivious to the fact his mother needs a Bur'qua. He is content to walk around chanting, "Licka Licka Loo Loo". Don't bother asking, we have no idea where he picked this up. I asked his teacher and she said she was wondering if it was something we said at home, ummm no. He says it all the time! He has also taken to adding the 'y' sound to the end of every word. For instance he asks for "juicy" or "milky". He is very two these days and doesn't hesitate to express his opinions, but then he smiles that incredible smile and you just have to kiss him. And when you do, he giggles and says, "Licka Licka Loo Loo."

The Sacrifices of Lent

Again no pictures, but in the famous words of Chase, "it's not my fault." Our laptop is on the fritz so Chris pulled all the pictures to an external hard drive. Great if the laptop does indeed crash, but bad for my blogging which is already lagging way behind.
Speaking of Chase, this year, becasue he is making his first Communion, we have really encouraged him to give up something for Lent. I decided to give up diet soda which is a pretty big deal for me. Chris hasn't decided yet, but Chase after weighing several options has decided to abstain from soup. Yes, that was his much deliberated choice, and I honestly don't believe he chose it to be funny. He really thought long and hard about his decision. We both agreed candy wasn't a good choice because there was so much in the house from Valentine's, so his next choice was soup, and yes, he really enjoys soup though we don't eat it that terribly often.
After boldly embracing soup as the thing to give up, he then said, "now how long will this last?" I told him 40 days to which he made a horrified face and said, "I might really want some chicken noodle before then." The sacrifices we make...

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

I know I am way overdue for lots of photos and updates, but I had to share this quickie before I forget it. Last night as I was cooking dinner, Chase was trying to get a VERY grouchy Noel to sit on the couch with him. At one point Chase says, "Noel, I have to tell you something very important. I am your brother. Since I am your brother, I think you should treat me with the respect I deserve." In response Noel probably either hit, kicked, or pulled Chase's hair and the chaos resumed.

Taking a Stand

I do not consider myself a political person. Don't get me wrong, I vote, but I do it because too many have fought and died to make sure I have that right rather than my real interest in the political process. However, last Friday the entire family took part in what, I have to say, was one of the most powerful things I have ever done, the annual Together for Life rally at the State Capitol. The rally marks the anniversary of the passing of Roe vs. Wade, and begins with a gathering on the Capitol steps and ends with a one mile silent walk through downtown Atlanta.

Our family had a very special role in the program. Because of Noel's involvement in the Face of Personhood contest one of the directors at Georgia Right to Life asked if we would be interested in participating on stage and beginning the march. Our portion of the program involved representing our birth year since Roe was passed by holding a sign with an abortion statistic as the information was read. I represented 1976, Chase 2001, and Noel 2007 (Chris got to carry Noel). I was so proud of my boys! And a little anxious as you can see below.(Chase was somewhat unsupervised)

The experience was moving and reinforced so much what a miracle Noel is. He is literally one in a million that was adopted and not aborted. And while the media did not find this event, that drew thousands to walk silently through the middle of a major American city, worthy of their coverage, I felt as though we were making a difference. Choose Life!

Wordless Wednesday

Our big Snow Day January 7, 2010

Toys!!!

That was Noel's one word response to the haul under the tree Christmas morning. We had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. All Chase wanted from Santa was a drum set and Star Wars Legos. He said he would know Santa was real if he brought him a drum set because there was no way his parents would get him that. (Truer words have ne'er been spoken.) Fortunately for all involved, my Grandmother came through with the drums, and Santa with the Legos.

Noel is now the head chef at Elmo's Restaraunt Kitchen thanks to the Jolly Old Elf, and by the end of the evening he actually said no when asked if he wanted to open more presents. He is now officially 2, and, well, he acts like it. We hear a lot of "mine" and "no" at our house. We made an effort to recognize Noel's birthday but are still trying to have the big celebration centered around "A-Day".

We rang in the New Year with some great friends playing The Newlywed Game. We had all been married at least 9 and a half years, so it was quire entertaining. Chris and I came in a respectable 3rd place. And while this post is belated, like most of mine are these days, happy, happy New Year to you!