Check-up time at the Dentist!

          In the waiting room, playing the Incredibles game. Or, at least attempting to play it.

 Noah getting his 1st X-rays. I think last time he was too little.

Noah is ready to show the dentist his pearly whites!

Ethan being such a big boy and letting the dentist clean his teeth. Toothpaste of choice? Chocolate!

Noah picking out his "prize" for being a "good" patient. 

Ethan and Noah had their 6 month checkups with their pediatric dentist, Dr. Cruz at Little Smiles in Palm Coast. Ethan is a pro by now and knows what to expect. He's not overly thrilled with going but knows that at the end he will get to pick a prize, so he's willing to make the sacrifice. Noah went in for his 2nd appointment and got to do X-rays this time. He was very cooperative! Amazing what a boy will do for a cute dental assistant! Noah was all gung-ho for his exam and watching Toy Story...until it was time to get down to business. Then he decided it wasn't really worth a prize at all. But, he let mommy convince him (hold him) while he voiced his objections. The dentist worked quickly and efficiently and it was all done in a flash! Another successful dental visit down with no cavities! Yay!

The Seven Levels of WHY?!

Today me and my little cutie, Noah, were having a coffee date at the Target Starbucks. I wanted to walk around but he wanted to sit at a table and chat. I was happy to sit down and have some time to talk with my little guy. Although, I must admit,  right away the vision I had in my head is us sipping our drinks, talking about our day, our lives, our hopes and dreams. (Hey! Stop laughing! A mommy can dream!) Instead our conversation went a little bit like this....

Me: "Hey, look, Noah! They are cleaning our window!"

Noah: "Why?"

Me: "Well, they want to take all the dirt off and make it sparkle!"

Noah: "Why?"

Me: "The wind flies the dirt into the window and makes it hard to see out."

Noah: "But, why?"

Me :"It just does. Oh, nevermind."

Noah: "Why, Mommy, why?" with a pleading look in his eyes.

Me: "Why don't we just go look around. We can look at toys!"

Noah: "OK!"

And, I think,  as we get up from the table, that Buddy the Elf may have had to walk through the seven levels of candy cane forest to get to NYC  but I have to go through the seven levels of why several times a day! Sure, it wasn't seven but it sure seemed like it! All the WHYs  do have to make you laugh though. It's a cute stage and they all go through it. And, wouldn't we worry if our 3 yr olds weren't wondering why everything is the way it is?

Noah's a potty pro...and cons

Potty training Noah went much quicker and easier than I expected. He is such a stubborn little one that I fully expected it would take at least 6 mos! I am sure there will be an accident once in awhile but it is so nice to only have to buy pull-ups every 3 weeks or so for quiet time and bedtime. Cha-ching! This is a win-win situation, right? Well, yes, mostly. However, believe it or not,  there are a few cons to having a newly trained toddler. They are as follows:

1. Being mentally scarred by the site of the disgustingly dirty underside of the public toilet. Some of these I would have paid money to never have seen. There are some things you can't ever unsee, no matter how quickly you scoot your little darling to another toilet.

2. Taking advantage of your little one's desire to be all alone in the stall by himself, you decide to take a potty break yourself only to have your little darling ask you in his loudest voice possible for all to hear "Mommy, are you going poo poo or pee pee?!"

3. It taking a little over an hour to get somewhere that is less than 30 minutes away because your little darling needs "go poo poo right now!" about 3 different times. No, he never went.

4. And, the last one isn't really a con because it's pretty cute. EVERY time he goes in a public restroom he screams "I DID IT!!!!!"

All joking aside, I am so proud of my little guy, Noah. My last one to potty train. He is such a big boy now. We're definitely at the end of the baby era in our house. It has me a little sad and nostalgic but I am excited at all the things to come!

New Years Eve 2010 in St. Augustine, FL

We began our afternoon in St. Augustine at S.W.I.N.G. park. One of the boys' favorite places to play!

 Next, we stopped by Kilwin's for a treat for the boys! Superman ice cream, of course! It was their daddy's favorite growing up when he used to visit Kilwin's in Harbor Springs, MI (Northern Michigan) where Kilwin's began. My hubby was so happy to see a childhood favorite come to St. Augustine. So, we like to stop there for a treat or something to drink when we visit downtown St. Aug.

Noah looking out over the water with Daddy, watching the boats 

and hoping to see a dolphin!

Laying on the wall outside the Castillo de San Marcos  
watching the water crash onto the rocks.

We watched a reenactment of cannon shooting into the Intracoastal. However, this time it was bread they were shooting instead of cannon balls. After the loud event was over, Ethan and Noah did a little role play themselves.

 Me and my cuties at the top of the Castillo de San Marcos!

Looking down into the courtyard of the Castillo de San Marcos.

 A view inside soldiers' barracks.

We wanted to do something fun and relaxing on the afternoon of  New Year's Eve so we headed to our favorite local city, St. Augustine. We let the boys play at the park,  took them for a treat and then headed down St. George street. We heard them setting off the cannons at the Castillo, so we headed in that direction. We had not visited the Castillo de San Marcos since the boys were born! So, since we are pretty much stroller free now, we thought it was the perfect time! The boys loved every minute of it! We really had a wonderful last day of 2010!

New Year's Hopes and Dreams 2011

New Year's Hopes and Dreams

1. Be more fit, thin and beautiful! (Working out and eating healthier..isn't this a standard on most lists?)
2. Be more patient with my boys.
3. Have a financially prosperous year. (Maybe even win The Lotto?)
4. Travel and explore to more places we live within driving distance.
5. Keep making time for myself. Happy me = happy wife and mother!
6. That me, my family and friends all have a healthy and prosperous year. 
7. Archive memories (scrapbook and blog) on a regular basis! Gotta preserve those memories for the boys. I sure hope they appreciate it when they get older ;)

That's all I can think of for now!

2010 Christmas Photo Cards & one cute and crafty one!

 This adorable card was made by my friend of 28 yrs, Kate! She's so crafty!

Jill, Logan, Evan and Milo Lively family (top)

Beth, Lucas, Luis and baby-to-be Gonzalez family (bottom)

 

Robert, Christine, Harrison and Brooks Lyons family  (top)

The Eiswerth family (bottom) 

 The Murphy family (top)

Dale, Marcie, Katherine, Amber and Nathan Metzinger family (bottom)

 My cousin, Andrea's, adorable kids (top left)

The Chafin family (top right)

Dear longtime family friend, Vana's,  grandson (bottom)

Karl, Naomi, Anna and David Jones family (top)

The Bellanger family (bottom)

 

Scott, Kimberly and Emma Kelley family (top)

My friend, Mary, and her children with their families (bottom) 

The Turner family (top left)

The Frolich family (top right)

The Leighty family (bottom)

 The Gammel Family children

Usually every year I scrapbook all the photo cards that I get. But, this year there were way too many! So, I will just scrapbook a page with a pocket and tuck them all in for safekeeping since I have this handy little blog to archive them! We got a lot of wonderful cards and I love getting pictures of families or handmade cards like the one Kate made. It makes them all the more unique and special!