Date night!

FINALLY! It has been a while since we were able to go out for dinner and we tried this restaurant in Mt. Pleasant that we had never been to - amazing italian! (I can't remember the name of the place though). I think this is the first date that we've been on where I haven't had Noa on my mind the whole time. It was nice just to hang out with Russ!

Then, the other night, as we were decorating the Christmas tree, I remembered that we had left-over cranberries in the fridge and we decided to string them. When I was growing up, we used to string popcorn every year and Russ had never done it. I'm so glad he played along - it all looks great on our tree! And Noa slept the whole time!

Judah came to visit again!

Joey, Nikki, and Judah came all the way from Florida to hang out with us over Thanksgiving. We were so glad they came! I'm beginning to notice that they have all the really cute pictures on their camera...



Look how happy the girl is!!

Climb any Mountain...

Yes, that's the stage we're in right now. Noa goes from one thing to the next trying to climb it. I get so much joy out of watching her accomplish her task (again and again) and feel the same overwhelming pride that she does when she "reaches the top." I just know this girl is going to be walking soon!! Does someone want to come and chase her for a day to give me a break? :)




(Side note: Disregard the little Diet Pepsi addiction that is evident in this photo.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today I started getting the house ready for Joey, Nikki, & Judah to come visit. I couldn't be more excited to spend quality time with family and friends. I love preparing for the holidays. I've been planning the big thanksgiving meal (which I'm taking on this year!) and as I've been chopping up celery, cubing bread, and figuring out which pans to use, my thoughts turn to years past. Russ and I have so many things to be thankful for - most importantly our Savior, Jesus Christ. May you & yours experience his love and be blessed this Thanksgiving!

There's a chill in the air!

We decided to walk down to Ivana & Evie's house to drop something off and we were chilled to the bone by the time we got there (only took about a minute and a half). Winter's on the way! Thankfully, Evie let Noa borrow her hat and blanket since Mommy was a little unprepared for how cold it actually was. Definitely going to have to buy some warmer things for our trip to Michigan after Christmas... Look at how sweet this girl is!

Room Service Please!

The week before last Russ had a class he was taking in Charlotte, so Noa and I decided to live it up while he was working away. This girl LOVED crawling all over the king size bed!

We brought her pack 'n play, but somehow she ended up in our bed. I made the bed all around her and she didn't even wake up! Every once in a while when I look at a picture like this, I'm just amazed how small she is. Like, she's not even as long as one of those pillows on the bed. Weird. What a precious season. :)

On a different note... One of Noa's favorite things to do is dangle things. We don't really know what this is all about, but we always catch her with both arms up, dangling something in the air (which had just fallen to the ground when I snapped this picture). She is extremely focused when she does it, and I'm beginning to think that she might be just like her Daddy with the whole focus thing (which happens to be his superpower). This incredible ability to block out anything and focus can be used for good OR evil (you know what I mean if you know Russ). Anyway, I'm not sure why, but I love when she dangles - it always makes me laugh...

Cup of Joe

Noa and I both love mornings. If you want to see this girl at her best, take the morning shift and let us sleep in! :) Anyway, everyday we laugh and giggle and talk about all sorts of things. No, not politics or the economy... important things like diapers, bottles, spit-up, our favorite colors, Daddy... On Sundays we get to share our morning "cup of joe" as we're riding to church. Noa is almost able to hold her bottle by herself - what a big girl!!!