JOY!!

Joy pretty much sums up how I feel about everything right now...my husband (most days...haha), Noell, G2, Katie, end of school year, moving into brand new school, and summer (most of it)!

I am going to start with Little Miss Noell.  I really don't know where to start, actually.  She has stolen my heart completely...I don't know how she can take more and more of it each day, but she manages to do it!  I love everything about this girl...her smiles, her giggles, her hugs and kisses, her energy, her love, her determination, her curiosity, her cuteness, and I could go on and on!  Here are just a couple stories over the past couple weeks that I will share:

• Tonight while getting ready for bed we were hanging out in momma and dada's room.  She snuggled up next to me and I started singing and she just snuggled, rubbing my hand, my arm, my belly, and just kept listening to me sing.  I was singing "this little light of mine" and started to tear up because she is just so perfect, the moment was just so perfect, and I can only hope that she allows her light and God's light to shine throughout her whole life!

• A night last week we were playing on our bed again and Mike was going to take Noell to put her to bed.  She said no and wanted to come back to me...so I took her.  She snuggled right up.  The minute Mike walked out the door, she turned to me and said, "Hi!"  It was so funny...Mike started laughing as he was still watching from the hallway...I guess she thinks that Mommy will let her get away with things...and little did she know, that I was then bringing her to bed!!!

• I have some lacing cards that use shoes laces.  Noell would put the lace through the hole and then I would pull it through.  She would then pull it back out while saying, "pull, pull."  Once the string would come out she would look at it with a confused look and say, "Huh??"  So funny!!!

• Last weekend we were getting ready to eat breakfast.  We usually give Noell her food first or at least some fruit to keep her happy until the main part of breakfast is ready.  Once we are all sitting down we will pray.  Well, Mike and I sat down and started eating our breakfast and Noell stuck out her hand like she wanted something.  So, I started handing her a couple things and each time she said, "No."  Then I gave her my hand.  She took it and reached her hand out to Mike.  She was letting us know that she was ready to pray....seriously melt my heart!  I must be doing something right!!!

• Noell has really started to do things like Momma and Dada.  She has to "clean" my ears and her ears after her bath, she takes her fingernail clipper out of the drawer and will pretend to clip her toenails and my toenails, brush her hair, her tooth brushing has been going great (she now stands on the stool in the bathroom), helps wipe with a wet-wipe when I change her diaper, and will sit on her Mickey Mouse toilet (doesn't go potty in the toilet yet...just on the floor next to it...haha)!

Clipping her toenails!

Clipping momma's toenails!

Cleaning her ears after she cleaned daddy's!

New Words / Phrases:  Pull, roll, throw, I Pee, 

Attempts to Say (getting better each time): Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, Pluto, Daisy

Interesting things about her words:  She likes to add the long e sound to the end of words.  Flowy- (flower), haty (hat), shoey (shoe), and of course I can't think of the others right now!

Newest Animal Sounds:  "OOO" for monkey, "roar" for lion and tiger, "Grr" very girly like for a bear

Things she loves right now:  her new pillow that we put in her crib to help her transition into her toddler bed this summer, her crayons and notebook, her little piano again, being outside doing anything, dancing, her new mickey mouse books!

Below are Noell's 18 month photos taken by the wonderful Kaylyn Halama KM/H Photography during her apple orchard sessions!

Okay, now on to G2!!!  Week 19 and....20!  Halfway done cookin'!!!

Growing Baby:  The size of a banana...10 1/2 ounces and about 6 1/2 inches long!  The baby is working on swallowing and making meconium, which is that sticky, black substance that becomes the first poop!  Looking forward to seeing that again...lol ;)

Memorable Moments: More and more movements!  I was a little worried about all of the packing and moving I was going to be doing to get ready for the big move into the new school...b/c I didn't feel Noell move for almost a week after we moved out of our apartment when I was pregnant with her.  This little one doesn't mind apparently because the moment I sit or take a little break, he/she is letting me know that they are doing just fine!  MIKE got to feel the baby.  The other night the baby was moving more than it had been and so he asked if I thought he could feel it...I didn't think so but we tried anyway.  The baby stopped moving right away when he put his hand on my stomach (little stinker).  Once it started moving again I didn't say anything and he asked if that was the baby, and it was!  So, very little but he felt him/her :)

I started working on cleaning out the office/toy room/extra closet space for me.  Wow, we have more "stuff" than I thought.  I have done a lot of re-organizing into different areas of the house (Noell's closet, hallway closet, living room), thrown a lot away, and selling/donating many things!  I have to get ready by the end of the summer because once the middle of August is here, and it will come way too soon this year, I will have no time to prepare then!

Cravings:  Not really anything!  Chocolate...but I always crave chocolate :)

Missing Anything:  Sleeping on my stomach!  Only five more months to go!

Changes:  Feeling B I G

Looking Forward To:  Our ultrasound on Thursday....so excited to finally see G2!!!!

Well, we have been busy at school.  We have been packing to get ready for the big move into the new building.  The students helped move today and they ROCKED!  It was so fun to see all of the kids, Kindergarten through high school help out.  They were tired but they kept moving along, carrying little things and sometimes heavy/big things..taking multiple trips back and forth!  So proud of the students and the staff who have all just been amazing!  Friday was our last student day, then we have two teacher work days, and then summer!!  Although my summer will be busy with classes that start tomorrow-Monday (blah), some trainings, and volleyball...and somewhere in there I am going to work on my PDP, relaxing, changing the office into a nursery, transitioning Noell into a toddler bed and possibly potty training, taking Noell to her FIRST GYMNASTICS class in EC (her and I will go together), and of course the MOST important is spending time with my loves enjoying the beautiful weather :)