Our 'Little' Project

The story of our easy-gone-wild weekend project:

For awhile now, Dave & I have been talking about putting tree/shrubs along our back fence, to give us some lovely greenery & mitigate noise from passing cars. Yesterday, we jumped right in with both feet & purchased 24 (yes, 24!) arbor vitaes from Costco.

Our plan: to plant them on the top of the burm that runs along the fence. Here is Dave when we were just getting started (notice that he's still smiling):
And here's what we didn't reckon for: you can't plant a tree on a slope.

Yikes! You can imagine the looks on our faces when we figured out that we would have to level the entire top of the 10-foot deep, 60-foot long burm.

But never fear: Dave & I refused to quit! Here is what it looked like after the first tree went in:

And halfway done:

And finally, roughly 12 hours later, the last tree went in!
For the record: I helped (I worked on the irrigation trench), but my husband did almost all of the work. (Thank you, Love!)

A triumphant Dave!
And since it was just about dark by the time he finished tonight, I'll have to post a better 'finished!' picture later. It looks so good!

More Silliness

Today, Noah & I had a great time playing on both sides of the sliding glass door. We left lots of face-prints! (You'll have to excuse the dirty glass & the flash - these were too good not to post!)

Silliness

Playing around with the handle part of his Tupperware sippy cup...

14 Months Old!

Noah turned 14 months old on Friday the 26th. He loves spending time in his 'reading corner'!

Another Clue

A few of you have responded that the last hint was too obscure. This should make it easier for you to guess what Noah is going to be for Halloween!

Welcome, Fall!

We absolutely love the September we're having this year! Crisp mornings/evenings & beautifully sunny days in the high 70s/low 80s. Perfect weather for evening walks! We take one every night now. And Thursday is 'treat night' - we meander over to the Maverik to buy small tasties!

Kisses

Another first: Noah gave me kisses on the cheek this morning as I was saying goodbye to him before I left for work. The fun part: he was in the middle of breakfast, so I found a little bit of schmutz on my cheek while sitting in a morning meeting!

Ma ma ma

So it's official: I heard Noah say it. Family members & friends have heard him say "ma ma" before, but I've never caught it. Until last night! Noah was chatting it up in the bath, and kept "ma ma ma"ing over and over. It's very likely that he has no idea that that's me, but who cares?! It was cute anyway!

Sneak Peek

Coming soon, the cutest little trick-or-treater...

Noah tried on his Halloween costume today to make sure it fits. And it's adorable! (Thanks, Grammie!) But of course, we couldn't show you the whole thing...it would ruin the surprise!

He loves wearing it, and loved playing with the tag even more.
Can you guess what he'll be?

Play time

Noah loves playing with his tractor! (And don't knock the bright green socks - they're warm!)

Whoa, Partner!

Dave decided to put Noah in the baby sling we used to use - man, that kid has grown! (And acquired a cute cowboy hat!)

Nice Work, Daddy

Dave mowed the lawn last Sunday & Noah supervised!

Hello?

This kid loves the phone!

Brusha Brusha Brusha!

"When I'm brushing my teeth, I have so much fun; but I never let the water run. No, I never let the water run!" (You gotta love Barney & his catcy little tunes...)

Noah's 1st teeth brushing on 9.12.08!

Yes, he has 12 teeth & we probably should have done this before now...but oh well!

Riding with Mars

Remember the $5 bike trailer I told you about? Here are the boys, getting ready for a ride! (It didn't end up working out too well - Noah kept giggling & pulling Marley's whiskers, so Mars kept wanting to bail out. It was worth a try!)

Summer Pictures

I have to back up & share some pictures from earlier this summer - I just got them off of Dave's Mom's camera. They're from late June, when Noah's Uncle Buck flew in from Chicago & we all spent a long weekend on Dave's family's farm.

(From top: Noah's 1st 4-wheeler ride; beautiful Jennifer & baby Olivia; playing with Uncle Buck; 1st time crawling on grass; Dave & his cousin Michael with their boys; a 10-gallon hat; learning to share with cousin Casey.)

And this is "Crochit" - a Jones family-invented game that involves a traditional croquet set, but is far more fast-paced (& dangerous!) You only use 1 ball, & the goal is for your team to hit your end post with the ball. You can do whatever you have to do to get the ball away from the other team. It usually involves a great deal of bruising, but it's fun!

9/11

And so we remember...

Every year on this day, I spend time reading stories. Stories of close calls, of loved ones lost, of the shock that resonated around our world. I don't want to forget.

But I also want to start focusing on the rebuilding, on my response.

I found this in a comment from the Ask Moxie blog. It's from Mariane Pearl (wife of Daniel Pearl): "about hope and the necessity of proving to our kids that their world is full of hope. We can't just say it, she said, because they know when we're lying. We have to prove it, by creating it ourselves. In whatever way we can, big or small, anywhere. Mariane Pearl said this not in forgiveness, but in anger - she isn't about playing nice, she's about beating terrorism where it lives... and hope is the one thing no terrorist truly has, so filling the world with hope is her truest revenge, as well."

Honestly, I don't think much about 9/11 anymore. But today, I'm trying to work this all through in my head - how to live in hope, how to honor the lives lost, how to teach Noah about that day. What does all of this mean for me, for us?

How, then, shall we live?

My Little Ringbearer

A pic from my sister's 8.8.08 wedding: Master Noah, in his ringbearer duds (crisp white shirt, black pants, vest & red bow tie!) on the way up the aisle in the red Radio Flyer. I think Jackson, the other ring bearer, was attempting to push Noah out of the wagon at this point...but they did well! As did the flower girls, both 2 years old. The kids were amazing!

Noah didn't make it through the entire ceremony - Dave walked him around & took him up to the balcony to hear the songs (me & my sisters, and my Dad, all sang). It was a beautiful wedding!

Thanks, Becky, for the great picture!

Moxie

(I've been meaning to share this for awhile, but keep forgetting...)

I love the Ask Moxie blog. She posts really good questions, has great (and often hilarious!) thoughts to share, and the insight of other parents shared in the 'Comments' section is as good, or better, than the original posting.

I've read lots of great ideas & have reconsidered many of my own as a result. Check it out!

The Fair!

Last weekend, Noah visited the Twin Falls County Fair for the 2nd time (the 1st: 1 mo. old). We had a great time! There's nothing like good fair food: Mr. B's ice cream, corn dogs, navajo tacos, scones with fresh berries & cream, lemonade, caramel apples...

Noah enjoyed the petting zoo, but his favorite part, by far, was the rides! We tried the carousel first: he was very serious, but seemed to like it just fine. Then Dave decided to put Noah on the cars...by himself. I almost had a heart attack (I was so afraid he would decide to stand up after the ride got going, & we would be unable to save him from the other side of the fence...)

But of course, he loved it! (Especially the pink & purple car Dave picked out for him.) Once he picked up a cute red-headed chick, he was cruisin'. He didn't want to get out! And when we put him back on the carousel, all he wanted to do was ride the cars again. The next time around, he figured out the dashboard & the horn!

Updates...

To catch you up on all that's been happening for the past month:

- At 12 months, Noah had 12 teeth, including 2 molars! He's adding to the number daily, it seems...but even with a mouth full of them, I still can't get a good picture.

-We bought a used Burley bike trailer for only $5!!! at a garage sale & have had lots of fun using it. Dave even got Mars to ride in it with Noah one time - they were so cute!

- Noah did a great job as ring bearer in Heather's wedding on 8/8. I was too busy matron-of-honoring to get any pictures so I'll steal some from her & post them later.

- Dave called me at work on 8/28: Noah stood up! All of a sudden & all by himself (without holding on to anything). He stood up, looked around awhile, & sat back down. He's getting really close to walking on his own. (No rush, I say!)

- Babies for Barack: I taped the DNC so I could watch Obama's speech after putting Noah to bed. Dave turned it on the other day & Noah clapped when Barack came on stage. My little political baby!

- For the last week, Noah has been a pointing fool. He points at everything now, but especially things above his head. He's discovered the sky! And his new favorite: planes. When he hears them, he starts pointing...and when he spots them, he cheers!

Sweet Baby James

My husband kicks a%#! For my first mother's day, he surprised me with 3rd row tickets to see James Taylor and his Band of Legends at the outdoor USANA Amphitheater in Salt Lake on August 4.

It was probably the most AMAZING concert I've ever been to - the weather was perfect, the crowd so laid back & fun, and JT enjoyed himself immensely. So did we!

They performed songs from his new album Covers -but my favorite was their rendition of Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin' from Rodgers & Hammerstein's Oklahoma (it's not on the CD).

Here's a picture that someone took with their cameraphone that evening - though they were sitting about 10 rows behind us. We were so close, we could hear him speak without the microphone!

Thanks SO much, my Love. What an amazing gift!

Our Little Man

While on a walk the other day, Dave & I shared the things we love about Noah & the little man he has become this year. Here are excerpts:

Noah is inquisitive. He is super curious about everything - about why it is & how it works. He always turns new toys & objects over to inspect them & figure them out.

He learns quickly - show him something once or twice & he's got it down. (This is particularly unfortunate if you don't want him to know how you open the door or take off the cap to your water bottle!) He seems to have the mind of an engineer.

Noah is busy! He has two speeds: fast-forward & asleep. He crawls like lightning & rushes from one thing to the next - he's got too much to do to slow down. He goes, and goes, and goes!

This kid is fearless! (Which scares his mom to pieces!) Noah would crawl right off the edge of the bed, or the stairs, if we let him. He is adventurous & isn't plagued by anxiety or caution. He's a free spirit!

Noah is friendly. He gives smiles freely & loves to interact with others. (On a flight to Chicago at 5 months old, he tried to make eye contact with everyone!) And he is good natured, even when he's teething & not feeling too well.

Though he hasn't ever been particularly cuddly, he has started to be more lovey - he give us little hugs & puts his head on us for brief moments before dashing off. I'll take it!

And thinking ahead to the next year, we wish/pray for him to be a comfort to people (Noah means "refuge" or "rest"). I hope he will have a gentle spirit like Dave, & the ability to understand & encourage others. I pray that he'll be the kind one on the playground - the child that seeks to include those that get left out. And goodness, we wish him safety & maybe at least an ounce of caution!

Happy First Year, Noah David Jones. We love you!