Mr. Mischief

The new outfit says it all:

MISCHIEF IS MY BUSINESS
AND BUSINESS IS GOOD

(Thanks, Grammie!)

Mr. 18 Months

Hard to believe, isn't it?

We took our little man to the doctor on Monday (his 18-month day). He particularly liked running around the room with only his diaper on, stopping only to give Dr. Copeland his famous nose-scrunch-smile.

And for being so good with his shots (okay, to try to pry him off of the ceiling after), we let him have his very first candy: a green apple sucker. He loved it!

Here are his stats:

Weight: 25 lbs. 4 oz. (41st percentile)
Length: 32.75 inches (65th percentile)
Head circumference: 19.13 inches (73rd percentile)

Finally, SUN!

We've been stuck under this dang inversion (endless cloudy skies caused by foothills & cold air & other atmospheric stuff blah blah blah) for weeks (or years!) and finally....SUN. We'll soak it up while we can get it!

Kickin' It With My Dawg

Noah loves Mars.

(Mars puts up an act, like he's annoyed with Noah most of the time -
but we know that it's just an act. Deep down, he loves Noah right back.)

Okay, maybe deep, DEEP down...

Cuteness

Thanks, Becky & Rob, for the adorable outfit!

Noah's Chair

On January 10, Noah figured out how to climb into our brown chair all by himself. He loves sitting like a big boy in all of our chairs now, and he's claimed one as his. He'll sit and read, or play with his toys, or stand up to try to get a good response out of us (ha ha). His newest fav: as soon as Dave fixes his morning bowl of Rice Krispies with bananas, Noah runs & gets up on the couch (he's decided it's the appropriate spot to consume cereal. He doesn't eat anything else up there - just Rice Krispies.)

Oh - and that's Mars with Noah's backpack/leash on. Noah squeals whenever we try to use it (hates being constricted), so we thought he might think it was cool if the dog wore it first. Yeah, so maybe that didn't work...but Mars didn't mind it!

Ich Liebe Meine French Press

Man, we love our french press!

(For those of you without, you've got to go buy one. Like right now. The coffee made with a french press is far superior - it's true tastiness, my friends.)

We've had one for about 5 years & then I went & broke it in October. Took me 2 months to find another one exactly like the one we had (Bonjour Maximus, to be exact), but it's finally back. Hooray for good coffee!

Wait!

In all my excitement about recent events, I got ahead of myself & skipped over a few posts.
So backing up to the end of Christmas break...

Wii silliness (Dave & bro-in-law Mike trying to beat the ski jumping system); NoJo playing with cutie patootie Norah Thompson; Mars hangin' with Dad; Nudee Butt Jr. runnin' loose at the Jones farm (not pictured: Uncle Buck, Nudee Butt Sr., who got in on the game too!)

What Now?

We live in exciting times!

I'm allowing myself to be unabashedly optimistic right now -- while I know Obama is only a man, not a savior who can right our wrongs at will, I also know that he has awakened a spirit in many. Yesterday felt electric: the hope, the community of strangers, the collective opportunity to make a difference.

That's where the change must happen. In us. With us.

His inaugural speech said it well:
Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.

What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility...

How, then, shall we live?

A New Day

What an incredible day!

How amazing it was, to be a part of history in the making. Not that we were in DC (I haven't missed it as much as I did today) - but even as we sat together in our living room, watching the inauguration, I was struck by the enormity of it all. That years from now, I'll tell Noah about the day I played hooky from work to watch the culmination of so many people's dreams and sacrifices. Of how he was only 18 months old when it happened, but it changed his life and the lives of so many others. Forever.

I'll leave you with a few pictures/memories from today:

Noah this morning, looking at the crowd assembled on the National Mall - roughly 2 million strong. He clapped and cheered with the throng!

Noah this evening, listening to a performance at one of the inaugural balls. We both loved the Neighborhood Ball - the First Couple's first stop of the night. I'll never forget my slow dance with Noah as Beyonce' sang 'At Last' for President Obama and Michelle.

Mmm-Ba!

There are few people that Noah calls by name -
and Barack Obama is one of them.

Upon returning home from Christmas break, we discovered a gift for Noah: a Chicago Tribune from November 5, 2008 (the day after the election). Noah's Uncle RC & Auntie Jess live in Chicago & went to great lengths to get him this historic newspaper for his collection. (Thank you!)

The best part? When we showed it to Noah, he pointed and said, "O-bah!"

He's refined it a bit: he now says "Mmm-Ba!" every time he's sees the President.

Oh Boy, It's A Boy!

The Jones family is expanding, and Noah will soon have another cousin!

Dave's brother RC and his wife Jessica are expecting a boy in May. We are SO excited for them, and Noah is looking forward to getting into trouble with him! (It's inevitable - Jones boys are stuff of legend...)

See their blog here, or cute pics of them here.

CONGRATULATIONS, RC and Jessica!