A 1-girl band

Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

A Messy, ooey-gooey kind of day

Oodles and oodles of noodles.
Get ready, get set--
Go!!Yipee! Mama's joining in on the fun.>
Hmmm, I think things are about to get interesting.
Squishy.....
Icky.....
Ooooh this feels funny!After a phone conversation with my good friend about how I've never done fingerpaint with the Noodle, I was feeling a big guilty. I don't particularly like to get messy so consequently, I don't encourage those types of activities. However...she is a toddler so...I decided to break out the playdoh (we do do this quite frequently), the shaving cream and once J got home, the pumpkin carving tools. I'm not quite as adventurous as one of the moms we traveled with who used shaving cream on their backyard playset, but it was certainly time to introduce the C.N. to the world of messy fun. She certainly enjoyed it too. Perhaps this will have to become an every week occurrence, like it was in my classroom...we'll see.

Fall fun

Music Together

As I have said earlier, the Noodle loves most things related to music. I had heard about a program called Music Together through our early childhood PTA and decided to go to a demo class last Spring. We had such a good time and after doing a little more research, decided that this would be a great opportunity to help the Noodle develop her musical skills (and brush up on mine in the process). Every week we get to sing, dance, play instruments and experience a variety of genres of music, all the while having fun. It has been a great opportunity. Ironically, another added benefit is that 2 of the other moms have also experienced the joy of adoption (the instructor and 1 other). It is refreshing to go somewhere where children don't always look like the spitting images of their parents!

Busy weekend

J and I tapped into our "inner Martha" to come up with the centerpieces and my sister-in-law did the favors (2 fall bulbs to be planted in honor of the couple).
The Bride-to-be with a place setting of her china.
Dorothy with her little dog Toto
Notice the other Dorothy in the background?


We've had a busy weekend and are still battling a cough/runny nose. At least the 3 and under crowd has remained fever-free (can't say as much for the older male in the house). Friday we went to a Halloween party at our local Y*CA and Saturday I helped host a shower for J's cousin who is getting married in March. We were supposed to go to another Halloween party this afternoon but an executive decision was made to just "chill" and focus on getting healthy. At least the sun is shining, which always brightens any mood.

Thankful Thursday

We're thankful today that the Chinese Noodle is feeling better and that the fever has subsided. We're also thankful for the beautiful 60+ degree days we've been having recently. The trees are in full color and everything looks gorgeous. Today we were actually able to go out and run around, examine leaves, play with the ball and feel the warmth of the sun. Hooray for fall!

Date night

Date night to go see Mercy Me in concert. Wonderful and uplifting.

Thankful Thursday

Snuggling in the morning...nothing better!

Scrappy Owl treat bag

Nice view of the Noodle, but the bag is a bit hard to see.
Nice view of the bag...too bad I lost the smiling Noodle

I found this cute Halloween trick or treat bag here and decided to modify a bit...I have all this material left over from making the Noodle's Bai Jai Bei quilt and this project seemed perfect for it. While most things Halloween-related have been deemed either "spooky" or "scary" by the Noodle, this was one that she was excited about. Unfortunately, J and the C.N. had a bad run-in with some decorations at L*we's earlier this month, and now she's rather wary. We'll see how she does when the 31st comes around. It always makes me sad that so many of the costumes seem to be sooo inappropriate for most of the kiddos wearing them...I guess that is just my own judgemental views coming through, but I think if I see one more Scream costume, I just might scream myself!!!

Baptism

This past Sunday, the Chinese Noodle's youngest cousin was baptised. It was another great opportunity to see and visit family. Afterwards, we went back to J's brother's house for lunch and a little musical entertainment. Such a fun time!

J was asked to be the godfather.Oooooh--what's in there?
Fun, fun!
Yes, I definitely LOVE chocolate!
Let's play a duet.
Those 2 oldest cousins crack me up...I love watching them skateboard and do their tricks.
Isn't this a look of sheer glee?! She was so happy to be outside watching them, and laughed the entire time.

The Piano

It has been a month (hard to believe!) since we last went to the local theater for the music program to "see and touch" the music. This month's instrument was the piano. I knew the Noodle would like it. Sure enough, when the pianist played some dancing music, she was right there in the midst of everything twirling around (her FAVORITE dance move--spinning around, and around, and around, and around....). She also enjoyed getting a chance to play on both the upright and the baby grand. Sad to say, we don't currently have a piano (nor have room for one in our house), but I know if Grandpa has anything to say or do about it, that would change in a heartbeat! The C.N. seems to really love music and we want to encourage her in anyway we can. I don't think there are too many 2/3 year olds who request to listen to "orchestra" as we drive around town!

Happy Weekend to all.

Last week for the CSA

This is the last week that we will be participating in the CSA. We've certainly enjoyed it, especially the anticipation of what veggies we are going to get each week (and how we're going to use them!). If you have the opportunity to participate in one, I'd highly recommend it. There is no doubt that the smaller, local farmers can use all the help they can get. This is just another example of how you can do your part and become a little "greener".

In the stash this week we got: beets, kale, spinach, a cuke, a red pepper, an acorn squash, a baby eggplant, a red onion, 2 jalapeno peppers, and 3 HUGE apples.

Yes, this apple is just about as big as my head!

Weekend re-cap

The pumpkin patch a year ago...


...and now! Look how big she's gotten!!



Our Mid-Autumn Moon Festival feast