lately

I know, I haven't been as faithful at blogging lately. Noah was having a weird week last week. He was fighting his naps and bedtime like crazy, being extra finicky about food, and just not being quite himself. Thing is? There were no other symptoms that would tip me off to what was going on. Until yesterday. Now he's a sneezy, hoarse, runny-nosed mess.
Brad has been super busy at work... being a  manager at Target during Christmas, it's expected. They oughta give Target wives/families a special extra discount for giving up their spouses during the holidays. I think it's only fair. :)

Anyway, before the yuckies hit the house...

Baking.
Noah has a new favorite food... pumpkin.
And it's not even just pumpkin bread or pumpkin cookies. After I scoop out however much I need from the can, Noah proceeds to grab a spoon and eat raw pumpkin. Out of the can.
Have you ever tasted raw pumpkin?? Eh... it's not very good. But it's healthy, so I pretend like it's just the best!food!ever!

 "what, Mom? it's yummy..."

And of course, after the baking ends, I basically have to hose him down.

Want to occupy a toddler for just a few more minutes?

Let them play with the sink.

Once it's all over, I always seem to ask myself why I go to all this trouble?

Then I remember, that even though my kitchen is totally trashed and everything except the ceiling is splattered with pumpkin, I have a happy little guy that dances half-nakey from all the fun he just had.

 

The Garbage Man.
I know it's politically incorrect. Technically it's supposed to be "waste management technician". And I'm all for women working in whatever field they choose. But in our case? There's only a guy in the truck. And for easy learning purposes, we're going all old school and calling him the garbage man. I doubt he minds.
Anyway, Noah is obsessed. Every Monday morning, once he hears those squeaky wheels outside our house, he races around the house... grabbing his shoes, bringing them to me, and heading straight to the door. Our street actually goes in a circle, so he gets an encore presentation. In fact, a couple of weeks ago, we were on a walk when the garbage truck came by. Noah ended up chasing him all around the neighborhood. While it may not be the most sought-after career, I know this guy must've felt like a superhero. Everytime he saw Noah catching up to his truck or stopping to watch him dump trash again, he would honk the horn and wave. You want to be a 2 yr old boy's (and some girls...) hero? Become a garbage man. :)

The Christmas Tree.
We found this awesome place last year, not too far from our house. They've been selling Christmas trees in this same spot for the last 15 years. (random fact that I didn't know: the majority of trees you find in a lot in other states came from the NC mountains. I just ignorantly assumed every state had Christmas trees readily available, I guess). I've been to the mountains before to get our tree. It's a fun experience, but at this point with Noah? I have no desire. We'll take him when he's older and can actually remember the whole event.
 Anyway, these people have a great setup here. They have a bonfire, free popcorn, and fresh trees.

I know a ton of people have converted to artificialism, but me? I need my house to smell like pine. Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy the whole putting-the-tree-up process. I do the lights, the ornaments, the bow, everything. I even enjoy vacuuming the pine needles afterwards. Why? Because every time I vacuum for the next week, it smells like Christmas. :)
If I could, I'd make a living off of decorating people's homes during the holidays.
I never get sick of it.

Hope everyone having a great week so far!