Fiddlyfart in Photos

This is my 500th post! Woohoo!

***

Our A/C stopped working this morning. The brand new unit that we just had installed a couple months ago? Yeah, that one. We normally keep our A/C set at 72 (which is mostly Brad's doing; my mom used to keep it at 68, so it took me awhile to get used to). By noon, it was at 77.
I immediately called up my dad. The guy who works with him installed our unit, so I was hoping there was an easy, over-the-phone fix. I checked the breakers, checked underneath the unit in the attic for water, and all other kinds of things. Somehow the power wasn't connecting right. The fan wouldn't even turn on. My dad told me the guy could come out tomorrow, but he was booked all day today. Great.
My stepdad happens to be an electrician, so I figured if it was power-related, maybe he could think of something. So I called him up and started to explain the situation. And by some sudden miracle... the A/C switched on. ???
Brad called him again later, just to see if $100 would magically show up in our account. No such luck. But at least we're not roasting.

***

I guess y'all have heard we're expecting a visit from Ms. Irene this week. Really, it's not supposed to hit our area (of course, that's what they said about Hugo). But Brad immediately informed me last night that we are "not at all prepared!" and we don't have any backup supplies and blahblahblah. I calmly proceeded to show him all of the non-perishables we have that would easily last us a few days. Plus, I don't see the Apocalypse happening this week. I could always be wrong, but I'm just not seeing it. Who knows though. We've already had earthquakes. I'm sure it seems perfectly rational to most people. However, for me? It's nothing short of comical when my husband comes home with 9 gallons of purified water and a bunch of brand new flashlights (because again, it's not supposed to hit us). It's especially comical when you inform him that you had indeed asked to buy purified water months ago, because really, you don't like drinking the tap water in this county anyway.
(notgonnasayItoldyouso)

***

Sunday night we had our monthly shindig at the grandparents' house. We were celebrating all of the August birthdays (Noah, my brother, my uncle, and cousin-in-law). And of course Noah decided to boycott sleep that day. He fell asleep that morning in the car for about 15 minutes, then was wide awake for the rest of the day. I tried multiple times to get him to go down (all afternoon, in fact) to no avail. So wouldn't you know it? At 5:45, he zonked out in the car. The party started at 6. So what did we do? We kept the car running in the driveway (don't worry, he was still strapped in his car seat) and kept checking on him every 5 minutes. Actually, we all took turns... aunts, uncles, grandparents. Finally, I got him up around 7, and he was soooooo not happy with me. But I didn't really feel like going to bed at 2am. Sorry, buddy. Next time take a nap at a normal time, k?

I made Noah's cake (chocolate with cream cheese frosting) and then attempted to decorate it myself. I actually did take a cake decorating class when I was 8/9 months pregnant and still have all the tools. But for some reason, I thought I'd try the can frosting that comes with its own little tools for this. I just wasn't in the mood to make a ton of homemade frosting. Big mistake. This can was so tempermental. Next time I'll do it the right way. Of course, Noah didn't care, as long as he got to eat it. And thank goodness for the George topper, because otherwise? It looked like a St Patty's Day cake. I wanted to put fruit snack bananas or something on it, but it didn't happen in time. Oh well.

I secretly look forward to the August birthdays. My uncle's favorite dessert is my MamMaw's banana pudding, which I also happen to be a fan of. I guess I shouldn't be shocked that I didn't lose as much weight this week, huh?

Noah ended up being extra clingy to me all night. He wanted me to hold him when everyone sang "Happy Birthday". He wanted me to sit next to him at the table. And he wanted me to hold him while opening presents. Not gonna lie... I kind of liked it. He's too busy most times to just let me hold him, so I took advantage.

He still is confused when people start singing to him.
(and look! *gasp* I do exist! With Noah wanting me all night, Brad was in charge of the picture taking instead)

He practiced blowing out the candles right before,

but once the singing started, he kind of forgot about it.

And then he just got annoyed and wanted to be put down.

His baby cousin Easton (who is 10 months old) just thinks Noah is just the coolest. Easton is SO close to walking, but not quite there. When Noah runs circles around him, he just giggles and thinks it's hilarious. I remember when Noah was that little and thought his cousins running around was hilarious. Crazy to see how much changes in such a short amount of time.
Once Easton catches up to Noah, he likes to pull up on him, so he can stand just like him. It freaks the crap out of Noah. And it's pretty darn funny.

But I think they're going to be good buddies.

***

Last week, we had a little going away party for our friend Shante. She, her husband, and little Jack were only here for the summer, but it was fun getting to know them. I hate they had to leave, since it was nice for Noah to have another boy around. He helped even out all that estrogen flyin' around.

Alice and Jack...

Jess and Shante...

(crossing my fingers that baby "zebra" waits until after Noah's party Saturday to show up)

Me and Shante...

Wanna know what was going on during these pictures??

***

Noah drew his first piece of artwork last night! One of the gifts he got for his birthday (from Easton, actually) was a bunch of washable markers and paint (thank you Lord for washable...), and lots of paper. Because Noah totally screwed up his schedule (again), I was hurting for ideas to calm him down and still occupy him. I had to literally force him to sit down long enough for me to show him, but once he focused? He was SO into it.

I mean. Look at the concentration.

He takes his work very seriously.

Last night's final product:

Which of course went on the fridge, next to Brad's Target name badges that say "Special Brad", "Loser", and "BoomBoomBoom" (along with pics of us at the beach, at prom, the pups, etc).

***

I've officially been doing the Weight Watchers thing for 2 weeks now. I've lost 5 lbs, which I know doesn't sound like a lot. But I'm this close to my goal weight, so at this point? I'm doing the happy dance with any kind of weight loss.

The hardest part is that I'm at their lowest point allowance possible. So I find myself staaarving by the time breakfast/lunch/dinner rolls around. But it definitely makes you think about what you're putting in your mouth and just how much. Gotta make those points last! :)

***

Hope everyone's having a great week!

xoxo.

good times.

This week has been pretty chill for us.

It may have something to do with the fact that I'm giving up on shopping going places to kill time and keep Noah (and myself) busy. We've been hanging out with some friends, and mostly? Just goofing off around the house. My little sister Madison spent the night with us Wednesday night. She's going through that normal "I'm booooooored" stage that all kids start about this time every summer. The problem is that she's too cool old for things like play places and Vacation Bible School. So to break up the motonony, she likes to hang with us every once in awhile. Which is great for me. I love having an extra set of hands to help me around the house. Fortunately, Brad didn't have to work Wednesday night, so we spent most of our time outside.

The weather has been fabulous.

A little muggy and hot (which is expected), but we haven't reached 100 yet, so I'm not complaining.

And really, my flowers are diggin' it.

Because my flowers are really cool, and I expect them to say cool phrases like "diggin' it".

I'm such a dork.

My little sister is a serious animal lover, especially dogs.

And unlike me, she actually knew what she wanted to do with her life when she was 9. She's going to be a veterinarian and save all of the cute puppies and kitties and hamsters and bunnies. I guess she forgets that people also own less-fuzzy type pets such as snakes and frogs.

So you can imagine her excitement when a certain little guy decided to visit us.

   

We've since learned his name is Jake.

I prefer Taquito.

Noah's favorite playtime activity (besides dirt) is running.

I don't know where he gets his energy, but ohmygosh, that's all he wants to do.

But hey, it makes him happy.

And it makes it super easy to wear him out.

He loves going across the street to the foreclosed home (I know. they're all over our neighborhood. we're never going to be able to sell our home). He likes having a completely empty driveway to run around in.

In this heat, it doesn't take him long to be completely pooped.

And also to build up an appetite.

Notice the sweaty hair and pink cheeks...

Before I had Noah, I was one crafty girl.

Well, I guess I still am. Having a kid doesn't really change that. But it does change how often you get to do stuff like that. So while Noah (and Brad) were taking naps, Madison and I got out my old stamping stuff and had ourselves a little craft time. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy doing that kind of thing.

My cards:

Now if you'll excuse me, I've got a date with a couple of really handsome guys tonight.

It's Friday!!

Have a great weekend!!

other happenings

,,A couple of days after Noah started walking, I decided to celebrate. We'd been stuck in the house with colds for awhile, and I was dying to get out. It was so nice out, we headed for the park. He's now able to roam freely without me letting him crawl on the dirty ground lugging him around.
He had so much fun. We both did, really.
He rediscovered the slides and giggled the whole way down and tried to climb back up to go again. He played with the little doo-dads on the gym part of it. But what really fascinated him? Mulch.
Noah tends to have two main faces. There's the happy, giggly face and the "Mom, I'm too busy to look at you. I have to figure this out..." face.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

He also loooooves airplanes. We live pretty close to a major international airport, so planes are constantly flying over our house. Anytime he hears one, he points to the sky and says, "A-Bah!"

***

Yesterday, our tiny town had their annual Christmas parade, full of tacky floats, shriners on go-karts, a bajillion dancing kids, a local news anchor, and even the reigning Miss So-and-So who was featured on Toddlers and Tiaras. But the highlight for me? Ronald McDonald.
Y'all, I'm sorry to inform you that our beloved clown is not aging well. His wig seems to have been stored underneath a house for the last year. And really, the magic of tv is amazing. His skin looks SO smooth on the commercials! All that stress of fame must've really taken its toll.

And oh my gosh, it was fa-REEZING.
What in the world?? I mean, it's been getting chillier (fyi, "chilly" in the South is anything below 60), but holy cow. Poor little Noah's nose was about to fall off. I had him in a jacket and brought a thick blanket, but it wasn't enough. The wind was crazy. It made it feel like -35 (ok, probably not, since I've never actually felt anything below 0... but to me, it was ridiculous). Brad, being the highly trained Eagle Scout that he is, was prepared and improvised.

Wah-lah...

(that poor person that got their rear end in our shot. very unfortunate.)

 

After the parade, our friends Mo, Elba, and their son Fernando came over to hang out. The boys played some dance game for the Wii. It was pretty darn hilarious. Something about watching two grown men dancing (badly) in sync to the Jackson 5 struck me as funny.

Sorry it's blurry, but like I said, they were dancing.

***

Noah picked out his very first item at Target the other day. We were walking around, waiting on his prescription to be filled, and he actually pointed to an ornament. So I moseyed myself on over there. He reached out, picked it up, played with it for a few minutes, then put it in our cart.
I wanted to cry. I've taught my boy how to shop.
We had a moment.
I got it for him. It was only $2... and actually pretty cute. Who doesn't love a ginormous candy cane ornament??

***

Remember that whole mural project I was doing in Noah's room? I bet y'all thought I just gave up, didn't you? Well, I've surprised even myself. It's taking a lot longer than I'd hoped... mainly because I'm just all out bad about finishing projects. I've always been that way. I start a big one like this, get bored, and move on. Eventually, I come back around to it. I think this might be one of my less attractive qualities that drives my husband crazy. He doesn't say it does, but every now and then, when I start telling him about a new craft I'd like to try, he ever-so-sweetly says, "Ok, well how about you finish that painting, and then you can do it." Sigh. It was much easier being single. My scattered projects wouldn't bother anyone but me. And maybe Dodger. But he was nice enough to never bring it up.

Anyways, here's the progress. I still have a ways to go. Shelves need to be made. But I'm getting there. Plus, you have to give me credit for attempting all of this while Noah is awake... because this is one of those things that can't be done while he naps.

***

I've decided I want a treadmill.
My husband has decided he's not buying me another darn workout program until I start using P90x more.

Thing is... I don't want to do P90x. I hate spending my hour and a half break (Noah's nap) listening to Tony Horton and doing an ungodly amount of jumping jacks. I enjoy his workouts. But not everyday. I need variety. It's just too easy to NOT push play on the DVD. To go blog a little, catch up on my favorite show... because his nap is pretty much the only chance I've got to do any of that and not feel guilty about it.
And honestly? I like power walking. I actually like sprinting. But I obviously can't do that with a stroller. And Noah is getting to the point where he's totally bored if I want to go for a 3 mile walk. And it's getting too cold for that. I actually was in the best shape of my life in college. My ideal weight is 110-115lbs. I don't even know how much I weigh right now, because our scale broke (and no, I didn't break it)... but it definitely isn't ideal.
I need to lose it. I want to lose it. I want to feel awesome again. I miss it. I want to watch my Say Yes to the Dress shows that I DVR'd and walk and walk and walk. Because when I was in college? I walked and walked and walked on my mom's treadmill while watching tv. And I looked great. Plus, I'd like to start pushing myself. See if I can't sprint a little longer.
I can't go to the gym. He won't pay for a membership (because I have P90x... I swear, Tony Horton is turning into a pain in my rear).
I even found a bunch of treadmills on craigs list for less than $200, and they're good ones.
Any ideas on how to convince the hubster? Because even though it's "our" money, now that my job doesn't bring in much cash, every penny is talked about (except for when I go to Target on my own and decide that I need some new jeans or something).
Maybe I'll start going through the couch cushions and collect spare change, and then I'll be all like, "Look, honey (except I've never called him "honey" in my life)! I found an extra $200! Now I can get a treadmill!" And then he'll say, "What? A treadmill? What about that P90x I bought you? No, we can use that money to save for Noah's college fund." And because Noah's college is way more important than a treadmill, I'll say ok.

See? I'm stuck.

***

On the positive side, I decided to see the little stretch marks on my side as endearing. Like a big "Noah was here" sign. Yep. Silver lining.

***

Tonight, we went to one of our favorite malls. We haven't had much time together as a family lately. The last couple of weekends that Brad has had off, he's been sick in bed. So we decided to have a family date. We walked around, got Noah some new winter pj's (at 40% off, heck yeah!), and ate at our fav frozen yogurt place. Noah adores this stuff. I get him the peanut butter yogurt with banana slices. He gobbles it up. And then gets a brain freeze.

Apparently, Brad didn't realize what size Noah and I got, and he picked out the huge bowl. But it's ok. He got yogurt with a ton of fruit (kiwi, raspberries, etc), so at least he was being healthy.

Anyways, hope everyone's having a good week!

Tomorrow's Friday!! Woo-hoo!!

(not that it makes much of a difference to me... but woo-hoo with the rest of the working world!)