George and Renee

The premiere of "Leatherheads" was last night (not the big Hollywood Premiere, but the local premiere) and to promote the movie, George Clooney & Renee Zellweger are doing a whistle-stop tour, and they stopped in Greenville. They showed up as surprise guests at the premiere, and today they were downtown in front of the Westin Poinsett getting keys to the city.

So, Noah and I trucked downtown (well, I trucked...he just sort of rode) to get a glimpse of the stars. There were more people than I hoped for, but less than I was fearing, so I guess that's good. Lots of people were carrying chairs when they left, so I have no idea what time people started lining up. We got there with about 10 minutes to spare and were a ways back:


But, I could see the podium, and with my arms as high as they could go & the camera on zoom, I managed to catch this picture (cropped, but otherwise untouched!):



They both said some things, which I'm sure had something to do with how great the city is, how friendly the people are, blah blah blah. All I heard was "mumble mumble mumble" and "What's he saying?" and "HEY! FIX THE MIC!" I guess they were having some audio issues. After speaking, George made the rounds & the first few rows behind the barricade got great pictures & autographs. I, however, was more in the 20th row behind the barricade! I did SEE his autograph, though--a little girl walked through the crowd carrying it, but she showed it to someone, so I can say that I've SEEN George's autograph. That counts for something, right????

He seemed very nice & decent, lots of smiling, and when a football was tossed to him, I think I saw him sign it & toss it back. Hopefully it got back to its rightful owner.

Here are a couple more snaps of George, and, so that I don't disappoint Noah's adoring public, one that I took of him today.

Enjoy!

Fun with eggs and fun with animals

We had a great trip to Knoxville over the Easter weekend; we had the egg hunt on Friday, and it was Noah's 2nd egg hunt. His first was at school last Monday--and I had completely forgotten that they were going to hunt eggs at school, so I missed my boy's first egg hunt. So, the one at Granny's was the first one where we were a party to! I had volunteered to bring the eggs, and to stuff them with candy--I picked up about 30, because there were only going to be 3 kids, including Noah. However, it wouldn't be a get-together at Granny's if there weren't over-planning. As it turns out, we ended up with about 70 eggs... Noah had a great time; I was the photographer, and Patrick and Noah went about picking up the eggs. Noah was pretty good at it, and seemed to catch on quickly as to what you do during an egg hunt--see an egg, put it in the basket, look for more eggs in the general vicinity where Daddy is pointing.

I have to hand it to our boy, though. He managed to figure out an easier way to get eggs. Follow one of the other kids around, wait for them to turn their back on their baskets, and take the eggs! He did this a few times, but to his credit, he also gave some of his eggs to the other kids, too--which gave me much joy, seeing Noah share so well.

Noah also figured out very quickly that there was stuff in the eggs, and I'm sure it's no surprise to find out that Noah likes peeps. We're not so keen on the sugar rush that follows, but hey--it was an egg hunt, and you don't get to do those every day!

We also went to the zoo. Knoxville has a pretty great zoo, and we figured this time Noah may actually get a kick out of seeing the animals. The first time we went to the zoo was last year, I believe, and the Greenville zoo is much smaller, and Noah was more interested in a water feature at the zoo and people watching. He did seem to enjoy seeing the animals, and seemed to think that nearly all animals required his "meow" sound. Not sure if he thought all the animals were kitties, if that's just his default animal noise, or whether he knows that his "meow" sound makes us laugh and so that's what he falls back on. He charmed everyone, saw lots of different animals, and seemed to enjoy his first carousel ride (but only if Auntie Ray Ray was holding him). We took him to the petting zoo, and he pretty much just proceeded to run around in circles, not really petting the animals at all. At that point, I'm not sure if he was tired, and trying to keep himself awake, if it was the caffeine, the sugar, or what, but it was pretty funny. I'm sure the employees were glad to see us leave the petting zoo enclosure.

On our way out, we saw the Zoo's kids' area mascot, a giant beaver. Noah seemed to think that he'd like to go to the Beaver, right up until the time that the Beaver reached out to Noah. Then Noah was trying to climb up & over Patrick's shoulder (Patrick was holding him the whole time)....so, I guess it's good that we didn't try to get pictures with the Easter Bunny!

We did leave with the required toy for Noah--a stuffed tree frog, which is funny, since we didn't even get a chance to see the frog exhibit! But, Noah seems to like it, so that's really all that matters.

Noah is on Spring Break this week (as is Patrick), so we had today to get back to our schedules... He seemed tired this afternoon, so I put him down for a nap, and he was quiet for awhile. Then over the monitor, I hear him say, "Poopie." We're pretty excited that he seems to be connecting "poopie" with the act of pooping (hey, I didn't think that this sort of thing would be exciting, either, but here we are.). I open his room door & immediately smell that yes, indeed, "poopie." Then I notice it on the floor. Noah's diaper. With some poop in it. The rest of the poop is smeared on my little boy. On his crib. On his blankies. And it wasn't pretty. I noticed, too, that his Pooh bear was aptly named. As was his "green kitty" (i.e., stuffed Grinch). His new Froggie, though, did escape the horror of being smeared with poo, but did not escape the humiliation of being peed on. Oh well. It's all washable, as is the boy himself.

Here are some pictures; enjoy!

Thanks to Rachel for some of these pics! Here is our boy, on the hunt for some not-so-well hidden eggs...

Got one!

He looks like such a little boy!

We visited Nana (Dan's Mother) on Friday; Noah was enjoying all the songs she sang, and was really watching her hands as she was going through the motions.

Gotta love those marshmallow bunnies!

Noah with his friend, Skyler. I can really see a lot of me in Noah with this picture...not sure if it's just wishful thinking, though!

Yum! SUGAR!

On the brass tortoise at the zoo; the live ones were off exhibit, which is probably best, as the live ones probably would not have liked it if Noah sat on them.

1st Carousel Ride!

Here Noah is visiting a real, live Pablo. He seemed to like the penguins, and liked to get close to the glass and point out the penguin's eyes, mouth & nose. I'm sure the penguin learned a lot.
Noah really liked the camel; I just wish there hadn't been so many people so that I could get a good shot.

A moment of quiet contemplation...

"How cute am I?!?!"

Waving "hello" to the giant Beaver...


...and trying to climb over Patrick to escape the giant Beaver!

VIDEO!!!

We've got some other videos that we need to upload, too, but Patrick took this yesterday, and we were so amazed we had to share it immediately. It's about 4 minutes, so sorry if some places lag a bit, but Noah is singing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." Of course, Patrick and I are singing, too...so please, overlook those bits. You can also hear him say "Meek Mouf" which is, of course, Mickey Mouse. He gives Meek Mouf a kiss, too.

Enjoy!!!!

(Oh, so totally not as cool as Noah singing, but you can see our new table in the video, too, and you can see that we're using a booster seat now, rather than his high chair--the high chair is still around, but he's such a big boy now, sitting in his booster seat. I just about cried when I realized that he doesn't need his high chair anymore!)

Eepo, Lego & Mickey Mouse

What do those three words have in common?

They're all new additions to Noah's vocabulary.

The first is probably my favorite. He's got a book, Hippos Go Berserk!, that he really likes. It starts off with one hippo, who decides to invite a couple other hippos over...then a couple more show up, then more until there is a room full of hippos and what we do when we get to the middle (showing all 44 hippos going berserk) is to tickle Noah and say in a high-pitched, excited voice, "ALL THE HIPPOS GO BERSERK!" Noah quickly picked up on this, and sometimes will make a tickle motion with his hands either on his belly or on yours, and will say, in a high-pitched, excited tone, "EEPO EEPO EEPO!" Which, as you've figured out, is "hippo." When Dan, Janet & Rachel were here last weekend, Noah was the proud recipient of a t-shirt with a hippo on it, and he was very excited, and pointed to it and said, "EEPO!"

The other words came about the same day. Noah and I were in the dollhouse, looking for something (well, I was more looking, and Noah was just there, opening and shutting the door which is just his size...) and we found one of the three toy baskets that we have (we keep one toy basket in the house, and rotate the toys) and it had the large back of those big Lego-type blocks, and so I thought Noah would enjoy those, and grabbed those to bring in. In the meantime, Noah found a plastic Mickey Mouse figure, and picked it up, pointed at it, and said "Meek Mowfs." I'm sure I could be hearing what I wanted to hear, because honestly, I can't remember when Noah would have heard "Mickey Mouse"--unless it's at school. The mouse is fairly pervasive, so I'm sure there are references out there, but still...we thought it was very impressive!

When we got inside (toting the famous rodent with us), I unzipped the Lego block bag (actually, I think they're Duplo blocks, but whatever--we call them Lego blocks), and Noah quickly began playing with them. He was putting them together, and I went over to play with him, and he held up a yellow block and said something that we thought sounded like "yellow." Upon further investigation, we think that he may have been saying "Lego."

It's just amazing how much he's picking up on a daily basis. He's really becoming a little mimic... There was a day when I was surprised by something, and said, "Holy cow!" Yup. Behind me there was a little voice that quickly repeated "Holy cow." Only when Noah says "cow" he sounds like he's from Wisconsin. Not sure why.

He LOVES being outside, and on the flip side, HATES to come inside. Since it's been nice these past few days, we've tried to spend as much time outside as possible. He's usually a very fun little guy to be around, but every day he gets closer and closer to being two--which means the tantrums are beginning to become bigger and bigger, and today he started pulling my hair. HARD. Not sure what we're going to do.... I had to put him in a mini time-out last night at dinner. It's so hard, because I know that he's just frustrated that he doesn't have the words to express himself, and frustration that he can't have what he wants. This is the hard part of parenting, not giving in. I'm sure this stage will pass.

Right?

Right?!?

And, apropos of nothing, here are some photos... Some show him with green paint on his head, cheek, chin, nose.... This is what happens when you're doing a tote for Grandma of your handprints & have WAY too much fun with the green paint! Enjoy!

Fun with green paint!

Fun with bubbles!

I know that he wasn't actually holding this bubble on his thumb, but I just love that it looks that way!

I just love how intently he's looking at the bubble.

Patrick filming the bubble show...Noah's a bit older now, and can really enjoy bubbles. Perhaps over Spring Break he can get the film to a watchable few minutes & we can post it!

Patrick and Noah waving at each other. I'm getting crazy "Lawrence Welk" flashbacks....

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mom, thank you for being you. I know that your life hasn't always been easy, and I know that there have been lots of times--for many years--that you've struggled and worked, trying to hold both ends together. And the amazing thing to me is, I never really knew how much you struggled and worked until I became an adult. When I was little, all I knew is that I had a great Mommy who loved me very much. Of course, I still realize that I have a great Mommy and love her very much!

You've shown me what it is to be a great Mother, and I hope that I'm close to being the Mommy to Noah that you are to me. I know it's not easy, and I'm only beginning to realize how hard it must have been for you to watch me walk, talk, grow taller and more independent (and realize that bricks tied to my head really won't keep me little forever!). Thank you for understanding that your baby needs to walk, talk, grow taller and become independent, and for helping me do so. Even if that journey necessitated wearing pantyhose on my head (hey, they were an early form of hair extensions, and for some journeys and adventures, a little girl needs long hair!). With barrettes in them (again, little girls need long hair, but that doesn't mean that you want that hair in your eyes.). And even if those pantyhose were your good pantyhose, that you needed for work. Until you tried them on & found small holes right across the knees....from the afore-mentioned barrettes.

I am so grateful that you've been in Noah's life from the very beginning. You are so special to me, and I hope that he knows how lucky he is to have you for a Grandma. Something tells me that you are going to be as wonderful of a Grandma as you are a Mother, and for that, Noah and I are both very, very lucky.
Thank you for being you--an amazing and wonderful woman, Mom, Grandma, role model and friend.

Happy Birthday, Mom!! I miss you, but we're sending lots of love and kisses and hugs!

(By the way--those eggs that you gave Noah for Easter last year? We've still got some of them, and they're still some of his favorite toys!)

Who, exactly, is Pablo?

This was a question posed to me in a comment from the last post, Noah vs. Pablo. I realized that everyone out there may not be acquainted with the wonderful Pablo.

Pablo is one of the characters on the Nick Jr. cartoon "The Backyardigans." Noah "discovered" them while at Mom & Dad's house, and he seemed transfixed by the moose (Tyrone), hippo (Tasha, complete with red Mary Jane shoes), kangaroo (Austin), Uniqua (pink with polka dots, and it's theorized that she's a ladybug, but we've also read that she's her own being--just as we all should be), and of course, the blue man himself, Pablo the penguin. With a propeller beanie.

For some reason, Noah is really drawn to Pablo--not sure if it's because his name is easier to say (comes out as "Pabbo") or if he has a thing for animated penguins. What WE like about the show is that the characters are nice, they figure things out on their own and they use their imaginations to transform their backyard into an adventure. The songs and dances are really cool, too. As a parent, I can listen to "Float, Flutter, Fly" or "W-I-O-WA" without wanting to poke my ears out. Can't say that for all of the kids' music out there...

Another neat feature about the songs is each episode features a different type of music. Even though Patrick and I are fairly adventurous in our musical tastes, I like the fact that Noah is exposed to more than just what we listen to. The "Flying Rock" episode is disco (still one of Noah's and my favorite episodes, and this may be my fault. I've always had a soft spot for disco, and may have predisposed Noah to it while in utero. Sorry, Noah.). The episode with "W-I-O-WA" (continuing to sing..."the corniest station, in the nation!") is Motown (and the funny thing about episode is that Tasha and Uniqua both have reporter hair. I know...it doesn't sound so amusing, but trust me--it is!).

And, the most important thing about the Backyardigans is the look of utter delight that comes across my sweet boy's face when he hears the theme song...that look is enough to make a person not want to watch anything but The Backyardigans.

I have to thank Mom & Dad (aka Grandma & Grandpa) for not only finding The Backyardigans, but for noticing how delighted Noah was when he saw his gang on the TV screen. I still can't really get behind "Yo Gabba Gabba" or "The Higglytown Heroes" though. I've tried.

I can fully support the beanie-wearing, excitable blue penguin, though!

Long Live Pabbo!

Noah vs. Pablo Balloon

We were at a store today, and I saw that they had helium balloons in the shape of Pablo. Of course we bought it & had them blow it up. What we didn't realize is that the balloon was about as tall as Noah.

He LOVES THIS BALLOON. He's been dragging it around the house, by the sring, by Pablo's foot, by Pablo's hand....

He's sung to the balloon, danced the balloon around, wrestled the balloon, and fed the balloon. I don't think the balloon has a long life expectancy, but for now, it was the best $7 we've spent in a long time!!!!

Enjoy!