Ni Hao

Noah's last Chinese class of the year was yesterday. They did a very quick demonstration for the parents at the end of their day. I was holding Oliver while taping so I apologize for the wiggles and as you can see a friend of Noah's was trying to be funny but it just irritated Noah instead. Oh well, it's still fun to listen to a bunch of first graders speak Chinese. The teacher isn't sure she will be able to continue next semester but she hopes she can and so do I!

Branyan Jump!

Oliver and I left the house this morning to run a few errands. A stop at the local post office, the line was long but Ollie decided to put on a show and entertain everyone in line so the mood was festive. The crowd really seemed to enjoy the conversation he was having with the cardboard life-size girl promoting the use of priority mail boxes. The biggest laugh came when there was some honking going on in the parking lot and Oliver shouted, "OH-NO, car go beep beep!" I swear he took a little bow after that one. After the post office we stopped by the grocery store for a few small items, he was very excited here because I let him walk instead of ride in the cart so he showed his appreciation by dancing and air guitaring his way through the store. We finally made it home and he ran into the house while unloaded the few items that I got at the store. By the time I pulled in those items, put the garbage can and recycling bins back into the garage, etc. he had gone out the back door. No big deal, for the most part, except that we have a huge dugout area waiting for a concrete slab this spring that collects water. It has rained ALOT these past couple of days so there is ALOT of water in that area. A dream come true for a little boy. I head outside, and ask, "Oliver, what are you doing?" and he says, "Branyan jump!" and jumps into the biggest puddle of water he's ever seen. It took me a while to realize that "Branyan jump" means "Brandon jump." Oliver has been asking to see the picture of cousin Brandon jumping into the puddle at his house over and over. All I can figure is that Oliver was jealous of Cousin Brandon. So, of course, I grabbed the camera and let him play for a while, he was already wet and dirty so why not?

First Snow of the Season

I say, "first snow of the season," because Noah informed us, after I said, "first snow of the year," that the first time it snowed this year was back in January. Of course he is correct so I shall title the post appropriately as to not upset the boy. It didn't stick and there wasn't much but it's still exciting to see!

One Big Pillow

This is how Oliver's first night, without bars around his mattress to hold him in, went. Sound asleep with his head on the biggest pillow he's ever seen. I situated him back on top of the mattress and tucked him in where he happily slept, next to big brother, for the rest of the night.

Advent Wreath

Check out this Advent Wreath at Liz's blog. If you haven't seen her blog yet, you really should. It's full of incredible ideas that she graciously shares with all of us. It's inspiring really...

No More Crib

Earlier this week Noah asked if he could sleep on the floor in Oliver's room. We said sure, set up a little bed for him and said good night to the boys. Not five minutes later, Noah came out of the room laughing because Oliver kept climbing out of his crib and trying to snuggle with Noah. So, we gave it shot and put Ollie down there too. It took a bit to settle them down but they loved it and Oliver did great! They slept on the floor for three nights in a row so I decided today to make the switch that we've been talking about. The crib is gone/dismantled and Noah's mattress has been moved into Oliver's room. Joel wants to build the boys some new beds so until then they will sleep on their mattresses on the floor. We decided to make one room for sleeping and clothes and the other for all of their toys, a spare TV and whatever else they drag home. I have a note out to a friend who may need the crib but if she doesn't I may have a great crib that needs a good home so keep it in mind.

Two More Years

Oliver is so disappointed every time big brother and dad leave for karate. He loves to go and mimic what the class is doing. However, he can also get loud and frustrated when he can't get on the mats and be out there with them so he often gets to stay home with mom. The other night, after they left, he noticed that Noah had not worn his karate uniform jacket so Oliver put it on instead. He practiced his draw palm and draw punch, did a few kicks and then asked for a glass of milk. Must of needed to refuel after such a tough workout. Oliver has to wait two more years before he can sign up for karate too, by then he should be well at the top of his class if he keeps watching and learning from Noah.

Shh, be Vewy Vewy Quiet

On my elusive hunt for the perfect holiday picture I often found myself feeling like Elmer Fudd in his never ending quest to bag Bugs Bunny. Oh, I came close quite a few times and thought a-ha I've finally caught you, you wascally wabbit but it always got away. I won't post the one I finally did catch for our Christmas cards but here are a few of the wascally ones that I did catch.


Of course, I had visions of playing in the snow and capturing two happy boys on our journey. No such luck as you already know from previous posts.






I figured after a good nap in the car on the way home from the mountain that getting a cute shot of the two in front of the fire would be easy. This is the best one that I got and I took A LOT!




So, by this time, I'm figuring that I'm going to stop trying to pose the boys and just get a candid shot or two. Hey, I was getting desperate and anything at this point was worth a shot. I actually considered using this one because it truly depicts what goes on around here.






This is the one that almost made it into the Christmas cards. I had titled it "The Three Wise Guys" and had even uploaded it to my printer. I decided to try one more thing before going this route and that is when I got my shot. You'll get to see that one when your card arrives.

A Reading by Noah Wayne

From the book Blue Hat, Green Hat by Sandra Boynton...

Christmas Lights

Joel hung up some Christmas lights this evening and Oliver was helping. He held the strands, showed me where dad was, repeatedly and just enjoyed being out on this chilly night.

Thanksgiving In The Snow

We decided to veer off from the normal feast of Thanksgiving and head to the mountain for some fun in the snow. We had planned on being out of here a bit earlier than we did but I got called into work. So after a two hour delay we headed up to Mt. Hood. From this point on it feels as though we were on two separate trips at the same time. Let me explain, Noah had a great time. He loved being in the snow and couldn't help but roll around in it like an excited kid would. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't sled anywhere (they don't allow it on the mountain at all anymore) but we promised him that we would be sledding before winters end. We also know some great people who live up off of Wildcat Mt. Drive (you know who you are) that might let Noah sled around on their property sometime. Hint, Hint. =)

Anyway, that was Noah's trip and then there was Oliver's trip. This story was quite different. With the delayed start and a side trip to the store to pick up an extra SD card for our camera (yes, we left ours at home). We didn't make it up to Ski Bowl until Oliver's nap time. We got bundled up and I noticed Oliver was holding the remote to the DVD player that the boys were watching in the car. I took it away from him and it all went down hill from there. He did not stop crying until he passed out in the car about an hour or so later. It's one thing to hear your kid cry but it's something completely different when it's bouncing back off the mountain at you. Joel and Noah stayed out a bit longer while Ollie and I headed back to the car.

Like I said, Oliver passed out in the car. We headed up to the lodge and this time it was Joel's turn to stay with Ollie and let him sleep while Noah and I explored the lodge and the hills around it. It is so beautiful up there. I've been there many times but I forget just how awe inspiring it really is. We will hopefully try for another trip to the snow and this time avoid the little guy's nap time. Below are pictures of our "trips." I also posted some scenic pictures in the previous post that we took along the way.

Pictures of Noah's Trip

Pictures of Oliver's Trip

Scenic Pictures From Drive

"OH NO! Not Again!

Warning: Do not view the pictures if you are faint of heart or get queasy with ease...Shana.

Noah has some footed pajamas that he loves to wear. He had pulled his feet up out of the traction/no slip area and was "skating" around the house this morning while I was making his lunch for school. I heard a big thud then Noah shout, "OH NO! Not again!" Let me just add that he had also pulled his arms in so when he fell he could not stop himself at all. He came around the corner holding his chin and then I said, "Oh yes, you certainly did." He busted his chin open again and I immediately knew that we would be headed to the doctors for stitches. Luckily, Joel was able to come home and take him because I knew that Ollie would not sit quietly through that. Noah did great at the appointment and came out with six stitches which is one or two less than the last time this happened. If he keeps this up he will have as much scar tissue on his chin as his Uncle Ben! I also got to see a bit of myself in Noah this morning when I found him in the bathroom, pulling on the wound so that he could see the muscle and other tissue layers better. He then showed a bit of his father when he proceeded to tell me that it isn't the muscle that hurts because the nerve endings don't really go through them, it's all of the sensitive tissue around the muscle or getting to the muscle that causes the pain. Just what I need after a good adrenaline rush, an anatomy lesson. Anyway, like all good scrap booking mom's I had Joel take a few pictures for me...

The poor chin gets no respect!

Noah getting the stitches.

Six stitches and chin looking better!

Roaring Good Time!

I guess I'm going for a personal blog record in the uploading photos category! Today was Oliver's birthday party. We kept it very small and we had a great time. Oliver decided that the camera was no longer his enemy and posed for quite a few shots. Here's the rundown on the pictures:

Oliver opening then playing with a gift yesterday from Grandma Ricki; the super cute lion cupcakes decorated by my talented mom; Oliver concentrating very hard on the lit candles, they might sneak away you know; Oliver blowing out the candles; Uncle Ben being a goofball and putting Junior on Ollie's head; Oliver opening gifts, surrounded by friends; this next picture is a very special gift from Jack P., he made Oliver a diorama of the jungle - very talented and the perfect gift!; Ollie had to stack the cool Disney blocks that he got from Noah G as soon as we opened them; just a cute smile after presents, cake and ice cream; sweet Mackenzie showing Oliver how his new toy works.

It was a very fun party and Oliver LOVED the attention that he got from everyone...he is a ham and quite charming when he wants to be.

Proud Owner of a Two Year Old!

November 16, 2005

November 16, 2006
November 16, 2007
Happy Birthday Oliver!