Noah Paul Trolinger

Literally days after I had Madie, I knew I wanted to get pregnant again. I wanted another baby. Having Madie made me realize that being a mom was what I was put on this earth to be. But, we decided to wait at least a little while before trying to have a second baby. And, as is my tendancy, I got pregnant pretty quickly. I didn't have to take a pregnancy test to know either, because I was sick all the time and felt about as much energy as a dead person would have. Smells made me want to vomit - garlic, tires, Pete's soap after he showered. There was a whole list of them. So, it didn't surprise either of us to find out that I was pregnant a second time when I finally got around to taking the test. This time it only took one test to show me that I was indeed expecting. :-) Those first 3 months were really rough and I remember laying on the bathroom floor asking the baby to please take it easy on me! I remember telling Pete that it was probably going to be a boy, just because everytime I ate chocolate it made me sick and since Pete doesn't like chocolate, I figured it must be a boy taking after his daddy. :-) After that first trimester, I felt a million times better and just enjoyed watching my growing tummy. And, grow it did!! We never found out what we were having, but we always referred to him as a HIM and as he got stronger and his kicks were more noticeable, I'd wake up in the middle of the night with him kicking my ribs and swimming all around in there. He was an active, busy little guy!! Well, since I had a c-section with Madie, I opted to go that same route with him. We talked to the doctor and since we had Em coming out to watch Madie, I wanted to have him on a Friday, so she wouldn't miss much work. It worked out that the friday he was looking to deliver was Valentine's Day. I thought that was about the sweetest thing ever! Pete just thought "Woo-Hoo, I can get out of v-day gifts now." ;-) hehe Anyway, we went in at 6am that Friday and by 8:15am we had a beautiful, sweet little boy looking up at us. The nurses kept telling me what a big boy he was. "A 9 pounder, I'd guess" they said. But, he ended up being 8 lbs even and just an absolute joy! We named him after Pete's grandpa Paul who was a really special person to Pete especially, but to the whole family as well. And, I think he had a lot of pride in knowing that he had a great-grandson named after him. And there was no greater person to have him share a name with that his great-grandpa.

Here he is, probably only a day or two old in this picture. Such a cutie even then!

This is one of my very favorite pictures of Noah as a baby. A little duckie, sucking on his binky. He was such a lovable, huggy little guy. He loved nothing more than to be kissed and snuggled. I ate it up!!

As he got bigger, he got busier. He loved exploring and discovering new things. Mostly he liked following Madie around and doing everything she did. He worshipped the ground she walked on. And, he was still a cuddler. So sweet.

Again, another favorite picture of mine. Look at that sweet face!

He's always been a joker. Loves to do silly things and make people laugh. Just an ornery little guy who, while he might not always listen to what you say, he almost always has the best of intentions. Especially when he took all of Papa Drexler's flashlights apart to see all the pieces and how they worked. Then left him with no working flashlights in the process, but his curiousity was quenched in the process. ;-) Just likes to see how everything is put together. Takes after his dad that way.

His first day of preschool was a big milestone. He had wanted to go with Madie the previous year and was soooo sad when Madie started and he had to leave her behind. Now, he got to go and he's loved school ever since. He's such a smart boy too. Like I said before, he doesn't always listen, but that's mostly because his brain is going a different direction at the time and he's too focused on something else to hear you. But, his teacher told us last year that he is one of the smartest kids she's had in her career as a teacher. He figures stuff out quickly and is always curious to learn more.

This was kindergarten round-up day. He has the same teacher as Madie and he just walked right in without a fear in the world. Granted, when we dropped him off his first REAL day, he seemed a little more unsure of himself, but he's so outgoing and so personable, he seems to find friends easily and fit in with anyone. He has a funny personality, but a kind soul.

He started tball a couple summers ago and just loves it! Granted, sometimes he'd rather just be hanging out on the sidelines goofing it up with the other kids, but I think that's what makes it fun for him. He loves being around other people and being outside and laughing it up is about as great as it gets for him. Well, unless it's building something with his dad or fixing something with his tools. He loves that too.

All in all, having my son 6 yrs ago has brought more laughter, more silliness, and more love than I ever thought possible. Yes, often times you'll hear me say "Noah! don't do that" or "Noah, stop messing with your sisters", but most times, I just give him a hug and thank him for being such a sweet, kind boy. Always willing to share his stuff or give things to others or make silly jokes to make us all laugh. Noah Paul, we love you to pieces. Happy 6th birthday, buddy!!!

Noah's Birthday Party

Noah is 6 yrs old today!!!! We had a little party for him with his Nana and Papa Drexler who have been staying with us since Thursday. He wanted a Mariokart birthday party. We have a tradition that I started back when Madie turned 1 that we decorate the house the night before, so when they wake up, it's all festive and cheery for their birthday. :-)



This is Noah standing in his party zone! :-)

Noah doesn't really like cake. So when I asked him what he wanted for his birthday, he said crescent rolls (his favorite food in the world). I said, "Well, how about a crescent roll cake?". He thought about it for a while and decided that yes, he did indeed want a crescent roll cake. So, making it's debut, the one-of-a-kind Mario Bros. crescent roll cake. All I did was take different kind of crescent rolls and layered them into a mountain, poured melted butter all over it, and added some Mario figures and candles. Voila! A masterpiece that will be talked about for generations, I'm sure.

Here he is admiring my artistic endeveour. All the kids were quite impressed. Granted, I could have put candles and Yoshi on a plate of spaghetti and that too would have impressed them, but I digress.

Pete lit the candles, we sang Happy Birthday, and Noah blew out all his candles. Livie helped as she always does. I don't know why little kids like blowing out candles, but that's a very exciting moment for them when they get a chance to do it.

I told my parents to get to the other side of the table, because I wasn't getting them in the pictures, so dad wheeled mom around and apparently felt the need to "pose". Not sure what he was pointing at, but he wanted to make it interesting. ;-)

This is Noah and I as he's getting ready to open his first present.

I found this by chance the other day when Livie and I were shopping and knew I had to get it for him. Mario lights up and flashes! Can't get better than that!!!

Noah got a BLACK HOLE Planet Hero from my parents. He didn't have him and was very excited that he got him. He talks too, which makes him even cooler!

Pete's parents got him a gameboy and some games. You can see from the look on his face, he was more than just a little happy. :-) He was like "Whoa!". His Aunt Francy gave up her gameboy for him, which was so super nice. He loved his card from them too, by the way. It was of Darth Vadar and if anyone knows my kids, they know that they are Star Wars maniacs!!

Aunt Jill, Uncle Adam, Trevor, and Ty got him a matchbox car that changes color and I'll tell you, he got 2 cups out almost right away to test it out. He's been playing in the sink off and on all afternoon. :-)

This is Noah taking the elbow and knee pads out of its package. Now it looks like he's excited about them and he was. But, his expression is because he just looked up and saw the big present we got him which was.....

This awesome Matchbox Car bike!!! He loved it! I am dedicated to finally teaching my kids to ride bikes without training wheels, so I'm hoping that by the time summer starts, he'll be cruising along without them.

The snow we got last night melted, so he was able to take it outside for a couple quick passes. He was staying pretty close to Pete there for a couple laps, then just took off and went to town. I think he's going to have a ball on it this summer.

So, that was the end of Noah's birthday party. He's now down in the basement with Pete and the girls, riding his bike down there and playing with his new presents. He said it was the best birthday he's ever had, so I'm taking it that we succeeded in making him happy. Happy Valentine's Day!!

Parties

I said earlier that this was going to be a busy week, I think I may have understated it. It's been a CRAZY week!!! Nothing like having a birthday on a holiday to make things that way. ;-) Well, today were the Valentine's Day class parties. Plus, with it being Noah's birthday tomorrow, we made it a little of both. I went in early with armloads of party supplies, treats, games, etc... as well as Noah's scrapbook, so he could show his class what he made this week.



I got there a little late, but I think that was ok. They were still busy passing out their v-day cards to each other, as well as some papers they were to take home. It was a bit chaotic. And, since I live in a constant state of chaos, I felt right at home. ;-)

After things were all finished up, the class gathered around me, Noah, and Olivia to talk about his scrapbook. He went through and showed them all the pictures, while I narrarated a bit on when they were taken and what they were about. He was kind of being shy, which was so odd for me, since I've never seen a shy bone in his body. Afterwards they asked him some questions. Most of them were about army stuff and who they knew that was in the army, since he did a page all about the army. Then we got out his MarioKart placemats and he showed them to all the kids. He's having a Mariokart birthday, so we bought enough placemats and cups for all the kids, so they could celebrate his birthday during that time. There were puzzles and word searches on the back and the kids loved them!!

Here he is after he passed out all his treats and juice and party supplies. He doesn't actually like juice, so he opted for water, but he downed those white cakes like they were nothing! ;-) Here he is with Olivia and his friend Cristian. And, yes, that's a cheek full of white cakes.

After they had finished eating, we played some V-day picture BINGO aka JINGO. We have a set of this bingo for all of the holidays they celebrate. All the kids love playing and actually asked me the minute I walked in the classroom if we were playing that and if I had lots of good prizes. :-) And, yes, I did!! Again, not easy carting all the snacks, drinks, supplies, bingo cards, and prizes not only to Noah's classroom, but also the bingo cards and prizes to Madie's as well!! But, as I was saying.... the kids voted on whether they wanted to cover the whole card or just play regular bingo. They voted in favor for the whole card!! I didn't quite bring enough marshmallows for them to use as markers for the whole card, but it ended up working by using a couple blocks from the toy pile as fill-ins. :-)

After JINGO was over, they decided to do a conga line in Noah's class, so I took the opportunity to sneak down to Madie's classroom where Pete was knee-deep in his own game of JINGO. They weren't looking to cover their whole card, so they were doing just fine. 20+ 2nd graders makes for a much louder and crazier class, but a lot of those kids I've known since kindergarten, so it's always fun to stop in and say hi to them. Olivia basically helped Madie eat her marshmallows, drink her juice, and hug Pete long enough to distract him from calling out the clues. Our time there was probably more of a disruption than a benefit, but it was still a fun little stop to make.

Here's one of the rare minutes I actually found Livie sitting still. She quite the social butterfly and had to make her rounds with Madie's friends. :-)

This is Madie's very best friend in the world, Michael. He's an absolute sweetie and he has a brother in kindergarten as well. So, Madie, Michael, Noah, and Andrew play together a lot. Madie informed me today that Michael said when they get married she's supposed to have one boy and one girl - though the names haven't been worked out yet. Told her to wait for at least another dozen years or so, then they can consider it. But, hey, his dad's the pastor at the First Baptist Church here in town, so at least we know he's a baptist!! :-) hehe

Anyway, they all had a great time at their parties. There is a giant basket FULL of candy in my kitchen now, that I'm sure will last them until Halloween. Well, at least until Pete and I get a hold of it anyway. And, I'll be on here tomorrow to tell you all about Noah's super-awesome 6th birthday!! Can't wait!

Noah's Scrapbook

I mentioned the other day that Noah and I have been working on making a small scrapbook for him to take in during his special week this week. We started a couple weeks ago and have been working on it here and there. Well, we finally finished it today. :-) He's so proud of it. So, I thought I'd share a bit of it here.




Here he is working on it the first day. Madie was very interested in helping, but I told her it was Noah's project, so she could give her ideas, but Noah was in charge. She didn't like that much, but still enjoyed helping. :-) Livie was interested for a few minutes, but had more fun just coloring the paper instead of designing the pages and picking out the pictures.

Here's Noah looking at a couple of the pages we did. On the Daddy page, he drew a little picture of the two of them holding arrows like on Zelda. He thought that was cool.

And, this is his favorite page. The very last page he did. Mostly because I let him do whatever he wanted to it, instead of directing him to do this or that. He picked out any special page he wanted (an army page) and used whatever stickers he wanted (army stickers) and then I put "The End" at the bottom and let him go to town. It was his favorite part. He tried to put an entire 12x12" page of stickers on a little 6x8" page, but he finally had to leave a few off, because he ran out of room. But, he got most of them on. Plus, he added a tank to the top, which made him very happy. He's all about the army and wants to join someday, he tells me. So, there's Noah's scrapbook. He'll take it to school on Friday and show it to all his friends then. So, Jude, what do you think? Are we professional scrapbookers yet? ;-)

Student Of The Week

Every child in Mrs. Newberry's class (and perhaps in all of kindergarten at Marseilles) is given a week when they are "Student of the Week". Typically they try and make the child the SotW the week of their birthday. I remember when Madie did it. It was fun! Now, it's Noah's turn. His birthday is on Saturday, Valentine's Day to be exact - something he's reminded everyone in his class anytime V-Day is mentioned apparently. ;-) Anyway, one of the things they do when it is their week is color and fill in this giant poster page about themselves. So, last night after supper, we worked on it together.



Noah's not one to color for long periods of time, so the fact that he nearly colored the whole thing in was quite something for him.

This was his finished product. He was so pleased with himself. The questions were as follows...

1. What is your favorite thing to do? PLAY WII

2. What is your favorite food? CRESCENT ROLLS

3. When is your birthday? FEB. 14th

4. Where is your favorite place to go? THE POOL

Then there is a space for a picture of his family and of him. We put pictures on of everything we have. I didn't have any of him playing Wii or eating crescent rolls though, so we just put pictures of that on there. He's get to show it to his class today and then later in the week he'll take in the scrapbook we've been working on that's all about him. Just have a few pages left to finish tonight and it'll be ready. I'll blog about that when it's done. Then on Friday, during the V-Day party, we'll celebrate his birthday with the kids. Going to be a busy week, but I'm sure he's going to love every minute of it!!

Family Fun Day

On Sunday we had what we like to call "Family Fun Day". Family Fun Day started last January after Pete spent 3 out of 5 weeks in Toronto and the kids were really taking it hard. We were trying to think of a way to do something special with them without having to travel somewhere, since Pete had just finished up all that travelling. We thought we could just get a few things for the kids that we could do as a family. Hence .... Family Fun Day! We've done puzzles together, paintings, games, etc.. And, the only rule for that day is NO TV. Just time together. Well, Pete had been in Toronto again and the kids were sad about that, so we decided another FFD was in order. We have them 3-4 times a year.



We made the kids close their eyes, so they would be surprised to see what we got to do that day as their FFD activities.

This is their reaction when Pete showed them one of the things we got them for that day.

When we were out on our date on Sat night, we went to the clearance section in Walmart and they had this gigantic 1000 pc lego set for $30. It was half off! Pretty cool! So, this was their major surprise. They were super excited!!

Since it was a castle, it came with a bunch of knights and archers and a king as well. The bad guys were skeletons (not sure why). Then the good guys had a horse and the bad skeleton guys had a dragon. They played with those all day and night long. This is Livie with her favorite archer and the dragon (also her fav).

This is Noah's knight being attacked by Livie's dragon.

This is Madie's evil skeleton king fighting the knight.

Madie helped us build a couple sections, but Livie and Noah mostly just played with the figures until we'd get a section done, then they'd play with those. Pete built the most of it. I was in charge of giving him the pieces he needed.

Pete had to take a break, because he was hunched over so long, his back was hurting, so I took over for the last tower.

This was the completed castle. Cool, huh?!! :-) It has a drawbridge, a secret entry way, a treasure chest, and cannons. They just loved it!!!

The other gift we gave them was a large Star Wars Clone Wars coloring pad. So, they each took a break from the legos and did some coloring. Livie's favorite is R2D2.

Madie's favorite is Anakin. There were several pictures with Anakin, but she chose this one with Asoka. She likes her too. :-) I actually broke the NO TV rule while they were coloring and playing with the castle later that afternoon, because I have a cold and was fighting a headache and the general blah feeling you get with those. So, I layed down for a while around suppertime, but after that we sat around the table and Madie worked on her valentines, while Noah worked on his schoolwork. It was a fun day and another successfull FFD. Whether it's staying in the house and building lego towers or going to the park and looking for leaves, it's always great to spend that time together and let our kids know that we love them and love every minute we spend with them. :-)