We've been SO busy lately, so it's been difficult to sit down and update the blog...sorry! But today Noah is at school and Maya is napping at the moment, so I have some free time - and instead of sewing or crafting something, which is what I usually do, I decided I needed to sit down and do a massive blog post. :)
So...July. On July 4th we walked a 5K to benefit an organization that helps soldiers coming home from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan integrate back into society with counseling, job placement, etc. It was really fun, and cool because some of the soldiers in Afghanistan ran it simultaneously; we could see them on screens (via satellite) throughout the race. We all wore patriotic colors and decorated Noah's wagon, which he thought was really cool.
In July we also went to Orlando for my 30th birthday. It was a little early
(my birthday isn't until August) but the thought of walking around
Disney in the heat of August just sounded awful - although it was still
ridiculously hot, so it didn't really matter, I guess. We were going
specifically to see The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal's
Islands of Adventure, and while we were there we also took the kids to
the Magic Kingdom. We had such a great time! Noah had been to Disney
before but he was so young and didn't really understand what was going
on, but this time he really "got" it! It was so awesome to see the look
on his face when he saw all the characters and went on the rides.
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| Noah and "Mimi" |
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| "Please respect the spell limit" (at the entrance to Hogsmede at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter) |
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| Standing in front of the Hogwarts Express |
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| The castle |
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| Waiting to go to breakfast with the characters |
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| He was SO excited to see the characters...from afar. When they got up close he was a little freaked out. |
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| Riding on Dumbo |
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| He was obsessed with that stupid fan! :) |
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| Waiting in line at the Haunted Mansion |
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| On It's a Small World - he was mesmerized! |
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| Maya loved it too! |
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| Waiting to ride the Space Ranger ride (see Buzz in the background?) |
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| Passed out in Grandma's lap on the bus |
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| Watering the plants with their fans |
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| Riding on the "big bus" - one of his favorite things of the whole trip. |
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| On Grandpa's shoulders watching the parade |
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| She got her ears! |
Other events in July: Maya learned how to sit unassisted!
Noah "graduated" from Tiny Tots 1 to Tiny Tots 2 in school!
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| Sporting his graduation hat |
In August, my grandparents came to visit for my birthday. They loved spending time with the kids, and the kids had great fun with them!
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| Maya and my grandfather |
For most of the rest of the month we didn't do too much but hang out around the house. Here are a few pictures of what we got up to:
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| This is what she does when you take too long to get a spoonful of food to her mouth |
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| Playing hard. :) |
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| Walking around the mall with Daddy |
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| At Titans training camp |
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| Maya's first time in the race car shopping cart. Noah is not thrilled to have to share. |
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| Training camp again |
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| Exercising at the park |
We took a trip to visit some friends in Raleigh, NC and to take a look at UNC Chapel Hill.
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| He wanted to jump in the fountain |
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| At the university |
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| In the hotel, pretending the phone is a hair dryer |
In September we went back to Raleigh, again to look at the University (a little more in depth this time). While we were there we got to see Ray's cousin Claire, who goes to Elon University. We spent the day with her at the zoo, and had a great time! We also went to a kids' museum called Marbles, and Noah loved it; they had a ton of cool stuff to look at and play with!
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| Sleeping in the car |
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| At the zoo, looking out the window of a huge beehive |
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| Happy girl :) |
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| At Marbles, playing in the water table area |
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| On the pirate ship |
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| She's such a ham when she sees the camera! |
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| She makes this face all the time, and I love it. |
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| Sleeping in the restaurant during lunch |
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Here are a few more pictures from August, of just day-to-day life:
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| These ears are from Noah's first Easter and are still a favorite toy |
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| With Darla (who never shows up in pictures because she's all black) |
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| First bath together |
Maya is so close to crawling, we think it will happen any day now! She's such a sweetheart, and a very happy baby, although lately she has been very needy and whiny - I think she might (finally) be getting some more teeth. And Noah is getting to be such a good talker; the other day when he woke up I went to get him from his room to take him downstairs and start getting ready for school, and he told me, "No, Mommy, I want to go in there [our room] and watch a movie for a minute." He definitely knows what he wants, and is such a sweet, kind little boy.
We're getting ready for Halloween; the kids are going to be Luke and Leia from Star Wars. I'm sure we'll have some great pictures to share!
Well that's all for now. I promise I'll try to be better about updating more often!
