New Game

This is Chris' new favorite game to play with Noelle:


Noelle: "I'm thirsty!"

Chris: "Hi Thirsty. I'm Daddy."

Noelle: "No, I'm not Thirsty!"

Chris: "Oh good. You're not thirsty anymore."

- Noelle whines and bursts into tears.
- Chris smiles because he wins again.
- Sarah rolls her eyes and wonders when her husband will grow up.

Big Country Balloon Fest

Each year we enjoy going to the park to see all the hot air balloons when they come to town. We went Friday night and got to see a few. Only one of them launched because of the high winds, but we had a great time. Noelle went on her first horse ride. (She rode a pony last year.) She wouldn't ride by herself, but she calmed down and had a fun time once she realized Dad could ride with her.

Working out with Noelle

West Texas Fair & Rodeo

Last week we got to take Noelle to her first fair. Our fair didn't have deep-fried butter like the Texas State Fair, but we still had a great time. Noelle's favorite parts were the petting zoo and getting to take her first carousel ride.

A Keen Eye

While watching an NFL game today, Noelle made an observation and this conversation ensued:

Noelle: "Why does that man have a circle stamp on his arm?"

(Sixty second pause while Chris and Sarah try to decide what a circle stamp is.)

Chris: "That's a tattoo."

Noelle: "What's a tattoo?"

Chris: "It's like a stamp, but it won't ever come off."

Noelle: "Will it come off with baby oil?"

Chris: "Nope. Not even baby oil will get if off."

24-week sonogram

Jared is doing great! He is 12 inches long and weighs 1 pound and 11 ounces. All his measurements are right on track. We'll go back for another sonogram in a month.

This was the firs time we took Noelle with us. Here's a snapshot of our appointment:

• Sarah signs in at the receptionist's desk
• Noelle and I take a seat.
• Sarah and I talk/play with Noelle.
• A nurse calls Sarah back to get weighed.
• Noelle and I stay in the waiting room.
• Sarah rejoins us and on the way to her seat Noelle asks loudly, "How much did you weigh?!"
• Chris busts out laughing.
  
• Another patient is called back to get weighed.
• Chris prays that Noelle doesn't ask this stranger how much she weighs.
  
• The lady returns after a minute.
  
• God is gracious and answered my prayer.
  

Latest Conversation with Noelle

S: Ooops!

N: Why did you say that?

C: Because she made a mistake. Do you know what a mistake is?

N: No.

C: It's when you accidentally do something wrong. Have you ever made a mistake?

N: No.

C: What about a small mistake?

N: No.

C: Oh really? Do you want me to make a list of all your mistakes?

N: Yeah. Will you put them on the blog?

Random Pictures

These pictures are for disgruntled family and friends who don't care about the cute things that Noelle says. They just want to see pictures of her!

Noelle's Interpretation of the Salvation Message

Noelle went to school (MDO) today. One of the things they do on Thursdays is Chapel. I asked Noelle what she learned in Chapel today, and this was her version.


S: What did you learn about in chapel?
N: We learned about having a dirty heart and a clean heart.
S: How do you get a dirty heart?
N: Hmmm…I think from being in the field. But do you know who can help us?
S: Who?
N: God!
S: How does he help us with our dirty hearts?
N: He wipes it with a blue brush.

Simple Pleasures in Life

This morning Noelle said, "Mommy, it makes me so happy that Hannah didn't chew up a bird today!"

Me, too!

A Discipline Tip from Noelle

Today Noelle was asked to stop doing something, but she did it one more time. She immediately got to stand in the corner. After a few minutes I went to talk with her about what she did. The end of our conversation went like this:

C: "That was disobeying. When you disobey, you will stand in the corner or get a spanking."

N: "I don't like spankings. I only like to stand in the corner."


That's good to know. I will keep that in mind for the future.