"Daddy, you know that big, giant fish that swallowed up Jonah? That's what I did to my toothpaste."

Noelle's 1st Pumpkin

We gutted a pumpkin today for some family fun. Noelle had never done this before, but she reacted just as we predicted she would. Just check out the video below.











She finally was willing to grab more pulp on her own after we bribed her. We told her she could hold the pumpkin top if she would grab more pulp, and she quickly stuck her hand in.

Hygiene by Noelle

Sarah: "I'm going to take a shower."

Noelle: "Daddy, do you need to take a shower too?"

Chris: "What do you think?"

Noelle: "Let me smell you."

(Noelle smells my ankle.)

Noelle: "You don't need a shower. You smell good."

Recent Noelle Quotes

"I have an itchy armpit. Daddy, do you want to video me scratching my itchy armpit?"

"Sometimes....when I go potty....I like to sit here and think about my day."

On the way to Walmart this afternoon, Noelle offered the following insight:

"Daddy, it's hard to go to the potty when you're sneezing!"

New Toy

Does anybody know the battery life on these things?

Deep Thoughts

I turned 30 yesterday, and this birthday was different than any before it. This milestone was bigger, and many friends and family members took note. I was bombarded with cards, emails, phone calls, and questions all day long (actually, this started several days leading up to my birthday) of how I felt about turning 30, being so old, etc. I normally am not the type to get very caught up in the meaning of a number, but this year things were different. I truly spent a lot of time contemplating my 3 decades and coming to grips with my age, and after several long, pensive days, there was one, overriding question that I just couldn't get out of my mind:

How old must my parents be to have a son that is 30?

Yes, my parents may be much older than I ever realized, but at least they are still able to maintain a sense of humor. I received many birthday cards this year, but the one from them below was the one that made me laugh the most.