Sunshine and summer time!

Seriously, how can you not love her?

That lovely swimsuit ensemble is thanks to Gammy. (My mother) We went to lunch and out shopping one afternoon and i let her go hog wild on my child's behalf. I think she looks pretty darn cute.

I'm so glad the warm weather is here! If only Jason wouldn't want to keep our apartment at subzero temperatures... Noella and i hang out in sweatpants and long sleeves because the AC is so chilly. What he doesn't know is that most days, i shut it off during the day and turn it back on about an hour before he comes home. I don't think he realizes the difference. Except for the few days i forget... then i get lectured about how much more electricity it sucks trying to cool things back down again. I think he'll live.

While i'm super happy about the warm weather, i'm sad it's been so dang rainy and the days it isn't raining, it's over 80 degrees so it isn't exactly the best time to bring little Miss for a walk. I hope this bi-polar weather chills out soon. I miss seeing the sun and being able to actually enjoy it rather than melt in it.


Jason and i have been talking about maybe looking into buying a house. It's not because either of us wants to move. It's because our upstairs neighbors drive us nuts. We've have had two different couples up there since we moved in and they both keep crazy hours and i swear they wear combat boots filled with rocks around the house. Sometimes i can picture a foot coming through my ceiling.

It will be a long process to find financing and a house that isn't falling to pieces with the right amount of space but i'm sure we can do it. We aren't going to actively look. Just keep an eye open and see what we can afford and if it works out, then we will put our shoulder to the wheel and get going. We don't really need more space at the moment but it would be nice to not have to worry about our neighbors and have an extra bedroom just in case. Besides, i'm pretty sure we aren't done having kids. :)

I've been in a super crafty mood lately. I really want to make things. I want to paint again (if the paints weren't awful expensive... gosh. $10 for a tube of oil paint!?) I want to finish the two quilts i made the tops for. So since i don't have a sewing machine here or $160 to get myself some new paints and canvas, i drew a little. I loved to draw as a child but somehow grew out of it as an adult. I just didn't have the patience and it seemed all my friends in high school were leagues ahead of me in that department. So i kind of put it on a shelf for a while and forgot about it. The other day, i took out a sketch book and drew my camera. It isn't perfect. And it isn't proportional. i drew it in pen. Wanna know why? Because drawing in pen is a commitment. You can't erase a line and draw it again 5 million times until it's just perfect. You have to make a mark and live with it. And i'm proud of that funny looking drawing. I made a commitment and stuck to it. It was a wonderful little life lesson.



Christmas is still ever present in my mind. I would like to start to gather things for Christmas presents. I think i want to make things this year rather than buy things but i can't narrow down what i'd like to make. Homemade potholders? Ornaments? Lap quilts? Perhaps those mason jars full of dry ingredients for cookies? I have a lot of thinking to do and should probably try to line up some odd jobs between now and the end of July to make sure i have the extra cash to cover my materials. If you have any ideas, please let me know. I'm open to trying anything. I really want this year to be super special because it's not only Noella's first Christmas but the first Christmas Jason is going to spend with his family in a long time. I'm putting a lot of pressure on myself to make everything just perfect but i think you guys understand.

Noella has a best friend. His name is Gentle Giraffe. Mema and Popop bought him for her before she was born. He's been by her side during nap time for almost every nap in her lifetime. He helps soothe her to sleep at night and even plays some fun songs for playtime. Lately, he's been traveling with her too. He was attached to her crib always faithfully awaiting her return but i took him with her this past Saturday over to Gammy and Papa's house. Jason and I left Noella in the loving care of Madam. Now one thing you need to know about that girl is that she doesn't like her car seat. She finds it very constricting to be strapped in. I put the giraffe in with her, turned it on and she was pleasant as can be the whole ride over. She even slept for about 20 minutes after getting there. It was magical. She snuggles him for nap time because his head is small enough that it doesn't push against her nose but can hold in her binky (with is a blessing and a curse...) So now, we don't go anywhere without him. She hugs him and sucks on his little... uhm.. paws? Legs? Whatever they are. His plush stumps. He makes her giggle and smile. She has even figured out that if she hits his back, she can turn him on. He was the best present we ever got. So thank you Mema for letting P

Noella yells at her Giraffe

I'm obsessed with...

This hat.

Thank you thank you Mema! You always seem to find the cutest things!

Bath Time and rolling over

Noella loves bath time for the most part. I love giving her a bath because she's so curious and always surprised when i pour the water over her belly. She gets all sweet and snuggly afterwards when i'm carrying her all bundled up in her towel to get her dressed and lotioned up for the night. I love the way the bubble bath and lotion smells and i love her adoring looks and smiles. It makes for a wonderful end to a somewhat hectic day.

She was also on the verge of rolling over today. I was on my laptop downloading the latest batch of pictures when a rather excited Jason yells " Look Mommy!" I got up and turned around and there she was on her side reaching as far as she could for Jason. She ALMOST did it twice but she couldn't quite kick her leg over far enough. I'm excited but sad all at once. Excited because it's a major developmental milestone but i'm sad because it means she's getting old enough to make those milestones. It's going by too fast for me sometimes.

Also, LOOK!
Red-ish curly hair. :) It makes me so so happy. I have a girl with strawberry curls.

Lots of women in my family say that Noella acts a lot like i did when i was little. Super smiley and talkative and too nosey for my own good. I suppose it's only fair that i get a turn with a little Miss Chatterbox!

I'm finally taking some nicer pictures with my camera. It just took some playing around with and some patience.

Ta da!




Life this week is good even if my dishes are piled in the sink. I'm going to go eat ice cream and watch a trashy movie with my Mister.

so very sad...

I am that is.

Because i can't figure out why on earth my camera takes such blurry pictures lately

There have been so many great shots that have been ruined by the inability to focus or the fact that my shutter is spazing out so it doesn't shut fast enough.

Or it could just be that i don't know squat about that thing.

It's probably a combination.

But it deeply saddens me because rather than memories that are relished in the moment and then soon forgotten, these are fuzzy, ghosty looking pictures i can forever keep and almost remember...

Like So...

(If you click on it, it will enlarge and you'll see what i mean)

Off to find ANOTHER website helping me figure this out...

This...

... is what happens when you wait two weeks to do laundry.

5 huge dryers full.

I'll admit it though, i don't mind doing laundry at the laundramat. Sure i'd like my own washer and dryer in my apartment so we could save time and money but i feel so efficient when i go. I get everything done at one time and don't have to face the clothes again until next Friday.

I'm a slacker because i still have yet to take pictures of our new place. It's on my never ending to do list. I promise. Soon.

We got Noella's new born pictures back! Here's a few favorites.






Becky Trudell did a GREAT job.

We've had rain all last week. It was a bit depressing. But yesterday was warm and sunny. too warm in fact. So warm, that we got our very own air conditioner. It's a fancy one that tells you the temperature of the room. It was 88 when we put it in the window. It took 5 minutes to bring it down to 78. This thing just might save our lives this summer.

Jason and I realized something rather sad the other night. We don't have any friends in NH that we aren't related to. We need to get out more... I suppose it will be easier when Noella's a little bigger and can go to play groups and whatnot. But. Still... we should go make friends. We are shut ins on the weekends. We need a life.

Now! On a happier note!

Here's a fun video of Noella smiling at her Daddy. She loves him so. Sorry about the odd angle. It was taken on my phone.

New digs

We are done moving. Finally.

...well... truthfully, we were done a week ago. But we are done with most of the unpacking now. Just Noella's room and a few odd boxes in the kitchen full of homeless items.

We like it here with the exception of our noisy neighbors. We were spoiled with how quiet our other building was and the fact that we were on the first floor. Now we are sandwiched between a young man with an awesome sound system and love for anything with a heavy bass line and a heavy footed couple above us. We can only assume that one of them works second shift because otherwise they never sleep because it seems like someone is moving around all the time up there. Also, we live next to the busiest McDonalds in the area. Strike that. The ONLY McDonalds in the area.

But the positives are that this apartment is positively huge compared to our first place. We have room for our giant leather sectional, the little loveseat that was shoved into Noella's room previously, two desks, an entertainment center with Jason's prized 42 inch plasma tv AND still have a little space open by the door for a shoe mat and my credenza with plants. Our kitchen has space to have a little table so no more having to eat in the living room (well... we do until we can get a set of chairs for said space). We also have a real pantry AND a linen closet. Our coat closet has doubled in space and our bedroom easily fits our queen bed, both dressers and we don't have to sleep in a closet anymore! YAY!

Noella is apparently a fan of our new place. :)

I'll post pictures as soon as i get a chance to take some. Cross my heart! (i'm very excited to show you guys because there are a lot of vintage touches here that i LOVE.)

Miss Noella has been having a rough time lately though. I wonder if it's the move or just her age but she doesn't want to nap unless she's on our chests. It makes it kind of hard to do things in the afternoon though there are some days i don't mind because it means i can take a little siesta too. I just hope it settles down again soon and she can get back into her routine. We had just established a good routine before we decided to move and now the poor little thing's life turned upside down.

She is also not a fan of tummy time. She grunts and whines and kicks when we put her on her tummy. It's hard to make her do it because she seems so unhappy but i know it's going to benefit her in the long run. But she seems to be getting the whole sitting up thing well. She can sit up pretty much by herself now. She just needs a little support on the small of her back.

Noella is becoming more and more like a little me everyday. She has an attitude and man does she know how to use it. She's also a super duper chatty little thing! She loves to babble away when she wakes up in the morning and when she's on her exercise mat. She is growing so fast. I saw a two week old the other day and it kind of made my heart ache for the days when she was that tiny. Not that she's gigantic now or anything but she's almost double her birth weight already and at least 4 inches longer.

Noella and Daddy just two days after she was born
Noella and Daddy just two weeks ago

See what i mean? She's so so big. Time is flying too darn fast. How do i make it slow down?