(Catching Up) Hello, Mr. 4 year old

Yup, Noah is 4.  Do most kids have birthdays that seem to go on forever?  The party, the "actual" birthday day, the school birthday -- the Noah festivities went on for at least a week.  Noah asked that the theme of his party be John Deere - so John Deere it was.  

Wasn't I just hauling around that little boy in a baby Bjorn?  How can it be that he is washing his own hair and going to PreSchool?

Check out the cake.  Yes, that IS a John Deere tractor that Lisa constructed from ice cream and chocolate.  And under the tractor is a "banana split" ice cream cake: peanuts/graham cracker bottom, fudge, choc ice cream, bananas, banana ice cream, cherries, vanilla.  OH MY Gosh was that good.

And the birthday boy performs!  Shall I send a quick email to American Idol?

Noah unwraps his new combine tractor.  He uses it for his harvesting, of course.  

Noah and Nurse Leslie

The boys and Auntie Lisa and Uncle Mark

Noah and Eli with Nana Paula and Grampie Steve

N with Auntie D and Uncle Ernie

At SMS (Stillwater Montessori School) Miss Joanne helped Noah celebrate with his friends and family.  In a Montessori classroom the birthday child holds the earth or a globe and walks around  the sun or a candle. The walk represents the earth revolving around the sun. The child walks around as many years old he or she is and stops on the month and date he or she was born.

Papa and baby Eli look on

Noah's 4th birthday planet Earth 

Wrap me up like a burrito

Yesterday afternoon, Noah asked if I could "wrap him up like a burrito" and I didn't get where he was coming from until he explained that he wanted to be swaddled with Eli.  We got down on the floor and used the blanket that Gramma Dot (my Aunt Dorothy) made for Noah.  He calls it the Letter Blanket.....

Speaking of blankets.....Noah picked up a photo book last night and exclaimed, "There is broken blankie before it was broken!!"  Yes, indeed.  Check out this beautiful, fluffy blanket (and the cute little Noah)

 And here is broken blankie these days.  You will notice it is pretty darned close to a choking hazard.  Gene is just waiting for an opening to get rid of it once and for all.  It doesn't smell very good, either - sort of like dill pickles.  Noah loves it.

I wonder what Eli will love?  A blankie?  Maybe a teddy bear? 

Last night we were invited to Mark and Lisa's for a yummy dinner of Chicken Bryan (I am not sure if this is the exact recipe that Lisa used, but it must be close)  It's chicken with goat cheese & a yummy sauce with lemon, basil and sundried tomato......) I had my camera but Eli was a little fussy all evening (could it have been because Noah's volume seemed to be stuck on VERY LOUD all night?  Hmmmm) so I didn't get any photos.  I found this pic, though, and it made me smile.  Check out these three guys all comfy in Uncle Mark's bed!  (Noah, true to form is stripping off his socks)  

Happy almost-weekend.  I'm at the office today catching up on my personal life (Quicken, taxes, etc) I hope to post another (Catching Up) entry before the end of the day!  

Back to Work (sort of)

As of last week, I am back to UB part-time.  Eli seems to be just fine at the Infant-Toddler program - it's nice that we see all the familiar faces that took such good care of Noah during his first two years.  It's made the transition much easier for me.  He'll get lots of love over there!  When I dropped him off this morning, he had a little friend named Maggie who is just one month older.  They were in little bouncy seats smiling at each other - super cute.

Sitting at the office is sort of blissful, really.  I'm able to actually complete tasks and cross them off my list (such a satisfying thing to do) and reign in that feeling of being so behind.  I may come in to the office this week on a day when I don't have to...to catch up on Quicken so that I can be ready for taxes.

Noah is off to the Bangor Auditorium with Auntie Lisa to check out a high school basketball game.  I got a text that said they are having fun and even met Uncle Mark at Geaghan's for some of Noah's favorite boneless buffalo wings with bleu cheese!  (He calls it "orange chicken")

I will introduce a new strain of posts called "catching up" to bridge the gap in between now and Pre-Eli.  They will pop up every once in awhile as I have the time!  They won't be in order, but it might be fun to look back.  So much changes in a few months!

So: goals for back to work:
1.  Cross something off my list every day
2.  Bring my lunch (been eating random things I left in my lower desk drawer today: ramen, a Lindt chocolate and popcorn.)
3.  Drink water
4. Start my getting-out-of-the-house process a 1/2 hour earlier than I think I need to.
5.  To the gym at least 3 times a week

(Catching Up) A Post-Holiday Music Program

Noah and his classmates have been working on some songs to perform for friends and family.  They weren't able to have the show before Christmas (the teacher was sick) but we gathered Feb. 8th for music and cookies at the Stillwater Elementary School.  Noah was so excited to be there (translation: he ran around with a wild pack of pre-school children and ate lots of cookies) and seemed to enjoy performance.  Forgive the grainy video, but this certainly gives you the vibe:

Joe Alex introduces the performers

Jen Hubbard helps Eli with dinner :) 

Dreaming of Summer

Denise sent me this photo the other day and it made me so wistful for a nice summer day down at camp. Just drink it in: 

It almost makes me forget the piles of snow on the ground.  Summer in Maine is the reward for snow shoveling, ice on the roof, cold cars and oil bills.

(Catching Up) Well, the Steelers didn't win the Super Bowl....

...but we did have a festive time.

Gene, Ernie, Leslie, Denise, Mike, Emmy, Mark, Allison and Noah. 

Complete with Steelers Nachos (that would be nachos with black beans and golden bell peppers) and Steelers Whoopie pies (you guessed it - whoopies with a golden creme filling thanks to Aunt Lisa) friends and family came to offer emotional support to the Steelers men in the family.

Sadly, it was not meant to be this year......but we will store the Terrible Towel and hope for the big win in 2012!

Noah giving the "hand."  Not like a friendly wave hello, more like a Jerry Springer-style "giving me the hand"  We're working on this.....

About 15 Minutes

This morning I figure I've got about 15 minutes.  Gene is on his way to see his Dad (tomorrow, of course, is SuperBowl Sunday and he will be front and center for his beloved Steelers) and I will have both the boys to entertain for the day.

To start, we had a wonderful wonderful visit with my friend Maddy.  She and I reminisced about standing at our lockers at Orono High School talking about life, boys, music, poetry...and here we are more than 20 years later talking about the same things, only slightly differently.  She has been living in Austin, TX for the last ten years, but it sounds like her heart is drawing her back to maine.  We talked about watching our kids play on the rocky Maine shore....I'll look forward to many more visits!

Just like we are at our lockers (plus a baby)

Wednesday brought another snow day!  Gene just keeps the roof rake in the front yard.  We share it with the neighborhood and it always seems like there is one of us out there using it these days.  More snow coming tonight into tomorrow.  

Eli is more and more social...smiles are almost guaranteed if we pretend to howl like a wolf.  So if you happen to be walked by our house one day and hear two adults and a four year old howling, that would be for Eli's benefit!  

I went to the office and worked a 1/2 day yesterday.  It was nice to have (sort of) a routine morning for a change: get up, get Noah ready for school, drop him off, get a coffee and head to Chadbourne Hall.  I didn't get even half of the things on my list done, but it felt good to be back at the desk and talking with Lori Wingo about the summer program!  We have a staff summer planning retreat here at the house on Monday, so I'll look forward to that, too.  Again, just like old times.....but with a baby in the room!  

Another news alert from 10 Old Mill:  Gene has a new TV and stereo.  He has been waiting for this moment for YEARS, and had several BIG Best Buy gift certificates from his graduation from Nursing School.  It's beautiful.  And just waiting for Super Bowl Sunday and the Steelers!  

That would be a John Deere video currently playing on the new  fancy TV....