Apple Hill

On Saturday we braved the cold weather and headed up to Apple Hill with my family.
Sometimes I just can't get over how cute this kid is.
Noah loved all of it: being outside, seeing new things, tasting new foods and being the center of attention just about everywhere we went.
We loved eating and indulging at each new place, but really the best part was having this guy to share in our family tradition.
My mom was pretty happy too. She's waited a long time to bring a grandchild up here. She made sure that Noah sampled his first taste of apple pie. I'm not sure who loved it more, Noah or Nana.
Nana continued the spoiling and bought Noah his first pony ride. From the moment he saw the horse, Noah was over the top excited. With my sister by his side, Noah laughed the entire time he rode. The workers commented that he was the happiest rider they've had.

Noah LOVES dogs. We ran into this one at Rainbow Orchards, and it was like he had won the lottery.
After our 3 traditional stops at Abel's, Rainbow Orchards (for the best made to order, piping hot, apple cider donuts ever), and High Hill, Noah was worn out and ready for a nap. I think the rest of us were too. But while we were there he was pretty much one big smile the whole time.

First Haircut

Noah got his first haircut on Monday.

It was traumatic...and not in the way you might think.
Not knowing how he'd handle it, I made a little trip out to Roseville to a salon just for kids. Surely they'd be pros at cutting my little guy's hair, right? That's what they do: cut KIDS' hair, for heaven's sake.
Noah was loving it. There was a cape and a new bucket of toys. And, the whole thing was topped off with the buzzing sound of clippers. He was totally into it.

When the stylist showed him the clippers he looked at her like, "O.k., go for it."

After the clippers, trauma ensued. I have no idea where this lady got her license, but she shouldn't even be licensed to cut paper, not to mention my little one's hair.
The damage was done, and it was bad. Uneven and just horrible. I didn't dare ask her to fix it because I was afraid it would only get worse. I felt terrible. I had taken my sweet Noah for a big boy experience, and he looked like I'd let him cut his own hair.
Nate thought I was over reacting, but I hated it. I really hated it. The next morning I headed over to the salon and asked for help. The stylist said, "Well, it is a little short in the front, but I'll try to at least make it better." Noah held perfectly still while she straightened, textured and just helped that little head of hair look like it didn't just get cut by the weed wacker.
After five days, I'm not freaking out anymore. But I strongly advise not going to Tangles for Kids in Roseville. What a huge mistake. Nice, friendly, and sweet with kids does not yield a good, or even decent, hair cut. I should have just gone to the salon in the first place!

Thank goodness hair grows...hopefully, in this case, quickly. :-)

And, Noah, you were a champ. Next time it will be a good one on the first try, I promise.

a post script

Just a little p.s. about our anniversary.

Nate surprised me with an amazing, lovely dinner at Suede Blue in Roseville.

Yum.

Wild boar ribs are good. It was just nice to go somewhere a little extra special, especially since we pretty much never eat out, and we are horrible with making time for date nights.

Not long after we were seated, the server brought out these beauties and wished me a happy anniversary.
My sweet husband had ordered flowers and had them delivered to the restaurant earlier that evening.

Thoughtful? Most definitely.

But it's even more meaningful because that's what he did five years ago in Lake Tahoe after he proposed. And he requested that the arrangement be full of fall colors, getting as close to our wedding flowers as possible.

You did good Nate. Thanks for a great evening and for five years of love.

Happy Family Day!

Today we celebrate five years of marriage.

In coming together we were suddenly defined by a few new titles...

...Couple...

(I hope he'll always make me laugh.)

...Honeymooners...

(Oh, will we ever get back to Costa Rica?)

...and Newleyweds...

At the time I didn't think much of being a 'family.' But I understand better now that five years ago, the choice we made to be married, made us not just an eternal couple (or eternal honeymooners, as nice as that would be!), but an eternal family. Ultimately, that's the reason we came together.
That little one of ours has made me think of 'anniversary' different now. It's a little about the two of us, but it's more about the day a beautiful thing started -- our family.

Happy Family Day!

Eleven Months

Noah is eleven months old!

(...and barely held still long enough to take a picture.)

Every month is filled with growth and change, but I feel like this one has just been an explosion of development in so many ways.
Two weeks ago we finally heard 'mom.' Not 'ma ma,' but a very definite 'mom,' usually said three times. Noah has also said 'one' and once when Nate called on the phone he said, 'Hi Da da.' It's so fun to hear all of these crazy sounds turning into words!

(Starting to say 'mom' with a very pronounced 'm' sound.)

Noah mastered using a straw and is so pleased with himself every time we give him the chance to demonstrate his skill.

He also figured out stair climbing and was, again, so proud of himself when he got to the top of grandma and grandpa's stairs.
It's taken a little while, but Noah can finally pull himself up on to just about anything.
He's completely comfortable getting up and down,
likes to be on his knees,
and doesn't mind getting stuck every once in a while
Noah still loves his books. In The Very Busy Spider he makes the owl sound right before we read it in the story. It's amazing to me that, at some level, he already knows the story and at what point the owl says, "Whoo, whoo."
It seems like every day during the past month I was reporting something new to Nate that Noah could do. It is such a sweet blessing to be with him every day. I love that I'm getting to experience all of these first right along with Noah. To us he is the most amazing bundle of happiness, curiosity and fun!

San Francisco

The busy season seems to arrive sooner every year. When Nate mentioned that work was going to start getting busy (like, this week) he first took a day off so we could go have some fun.

Noah loved his first trip to the city. We ventured over to the Sutro Baths where we hiked, watched the waves and relaxed for a while.
It was there that Noah discovered shadows for the first time. He just kept staring at us, and, what you can't see in the picture is him waving at our shadows too.

Don't worry, Nate has not gained 400 pounds. His camera backpack sure does make it look that way though!

We drove for a while, almost accidentally went across the Golden Gate Bridge thanks to some very misleading road construction, and finally ended up at Fisherman's Wharf. It's a must-stop location for a first visit, even for a little guy.
After visiting a gallery that we love, we headed over to the Pier. Noah loved the seals and just kept laughing at their antics and barking. In fact, that kind of sums up the day. A lot of looking around and laughing from all of us.
It was the perfect family getaway, and while life isn't going to get really, REALLY busy for just a little longer, dealing with Daddy being a bit busier isn't so bad when we get to have some fun too.