Nate, Dianna & Noah

Visiting Papa

2012-01-25T20:29:00.000-08:00

On Sunday morning my dad ended up in the hospital due to dementia related issues. Nothing like an ambulance ride to start out the week. I've gone down to UC Davis hospital every day, but today was the first time I took Noah. It seemed that all of us could use a little cheering up when it comes to being in that hospital room, and sweet Noah is always up for a good time.
He really was so sweet, especially when it came to hanging out with Papa. It was like he knew to be gentle and that Papa isn't really up for playing much right now.
After checking out the room, Noah was mostly interested in Papa's bracelets and how they could spin around his wrist.
Nana has been a truly devoted wife through all of this. Her dedication to marriage and her eternal companion is really amazing. She loved taking a break from all of the seriousness and just getting some time to spend with her favorite guy.
Parkinson's is a horrible disease. Not long ago we were dealing with the disease's physical manifestations. Then, a year and a half ago, brain surgery mercifully took care of most of it. In the past year, however, we have seen how Parksinson's is taking hold of Papa's mental function as well, and its become just ugly.

I feel like we end up mourning the loss of my dad incrementally, as the disease progresses, instead of all at once like a death.

I had always hoped that my kids would have a memory of who my dad really is: strong, smart and playful. Those traits are slipping away much faster than any of us thought they would.

So we just take this one day at a time, hold on to each other tightly, and constantly remind ourselves that who we see now is not who he once was or will be one day.

Cousins

2012-01-16T14:55:00.000-08:00

We snapped this picture when everyone was together for the holidays and gave it to these kids' grandma last night for her birthday.
Noah's is one lucky kid to have these sweet cousins. It is something special to see the love they already have for each other. The girls are such good helpers. He was so happy to have someone play chase with him or climb the stairs whenever he wanted. And the older Brennan gets, the more Noah is excited about him. It won't be long before he and his little buddy can play together.

Go Niners

2012-01-15T14:47:00.000-08:00

A bunch of Boyce boys met up for the 49ers game on Saturday.
I'm sure just being together would have been a fun time, but the game itself made for an unforgettable experience.
They tailgated, screamed until they were voiceless and, according to Nate, ended up hugging complete strangers in celebration of the Niners win. It was a day filled with good times and something these guys will definitely be talking about for a long time.

Christmas Recap

2011-12-27T13:23:00.001-08:00

I was not expecting this to be the face of Christmas:

Or this.

Thankfully there was also some of this:
Christmas last year is such a blur since Noah was only 2 weeks old. It felt like this was his first one, and we were really looking forward to the excitement of it all.
But it became apparent that after maybe 2 or 3 days of finally feeling good (after being sick on his birthday), Noah was coming down with something...just in time for Christmas.

Look at this kid. He's a mess! I'm wishing Photoshop had a de-rashing filter.

We spent Christmas Eve with my family, had dinner and opened a few presents. Noah was still in pretty good spirits.
Christmas morning he seemed a little worn out,
but we opened presents with my family and then headed off to church.
Things kind of went down hill for a while at that point. Really grumpy, really tired, really coughing, and a rash that was getting progressively worse since the night before. Off to urgent care we went -- on Christmas.
He was checked for strep (negative - yeah!) and we left being diagnosed with a bad virus. That was good news to us. And, surprisingly, we also left with a boy in a better mood. I guess he was relieved that it was just a virus too.
So, off we went to spend the evening with Nate's family. They saved us some dinner, we opened presents, and had a great time together.
I'm a little bummed that pictures didn't take priority during the day, because there were a lot of sweet moments with our families that should have been captured.
Despite the unexpected events of the day, it was a great Christmas. Just spending time with our families was so much fun. We had my grandma here from Utah, and Nate's brother is home from BYU. And we can't wait for the rest of his siblings to show up this week.
Here's to hoping for a healthy Christmas next year!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

Celebrating One

2011-12-14T21:06:00.000-08:00

Noah's birthday last week started out a little bit like last year: at the hospital.

After hours of screaming, none of us could take it anymore, and we headed off to the ER a little before 3 a.m. We knew he had an ear infection, which the doctor confirmed. After only an hour later we were back home, and things were much more calm. It was a sweet moment when my little boy, who has never been a 'rock me to sleep' baby, fell asleep in my arms right at about the exact time he was born the previous year. Despite the exhaustion, it was a sweet, tender gift.

I am so lucky to be his mom.

We gathered our families together on Saturday to celebrate being one.

I kept things pretty simple, but I think it all came together nicely, even the cake.

Which I did photograph outside because it was too dark inside. Go here for details about the cake.

We took a family picture before the partying began,
the camera caught us giving Noah a 'kiss sandwich,'
and, as you can see, he didn't like that at all.

Noah was the perfect cake eater. After a few pokes at the frosting, he dug right in.
I was surprised how clean he kept his face.
He is, after all, the kid who uses his hair for a napkin, remember?
He definitely loves cake and making a mess.
Toys, books and clothes all made for perfect gifts. This little guy sure is spoiled.
I made a ravioli pasta bake for dinner, since ravioli are a Noah favorite.
Noah spent the rest of the evening playing with one family member after another and trying out his new toys. He's a big fan of the tunnel.

12 Months

2011-12-12T09:45:00.000-08:00

Noah is one year old!

And after a year, that chair is finally just his size.

Take a look at how he's grown month by month:

So much growing and changing in just one year!

Here are the 12 month stats:

Height: 32 inches (96%)

Weight 25: pounds, 9 ounces (85%)
Head: 48.5 centimeters (95%)

'Da da' is still by far the most common sound we hear from Noah. He loves looking out the window and usually starts talking about Daddy while he's there.

Another perk to being at the window is the pulls on the blinds. This month they became the new favorite chew toy, even though we don't leave them within reach very often.

This kid has some amazing bed head.
Even after a nap it's a little wild.
While Noah is eating we often hear, "Num, num, num," throughout the meal. He started taking the sacrament at church and has expressed his satisfaction with the bread using the same sounds. It's still a little early, but I'm predicting that Noah will be the third lefty in this family of three. He definitely favors his left hand for eating.

It was great being with family at Thanksgiving. Noah's cousin Sammie invited him to his first tea party. He was a polite guest and didn't destroy everything right away.

Noah loves to explore, but, thankfully, isn't naughty at all...yet.
He has been great with the Christmas tree, stopping occasionally to check out an ornament or two.

Noah's favorite game, by far, is chase. He prefers to be in the lead, but will do the chasing too. Most of the time he's up on his knees now, but he's still amazingly fast as an army crawler. After a few strides to get away, Noah always checks behind to make sure we're still coming after him.

What an amazing year for growing, changing and learning...for ALL of us!

One Year Pictures

2011-12-09T13:41:00.000-08:00

A few days ago Noah woke up from his nap and was already dressed cute, so we spontaneously headed down to Sutter Street before the sun went down to take some pictures.

He was such a good sport, especially since we made him stand almost the entire time, and he's no where close to walking.
I love how expressive he is with his eyebrows.
This will definitely be a favorite picture spot in the fall for years to come.

How old are you?

2011-12-08T14:03:00.001-08:00

One, of course!

Noah takes his tricks very seriously.

One year ago...

2011-12-07T20:45:00.000-08:00

Dear Noah,

It was about this exact time last year that Daddy and I were heading to the hospital. My water broke at home, and it seemed like the longest ride of my life.

Earlier that day I was at the salon getting a haircut and color when I just started to feel uncomfortable. I didn't say much, but once I got home I started to keep track of what I thought might be contractions. I did not want to be sent home for false labor so I wanted some real proof if we ended up going to the hospital. That proof turned into 6 hours of documented contractions while I paid bills, cleaned up the house and waited for Daddy to come home from work.
Looking back, I think it's how I dealt with the pain and uncertainty of it. I just stayed focused on the time and when the next one was coming.
Eventually we ended up at the hospital. I labored through the night, and you were born in the early hours of December 8th.
I think I've told you at least a few hundred times in the past year that you are a miracle. I know, every baby is, but you are my miracle. After three years of trying to conceive and three pregnancies, becoming a mom seemed just out of reach for quite a while. You changed all of that.

And while becoming a mom was a dream come true, it was probably the most difficult transition I've gone through. I had been a teacher for ten years, and it was only after leaving that job that I realized how much it had defined me. I was so grateful that I was the one caring for you each day, and yet I longed for those daily successes and accolades that I became accustomed to.

Every day I am reminded in some way that I have found my great work: being your mom.

I've joked that we prayed for a miracle, but I should have been more specific and prayed for a mild-mannered miracle. You were so unhappy for the first few months. Neither of us slept much, and I think we both cried more that we want to admit. :-)
But look at us now. Every day goes by too fast. I feel like I just can't get enough of you, and, despite being worn out, I miss you once you're asleep. Being your mommy is a demanding, sweet job, and being paid in smiles, love and laughter is just fine by me.
We are buddies. You have brought such energy and happiness into our family. We are amazed by you in every way: your silliness, energy, sociability, excitement, and ability to learn new things literally every day.

Oh, and your cuteness is just about more than I can take sometimes.

I'm so glad that love and attention are not limited quantities in our family. You surely get a lot of both, and that's just the way all of us like it.
I don't know what the future holds for the size of our family. Hopefully there will be other little ones. But I'm amazed at how content I am with you.

Just you.

To go from a reality where there might be none, to having an amazing ONE like you is awesome, wonderful and a miracle all wrapped up together. I am the luckiest.
Happy birthday, little man.

I love you.

Another First

2011-12-05T16:18:00.000-08:00

Just a few days shy of his first birthday, we've got a sick one.
We knew it was coming eventually and have felt pretty spoiled that this whole first year has been a completely healthy one. I'll take a sick toddler over a nonstop crabby newborn any day, but, man, this kid has been a lot of work. We're both exhausted. Now the little guy just has to rest up and get better so he's ready to celebrate being one!

Serious About Santa

2011-12-04T10:02:00.000-08:00

Noah and Santa met for the first time last night.

We were pretty sure that he wouldn't cry. He has no problem with new places and new people. There were no tears, but I was surprised by how serious he took the whole thing. He checked Santa out from head to toe.
We couldn't get Noah to take his eyes off Santa to smile or look at the camera. Eventually he just looked at us like, "O.k., I'm done. I've checked him out and he's not scary." So off we went.
It's a work in progress, but when we ask Noah, "What does Santa say?" the answer is, "uh, uh, uh." That's close enough to 'ho, ho, ho' for a kid who's not quite one, right?

Maybe next year he'll be excited for the big man in the red suit.

Apple Hill

2011-11-22T14:29:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-18T15:36:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-18T10:16:00.000-08:00

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!

2011-11-17T15:51:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-08T22:30:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

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.

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's so much more fun this year with our little pumpkin!

Hello Fall

2011-10-22T21:04:00.000-07:00

We're so glad summer is finally fading into fall. So far, it appears that Fall suits Noah just fine.
This is probably, no definitely, more pictures than any mom should include in a post, but there's so much cuteness, I just can't limit it to one or two.
We hoped for some cute cousins pictures at the pumpkin patch, but these two are at such different stages and attention spans that it will probably have to wait for another year.

Ten Months

2011-10-08T10:17:00.000-07:00

Noah is ten months old!

By far, the most common question I get about him is, "How much does he weigh?"
I have no idea, but he's solid and heavy, and insanely cute.

This month Noah and Woody became friends.
Before now, any time Noah saw or heard Woody he got scared and started screaming. So Woody has been vacationing in the closet for a few months.
Now Noah likes to pull the string and have conversations with his buddy.

We've been hearing lots of new babbling sounds from our little noisemaker, including 'da da.' I don't know if he's actually talking about his Dad, but it sure is sweet to hear.
These two are the best of friends and Noah gets so excited when Nate walks in the door at the end of the day

Every day is a new adventure of exploring.
It could be climbing into bookshelves, hiding behind doors, getting lost in the curtains or crawling up onto the dishwasher.

At some point he will stop using his hair as a napkin, right?

Noah finally started pulling himself up and loves standing.
His favorite place is the sliding glass door. He can look outside and have some fun with the glass at the same time.
Noah is a busy kid, but he also loves to just watch what's going on, especially outside. One day we spent over an hour at the park just watching a backhoe and front loader move sand.

He just took it all in.

Pardon the Interruption

2011-09-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

With a little help from Grandpa today, Noah found his way into cousin Brennan's picture.

Ready to Fly

2011-09-14T20:14:00.000-07:00

As an infant, Noah wasn't too sure about the swing. It definitely wasn't the soothing comfort we hoped it would be. What baby doesn't like the swing?

It appears he's had a change of opinion.

9 Months

2011-09-08T23:00:00.000-07:00

Noah is nine months old!

What? Nine months already?

How have we possibly gone from this...

...to this...

...in only nine months?

This guy has grown so much in those nine months, take a look:

Weight: 24 pounds, 7.6 ounces (94%)
Height: 30.5 inches (97%)
Head: 47.5 centimeters (96%)

The doctor used his fancy calculating and predicts he'll be 6' 2". We'll see.

Now that he's on the move, the month was full of exploring and investigating.

Noah has figured out how to use his weight as leverage to open things, even heavy drawers. 'Open and Close' is one of his favorite games.
I don't think it will be as fun when we add 'get into everything you're not supposed to' onto that game. But for now, it's really fun to watch.

This little boy loves books. He's kind of particular about which story he'll sit still for, but he can hang in there for three or four books and just take it all in.

Noah sleeps like a little stink bug with his bum in the air.
Sleeping has been a bit tricky this month, with another tooth coming in and waking up the past few days at 4 a.m. I keep telling him he's not a newborn and to knock it off, but I'm not sure he's listening.

Noah has always been noisy and social, but now seems to have his own baby language, with it's own tone and meter. Based on the sounds he's making I predict 'da da' will come first.

I love this kid.

Is it crazy that I miss him after he's gone to bed for the night? I am admittedly addicted to loving on him and making him smile. Each month of growing and changing is my new favorite.

Oh, and this was a good read.

Mmmm...Lunch

2011-09-02T13:56:00.001-07:00

Things got a little messy around here today.
This is way better (and more entertaining) than working through lunch all alone in my classroom. :-)

The More the Merrier!

2011-08-25T09:14:00.000-07:00

When we reserved #92 seven months ago, we noticed that #91 was also available. Without making definite plans with anyone, we snatched up a second camp spot and went on the hunt for other happy campers.
In addition to Nate's parents, we were so excited when the Tanners and Havicans wanted to try out the fun in Tahoe. Our 5 little ones had a great time...and I think their parents did too.
In addition to keeping us entertained, Paisley was always wanting to help. She offered to do the dishes and did a great job helping Nate's mom make peach cobbler.
It was, by far, the best camping trip we've taken. Good friends, delicious food, and great conversation made for a perfect camping experience, even with those 5 little ones.

Maybe we'll try to work a miracle and get 91, 92 and 93 next year. Anyone want to join us?

Fun With Grandma & Grandpa

2011-08-24T20:59:00.000-07:00

Having Nate's parents join us in Tahoe this year was a lot of fun.
Noah loved having Grandma and Grandpa as his camping buddies.
We loved having two more sets of strong, loving arms to hang on to our little man.

He got lots of attention...

...and lots of love.

Being a parent is definitely a sweet,special experience, but so is watching great parents be awesome, attentive grandparents to our little one.

Can't wait for next year!

Does a bear sleep in the woods?

2011-08-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

Well, THIS little bear sure does!

Last week we made our annual trip to D.L. Bliss and introduced Noah to campsite 92, our favorite.

It seemed crazy to take a teething 8 month old camping, but the closer it got to leaving, the more at ease I felt.
Everything was more fun outdoors, including playing...

...eating...

...bathing...

...and just looking around.

Every year our camping trip gets more fun. We are definitely happy campers!