My new title

Soon, I'll officially be an aunt. My baby sister is expected to deliver her son any minute now (she's in the delivery room right now). I can't wait to meet the little guy!

I've not been online...

...very much lately. Between recovering from house guests and a surprise sinus infection-thing (with Bonus! complete and total exhaustion), my computer time has been limited to helping Noah with games at Up to Ten. Please forgive me if you've e-mailed me or commented lately; my inbox is a little out of control.

A brief look at how my family has occupied themselves while I've been sick:

The cats are obviously not concerned.

Noah and Dad enjoyed decorating pumpkin cookies (never mind that it's post-Halloween).

Happy (belated) Halloween!

After the first few houses, Noah really started enjoying the whole Halloween thing. He even remembered to say "trick or treat" and "thank you."

As for the candy...I sorted out his favorites: gummy candies, and he seems to have forgotten about the rest of his candy bucket. Of course, pregnant mama is having a hard time ignoring the chocolate.

We also attended a party for young children at the library. It was very nicely done with age-appropriate games, stories, and crafts. Each child also received a book at the end of the party.

No trick-or-treaters at our house this year; we were ready with lots of candy, too!

We have a weasel in the garage.

Yes, it's true. A weasel has apparently decided our garage is a wonderful place to live.

He's (She's?) not really shy, either. He runs around the garage, weaving in and out of moving boxes. Then, he climbs up the wall and poses atop the circuit box. When he decides that we have looked at his clever weaselness long enough he calmly slithers out the small crack between the garage door and floor.

(Picture from http://www.the-piedpiper.co.uk/th1o.htm)

Let the spoiling begin

Today is the start of a little over a week of non-stop attention for Mr. Noah.

First up, my mom. Then, nanny and grandpa for a slightly longer visit.

I predict one tired boy by the end of next week.

Walking in the park

A perfect day for Noah includes plenty of outdoor time. And, since, technically, I'm supposed to do something called exercise (namely, walking) with this pregnancy, we went on a field trip to nearby Wellesley Island State Park. Getting there involves crossing an absurdly high, incredibly narrow bridge. I usually have my eyes closed during the crossing while Noah says things like: "Careful, Dad. Don't drive in the water." and " Slow down, Dad. You going to get a ticket."

Our usual agenda includes driving around looking for eagle nests on top of telephone poles followed by a hike along one of the trails. We also like to visit the floating dock to look for fish. Noah is convinced that he needs a kayak since we often see them around the island. Dad is hoping for something a little bigger. Me, well, I like to look at water, not really touch it or anything.

I've uploaded a few pictures: black squirrels, Noah and Dad, and the notorious ninja Noah.

Walking in the Park

Beware, pumpkins!

Noah and I spent long time scooping out the insides of our pumpkin masterpiece. Noah was given the freedom to choose any pumpkin at the market, thus, the 27 pound monster we ended up taking home.

Noah was alternately excited and repulsed by the whole operation.

Watching mom wield a big knife....exciting.

Helping mom scoop out the insides....repulsive.

He did eventually jump in and help out some. Of course, with his age-appropriate attention span his "help" only lasted about five minutes before he was off to collect sticks in the front yard. And, I made the classic mistake when dealing with a preschooler: I asked a question without anticipating the answer.

Me: "Noah, how many eyes does a pumpkin have?"
Noah: "Five. And a scary face."