The Noel Family

Holiday Pics...a month late :)

2012-01-22T15:33:00.011-06:00

I am finally posting some pics again...the first 3 are from today but the rest are from around Christmas. Enjoy...I don't feel like writing anything more than little comments.

The weather today was perfect for making a snowman and a mini fort. I got Adrian to look through the hole so I could get a pic, by telling her she would get hot chocolate. As soon and I said I got the pic she said lets go!New shinny bike from SantaSanta at Bass Pro Shop...Adrian doesn't look like she likes it but she isn't crying so thats a positive.Holiday Cookie Decorating!Just making a mess of the flour :)Big Cheesy Smile :)

A Little of This a Little of That!

2011-12-02T11:50:00.007-06:00

Adrian got ahold of Aunt Jamie's old ukulele that she had when she was little. This picture she looks like she is pondering what her song will be about!

Adrian was pretty cute playing and signing. Earlier she kept asking to go downstairs and play so she could play on the piano so that's what she decided to sing about. We literally heard her sing, "I want to go downstairs and play" I got it recorded on the video recorder so it is officially captured forever :)

The weather was so mild we took advantage of it and went for a walk in the Rockford Fossil Park.

Adrian's face is priceless...u ask her to say cheese and this is what she gives you :)

Or we get this...her hands up like she is hold a camera :)

Leaves Leaves & More Leaves

2011-11-11T09:27:00.004-06:00

Here are some pics from 2 weeks ago, we were attempting to get all of our leaves picked up...there are soooo many. It is nice to have big mature shade trees but in the fall it isn't fun raking and hauling away 10-15 truck loads of leaves!

Happy Halloween

2011-11-02T07:53:00.008-05:00

Below are some pics from Trick-or-Treating on Sunday in Polk City. Adrian was an Ice Cream Cone and Trice even came along in his skeleton costume. Adrian had a good time she got the hang of it pretty fast recognizing the porch lights that were on.

These are Adrian's friends from her babysitters, on Monday they had their little Halloween party. (Left to Right)
Tessa, Adrian, Claire, Hayden, & Hudson

3 Year Stats

2011-11-01T09:24:00.005-05:00

Last Wednesday Adrian had her 3 year doctor appt. She didn't really cooperate on getting her height & weight but after some coaxing this is what we ended up with. Weight 35 Lbs (85%) & Height 39.5 inches (95%) so we have a big toddler! I looked back at my baby book to compare her stats to mine and she weighs 7 lbs. more then what I did at 3 years!

Adrian playing with her Birthday Mega Bloks from Uncle Joe & Nick! She decided she wanted to give her tower a kiss :)

Below are some of Adrian's favorite things and habits at age 3:

Favorite Cuddle Things: Her Little Pillow (it goes to daycare everyday), Toy Story plush characters (Jesse is her favorite), Paci (we are down to 2 lonely pacis and when those get lost or damaged we are done!) I don't want to end up on Dr. Phil with a 10 year old still using a paci!!

Favorite Things To Do: Play Hide-and-Seek, Dance, Watch any Toy Story Movie, Read Books, Sesame Street, Play-Doh, Going for walks, Playing at the Mall or Monkey Joes, Absolutely loves her nesting dolls, and of course her many babies.

Favorite Foods To Eat: Toast & Peanut Butter, Milk, Mac-n-Cheese, Whole Apple (she prefers it not cut up in pieces), any type of noodle, broccoli, oatmeal, cereal, juice, and fruit snacks.

Adrian is going to be a hard teenager to get out of bed in the morning...she already likes to lay in her bed in the mornings. She still likes collecting things doesn't really matter what it is so hopefully that hoarding trait fades over time. Adrian is still not potty trained, we went from a year ago almost potty trained (she was going 6 times a day) to now she has been refusing to even sit on the potty. She often is dry through the night so we know she has the ability to be done with pull-ups. That darn sticker chart isn't working anymore. I will have to come up with another plan :)

Birthday Party

2011-10-25T15:22:00.018-05:00

Adrian officially celebrated her 3rd Birthday on Sunday with Family. She had a Toy Story themed b-day with cake, balloons, & gifts.

Adrian smiling big next to her shopping cart, so far no walls have been chipped but it has only been a few days.

Adrian and Mitch working on constructing their car.

"Mega Bloks" already in use...here is our giraffe.

3 Years Old!!

2011-10-25T14:56:00.012-05:00

On Adrian's actual B-day (Sat. Oct. 22nd) we planned a day with her friends at the Orchard. Claire, Tessa, & Gracin were all able to make it for the fun day. The girls had a great time and the weather was gorgeous on Sat.

It was very difficult to get four 3 yr old little girls to sit together and smile together. Didn't workout too well!

Corn Pool

2011-10-07T10:24:00.003-05:00

Below is a video from last month at Orchard Grove of Adrian playing in the corn!

Center Grove Orchard 2011

2011-09-14T13:30:00.016-05:00

This past weekend we went to Center Grove Orchard near Cambridge Iowa, which is North of Ankeny about 10 miles. Adrian went to this place last year with her friends from daycare. We thought we would check it out since Adrian is inviting her daycare friends there this year for her b-day. We had a great time and will be back this weekend purchasing season passes! Between the corn pool, jumping pillow, corn maze, picking apples from the orchard, picking pumpkins, hayride...there is so much to do!

Mommy and Adrian in the giant corn pool, very dusty but a good time!

I don't care what she does as long as she doesn't shove corn kernels up her nose :)

The giant jumping pillow...this was a blast for Adrian and mommy. This was her favorite, she was taking about jumping on it even the next day!

The farm also had animals to feed...goats, ducks, pigs, etc.

I love these 3 little pig homes :)

Family pic from Labor Day Weekend at the tractor show. It was a cool muddy day, not the best for being outside walking around.

Doesn't that parking lot look fun? Just a muddy mess!

All Sorts of Fun!

2011-08-23T13:27:00.021-05:00

Last week Adrian's Babysitter was closed for the week so we got in all sorts of activities. Grandma Harden watched her Mon & Tues (Thanks so much!) and Mommy took Wed-Fri. off to get in some good quality time. Sorry for the not so great pics...it is difficult getting a good pic of an active 2 year old with a crummy camera (that darn flash!)

1st snow cone at the park

Adrian's Fort of cushions & sheet
Adrian hiding out

Adrian sleeping in...normally she is up at 6:30 so I can get her dropped off by 7:15 and make it Downtown Des Moines by 8am.

Adrian riding her tricycle sportin her new sneakers.

Iowa State Fair!

Children's Petting Zoo (I can't remember what we are feeding here)

An Alpacha staying cool by the fan. This year was perfect weather for the fair...low to mid 80s.

Adrian loves snakes, so we took her into the snake building at the fair...she is not shy at all. At the end of the tour there were huge boas you can get your picture taken with. She was throwing a fit because she wanted to touch it!

Miniature Bull...pretty darn cute!

Biggest Bull

We stumbled upon this in the art building...giant sand sculpture!

Butterfly garden...Adrian was more afraid in here then she was with the snakes!

Blank Park Zoo...the red panda was out and about.

Adrian decided she wanted to wash her house on Sunday so we got it

all shinny clean.

Look at those sneakers move!!

2011-07-26T21:00:00.004-05:00

This past weekend was the Polk City Festival. I ran the 5k race at 7:30 am then Adrian got her turn at 8:30. This was her 2nd kids run and improved greatly from her Clive run last month, she ran some not hanging on to mommy's hand! We are on the left of the video, you will be able to see Adrian in the green shorts.

Well she got second to last but those little sneakers were movin!!! :) Good job sweetie!!!

Summer Fun

2011-07-06T21:27:00.010-05:00

Below are some pics from over the last month...

We paid a visit to the Eichmeier Family and got to see the newest addition...little Boston.

Grimes Funtastic Days Parade!
Aunt Jamie & Mommy were more excited about getting candy then Adrian. She loves collecting things though so she like putting everything in her bag.

Clive Running Festival and Adrian's 1st race!

3 generations of runners

Tadpole Trot Start

Adrian wasn't quite sure what to do but with a little encouragement she was headed for the finish. She got a ribbon, juice box, & fruit snack at the finish!

Father's Day Breakfast at the Cracker Barrel...Daddy and Adrian with their new harmonicas.

Grandma & Grandpa Harden at the Ankeny Aquatic pool cooling off.

Dam-to-Dam 2011

2011-06-06T15:49:00.002-05:00

Jamie and I partook in our 3rd year of Dam-to-Dam. This year wasn't rainy like last but we did have the humidity to deal with. Plus I am trying to make excuses for my time. And I can't blame the humidity because Jamie improved her time. So for the 12.44 miles I had a time of 1:44:06, pace of 8:23. Jamie with an improved time of 1:52:23, 9:03 pace.

So I do like running and enjoy competing be here are a few things that went through my mind during the 12.44 miles.

1. I want to walk (2 miles into the race)

2. Why did I sign-up

3. I wonder if I get a ride on that guys bike and he can drop me off farther up

4. Gross a snake

5. I want to walk

6. I can tell my family I injured myself so i can walk

7. I can pass this person....nope I can't

8. If you walk you better do in on a hill

That just gives you an idea of the mental challenge of long runs. Glad we did it....glad it's over :)

Pool...here we come!!

2011-06-06T15:44:00.003-05:00

Adrian got her first taste of the swimming pool this year with a trip there last week. She is enjoying it more this year and is more adventurous. All went well we did have one fall and a scrapped knee but after some tears and serious limping she fought through it to go back into the water.

Our favorite spot is the Ankeny pool since it is so close and cheap, Adrian and I can go for $5....can't beat that. We are hoping to utilize it alot this year.

Last Weekend

2011-05-27T10:13:00.008-05:00

Below are some pics from last weekend. Sat was pretty relaxing playing inside mostly and Sunday the big Sesame Street show at Wells Fargo.

Adrian wanted me to roll a bunch of her play-doh into balls then she proceeded to put them in her stroller and push them around the house.

Sesame Street Live at Wells Fargo!

Adrian really liked the show, I had a heck of a time getting pics though. Too dark for no flash but she blinks everytime I have the flash on...I can't win.

Adrian was going to town on the popcorn...she loved it! Adrian would hold the bag munching on popcorn then when a scene was done she would pass it to me so she could clap. Very cute :)

Towards the end she was getting a little restless, she decided to plug her ears and scream in this pic, only happened once though.

Pella Tulip Festival

2011-05-18T10:02:00.008-05:00

The Noel family got their first Pella Tulip Festival experience 2 weeks ago. Every year I say I want to go and every year we don't but we finally made it this year. The weather was absolutely perfect for it to. We had a good time we will definitely go again next year. I compare it to a Dutch state fair experience. Below are some random pics from the day. they aren't very clear I need to be looking at new cameras soon.

Pretty pic, minus the no parking sign!

Adrian loved touching all the tulips. I asked her what color they were and her response was, "purple." I guess we still need to work on colors a little more :)

Little Gymnast!!

2011-04-30T21:30:00.003-05:00

A couple months ago Adrian started gymnastics at Triad Learning Center in Ankeny. She has done now 7 sessions and really is enjoying it. The video's below were taken on her second session. Enjoy watching the future little miss Shawn Johnson :)

Adrian is pretty excited and gives her instructor a high five :)

Easter Day

2011-04-30T21:13:00.011-05:00

Below are some pics from Easter weekend. The Easter Bunny left Adrian a basket of goodies and a Dinosaur bank.

Aunt Jamie, Uncle Mark, and Trice before church

The weather was perfect for an Easter egg hunt

Adrian feeding her Dino quarters she found in eggs on her hunt.

1st Hair Cut

2011-04-12T10:17:00.005-05:00

This past Saturday we took Adrian to have her 1st ever hair cut! She did great sitting there letting Mindy trim her ends. We only removed the split ends so nothing drastic.

Sucker for doing such a great job!

Random pics from February

2011-04-12T09:12:00.008-05:00

Below are some pics from the month of February...

Adrian had to follow along with Pharaoh and have her own laundry basket.

In the latter part of Feb we took a trip to the Adventureland Inn in Altoona for a weekend of swimming. This was Adrian's X-mas gift from Grandpa & Grandma Harden. We are easing into the water, it was a little cold for mommy, she needs bath water to swim in. Daddy and Adrian scoping out the sights. Adrian loves to people watch which she enjoyed more then the water. The dads and tots. Scott, Amanda, & Preston also spent the night. We had adjoining rooms which the kids loved. Eating supper in the not so good restaurant...let's just say the pool is their money maker not the food :) The kids had a weekend swimming about his time last year...check out how much they have gown up....Adrian & Preston

Adrian's little tantrum :)

2011-02-25T09:49:00.003-06:00

These were Pjs given to Adrian for Valentines day by Grandma Harden and I wanted to take some pics of Adrian in her new Pjs and her Elmo slippers. Adrian had another thing in mind.... This video is of Adrian throwing a little tantrum...enjoy Grandma, this is all I could get!

Outdoor Fun!

2011-02-08T10:56:00.008-06:00

I have been horrible at blogging... I just don't seem to have as much time and I am probably not making enough time for it. Below are some pics from our play time outside last weekend.

Grandma Rollie & Aunt Jamie looking like a crazy woodsman!

Looking on as grandma attempts to pack down the snow for us. Adrian was not having any of it...no sledding for her. She just wanted to watch.

Mommy and Aunt Jamie about ready to get thrown form the sled.

Merry Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T09:42:00.018-06:00

This Christmas like every year was busy with traveling to all the different Family Christmas's. The snowy weather slowed us down a bit but didn't put a damper on our holiday plans.

Mitch, Adrian, and I's Family X-mas

Pharaoh with his new catnip toy

Adrian just un-wrapping her art station...now we need to buy a bunch of supplies.

Santa delivered this neat toy!

Christmas Eve we traveled back to Rockford and tried sledding for the 1st time this year.

Adrian & Cousin Olivia

Up North has way more snow...we are lucky we haven't gotten really hit hard yet.

Grandpa Harden, Uncle Tony, Cousin Chris, Daddy & Adrian

Grandma Sinnwell playing with the new Kitchen

Bon Appetite!!

The Harden Christmas Party!

The Harden 2010 Ping-Pong Tourn...with Mitch the Victorious Winner!!

Portland, Oregon

2010-11-11T19:24:00.013-06:00

Last week I got the opportunity to travel to Portland, OR for the first time. Monday & Friday were my travels days but I conducted training Tues. & Thursday so I go to do something each afternoon/evening and Wednesday took a half day to do some sight seeing as well. I very much missed Mitch and little miss Adrian but they got to spend some good quality time with just the two of them together.

Multnomah Falls, Portland OR

I was quite impressed with the job my crappy Kodak camera did. It looks like it took pretty good scenic pics, however moving pics of Adrian are a whole different story.

These were stairs that lead up to a bride close to the falls. Yes, it is the rainy season in Oregon.
This could be a post card!!!

You can see the bridge we hiked to which was very wet. There was a lot of mist coming off the falls. I was afraid all of my pics would have water spots.

Bryan Slauson & I on the bridge. Bryan is another trainer in the NSS Portland location. He took me to all the sight seeing spots, which was great.

Hug Pointe, OR...The Pacific Coast!!

Mommy missing her little girl!

If anyone loves the movie "The Goonies" this was taken at Cannon Beach which is were the rocks are in the movie.

Trick or Treat

2010-11-11T18:41:00.007-06:00

Here are some pics from Halloween weekend. We had perfect weather for a night of trick or treating. Adrian enjoyed it more this year, she is a collector so she likes getting her candy and putting it in her bag. She said thank-you at every house and Trick or Treat at about half.

We got a hungry Bee on the loose!

Aunt Jamie and Trice came with us so Adrian had some company. Trice was a shark for Halloween. Next year we will have to cordinate their costumes. Maybe Trice can be a horse and Adrian a little cow girl :)

The Big Two!!!

2010-10-27T20:10:00.013-05:00

Last Friday, Oct. 22nd Adrian turned officially two at 7:01pm. She has changed so much from her 1 yr birthday.

This was taken back in Rockford at Grandpa & Grandma Harden's House.

Someone is excited to watch the Hawks play.

The family on pins and needles watching the Iowa game.

Adrian's Big Bird & Elmo cake, which she loved. Adrian even got a little finger poke into the frosting before the party :)

Enjoying those birthday cards!

The birthday girl decided to use one of her gifts as a chair as she opened her next card :)

Daddy giving Adrian's new baby girl a big ole kiss!

Adrian's 2 year stats from her Monday appt.

Height: 36 inches 90%

Weight: 30 lbs. 85%

Head: 18.75 inches 55%

Mommy the Marathoner!

2010-10-21T19:46:00.012-05:00

26.3 Would be Crazy!!

26.2 miles that's ok, but 26.3 that would be crazy to run :) Well I am officially a marathoner now that I have completed my 1st marathon. I competed in the IMT Des Moines Marathon on Oct. 17th. I could not of asked for better weather it was absolutely gorgeous! Thanks for all the support it was great seeing Daddy, Adrian, and Grandma Harden in Drake Stadium as I ran around the blue track. Also Amanda & Scott Eichmeier were there to cheer me on.

It felt really good to physically be able to run close to 4 hours straight, it is a feeling I don't want to lose, so I think that means I am officially hooked :)

Below is a mixture of professional pics from the race and snap shots from Kate Fischer

(She took pics while holding signs, cheering, and ringing a bell, thank u for multi-tasking!)

A big thanks to the best sister ever and a great friend Kate Fischer who traveled to a total of 3 different stops to give me water, food, cheers, and the occasional Ibuprofen.

This was the 1st spot Jamie and Kate were waiting, mile 4. Only 22 more miles to go! It is weird how consistent everyone is. The man ahead of me in the yellow and the man behind me in the batman shirt we all ran close to each other and in that order through the whole race.

Mile marker 24 out at Gray's Lake. I was hurting at this point.

There were water stations every 2 miles, but the bottled water was nice to have with just 2 miles left.

If anyone is considering doing a marathon Des Moines put on a very organized, efficient, beautiful run. I would do it again next year!

Finished in 3 hours 53 minutes!

Home Sweet Home

2010-09-20T11:24:00.011-05:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging, last week was our first full week back in the house with most the repairs actually done. Some of you may not know in addition to our water damage claim to our basement in August we also had a small electrical fire nine days later. Yes, we have had a string of bad luck. Also had to pay 1k for a new water heater, but things can only go up from here :)

On top of all of the home issues we have been dealing with I am in the midst of training for my 1st marathon on Oct. 17th in Des Moines. It is something I wanted to accomplish before I turn 30 and with my 29th birthday fast approaching I thought I better go for it this year. Training hasn't been easy, I have calluses, a black toe nail, sore legs & sore hips, but hopefully it will all be worth it come Oct. 17th. I ran my longest run ever on Sunday, took me 3 hours in the rain/mist to run 20 miles. I can barley walk today but it gives me hope I can add on another 6.2 miles and deal with hills on the actual marathon route. If anyone wants to come out and watch the run let me know, I would love the cheers and support. I will need it :)

This is a pic of our living room which is where the firefighters cut 2 holes in our ceiling to take out the hot wire and insulation is all over everything. We stayed in a hotel for a couple of weeks, which sounds fun but not with a toddler that wants a whole house to run around in. It is nice being back in the house and able to use the main floor, next we need to get working on getting drywall up on all the walls in the basement and carpet ordered so we can start utilizing the basement space again.

Here's Little Miss Hollywood, she loves wearing her sunglasses everywhere and playing with Mitch's old cell phone.

Adrian was invited to her friend Gracin's 2 yr Birthday party on Sunday. Little girls love their babies!

Adrian***Gracin***Claire

Hectic couple of weeks!

2010-08-18T14:07:00.014-05:00

Things have been kind busy/crazy around here with work, training for my marathon, flooding of the basement, trips to the zoo & fair, and just the normal everyday activities. I have been behind on my posts so I have some pics from a few weeks ago also.

Yes, these are "Mr. Potato Head's" glasses, but you can't convince Adrian of that! She loves putting his glasses on and wearing them around the house, very funny and cute :)

I had to put this butt crack picture up. This is Adrian standing too close to the tv watching "Wipe Out" which has no educational value what so ever but does get a few laughs out of us.

Adrian & Preston's playdate from a couple weeks ago. We went to Altoona to spend the day with Amanda & Preston and see the parade. They had a good time as always and we got way too much candy from the parade. MMM...snack time!!

Tots waiting in anticipation!

So last Wed. I was awoken at 2:30am by Mitch saying our basement is flooding. Up until this point in the over 3 years we have been in our home we have never has any water come in anywhere. Well, I never thought of the city having water back-up into their system and then into our home. So, we had tons of water rushing in through our toilet in the basement, we had about 2-3 inches in the bathroom and staircase landing and then saturated carpet and padding everywhere else. Luckily Mitch woke up when he did so we were able to save a lot of stuff before all of the carpet was wet.

This is after the city got pumps going and the water stopped and had receded. Looks pretty gross!

This is my antique vanity from my grandma...thank goodness no damage. As you can see the blocks of wood we put under all of the furniture. Mitch was out sawing wood at 3am on wed.

Here is the bar and random stuff we were trying to get off of the ground

Yuck...lots of wet carpet. We had to remove all of the carpet and padding in the entire basement (Thanks Adam & Eric for all of your help :) and some damage personal property (x-mas tree, down comforter, luggage, car seat, etc) Since it is considered "dark" water which means untreated sewage water pretty much any fabric item has to go, since that can't be properly disinfected. We will get 5k for coverage since it was back-up of water through the drains, so I am thankful for that. I know there are a lot of people that have water damage but it is considered flood, my sister being one of those.

Sat. Grandma Harden came down for a visit which was nice we just kind of hung out since we were going to be busy the next couple of days. Sunday morning I got my longest run in so far in preparation for the marathon in Oct. I ran to Ankeny and back for a total of 14 miles....still need to add on another 12 more miles, yikes!

By 10am Grandma, Adrian, and I were at the Des Moines zoo enjoying the DRY, gorgeous weather.

Adrian & Grandma feeding the ducks and fish. I would have to say the giraffes were her favorite, she was squealing and giggling up a storm looking at them:)

Monday was a full day at the fair, with Grandpa, Niece Olivia, and Nephew Chris. Sorry no pics , we were just enjoying and I didn't want to be worried about snapping a bunch of photos. Adrian got to see all sorts of horses, pigs, cows, sheep, and eat a Iowa State Fair corndog.

Can't beat that!!!

Before I forget...Adrian has now gone on the potty twice, which we haven't really been working on potty training so hopefully she will pick it up fast. Our plan is to for sure get working on the potty training by her 2 year b-day in Oct. so it is fast approaching. Adrian has already transitioned into her toddler bed, which is just her crib with the railing off and a toddler rail put on. She has done great only 2 of the 4 nights have been any tears when putting her to bed and those were the 1st 2. She wasn't quite sure if she liked the new change :)

Trip back home to Rockford

2010-07-26T20:54:00.010-05:00

We made the 2 hour trip back home this past weekend for a couple of events, Mitch & I had our 10 class reunion as well as the town's Fun Days. We went to the parade which was pretty short but for a toddler with a short attention span that works out just fine. The parade didn't start until noon though and Adrian never slept on the drive up North so she was starting to get tired.

Adrian enjoyed collecting all of the candy and putting it in her bag but didn't like the fire truck sirens. Little too loud for her sensitive ears, heck she is even scared of the vacuum let alone 6 trucks with the sirens blaring.

Izzy is the newest addition to the Harden household, Grandma & Grandpa recently adopted her from the local shelter. Adrian is a little scared of her since she is a pretty active puppy, but she sure loves saying "Issy" which sounds so cute :)

Grandma trying to swing higher then little Miss Adrian :)

All smiles here...Adrian would be happy if she got to spend most of her day swinging.

Sat. night Mitch and I headed out to the Rockford Country Club for the class reunion. Grandpa was called to duty as Grandma was on call at the hospital over night. Thank You Grandpa for babysitting :)

It was good to get to see about half of our graduating class and to catch up with everyone! I can't believe it has been 10 years since Mitch and I graduated, seems like not that long ago we were living back in Rockford. Or to think back to all of the changes since our 5 year reunion, there have been so many. From moving to Polk City, starting a job with Nationwide Insurance, Mitch started working from home, buying a house, & the biggest change....having Adrian.

Jennifer & Steph

Steph, Kate, Kim, & Jessi

The Girls!

Don't we look great, I think we could pass for 21 or 22 :)

Heading back to Polk City Adrian got to catch a good hour nap with her paci, favorite blanket and pillow.

Summer Time Fun!!!

2010-06-29T15:44:00.008-05:00

Below are some pics and videos from last weekend, even though Sat. had a heat index into the triple digits we still managed to get to the pool and get in some good playtime!

Here is Adrian's little chariot that she gets carried around in, looks like she has it pretty rough!

In order for me to change Adrian's crib sheet I have to take the whole mattress out, which aways seems to attract a little jumping monkey :)

Memorial Day Pictures

2010-06-04T13:33:00.011-05:00

This last Monday we had some professional pictures taken by a photographer here in Polk City. This is the same lady that took Adrian's 1 year pics. We were supposed to have the pics taken the weekend earlier but it was close to 90 degrees and really windy which doesn't make for good outdoor pics. I think they turned out pretty good, especially some of the pictures of Adrian. If anyone in interested in more of the photographers work here is her website and blog:

website: http://www.dianasphotoexpressions.com/
blog: http://dianasphotoexpressions.blogspot.com/

Productive Week--Time w/ Grandparents

2010-06-02T12:26:00.008-05:00

I didn't know what to title this post...I want to convey that Mitch & I did tons of work to the house while Adrian got some quality time with the grandparents this past week. So, last Sunday we meet my parents and made the big swap with Adrian. Adrian stayed back in Rockford 1/2 day Sunday through the following Sunday. Mitch and I traveled back on Friday the 28th. Adrian got to spend lots of time with Grandma for the 5 days, which most of that sounds like was outside. I called mom probably on average 2-3 times a days to check in and to hear what they were up to, which consisted of playing outside, swinging, going for walks, picking flowers/asparagus, going swimming at the aquatic center (twice), feeding Bart his carrots (guinea pig), and much much more.

While Adrian was keeping Grandma running around after her, Mitch and I got lots of stuff accomplished outside. Below is just a list of most of the things I can remember we got done in the 5 days.

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Mowed (twice)

Planted our garden (tomatoes, onion, beans)

Planted flowers

Planted 3 bushes

Put down tons of landscaping rock around the house

Cleaned out the garage

Painted the foundation of the house

Painted the garage door

Did some deep cleaning to the house (which was needed :)

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During all of this Mitch and I still managed to go out to dinner on 3 occasions, which was nice and make it to the Valley Junction Farmer's Market Thursday night.

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In the below pic the sidewalk says, "Adrian is happy to see mommy & daddy I love u"

The neighbors have a couple of horses and a little colt, which were very cute. Adrian had mastered what noise a horse makes by the time we left Rockford.

It official....Adrian loves to swing, she always liked it ok before but after this week with Grandma she loves it now.

Thank you Grandma & Grandpa for taking such great care of little miss Adrian for us!!

Fun at the Park

2010-05-17T15:20:00.009-05:00

This weekend Grandma Harden came down for a visit and enjoyed the beautiful weather with us. Aunt Jamie and Grandma ran a race Sat. morning then Grandma came over and spent the day with us. We enjoyed some time at the park in the Polk City town square.

Adrian the little runner!!! Adrian is always moving and she loves to walk/run. She walked the 4 blocks to the park, ran and played to then walk 4 blocks back, we never even used the stroller I took. I can't wait to get her signed-up for the little kid races. Clive has one coming up in June called the "Tadpole Trot" but I will probably wait until next year when she is a little older.

Mommy and Adrian getting ready to go down the big slide at the park.

18 Month update

2010-05-07T10:12:00.007-05:00

Well Adrian had her 18 month b-day a little while ago (actually April 22nd) but she didn't have her doctors appt. until this last Monday. Mitch took her to her appt. for the second time all alone, which mommy appreciates since she has been at work both times. The appt. went well, Adrian is right on track for everything and no surprises, which is a good thing. Below are her stats and a list of words we recorded that she can say.

Height: 33 3/4 (97%)

Weight: 26.12 (80%)
HC: 18 1/4 (52%)

Words Adrian uses often:
Momma, Dadda, Uh-oh, bye bye, ball, thank you, night night, bite (If we are eating something she wants), & NO (you can hear her loud and clear on this one :)

Words Adrian says with coaxing:
Apple, book, baby, down, kitty, Elmo, bird, bart (Grandma's Gerbil), eyes.

Here are a few pics I have snapped over the last couple days.

This is not a staged photo, Adrian literally put on Mitch's hat, took his keys and said bye, bye to me.

Can you find the little girl amongst the decor?

THERE SHE IS!!!
Mom has given up on trying to keep her down, so I just cleared off the 2 shelves and she uses them for sippy cup storage as well cubby holes to curl up in.

Weekend Fun!

2010-04-21T08:11:00.009-05:00

There hasn't been a whole lot new in the Noel household. We have been enjoying the gorgeous weather playing in the yard, going for walks, and trips to the park. We can't wait to have our privacy fence put in so Adrian has more freedom to run around without mommy or daddy standing right by. Adrian just loves to dart for the road, which we have to watch her like a hawk. We just got our fence permit and will be placing our order this weekend, hurray!!

I love Adrian's AWESOME shirt, got it for $3 at the Tanger Outlet a month ago, it is crazy to think that she fits into 2T clothes already.

As you can see Adrian's hair is a little crazy...I still refuse to get her a hair cut. I prefer she doesn't have bangs, but it is getting hard to keep it out of her face because she never leaves in barrettes. Hopefully ponytails or pigtails this summer will work.

Here is our little dare devil, I have honestly given up on trying to keep her off of the end tables. She loves going from the couch to the table to the recliner and back. I have just learned to not have any valuables around and then what happens...happens. Not that I really ever had any :)

I think Adrian already has the cleaning bug, she loves cleaning up water. Below you can see her trying to get water out of her sippy and then she wipes it off her toes right away.

This past Sunday Jamie and I ran a lovely race in Valley Junction, "Earth Day 5k". The weather was beautiful and it was just a really nice race. If you are wondering what we are holding it is a tomato plant, which we got for competing in the race. In addition to the plant we got our nice organic cotton tees, a cute tote which I will use for the farmer's market this year, and a water bottle. So, if you are looking for a nice race this is the one to do.

After the race there were even vendors selling items and kids activities as well. Two thumbs up!

Well, I would be lying if I said that wasn't the only reason we loved the race...it was so flat! We have never ran a race that had no hills and the weather was perfect!! Jamie and I both got our personal best too, 21:38 and 24:11. DAM-to-DAM here we come!!!

Little Bit of Everything!!

2010-04-07T20:23:00.012-05:00

Here are some pics from the last couple of weeks, I haven't been real good about taking pics and keeping the blog updated.

Last Sat. we went on a walk to the park, Adrian enjoyed being a spectator to a little tennis match.
Adrian is hard to keep up with, she loves to walk/run around, she cries when we put her in the wagon or the stroller, she would rather be on the move.

I snapped a photo of Adrian's Easter basket, however what I didn't know was that when I got her up for church she would have a fever of 101.4 on Sunday. So, our Easter plans changed a little, but we got lots of cuddle time :)

Adrian has found out how to use her teeth as a little opener, she will puncture the applesauce and suck it out of the container.

Such a cute smile, you wouldn't guess she was bit yet again by her little friend Tessa at the babysitters. If you look at the 2nd pic down you can see the top 4 teeth marks and even the 2 bottom teeth. Adrian luckily hasn't turned into a bitter yet, she tends to be the one they all nibble on. Adrian isn't a perfect little tot though, she does her share of pushing and stealing toys.

I put Adrian down for a nap and this is what I openned the door to find :) Lets just say I didn't put Adrian in an off the shoulder onsies!

Friendly St. Patricks 5K run 2 weeks ago. Jamie, Kris, & Matt after the race waiting in Sully's Irish pub for the race results.

Little chilly before the race, but we had fun and it was good to get the 1st race of the year out of the way. This year was much easier, I remember running this race last year and it was my first race since having Adrian and I was miserable. Just the difference that a year makes, in 2009 I got 29:24 mins and this year I got 23:24.

Jamie, mom, and I ready to leave the competition in the dust!!

Gotta Love Cheerios

2010-03-29T19:13:00.011-05:00

I snapped a few pics last weekend of Adrian devouring her cheerios. Looking at some of the pics you would think she hasn't eaten in days!!!

Watch your fingers sweetie!

Playtime Videos

2010-03-19T19:29:00.002-05:00

Adrian is enjoying being outdoors...Wed. & Thurs were gorgeous. Adrian absolutely loves being outside, which means coming back inside isn't fun. She has the biggest temper tantrums coming back inside; rolling, crying, screaming, and kicking.

I am seeing Track & Field in Adrian's future! This is just a quick video, but Adrian will sometimes do 15 laps from the living room to the kitchen in a row. I am going to work on getting video of her working out too...she will flex her arms and do calf raises. She watched me do calf raises once and next thing I know she starts doing them.

Busy Busy Weekend!!

2010-02-28T20:00:00.012-06:00

I am glad to start this week and get back into our old routine. Last week I traveled to Amarillo while Adrian and Daddy got to spend 4 whole days without mommy. Amarillo was cold, so it wasn't hard transitioning to the Texas weather because it wasn't different then Iowa's :( Mommy was glad to get back home and see her family though!

Grandma Harden came down Saturday for a short visit and was so generous to babysit while mommy and daddy did some shopping and then celebrate Mark's 28th B-day Sat. night. Thank you Grandma!!!

Aunt Jamie & Uncle Mark
Doesn't Mark look excited for his b-day!?!

After supper in Altoona we went to Prairie Meadows, which was my first time. Yes, I kn0w I have lived here for 4 years and I have never gone. Well, I had some beginners luck playing Roulette, pocketing $158.00, so lets just say mommy enjoyed it a little!! Our curfew was 11pm because mommy and Aunt Jamie were competing in a race Sunday morning.

2010 Fight For Air Climb in Downtown Des Moines. The race is chip timed and you run up the stairs (41 flights) to the top of the Principal building.

A mere 10 minutes later! Yes, it is a very short race but the lungs were burning!!! With a time of 8:56, ranked 11th out of 97 for my age group.

We finally can see the light at the end of the tunnel, spring is around the corner. Today the house warmed up nice with the glorious sunshine and we got a little vitamin D.

Adrian was all smiles today, we had a great day today!!!

Can You Say, Static?

2010-02-19T19:28:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pics from last weekend, as you can see we had a little static problem with the hair! I wanted to get these posted since I will be traveling for work to Amarillo, TX on Sunday. I will be away from Adrian for 4 whole days, the most since having her. Daddy will do great and they will get some great bonding time together :)

I love Adrian's face in this pic. She looks like a crazed little tot!!

Mommy thought she would try some of her styling gel to help with the static, but then we did a little crazy styling.

15 Month Appt.

2010-02-16T20:19:00.003-06:00

Mommy is a little behind on keeping the blog updated, well 3 weeks to be exact. Next Thurs. Adrian will actually be 16 months old! Time goes by so fast!!! Mitch took Adrian to her appt. 3 weeks ago and here is a quick run down of her stats.

Head Circumference: 18 inches (50%)
Weight: 24.9 lbs. (75%)
Height: 31.25 inches (90%)

Mommy is a little surprised that she is still above average for height, because mommy and daddy aren't really and her head size being average. Mommy had the 2nd to the smallest head out of her graduating class in high school, so 50% is pretty good. Daddy's head size must be balancing it out.

Here are a few of Adrian's Favorite Things!
Collecting Everything and Anything!
Cell Phones
Remote Controls
Brushing Her Teeth
Giving Kisses on the Lips
Watching the Birds at the Feeders
Pestering Pharaoh
Being Chased
Rolling Around when Mom is Changing my Diaper
Paci's, especially at Night Time
Running Around with Only a Diaper On
Climbing on Chairs and other Various Unsafe Objects
Eating Fruit
Books
Learning Frog from Leap Frog
Crayons--Eating/Coloring/Putting in Nose
Helping Mommy with Laundry
Mornings and Gives Great Morning Hugs
Twirling Around Until Dizzy and Falls Over
Dancing to Music

Splish Splash

2010-02-01T13:48:00.019-06:00

Well, yesterday we got the chance to forget about the depressing Iowa weather for a day! The Noel's and the Eichmeier's stayed at the new Ramada Indoor Water Park. This was our first experience of spending the night at a hotel with Adrian. If you saw what I had packed you would of thought we were staying the week. Adrian loved seeing a new place, exploring and running the the hallways.

I had to try out her sun hat with her suit, just because it is so cute even though we obviously didn't have to worry about the UVs indoors.

You can tell it is in the dead of winter because mommy and daddy have not a bit of tan skin.

Amanda was a little braver then me in the water. It was colder then I was expecting it to be...not quite as warm as the Adventureland Inn pool.

The swimming area was pretty dark and the flash couldn't reach but I wanted to get a pic of the big pirate ship.

It took Adrian awhile to warm up to the idea of water. She is a people watcher, so she liked watching all of the kids and was pretty quiet.

Scott & Mitch hanging out with the babes!

For supper we tried out the restaurant in the hotel and lets just say...the Ramada makes their money from the pool not the restaurant so that is the focus, not the food!

Preston and Adrian coloring before supper.

I think we may have a problem...Adrian would not stop putting her crayons in her nose! We tried not to laugh...didn't want to encourage the behavior!! But doesn't she look cute!

I felt bad for the waitress, we left quite the mess.

"2 Little Noise Makers"

Computer Fixed!

2010-01-24T20:49:00.006-06:00

Finally, the computer is fixed! I have definitely been neglecting the blog with 3 weeks since my last post. We had a really weird virus and finally took it to get fixed. During the last 3 weeks Adrian has been great, however I am starting to see the "terrible twos" a little with the temper tantrums she throws every now and then. Sleeping has been wonderful though, I think since Christmas I have had to get up once!! Every now and then she will start her little leap frog we keep in the crib and I can hear her playing, but she eventually falls asleep. The other night I heard her playing at 1am and then again at 3pm.

I'm about a week and a half behind with the belows pics. I took these of Adrian in her wagon from Christmas for Grandpa & Grandma when they were in Hawaii. Sorry, a little late!

We are really ready for the warmer weather so we can use the wagon outside and for trips to the park.

Winter Wonderland

2009-12-29T09:27:00.007-06:00

Adrian got to experience her 1st playtime in the snow. She enjoyed it, but didn't want to keep her mittens on which was a problem in 20 degree temperatures. We definitely need to invest in a sled as well.

As I was getting her ready I kept think of the movie, "The Christmas Story" and the little boy who looked like a tick ready to POP! Adrian at least looks like a cute little tick!

Adrian attempting to make a snow angel, she didn't really want to relax and lay back as you can see.

Not a flattering picture of mommy (keep in mind it is 9am on Sunday with no makeup:), but I wanted to capture the moment of both of us.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-28T13:23:00.025-06:00

Busy...busy...busy! We just got back to Polk City on Sat. after being back in Rockford since Tues. We headed back a little early to beat the bad weather. Below are pics of our X-mas celebration back in Polk City, X-mas with Mitch's mom in Charles City, X-mas with Mitch's Grandma, Dad, and brother in Greene, and X-mas with my family in Rockford. Adrian was a trooper and handled it very well even sleeping through the night with all the extra activities.

Our Christmas tree with lots of wonderful gifts!

This was one of Adrian's gift from us. It is a tent which is easy to assemble, if you can't tell it is a tree. It looks kind of like the Keebler Elf House.

Mommy & Adrian camping out!

Adrian at Grandpa & Grandma's house in Rockford.

Christmas Eve at the Sinwell's with Grandpa Jim

We love her new table and chairs and so does Adrian. There are a total of 4 chairs so her little buddies can color together! I bet Kamden and Preston would love a tea party :)

Adrian & Grandpa coloring.

Adrian is a collector of anything...spoons, crayons, books, and pens. Grandma had a set of multi colored pens and she loves gathering them. She also started putting one in her mouth and running around.

No, I didn't break the stool. This is a little stool from the Amish store that was just Adrian's size.

Aunt Jamie and Trice playing fetch and Grandma making a snowman on X-mas morning.

X-mas at Norma's in Greene, Adrian liked playing with her shinny bowls.

Grandma Harden showing Adrian all the pretty ornaments.

The Noel's opening gifts Christmas night.

Gotta love Radio Flyer! Adrian got her nice red wagon for this summer and even has a cute umbrella for keeping the sun off.

Adrian reading her new puppy book.

Mom getting her new diamond necklace from dad. He did a great job picking it out and only had to call me once to get my opinion.

Adrian and mommy love her mechanical pluto dog...he barks, walks, and wags his tail.

He are some of the great gifts Adrian received Christmas night.

The Harden and the Noel clans.

Jamie taught us a new card game called, "Nark" which was a lot of fun. Mom was the victorious winner.

Bye Bye Bottles

2009-12-14T19:58:00.005-06:00

Officially, Adrian is no longer a baby! I kept telling myself she was still a baby and not a toddler because she was still getting a bottle, but that all ended this weekend. I think Adrian could of stopped a few weeks ago but it was mommy waiting for a weekend that wasn't busy to get her adjusted. She has been doing great not getting her bottle:)

Mommy loved packing all of this away, I now have more counter space!!!

Adrian before bedtime with Elmo. Adrian's new routine is around 7:15pm to read books, rocking in chair, sippy cup w/ milk, and gram crackers.

Girls Night Out

2009-11-29T19:07:00.004-06:00

The gals (Kate Fischer, Steph Dingel, & Kim Culham) Wednesday night got a chance to all get together this past week for a girls night out. With us back home and the grandparents and husbands babysitting we decided we needed a chance to catch up on old times. We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings in Mason City and got the chance to recount lots of old high school memories which was fun. After eating and a few drinks we stopped off at a few local bars which were booming with business (actually the opposite, pretty dead the night before Thanksgiving). It was great though getting the chance to get together, especially since we don't get the chance very often. We always pick up right where we left off though. It is pretty amazing to still have friends you have had since preschool! Love you guys!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-28T19:31:00.012-06:00

We just got back to Polk City today and it is sure nice to get back home. You don't realize how much you miss things until you are away for awhile, especially your own bed. We were back in Rockford from Wed. to today which was nice to stay awhile and not feel like you have to pack up to leave just as soon as you unpacked. Thanksgiving day we celebrated a little later in the day so Tony could get off work so we ate at 3pm and it was well worth the wait!

Lots of giggles with Adrian and Aunt Jamie before the meal.

Aunt Jamie and Uncle Mark also made it back for a few days and brought puppy Trice along. Adrian really enjoyed watching him however she wants to sit on our lap, because of Trices doggy kisses :)

Someone is tired!

MMM...look at the feast. This was Adrian's first try of turkey and dressing, which she loved it all.

Is that the bird...gobble, gobble!

Adrian experiencing her first effects of Tryptophan from the turkey :)

Grandpa Harden getting in some cuddle time.

Thanks Grandpa & Grandma Harden for the great Thanksgiving meal. Adrian got lots of cuddle time, bath time, and play time with you and she really enjoys it. Thanks!

Happy Little Butterfly!

2009-11-12T15:02:00.007-06:00

So, ok I am a little late on this post. Halloween was 13 days ago, but it has been busy with work and Adrian being sick last week. Polk City had their trick or treating on the 31st from 6-8pm so we got Adrian dressed up to take her to the neighbors and then come back and help hand out candy at the house. One neighbor was so impressed with Adrian's cuteness we were invited in and they took a few snapshots of the little insect.

Butterfly ready for take off!

As cute as the little hood was Adrian had a heck of a time with it covering her eyes and getting in the way, so I had troubles getting pics with her eyes open.

Butterfly Down!

Mommy and Adrian before Trick or Treating. Since Adrian wasn't going to get any candy unfortunately mommy had to eat it:) Mommy and Daddy even got a mini can of pop each from one of the neighbors!

Adrian didn't want to let go of her 2 leaves she found.

Oh, about Adrian being sick...no it wasn't H1N1 we took her to the doctor on Tues. of last week and even though that was her 3rd day of being sick the doctor said it was a virus. She had a fever, cough, and really runny nose. Adrian didn't start feeling better until last Friday and she still has coughing episodes at night, but it is getting better.

1 Year Doctor Appointment

2009-10-29T20:54:00.002-05:00

Adrian had her 1 year doctor appt. this last Monday. Everything went good, her physical and mental development is right on track. Some of the things Adrian can say and do now are: Words: uh-oh, Momma, Dadda, ball (kinda), and I swear one time I heard her say kitty, but who knows.
Physically: Adrian walks everywhere, turns off lights if I hold her up, throws her clean diapers away in the trash, likes being read to, drinks whole milk in a sippy, and much more!

The shots went as good as can be expected, but the poke in the finger for the lead test was pretty bad. Adrian did NOT like holding her little finger out so they could fill up a vile with blood. I have never seen it so hard to put a band aid on either. As you can see in the below pic her little wrapped up finger.

1 Year Stats--Height: 30 1/4 (85%) Weight: 22.6 lbs (70%) HC: 17 3/4(50%)

Isn't this the cutest, saddest, little face you have ever seen. She looked so pitiful after her shots, mommy felt really bad for the little bugger!

Birthday Bash!

2009-10-29T20:25:00.011-05:00

Last Sat. Adrian had her big 1 year Birthday Party, sportin her Iowa Hawkeye gear. We had about 20 people and a few of Adrian's little friends running around. We had a great time and to top off the night the Hawks won to make it even better. Surprisingly with the big cheers from the basement Sat. night I never heard a peep out of Miss Adrian!

Adrian, Preston, and Kamden all did a good job playing together with minimal toy stealing and tears.

Adrian got lots of new books from the Millang's and the Smith's which Adrian loves so we have been reading some new books, which is nice for a change!

As you can see we had Grandpa's and both Great-Grandma Norma and Jaunita at the party.

Auntie Jamie & Uncle Mark gave Adrian the little Elmo and a giftcard, which bought a cool looking frog humidifier for Adrian's bedroom. Jamie, it works great, I love it!

Kamden helping us open the gift from the Eichmeier's.

This was defiantly Adrian's favorite card, which was from Grandpa Larry. She starting squealing and got all excited.

Little miss b-day girl couldn't wait for me to get her Leap Frog Learning Table out of the box. As you can see she just climbed up on the box to play with it. Mommy just had to show off her little bloomers...oh, look at that little bum.

mmm...that looks yummy!

Yep, it is!!!

Thank you everyone for the great gifts and stopping by to wish Adrian Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Adrian!!

2009-10-22T15:29:00.009-05:00

Adrian is officially 1 year tonight at 7:01 pm, it is crazy to think we have made it a year and how different our lives are with Little Adrian in it!

Adrian then... 6lbs. 15 ozs.

Adrian Now...20.5lbs (not official until Monday's appt.)
These are the pics I had taken on Monday from Diana Mandernach of Polk City. I think they turned out pretty good and they were about the price of Target. These are just a few she sent me but I will get a cd of all the pics taken and I can print what I want. I think she really looks like her daddy in the above pic!! In the below pic she was peaking out at the neighbors dog, but it made for a really good candid pic.

Oh, my little french baby!! Wee-Wee

Go Hawks!!

We had troubles getting a smile she keeping walking or crawling away to more interesting things, like camera, lights, and various equipment!

Happy Birthday Adrian, we love you very much!!

Mommy & Daddy

Some Pics!

2009-10-15T19:34:00.007-05:00

One very happy little girl!

One cozy cuddly little baby

One fresh and clean little girl after her bedtime bath.

Huh, everything looks so different up here!

Adrian loves playing on the couch with the cushions off, she goes back and forth bouncing off the sides.

Go Hawks!!!

2009-10-13T21:09:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since my last post... Daddy has been busy helping Eric with re-siding our house. Once it is complete I will have some good before and after pics. Our goal is to have it all done by Adrian's b-day party next Sat. Mommy has a New Hire class at Nationwide she is training so she is always on the go from 8-4:30pm everyday!

Adrian's b-day is fast approaching, on Monday she is getting her 1 year pics taken by a photographer in Polk City. I have an outdoor outfit to get some good pics with pumpkins and the Iowa outfit she is wearing below. I am trying to get her used to the pom-pom, she normally throws and down and doesn't like waving it, but as you can tell in the video she got over that. Also, it is really the first video I have of her walking, I have such a hard time capturing it on tape, as soon as she sees the camera she wants it!!

Great Bargains at the Turtle Hut

2009-09-29T19:56:00.007-05:00

Yes, mommy loves shopping at consignment stores for clothes and toys. They are so much better then garage sales because you don't have to go to 15 sales to only find 2-3 good sales. The stuff is clean and cheap. I've got the Fisher Price chair and stand below for $10, Fisher Price barn and animal blocks $7, Leap Frog light-up drum $5, Columbia snow pants and jacket in perfect condition $27, and lots more.

Adrian loves her chair, it is nice and low and because there is a stand attached it doesn't tip over easy. The little lamp lights up in 4 different colors. Each page of the book turns and says what's on the page, and it is activated by her sitting in the seat.

mmm, nothing like a little H2O.

How much wood can a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Look and see what our little woodchuck did!!
Yes, you are looking at Adrian's beautiful cherry finished crib. Adrian decided to use her crib as a teething device!

Changing Seasons!!

2009-09-28T20:33:00.008-05:00

The weather on Sunday was gorgeous, Adrian got some playtime outside while we watered our new shrubs and bushes we planted.

I call this one, "Lil Tex" I got Adrian's little cow girl shirt at the consignment store in Ankeny, which I love, especially for toys.

The lovely pumpkins you see came from the Harden Garden thanks to Grandpa & Grandma. They came for a visit this weekend and we definitely put them to work. We trimmed a tree, hauled brush to the dump, finished the retaining wall, added the rock, planted 9 bushes/shrubs, and lots more.

Our Little Pumpkin

Just 11 Months Ago!!

2009-09-27T19:24:00.005-05:00

Wow we have made it 11 months, I can't believe last week Adrian turned 11 months old. Looking back at the pic of me 11 months ago I do miss being pregnant a little...just a little. Adrian does so many amazing things now and is learning something new everyday.

1. Adrian has learned to climb up on the couch by pushing her Fisher Price lion over to the couch and climbing up onto it.

2. ... she has learned the word "NO" and she defiantly doesn't like hearing it.

3. ... can give a high five (well, it's more like a low five).

4. ... loves it when she is sung to and insists it at diaper changes.

5. ... if I catch her in the right mood I can get a hug and a pat on the back.

6. ...does pretty good around Pharaoh, especially not pulling his hair.

7. ...gets put to bed awake and falls asleep all on her own (in most cases).

8. ... now only has a night time bottle.

9. ... loves her Sandra Boynton books.

10. ... gets a bath every night as part of the nighttime routine.

11. ... two favorite foods would be yogurt (any flavor) and bananas.

Last weekend we went home to celebrate daddy's b-day with his family and yes daddy turned the BIG 28. Grandpa Larry and Adrian playing on the floor.

Yesterday was Preston's 1 year b-day party at Adventureland Hotel. Preston had lots of family and friends to help celebrate, unfortunately I don't have a pic of the b-day boy so you will have to check out the Eichmeier blog for those. We had a great time Preston, thanks!!

Adrian enjoyed the water and so did mommy, it helps when the temp is like bath water. Adrian loosened up after awhile and was doing her regular talking and yelling. We had such a good time we plan on going back during the winter months which should be a nice change.

Iowa Baby!

2009-09-15T20:29:00.011-05:00

Big Announcement!! Adrian is officially taking steps without holding on to anything. The most she has done at once is 6 steps. Over the last few days she has been taking 3-4 steps often but then she gets so excited she leans too far and falls. My next goal is to get it documented on video,

so be looking for it.

-------------------------------------------------

My recent update is that I am having a root canal on Thurs. so as you are all enjoying your Thurs. morning I will be in pain, totally numb, being Drilled On, and Drooling!

---------------------------------

Last Sat. we cheered on Iowa against ISU to a big victory!!

Daddy and Adrian giggling on the couch

It was hard to get Adrian to look at the camera with no one behind it.

Pharaoh enjoying Adrian's pom-pom

Adrian has a little wind-up toy airplane she loves to chase and of course she must taste it!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-09T20:46:00.014-05:00

The Noel's had a busy weekend after our Friday trip to the zoo. Sat. morning we headed back to Rockford and then headed to the Antique Tractor Show @ the 7 mile corner by Charles City. Grandpa Harden had a total of 6 tractors at the show. Adrian has never spent so much time outside (7 hours in 2 days) nor has she heard/see so many tractors! In the below pic Grandpa is driving us around on his little hay rack, which we loved.

Uncle Mark is letting Adrian balance in a precarious position. Looking at those feet, I see a future ballerina!

The Newel Family...most recent addition Trice.

Adrian loved the various trips around on the hay rack, so much she fell asleep on my lap. Grandpa pulled over to park so mommy and aunt Jamie could peruse the antiques. They kept and eye on Adrian and Trice while they sleep.

Grandpa sportin the International hat with the John Deere shirt!

This is Adrian's Great Grandpa & Grandma's convenient store, which was in Roseville, IA. Last year they relocated it to the 7 mile corner and fixed it all up with displays, old fashioned candy, ice cream, etc.

Adrian loved Trice, she snuck in a little touch while he was snoozing.

In additional to the several hours spent at the tractor show we also enjoyed Grandpa & Grandma's Rainbow playground.

There's nothing better then a happy baby!

Trice waiting for a few morsels of food to fall!

Aunt Jamie & Adrian tentatively watching Trice in the dinning room.

Thank You Grandpa & Grandma for the great weekend!!

Lions, Tigers, & Bears Oh My!!

2009-09-07T20:08:00.012-05:00

The family ventured out to the Blank Park Zoo on Friday. Mommy took the day off of work so Adrian could take her Daddy to the zoo for his 28th Birthday! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and we spent about 3 hours at the zoo. It had been years since I had visited the zoo, so it was definitely nice to go back. Of course it was a little smaller then I had remember, but still a good time for all of us!

Adrian was a little skeptical of the goats, she wouldn't take her eyes off of them to look at
Daddy for a pic.

This little guy was adorable!

Very large bull looking thing...Mommy needs to do a better job of reading the animal signs!

Mitch hanging with the prairie dogs. Yes, he had to crawl in a little tunnel made for

children to get in there!

Wild Zebra #1

Wild Zebra # 2

By the time we had got to the giraffe's we had just missed the first feeding time and the next feeding wasn't for a couple of hours, so unfortunately we didn't get a chance to feed them. That will be on the agenda for next time!

Oh, if you are wondering there are lion and tigers at the zoo, but no bears!!

Little Bit of Everything

2009-09-01T20:32:00.009-05:00

I have taken a few pics over the last week and half, so I thought I would combine a few different blog postings.

Grandma & Grandpa...special delivery...ready for this weekend!!

First picture with Adrian smiling and you can see her top teeth!

I love letting the sun shine in and Adrian loves playing at the door.

MMM...MMM...Vitamin D!!!

Adrian & Preston's playdate! We went over to Amanda's place on Sat. to spend a little time. The kids did a good job playing together, she helped ease Preston into daycare this week.

I thought Miss Sassy's Face was sooo funny.

Adrian is all about obstacles. I often put pillows on the floor and she climbs all over them like a little obstacle course. As you can see she tried to tackle her jumper.

Spaghetti Mess!

2009-08-20T19:54:00.013-05:00

Adrian got her 1st meal of spaghetti Tuesday night, and as you can see she liked it!

She did pretty good of not picking up her plate, until she had trouble getting the last few bites.

Is that a noodle on the wall? I think it is!!!

Someone looks guilty!!

This is Adrian outside of the bathroom. Mitch was supposed to be getting her cleaned up while I got her bath ready. Instead, he just picked her up and set her in front of the door.

Pre-Bath!!!!

Post-Bath!!!

Daycare Update

2009-08-19T20:02:00.006-05:00

Well, there have been lots of changes to Adrian's childcare, with the closure of Discovery Children's Center in Polk City, due to financial reasons. Mitch and I don't like the other center in Polk City, so Megan one of the lady's who was in Adrian's room at the center is going to watch her and 2 other kids from the daycare. So, this will be new to us having Adrian going to an in home daycare starting Monday. Her little buddy Gracin from her room will also be at Megan's house so at least she will have her friend from daycare.

Below are a few pics I took on Sunday, Adrian now officially have 4 top teeth through. Thank goodness for teething rings!!

She looks like a little puppy dog crawling around with toys in her mouth.

1st Pony Tail!

2009-08-12T21:13:00.008-05:00

Last week I put Adrian's hair in her 1st pony tail or I like to say "Whale Spout" the below picture is after I took it out and her hair never really moved! Adrian's hair is getting long and it is going to be increasingly difficult to keep it out of her face. Barrettes worry me because everything goes in her mouth.

I love the girly hair, but boy looking pjs! Yes, I try to buy some unisex stuff, but if you ask me it looks way more boyish!

Kamden's Birthday!!

2009-08-11T20:51:00.007-05:00

Sat. Mitch, Adrian, and I headed over to the Smith Residence for Mr. Kamden's 1 year b-day. We attempted to get a pic of the 3 babies with Rachel (well, not babies so much any more!)

which wasn't easy.

I love this pic! Preston you make me smile!! I was trying to get a picture of Adrian playing with the Iowa Football and pop there goes Preston. Such BIG blue eyes!

Snack Time! They liked playing this the containers more than eating.

Kamden with lots of new balls to play with!!

Jamie & Mark's Wedding

2009-08-05T08:07:00.009-05:00

Adrian looking gorgeous!

Jamie looking marvelous

The Harden Family

Jamie & Mark - Mike & Rollie - Joan & Dennis

Here is a pic of us in the basement before we headed upstairs. As you can see I am the most untan bridesmaid! Mommy needs some sun!!

Busy...Busy Weekend!

2009-08-04T08:05:00.007-05:00

Jamie my sister got married on Sat. so below is just a few pics from the weekend. I will post the wedding pics of her and Mark later this week. Jamie & Mark had gorgeous weather for Sat.

Adrian at rehearsal, Roseville, IA.

Adrian & Ava at Grandma & Grandpa Harden's house the day of the wedding. All the girls were getting their hair done for the big day.

Jamie & I after our hair is done...Jamie looking beautiful on her BIG DAY!

This is just a random pic from Sunday afternoon. Adrian the furniture mover! She likes sliding the dinning room chair across the floor. Ignore the overflowing garbage, I changed it after the pic!

Slow & Steady Wins the Race!

2009-07-29T10:28:00.003-05:00

I shot this video Monday night, sorry for how shaky the video is I was on my knees trying to get by the toys on the floor. The title above is my motto for running races and it seems Adrian has also incorporated it into her walking. Enjoy!!

Teething...Weekend Fun...9 mo. Appt. Update!

2009-07-28T07:35:00.010-05:00

Yes, I know it has been a long time since I have updated the blog...busy..busy! So, as a way to multi-task I am lumping together a few different blog postings. As you can see Adrian below is gnawing on a frozen wash cloth, her top front tooth finally broke through yesterday, but the one right next to it is soon to follow.

I just love this pic since you can see her pearly whites so nice!

I finally bought some summer pjs, on clearance at gap, sz. 12-18 months so hopefully they fit for the rest of the summer. Instead of Ariel...it's Adrian the little Mermaid!!

Last weekend was Polk City Days, here we are at the parade. Not a great pic of Adrian, I was holding out the camera. I think we have adequate eye protection!!

Candy...Candy...I want Candy!! Actually, mommy and aunt Jamie want candy!

Adrian had her 9 mo. doctors appt. yesterday. I took this pic when we got back, as you can tell she was exhausted! Adrian's stats--

HC: holding steady at 50%

Height: 28.25 (80%)

Weight: 19.5 lbs. (60%)

9 Month Pics

2009-07-21T12:18:00.002-05:00

Adrian got her 9 month pics done yesterday a couple days early. I tried out Flash Portraits, instead of Target just to try something different, I was going to try Portrait Innovations, however they are not open on Monday's and that was my only chance. The pics turned out pretty good, but they are definitely more expensive. Unfortunatly I cannot post the pics on the blog like I could do with the Target pics, so if you are curious and want to check them out you will have to go to:
http://www.flashportraits.com/
Click on My Portraits (upper right corner)
Enter in Noel and click GO.
The first time it might make you enter a password, which is Adrian.

Standing Tall

2009-07-06T19:25:00.007-05:00

Late last week Adrian starting pulling herself up and standing, she likes to stand in front of her gate, especially if Pharaoh is on the other side. I can tell she is practicing hard, because if I hold out my hands she will hang on and stand up and then sit down and keep repeating (up...down...up...down).

Adrian has also started saying, "Uhh..Oooo!" She even said it on Sunday after her pacifier fell on the floor, but I don't know if she really understands the meaning.

Enjoy the video of her standing and saying Uhh...Oooo!

Sorry, I filmed with the camera vertical.

Happy 4th of July!!

2009-07-05T20:02:00.012-05:00

We traveled back home Friday morning to Clear Lake where the Grandparents were camping at State Park. Adrian and I spent the day at the campground while Daddy went to Rockford to spend some time with his dad and brothers. Grandma was nice enough to take us swimming at the Clear Lake aquatic center. Yes, I know I was at Clear Lake but never actually swam in it! I'm not planning on letting Adrian go into Lake water until she is much older and doesn't put her hands in her mouth/drink the water. (Due to Ava Shook being hospitalized with Ecoli from an Iowa Lake).

Adrian was more relaxed this time swimming then a couple of weeks ago, she liked this little spring of water, which she kept trying to grab.

Adrian trying to eat the water!

Adrian loves shinny jewelry, which you can see her going for Grandma's bling.

State Park Daycare Center! This was Adrian's play tent, with her pack-n-play and all her toys to roam about.

"Who's this crazy lady holding me...oh, it's my Aunt Jamie!!"

So serious!!

SO HAPPY!

Biker Babe...Adrian sportin a mohawk on Grandpa's motorcycle!

Hanging out around the campfire...nature's tv!!

The Noel's at the Clear Lake parade, we all have nice big smiles, but it was cold and rainy. Grandpa Harden drove his John Deere in the Parade, and Jamie, Mark

& Olivia handed out candy.

Summer Time Fun!

2009-06-28T19:52:00.013-05:00

The Noel family had lots of fun outdoor activities this weekend. Adrian doesn't exactly look like a ball of fire, but she gets sleepy when we are on walks. The below pic is when we arrived at the Park. Thank You Great Grandma Harden for the

lovely seat liner for Adrian's Bob Stoller, it fits perfect.

Lovin the wind in her hair

Aunt Jamie & Adrian at the Clive Aquatic Center. This was Adrian's first pool experience, she did pretty good, but there was just a lot to take it.

Adrian's still not sure if she likes it, she's used to her warm bath water so this was a little colder.

A little "patty cake" to put a smile on the face!

Aunt Jamie & Adrian people watching.

Adrian had the sun block lathered on, but mommy tried to take in a little of the UV rays,

which she definitely needs.

Wrinkly little feet!!

This was at the end of our swimming adventure, Adrian was pretty tuckered out.

8 Months!!!

2009-06-22T18:26:00.009-05:00

At 7:05pm 8 months ago Adrian was born and Mitch & I's world changed! There have been so many changes big, small, hard, and not so many easy. Mitch & I have loved having Adrian and watching her grow and learn. I took these pics tonight after her bath when she was crawling around in her room.

Since Adrian is 8 Months

I wanted to write 8 things I love about you.

1. I love how cuddly you are in the morning

2. I love watching you study things...I see you learning something everyday.

3. I love your smile

4. I love when I am holding you the way you act shy if someone talks to you.

5. I love all of the little noises and grunts you make when you play.
6. I love it when you crawl to me.

7. I love picking you up from daycare and seeing your smile.
8. I love how happy you are in the morning, right after waking up.

We love you!!

Little Chicklets

2009-06-21T18:36:00.002-05:00

It's officially documented: Adrian's first tooth...or should I say teeth. Adrian officially started getting her first tooth at 7 months, but I finally got them documented today on camera. If you click on the pic you can see her two lower teeth really good. She is constantly drooling and gnawing on various toys or whatever she can get her hands on.

Adrian also loves helping mommy fold clothes, she sits in the basket as I pull out clothes to fold, until there is nothing left!

Weekend Pics

2009-06-16T18:33:00.003-05:00

Below are some pics I took over the weekend, I am just finally getting them put on the blog. Adrian loves Gerber Graduate Puffs and they end up everywhere! She has had the peach and sweet potato and loves them both.

"Mommy, do I have something on my face?"

Adrian after her bath with her little slippers. Whenever I put them on she instantly works on getting them off.

And the winner is....1 week!

2009-06-14T18:02:00.004-05:00

Those of you who voted for 1 week have officially won. Adrian started crawling today at 7 months and 22 days! She is still a little shaky but she can definitely get to stuff. Adrian loves my cell phone so the video below is her crawling towards it. ENJOY!!

Yoga Baby!

2009-06-08T18:29:00.004-05:00

Adrian has been rocking back and forth for awhile, she has even started doing some yoga looking moves (downward dog). Watch the video and vote for when you think Adrian will start crawling.

Fresh & Clean

2009-06-03T18:58:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I have put a video on the blog.

I took this 2 nights ago after her bath. She loves to lay on her changing table, she instantly starts talking and kicking when she is on it.

Baby Legs!

2009-06-03T18:41:00.004-05:00

I recently got my Baby Legs in the mail and I got to test them out the other day. They work really nice and they will be good for this summer when it is chilly in the morning, but then I can take them off easily when it gets warm. Also, when Adrian starts crawling they should help protect her little knees.

I not only ordered the pair below, but a cute polka dot pair,

and then a blue and orange stripped one.

Tagged

2009-06-02T19:51:00.006-05:00

Debbi Rose my old co-worker from Nationwide (Hello Debbi!!), tagged me. This means I get to post an old pic from a random folder.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Here are the rules...

1. Open the 4th picture folder on your computer.

2. Open the 4th picture and post it on your blog.

3. Explain the picture.

4. Tag 4 people to do the same

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We recently got our new laptop in Late November, so I don't have very old pics on this computer.

Here is Adrian & I at my Grandma Harden's house in Rudd Iowa for our Christmas celebration. We always look forward to seeing aunts, uncles, & cousins. And I can't forget about Grandma's awesome punch and chex mix...mmm...mmm. Adrian was 2 months in this pic. Oh, I remember those days when she would sleep a lot during the day, even with all of the laughing and talking going on. I could go shopping and she would sleep through the whole thing. I feel like Mitch & I have come so far since then as a family getting our routine down and really just feeling like we know what we are doing as parents...to some degree.

Now I am tagging...

Rachel...http://lrsmithfamilynews.blogspot.com/

Amanda...http://eichmeierfamily.blogspot.com/

Traci...http://dillavounews.blogspot.com/

Dam to Dam Race

2009-06-01T18:26:00.005-05:00

Me, Tonya Newel (Jamie's future sister-in-law),

& Aunt Jamie before the big race. Jamie & I fudged on our predicted race times, so that is why we have orange bib numbers and Tonya has blue.

A total of 6,450 people ran the race. It was really cool to see all of the

people spanned across the dam.

Mommy after running 12.44 miles in 2 hours and 2 minutes. Jamie and I never saw each other after the race started, but we ended up ending within 15 seconds of each other. There were sooo many people I never saw her ahead of me.

Adrian wearing her victorious medal!

Memorial Day Weekend

2009-05-26T18:15:00.012-05:00

Adrian & I went back home on Sat. to visit Grandma & Grandpa Harden and Sunday my Cousin Abby had her graduation reception in Clear Lake. The below pic Mitch took of Adrian on Monday, I had the day off from work, which was nice.

Adrian gazing off into the distance, we got to enjoy some outdoor time while

we were back home.
Cool Shades!!

Grandma Harden & Adrian hanging out on the patio, which we got lots of good use, grilling Sat. night and Sunday for lunch.

Adrian loves her Burger, which has a layer of cheese, lettuce, and tomato. Mary Meyer makes all sorts of neat toys with different textures and sounds.

I like her little smerk.

I took this pic the morning before we headed home, I love when her litle bum is in the air.

Helping with Laundry

2009-05-25T18:50:00.005-05:00

Adrian loves to watch me fold clothes, so I thought maybe she would like to help out. She also liked the warm clothes, fresh out of the dryer.

I think Pharaoh wanted in the basket too!

Little Hot Tamale!

2009-05-16T20:50:00.004-05:00

Adrian came home early from daycare on Friday with a fever and continues to have one today.

I am keeping a close eye on it, with Tylenol her fever this evening was 101.2. I have a feeling tonight is going to be a long night. The little HOT tamale did get to enjoy some play time today in between the crying and fusing.

Hanging with Daddy!

2009-05-13T19:49:00.005-05:00

Bed time play...I took this pic a couple nights ago,

Adrian just go her bath and was all cozy in her PJs.

MMM...nothing like munching on a zebra foot!

Looks like Adrian & Mitch are doing some online shopping!

They both look guilty!!

Baptism May 2nd

2009-05-06T10:21:00.016-05:00

Mitch and I finally got around to having Adrian Baptized, when I finally got the ball rolling it was during lent and we had to wait until after Easter. There are so many babies getting baptized at Assumption Church in Granger I picked a Sat. night, May 2nd. Grandma Harden came down to Polk City Sat. morning to help with Adrian and the cleaning. We also had to get the pulled pork sandwiches ready for 20 people. Saturday was an absolutely gorgeous day out, we couldn't of had better weather. The baptism went great, Adrian was really tired with all the people and she missed her afternoon nap, she did have a mini melt down in church but she did wait until after she was christened. Sat. night was pretty rough, with Adrian being sooo tired and you know what happens with a baby who is overly tired, they don't sleep good.

Adrian did good with the water, she didn't even cry!

This pic was taken after church and after Adrian had her mini melt down, so she was down for the count.

Adrian with her God Parents, Jamie Harden & Mark Newel. As you can see that darn camera flash gets Adrian everytime.

Aunt Jamie & Grandma Harden

Everyone enjoying the great food!

I think this was Adrian's favorite gift, especially

the wrapping!!!

6 Month Pictures

2009-05-05T07:39:00.017-05:00

At the end of April Adrian had her 6 mo. pictures taken at Target, we did get some good ones but I think next time for her 9 mo. pics I want to go to a different place, if anyone has any suggestions, let me know. Thanks

Weekend Trip Home

2009-04-28T20:33:00.015-05:00

Well, we had a busy weekend, starting with Friday Pics and Doctor appointment. Friday morning Adrian and I headed off to Target for her 6mo. pics and I was all excited for the outfit I had, before we left I made sure to give her a bottle so she would be a full, happy baby. Well, she must of been too full and the second I took off her bib for her pics she spit-up all over her white top. It's a good thing mommy packed her Easter dress to get pics in too, so all I got was diaper pics and in her dress. Adrian did smile really big and did a great job sitting up on her own for the pictures. The pics will be ready for pick-up on Monday, I can't wait. Later in the afternoon we had Adrian's appointment and shots, then we picked up Aunt Jamie for the 2 hour drive back to Rockford.

Daddy, Mommy, & Adrian before Doug & Nicole's wedding on Sat.

Adrian enjoying the reception with Grandpa & Grandma Harden

Aunt Jamie getting some cuddle time, I love the look on Adrian's face.

Mommy's friend Kate, getting a chance to hold Adrian.

After the meal Grandpa & Grandma took Adrian home and babysat for the night so mom and dad could have a few drinks and socialize with other adults. It was a nice break! Grandpa & Grandma had kind of a rough night, Adrian still wasn't feeling the best after her shots and decided to wake around 11pm. At about 12:30am they tried a bottle, which did the trick and she slept the rest of the night.

6 Month Appointment

2009-04-26T20:10:00.002-05:00

Adrian had her 6 mo. appt. on Friday before we headed back home for Nicole & Doug's wedding on Sat. Adrian's stats: Height-27 in. 90th percentile, Weight-15.15 lbs. 50th percentile, HC-16.5 in. 50th percentile. Adrian also got her shots, which are getting harder, now she knows whats coming. The good news is that she doesn't get her next shots until her 1yr. appointment.

Fun in the Sun!

2009-04-17T20:16:00.006-05:00

This afternoon after I got home from work Adrian and I got to soak in some sun. I laid out a blanket in the yard and brought some toys out, Adrian liked the change of scenery.

Cool Shades!