Blog revamp, coming soon...

I proudly kept up with this blog for so long, then life got extra busy with an almost two-year-old. I am giving up the idea of "catching up" the blog, but I am going to start my posts back very soon. Plus now I have a snazzy new camera (an awesome 30th birthday present from the hubby), so I can post better pictures to illustrate the latest in our busy little lives. Stay tuned!

Losing "Shut Eye" over Shutterfly!

Last night, I stayed up entirely too late. What was I doing? I spent several late-night hours creating a Christmas card on Shutterfly. It took me so long not because it was complicated, but because it was so easy to preview many different layouts. I liked them all and it was so hard to decide on "the" one.

See this?

Send Holiday Cheer Christmas Card

Shop Shutterfly for elegant custom Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

It took me about two minutes to make. It's not our actual card for this year, but a cute preview of what's to come.

Shutterfly an amazing assortment of cards and other fun photo projects you can create (like these calendars). Whether you want to share one photo or multiples in a card, they have tons of layouts to choose from. Their designs are some of the most unique & fun ones I've used, and it's very easy to edit them (a bonus for tech-lazy people like myself). I like Shutterfly's search capabilities and how you can narrow down the specific type of card design you're looking to make. Don't forget to check them out by clicking here! OH, and if you're late to jump on the Christmas card wagon, they have super cute New Year's cards.

19 months

I'm so sorry that I haven't kept up with this blog like I used to. Most of my family are on facebook now so they can view pictures/video that way. We've been staying so busy! This is such a fun and active stage of toddlerhood (and ok, very exhausting!). I've also gotten addicted to LOST and am watching it from the beginning episode by episode, so most of my post-Will bedtime relaxation time has been spent watching a show or two instead of blogging. I'll try to do better, starting with this video below of Will's favorite game.

Will Dancing

Click the video below to see his dance moves. He gets it from his momma :-)

Updates (pictures to follow soon)

I know that I've neglected my poor blog. To the family and friends who check it regularly, I apologize! On the plus side, I haven't had as much motivation to write because we've been out and about staying super busy! Here's some updates on the Noble household:

*Leave it to us to cram in several stressful experiences into one! During Brian's finals, we were planning a move! After all, what would finals be without a medical emergency, an early baby, or something else stressful but exciting? We've had a history of craziness during Brian's finals, and this year was no exception. Within a week, Brian finished finals, graduated (brag warning: SECOND in his class of 150-something, I'm soooo proud), closed on the house, then moved! A big thanks to my mom who helped so much with Will during the whole process. Also, thanks to the Jewell family for being so sweet and keeping Will busy - you all are wonderful friends. We are now located much closer into town near the Summit, so it will cut Brian's commute downtown tremendously. I'd easily estimate it will save a minimum of an hour each day, probably much more when there are traffic issues. Although we loved the house and community in Chelsea, we knew for our family, being closer would be the best thing.

*As of today at 4:40, Will is ONE AND A HALF! Wow! I can't believe he's on his way to being TWO. This is going by way too fast! Babyhood is disappearing before my eyes as each day he learns new things. He's talking much more. His new favorite thing to say is, "Bye Dada, Bye!" x100. He likes repeating himself :-) He also said "Night night" last night. Once he starts being able to say several "potty" related words, we plan to step up the potty training. We've traded in the baby potties for just putting him on the big potty during all diaper changes, and he goes almost every single time. When I catch him looking like he needs to go, I say, "Potty?" and he runs to the nearest bathroom to wait for me to put him on. I've always said that my early potty philosophies may not get him fully "trained" earlier, but I guess we'll see in another half a year.

*Will's attention span has grown so much. He's still not a big fan of most television shows, but he does love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. When it comes on, he starts this little dance. He also dances during the "Hotdog" song at the end. It's the cutest thing and I MUST capture it on video. The other day, I left the room for one minute. Being that it's babyproofed and he was watching his show, I wasn't worried. I came back to check on him a minute later and found that he had gotten my diaper bag down from the counter, opened a snack, helped himself to it, then as I was trying to capture the moment on camera (he was too quick, I didn't get it), he heard the "Hotdog" song on t.v. He ran to dance in front of the t.v. That reminds me of another little girl's story of how she would dance to the 1980's Dunkin' Donuts commercial (as best told by my brother, Mark).

*Will has quite the social life. Thanks to my Mom's Group, we never have a shortage of fun things to do. From trips to the zoo and science center to playdates and ice-cream with friends, we stay busy. It warms my heart to see Will interacting with his little friends, and it keeps us both happy!

*Summer trip: We look forward to going to Destin later this summer to see the family. This is one of the few times when all my siblings and their kiddos, plus my mom, are all in one place. Add my aunt, uncle, and tons of cousins in condos at the same place, tons of yummy food, and it's bound to be a great time. Last year, Will wasn't sitting well on his own, plus he ran a low-grade fever due to teething. We spent a lot of time inside the condo, but this year, I hope we're able to be out and about with the exception of nap time. There will be lots of older cousins to help look after Will, so I'll enjoy helping hands. Will's newest cousin, precious Miss Jules, will also be there. This year, the age gap may seem big, but I hope in the future summers, they'll be beach playmates.

* "Terrible Two" Tantrums come early? While I'd love to act like Will is an angel 100% of the time, I will confess that he has his fair share of melt-downs. Usually this happens when we take our car keys or cell phones away from him. I know, the logical thing would be to keep them away from him. We TRY. He hunts them down and finds them even when we hide them. He loves buttons and will stop at nothing to have access to "real" buttons. He and Elias have also almost come to blows over the Fisher Price Little People Bus. That little bus is the source of a lot of competition, but luckily they took turns with it their last playdate. Will has also become a bit difficult in stores, which is good for cutting out extra spending since we try to get in and out as quickly as possible. The grocery store is the worst, as he does a bit better in his stroller instead of a shopping cart. Thank goodness for those stores that have little steering wheel cars on the front of carts! Those are the BEST! The boy loves his cars, big and small!

That's a run-down of the important stuff - more to follow soon, plus some pictures courtesy of Christy, who takes great pictures of the boys. We are off to grocery shop (hoping a car-cart will be available)!

Two peas in a pod

Will and Elias have been best buds for awhile, but recently, they had a quasi-sleepover thanks to his very sweet parents C&B (I say quasi because we picked Will up super late after they put him to bed at their place). C did a great job documenting the whole event, and here are some of the highlights of their night.

They started out the afternoon by playing and sharing everything from toys to cups and pacis. Will loved playing with some different toys and reported that Elias was an excellent host.

Then, they went out to eat Mexican. Yup, C&B are BRAVE. Luckily, the boys did great!

Apparently Will wasn't a big fan of bath time, but you would never know from these pictures. He looks happy as can be. He was even a little mischievous as he tried to feed Elias the bath marker.

W&E already owned these matching pjs pre-sleepover, but I couldn't resist packing them in case C wanted to make them twinsies that night. Of course, she did and the boys looked like such cute little space explorers. Oh, and to illustrate the "sharing" these boys do, I'll point out that the boys swapped pacis. Will looks worn out from playing.

their signature pose

We are so very appreciative for a late evening out and look forward to when we can return the favor and host Elias for a sleepover.

Easter

Lately, I've been wondering where my baby boy went. He's growing so fast and is a full-fledged little boy who makes dog noises, likes anything with wheels or buttons, and loves exploring outdoors. As sad as I am to see that baby boy disappear, there is something so exciting about this stage. He's learning so much and is able to interact more than ever.

The following pictures were taken at my mommy group's Easter Egg-stravaganza. Will had a good time playing with his friends.

Will and his best bud E!

Will wanted nothing to do with the playground - he wanted to explore.

This, of course, meant I had to chase him the entire time. I love this picture (compliments of Christy, who helped with the chasing)

Will had just a few treats in his Easter basket

Checking it all out

Doesn't he look like a big boy in his hat?

Video - pre-bedtime playing

Playing at McWane

Will humming and playing