a little day trip

last week ryan and i took an impromptu day off work as one last hoorah before the spring semester begins.  we took a trip to new jersey to hit up several of our favorite stores that we don't have nearby where we live.  along the way we stopped at the cheesecake factory for lunch.  we had a gift certificate that we wanted to use and i had a reward for a free slice of cheesecake for my birthday as well.

it was a fun (and tasty) little trip to get out of town for a moment before the craziness began!

love, laurie

silly shenanigans

some recent silly noah shenanigans include him sorting through my hair supplies and saying, "mom, you know what?  i want a doughnut bun."  okay, kid, one doughnut bun coming up just like mama!

and this guy dressing up just like a worker at roba farms in the fall sporting his halloween sweatshirt, glow stick, walkie-talkie, boots, and a pen.  what a character!

love, laurie

preschool snapshots and artwork

some recent snapshots of noah at school and his artwork.  his favorite part of the school day is definitely the art time!

love, laurie

birthday celebrations

my birthday was on tuesday, and we took the day off work to celebrate.  while noah was in school, ryan and i spent the morning using lots of birthday rewards / freebies at some nearby stores.  we had lunch a mansour's market because we haven't been there in over 3 years, and then ryan booked me a deep tissue massage.  the massage was much needed because i haven't had one in over a decade and my body is sore!

after we picked up noah from school we went to my parents' house to celebrate with our family.  my mom made the most delicious dinner and dessert, then mr. noah helped open presents for me.  a few photos . . .

love, laurie

a merry little kitty christmas

leko is still enjoying the christmas tree skirts so we haven't taken down our two christmas trees yet.  we'll let him get as much enjoyment out of them as possible before they are all packed up for the year.

love, laurie

obsessed

noah has been obsessed with this black stool ever since we bought it at ikea in the summer.  it lives in our dining room for him to eat a the table, but lately it has been moved all over the living room as his "tractor ride."  this kid is a nut.

love, laurie

ringing in the new year

we celebrated the new year with our family with lots of meals and lots of running after noah.

we kicked off the festivities on new year's eve in the afternoon at a neighbor's house for a kid-friendly "noon year's eve" party.  we all had a good time.  after that, we went to ryan's parents' house for dinner on new year's eve.  then we got together for more eating on new year's day for dinner at my parents' house.

happy new year!

love, laurie

hello, 41.

today's my birthday.  i'm not sad to see 40 go.  i'm kicking it to the curb and screaming "don't let the door hit you on the way out!"

i had high hopes for 40 and was very much looking forward to it, but it disappointed in every way possible, and was by far the hardest year of my life.  i'm determined to make a change and 41 has to be better.

so, hello, 41.  welcome.

love, laurie

14 years with leko

yesterday marked 14 years since we adopted leko!!!  our hearts always burst on january 4th since it marks the day we brought our little fur baby home and we love him so much!  of course, he's going to be spoiled all week with extra kisses and tuna!  

love, laurie

. . .

one year with leko / two years with leko / three years with leko / 

four years with leko / five years with leko / six years with leko / 

seven years with leko / eight years with leko / nine years with leko / 

ten years with leko / eleven years with leko / twelve years with leko

preschool artwork

noah made some christmas artwork at school recently.  his teachers keep telling us how much he loves the arts and crafts time each day!

love, laurie