Losing teeth!!! Already?!?!

Friday was a shocker for this mom!! Braden lost his first tooth! What?!?! I thought kids lost their first tooth in first grade, maybe kindergarten! I know when I taught first grade many kids would lose their first tooth in my class.

So needless to say I was a bit shocked and almost panicked when I pulled up to Granny's and he ran up and I noticed his mouth. I assumed he fell or got hit in the mouth somehow. Granny assured me nothing of the sort happened and his tooth was just lose. She had taken Braden and her other great grandbabies to Derby Dinner Playhouse to see The Velveteen Rabbit. Apparently he was eating corn on the cob (uh...hold on here, he doesn't eat that for me??) and said "Granny, something is wrong with my tooth." She said it was loose and then a few bites later he said it was gone!

Poor Granny and Carma (her daughter) were on the ground crawling around in the dark trying to find that teeny tiny tooth!! She said they'd come up with a crumb and say "well that's not it" and continue looking. I was cracking up when she told me the story. What a good, good Granny because she found that little thing! It's a good thing because I was already a little sad that I wouldn't see him at his first derby dinner experience, then sad that I missed losing the first tooth experience and I would have been really sad if I didn't have that first baby tooth.

Well the tooth fairy has it I mean. :) Speaking of that....do you want to know what my child said this morning when he found his money!?!? "Guess what Mom? The tooth fairy only left me a dollar!" Really, Really Braden?!!! Not, "look mom, the tooth fairy came!" or "wow mom, the fairy left me a dollar!" Nope, only my child would complain about the amount. I'm pretty sure the going rate when I was a kid was a quarter....Kids these days!! :)

Visiting an old friend (well not old...)

The night before Thanksgiving Chris and I got to meet Melissa, one of my closest childhood/high school friends and her hubby in Bloomington for dinner. Melissa lives in California so it's always great to see her when she flies back home. She's also preggers with her first (hope that's not a secret anymore Mel) so that made it extra special to see her even though the skinny isn't even showing yet! :) Love you girl!

Time for Christmas decorating!

It's my favorite time of year times 10!!!! I LOVE Christmas time and can't wait to get out the decorations each year. :) It's always more work than I remember to put up two trees, all the decor and outside lights but so worth it. :) The boys were a big help this year. It's so fun to see what they remember from the previous year and how much more excited they are each year. :)

First we have to put in all the limbs while Braden asks at least 100 times, "can we hang the ornaments now?" :)

Ethan got in on the action this year...he tried to hang several and couldn't figure out why they kept falling to the ground. ha! Braden was really into it and worked so hard. He did at least half the tree.

Ethan and Daddy got a little bored so took a break while Braden and I continued.

Ethan took some pictures since I was. :)

Finishing touches...

Oh, the attempts at the posed picture in front of the tree. ha! These days I just say "good enough." :)

Braden always has to think of something funny to do...what a ham!

Gatlinburg

Last weekend Chris and I got to go to Gatlinburg for the weekend on an all adult's trip!! Woohoo! It was for Jason's 40th bday. We had so much fun! It was the perfect mix of relaxing, eating (lots of eating) shopping for the girls, a little hike/park day and more eating! ha! This group knows how to eat. Our cabin was phenomenal!! It had 5 bedrooms that were all master bedrooms each with bathrooms with double shower heads...3 floors, a theater movie area, pool table, ski ball, fooze table (how do you spell that), I mean just nice!!! Very fun weekend getaway!! :)

Project "decorate"

Two weeks ago at church Braden learned about Boaz helping Ruth and how he could be a helper. :) They sent the kids home with materials to make a simple bird feeder with string, a bagel, seeds and peanut butter. He was super excited and we went to work as soon as we got home.

spreading the peanut butter

Sprinkling the bird seeds

Ta-da!

So then we moved onto our "turkey homework" while we waited for a bird to come. Braden had to decorate his turkey with materials from home to sort of disguise the turkey. We used lots of yummy treats.

A yummy finished turkey! THEN, we look outside and we didn't have a little bird to watch but a squirrel. ha! We had SO much fun watching this squirrel try to get the bagel off the string-very entertaining.

Braden was fascinated....so were we. :) So we made another bagel snack for the "birds" and before long it was gone. These squirrels are desperate. :) OH, and Braden is dying, I mean DYING for a pet so he named this squirrel "squirrely squirrely" (very original) and said he would always feed it and it could be our pet. hee hee. Hey, if that means I don't have to get a dog yet, I'll adopt squirrely squirrely! :)

Catching up...

Falling so behind on this blogging business! I've got to do better. :) Anywhoo, here are a few pics of some happenings around the Noble household. :)

Doing a little "school work..."

And some computer work...

And well...some pooping work I guess! Braden actually, Ethan's just chillin' and keeping Braden company. :)

Camping

Saturday night our family joined 4 other families for a camping adventure. :) Nick's gma has a gigantic camp/farm somewhere near Patoka (it was so off the beaten path I'm really not sure where we were. ha!). We dressed warm in old clothes and headed out for some country fun. I really didn't take many pictures but the kids had a ball! They got to go on 4-wheeler rides, rode in the gator and several hay rides. There were dogs for the kids to play with, which was my boys' favorite part of course, and then a field with goats, sheep, horses and a donkey. Pretty much the kids just ran wild out in the country which was such a treat for them. We all (11 kids, 10 adults) stayed in one large cabin. Can you imagine the sleep that went on that night!?!? Yep, you're right, not much!!! It was so cold and there was always a little one up it seemed like all through the night. Oh well. :) The day was a blast and definitely great memories for the kiddos.

Ethan and Lexi enjoying some snacks

Kisses

Some of the big boys! Jackson, Judd, Braden and Jace

Cutie girls!

Columbus Children's Museum

Last Friday we met my friend Michelle in Columbus at the kids' museum. I just love this place! It's small enough you can keep track of your kiddos, it's never too busy and there is plenty of fun stuff to do for all ages! Michelle lives in Indy so we are going to start doing this more often since it's more like a halfway point for us.

Ethan has been here 3 times now and always loves this ball ramp.

Could this be cooperative play? Whoa boys!!! :)

My boys with Jackson in the camper

Jackson and Braden made up a yummy meal. :)

The bubble station is really neat too!

They had a lot of fun shooting baskets...fingers crossed for ball players! They certainly are tall enough. :)

Oh the giant toilet! Always a favorite. :)

After lunch, we went across the street to the commons area. This is my favorite-totally free, so clean and just a blast!! How do we get this in southern Indiana!??!!?

Braden at the top

Halloween Night

After all of the Halloween festivities, we finally got to trick or treat night. Like last year, we changed up the costumes on this night. :) This one-eyed monster suit was clearanced out for $5 at Old Navy a few days before Halloween and it was too cute to pass up! It was a 4T/5T so I wasn't sure, but big surprise, it fit him!!! Ha! The Old Navy lady also gave me 40 percent off my order so I got it even cheaper. Love a good deal! Braden dug through his costume bin and decided he was going to pass up Venom and go as Batman this night. :)

A couple of cute boys I tell ya!!

Every year we get our picture taken with the Rousters (our neighbors). It's amazing how much they've all grown since our first picture 5 or so years ago. :)

Ethan and Ava rode in style together when their feet got tired.

Gma Cindy walked around with us all night and helped Ethan get the hang of all of this trick or treat business. :)

I could just eat him up!

Northside's fall festival

Northside has their annual fall festival the weekend before Halloween. This year they not only had trunk or treat and bouncers but they added a petting zoo and pony rides! The boys had a blast! The whole time Ethan was riding the pony he kept yelling, "cow...moooo!!" Close buddy. :)

Coming down a bouncer slide

Braden and Jackson...both versions of Spiderman. This is when Christy and I told them to release their web. Jackson did it and Braden got shy. :)

Ethan wasn't quite liking walking to each car. It was taking too long! He just wanted to plop down in the road and enjoy his treats. :)