The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad....MOM

Left her son in his bouncy seat for all of 3 minutes and came back to find him like this....

And I want you to know, he was still playing!! I guess it's time to strap him in. :)

Sitting Pretty....ehhh..Handsome

Here's the fun we've been having lately...Noah is learning to sit on his own. He's definitely just in the beginning stages, but he's doing pretty good.

And here's a great one of his big smile

So I was sitting down yesterday, typing out my 101 list (101 things that I want to accomplish in 1001 days) and I think that #1 should be "finish my 101 list". Julie, I looked at your list again for inspiration...WOW! I feel like I should have a "10 things I want to accomplish in 1001 days" list. :) You are soooooo creative Jules. Maybe I should post 10 items at a time that way I'll have some time to think through the rest. Does anyone have any great goals for me?? :) Ohhh...I just thought of one more...I should go type it in....

101 List

Here is a list of 101 things I'd like to accomplish in 1001 days (these are listed in no specific order of importance)

Well, here's the first 15:

1. Cook a new recipe for dinner each night of the week for one week. (Does anyone have any favorites?? Let me know!)

2. No soda for one month (not even diet)

3. Run a 5k

4. Send 2 people handmade cards each week for 2 months

5. Loose all my baby weight plus 10 lbs

6. Take a new picture of Noah each day for a month

7. Go to Hawaii again...with just HYLKE

8. Have another baby

9. Videotape Noah once a week (until his 1 year birthday)

10 . Have someone over for lunch or dinner one time a week for a month

11. Visit friends in Washington and Colorado

12. Go to disneyland

13. Buy a house

14. Go to the gym 3x a week for one month

15. Memorize one verse a week for 3 months

Hmmm....

So, day two of cereal and Noah had no interest. I suppose I'll give it a week and try again...we're in no rush.

Speaking of a week...I can hardly believe my little baby is almost 5 months old!! I feel like I just started saying he was four months and now he's almost five months old...time FLIES! But, what I REALLY can't believe is how quickly he grows out of his clothes. I have to admit, I feel so guilty when I look at how many clothes this boy has. I'm packing away a TON of clothes that have been worn 1, maybe 2 times...perfectly good condition. I really hope Noah has a baby brother that can wear some of these things. I never knew how much fun it would be to shop for a little boy. I did just find these "onsie extenders" little pieces of material with snaps that snap into the onsie and give some extra length. Perfect! Noah has so many onsies that fit great, except they are too short (thanks to daddy for the tall genes :)) , and the neck starts scooping down. I figure since nobody will see the extender, it's a great fix!

I've been thinking about my 101 list...I'll post it soon....

Rice Cereal

Today was a big day...Noah got RICE CEREAL!! At his 4 month check-up the doctor told us that we could begin giving Noah cereal anytime. I wasn't sure when I'd actually begin, I just decided to wait until I thought he was ready. Lately he's seemed a bit more hungry and has actually started waking up much earlier to eat (and chows down!!) I also started noticing him watch me eat and try and grab my food. So, today we decided to give i a try. 1 T of rice cereal after his 5:30 feeding. At first he wasn't quite sure about it, but by the end he was grabbing my hand and shoving it in his mouth. :) Hylke was taking pics...some turned out blurry, but you'll get the idea. Noah looks soooo chubby in this first picture...it cracks me up!

He kept grabbing my hand, and the cereal was going everywhere!!! It ended up all over him. This is after we had already wiped him down a couple times. :)

I'm not sure if you can tell, but in this picture, Noah is grabbing my hand and pulling it into his mouth!

Well, since he's now knocked out (just a little nap before bedtime) I should probably clean up all the dishes from dinner. Hylke is leading worship for the College group tonight, so it's just me and the little one at home. I'll try to get everything done before daddy gets home!

Thank Heaven for Vacation!

Well, we just got home from our little getaway and boy was it nice to be away and to relax!! The weather in Scottsdale was perfect; we laid by the pool, went around the lazy river, and took a day trip to Sedona. We had never been to Sedona...it is so beautiful! All of the rock formations are just gorgeous. Here are a couple pics we took.



















Noah was such a trooper! With our day trip to Sedona he ended up being in his carseat a bit more than we anticipated and a bit more than he'd like! After we walked all throughout the park looking at the rocks, he was ready to take a nap...going, going....gone:

Noah loves the water. We had so much fun taking him in the pool. We love this resort because of the great pools that they have. Noah had fun splashing around and floating with us. He even went in the lazy river! I had him lay with me in my tube; he loved it. After we all went around, Hylke took Noah and let me float in the lazy river all by myself for awhile, it was WONDERFUL! I didn't think about anything, I just laid back with my eyes closed and listened to the sound of the waterfall...I could use a lazy river in my backyard!! :) Here's our little man all ready for pool time:

He liked having his own lounge chair too. I took this cute video of him playing with his toes:


Well, the little bambino is sound asleep, and I have some unpacking to do. Hopefully I'll get to hit the hay a bit earlier tonight than I have been. Hylke and I took some advantage of alone time (with no housework, church work or other work calling our names!) to watch a couple late night movies in our hotel room...I stayed up past midnight 2 nights in a row!! Unheard of for me (since having a baby of course! :)) Anyway, I think I'll enjoy some extra sleep tonight!

Pumpkin Patch Escapee Found!

The little escapee from the local Pumpkin Patch was found! Authorities (mommy) located him at 1234 Bumbo Seat drive. He was in good spirits playing with his favorite toy. ;) Ok, I know...I took it way too far, but this was just such a cute little outfit, I had to play with it a bit! :)

Well, in less than 12 hours we'll be on our way!! I still have to finish packing (definitely NOT my favorite thing to do) and pick up a little. We are getting our bedroom and master bath painted while we are gone...woo hoo!! A project that has needed to be done for some time now. It'll be nice to come home to a completed project.

I'm not sure if we're bringing the laptop, so this may be my last post until Sunday night when we get home. I hope you all have a great week!!

Jodie

**NEWS FLASH** Baby Escapes from Pumpkin Patch

Has anyone seen this pumpkin baby? He has escaped from the pumpkin patch and local authorities have asked for your help in finding him. He is said to be armed with a deadly weapon (or a dirty diaper) and dangerous (he may kill you with his sweet smile) Please contact the pumpkin patch authorities if you see this escapee.

Here is the latest picture we have of him:

So, last year when I found out I was pregnant my sister got this halloween outfit for the baby. I pulled it out and tried it on Noah today...it reminds me of a prision outfit...but in orange! :) Too cute!

In shape or out?!

OUT! I am definitely OUT of shape. Wait, no, I have a shape...it's round. :) I joined our local LA Fitness...great...a good way to get a good workout to help with the baby weight (fondly referred to as my "Noah Love") So, I decided to try out a couple of classes. Last Thursday I went to "Step plus Abs". I've never been to a step class in my life...but there's a first time for everyone, right? On with the story. I get to the class and decided to let the instructor know that it's my first time and see if there is anything I should know ahead of time. Her response to me is, "are you familiar with advance step?" My response back, "huh?" Just kidding I just told her that I had never been to a step class...I'm sure she was laughing inside but she just told me to pay attention to the step "jargon", oh and that they were going to be doing "double step". To make a long, painful (literally) story short...I think they will do step classes in Hell. :) Maybe I just need to learn the terminology. So, tonight I decided to try the "Body works plus Abs" and decided no, no step in hell, just body works taught by my instructor. I hate the feeling that you're not going to be able to walk for the next 5 days...although I do feel like I got a great workout.
When I got home, Hylke had picked up and put away all the dishes from dinner. What a nice and WELCOMED treat!! I really didn't feel like doing much at all...and still don't. :) Thanks to my wonderful hubby.
Noah had his 4 mth. check-up today. The doctor said he looks great! (I already knew that....:)) He weighs 14 lbs. 13 oz and is 26 inches long. I hope he doesn't feel as bad tomorrow as he did the last time he got shots. We'll be home all day, so hopefully he can rest up!!
Vacation time. On Wednesday the three of us are leaving for a much anticipated and for Hylke a much needed and deserved getaway. We are spending 4 nights at the Westin Kierland Resort in Scottsdale, AZ. (check it out...it's awesome... www.kierlandresort.com) We will be staying in the Villas. It will be so nice to have a kitchen and separate bedroom...we are soooo looking forward to some time away, just relaxing. Next week we'll get to spend a couple of days with my parents and sister (and her family) for my birthday. I'm really looking forward to that too!!
Well, I guess I should get a couple things done before I head off to dream land.

Goodnight.
Jodie

Riley's Farm

So, today after church we went up to Riley's Farm in Oak Glen. It was such a beautiful, clear day. I love this time of the year, the weather begins to cool down, it gets dark earlier, I start burning my "harvesty" candles and I begin to get into the holiday spirit. I love that God created seasons. Even though we only get a version of what was intended here in California, I'm always looking forward to the beginning of a new season at just the right time. Today was a way for me to welcome in the fall.

When we got up to Riley's we stood in line for some Tri-Tip sandwiches (oh and apple crisp too, don't tell my scale) while listening to a bluegrass band. They actually got Hylke to play the "bass" for them. I didn't think he would, but the guy kept saying, "Come on, come play with us." I was like, "come on babe, go play" :) So, in order to make us all happy, he "played" their "bass" Enjoy the picture! :)

Noah LOVES being outside, so naturally he loved our little trip. We took some pics with him by the pumpkins; he can't sit up by himself, so we had to "prop" him up...he was a little wobbly, but they turned out cute. I took the opportunity to take some mommy and me pics with him too. Such beautiful scenery.

Well, I still need to go to the store, start laundry and begin packing for our trip. Tomorrow is Noah's 4 month checkup...I can't wait to see how much he has grown. 4 mth. checkup means his second round of vaccinations. :( Last time he had a fever all day the next day...I'm planning on laying low Tuesday and letting him rest all day. Hope you all have a great week!!

Jodie

SURGE '07

What a great night!! Everything went so well...and we had a ton of kids. I'm not sure on the exact number but it was about 200 (+). We counted 100 visitor tickets (each visitor got a ticket for an IPOD drawing). The decorations looked great and the "Hawaiian Luau" theme was awesome. I'm so excited that youth from our area were able to come out, have fun, and get a clear presentation of the Gospel. I know that Hylke put a lot of time and effort into this event; it was such a sweet payoff for him to get to pray with some new students last night.

Last night was coooold. Here's a picture of Noah all bundled up. My friend's mom made this for him and it came in so handy for our chilly night. He kept me so warm! :)

This morning after Noah woke up from his nap I brought him to where Hylke was playing some worship songs on his guitar, Noah loved listening to him. Hylke played the guitar so much for Noah while I was pregnant...this picture is so sweet.

Noah just start "laughing" more. He's had a giggle for awhile, but lately it's really developed into a laugh. Here's a video of him laughing with me today. Ignore my hair, it was up in a towel when we started and I just took the towel off, but hadn't brushed it since my shower...it's a bit of a rats nest. :) Enjoy watching our little boy laugh.

We're off to a birthday party today...then maybe some housecleaning and packing tonight! I'm so excited for our vacation next week. It will be some well deserved rest for my sweet husband, and a great time for the 3 of us to get away and enjoy time together in the sun. Tomorrow we are going up to Oak Glen for apple picking. I'm not sure if we'll pick or just eat. :) They have the best apple pie and cider. I'll be sure to post some pics.

Off for now.

Finally...

Yes, it has happened...I finally became a "blogger". Julie, I'm not sure if your "by the way..." was with me in mind yesterday, but I definitely have been a juliedel stalker...now, from your prompting, I got an account and decided to do the blog thing. This is a good way to keep friends and family updated on our lives. So, thanks for the inspiration. :)



So often I want to fill people in on things in the Hylkema Household, but finding time to sit and call everyone, or even e-mail, is hard. Hopefully this will be a way to keep you all updated on my life.



As I sit and write this, Noah is taking his long overdue nap. We had T-MOM's this morning (same thing as MOPS, just our version) Noah doesn't really get a good nap when he's at church...too many fun things to do and see. We stayed after to help Hylke with the setup for tonight's big outreach...I finally put him down around 2:15 and he's sound asleep. Maybe I'll take a pic and post it. Days like today seem so crazy. We were rushing to get everyone fed and ready to go by 8:30am (well, I get breakfast at church) but it was still a bit hectic. At about 1:30 I realized that I hadn't even changed Noah's diaper since he woke up at 7:45!!! He was a good sport, just very, VERY wet.



I should probably get everything together for tonight before Noah wakes up. SURGE (our JH outreach) starts at 6pm. I know that Hylke has worked so hard to put this together, please pray that it goes well and new students from the community come out and hear a clear presentation of the Gospel. Last year we had about 160 kids...I hope we have another great turnout. I'll post more about it this weekend.



Julie, if you're reading this, I'm already thinking up my list. I told Hylke he should make one too. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, just watch for my list. :) Maybe that should be #1...make a list of 101 things I want to accomplish in 1001 days.



Off for now.