Noah's Pirate Parrrrrty!

Noah requested a pirate party for his 5th birthday, and it was really fun for me to put together.  I consider it a genetic trait that I love to plan birthday parties: my mom was the queen of super creative themed parties, in the era long before the internet and Pinterest.  It's fun to feel like I am continuing her legacy as I plan birthday fun for my kiddos and their friends.

 

Noah woke up on the day of his party to a pirate shirt, hat, sword, and eye-patch.  He also had an amazing birthday cake waiting for him, made with love by his talented birthmom.  He had requested a pirate ship with a monster attacking it, and Katie sure delivered.  He was bouncing off the walls in excitement as he helped us prepare all the stations and decorations for the party that morning, and he bombarded his friends as soon as they started arriving with all the details of the fun that we had planned.

Here is Noah and his band of pirate mateys.  My personal favorite is the little wench with the mustache on the front row.

Just then, who should come walking into the party?  Why Captain Hook of course!

And as luck would have it, he was looking for some new members for his pirate crew!  But in order to make the cut, they would have to prove that they  could complete all sorts of pirate tasks. They proved that they could stay on a ship (hammock) in the midst of a wild storm; they completed an obstacle course which included walking the plank; they learned sword fighting skills from the master himself; and they defeated a "sea monster" with water balloons:

 

 

And finally they followed a real treasure map to a real buried treasure.  This was my favorite part of the party--we actually buried a wooden chest in the garden for them to dig up.  So funny.

Then it was time for cake, and I must say, not many boys are lucky enough to have Captain Hook lighting their birthday candles...

or a cake that bursts into flames during the singing.  Ha!  The sails were made out of cardstock...oops.  Well, it just added to the effect. ;)

Then he opened presents, and it was a chaotic free-for-all, and he literally got an arsenal of toy weapons from all of his friends.  Nerf guns, water guns, cross bows...little boy heaven!  And his little best friend, Alex, gave him Legos and Oreos, two of his favorites.  Score!

At the end of the day, Noah went to bed one tired (and happy!) little pirate.  It was such a fun day celebrating him.  

My Boy is Five

Despite my pleas that he stop growing up, Noah turned five on August 1st.  We had an argument with the sun on his birthday eve: I commanded the sun not to set (so he could never grow up) and he commanded it to hurry up and go down.

That darn sun listened to Noah.  As he said to me recently, "Mom, you can't stop life."  Aint that the truth!

And speaking of the sun, at five years old, Noah is still my little ball of fire--meaning he can be the light of our family's universe one moment and a meteor crashing down to destroy us all the next.  Ha!  This boy has spunk, that is for darn sure.

I love him.  I love everything about him.  I am overcome when I think about the miraculous way that he joined our family.  It will never get old.  The other night he climbed into our bed and snuggled up to me, and he was all groggy when he said, "Mom, I'm your boy.  I made you a mom."  My heart burst right there on the spot.

As has been our tradition these past few years, Katie joined us for Noah's big day.  We love having her with us on the day that we celebrate Noah's birth!  Yes, Noah made me a mom, and so did Katie.  I love these two with all my heart.

We could hardly believe that he is FIVE years old!

Snapchattin' with his favorite girl

Like his birthparents, Noah is so smart, so funny, so spunky.  Here are some of his classic quotes from the past few months:

When he grabbed a toy from a friend and they were having a scuffle over it, I heard him say, "Takers keepers, Alex!"  I'm not quite sure that's how the old adage goes.

When I thanked him and Ryan for making me cinnamon rolls on Mother's Day, he said, "It was our great pleasure, Mom!"

He was so cute on Mother's Day, taking extra good care of me and telling me sweet things like, "I don't just love you one day of the year, Mom--I love you every day!"  And then the next day he informed me that it was "Son's Day," which meant that he got to do whatever he wanted and eat candy all day.  

One day when I forgot to bring underwear for him to change into after swimming lessons, I told him to just slip his shorts on and we'd grab some undies when we got home.  Offended by such a suggestion, he responded, "Mother,  I can't go commando!  That wouldn't be proper!"

When we were walking on the trail by the canyon rim, he said, "Mom!  Don't walk so close to the edge!  It's treacherous over there, and you might fall into the abyss!"

His vocabulary is huge.  It is hysterical.  This morning he asked for breakfast, and I said I was working on making pancakes.  He said, "Well, in the meantime can I have an applesauce?"  In the meantime?? Are you five or fifteen, kid?  He's like a sponge and soaks in any word that he ever hears me say.  Yes, that means that he says words like "meantime" and "abyss," but it also means that he says words like "crap."  Oops.  We are working on that!

In our family, we often use the phrase, "I love you more than my luggage" which is a quote from one of our favorite movies, Steel Magnolias.  This phrase makes no sense, but Noah has latched on to it as well, and even came up with his own variation.  The other day he told me, "Mom, I'd rather lose my luggage than lose you!" Ha!

He continues to love to build, and he astonishes me with his creativity.  He's had the same train sets and cars for years, but he always comes up with new arrangements for them and imaginative ways to engineer roads, tracks, and tunnels. 

Maybe he will be an engineer...or maybe a dentist like his dad.  When I recently asked him if he'd gone potty before bed because "it's the most important part of the bedtime routine" (which it is! because otherwise he has nighttime potty accidents!), he responded firmly, "No, Mom, brushing my teeth is!" And then he added in a sing-songy voice, "Or else I might get cav-it-ies!" Spoken like a true dentist's son!

As funny and likeable as he is, he is feisty and can be very difficult to parent.  He goes through phases where every time I ask him to do something, he says in a defiant voice, "Or what?" He wants to know what the punishment will be if he doesn't obey.  It's exhausting!  He's definitely my strong-willed firstborn.

I could write quite a list of the challenges of parenting him, but the bottom line is, I adore him and he adores me.  He is a definite mama's boy.  When Ryan was recently out of town, I slept with Noah every night, and he would cuddle up and talk to me about his worries or deep thoughts.  He asked me about Heaven and my mom.  Sometimes he would be half awake and say heart-melting things like, "I love you all the way to Jesus, then Jupiter, then around the world, and back!"

He has a tender heart underneath all his sass.  I was impressed when he said in a bedtime prayer, "Heavenly Father, please bless everyone in this whole world--even the bad guys."

One thing that I love and admire about Noah is that he can play with anyone, of any age.  Little kids flock to him and follow him around because he's so fun and wild, and he also has no problem playing with kids as old as 10.  Like, they actually enjoy playing with Noah because he's so spunky!  I've seen him play Nerf guns with kids twice his age for hours, and they never get sick of him.  He is truly a people person.

He started kindergarten this week, and he is loving it.  I decided to send him to an alternative kindergarten at the local college because he just barely turned five and their curriculum is much more hands-on, outdoor, and play-oriented than traditional school.  So far he's come home covered in mud one day, paint the next.  He's told me about weighing things on scales and building houses out of blocks.  He is having a blast.  The teacher in me is wondering if he is going to learn to read, write, and sit still this year...but it's only been one week, so I don't want to get concerned yet.  At least I know he is learning to love school!

Here he is, with bedhead and groggy eyes, so excited for his first day!

Can you believe kindergarten starts at 8:00 a.m.??  I mean, the sun is barely rising here!  But I'm happy to report that somehow we made it on-time every day last week.  I'm giving myself a fist bump.

People keep asking me if I am sad about him going to kindergarten.  Truthfully, not even a little bit.  It's only three hours a day, four days a week--so it's basically glorified preschool.  He loves it, and I love it.  It's a win-win.

After kindergarten on his first day, I took him on a special lunch date to KFC (his request, obviously) and we conducted a five-year-old interview over macaroni and cheese.  I will never forget how cute he was, excitedly chatting after his first day of kindergarten.

I love when we get to have one-on-one time.  He liked talking about himself so much that he kept insisting I ask him more questions. ;)  So here is our lengthy but fun interview:

Who is your favorite person in the whole world? Everybody!

What is your favorite color? Orangish-reddish

What is your favorite show? Ninjago, that you never let me watch (said with a scowl)

What is your favorite outfit? My pirate shirt and some black soft shorts

What sport do you like best?  Mountain biking

What song do you love?  "Everything is Awesome!" but not "Doh Doh" because Sal has asked to listen to it too many times!

What's your favorite cereal?  Life

Who is your best friend? Callum and Alex

What do you want to be when you grow up?  I can't decide that one yet--maybe a policeman.

What is your favorite book? My Earth book.  I call that one the Bapa book because it's so big!  Too bad it's so long that I never get to read it all.

What are you really good at?  Playing with Legos

What is your best memory?  Going to Disneyland with Mom and Dad, when I got to be the boss for the day.

What would you buy if you had $1000?  289 fragile Polar Express trains


If you could have a wish, what would it be?  That we could go to Lego Land every single day!

Who is your biggest hero?  There are no heroes in this city!

I'm not talking about superheroes.  A hero is someone you love, admire, and want to be like when you grow up.  Oh, that's easy.  Callum!! (cue heart melting)

What do you like to do best with your friends?  Play with them, mostly.

What makes you feel sad?  When I go on a mission because then I won't get to see my family for a very long time.

What makes you feel happy?  When I can someday build a humongous train layout in the living room of our house--or maybe I should build it at Grandma's house!

What makes you feel scared?  When Dad showed me that stupid dog from the Sandlot movie.  And now I can't sleep and I'm cranky!

What makes you feel angry?  When I want something and no one gives it to me.

What makes you feel "in the middle"?  (Noah came up with this question)  When I have to leave home and it's my first day of school.  I'm excited, but I'm also not super sure about it.

What are your thoughts about your first day of kindergarten?  Ms. Bridges is really nice!  There are lots and lots of toys and blocks.  And in science, we got to weight peanuts!

Why do you love Mom?  Because she's so pretty all the time!

Why do you love Dad? Because he wrestles me a lot!

Why do you love Sister?  Because she's so cuuuutee!  Too bad she bites me all the time.

If you could describe yourself in one word, what would it be?  Fun!

I agree, Noah--you are super fun!!  I am beyond grateful to be your mama, and I am looking forward to another year of living and learning with you.

In the words of a very smart and spunky little boy I know, "I love you all the way to Jesus, then to Jupiter, then around the world, and back!"

Four--AND A HALF!

  

My boy is four and a half!  He loves having a half birthday cake every year, and after his very modest celebration (we light candles, sing, and eat cake--that's it), he feels very important and much older.  "Four and a half!" he tells everyone when they ask his age. Half birthdays are a fun and easy tradition, so I'm willing to make them happen.  (Plus, let's be honest, I like an excuse to eat cake.)

He has become quite a builder and spends his hour of quiet-time every day creating elaborate worlds out of Legos, train tracks, and Magformers.  I am often amazed by his creativity and ingenuity when he's building.  Here he is making a pirate face as he shows off his Lego ship, looking pleased with himself about his triple decker train track, and giving me a thumbs-up about the world of water that he created.

 

 

 

He loves shoveling the driveway when it snows, and I hope to encourage that habit.  He thinks it's fun to be outdoors as a family, and he often asks to shovel the neighbor's as well.  I have to work a lot harder to get him to help out with chores in the house, but he seems to enjoy the chores outdoors.

 

He loves skiing.  For the past three years, he has gone with his dad and mostly just cruised between Ryan's skis--going super fast and hopping over jumps in Daddy's capable hands.  Unfortunately now that he's old enough to ski on his own, he thinks that he should be going as fast as he goes with Dad.  It is frightening!  He is reckless and hasn't really learned how to stop on his own.  Just this past weekend, we finally got him to start turning on his own instead of just bombing straight down the hill.  He took a few nasty falls, including one that ended up with me crashing into a net fence as I tried to stop him.  Ha!

I realized the other day that Noah is a snuggler.  I don't know why this just dawned on me, because I think he's always been this way, but with his high-energy and spunk, maybe I haven't thought of it as one of his primary characteristics.  But he is always so willing to give me hugs, and he loves to climb into bed with me in the morning and cuddle for a few minutes.  He often asks me to lie with him at night, and when he is upset or angry, a hug and some snuggle time usually calms him down.  I absolutely love his cuddles, as is evidenced by his comment the other day when I was hugging him too tightly, "M-om, can we stop with the snuggles?"  "You don't want to snuggle me anymore?" I asked, pretending to be sad.  "Mom, I do want to snuggle you. I just want to take a two-week break!"

He is learning how to read--just really simple words, but it's exciting for both of us.  He's known all of his letter sounds for a while now, and I've thought that he could probably sound out easy words, but he would protest and say, "Oh, Mom, just read the story!" when I would point to a word and ask him to sound it out.  One day I realized that the way to get Noah to do what I want is to make him think that he's defying me.  We have an ongoing game where I tell him that he's "not allowed to grow up!" and he thinks it's hilarious.  So one night as we were reading our bedtime story, I told him, "You better not learn how to read!  You better not even try  to sound out this word--because you are never allowed to grow up!"  With that, he quickly sounded out the word, and I made a big scene and tickled him, saying, "Noooo!"  Now he wants to sound out words all the time.  Sneaky mommy.

He is as spunky as ever, making all of us laugh on a daily basis with his grown-up and hilarious comments. Here are a few from the last couple of months:

When I asked him to go get his coat, he shouted, "Aye aye, Mother!" (I could get used to this response.)

One evening Ryan fell asleep on his bed while Noah was playing on the floor nearby.  All of the sudden I heard Noah say, "Nice tooter, Dad!  I haven't heard you toot for a long time!"  Ha!  Someone must've been gassy in his sleep.

When he was showing off his toy alligator to a friend he said, "I got this from Katie.  She's my birthmom and my birthday cake maker.  She always makes my birthday cakes!  And guess what? Now she is married to a man named Drew!"

When we play with Legos together, he always gives me the pinks and purples, and he takes the blacks, greens, and browns for himself.  He says, "These are more boyly, Mama.  I only play with toys that are boyful."

Out of the blue one afternoon he said, "Mom, doesn't Annie want to make anyone happy?"  Confused, I said, "Who is Annie?" His reply? "The lady who makes that gross macaroni and cheese!" Hahaha!  Apparently he's not a fan of the famous organic brand!

Noah does not like to be scolded or forced to do things.  After he's been in a time-out, I take the advice from the parenting books and say, "What did you do wrong, and what are you going to do differently next time?" He refuses to answer these condescending (and, frankly, annoying) questions.  He says, "Mom, I do know what I did wrong, but I really don't want to talk about it!"  Touche, Noah!

I overheard him playing alone during his quiet time, and he was saying, in the most dramatic voice imaginable, with long pauses between each phrase, "And then the Titanic was never ever seen again. Because it sunk...to the depths...of the ocean."

When we were snuggling in bed one night, going over the events of the day, he said, "I really liked those brownies that we had after dinner."  I agreed enthusiastically, "Me too!" And then he got quiet and turned to me with a sneaky look in his eye, "Mom, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Ha! I think he wanted me to become his accomplice in sneaking brownies off the top of the refrigerator.

Noah says his "th" sound like an "f" sound.  It's subtle and adorable and I love it.  So what he really said that night when he wanted to sneak some brownies was, "Mom, are you finking what I'm finking?" ;)

One day he came bounding out of preschool wearing a ridiculous mustache sticker.  I burst out laughing and said, "Hey, nice mustache!" He smiled slyly and said, "Thanks! I grew it for M-day."  He truly thought he had me fooled.

He absolutely loves preschool, and his teachers are the best--planning fun events like Pajamas and Pancakes Day (pictured above).  The other morning he told me, "Mrs. Stevens is pretty good at everything. She somehow knows when it's just the right time to clean up, and do book time, and go outside to play.  She really does know everything!"

I'm glad he has his beloved Mrs. Stevens in his life, teaching him all sorts of life lessons.  The other day I was encouraging him to get his shoes on so we could run errands.  He was distracted by a toy and ignored me the first three times I asked.  I finally went over and took the toy out of his hand, and he got very angry.  "MOM!  Mrs. Stevens told us that we are never supposed to take something out of someone's hand when they are playing with it!" I explained that I had asked him nicely several times and he had ignored me, but he was unconvinced. He said, in all seriousness, "Mom. You really need to go back to preschool." ;)

Finally, Noah is quite the comedian at church and makes everyone around us laugh. We recently had a broadcast as our Sunday service so several different congregations could listen to the leadership at once.  When we got into the pew and Noah looked up and saw the screen with the projector, he gleefully announced, "Oooooh, TV time!"

When my dad was visiting us this past week and we were at church, Noah said to him after the passing of the Sacrament bread, "I wish I could have two pieces of that bread, Bapa. It was sooooo tasty!" And later in the service, he suddenly said quite loudly, "I'm just meditating, Bapa.  It's good to meditate when you're at church."  The people in the pew behind us couldn't stop chuckling.

Noah makes me happy.  He fills my life with laughter, snuggles, and love.  Although I tease him that I don't want him to grow up--and I do often feel nostalgic about the years and phases that have passed--I also love getting to know him better and better and seeing his personality and talents emerge as he gets older.  I love that motherhood allows me to be a part of every phase of my children's journeys. It is a blessing and a privilege for sure!

The Noah Who Stole Christmas

 

Written by Dr. Suess

Adapted by the Nielson family 

Photographed (with some difficulty, threatening, bribery, and crazy-mom moments) on Halloween 2015 and December 2015

Gifted to the grandparents and birthparents as a fun holiday surprise!

***

Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot.

But the Grinch who lived just North of Who-ville did NOT!

 

The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!

Now, please don't ask why. No one quite knows the reason.
It could be his head wasn't screwed on just right.
It could be, perhaps, that his shoes were too tight.
But I think that the most likely reason of all
May have been that his heart was two sizes too small.

But whatever the reason, his heart or his shoes,

He stood there on Christmas Eve, hating the Whos,

Staring down from his cave with a sour, Grinchy frown

At the warm lighted windows below in their town.
For he knew every Who down in Who-ville beneath
Was busy now, hanging a mistletoe wreath.



 

"And they're hanging their stockings," he snarled with a sneer.

"Tomorrow is Christmas! It's practically here!"

Then he growled, with his Grinch fingers nervously drumming,

"I MUST find some way to stop Christmas from coming!

For tomorrow he knew, all the Who girls and boys
Would wake bright and early, and they'd rush for their toys!
And then! Oh the noise! Oh, the Noise! Noise! Noise! Noise!
That's one thing he hated! The NOISE! NOISE! NOISE! NOISE!





Then  the Whos, young and old, would sit down to a feast.
And they'd feast! And they'd feast!
And they'd FEAST! FEAST! FEAST! FEAST!
They would feast on Who-pudding, and rare Who-roast-beast
Which was something the Grinch couldn't stand in the least!







And THEN they'd do something he liked least of all!
Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Would stand close together, with Christmas bells ringing.
They'd stand hand-in-hand. And the Whos would start singing!

And the more the Grinch thought of this Who-Christmas-Sing,
The more the Grinch thought, "I must stop this whole thing!
Why for fifty-three years I've put up with it now!
I MUST stop this Christmas from coming!
But HOW?"





Then he got an idea!
An awful idea!
The Grinch got a wonderful, awful idea!

"I know just what to do!" The Grinch laughed in his throat.
And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat.
And he chuckled, and clucked, "What a great Grinchy trick!
With this coat and this hat, I look just like Saint Nick!"

"All I need is a reindeer..." the Grinch looked around.
But, since reindeer are scarce, there was none to be found...
So he called his dog, Max. Then he took some white thread
And he tied a big horn to the top of his head.

Then he loaded some bags and some old empty sacks
On a ramshackle sleigh, and he hitched up old Max
Then the Grinch said, "Giddap!" and the sleigh started down
Toward the homes where the Whos, lay a-snooze in their town.

 

All their windows were dark. Quiet snow filled the air.
All the Whos were all dreaming sweet dreams without care
When he came to the first little house on the square.
"This is stop number one," the old Grinchy Claus hissed
And he climbed to the roof, empty bags in his fist.


Then he slid down the chimney, a rather tight pinch.
But, if Santa could do it, then so could the Grinch.
He got stuck only once for a moment or two.
Then he stuck his head out of the fireplace flue
Where the little Who stockings all hung in a row.
"These stockings," he grinned, "are the first things to go!"





 Then he slithered and slunk, with a smile most unpleasant,
Around the whole room, and he took every present!...
Then he slunk to the icebox.  He took the Whos' feast!
He took the Who-pudding!  He took the roast beast!
He cleaned out that icebox as quick as a flash.
Why, that Grinch even took their last can of Who-hash!

Then he stuffed all the food up the chimney with glee.
"And NOW!" grinned the Grinch, "I will stuff up the tree!"



 And the Grinch grabbed the tree, and he started to shove
When he heard a small sound like the coo of a dove.
He turned around fast, and he saw a small Who!
Little Sally-Lou Who, who was not more than two.


  The Grinch had been caught by this tiny Who daughter
Who'd got out of bed for a cup of cold water.
She stared at the Grinch and said, "Santy Claus, why,
Why are you taking our Christmas tree?  WHY?"



 But, you know, that old Grinch was so smart and so slick
He thought up a lie, and he thought it up quick!
"Why, my sweet little tot," the fake Santy Claus lied,
"There's a light on this tree that won't light on one side.
So I'm taking it home to my workshop, my dear.
I'll fix it up there. Then I'll bring it back here."



And his fib fooled the child.  Then he patted her head
And he got her a drink and he sent her to bed.
And when Sally-Lou Who went to bed with her cup,
He went to the chimney and stuffed the tree up!...

 It was quarter past dawn, all the Whos still a-bed
All the Whos still a-snooze, when he packed up his sled,
Packed it up with the Whos presents! The ribbons! The wrappings!
The tags! And the tinsel! The trimmings! The trappings!

Three thousand feet up! Up the side of Mt. Crumpit,
He rode with his load to the tiptop to dump it!
"Pooh-Pooh to the Whos!" he was grinch-ish-ly humming,
"They're finding out now that no Christmas is coming!
They're just waking up! I know just what they'll do!
Their mouths will hang open a minute or two
Then the Whos down in Who-ville will all cry BOO-HOO!"





"That's a noise," grinned the Grinch, "That I simply MUST hear!"
So he paused. And the Grinch put his hand to his ear.
And he did hear a sound rising over the snow.
It started in low.  Then it started to grow...

But the sound wasn't sad! Why, this sound sounded merry!
It couldn't be so! But it WAS merry!  VERY!
 He stared down at Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes!
The he shook!  What he saw was a shocking surprise!






Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small,
Was singing! Without any presents at all!
He HADN'T stopped Christmas from coming!  IT CAME!
Somehow or other, it came just the same!

And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow,
Stood puzzling and puzzling: "How could it be so?
It came without ribbons! It came without tags!
It came without packages, boxes, or bags!"
And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore.
The the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before!
"Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more!"



And what happened then...? Well in Who-ville they say
That the Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day!
And the minute his heart didn't feel quite so tight,
He whizzed with his load through the bright morning light
And he brought back the toys! And the food for the feast!
And he...

...HE HIMSELF...!
The Grinch carved the roast beast!



The end.

***

 Many thanks to my patient children for cooperating with my hare-brained schemes and creative whims!  Cutest Sally Lou-Who and Grinch in history!