October's Party

October's Party
by George Cooper

October gave a party:
The leaves by hundreds came --
The Chestnuts, Oaks and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.

The Chestnuts came in yellow,
The Oaks in crimson dressed;
The lovely Misses Maple
In scarlet looked their best;
All balanced to their partners,
And gaily fluttered by;
The sight was like a rainbow
New fallen from the sky.

Then, in the rustic hollow,
At hide-and-seek they played,
The party closed at sundown,
And everybody stayed.
Professor Wind played louder;
They flew along the ground;
And then the party ended
In jolly "hands around."

Halloween stories

I read the above poem to the children and they loved acting like leaves dancing around in the wind. Samuel wanted to be a tornado - Lucy wanted to dance. They then wanted to make their own poems and stories - here they are - dictated from the children's mouths.

Samuel wanted to write a Halloween story - here it is - and Lucy's version after Samuel dictated his to me.

The First Day of Halloween
by Samuel Noonan

There was a frankenstein. There was a zombie and a bat and a witch. There was a vampire. They all had a Halloween party with a big cake. They sat down at the big, big, large table and took a slice of cake. Then they went outside and raked and raked and raked the leaves. And then there came a ghost and he said, "Can I join in?". "Sure" cried the witch, "Sure", cried the bat. "Sure" cried frankenstein. "Sure", cried the zombie.

Then the ghost joined in. They played "Put the hat on the witch". Kind of like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey but you try to put the witch's hat on the witch. The End.

Frankenstein by Lucy Noonan

A witch was inside her house. And then the zombie came in and said "Can I play with you witch?" The witch was having a Halloween party. Then Frankenstein said "Can I join in?" And then a ghost showed up. And asked "can I join in?". The witch said "Yes!" When the bat showed up "Can I join in?" And the witch and the zombie and frankenstein and the ghost said "yes." And a vampire showed up. And then he said "Can I join in?" And the ghost and all of the people who were at the party said "Yes!" And then the ghost got in. Then a ladybug showed up. And then another vampire showed up and they played games and ate cake. The End.

Halloween 2010

This year for Halloween Samuel wanted to be a viking and Lucy wanted to be a ladybug. I saw a great idea in Family Fun magazine for a viking and tried to figure out how to make it work since there was only 1 sentence of instruction. I think his homemade outfit turned out great and he was super excited he got to wear his dwarf beard from his birthday party. He couldn't take a weapon to school but he was glad a shield was not a weapon. And Lucy the ladybug was as cute as a bug and super excited about being "a real ladybug!" and helping me get all those dots all over her.

The fierce viking and his beard
Cutie bug


Playing with the guys
My sweet kiddos.

Random facts about pregnant me

With each of my pregnancies there have been certain constants - nausea, weight gain, pickle consumption and joy. Here are a few random facts you might not know

1. When I'm NOT pregnant I love to drink coffee, smell coffee and enjoy it's afternoon pick-me up. But while pregnant - no way. I don't even like to smell it. Usually by the end of the pregnancy I'm enjoying the warm goodness again but not the first trimester. I guess my body knows what is best. I keep trying to convince myself that I should just try a cup and I'll probably like it again but I just can't bring myself to do it. Crazy huh? It just doesn't seem right for it to be October and no pumpkin spice latte has crossed my lips.

2. My sweet husband bought me a bag of dark chocolate over 6 weeks ago and not a single piece has been eaten - usually it would have been long gone by now - but I haven't even eaten a single piece. No not even one. What a shame! I'm just not into sweets - not even a pumpkin muffin. I'm sure that will change about Thanksgiving time.

3. I usually enjoy flavorful foods while pregnant - Heinz 57 sauce, garlicky pickles, spicy hummus, spicy Chinese hot sauce on plain rice, root beer and salt...maybe even straight out of the shaker.

4. We've always waited until the last minute to be surprised with our children. We didn't know boy or girl until they popped out. Not sure what to do about number three? I'm wavering - I've never wavered before - maybe I'll just find out sooner rather later.

5. Both of my children have virtues as middle names - Wisdom and Hope - and number three will too. Samuel was due on July 2nd and if he was born on July 4th his middle name would have been Freedom or Independence. My dear sweet husband wasn't into talking about names until late in the game but he was ok with us coming up with a template for our naming. First Name = name with meaning that we liked/embraced/and had significance for us. Middle Name = virtue.

6. S and L want to make the baby some presents - their first suggestions for gifts - toilet paper rolls, of course!

OK - enough tidbits - wanted to share my thoughts and remember these little facts.

Ballet

A sweet girl at church started teaching several girls ages 3-6 ballet two times a month. Lucy is so super excited about the whole thing. Today was ballet class again and she was excited she would see her friends, excited she would get to wear her tutu and excited she could wear her hair like her ballet teacher. At 2:00 she was so worried she would be late for her 4;00 class that she asked if she could just go and sit at Anna's house and "wait for everyone for 2 whole hours." Fortunately this is a low key class so that girls don't have to wear certain clothes or ballet shoes - though she did do the class barefoot rather than in her boots and they have such a wonderful time. I'm so excited to see her enjoying dancing - one of my loves - and I enjoyed seeing Samuel excited for Lucy. He sat at the window and waved to Lucy and got excited when he saw her doing something. I love their love for each other and I love watching my little sweetie girl dance.

Pickles

Dear Claussen Pickles -

I love you. You are great. I love your garlic-y goodness and your crispy crunch. Why do you taste so darn good? Please don't ever go away - or go out of business - or cost more than you allready do. You are truly amazing!

Sincerely -
Your pregnant admirer who just ate 4 pickles before bed and would have eaten more if there had been more.

Circus and Fair

In the last 2 months we've been to a local fair and a local circus. Grandpa Noonan joined Jeremy and the kids for fun at the fair and Mama took the kids to the circus. We had a great time and have enjoyed spending time together.

Cotton candy was a highlight at both places!

Crazy rides at the fair
The little ferris wheel
Lucy and the bunnies.
Riding the Ferris Wheel with Grandpa Noonan

Fun in the Fall

We have been loving hints of fall weather lately and even take our homework and coloring outside. One of the best finds of the last few months were these "Doodle Books" I found on the discount book rack at TJ Maxx. The kids have the "Girls' Doodle Book" and the "Boys' Doodle Book". The book has parts of a picture and a suggestion for what to draw. My children are a little young to fully appreciate and use the book but they have LOVED them. We even got one for cousin Thomas.

Another thing we have been crazy about has been silly bands. Those bracelets on Lucy's arm are silly bands and she loves them. She doesn't interact with anyone else daily - except brother - that will trade with her so she gave me some silly bands so that I can trade with her. Both of them LOVE their silly bands. I guess it's better than the garbage pail kid cards I was into for a summer in 4th grade.

Samuel making shields with scary pictures on them.
Lucy drawing bunnies in their burrows

An alien invasion

Coming Soon....April 2011

Coming soon to the Noonan house...a new addition to the family! Samuel and Lucy are eagerly awaiting the arrival of their new sibling sometime in April 2010 (Lucy would like a little sister who will slobber all over 'Brudder' and Samuel wants a brother to slobber all over sister). Mama is about 12 weeks along and waiting for the lack of nausea that comes with the second trimester. Please pray for all five of us as we wait and anticipate the arrival of a healthy, happy baby in 2011. We will start taking bets on hair color sometime soon!

The above was the note I left Jeremy to let him know we were pregnant. We heard a sermon that morning from the Old Testament that had lots of those names that no one uses anymore - the Pastor joked about naming the next kids born in the church one of them. Zoar was one of the ones I remembered...not bad.

Expected and Unexpected Celebrations!

For the last three years I have been in school working toward my Bachelor of Science in Nursing and preparing to take the NCLEX - RN professional licensing exam. Only a few more weeks and I will be finished with this journey and I couldn't be more excited - except if that last paper was allready written. Over the course of my nursing school career I've spent time in the operating room, ICU, hospital floors, community agencies and various specialty areas. I had the chance to precept (work one on one with a nurse) in the Emergency Department this Fall and LOVED it! I have greatly anticipated this expected celebration and can't wait. I feel though that I certainly haven't accomplished this alone - there are so many of you who have encouraged me, watched my children, taken up the slack and put up with a scatter brained friend. I just want to tell you THANKS! Thanks for everything!

I ordered my cap and gown a few weeks ago and was faced with an unexpected choice...an accommodation for an unexpected celebration...I had to ask for my gown to be a little extra full to fit my pregnant belly. Yep, folks, we're having another baby! Our little one should arrive around the end of April. What an exciting next few months we will have and what a great reason to celebrate!

Summer Reading

I wrote this at the end of the summer and never posted it. Thought I would hit post so I can remember what I read. I just can't wait until I can get back to reading after nursing school is over in less than 9 weeks....

Summer reading list

1. Wuthering Heights - much more dark and depressing than I thought it would be - but great to read some good British Lit.

2. Gilead - really an amazing book. The book rambles on and is hard to get into for the first 100 pages but is so worth the perserverence. It is written from the perspective of a 80-something year old man in Iowa. I needed that perspective - the wisdom, the longevity, the slow pace in the midst of my whirlwind.

3. Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and Girl who Kicked the Hornet's Nest- one of the best sellers and the first in the trilogy of stories by a Swedish author. The story was captivating and the underlying theme of the treatment of women in the society was interesting. Certainly won't be a book for everyone but I enjoyed it.

4. Pillars of the Earth - epic story of a stone mason's family in the early 1100's and the relationships and entanglements of that family with the local monastery and Earl of the region. I was surprised I enjoyed reading about how cathedrals were built...and the family story was good.

5. The Help - good summer read. The book is set in Mississippi in the 60's and written from the perspective of the Help. Good read - especially in the sticky heat of summer when I could almost hear the screen doors slamming on the wooden porch and taste the chalky dust from the roads in my mouth while I read beneath the cool of my ceiling fan.

6. Harry Potter Books 1-7 - I haven't really had the chance to read these until now but I can totally see why they are so popular and why everyone has told me to read them. Rowling really created an amazing world with stories that draw you into the magical world of wizards. And I also see why there is some caution in letting your kids read them. But I'm so glad I had the chance to read them--- of course from my perspective I don't identify with the kids in the story as much as I do Mrs. Weasley, the mom of the large red-headed family who knits sweaters for everyone at Christmas!

7. Love and Respect - it had a good point and good reminder of the truth of the Bible of Ephesians 3:22. The book read something like a info-mercial for the book (numerous letters from those who read it and wrote to the author) and I skimmed some parts because of the repitition but worth the read though not a literary masterpiece.