Noah the Movie Buff!

We took Noah to his first movie theatre movie Friday night to see Puss & Boots. It was my mom's idea and honestly Nathan and I were neither one to high on the idea, we just didn't feel he was ready. Don't get me wrong, the kid loves TV - and can sit and watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse for hours - literally. I just didn't know how he would do in a dark theatre having to sit in my lap or in a seat for an hour and a half. Well, he surprised me and Nathan and made it through an hour of the hour and a half movie! He was melting down because he was wanting to run up and down the aisle - that was full of people - and I wouldn't let him so he would throw himself down in the floor, where my coke was that he spilled. So, we made a graceful screaming exit. It was a good first try. We will try again when it is not opening night for the movie so it is not so packed so he can have some more space, and if he does meltdown he won't be ruining it for a bunch of people who paid to see it, just a few!  :) I can't wait to see the whole movie when it comes out on DVD because it was very cute and funny!

Noah's 1st Movie!

Noah happy as can be on the way home from the movies - watching Mickey of course :)

Sunday Nathan and I decided to go to the movies by ourselves. We saw the Footloose remake - I loved it! I love the original and it seemed to not stray to far from the original, which I also loved, so it worked for me. It had just a few modern day twists on some scenes. Nathan and I both said it made us wish we could dance - I am the worlds worst dancer, seriously. I am way to self-conscious to even attempt it honestly. (Maybe I am like Willard in the movie and I just need some training - ha!) Nathan on the other hand can dance pretty decent - not Footloose good - but good! Julian Hough is an amazing dancer though and she looks just like a young Jennifer Aniston in Footloose, the resemblance was crazy! I LOVE music movies,  not musicals necessarily, but movies based on music or dancing - like Great Balls of Fire, Ray, La Bamba, Walk the Line, and of course Dirty Dancing. The fact that the music lyrics and the way kids danced was such a big deal at the time fascinates me, especially compared to the problems in today's world.

The "Living" Room

My living room has went through quite the transformation over the past year and a half. Coincidentally, that is how old Noah is. I guess you could call it the "Toddler Renovation". Slowly but surely I find myself bringing more of Noah's stuff in the living room and taking more of our stuff out. We are a t.v. family so it is easier to do watch what we want when Noah is in the living room with us playing with his toys. So, our living room has become half play room, half living room. Our house was built by a bachelor and has no dining area - just a huge living room, so we really don't have anywhere else to put everything unless it is all in Noah's room. Not only will it not all fit in his room, but his room is upstairs and he is no where near steady enough for me to leave him around a staircase - but he is getting good at going up and down them with Momma or Daddy's help. I have been doing good at getting used to messes when having a child around - thankfully Noah loves to play "pick-up pick-up" as much as Momma does. I still cannot go to bed without all the toys being put back where they go, and I may never be able to. "There is a place for everything, and everything has a place" :)

Here are some pictures of our living room when we first moved in (Pre-Noah):

And here it is today:

Noah's recliner and play corner have been added

The baby gates are up and coffee table is gone

This doesn't look alot different until you look behind the loveseat...

More toys!

Where my pretty glass vases and candle holders used to sit :)

This is Noah's play corner - it is a lifesaver!

Well, it is alot more colorful! HA! The living room is called the living room because that is where people spend most of their time at home, living, in the living room (or at least that is why I always thought it was called that). So, our "living" is spending time with Noah and watching him play with all the many toys he is blessed to have - then there is no more perfect place than our living room.

High School Sweethearts

October 25, 1998 at 10:26 p.m. Nathan asked me to be his girlfriend - yes we know the exact day and time. Nathan actually carved it in his bed he had when he lived it at home. Someone out there has a bed with "Nathan & Jessie 10/25/98 at 10:26" carved in it. October 26, 1998 is the 13 year anniversary of our first "I Love Yous" - yes, we waited a whole day. To those who said we said it too early, 13 years later I can safely say that when you know, you know.

Let's reminisce for a minute - I was in AP English and was having a hard time with it so I transferred to regular English and there was only one seat available and it happened to be next to a handsome blond haired blue eyed boy. He looked at me and said "come sit here". That is where it all started. About a week later I was out in my yard with my friend Cassie and we caught Nathan driving by my house (the crazy stalker! HA!). He stopped and asked if we wanted to go South Park with him and his friend Jaime. I had to beg my mom to let us go. It was after curfew and Nathan was in the driveway with his loud truck. She didn't know him at all. Now, looking back, I do not know why she let me go! But, I am very thankful that she did. Nathan asked me to go to Church with him that Sunday and later that night he asked me to be his girlfriend. It all seems SO long ago, but the memories are very clear.

We have been through alot together - graduations, starting a business, buying a home, a wedding, infertility, a miracle son, and much more! We have changed so much and so little together all at the same time. I can tell we have a different kind of relationship that not many people have been blessed to find. I am so thankful God let me find Nathan so early in life.

Nathan and I in High School

One of our Senior Pictures we had together

Engaged after only 8 years!



We had a short 5 month engagement and then...



Our BEAUTIFUL Wedding Day!

The Stillwell Family

The NEW Stillwell family!

This is not our wedding anniversary, so to some it may not really count - but without this special day 13 years ago everything else would never have happened.

I cannot wait to see what the next 13 plus years hold!

What a Weekend!

I sucked all the fun I could out of this weekend! Poor Nathan had to work alot, so I was a single mom most of the time, but we made it work! Saturday morning Noah and I played at the house waiting for the Razorback game to come on. Nathan took a lunch break for the Razorback game and my dad came over and watched the game with us. I went to put Noah down for his nap and came back downstairs and we were losing 17 - 0! I told Nathan and my dad that if I wasn't wearing a Razorback shirt and watching the game then they will lose (superstitious much?) - and sure enough, I sat down and watched the rest of the game dressed in my cute Razorback shirt and we won! (Sorry for the loss earlier in the season, I had a previous engagement and couldn't watch the game or wear my shirt :)

After the game my dad, Noah, and I headed to Ft. Smith to do a little Christmas shopping. My brother Eli, his wife Kesha, and their 3 kids Savannah, Eliza, and Greyson went with us. We went to Toys R Us, Target, and Chuck E. Cheese! I ended up with all the kids except Greyson in my car somehow - but thanks to Mickey Mouse, it was a quiet enjoyable ride. Noah was overwhelmed by Toys R Us - there was SO much stuff he wanted to see and play with - he ran around like crazy! I was exhausted after that and it was just our first stop!

This quiet ride brought to you by Mickey Mouse :)

We went over to Target to get Noah a few more pair of jeans. He is slimming up a little so I think he will be in the 18-24 month pants awhile longer, so we needed a few more pair. I love Target! They always have such cute things - not just clothes, all sorts of things! While I was shopping there, I left Noah in the cart with Aunt Kesha to eat a snack, he was getting a little cranky (especially since I took him away from all the cool stuff at the toy store) so he needed a snack. After that, he was ready to go! It is a good thing, because Chuck E. Cheese was our next stop!

My dad got all the kids tokens and Noah and I played everything we could! At one point Noah was taking all the other kids shoes out of the shoe keeper, knocked all the tokens out of the cup scattering them across the floor, and ran up the slide with kids coming down all at the same time! It was crazy! Thankfully Uncle Eli came over to get Noah down while I gathered tokens and shoes up. All I could do was laugh, he wears me out! We finally spent all our tokens, ate some pizza, and got a prize with our tickets and hit the road! It was an exhausting but fun day!

He ate this whole piece of pizza - without me cutting it up or anything! This was a first!

He is ready to go home! :)

Every kid has to have one of these!

Sunday we had church - Noah did awesome again! I am going to attempt to leave him again next Sunday. I have high hopes that he is going to do good, we shall see! We then went to my mom's for lunch and I had a basketball meeting to go to with my dad for the teams we coach in Pottsville. Nathan was supposed to put Noah down for a nap while I was gone - well Noah had other plans for Daddy. So, I got home 2 hours later and Noah was still awake. I got him to sleep within 15 minutes after I go there - that is the best Momma feeling - you have never lived until you feel the sense of accomplishment from getting a child to nap! We had a lazy day after that - watching the World Series (Go Rangers!) and working on bids for Nathan's work. I really feel like I used all the good this weekend had to offer!

Pow, Pow, Power Wheels!

I am not ready for this - Noah has a Power Wheels Jeep! He has loved to play with his cousin Eliza's pink mustang (really just the radio) for awhile now so once Papa Bobby saw him having fun, he just had to buy him one! So, my dad got him one for Christmas. Dad is an early planner so he wanted to go shopping this weekend and get one. We went to the toys store and looked at alot of them, but I only liked a few of them and the seat moved up far enough in even fewer of them. So, the winner was the Tough Talkin' Jeep. It has a radio (which is a must) and a CB with a speaker that actually works! It is really cute. They offered to put it together for us at the store for $25.00, but I thought it sounded like a good Daddy job! (Plus Nathan had to work and wasn't there, so I got to decide all by myself - I say save the $25.00!)

Daddy multi-tasking - watching the World Series and assembly

Almost Done!

Daddy teaching Noah to talk in the CB

Playing with the radio - his favorite part!

Nathan said he was going to get it out last night and put it together, and I was leary. I didn't want the parts out everywhere for days. I fed Noah dinner and gave him a bath and he had it done by the time he was out! He is awesome! He was also watching the World Series at the same time! I was impressed! Dad said to go ahead and give it to him, especially before it gets too cold. Noah loved it! He was in and out of it all night! The battery had to charge for 18 hours, so tonight I am going to put it in there and see if he can figure out how to drive it - this could be scary! :)

He had to have his buddies with him!

Just like his Daddy...

"Let's see what we got going on here"...

Thanks Papa!

Splish Splash Picasso

Noah is at the age that he does not want to get out of the bathtub! It takes me less than 5 minutes to wash him and then he stays in the tub about 30 minutes every night playing. He cries when I get him out 9 times out of 10 - the boy loves the water! I recently got him some tub crayons to color the tub walls with and he loves them. I love how he colors a little and then looks at me for approval - like "hey momma, how does this look?". Of course I always give him the over-excited response and he just eats it up! I usually just sit right by the tub and watch my miracle splash around - life is good :)

Picasso hard at work!

Hey Momma - clap for me!

So proud of himself!

Such a ham! :)

Until Indian Summer...

The weather man said that these last few days were the last good summer like days we will have for awhile. So, we decided to spend as much of it as possible outside! Noah loves it outside and I like it too, and have learned to like it more since Noah was born. So, until that Indian Summer rolls in, adios outdoors!

On another note, for anyone keeping up with how Noah is doing adjusting to the Church nursery, this Sunday was SO much better! He did cry when we went in, but I sat in the floor with him and within 5 minutes he was up and playing by himself and with the other kids! I did not hold him again until it was almost time to go. Then we wait on Nathan to come and get us because he will run to him screaming "DADA DADA" - it is so cute! I get that all week when I pick Noah up at daycare so I like to share it with Nathan when I can. I think we are making progress finally! I must admit, I went in this Sunday with a pessimistic attitude thinking Noah was never going to be able to do it. I had already decided that we would just have to take him somewhere while we go to Church on Sundays - but it sounds like our prayers are slowly but surely being answered. He is just at the age where he doesn't like being separated from those he is familiar with. Some people do not understand or remember this age and think Noah is just a "brat", "spoiled", or a "titty baby" but he will grow out of it, probably sooner than I want him too, and I will be sad.  I love that needed feeling he gives me. I really hope and pray he keeps up the progress!

My big boy playing in the Church nursery!

Lucky Number 13

This month Nathan and I have been together for 13 years! Wow - that is a long time! As part of our anniversary celebration we went to Tulsa to see my favorite singer ever - Gavin DeGraw. He is very underrated and not known by many - at least many that I hang out with. I actually like that Gavin isn't overly popular - it keeps him from getting over exposed. His shows always have a good turn out, he just is not real main stream. His music is sort-of rock piano, hard to explain but awesome to hear. We have a friend, Lacy, that lives in Tulsa and she is also a big Gavin fan so we met her and two of her friends, Lindsey and Alice, at the show. We had a great time! Gavin was also performing with David Cook and Carolina Liar. I really like Carolina Liar and had never heard of them before the show. I know of David Cook and his music is good, just not really my thing.

Cains Ballroom - Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tulsa is pretty big - especially compared to Clarksville! My anxiety rose as the number of lanes increased and the buildings got bigger. I am just not a big city person. I can visit, but I could never live there.

We finally, after our navigation took us the wrong way 3 times in a row, made it to Spaghetti Warehouse to eat dinner before the show. Then we had to rush over to get in line for the show because there were no seats, you just went in and got wherever was first available. Nathan was such a good husband for going with me. He didn't have to, he wanted to because he knew it would mean alot to me. He stood back a few rows and I told him he looked like our bodyguard with his arms crossed and his shaved head! :) I didn't bring my camera in because the guy at will-call said they were not allowed, and I am a perpetual rule follower, so I put mine back in the car. But, thankfully these ladies were rules breakers and sent me copies of pictures! Thanks Lacy and Lindsey for the pictures!

Me, Lacy, and Nathan - reunited after 14 years!

The next day we went to Dave and Busters for lunch - I love that place. I looked it up online before we left hoping they had one. It is like adult Chuck E. Cheese. We ended up winning 3,130 tickets in about 30 minutes! We should have went and bought a lottery ticket we were getting so lucky there we kept hitting bonuses! Every time we would win big Nathan would say "my boys getting something nice!" It was so funny! We got Noah a giant stuffed dog, basketball, Cars wallet, superman, and flashing ball with our winnings. We then headed home, we really missed Noah and wanted to see him as much as we cold before bedtime!

We ran across a cool old Daylight Donuts

Nathan hit a jackpot of 1,000 tickets!

The biggest claw machine I have ever seen!

McDonald's right in the middle of the interstate! - We had to stop for a sweet tea of course!

We had an awesome time and I cannot wait to keep celebrating 13 years of craziness together!