Freezing Football!

Every year we go to a Razorback game with our friends Sarah and Shawn. Last year Nathan went with Shawn but I had to sit it out - I was nursing Noah and couldn't quite manage being away from him or a pump for that long. So, I was SO excited to get to go with them again this year!

It was very windy already!

We got up there early so we went to the mall to do a little shopping. We are having family pictures taken next week so I needed to find a shirt to wear. I am bad at stepping outside of my boring fashion box so I was glad Sarah was there to help convince me a little that some of the things I liked I may just be able to pull off after all! I love seeing certain styles on other people but I just feel ridiculous when I put them on - for example: leather boots with skinny jeans or a shirt with a belt over it. I have convinced myself I am just not that cool! :) I did end up finding some cute things that I hope turns out good on camera.

Wow Shawn, is that a Coach purse?!

Nathan making sure that this is a kodak moment!

Shawn and Sarah all bundled up and ready to go!

We then went to Grub's Downtown to eat and then Sarah and I walked over to Target next door to do a little more shopping, then we headed to the game. It took us a little bit to get to the parking lot we had a pass for - those dang one way roads and closed roads had us all backwards to how we needed to go. We headed to make the long walk up the hill. Shawn and Sarah went ahead while we stopped to talk to some friends. Then, Nathan and I hit the free stuff jackpot! There was a little area by the basketball arena that had free sausage jambalaya with fries, free Coke, free Razorback Duck Tape, free stuffed Duck Tape Duck, and free coozies! Then Nathan played a bean bag toss game and won a free cloth to clean his car with! It was awesome! We have a little friendly competition with our friends Shawn and Sarah to see who knows more people when we go places - the Stillwells won this one for sure! I think we ended up seeing around 10 people we knew at the restaurant and the game.

Nathan playing bean bag toss

Nathan's prize for winning at bean bag toss!

All the freebies we got!

We made it up to our seats just in time to get a hot chocolate before the game started. Sarah and I didn't stand up much - once we got warm we didn't want to release our body heat so I watched alot of the game on the big screen. The Razorbacks ended up with the win, but it was too close for my comfort at one point. The walk back to the car helped warm us all back up! I am glad we got to go with good friends - sorry Sarah for picking such a cold game :) Next year we can go to one of the first games - promise!

Nathan trying to find some of our friends.

My view of alot of the game - at least I was warm!

Best hot chocolate ever!

Sunset at the game - so pretty!

Shawn and I trying to stay warm!

Sarah and her corn dog :)

Me walking back to the car and possibly ready to rob a bank :)

Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

When I was pregnant with Noah we chose not to find out the gender of the baby but we wanted to know if any hair was showing on the ultrasound because we wanted to get some bows in case it was a girl if it looked like she would have hair. The ultrasound tech told us he/she had no hair at our last ultrasound 2 months before I had him. When Noah was born, he had a head full of dark hair! So, either he sprouted some up at the end of my pregnancy or it was hard to see on the ultrasound, but either way, it was there. I LOVE his hair. It is so hard to imagine him without hair. Noah has been getting his hair cut every month since he was 5 months old. I let it go as long as I could and Nathan was not ready still to get it cut. He had it long in the back and it was in his eyes and over his ears. My mom had given all of us kids and grandkids our first haircuts so I knew she would want to cut Noah's too. Cutting an infants hair is hard to do! I ended up having to nurse Noah through half of his first haircut - that would have been awkward at the salon!

Noah's 1st haircut at about 5 1/2 months

Watching Mickey Mouse on my phone to try to stay awake for it :)

Another later haircut - about 8 months old.

His beautiful hair is a blessing and a curse! Every month it has gotten more and more difficult to cut his hair. He is growing more and more independent and curious as to what is going on and my mom and I were both scared he was going to get hurt with the sharp scissors out and him moving around so much. So, Nathan and I started throwing around the idea of shaving his head. Not shaving it bald, but using a long guard. We had several opinions given on the topic. They ranged from "do it" to "oh no, his hair will look terrible that way". Well, we decided to just do it and see what happened. It is just hair after all and it will grow back!

Noah stood on the bathroom counter and let Nathan cut it. I gave him some of his bathtub crayons and let him color on the mirror with him to distract him. Towards the end Noah wanted me to hold him, so we finished with me holding him, but it seemed to go so much smoother than cutting it with scissors. I think it turned out very cute and he looks so much older now! Until Noah is old enough to sit still and understand what is going on, we will probably stick with the razor!

After the haircut and bath - so cute!

Such a big boy!

Noah likes his new big boy hair!

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is another holiday that is way better after you have kids. I feel more like I "belong" when I celebrate now - after all, it is all for Noah :) Noah had his Halloween party at daycare today. We sent a trick-or-treat bag with some candy and stickers in it for all the girls and a cute little rattle for the baby boy. Noah picked a bag out for each of the girls and helped me fill them - he loves doing stuff like that. He wore his glow-in-the-dark skeleton pajamas (with a pumpkin heart) for the party - they are SO cute! He got lots of candy and a new coloring book at the party. He also brought home some pictures he has been coloring for Halloween - I love it! This is the first art work he has colored and brought home - I am sure there will be many more (especially now that he has stopped eating the crayons)!

Halloween night we planned on going to Safe Treat at our local community center. It is the first time they were having it so we thought it would be fun, and Noah is not all about the candy yet, so he was fine with whatever. About 30 minutes before we were about to leave, Nathan got a phone call to go work. He said he could run over to the Safe Treat with us for a minute so he could see Noah but he couldn't stay long. So, we rushed around and got over there to find a line to get in the building about 2 blocks long! I know Noah, that is a no go for him. A friend told us that they were up to the fire capacity right now so they were only letting people in as others left. So, I dropped Nathan off to head to work and I drove around trying to figure out what to do. I didn't want to do nothing, it was Halloween and Noah was the cutest puppy ever! I drove back by the building about 20 minutes later and the line had went way down, so I decided to just drive around a little longer and try again. Noah was watching Mickey Mouse and could have cared less what we were doing. So, on my 3rd trip back, the line was short enough to attempt it. There were several booths set up giving out candy and lots of games. We stayed about 30 minutes and then went to get Nathan dinner and bring it to him at work. We were done and headed home about 7:30 - I felt bad at first for stopping so early but then I realized I will not get off this easy on Halloween for a long time, so I better just enjoy it!

Puppy Noah!

My 2 puppies: Noah and Dozer!

Noah and Daddy on Halloween

Puppy Noah watching Mickey in the car waiting on the line to go down :)

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!