so Much to Say

Noah's sayings

2012-01-27T12:16:00.002-05:00

Kids definitely say the funniest things. We've been keeping track of some of Noah's funny sayings or statements. Here are a few "Noah(isms)" :)

“I like my agenda.” [For the record, Noah LOVES to set your agenda for the day and makes lists of things he wants to happen....in chronological order nonetheless. Can we say "Eric Haag: Part 2" ???]

“God didn’t make girls.” [Me: "Who did?"] “Not me!”

"Brenton, Ernie heered you. He's going to fly back to the North Pole and tell Santa you're not being a good listener." [Ernie is our Elf on the Shelf]

"I'm going to tell Santa I've been a good listener and won't pull his beard."

[When asked to do something] "I don't knooooooow, but we will seeeeeeeee..."

Eric: "Noah, I'm going to put Brenton to bed, so you can stay in here on the bed and watch TV until I get back....but stay on the bed.....Deal?"
Noah: "Capiche" (Ka-peesh)
This was totally out the blue. He likes watching Full House sometimes, so I guess he's picked up on Michelle Tanner saying that to Uncle Jesse. HAHA!

[Before leaving for school one morning]: "I'm going to hug my Christmas tree bye."

[While climbing the stairs at school carrying his blanket, lunch box and art work]: "My hands are busy. I got too much stuff."

"Daddy you're my best friend. Can I watch Spiderman on your iPad?"

"I'm a big giant. Elmo Rocky Top. You see my jersey?"

"Mommy you made me sad. You broke my feelings."

"You can put it on my tab." [We finally figured out this was a line from a Charlie Brown movie!]

[While using the restroom]: You can't come to my winter palace!

[While catching me get in the shower]: You have a BIG bottom! [Gee...thanks, Noah. Luckily I laughed about this and he then thought I was crazy AND had a big bottom].

[While receiving his goodie bag at church and noticing the writing (NOAH) on the bag]: "My God wrote my name!"

“B…I know you like me!”

“Whatchu said?”

“Look at me…look at me…look at me.” [Noah is ALL ABOUT eye contact when speaking to you]

“Excuse me please. Excuse me please.”

“Let’s go on an adventure!”

[While playing with Buzz and Woody]: “What’s my name, Buzz? Woody Andrew!” [Andrew is Noah's uncle]

“I love you B Russell.”

“My brother’s my best friend.”

[While pretending to go to work]: “I’m the mama. I’m going to work. Now, cry.”

“We don’t share our germs.”

“Close your eyes…I gotta prize for you.” [He means "surprise"]

“Thumbs up or thumbs down? Thumbs up! I’m happy because I love my mommy, daddy, baby brother and doggie.”

The following are some school notes from his teachers written on his daily sheet:

*Ava was upset today and Noah was so sweet to her. He blew her a kiss and told her "it's going to be okay."

*Noah is a social butterfly. He plays with lots of different friends.

*Noah is well liked by everyone. Sometimes we ask the children what their favorite part of the day was and lots of them always say, "Playing with Noah."

*After we read Noah’s Ark, Noah told me he didn’t build the Ark. It was the other Noah.

*Noah enjoyed chasing girls on the playground today!

*Noah is very energetic!
____________________________________________

Noah also loves "Show & Tell" days. So far Noah has taken the following items: Smokey that sings Rocky Top, Buzz Lightyear, Sheriff Woody, Grover, Santa Bear, Tom & Jerry, Spiderman, jingle bells, favorite books, and several other special items. There have been other things, but I these are the ones I remember off the top of my head.

Playing Catch Up

2012-01-26T15:31:00.000-05:00

We are finally trying to get caught up on our blogging. We'd not posted anything since September, so I've spent a nice chunk of today, uploading photos, writing posts and publishing them (backdating them actually). The boys had a great fall and holiday season. Now, I just need to do a Christmas and New Year's post and we'll finally be caught up!

Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T23:25:00.001-05:00

Preschool Christmas artwork by Noah and Brenton

I think if Noah and Eric had it their way, it would be Christmas all year round! We put decorations up the week of Thanksgiving and got our tree the first weekend in December. Noah loved all the decorations and was sad to see Eric take them down after the New Year.

We got to celebrate Christmas Eve with Gigi, Papa Dave, Alyssa, Jared and four doggies (Gabi, Pearl, Buddy and Maggie). We opened gifts that morning, put the boys down for a nap and then went to the Chidren's Christmas Eve service at our church. Both boys enjoyed the show, but Noah stood (and sometimes layed down on his belly) in the aisle so he could see and hear better. Since it was a children's service, it was loud and there were tons of families there which was GREAT for us. Noah enjoyed the theatrical part of the program the best and thought it was so cool to see an angel in the play.

Sweet Gabi sitting on Santa's lap. This was her 13th Christmas with us.

After the service we had dinner, put the boys in PJs, made hot chocolate and drove around different neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights.

Noah went right to bed and couldn't wait for Santa to get to our house. He kept telling us that Santa was going to tip toe into his room, put a Spiderman costume on him and give him magic. Since that would have been tricky for Santa to do, we helped Santa out and surprised Noah with Spiderman jammies on Christmas Eve. As you can tell by the picture, he loved them.

Finally, Christmas morning! Look, Santa and the reindeer ate their goodies! Santa also left a silver jingle bell (a la Polar Express style) on the stairs for the boys to find on their way downstairs Christmas morning

Opening stockings and checking out each other's goodies.

Here's Noah's beyond-happy-silly face thrilled that he got all three things on his list: Spiderman toy, Spiderman costume and Polar Express train set.

Brenton loved on his new Backyardigans friends all morning and carried them all around the house. The boys also got a mini trampoline.

After presents, Eric made a delicious breakfast -- cinnamon rolls, scrambled eggs and Benton's bacon. It was fantastic!

Daddy and his boys.

I just love my little guys! Christmas just keeps getting better and better! We are so blessed.

Holiday Express at UT Gardens

2011-12-18T15:25:00.002-05:00

Last year, I took Noah to the Holiday Express at UT Gardens. Noah had a blast and was very excited to go back again this year.

There's always a bonfire going, plus you can buy hot chocolate and a smore's kit.

Inside the tent is a beautiful little train city. I can't even imagine how long it take to set everything up.

Of course, we always want a brother picture whenever we do something fun. We don't always get one, but this one certainly melts my heart each time I see it. I know we always say how close they are and how much they love each other, but they have truly been blessed with a loving relationship that we hope gets stronger and stronger as they get older.

Now, for the celebrity sighting...I felt like a girly little 8-year-old when I spotted the beautiful Mary Costa across the room. For those of you who don't know, Mary is the original voice of Sleeping Beauty! Yep, I got to meet Princess Aurora / Briar Rose. At first, I stalked her a bit trying to make sure it was really her. Thankfully, Brenton decided to make eyes at her and then she told me how cute he was. I then said, "Are you Mary?" She said yes and I seriously got butterflies in my stomach. I know it's cheesy, but Sleepting Beauty is my all-time favorite Disney movie, plus Mary has performed all around the world with her amazing soprano voice. I told her how much I loved Sleeping Beauty and she kept telling me that I was pretty enough to be a princess myself -- well, that made my day and I'm sure she says that to most giddy girls (or 30 year olds) she meets! She was kind enough to take a picture with me.

After explaining to Eric who I just met (he was across the room guarding the entrance to the tent to make sure Noah didn't escape and could run around enjoying the trains), we made our way outside to the UT Gardens. The boys loved watching the Koi fish in the ponds.

This is one Christmas tradition we hope to keep every year!

Noah and Asher

2011-12-04T21:20:00.000-05:00

Noah and Asher. These two have been best buddies since they met in the fall of 2009. Their birthdays are only three weeks apart and their build is nearly identical -- solid! Even though Asher is the "little brother" in his family and Noah is the "older brother," they have a strong friendship and always have a great time at school together.

Asher's mom is quite talented and does photography as a hobby. She actually took our first family photo last month (we'll post those pictures later). The one above is from their recent Thanksgiving program at school. Their class dressed in PJs, mouse ears and a mouse tail and sang, "We Think Mick Are Nice" (to the tune of the "Farmer in the Dell.)

The boys hammed it up for sure during the program and I'm thankful Asher's mom took these sweet photos.

Tees and Trees

2011-12-03T15:07:00.001-05:00

We enjoyed getting our Christmas tree this weekend. The boys enjoyed smelling the fragrant fraser firs.

Brenton's super creative teacher made this cute foot print snowman shirt. She's always coming up with neat crafts for the kids to do. Brenton really loves art time with her.

Sweet November

2011-11-30T14:45:00.004-05:00

The holiday season is so much more fun with these little guys. Here's Noah helping Eric put goodies in a laundry basket for our church's annual Thanksgiving basket drive.

Brenton provided tunes with Noah and Eric got things organized.

Thanksgiving was even more fun this year since Brenton actually joined us! Last year, he slept through the whole meal.

Grand Don getting a T'Day meal picture with the boys.

Noah loved it when Andrew pretended that he was a baby.

Aunt Alyssa with sweet Pearl. Noah enjoyed playing fetch with her.

On Nov. 28, I officially turned THIRTY! I still can't believe it, but what can ya do? Eric surprised me with a weekend getaway to downtown. We stayed at the historic Oliver Hotel, had lunch at Lattitude 35, dinner at Oodles Uncorked and dessert at Cafe 4. We did a little shopping in Market Square and capped off the night with drinks at Sapphire. It was such a fun, restful and relaxing weekend.

I just love our downtown, especially when the Tennessee Theatre marquee is lit up. On my actualy birthday, the boys treated me to a Sullivan's dinner and cupcakes. Noah really enjoyed the birthday decorations around the house that Eric put up while I was still sleeping. I took the day off from work and had some much appreciated down time!

We're ready for Christmas already!

2011-11-21T08:26:00.003-05:00

We typically wait until the day after Thanksgiving to decorate our house for Christmas and start watching Christmas movies, but not this year. The boys have been watching "Merry Christmas Charlie Brown," "Elf," and "Home Alone" already this month, and we decorated the house yesterday.

Needless to say, both boys are gung-ho, and Noah's been singing this song off and on for the past few days...Tyra got this clip on the way to take them to school this morning...it's show and tell day today, and Noah insisted on taking his santa hat and musical bear to school. So what if it's November 21, right?!

First Family Photo Shoot

2011-11-06T20:52:00.001-05:00

One of Noah's best buds from preschool has a mom that does amazing photography for a hobby. We've never had a family photo shoot before and thought it was about time to have some moments frozen in time while the boys are still little. For the location, we opted for the historic train depot downtown. We really love all the shots she captured. Noah really hammed it up. Brenton wasn't quite into it and preferred to run around instead of stay still (as most 18 month olds would). Here are a few of our favorites from the session. We used them for our 2011 Christmas card and finally updated the frames in our living room with recent family pictures instead of ones with Noah as a baby!

Thank you for our beautiful family pictures, Teresa!

Homecoming on Rocky Top

2011-11-05T20:51:00.001-04:00

The fall is by far Eric's busiest time of year work-wise. On the upside, we get to enjoy visiting daddy at work on Rocky Top. Last year, we participated in the Little Vol Walk as part of the annual Homecoming Parade. The boys enjoyed it so much that we did it again this year, plus getting to walk in the same parade as Smokey is right up Noah's ally.

After the parade, some of Eric's co-workers put together a craft area outside Neyland Stadium at Gate 21. The boys poured orange and white sand into small plastic footballs as a keepsake. They also got Smokey coloring books and crayons.

I guess Noah's legs were a bit tired after walking in the parade and running around Gate 21 after craft time, so he hopped in Brenton's little stroller. Brenton thought is was fun to get to push Noah in the stroller for once instead of the other way around!

The next day was UT's homecoming vs. MTSU. Eric had to get to campus really early to help set up the alumni tailgate in Circle Park, so I met him there later with the boys. The first thing Noah noticed was the giant inflatable Smokey.

The boys enjoyed kid games, a bounce house and yummy food from Buddy's. We love living on Rocky Top!

Brenton's favorite song

2011-11-02T16:05:00.001-04:00

One of Brenton's favorite songs is "The Shark Song." Once he learned the motions, he'd go around to his teachers and try to get them to sing it for him...all the time! Miss Beth caught him in the action and sent this video to us. It's such a cute video and captures his personality perfectly. I can't believe he's 17 months old already!

Halloween with The Toy Story Boys

2011-10-31T20:50:00.001-04:00

With two boys, it was pretty easy to guess what they wanted to be for halloween -- Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody!

Thanks to Gigi, Noah got two halloween costumes this year -- one Buzz and one Woody. He's been enjoying them both and has already started wearing out the Buzz costume.

Brenton made the cutest little Sheriff in town, don't you think? He refused to wear the cowboy hat though. They both had halloween parties and school and showed off their costumes.

Noah couldn't wait to go Trick-or-Treating.

Here they are at their first stop, the Harsheys. Brenton didn't say anything and followed Noah's lead. It was a treat to see Noah "get it" this year. He knocked on the doors, said "Trick or Treat" and always said thank you after getting candy. He enjoyed getting to eat candy and walk door to door.

With two little guys that go to bed by 8 p.m. every night, we were the first trick or treaters out in the neighborhood. We tried to get a brother picture, but as you can tell by the paci, Brenton was ready to hit the sack.

Buzz gave an official thumbs up after browsing all the sugary loot!

Happy Halloween!

A Day on the Farm

2011-10-22T20:51:00.001-04:00

Every October, we take the boys to a pumpkin patch. For the past three years, we've been to Oakes Farm in Corryton, but this year we decided to go to Cruze Dairy Farm. The farm is famous for it's delicious milk and ice cream and decided to open the farm to the public for the first time ever. We arrived early and let the boys play around on the beautiful open fields. The 35 minute drive to Southest Knoxville is a beautiful one, too.

I think the boys could've played in the cornbox all day!

Here's Brenton practicing his climbing skills on small bales of hay.

The farm was truly stunning. Even Eric said he could live on a piece of property like that!

Finally, we jumped on the tractor and enjoyed a quick ride to the pumpkin patch.

Noah picked out a small pumpkin, then we rode back to the play area to go through the kid maze. It was an educational kid maze that had learning centers along the way that educated the kids about life on a farm -- chores, feeding, etc.

After the maze, we enjoyed some of the best homemade ice cream we'd ever had.

After ice cream, Eric and Noah enjoyed one last ride on the inflatable zebra. I think Noah's face says it all, don't you?

My favorite part of the day was getting to hang out with the beautiful Jersey cows and calves. Noah loved "talking" to the cows and could have watched them for hours. He also thought the sheep were dirty and needed a bath -- cute.

We'll definitely go back next year!

Backyard Boys

2011-10-02T23:57:00.000-04:00

We sure do love football season around our house! Fall is my favorite time of the year -- long sleeves, beautiful trees and family time in the backyard!

We celebrated Andrew's 24th birthday with fun cupcakes. Happy birthday, Uncle Andrew!

Noah's First UT Football Game

2011-10-01T20:50:00.000-04:00

Saturday, Oct. 1 was a big day for our family. Eric and I took Noah to his very first Tennessee Football game. We left the house at 9 a.m., stopped by Hardee's to get Noah a cheese biscuit and arrived on campus at 9:30 a.m. We took Noah up to Eric's office at the Tyson House and then headed to Volunteer Village.

Noah enjoyed walking through the large inflatable helmet. After Vol Village we headed down Peyton Manning Pass to wait for the Vol Walk to start. Noah was really excited about seeing Smokey.

He even picked up this stick (in his left hand) so "Smokey wouldn't choke." Haha. You can tell he has a little brother in the house :) Thankfully, Smokey came right up to him and gave him a big high-five. When Vol Walk was over, Noah said, "That was a fun game!" Little did he know he'd be on campus for several more hours -- kickoff wasn't until noon.

After Vol Walk, we watched the Pride of the Southland Marching Band make their way down Volunteer Blvd. Noah liked "watching the girls with sticks" (the majorettes).

When the band marched its way into Neyland Stadium, we handed Noah his ticket and crossed our fingers he would be a good boy during the game :) We loaded up on snacks and drinks in the Letterman's Room. Noah had a sprite and cheetos and thought he was in heaven. We got a great family picture on the field, too. Here's Noah proudly holding up his ticket.

Noah usually naps at 1 p.m. most days, so we weren't sure how things would unfold, but he truly enjoyed himself. He loved the loudness of the team running through the "T" and sang "Rocky Top" for those around us quite a bit. He'd also say, "Tackle! Tackle!" and never complained once or asked to leave.

Of course, he crashed as soon as we got in the car and then proceeded to sleep an hour on the couch after we got home.

Brenton was very happy to see Noah again when he finally woke up. Noah's first words after his nap? "I missed you, Brenton." We can't wait to take them both to a game one day. Noah's first UT football game is one our most favorite memories yet!

Most recent family pic

2011-09-20T09:21:00.000-04:00

Here we are before the UT / Montana football game. The Vols are 2-1 to start the season, but we're still optimistic for a great year :)

It's football time in Tennessee!

2011-09-05T15:43:00.001-04:00

I once read there are four seasons -- winter, spring, summer and FOOTBALL! Yep, our family is pretty fanatical when it comes to Tennessee football. Here are few pictures from last weekend:

This was taken Sept. 1, the Friday before the first home opener, dropping the boys off at school. Everyone was encouraged to wear orange to support Pat Summitt in her fight against Alzheimer's.

This is Brenton's second football season and he officially grew into Noah's old uniform.

The annual "Daddy/Son" helmet picture is a tradition we started Noah's first football season in '08. Noah got a new jersey this season -- #16 of course!

These boys are ready to cheer on the Vols!

Back to School!

2011-08-19T19:37:00.005-04:00

On Wednesday, Aug. 17, the boys started their new classes at school. We've been so grateful to the love their teachers have shown to both of them during the '10-'11 school year. Let's just say, mommy shed a tear on Brenton's last day in the nursery! Now, he's in the toddler room and Noah's in the "Older 3's" class with his best buddies. Here they are on their first day. . .

All loaded up and ready to head to preschool! Buzz Lightyear made the trip too :)

Brotherly Love

2011-08-02T15:15:00.000-04:00

One of Noah's teachers captured this photo of the boys today and sent it to us. Noah was eating lunch when a special visitor strolled in with his buddies. I love how they get so excited to see one another and that their teachers make sure the boys see each other during the day. I pray they are always this close. How blessed we are to be their parents.

New posts are up

2011-07-25T23:11:00.001-04:00

We're trying not to let six months go by again without posting, so we've been playing catch-up lately and back-dated a few blogs from the previous few months. Scroll down to see what our little guys have been up to. Firetrucks, movies, parades, time at the beach and birthdays have consumed our summer so far.

This recent picture isn't that great since it was taken with my phone, but I love the memory behind it. Sometimes Noah likes to play in our bathroom while I'm getting ready. Eric and I were headed to a couples baby shower later that night, so I got to "get dressed up." Well, once I put the necklace on that you see in the photo below, Noah said, "That looks like chips." I cracked up and so did he, so I couldn't resist taking a picture with him to forever remind me of my chip necklace!

Zoo Party

2011-07-17T21:54:00.042-04:00

On Saturday, July 17, the boys went to their first birthday party at the Zoo for their friend J.P. who was turning three. It was so much fun! The party was at the Zoo's Wee Play Center -- an indoor facility with several rooms, including a commissary, barn, vet clinic, puppet stage and reptile area. The boys mainly stayed in the kitchen (or commissary as it was labeled) and enjoyed making meals and chopping food. After lots of free play and visits from small zoo animals, the party guests enjoyed pizza, cake and ice cream. Noah managed to stick his finger in the birthday cake before it was lit though! The best part was a special appearance by Einstein, the Zoo's famous talking parrot. She sang "Happy Birthday" and answered several questions for the kids. After that we headed to the carousel and then the big play area where the boys played and got more sweaty than I've ever seen them. We quickly made it through the Safari part of the Zoo to see the elephants, zebras and giraffes, but a pre-nap meltdown ensued and we made a dash for the car. Brenton fell asleep in his stroller while Eric carried a crying Noah on his shoulders. Both slept the whole way home. It was a great time and fun way to celebrate J.P.'s birthday and Brenton's first trip to the Zoo!

The commissary was really neat. The boys enjoyed "making dinner" and going shopping for groceries.

Different varieties of animal hats were used as party favors - a very cute idea! Noah wanted a tiger and Brenton got a giraffe.

Brenton's first ride on the carousel.

Noah chose to ride the "big gorilla."

The African Safari exhibit is my favorite. Noah enjoyed watching the elephants too.

Brenton tried to keep up, but fell asleep in his stroller. We have a picture of Noah in this same stroller at this exact spot (Black Bear Falls) during his first trip to the Zoo in the summer of '09.

4th of July Weekend

2011-07-05T21:54:00.000-04:00

We love the weekends around our house. Breakfast in PJs, playtime outside and just the four of us being together is such a blessing. Of course, we don't get to sleep in since both our boys are early risers and there is an occasional "Cranky Sunday" as we like to call them when one or both boys decide to have an attitude and/or not nap. At that point, we're ready for Mondays to roll around again :)

The Fourth of July was very low-key for us this year. We were both off work and had a great three-day weekend together. Eric picked up a watermelon on his way home from work Friday, I made brownies and decorated them with red, white and blue icing and we got caught up on some Netflix movies.

On Saturday, Eric, Noah and I made a flag cake. I took Noah to the store earlier in the day to get the ingredients. Flag cakes are super easy to make and very kid-friendly. Noah like spreading (tasting) the whipped cream and putting all the fruit on top. He really does enjoy helping me in the kitchen these days, mainly because he gets to "help" (i.e. lick the bowl and spoon). Right now, his favorite thing to make with me are blueberry muffins. He asks to make them all the time and would eat four at a time if we'd let him.

On Monday, we went to the 24th Annual Town of Farragut 4th of July parade. It lasted a few hours, but we only made it for one. It was pretty crowded and really hot. Brenton liked to wave at everyone and Noah's favorite souvenir was a small bouncy ball.

Of course we got the kiddie pool and water table out which has been nice to have on these hot days. The boys love to play in the water together.

Buzz Lightyear vs. Zurg

2011-06-27T13:59:00.000-04:00

Tyra was able to capture just a snippet of a laser battle that she and Noah had the other day. It's Buzz Lightyear (Noah) vs his arch-nemesis, Zurg (Tyra).

The parts at the 20 second and the 40 second mark (when Noah announces his name!) crack me up! And of course, don't all true super heroes wear only their undies to combat?!

Noah's first trip to the movie theatre

2011-06-25T21:53:00.001-04:00

On Saturday, June 25, Eric and I took Noah to see his very first movie at the movie theatre -- Cars 2. We asked one of the boys teachers from school to keep Brenton so that we could enjoy time with our little man.

We'd been building up going to see Lightning McQueen on the "big screen" for weeks. We explained ahead of time that movie theatres don't have remotes and that we can't rewind or fast forward certain parts (can you tell he's been spoiled by DVR?) Of course, one of the best parts of the experience was getting to see the Toy Story short which Noah loved and immediately asked to watch it "again" after it was over.

We got to the theatre about 30 minutes before the film started, bought Noah some popcorn and let him pick out candy (he chose M&Ms). We got Noah a small cup and put the popcorn and candy in the cup for him so Eric and I could share the big bag. Now when Noah eats popcorn, he asks if there are M&Ms to go with it :)

The pace of the sequel was much faster and a bit more complicated than the first. Noah got a bit anxious about two-thirds of the way through, but perked up in time to pay attention to the ending.

We took his picture in front of the movie poster. Noah loved getting an afternoon with just mommy and daddy. We loved it even more I think.

Noah with Mater and McQueen right after the movie :)

Firetruck Fun

2011-06-13T21:52:00.000-04:00

On June 11, our favorite toy store -- Smart Toys and Books -- hosted firefighters from the Knoxville Fire Department. Eric dropped Noah and me off while he and Brenton went to Home Depot.

Even though there was a big, red fire truck parked in front of the store, Noah couldn't wait to go inside to play with the trains and train table first. After he had his fill of trains, we went outside where we were greeted with a firehat, coloring book and stickers. Noah got to play on the firetruck and sit in the Captain's chair. He could've played in the front seat of that fire truck all day trying to figure out what each button does. Interestingly, the truck doesn't actually start with a key, but a special lever and button. Somehow Noah figured that out, but the firefighter was able to stop him from starting the firetruck before he accidentally turned it on!

We didn't leave empty handed though. Noah picked out a book called "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" to take home. He first read it while we were on vacation in May and fell in love with the story. The house we were staying at had several children's books and that was the one he liked most. He basically has it memorized by now, complete with hand motions for certain pages. It's so fascinating to see his imagination grow and memory mature now that he's nearly 3 and a half years old.

Also this weekend, Brenton experienced his first spaghetti dinner...or shall I say the spaghetti dinner experienced Brenton?

He's really trying to feed himself these days and always has to have a spoon or fork in his hand if someone is feeding him. He's still pretty picky, but his favorites are oatmeal, yogurt, fruits and juice. He's a few days away from being 13 months -- still no teeth!!! We haven't kicked the bottle yet, but hope to do so very soon. He actually loves his sippy cups and will drink anything you put in them (apple juice, grape juice, water), but refuses to drink milk from a sippy.

Meeting James Taylor!

2011-05-26T15:47:00.004-04:00

The one, the only James Taylor!

Well, Eric and I had a lifelong dream come true on Monday, May 23, 2011 when we went to our first James Taylor concert. Little did we know when we bought the tickets in February that we'd not only get to see him in concert, but acually get to MEET him after the show!

Here's the story...

Eric and have always been big James Taylor fans. On the rare occasion he'd make it to Nashville or near Knoxville, we were never able to go. We were thrilled when it was announced in February that he'd be playing Knoxville in May. The tickets were expensive, but we thought it could be a Valentine's Day/early anniversary gift rolled into one since our anniversary is May 15.

We started the evening with a delicious dinner at Nama Sushi in downtown Knoxville. We had the JG roll and crunchy shrimp roll, along with miso soup and the house salad. For dessert we had truffles with kiwi/strawberry compote and raspberry sauce and topped off our meal with beer (for Eric) and Riesling (for me).

We got to our seats right as the show started because James Taylor actually took the stage when the ticket said he would -- 8 p.m. sharp with no opening act. I appreciated the fact that latecomers were not allowed to take their seats until between songs.

During the intermission, we went to the lobby, looked at the tour shirts and headed back to our seats. All of a sudden Eric noticed that James (yes, we're on a first-name basis now) was sitting at the front of the stage signing autographs! We rushed to the front, but got cut off because he needed to start the show again. We were at least excited to be able to see him up close even though we thought we'd missed our chance at getting an autograph.

After the show, we left in awe after several goosebump moments during his set because he was SO great! I noticed the buses were parked next to the side entrance to the auditorium so I told Eric that we should hang out for a few minutes to maybe catch another glimpse of him.

A few others had the same idea and before we knew it, there was a small crowd waiting to see if James would come over. Well...he did! The guards had put blockades around the bus entrance, but James came right up to where we were standing. Some people got a little pushy trying to get to the front, but his bodyguard kept saying, "Be patient and he'll get to you." This was definitely a good sign, so Eric and I got our ticket stubs and the set list the sound tech gave to us and waited for our turn to say hi to James.

I talked to him first and told him that the show was our first James Taylor concert. He said, "Oh, really?" and then proceeded to sign my ticket. We touched arms :) I then asked if he'd take a picture with me which he did. Then, Eric got his chance to talk to him and get the set list signed while I snapped a photo of the two of them.

James Taylor was so gracious, patient and reciprocated every kind word said and told everyone in the crowd, "Thanks for coming." What a refreshing and wonderful experience to meet someone who's been in the business so long, yet takes the time to be grateful to those who so dearly love and appreciate his music.

It's was an experience we'll never forget. Now we just need to figure out where to frame our pictures and signed memorbilia!

My favorite songs from the eventing were "Something in the Way" and "Copperline" although we both had chills during much of the performance. His tone was impeccable and his voice sounded as if he's not aged at all. He introduced many of the songs and told a little background on them. His 11-piece band was phenomenal, including the four back-up singers. He sax player, Blue Lou, was a founding member of the Saturday Night Live Band and the original Blues Brothers! Very cool. James Taylor is definitely a national treasure!

A Busy and Fun Month of May

2011-05-23T11:45:00.000-04:00

It's been way too long since we updated the blog! With two on-the-go boys, it's tougher to keep this updated, but we will try to start blogging more often. There is so much to catch up on, but we'll start with this month, which has been incredibly busy and loads of fun! We celebrated Mother's Day, Brenton turned 1, Andrew and Thomas graduated from UT, Tyra starred in a play called "The 39 Steps" at the Oak Ridge Playhouse, we celebrated our 7 year wedding anniversary, and took a week-long vacation to the beach!

Brenton turned 1 on May 13, and it was so much fun to celebrate his special day. I can't believe he's already a year old...it's really unbelievable. He and Noah are ideal brothers...they love each other so much and enjoy being together all the time. Brenton's 1st year was much different than Noah's first year, and he certainly had to sacrifice some of the attention at times, since Noah loves to be the star of the show and the ring-leader of most things...but I don't think Brenton would have it any other way. He adores Noah and looks up to him so much. I pray that they will always be as close as they are right now!

Here is a great photo from Mother's Day -

Here are the boys at Andrew and Tom's graduation. They were really good sitting through most of the ceremony. Thomas is headed back to Texas, and we're glad Andrew will be staying in Knoxville to get his MBA at UT!

Noah, meticulously reading the program

With the graduate


Brenton and Andrew

We celebrated B's big day with family and friends at Sweet CeCe's in Knoxville. It was a perfect location and everyone seemed to enjoy it. It was great that so many family members were already in town seeing Andrew (Eric's brother) and Thomas (Eric's cousin) graduate from UT, so they were able to come to B's party and see Tyra perform in her show the same weekend.

He loved making a mess with his cupcake.

The birthday boy

He loved getting kisses from Uncle Charles

Brenton inhaled the Cake Batter frozen yogurt

A cupcake? For me?

Noah kept wanting to sneak bites

Making a fun mess

Last year, we celebrated our anniversary at Mercy West Hospital, as Brenton was just 2 days old. This year, we spent a lot of it in the car driving to the beach! As usual, we were so excited to head back to Seabrook Island, and we are grateful for our dear friends who make it possible for us to stay at their beautiful beach home.

Since we didn't go to the beach last year, this trip was even more special. Noah had an absolute blast doing everything and Brenton loved the ocean and swimming pool. A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few snapshots of our trip to Seabrook...

Both boys were awesome on the 6 1/2 hour car trip

First time in the sand

Brenton LOVED the ocean

The bikes and Burley trailer were so much fun. Noah fell asleep on many of our bike rides.

There was a full moon over the ocean on each of the first 3-4 nights.

View from the pool

Gone Fishin'

Perfect kite-flying conditions

7 years of married bliss

Click Here to view some more photos:

The 39 Steps

2011-05-16T13:04:00.000-04:00

This spring, I was cast in "The 39 Steps" at the historic Oak Ridge Playhouse. It was fun to be back on stage after a nearly two-year hiatus. We had five weeks of rehearsals to prepare for what became my favorite show I've ever done. There were only four actors in the show, but three of us played multiple characters. I played a Brittish gal, German spy and Scottish farm wife.

I couldn't have done it without such great support from Eric though. There were MANY nights when Eric had to fly solo with the boys while I was at rehearsal or "play practice" as we explained to Noah. Rehearsals started at 6:30 and ran until 10 p.m. or later some nights. I missed my three boys like crazy. At first, Noah would ask me not to leave, but then he started pretending that he was going to play practice with his "friends" (Grover, Buzz, Woody, Thomas the Train, etc.) during his own playtime. One morning, Noah came into our bedroom, put his hands on his hips and emphatically proclaimed in a serious tone, "I'm going to play practice!" and turned around and walked out of the room.

The show opened Friday, April 29 and I learned first-hand the meaning of "The show must go on." A few hours before opening night, I came down with a stomach bug at 3:30 p.m. I was supposed to leave for Oak Ridge at 6 p.m. for our 8 p.m. show. I called Eric to see if there was any way he could come home a little early to watch the boys. I called my doctor to see if there was anything I could take, but the only anti-nausea med they called in would have made me loopy and unable to drive. I then called our stage manager, Lindsay, who called our director to let him know of the situation. Since postponing the show was not an option, and because I had no understudy, we devised a plan to get me through the night. After Eric got home, I rested for about 30 minutes, gathered my things, grabbed two empty plastic cups for the 30 minute drive to Oak Ridge (in case I needed to throw up while driving) and made it to the green room by 7:15 p.m. Lindsay was there to greet me with gatorade, crackers and pepto bismol tablets. She'd also put a bucket, bottled water, towel and mints on both sides of the stage in case I needed to run off in the middle of a scene to throw up.

With lots of prayer, support from our sweet cast and crew and a little luck I made it through the performance without "losing it." Our director gave me a pep talk right before curtain and said how often things like this happen to actors, but somehow your adrenaline kicks in and you find a way to get through the show. I'd never been so nervous before a show in my life, and never more disappointed that I wasn't able to give my best after so many weeks of rehearsal. There was a reviewer in the audience that night from the local paper too. You can read her review HERE -- thankfully she didn't pick up on my ailment and no one else in the show caught my stomach bug!

Here are a few photos from backstage and some that we did for a publicity photo shoot. I created an album on my Facebook profile with lots more photos to if you want to check them out. Trying to find time to memorize lines was laughable, but I'm thankful for being part of such a wonderful experience and getting to know some fantastic and super-talented people. Maya Angelou always says how important it is to do something sacred that's just for you. For me, it's always been theatre.

Our huge cast -- Josiah Rowe, me, Tony Cedeno and Rollin Prince

Here we are all sweaty after our very last performance

Scene from the Crofter's house in Scotland

The train scene was the most complicated to rehearse, but seemed to be everyone's favorite.

Playing Annabella (a German spy) although my accent was more of a Russian/Spanish/Italian combo :)

To say April and May were jam-packed months is an understatement. Not only is April Eric's busiest time at work, but in the first two weeks of May we celebrated Mother's Day, Brenton's first birthday, Andrew and Thomas' graduation from UT, our 7-year anniversary, my play and headed to the beach! We're thankful to be so blessedly busy :)

Happy 1st Birthday, Brenton!

2011-05-13T20:03:00.002-04:00

Happy 1st Birthday, Brenton! Our sweet second born officially turned one at 6:13 p.m. today -- Friday, May 13. He entered the world at 8 lbs 4 oz and 21.5 inches long. He is such a beautiful addition to our family. We are so grateful for the significant impact he's made in our lives. His temperment is definitely similar to how he was in utero -- calm, easy-going and mama's boy all the way!

The birthday boy!

Since Brenton's birthday fell on a workday (Friday) and Tyra had a play later that night, we had a family birthday breakfast on the 13th. Eric made pancakes and eggs. After breakfast, we took the boys outside on our deck to see Brenton's gifts!

We got him a picnic table and a water table. Noah enjoyed the water table just as much as Brenton...and in true Noah fashion, he created a game with the top opening of the table. He took the water balls from the table and tried to shoot them like basketballs into the top of the table.

Noah really got into Brenton's birthday and was so excited for him. He helped him open his cards and gifts and kept wanting to sing Happy Birthday to him. At school yesterday, Brenton's teachers had a yogurt party for him, made a card, gave him a balloon and puffs and ended up having to give him a bath because he got so messy during the yogurt party. He loved it though!

1 Year Check-up: Weight: 23 lbs. (51st percentile); 30 in. (45th percentile). At this time he still has NO teeth, but should be getting them (hopefully) by his 15-month check-up in August. He's hitting all other milestones, so this is only little issue he's having. He gums his food pretty well, but we just need to be better about introducing more table foods into his diet. We're switching him to whole milk now that he's one.

Other than that, he loves bananas, yogurt, apples, pears, oatmeal, sweet potatoes, squash, carrots, yogurt melts, puffs and diluted juice. He certainly knows that the green colored food is not as tasty or sweet, so those food items are tougher to convince him to heat sometimes. Sometimes I'll mix applesauce with green beans or peas just to get him to eat them. Earth's Best makes really good soups/bisques that he enjoys as well. He's starting to want to hold the spoon during feedings and wants to put the spoon into his mouth himself. He can certainly have grumpy streaks when he's tired or hungry, but is truly just a great baby!

He's very social, likes to wave, pretend he's talking on the phone, give hugs, pats on the back, looking at himself in the mirror, reading books, singing songs and clapping his hands. He's getting into TV more since Noah watches it. He recognizes characters and dances when he hears a favorite theme song. He loves when you sing to him and his favorite tunes are "If You're Happy and You Know It," "Itsy-Bitsy Spider" and "Patty Cake." He'll even do the motions most of the time and gets a big grin when you start to introduce a song he knows.

Although he doesn't say much -- mainly mama, dada, mama, bah-bah, mama, gah-gah, mama, ah, and mama -- he definitely knows certain words. He loves to hear "bath" and gets so excited when we say, "Do you want to take a bath?" Noah talked more at this age and could say a few more things (even "Elmo"), so he's lucky to get a word in edgewise around here anyway with his daddy and brother who were blessed with the gift of gab! He'll look around when you ask him, "Where's Gabi? Where's Noah?" Then, when we show him and object and say what word is associated with that object, he looks very intently at us like he's filing it away for later use.

He started walking in March at 10 and 1/2 months (Noah walked two weeks later at 11 months). I think it helps that he has his big brother to keep up with. We have really cute video of Noah "helping" Brenton walk. It's such a blessing to see how much Brenton adores his big brother. Noah keeps him laughing and is always concerned about his well being, except when he's playing too rough or in a bad mood :) We have loved watching their relationship grow during the past year and can't wait to see it mature even more as they get older. Whenever Brenton is upset, Noah will go over to him and try and console him by saying things like, "It's okay B, no need to cry," or "Noah's here, mommy's coming."

We also have lots of nicknames for Brenton -- B, B. Russ, Brenton Russell, Baby Russell, BB, Sweet T McB. He answers to all of them, but "B" is the main one he likes.

We can't wait to see what the next year holds for our little Brenton Russell Haag!

Easter Day

2011-04-23T21:10:00.000-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter together celebrating our Lord's victory over death. Our church had four services, but we went to the same one we always do (9 a.m.). Andrew met us there and then we had brunch at our house. Eric made an egg casserole. After we ate, Eric and Andrew hid some Easter eggs and candy around the backyard and deck. Noah really got into finding eggs this year. Brenton just watched him, but played in the grass some too. After the egg hunt, the boys opened their goodies while I helped myself to some of their chocolate :)

Super cute matching seersucker suits

Brenton and daddy

Noah didn't take his hat off all day!

Uncle Andrew came over and spent the day with us.

This is Noah pouting because he's tired of taking pictures and wants to go inside to open his Easter basket.

Brenton's first Easter!

This is one of Eric's Easter outfits that Noah also wore when he was 14 months old. Now it's Brenton's turn!

Brenton had no desire to take a family picture so we were able to stop his frustration (momentarily) while we acted silly. Noah sure got a kick out of it though!

Orange and White Game

2011-04-16T21:24:00.001-04:00

Noah with Smokey. He prefers the mascot Smokey to the real one (as evidenced by the photo below since he didn't want to touch him).

Before the Orange and White game, Noah and I headed to Circle Park for the first ever Young Alumni Jambalaya Jam which Eric planned. We had so much fun and devoured the Cajun food from Bayou Bay. Brenton was at home having fun with Miss Ruthie.

Noah looking for Andrew and Thomas on the field for their last experience as UT managers. He also loved to spot Smokey (mascot version) to watch him dance on the sidelines. He's say, "Smokey's so silly!"

After halftime, Noah's buddies Jack and Addie came to visit and they loved being together. At one point Noah and Addie shared a chair when all of a sudden I saw him slip his arm around her shoulder. It was very sweet. Jack got lots of kisses and hugs from Noah too.

Eric turns 30!

2011-02-20T20:52:00.000-05:00

For Eric's 30th birthday, I surprised him with a quick one-night getaway to Chattanooga. On Thursday, Feb. 17th, Jennifer drove up from Hendersonville to keep the boys for us so we could leave early on the morning of the 18th (Eric's actual birthday). After a birthday breakfast celebration with the boys that morning, followed by presents and some key lime cake, we headed to Chatty.

It was a such a nice (and short) drive. We stayed in the heart of downtown which is so easy to get around without a car. We had dinner at the famous Terminal Brewhouse (amazing!!!), followed by drinks and dessert at Taco Mac and wrapped up the evening at Sing It or Wing It -- a karaoke bar! We had a great time and loved spending time together even though we missed the boys. No, we didn't sing, but were VERY tempted to :)

The best part of the weekend was surprising Eric with a book I'd put together of letters his family, friends, coaches, mentors, co-workers and others had written to him in honor of his 30th. It was a special project that I'll never forget working on because I loved reading how much everyone loves my sweet, kind, loving, thoughtful and inspirational husband.

Happy birthday, Eric!!!

Hugs & Kisses

2011-02-14T20:02:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

Heart Florets Border Valentine's Day Card

Unique party invitations and announcements by Shutterfly.

View the entire collection of cards.

Love the Haag Boys,
Noah (3) and Brenton (9 months)

Brenton's first Valentine's Day. Noah wore this same bib on his first Valentine's Day on Feb. 14, 2008 when he was just one week old. It belonged to Eric when he was a baby. It says, "My little valentine." So sweet!

As you can see, Noah got dressed up for the occasion. Guess he though stripping down to undies and a homemade heart-filled visor was a good way to honor the occasion! In all honesty, Noah's favorite article of clothing is simply wear undies or PJs all day.

Brenton 6-9 month update

2011-02-12T10:02:00.001-05:00

On Feb. 13, Brenton will be nine months old. I can't believe it! So much has changed since his 6 month check up in November. More details to follow so stay tuned!

Happy 3rd Birthday Noah!

2011-02-07T23:48:00.001-05:00

Our little guy is three years old!

For Noah's special day, I decorated the kitchen table with birthday items and set most of Noah's "friends" at the table or on the couch to help celebrate. He was so excited to see all of this when he walked in the door from school.

Since we knew we'd have our own little family celebration on his real birthday, we saved our gifts for Noah to open rather than at his party. Eric scoured every toy store, online store and made several calls trying to find the big collector's edition of Buzz and Woody from the Toy Story movies.

Ever since seeing the movies and getting to play with "Big Buzz" and "Big Woody" at his buddy Emery's house, Noah's been obsessed with Toy Story. He's had small figures, but not the real deal. Luckily, we were able to secure both Buzz and Woody and proudly wrapped them up for his 3rd birthday surprise.

Toward the end of dinner, Noah excused himself from the table and went into the living room to play. This was also where we'd put his "friends" on the couch and wrapped presents on the cedar chest.

All of sudden, Noah burst into the kitchen and said, "Mommy, daddy! Mommy, daddy! SPECIAL WOODY!" Eric and I looked at each other, burst out laughing (after a wee moment of disbelief that we didn't get to see him open it after all the work Eric put into finding the darn thing), and grabbed the video camera to try and capture the rest of his reaction. He had fun opening the rest of his gifts, especially "Big Buzz."

He was SO excited to finally have a "Special Buzz" and "Special Woody" to keep forever. On another note, it was kind of bittersweet to see him become so quickly attached to Buzz and Woody because he's loved Grover and Super Grover for so long. I'll guess we'll see if Buzz and Woody take Grover's place!

Earlier in the day, Noah had an ice cream party at school.

Here are most of Noah's Grovers -- all of them are distinct from one another and have their own name....i.e. Big Grover, Little Grover, Small Grover, Little Super Grover, Big Super Grover, Christmas Grover, 'Lil Sup (pronounced "soup") and so on and so forth!!!

A yummy red velvet cupcake from The Cupcakery

The birthday boy with mommy.

Three-year check-up: 38 pounds (95th percentile) and 38 inches tall! Not too shabby for the 9 lb. 9 oz. 21 and 3/4 inches baby boy that entered the world peeing on the doctor!

Cheering on the Packers!

2011-02-06T23:38:00.000-05:00

Eric and I watch the Super Bowl every year, but this year was even more special since one of our good friends was actually playing in the game! Scott Wells, a former UT football player and Brentwood Academy alum, is the starting Center for the Green Bay Packers. It was so neat to watch NFL's biggest game of the year while rooting for a close friend when we'd watched so many on TV with Scott and his wife Julie. We've all been friends since college when Eric and Scott met as freshman when Eric became a manager on the team. Eric bought the boys matching Green Bay shirts and it was nice to be able to watch the game in peace since the boys were both asleep by halftime :) The first thing Eric said after the game was, "I can't wait to try on Scott's Super Bowl ring!"

Noah's Super Grover 3rd Birthday Party

2011-02-05T22:09:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Noah's birthday a little early with a "super" birthday party with some friends and family. The theme was "Super Grover" -- Noah's first beloved super hero. It's been so sweet to watch his attachment to Super Grover / Grover over the past year as well as see his imagination at its best.

We had Super Grover paraphernalia scattered all over the house for the party, almost like a mini-museum exhibit of all of the SG items we've collected in the past year. Noah wore one of his Super Grover shirts, and Tyra even ordered one to wear for the occasion.

It was so much fun to see Noah playing with all of his friends. He's so social as it is, but seeing him in his element surrounded by his buddies was awesome. I think they all must have run about a mile around our downstairs the first 20 minutes they were there.

When things settled down, we enjoyed snacks, Super Grover blue kool-aid and juice boxes, and a Super Grover cake. Noah actually didn't eat much of it, probably because he'd been snacking all morning and playing a lot.

Present time was a lot of fun, and Noah was genuinely excited about all of his gifts...some Toy Story things (his new favorite), Super Why games, an awesome plasma riding car, and lots of other cool gifts.

Super Grover greeted guests as they entered the party.

Mommy made sugar cookies and decorated them with the number 3!

Grover fiercely guarding his Grover fruit bars.

Grover coloring books for the kids to use.

Can you tell our theme was all blue? Grover juice boxes, blue truffles, blue suckers, blue Gatorade and decor :)

Super Grover must have decided to take a nap and left his cape and helmet on our stairs.

The birthday boy with his silly daddy and brother.

Noah loved my Super Grover tee.

Party favors -- blue bubbles, blue air heads, blue stickers and a blue sucker

Here's Super Grover in his Super Grover-mobile ready to take off from the airport!

Cool balloons Gigi found on Ebay. All of Noah's friends took a balloon home.

Grover thanking Noah's guests for coming to the party.

To view all of the pictures from his party, click HERE.

Asleep in the high chair

2011-02-02T10:00:00.000-05:00

This is how Brenton chose to start the first day of February...falling asleep in his high chair at school after lunch! His teacher took this photo of him and texted it to me so that's why it's a bit dark. So much has happened since Christmas so we can't wait to update the blog with the latest news, milestones and pictures :)

Potty Training Boot Camp

2011-01-30T10:05:00.000-05:00

We're happy to say that we "broke on through to the other side!" Noah is potty trained, and we are darn proud of him!

On Jan. 21, we kicked off Potty Training Boot Camp at the Haag house. Here's a breakdown of how the weekend went:

Day 1: Friday, Jan. 21 - Tyra was at home with the boys and kept Noah in big boy underwear all day. He had four pee accidents and didn't really want to sit on the potty each time he was asked. It got pretty frustrating because he KNEW when he needed to go, but just wouldn't.

Day 2: Saturday, Jan. 22 - Tyra decided to make the whole experience a game to deflect the request of mommy and daddy telling Noah to go potty to a cool beeping timer that tells Noah when to go instead. She took our Kitchen Aid timer and set it to go off every 1.5 to 2 hours. We told Noah it was the "pee pee timer" and every time it went off, it meant he had to go potty. We allowed him to press the button and help re-set the clock. After a while, he'd hear the beep and go, "It's pee pee time!" On the flip side, whenever the oven, microwave or anything else in our house beeped, Noah would say, "It's pee pee time!" HAHA! We unknowingly had our own little Pavlov's Dog experiment in our own house!

Day 3: Sunday, Jan. 23 - Needless to say this whole "pee pee timer" idea worked like a charm. Noah really got into going potty. We made a big deal out of it too, like he'd won the Heisman or something -- lots of singing, clapping, dancing and praise for our little guy.

Day 4: This was Noah's first day at school in big boy underwear. He did great and had no accidents.

It's been almost two weeks now since he's been potty trained and other than some hesitation to have BM's in the potty, it's been a breeze. Of course, the best part is not having to buy diapers for him anymore! He does wear pull-ups at night, but we don't call them that. We call them his "nighttime underwear" so that he doesn't think he's wearing a diaper still. Going to underwear for 11-12 hours of sleep at night is a little much to ask, so we're not pushing Noah to wear big boy undewear until he's ready.

Let it snow!

2011-01-12T10:02:00.001-05:00

2011 has gotten off to a snowy start! We've had so much snow and Noah really enjoys playing in it.

Sledding with daddy

Don't think that smile could have gotten any bigger!

Our side yard looked like a winter wonderland!

Making snow angels

Where's Waldo?

I don't think Brenton could have been any more bundled up!

Poor thing looks like a tick about to pop!

Christmas with TWO boys!

2010-12-31T10:00:00.002-05:00

Christmas with two boys was so much fun this year! Here's a glimpse of what we were up to:

Dec. 23 -- the boys got to celebrate Christmas a little early with Gigi, Papa Dave and Maggie.

Dec. 24 -- Here's Noah after we got home from the Christmas Eve children's service at church. He was mad at us because he didn't want to take a picture! He looked awfully cute in that sweater vest from Uncle Greg and Aunt Susan though! After a few photos, we made hot chocolate, got in the car and drove around some local neighborhoods to look at Christmas lights.

'Lil Haag with Daddy Haag

Noah was finally coaxed into taking a picture when we said we could tackle each other! Boys will be boys right?

Dec. 25 - Christmas morning has finally arrived! By the way, those cute, oversized ornaments from Pottery Barn that Eric so creatively hung on the railing quickly became sports equipment for Noah to slap each trip up and down the stairs!

This moment, we'll never forget. After we came downstairs, Noah immediately saw that Santa had left a few cookie crumbs and didn't drink all of his milk, so Noah helped himself!

Since we didn't want the boys to see their Santa gifts before opening stockings in the den, we hung this quilt up to block their view.

Noah has always loved his miniature toy figures, so Santa left some Sesame Street and Super Why friends in his stocking.

Mommy insisted on the matching PJs :)

Noah's big gift was a train table, trains and tracks. He played there most of the day and loved saying, "Choo, choo!"

Brenton enjoyed his goodies too.

"Brenton's First Christmas" - super cute jammies from Gigi. Noah had a pair on his first Christmas too.

Dec. 26 - We drove to Hendersonville and the boys got to celebrate Christmas again at JenMommy's house!

We got to visit our great friends, the Leas, in Nashville. Noah and Emery always have fun and play really well together.

Thomas the Train PJ buddies

This was as close to a good picture with Santa we could get. Noah was pretty scared and had no desire to even sit next to him. He finally warmed up to him with the help of a sugar cookie.

Brenton's first picture with Santa at Smart Toys and Books -- best toy store around!

It was such a blessing to see friends and family during our brief trip to Hendersonville. It's never long enough though because we always feel like we're rushing from one place to the next. I guess that's how it is for everyone who is visiting out-of-town family! We really love being in Knoxville, but really wish we could see our family and friends more often.

Merry Christmas!!

2010-12-25T00:00:00.011-05:00

From our family to yours...MERRY CHRISTMAS! May God bless you today with the joy of knowing that Christ is born! How blessed we all are!

Holiday Express at UT Gardens

2010-12-21T16:06:00.000-05:00

On Sunday, Dec. 19, Noah and I had a mommy/son day at the Holiday Express at UT Gardens. We had such a great time and Noah was in awe of the model trains zipping by. It took nine men and seven days to put it all together. Parts of the city were replicas of historic Knoxville. The toughest part was reminding him to not touch the trains. One kid accidentally derailed a train, but the owner was so nice about it and said, "That's just part of it." After watching the trains, Noah made magic reindeer food, got a candy cane from Santa and warmed up next to a fire pit in the gardens. We'll definitely be back next year!

I thought this sign was kind of funny.

We've also had a great start to winter! The snow and chilly temps have been welcome...the ice, not so much since schools were out for three days.

I love to watch the relationship between Noah and Brenton. Noah is Brenton's favorite thing to watch. He makes him smile (and sometimes cry when he gets too rough), but for the most part they love each other dearly. When Brenton wakes up in the morning, Noah always asks to hold him. Here they are relaxing on the couch together.

Noah is always concerned about Brenton -- his whereabouts, needs, etc. When Brenton cries, Noah will say, "It's okay, brother. No need to cry" or will start singing him the Barney song. You know, the one that goes, "I love you, you love me. We're a happy family with a great big hug and a kiss from me to you, won't you say you love me too?" It actually quiets Brenton down (usually) if he does get fussy which is pretty rare. I sang that song a lot to Noah before naps and bedtime when I was pregnant with Brenton, so maybe that's why he likes it so much. All I can say is that I'm quite content in a house full of boys!

Halloween Weekend

2010-12-21T15:44:00.000-05:00

Whoops! Here's a post we meant to publish, but forgot to...The boys had a big Halloween weekend. Noah's went to his first birthday party at The Little Gym for his friend Ella Kate's 3rd birthday. He wasn't sure what to think at first, but loved it after he realized he could climb, jump and pull up on just about anything.

Noah got in Brenton's bouncer and said, "I'm Brenton." Too sweet.

Noah tasted s'mores for the first time and didn't get as messy as I thought he would. After s'mores, we watched "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" or "Punkin' Movie" as Noah calls it. He's officially a huge Charlie Brown fan now.

And here's our little monkey, Brenton, and alligator, Noah.

Some former neighbors stopped by before we went Trick or Treating. Noah misses his buddy Caroline being across the street.

One of our neighbors really gets into holidays. Noah loved his yard the best.

Christmas Card 2011...where there's a will, there's a way!

2010-12-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

Well, it's December 14th, and we still haven't chosen/taken our Christmas card photo. Life has been busy, but procrastination is no excuse. So, we hope to get them ordered from Shutterfly this week and mailed out sometime soon.

Pop quiz...The tricky part is _____________:
a) trying to put cute outfits on both boys, keep their shirts tucked in, and have no spills before the photo
b) trying to get the boys to stay still, smile, and look at the camera at the same time
c) trying to pry Noah away from his new favorite movie, "The Polar Express," long enough to snap a photo
d) All of the above

Shutterfly has a great deal going on right now too, where you get 50 Free Cards for blogging about their holiday line of products, hence this 30 second infomercial! They have a great selection of Christmas Photo Cards, Personalized Calendars, and many other cool products to send to family & friends.

Santa Visit

2010-12-07T09:26:00.001-05:00

This year, instead of taking the boys to the mall to sit on Santa's lap, we scheduled a time to visit Santa at Smart Toys & Books, an awesome toy store in town. Noah loves that store, and they let you play with everything, including a full Thomas the Train table/train track set, which he loves.

They had a small room set up with cookies, coffee, juice, and they had a tv/dvd player showing "Ruldoph the Red Nosed Reindeer"to add to the festiveness. It really was a cool set-up.

Noah was a little shy about sitting on Santa's lap at first, but finally warmed up to the idea. Brenton went right to him and was a little handsome charmer, as usual! Here are a few photos that the photographer took on Sunday.

Homecoming Parade and Brotherly Love

2010-11-22T14:29:00.000-05:00

It's been a fast November for us, and it's crazy to think that December is almost here. Here are some pictures from this month. Noah and Brenton are the best of buddies, and Noah always keeps Brenton entertained with his songs and antics. It will be so much fun to see this continue for years and years to come...

Sitting up

Best buddies

Noah got into the candle drawer

Is there a problem?!

UT Homecoming Parade

Little Davy Crockett

Coonskin hat + Cheeks = Hit of the parade!

There is a funny story behind this photo...As we walked past the cheerleaders to take our place in the parade, Head Cheer Coach Joy Postell-Gee spotted Brenton and thought he was the cutest thing ever in his coonskin hat. She wanted to get a pic of the boys with the squad and asked Noah to put his sucker down. He refused, so Eric took it from him. Bad move. Joy rushed to console Noah and give the sucker back. Then Noah wouldn't settle down, so we jumped in the picture too.

More Fall Fun

2010-11-10T16:34:00.000-05:00

Howdy partner!

Tailgating before the UT/Bama game

Believe it or not we allowed BAMA fans to infiltrate our tailgate! Gary and his son Brycen (who shares Brenton's birthday actually) drove up for the game. Let's just say the first half was way more enjoyable than the second!

Here are some "Ritzy Bitzy Spiders" I made for Noah's Halloween party at school.

The boys got to "dress up" that day, but couldn't wear their actual costumes. Noah wore a cute tee that said "The Creature from Next Door" and his cape (of course!) Brenton wore overalls and a pumpkin onesie.

After school, we had pizza for dinner and then took them to the Friends and Family night for a new frozen yogurt place called Sweet CeCe's. We sampled just about everything and loved that it was free :) Noah had strawberry froyo with a little hot fudge. We know Sweet CeCe's will do really well and look forward to more family froyo nights!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-11-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

Every October we look forward to our annual trip to the Oakes Farm Pumpkin Patch. There is so much to do and the 40 minute drive to get there is beautiful! It was a bit hotter than we anticipated, but we had a blast. Noah was covered in dirt, sand and hay by the time we left. I think he went down the slide about 30 times. The boys enjoyed the hayride to the pumpkin patch too. When we arrived, Noah would pick up the biggest pumpkins and say, "I'm big and strong!" He ran around like crazy among all the pumpkins and thought the small ones were really cute.

Playing at Smart Toys and Books

2010-11-10T15:26:00.000-05:00

We are so fortunate to have such a fantastic toy store like Smart Toys and Books in Knoxville. They offer tons of kid-friendly activities throughout the week like Thomas Play Dates, Mommy and Me art classes, music classes, storytellers, etc. A few weeks ago, I took Noah to the Mommy and Me art class. We sponge painted fall leaves on different papers. Noah could hardly make it through the class though because all he wanted to do was play in the store. That's another great aspect of the store because kids can play with so much of what the store offers. There's a slide, mini trampoline and of course a huge Thomas the Train play set. Noah could've played in the store all day I think. He loved the train set...just a mere $600! Anyway, we left with a Thomas floor puzzle instead :) Here he is playing with the miniature sand boxes and Thomas the Train set.

Later that night our great friends from Nashville came up -- Lewis (or Lewie as Noah calls him), Mary and their son Emery who is just 4 months younger than Noah. Here they are pretending to be super heroes flying around in their capes. They had such a great time and played really well together.

Meeting cousin Haley

2010-11-10T15:02:00.000-05:00

The second weekend in October was a special one because the boys got to meet their second cousin, Haley. She is SUPER cute and just 10 months old. Noah loved playing with her, but got a bit rough at times. Eric's cousin Megan, her little girl Haley, and Aunt Susan drove up for the night. We had pizza and loved catching up with everyone.

Later that night, Noah played with his Thomas the Train "Figure 8 Coal" set. He loves playing with it. There is so much to learn about trains! There are three varieties of Thomas toys --Wooden Railways series, Take 'n Play and something else...anyway, it's been a learning curve for Eric and me since neither of us played with trains when we were growing up.

Here he is filling up the train with coal. He's good about putting the track pieces together too.

And here's sweet B one morning before heading to school. He looks quite grown up in this pseudo-tie!

Hot Air Balloon Festival and Fall Fun

2010-10-08T10:15:00.001-04:00

We took the boys to the annual Knoxville Hot Air Balloon Festival in Hardin Valley last weekend and had a great time. Noah loved the balloons, and enjoyed feeding the ducks in the nearby pond and seeing a dog-show, where the dogs did tricks like running obstacle courses and catching frisbies.

The weather is finally starting to turn cooler, and we're looking forward to some chilly fall weather.

Brenton is doing awesome. He is growing well and has started eating rice cereal now. He does pretty well with it and keeps most of it in his mouth and not on his face or shirt. He is a smiling machine and likes to laugh a lot. He loves being entertained by Noah, who continues to be a great big brother. Brenton weighs a little bit less than Noah did at this age, but he's taller, so some of Noah's clothes fit a little bit shorter on him. he loves to be held a lot, but is now enjoying playing in his exersaucer and play mat for a few minutes at a time. He is also good at dodging stuffed animals that Noah may be tossing around the house.

Noah is learning more and more in his new class at school. He always comes home with new songs to sing and new prayers to say. It's always so neat to hear him bust them out at unexpected times. His imagination is growing more and more and he really enjoys pretending with his many Grover dolls. He is still very much in the "super hero" phase and is hooked on Super Grover and Super Why. If you haven't seen Super Why before, we encourage you to check it out. It has really helped supplement what he's learned about letters and numbers at school in a fun and interactive way. Here are some more tidbits on our always energetic, strong willed, and rough and tumble 2 1/2 year old...

Favorite foods: Pop-Tarts, Cereal Bars (only the Apple/Cinnamon flavor), pizza, fruit snacks, Chick Fil-A nuggets, Rice Krispies, Cheese, and sandwiches. He's not the best dinner eater, but eats his other meals really well. He is losing most of his baby fat and is looking more and more like a little boy instead of a toddler, which is bittersweet.

Favorite Shows: Sesame Street, Super Why, Thomas the Train, and Tom and Jerry. We really have to limit the Tom and Jerry, as it's pretty violent for his age. He thinks the cat's name is "Tom and Jerry" so he often refers to it as "Tom & Jerry and the mouse."

Other fun facts: He is always very proud to wear his "Rocky Top" (orange UT) football jersey and Peyton Manning jersey. He loves to pretend he's going to work and grabs one of our coffee mugs and a bag and says "I go to work...." leaves the room then returns and exclaims "Noah's home"...it's funny! He is good about memorizing songs and enjoys listening to the Roger Day kid's cd in his bedroom. He loves putting on his super hero cape and pretending to fly around the house. He's is still a VERY early riser...5:45 am wake-ups almost every day. Sometimes a little later if we're lucky, and earlier if we're not.

Here are some recent photos from the past few weeks:

Noah loves swinging on the back deck

Gabi decided to come cuddle with Brenton

First bites of rice cereal

Eating a picnic dinner at the Balloon Festival

Loved feeding the ducks

Noah and Addie loved the balloons

Noah took over the exersaucer and loved playing with it more than B

Labor Day Weekend & Brenton's Baptism

2010-09-06T20:48:00.000-04:00

September 4, 2010: The annual "Daddy - Son" helmet pic in honor of the Vols season opener.

Neyland Stadium looked awesome with the new brick facade. It was definitely time for a make-over! The Vols opened the '10 season against UT-Martin and totally beat up on "little brother" with a 50-0 shut-out win!

On Sunday, Sept. 5, Brenton was baptized at Cedar Springs Presbyterian Church by Pastor John Wood. He and Noah were fantastic during the service. Noah loved sitting in church with us and listening to the choir and band. When Pastor Wood took Brenton from Eric's arms, Noah turned to us and said, "Hey, that's Daddy's!" What a funny moment! He's so protective of his little brother. After the baptism, Eric took Noah to his classroom since we knew he'd never make it through the sermon :) While walking down the hallway, Noah kept turning back to the sanctuary saying, "By songs!" and pointing his finger in the air like he was keeping in tune with music.

Here's Grand Don, Aunt Alyssa, Gigi, Noah, Eric, Tyra, JenMommy and Uncle Andrew after the service in front of a beautiful magnolia tree - the same tree we stood in front of after Noah's baptism on May 4, 2008.

This is the same blanket Noah had on the day he was baptized. It's a beautiful handmade blue and white blanket that we'll pass on in our family for years to come!

End of Summer Wrap-Up

2010-09-02T14:13:00.001-04:00

On July 12, I went back to work after an 8-week maternity leave. Eric took this photo before I headed out the door to take the boys to school. We did the same thing with Noah after my return to work when he was 16 weeks old. I honestly thought I'd be fine dropping Brenton off on his first day because Noah's been attending the same school for a year now and I'd gotten to know all the teachers really well. Boy was I wrong! When we got to school, I took Noah to his class first and then headed to the nursery. I'd brought all Brenton needed the week before, so all I had to do was give him to his teacher, Miss Sherri. Well, I started to cry before I even handed him off! She was so sweet and said I could call or text her as much as I wanted to. Sherri sent me a text picture of Brenton later that morning and said he was having a great day so far. Since then, B's been doing great and as of this week, is no longer the youngest in his class because a 6-week-old boy is in there with him now.

Here's a picture of the boys playing together on the floor. They were both hamming it up for the camera! At the end of July, we went to my 10-year high school reunion. We went to Eric's 10-year reunion last year, but this time around I had to plan it. It was a great weekend and I loved catching up with everyone, but I'm not going to lie...it's been tough planning it for the past year and taken up a lot of time, especially with a newborn! Eric was a huge help and my committee was great. If you want to see more pictures and read a re-cap, visit http://hendersonvilleclassof2000.blogspot.com/. We had a blast and loved seeing everyone.

We had a great time for Alyssa's 26th birthday, too. Mom a.k.a "Gigi" came up and we celebrated at Bayou Bay and goodies from The Cupcakery.

Brenton is definitely getting more animated lately...just check out this face!

Here's Jennifer (JenMommy) hanging out with the boys on a beautiful summer day. It's tough to try and get a good shot with both boys, but they did great here!

On August 7, we went over to Addie's house to celebrate her 3rd birthday party. Noah devoured a strawberry cupcake while Addie enjoyed the frosting of two cupcakes. They are hilarious to watch together. He loved playing with water balloons, water guns and with Addie in the kid pool. As soon as Noah arrived, Addie grabbed his hand to show him around...she just melts my heart!

On August 18, the boys started the first day of the 2010-2011 school year. Noah was promoted to the older 2s class and we love his new teachers. He's been much more interested in going potty lately, too. I meant to get a picture of the two of them together July 12 on Brenton's first day, but just couldn't get my act together that morning! It can be hectic dropping them off and picking them up at times with bags, bottles, blankies, Noah's lunch, etc, but I love giving them kisses goodbye and seeing them first thing after work. Noah is a big help, too. For the first week though when he and Brenton started going together, Noah wanted me to carry him while having to carry Brenton in his carrier at the same time. Needless to say, my arms got a nice work out for a few weeks. Now, Noah runs to the front door carrying the security card and lets us in the front door.

On August 22, Brenton and I went to AOII Bid Day. Of course he had to wear red! It was great to catch up with the girls and show him off as he flirted with over a hundred cute college girls :) Noah stayed home and napped while Eric got some time in on the PS3.

There's a cute story behind this photo. Brenton was in his crib having tummy time and playing with some toys. Noah was standing on the side of them crib watching him when I grabbed the camera and took some pictures of Brenton playing. I kept telling him to "say cheese!" Well, after a few shots of Brenton, Noah looked at me and said, "I say cheese, too!" and tilted his head to pose. We love these little guys so much!

Eric's been super busy with work events lately and went to a conference in mid-August at Ole Miss. He ate some great food and got to hear Archie Manning speak. We're so excited for football season to be here and can't wait to cheer on the Vols this Saturday as they take on UT-Martin!

4th of July weekend

2010-07-06T14:07:00.000-04:00

We had such a fun and relaxing 4th of July weekend. It started off with a visit from our great Cincinnati friends Michael and Emily Munoz, who brought their two boys over to play. We had breakfast together, watched the boys play and spent time catching up with each other -- not to mention swapping parenting stories and advice!

Later in the day, we took the boys on their very first train ride on the Three Rivers Rambler. It was a quick trip around the downtown area. Noah's gotten into trains over the past year and loves to say "choo-choo" whenever he sees a train or hears one nearby. The train conductor gave Noah a pretend ticket and even punched it for him. He also gave him some Thomas the Train stickers. He didn't let go of either the entire trip and was very well-behaved. Brenton slept the entire trip and we managed to get a family photo, too. That same day, we went to a cook-out at one of Eric's co-worker's home. We took the boys and wondered how Noah would do since it started at 7 and he's usually asleep by 8 p.m. To our surprise, he was perfectly fine and had such a great time. He even stayed awake the whole ride home (they live 30 minutes from us) and loved looking for the moon outside his car window.

On the 4th, we relaxed outside and spent some great quality time together as a family. We got Noah a slip 'n slide and grilled out. There was such a nice breeze that Brenton got to nap outside while the rest of us played in the water. This is the same onesie Noah wore on his first 4th of July. Noah's former school made the nursery kids onesies that said, "My first 4th of July." Of course it was a little baggy on B, but he looked quite cute anyway!

Noah LOVED the slip 'n slide...almost as much as Eric :) Here are some photos of our little camera ham!

A Jumpin' June

2010-07-03T13:19:00.001-04:00

Summertime in the Haag household has truly flown by. Brenton is 7 weeks old now and Noah seems to be getting "older" by the day. We've spent lots of time outside (on the deck mainly) and being together as a family. Eric recently turned this cardboard box into a fort for Noah. He loves to take his Sesame Street "friends" into it and play, put on puppet shows or sing. Super Grover is still VERY much his go-to pal of choice though. Gigi came up from Florida to help out the first week of June and spolied us with home cooked meals, cleaning and watching the boys. Aunt Susie (ZaZa) and Uncle Steve came to vist on June 3 after a fun weekend in Pigeon Forge riding motorcycles.

Grand Don turned 66 on June 18, so he drove up and spent some good time with the boys. Noah and I made him chocolate chip cookies. Noah loved to help by counting the cups of flour, scraping down the bowl and most importantly tasting the batter :)

Father's Day was extra special this year with the addition of our sweet new son. It was a great day spent at church, watching golf and relaxing around the house. Last week, the Chapmans came over to meet Brenton and play with Noah. They used to live across the street, but moved last summer. Noah ADORES Caroline and Coleman.

We also tested out our new double stroller. Noah loves going for walks around the neighborhood or at the mall and feels like such a big boy riding up front. Sometimes he likes to pretend he's flying.

Since Brenton's arrival, Noah has been quite motherly lately. Yesterday, he asked me for a diaper for Grover, put Grover down for a nap and carried him around in the baby carrier. Today, he borrowed Brenton's paci and blanket and put Grover in his bouncer to take a nap.

Brenton and I went to an engagement party for our friends Katie and Nathan. Eric had to work and Noah was at our house with JenMommy. She also came up to help out the last week of June. It was great having our moms come up at different times in June so that we had an extra set of hands with the boys -- something we're always thankful for. As you can see, Brenton decided to work on his tan during the party. Eric is a groomsman in the soon-to-be newlyweds' ceremony in August and we couldn't be happier for them!

Here's Brenton getting to meet Aunt Holly and Uncle Lakon. Noah had a blast with his cool older cousins Aidan and Dylan. He was a wild man, too -- either bossing them around or trying to keep up with them.

On June 27, Eric got to feed Brenton a bottle for the first time. Grandmommie Penny also helped out. Lots of family got to spend good time with the boys, too. Uncle Tim, Aunt Christine, cousin Crystal and her husband Greg, along with Aunt Amy, Uncle Guy, cousins Leah and Benjamin, Momette and cousin Karen. We are so blessed to have such great family and friends that love us and love our boys because we certainly love them!

And last, but not least, Eric and I went to one of the best birthday parties -- an 80s theme 30th birthday celebration for our friend Julie. In college, Julie, her husband Scott, Eric and I would go to 80s cover band concerts. A few years ago, Julie said she was going to have a big 80s party for her 30th. We were so glad we could go and had so much fun. The decor was perfect, but Eric's costume was my favorite part!

Our Entertainment

2010-06-21T09:57:00.000-04:00

Noah has really started turning into a showman, most recently putting on mini-concerts for us, singing his favorite songs and also acting out Sesame Street episodes with his many Sesame Street stuffed animals, especially Grover. He'll mimic what the characters are doing on TV and have his stuffed animals do the same. Since he's into "Super Grover" so much, almost everything in our house can be labeled as "Super ____", such as Super Soap, Super Crocs (shoes), Super Blankie, etc...Here is a brief snippet of him singing the "I Love You" song (from Barney) that I shot on my phone. We got a great 7 minutes worth of video from one of his recent concerts, and we'll try to post that one soon so that you can hear such classics as Rocky Top, Jesus Loves Me, and the Buzzing Bees song.

4 week check-up

2010-06-15T12:41:00.000-04:00

Brenton had a great check-up today! Weight: 10 lbs. 6 oz. (62nd percentile -- up from 8 lbs. 13 oz. at 2 weeks). Length: 22 1/2 in. (79th percentile)

Happy one-month birthday to Brenton

2010-06-13T14:49:00.000-04:00

Our little man is one month old today!

The boys

2010-06-12T21:31:00.001-04:00

Noah had a great time with Eric while he was home for the first two week's after Brenton's birth. They got to spend lots of quality time together. Here are some photos of their trip to World's Fair Park for the Knoxville Children's Festival of Reading. Noah loved the storytellers and watching a superhero parade. He came home with a tattoo and superhero cape :)

Above is a picture of Brenton at just 12 days old. He's wearing a TN outfit for the first time, so we had to document it! He's such a good baby and is just as content as he can be, except for when he's hungry, tired or gassy :) Noah still loves to give him lots of kisses and hugs, but we constantly have to remind him to "be gentle" and "use your inside voice."

The other day, Noah napped on the couch. He rarely falls asleep on the couch and if he does, we'll pick him up and put him in his bed. This time, I decided to let him sleep on the couch. When he woke up, he had a look on his face like, "What just happened?" Noah's also into being a "helper" lately. Last weekend, he "helped" Eric with yard work and likes for us to tell him "Great job!"

I can't believe Brenton will be one month old tomorrow. It has certainly been a big adjustment having two boys, but it's the best life we could ever ask for. We still haven't posted Brenton's birth story and will do so tomorrow, along with his one month picture.

Comparison Pictures

2010-05-23T17:11:00.004-04:00

See any resemblances? (same outfits/ages)....

Noah...

Brenton...

Noah on the way home from the hospital...

Brenton on the way home from the hospital...

Sunday Funday

2010-05-23T16:50:00.005-04:00

With the hot weather this weekend, we brought out Noah's little pool for him to splash around in. After the pool fun, he came inside and went pee-pee in the potty for the first time ever! Party time!

Brenton has been an absolute joy so far...and has been a nearly perfect baby. He sleeps so well, rarely gets fussy, and is eating like a Haag. Noah adores him and can't stop giving him hugs and kisses.

Here are some pictures from the afternoon fun...

Happy Sunday! I'm 10 days old already

2010-05-23T13:39:00.002-04:00

Brenton Russell Haag!

2010-05-14T14:25:00.006-04:00

Praise God from who all blessings flow! Brenton was born on May 13th at 6:13 p.m., weighing in at 8 lbs, 4oz and 21 1/2 inches long. He and Tyra are doing great, and we are overjoyed with having a new son. He looks like Noah we think. Noah and Brenton met each other for the fitst time this morning, and Noah gave him lots of hugs, kisses, and love...along with leaving some cookie crumbs in Brenton's hair after he left.

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers. We will post more details about the delivery and more pictures soon. Until then, here are a few...

A Week of Mother's Day Surprises

2010-05-10T10:04:00.010-04:00

Not only was yesterday a special day, but ever since last Monday Eric has surprised me with a "Mother's Day Week" of treats everyday since then. Our six year anniversary is this Saturday, May 15. It's quite possible we'll be celebrating our anniversary in the hospital, so Eric made Mother's Day even bigger this year.

On Monday, he surprised me with our favorite treat from Newton Farms in Seabrook Island -- homemade cinnamon rolls with buttercream icing! I was totally shocked. Normally at this time of year, we're headed to the beach to celebrate our anniversary, but baby Brenton had other plans in mind :) One of Eric's co-workers was going to Seabrook Island for a retreat, so Eric placed an order for a dozen cinnamon rolls the day she was to head back to Knoxville (Sunday). She brought them to work last Monday and Eric surprised me with them later that night.

On Tuesday, Eric gave me the debut album for Court Yard Hounds (Emily Robinson and Martie Maguire -- the two sisters from the Dixie Chicks) and a decaf caramel frappachino from Starbucks.

On Wednesday, Eric gave me red roses and on Thursday, a book titled "Same Kind of Different as Me" (a New York Times best-seller). On Friday, we had movie night and I picked "Nine" for us to watch -- very good by the way.

Saturday morning was a special day, too. Eric packed a picnic lunch and we took Noah to UT Gardens -- one of our favorite places to go. This is where we took Noah the Saturday before my first day back at work from maternity leave. This weekend was our "last" as a family of three, so Eric wanted to do something special and capture some photos. The roses were in full bloom and smelled amazing. Our favorite was the "Fame" rose. Noah's favorite part was looking at the Koi fish and running around the gardens.

For Mother's Day, I woke up to the sweetest alarm clock -- Noah saying, "Happy Mother's Day" while Eric held a tray of breakfast, flowers and cards. Of course Noah wanted "a bite! a bite!" as soon as Eric gave me the tray :) Then Gabi wanted in on the action and begged for a few bites of her own! After breakfast, we left for church and then a yummy brunch. One of the best gifts I got was taking an hour and a half nap later that afternoon. For dinner we grilled out and Eric reminded me that I'd only had to cook dinner one day the entire week!

Noah is so blessed to have a daddy like Eric to show him what it means to be a great husband and father. I'm also blessed to be married to my best-friend!

Here's to celebrating all the wonderful women in our life!

The soon-to-be BIG brother

2010-05-06T18:37:00.003-04:00

I just love this picture of Noah. Eric took the photo on Easter Sunday after he asked us to put his "cape" on (a.k.a. his blankie). He loves to fly around the house pretending to be Super Grover or Super Noah. He looks like such a little man in this photo, too. He was wearing a white linen dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and light blue linen pants. I catch glimpses of him and think he looks just like a baby again, or Eric or me, but mainly he looks like himself--a handsome little blue-eyed heartbreaker.

As for Brenton, my 39-week appointment was today. Everything was great (heart beat, blood pressure, measurements, etc) and I'm almost 3 cm dilated! The plan is to go back to the doctor on Monday, get checked and set me up to be admitted next Wednesday morning...that is unless Baby B (as Noah calls him) decides to come on his own. I was kinda hoping to be admitted on Monday (5/10/10), but my doc is out until 5/12/10 (Brenton's actual due date).

Happy Day :)

Baby Showers

2010-04-30T10:33:00.003-04:00

We've been blessed to have had three awesome baby showers for Brenton, hosted by some of the best friends anyone could ask for.

Our friends Kelley and Donna hosted a "girls shower" for Tyra at Cafe 4 on Market square in Knoxville a few weeks ago. We got some great gifts, and all the guests enjoyed the yummy cupcakes and coffee.

Tyra's office threw her a "surprise" shower earlier this month. Unfortunately, Noah wasn't feeling well that day, so Eric stayed home with him. Even though he missed the party, Noah certainly enjoyed eating the leftover cake Tyra brought home.

Earlier this week, my office threw us a shower as well. I was surprised by a visit from Tyra and Noah at work, since I thought she'd be unable to come. We got some great gifts and ate some really good food, made by my co-workers at UT.

Here are a few photos from the UT Baby Shower...

Easter Egg Hunt at UT Gardens & Easter Sunday

2010-04-13T15:23:00.009-04:00

The day before Easter we took Noah to UT Gardens. He got to meet the Easter bunny, make "bunny ears" and mix some "Magic Easter Mulch" (oats, shredded carrots and sprinkles) to scatter around our yard. He wasn't sure of the big Easter bunny at first, but was willing to give him a high-five. We walked around the beautiful gardens and took some cute photos. Each of the kids in Noah's age group were allowed to hunt up to six eggs. Here he is coloring bunny ears.

He could have spent the entire morning watching the Koi in this new rock garden memorial tribute.

Hippity, hoppity!

On Easter Sunday, we listened to our church's sermon online since Noah had been up and down during the night with second molar teething pain. You can listen to it here: http://www.cspc.net/sermons/. After church, Tyra made a yummy Easter brunch--Honeybaked ham, mashed potatoes and green peas, pineapple casserole, Sister Schubert rolls, raspberry tea and homemade carrot cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Grand Don drove up and got to spend some good time with us and Noah which was fun.

Good Friday at the Zoo

2010-04-13T15:02:00.010-04:00

We had such a fun (and busy) Easter weekend! On Good Friday, we took Noah to the Knoxville Zoo. We got there right as it opened, the weather was great and Noah was quite content in his stoller for a couple hours thanks to snacks, juice and a dum-dums ;) He loved seeing the penguins, turtles, camels and bobcats. He kept calling the bobcats "kitties" and desperately tried to get out of his stroller so he could get closer.
It was such a beautiful spring day to spend at the zoo.

Noah's face was priceless riding the carousel. He chose to ride the giraffe and was so proud to find where Eric was standing each time we passed him. Actually, he chose to ride a tiger and then changed his mind and wanted to ride the giraffe. After the ride was over, he asked me if he could ride again.

Playing "leap frog" in the Kids Cove area. This is where Noah got to see bunnies, turkeys and goats. Noah wasn't sure of the goats at first, but then loved them, brushed them and tried to go into their sleeping areas!

36 week appointment

2010-04-13T14:49:00.004-04:00

Today was our 36 week appointment. We had our last ultrasound to make sure Brenton was head down (which he is). He's also measuring at 6 lbs. 13 oz (79th percentile). This is just an estimate though. We think he will gain two more pounds and be right at 9 lbs. around delivery. We'll see soon enough!

This weekend, Eric installed Brenton's car seat in my car and hung his Pottery Barn Kids letters above his crib. I also had a great baby shower at Cafe 4 and Brenton got some awesome gifts. Also last week, my co-workers gave me a surprise baby shower. We're so blessed to be supported by such amazing family and friends!

Extra Ultrasound

2010-03-30T14:17:00.002-04:00

I went in this morning for my 34 week check-up and everything looked great (weight gain, blood pressure, etc.), but my belly was measuring at 32 weeks. This was the third appointment that I’ve measured smaller than my actual gestation stage. My doctor thought everything was probably okay, but wanted to do an ultrasound to scan Brenton's measurements just to be on the safe side. This was an unexpected surprise since I’m not scheduled to have another ultrasound until my 36 week appointment. Sure enough, Brenton measured great—64th percentile actually. The nurse measured his head, abdomen and femur to get an average of 5 lbs. 7 oz. (give or take a pound).

Brenton’s heart rate was in the 140s and the nurse found it immediately. He actually cooperated this time.

I've been having some cramping/contractions lately too. My doctor said that if I have 5-6 cramping episodes in one hour, to give him a call. For example, if I had 5-6 episodes tonight in one hour, he’d probably admit me, check me and give me something to stop the “contractions.” He said I’m in the home stretch and that 'Braxton Hicks" contractions are to be expected and probably something I’m noticing sooner with this pregnancy than I did with Noah.

I have three new photos to show Eric and Noah, which already show B’s chipmunk cheeks and full lips. We’re still on track and can’t believe we’ll have another little boy in the house so soon.

Market Square

2010-03-27T22:11:00.004-04:00

One of the best parts of Knoxville is hanging out on Market Square. We took Noah downtown after his nap. The weather was the best it's been all year. Noah had his first italian ice (pina colada), saw LOTS of cute dogs, people-watched, browsed some shops and had a yummy dinner at Downtown Grill and Brewery.

Big Boy Room

2010-03-27T09:32:00.013-04:00

This has certainly been a year of big transitions for Noah. On Jan. 6, he kicked the paci (cold-turkey), turned two, moved bedrooms and in just 6 weeks will be a big brother.

The paci ordeal turned out to be easier than we thought. It was the dread of making him give it up (and the potential consequences that might follow) that was actually worse. He gave it up at school last fall with no problems whatsoever. His teachers simply told him the "paci was all gone." Of course, when we tried that at home, he knew better and begged for it :) Our goal was to get him to drop it by his second birthday and we definitely didn't want him on a paci when Brenton gets here (although he may regress once he sees his new baby brother with one!) So, in January, we put him to bed one night without it. He cried for it and Eric gave in. The next night, we put him to bed without it and he cried for 30 minutes before falling asleep. Eric was about to give in again, but I kept saying, "just give it five more minutes." I said this several times ;) We kept our usual nighttime routine and told him that we gave his paci to Baby Jack (our friend's little boy) and several other babies. Those two nights were tough, but he's been great ever since. We'll even look through his baby book and he'll see pictures of himself with a paci and not think much about it at all.

For the past few months, we've been getting Noah's big boy room ready. We searched several places before deciding on furniture and bedding from Pottery Barn Kids. It was great to gradually change the guest bedroom into Noah's big boy room because it allowed us ample of time to "pump up" and play in his new big boy room before actually moving him into it. Here are a few pictures:

This is the same print that hung over Eric's bed when he was growing up called "Someday."

This frame contains vintage stationary my sister got us with the actual UT football gameday program covers from the early to mid 20th century.
Yep--that's a framed autograph of Eric Berry to Noah, courtesy of Uncle Drew. This bookshelf is in the corner of his room and was Eric's in college.
Reading Dr. Seuss' "Green Eggs and Ham" after bath time on his new sports bean bag. He LOVES Dr. Seuss!
What little boy's room would be complete without a basketball goal? His name was the last thing we took down in his nursery. The "All-Star" wall art came from Hobby Lobby.
Noah looked so little in his big boy bed. It reminded us of the first night home from the hospital when we put him in his crib. It was a sweet moment to see him in his new bed, and we can't believe he's at this stage of his life already!
Later today, we plan on going to Market Square to hang out, eat Italian Ice, window shop and listen to music. It's nice to have spring in the air!

Just 7 Weeks Away!

2010-03-20T13:31:00.002-04:00

On March 24, we'll officially be 33 weeks along. The due date is May 12, but depending on my appointments, I could potentially be induced as early as May 5. It's hard to imagine how life will be even more busy, tiring and yet completely new all over again. Double the work, worry and exhaustion, but definitely double the love and joy, more importantly.

We've really enjoyed being outside these last few days. Noah loves to run and says, "Ready, set, go!" when running around. The sidewalk chalk, mega bubbles, tricycle and popsicles on the deck have finally made their debut! Happy first day of spring!

Our Little Leprechaun

2010-03-20T13:26:00.003-04:00

Top 'o the mornin' to ya :)

Who needs a pot of gold when this little guy's in your life?

Singing "Elmo's World"

2010-02-26T09:24:00.001-05:00

A Fun-Filled February

2010-02-22T15:02:00.008-05:00

What a busy month February has been! I can't believe it's almost over. I also can't believe we're 29 weeks along with baby Brenton and that we'll get to meet him in just 11 weeks! Of course, Noah turned two and I must admit that I was a bit teary-eyed putting him to bed on his birthday. How could two years of his life already passed by? In the hospital, the nurses kept telling us how "alert" he was for a newborn and that they couldn't believe they got a picture of him with his eyes open for the nursery webpage. He certainly hasn't slowed down yet, either! Whether playing with blocks, flying around the house with a cape (aka his blankie) pretending to be Super Grover or asking us to dance (while shaking his fingers in the air), he keeps us busy, but more importantly so in love.

Eric's 29th birthday was relaxing and low-key. Noah and I picked up Fleming's for dinner. Eric's favorites are their Double Thick Apple Pork Chop and Fleming's Potatoes. Earlier in the day, Noah and I made homemade strawberry cupcakes with a strawberry cream cheese icing. I'm the chocolate lover in the relationship, but Eric loves just about anything strawberry. They turned out great, but the best part was seeing Noah get so excited about singing "Happy Birthday" and blowing out his daddy's birthday candle. Earlier that morning, I'd put a candle in Eric's cinnamon roll for breakfast which Noah thought was great, too.

On February 12, Eric and I attended the 2010 Evergreen Ball benefitting the Friends of the Smokies. Since I served on the planning committee, we got to go for free and enjoy a delicious meal, open bar and dancing (well, I enjoyed the ice water from the open bar anyway). We considered this our Valentine's Day date :) On the real V'Day, we went to brunch at one of our favorite spots and picked up dinner at P.F. Chang's (i.e. no cooking was done on our part!)

Noah also got to hang out with our former neighbor Caroline who came over one afternoon to keep him for a few hours and then had dinner with us. He is such a flirt and thinks the world of Caroline. Andrew, Thomas and Lauren came over for the Super Bowl, but we didn't take any pics. We were all rooting for the Colts of course, but at least it was a good game.

Over the weekend, we finally saw some sunshine and warmer temps. We played outside and spent time on our deck. I LOVE this picture of my boys!

Right now, we're in the process of finishing up Noah's "big boy" room. The furniture is arranged, artwork is on the walls and the window panels are hung. Now we just need to transfer his clothes and toys over before making the big switch. We've been talking it up quite a bit and he refers to his room as the "big boy room" or "big boy bed" so hopefully it will be a smooth transition. He handles change pretty well, but I'll be interested to see how he does with more "freedom." We'll post pictures once the room is finished.

Brenton....our shy guy?

2010-02-16T09:17:00.003-05:00

The 3D/4D ultrasound was great yesterday. It's amazing how precise the technology in these ultrasound machines is...and we were able to see Brenton snoozing away. He was sucking his thumb, yawning, and moving around a little.

Based on the first 29 weeks of this pregnancy, we both think that Brenton is more laid back than Noah, and that proved true again yesterday. In Noah's 3D ultrasound (click to see pictures), he was a wiggle worm, and seemed to follow the camera around to make sure his face was front and center. This has definitely carried over, as he's still on full-throttle all day every day.

Brenton seems to be a little more reserved and shy to this point. He seemed to want to move away from the sound of the ultrasound and kept nuzzling away. We saw some great profile views, and they look a little bit like Noah's ultrasound pics. (It's amazing to us how much Noah's 3D ultrasound pictures look like him!)

It's going to be fun to see if Brenton's personality carries over into his "out of the womb" life too, as it has with Noah.

Here are two of the better pictures we got...sorry they aren't very clear, I took them on my phone.

Laughing?

sleepy boy!

Playing House

2010-02-11T13:49:00.001-05:00

This cracked us up, especially the "THE END" at the end!

2 Years Old!

2010-02-09T08:55:00.005-05:00

At Chuck E. Cheese's on his "real" birthday on Sunday

He loved watching the show at Chuck E. Cheese

Caroline and "Super Grover"
He didn't let go of Grover for a long time!

Pausing for a quick picture

Elmo Cake

Counting

2010-01-05T13:02:00.003-05:00

It is so much fun to see Noah learn more and more. We're finding that he's got a great memory and lately, he's really starting to count higher and higher. It's just rare that he ever does it when we have our phones or camera out. Luckily, we were ready to catch this...(sorry it's so dark...it was late afternoon and we filmed it on our phone)

It's A Boy!

2009-12-22T08:31:00.004-05:00

We found out the great news yesterday that Baby #2 is a BOY!!! We are so excited! He's doing great and is growing and developing perfectly up to this point. It's hard to believe we're already halfway into this pregnancy, and it's so nice to finally know that this one is a "HE." We're excited, thankful, and blessed that we can look forward to a houseful of boys. Noah is going to love having a baby brother!

As for the name, I think we've decided on Peyton Manning Haag...kidding!

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

2009-12-11T15:07:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday morning, we woke up to a snow covered yard! Noah loved it and kept saying, "snow, snow!" He got to go exploring in the snow for a little while and we were able to snap some good pictures. He played in the snow a few times last year, but this year he was really able to walk around in it and enjoy it more. Hopefully we'll wake up to a snow covered yard a few more times this winter!

Sesame Street Live

2009-12-04T13:14:00.009-05:00

Talk about committed fans...Tyra and Noah drove 3 hours this morning to Nashville for Noah to see his very first (of many, I'm sure) "Sesame Street Live" show. I used to love going to these when I was little, so it's neat that Noah is getting to see it in the same place (Nashville's Municipal Auditorium) I used to go with my Mom.

Tyra and Noah met "JenMommy" this morning for the early show, and according to Tyra, he loved it!! They had front row tickets, so luckily Noah was able to stay seated in his stroller with the help of his trusty Paci and Blankie.

As for the 3 hour drive to Nashville to see the show...at the time we got the tickets, it was the closest show to us...only to find out (YESTERDAY!) that a different Sesame Street Live show is coming to Knoxville next month. Oh well! ha!

Here is some footage of the fun morning...

Waiting for the show to start. Being in the front row means room to explore and high-five's from lots of the characters since they parade around the front of the stage some during the show.

Noah was mesmerized most of the show, like he was concentrating hard on what he was watching. He normally only gets his paci and blankie during naps and bedtime, but car "long" trips are another story. Noah does fine during them, but we make sure he has a snack/juice and Elmo DVDs. Of course getting him to give them up after a trip is another story...

Eating a fruit strip before the show. They offered him some cotton candy, but he thought it was trash and tried to throw it away :)

It was nap time during the last part of the show and Noah was ready for bed! Luckily for Tyra, he slept for 1.5 hours during the trip back to Knoxville.

Bye bye Elmo and friends!

Noah and all of his "loot" after the show--a pennant, soccer ball and Elmo jacket.

Return to the Hermitage Hotel

2009-12-03T19:49:00.004-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving in Hendersonville. We were able to spend time with family and ate a lot of good food.

On the Friday night after Thanksgiving, Tyra and I were fortunate enough to have a "night away" for Tyra's birthday, which was on Saturday. It was the very 1st time we'd been away from Noah for a full night, believe it or not. (Thanks to GiGi and Aunt Susie for keeping him and JenMommy for keeping Gabi!)

We spent Friday night at the historic Hermitage Hotel in Nashville, where we stayed on our wedding night over 5 1/2 years ago. The hotel is amazing, and we enjoyed a great birthday dinner at their restaurant, the Capitol Grille. Everything at the hotel is so fancy and nice, so we relaxed, took a 2 hour nap on Friday, and took advantage of a full night's sleep without the sound of a baby monitor or an alarm clock...aka Noah's peeps!

Here are a few snapshots from our stay....we love the Hermitage Hotel!

Excited to be back!

This is a view of our hotel suite!!! (just kidding, it's the lobby)

At Capitol Grille for dinner (that's ice water, not wine in the pregnant wifey's glass!!)

The sign outside of the men's restroom...which was voted Best Public Restroom in the world!

And here it is in all its teal and black glory!

Halloween

2009-11-04T15:10:00.003-05:00

After a fun day on campus, it's Trick or Treating Time

Noah with the Eric Berry jersey

Hanging out on the Torchbearer statue

Big News and The Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-25T16:40:00.005-04:00

It's been a very busy month in the Haag house, hence the severe lack of blog updates. We will try to do better in updating it.

The big news, for those who haven't heard, is that Tyra is pregnant again! She is almost 12 weeks along, and the due date for baby#2 is May 12...3 days before our annivesary. We are very excited, and it's amazing how much faster this pregnancy has gone by already. Tyra is feeling good and once again, has been blessed to not have any bouts of morning sickness.

Other than all 3 of us having a cold/sinus infection/lingering sniffles for the past few weeks, we're doing well.

Noah has had a lot of fun this fall, and it's so neat to see him learn more and more literally by the day. He repeats almost everything we do and say. Last week at his preschool, they had a fall show where all of the kids performed for a senior citizens group. Noah's class sang a song called "Scarecrow, Scarecrow," and Noah was the only kid in the class to actually sing or do he "dance moves" to the song...he's a HAM already. He loves to sing and over the past few weeks has really started to memorize the words to songs and can fill in the blank of almost any of our "regular" sing-a-long songs. He's almost as proud of himself as we are of him when he does this.

Yesterday, before the TN/Bama football game, we all went back out to Oakes Farm/Corn Maze/Pumpkin Patch. It's out in Corryton, TN, just northeast of Knoxville. It's beautiful out there and with the cool windy weather, it was a perfect, scenic fall day. We took him there last year too , but this year he was able to have a lot more fun and do more of the kid's activities. He really enjoyed sitting on the tractor, the hayride, playing in the big tub of corn, and navigating through the kid's maze.

Here are some photos from the day:

Next weekend, we are looking forward to another home football game on Rocky Top. Since the game (vs. south Carolina) is being played on Halloween night, we are going to take Noah to campus with us and let him walk around and see the sites (Vol Walk, Band parade) before Tyra takes him home to trick or treat. It we be fun to see Noah's face when he sees all that orange on gameday. He loves Rocky Top and loves hearing the band, so he'll enjoy seeing them parade to the stadium.

New Foods, Bleu Cheese, and The Beatles

2009-09-24T15:03:00.000-04:00

Noah has had a fun start to the fall season. Last weekend was especially entertaining (for him and us). Uncle Andrew and Cousin Thomas let us borrow their Playstation 3 game "Rock Band - The Beatles edition."

Noah had a blast playing the instruments, especially the drums.

Last week, he also tried bleu cheese dressing for the first time, on a celery stick...and while the celery stick remained in tact, he couldn't get enough of the bleu cheese. He gladly offered Gabi a bite or two also (on a different celery stick!!).

For whatever reason, it seemed like Noah tried a bunch of new foods last weekend. Since it was the weekend of the TN/Florida football game, we continued our annual tradition of getting some grilled/blackened Gator meat from a local Cajun restaurant. Noah tried it, and loved it. He also devoured his 1st peanut butter and jelly sandwich too.

We'd been trying to wait until he was two to give him peanut butter, to stick with what the pediatricians recommend and b/c one of our nephews has a severe peanut allergy...but we gave in. By giving in, I mean I accidentally let him have some peanut butter/chocolate Chex Mix a few weeks ago, and since he didn't have any kind of allergic reaction, we figured we'd just let him go ahead and tackle his 1st PB&J...Noah was glad we did! He'd had some Chick Fil-a chicken (peanut oil) and things like that before though, so there was probably nothing to worry about all along.

Speaking of chicken, Noah helped me eat a few boneless chicken wings while we watched the TN/Florida game. And I was really proud of him, b/c he actually watched a lot of the game, and he gets so excited when he sees "Foot - Baaaaaw" on tv...which happens all the time in our house this time of year.

Noah also loves (and loves is putting it mildly) our neighborhood kids! Zach and Matthew, or "the boys" as Noah calls them, love to come over and play ball with Noah. They are so good with him, and he loves to watch them play ball outside in the cul-de-sac.