The Nobbe Family

A & R

2011-09-20T21:08:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to post a few pics to show what we have been up to. A started dance class this month. She seems to really like it and it is so fun to watch her. She pays attention most of the time but can occasionally get distracted. She will start preschool next month and was invited on an apple picking field trip with her class last week. I got to go with her and it was a lot of fun. We made two apple pies and apple dumplings with the apples that we picked. She turns 3 on the 23rd. For her birthday, we are redoing her bedroom. She has been so excited to see the new bed and furniture. Hopefully, everything is delivered by Friday. In other news, R is growing, growing, growing! We have his 2 month check up next week. He has been very smiley and he still loves to snuggle.

Ryan Charles

2011-08-19T14:54:00.003-05:00

He's here!! Ryan was born 7/27 at 2:17pm. He was 7 lb 7 oz (just like his big sister) and 20.25 inches long. We are enjoying him so much!!

World Aquarium

2011-07-01T09:46:00.003-05:00

We recently took Alayna to the World Aquarium at City Museum. I'd never been to the City Museum and had no idea they had an aquarium. Matt found a groupon for a private tour so we thought we would check it out. It was a fun morning and I think Alayna really enjoyed it. Alayna did not trust this bird.

Feeding the sea turtles.

Just a few random pics from home. Alayna was watching a butterfly land on the rock wall and I thought these were pretty cute.

In other news, I'm getting huge and Baby Boy still does not have a name. We are scheduled to meet him July 31, but sometimes I wonder if I will last that long. Time will tell....

Happy 4th to everyone!

Princess Party

2011-05-20T09:52:00.002-05:00

A few weekends ago, Alayna was invited to her cousin's birthday party. All the girls had their hair and make-up done and ran around in "Princess" dresses. Alayna was by far the youngest but she still had a good time.

Happy Easter!

2011-05-11T09:45:00.004-05:00

Alayna is at a difficult age for picture taking. She's just not interested, most of the time. So we do the best that we can with props, bribes, etc. She really enjoyed dying Easter Eggs this year and her Easter Egg hunt was a lot of fun too! Her Grandma and Grandpa Nobbe had 40 eggs for her to find!! This year she was the only "hunter" but next year she will have to share her loot with Baby Brother! :)

Super Exciting News

2011-03-24T13:51:00.004-05:00

We are expanding our family! Our second child is scheduled to arrive August 8th. I'm 20 weeks along and finally feeling better-had a rough 1st trimester (plus 4-6 weeks). We are very excited. Alayna does not quite understand what's going on but we talk about it with her and she usually votes for a sister, rather than a brother...guess she'll have to wait and see. Matt and I found out the gender yesterday but we haven't shared the "secret" with anyone (yet!) Here are a few pics of the "Big Sister" Cheers!

A loves to help in the kitchen...

...And brush her teeth...

...And play beauty shop with Uncle Adam...

...And make-up!

Lately, when we are headed out, she has to bring "Soft Baby," her purse, sunglasses, and occasionally, a calculator.

Catching Up Part II

2011-02-01T15:05:00.005-06:00

Now that it is February, I think I'll post a few Christmas pics.This one was going to be on our Christmas card...

but I never got to those either.

Always the center of attention.

A Christmas gift from Gramma and Papa Dotto

First time sledding.

Catching Up

2010-12-01T14:48:00.005-06:00

It's been a while since my last post so here are a few pics to show what we've been up to over the last few weeks.

Halloween (Alayna was a peacock)

We recently bought bikes and a kiddie trailer. These are from our bike ride and picnic in JB park.

In November, we went to Branson with my parents and sister for a long weekend. This is the three of us at the fire and water show. And then one of Alayna playing golf.

Happy Birthday Alayna!

2010-10-15T12:54:00.011-05:00

Alayna's 2nd birthday was 9/23 (same as my Moms). I took the day off and Mom came up to help us celebrate. We started out the morning by attending Library School where we met up with Alayna's Grandma Denise. Then we went to the park to play for a bit.

"The Birthday Girls"

Next, we had an early lunch and let Alayna take a quick nap before we went to Powder Valley Nature Center. It was a nice place to spend the afternoon. Aunt Laura and Aunt Kristin met us there too. There was a lot of stuff for Alayna to look at and we even took a short hike on a trial before we left.

Waking up:

This was a button that made a big stuffed black bear growl.

They had a large aquarium too. Alayna loved talking to the fish.

Coloring a picture before we left.

A birthday tractor ride with Daddy. What a fun day!!

Earrings

2010-09-24T10:14:00.004-05:00

No, I did not get Alayna's ears pierced (yet). Matt and I agreed that we wouldn't do that until she asked. She did show interest the other day when I was putting on earrings so we found some for her. They were quite a hit at a party we went to later that day.

Coming Soon: Pictures of the Birthday Girl!

Mmmm....Ice Cream!

2010-09-16T10:35:00.003-05:00

We really LOVE summer. And ice cream cones!

City Park

2010-09-07T14:07:00.006-05:00

Matt and I took Alayna to City Park a few weekends ago. Its a relatively new park in downtown STL with fountains and pop up jets. We had such a good time!! She started out a little shy but eventually we were chasing her all over the park. Alayna loves the "Watta Watta"!

More Mexico Pics

2010-08-13T15:57:00.008-05:00

Matt's mom gave me a CD of all of the pictures from our trip. Here are a few more of my faves:

Hola!

2010-07-30T21:42:00.007-05:00

We recently returned from a week of vacation in Puerta Vallarta. It was fantastic! Perfect weather. Beautiful resort and scenery. Super good food. Alayna was a doll!! We all enjoyed it so much. Our schedule consisted mostly of relaxing, eating, sleeping, swimming, and more relaxing. The resort had a lot of things that Alayna enjoyed too. There were fish ponds throughout the resort so we spent a lot of time feeding the "Wee Wees." Alayna has called fish wee wees for months. I don't know how she came up with that but we don't correct her yet. There were also peacocks, iguanas, and kitty cats that Alayna chased around the resort daily.

Someone was not happy to be going home....

As soon as we got home, she was OUT!!

Pville Fun

2010-07-20T11:50:00.004-05:00

A few weekends ago Alayna and I drove to Pinckneyville for a visit. We went to the park and then played on the trampoline at my parents house. Alayna loves to "Dump!" (jump) She also loves her PaPa. And chocolate.

Important Call

2010-06-11T10:13:00.004-05:00

Alayna received an important call while we were out shopping. Doesn't she look so serious?!?

Silly Girl

2010-05-19T09:11:00.004-05:00

Alayna finds it humorous to put pants on her head. I don't know where she came up with the idea but, I have to admit, we find it humorous too.

Easter Festivities

2010-05-04T09:42:00.006-05:00

I know I'm a little late but here are some pictures of our Easter activities.

We dyed Easter Eggs with Grandma and Grandpa Nobbe and Auntie K.

Alayna knew exactly what to do during the Easter Egg hunt.

Yes, that is a beautiful red owie on her forehead.

After a busy afternoon, she was ready to relax.

A New Favorite

2010-04-16T13:17:00.003-05:00

Chocolate popsicles!! Alayna loves them! She also laughs at herself when I show her what she looks like in the mirror. It's usually straight to the bath tub after one of these tastey treats.

Bows

2010-03-31T09:02:00.004-05:00

This is the kind of stuff we do on Saturday mornings. Every bow that Alayna owns is on her head.

Boots

2010-03-15T14:39:00.008-05:00

This is what Alayna picked out to wear the other day. No pants. Just boots. There are some days I have to show her 4 outfits before she'll say something other than a polite "no" and shake her head. Last week I had an outfit and socks picked out and as soon as she saw it she said, "no, no, no" and took off running and laughing. We compromised and she wore her camouflage instead.

Tea Time

2010-02-26T11:24:00.003-06:00

I just love these pictures!! Alayna wanted to sample Mommy's tea. I think she liked it but I'm not quite sure....

Nice and Cozy

2010-02-09T09:30:00.003-06:00

Alayna has became quite the cuddle bug lately. One of the best parts of my day is right before I put her to bed because she always wants to snuggle in the rocking chair. She'll bring Monkey and Baby to me and then lift her arms to show me she wants to be picked up. Then we rock and talk until she's ready to go to her bed. Sometimes, she'll just sit up and say "Nie Nie" and thats how we know she's ready to go to sleep. What a sweet little girlie!

More Oatmeal, Please

2010-02-03T15:12:00.003-06:00

Have you caught on that Alayna likes to eat? I took these pics a few weeks ago. She was actually licking the bowl while I was getting a wash cloth to clean her up.

I'm Hungry, Mother

2010-01-20T09:54:00.003-06:00

This is how Alayna shows us she wants a snack. (This is the door to the pantry that holds the snacks.) There are usually verbal clues as well, such as panting and grunting when she stands at the door like this. Once the door is opened, she almost always reaches for the animal crackers, aka "kaw-kaw." She has also learned to sign "more", "please", and "thankyou" and will happily sign all three in rapid succession in exchange for a "kaw-kaw."

Momma's Little Helper

2010-01-11T18:17:00.003-06:00

Can anyone explain why a 15 month old can figure out how to do laundry but her Daddy can't??!!

Funny Face

2010-01-05T11:04:00.003-06:00

This little trick started one day during breakfast and it is one of my favorites. When we ask to see "Funny Face," this is what we get. I wonder where she gets it...

Pigtails

2009-12-23T13:28:00.005-06:00

I have been waiting to be able to do this!!! Not the nicest job but Alayna doesn't stay in one place for long.

Trimming the Tree

2009-12-23T13:19:00.005-06:00

We actually put our tree up at the end of November but I've not been able to post until now...I promise I will try to be a better blogger ;)
Merry Christmas to all!!

Busy As A Bee

2009-11-16T13:25:00.006-06:00

Alayna is walking!! She's been "zombie walking" for a couple weeks but now she's pretty stable and chooses walking instead of crawling most of the time. It's so fun to watch her! Here, she is cruising around the kitchen with her walker. She hasn't quite figured out steering yet so someone always has to be standing by for redirection.

Alayna's Halloween Costume

A few random pictures to show what she's been up to....

This illustrates some of her favorite activities: playing with jewelery and talking on the phone.

Party Pictures

2009-10-23T10:15:00.006-05:00

Alayna is such a party animal, she had two parties! First one was in Pinckneyville and then one in Columbia. Alayna LOVED her cake and she was pretty good at opening presents. She got really excited and [I think] even said, "Yay!" and "Wow!" Thanks so much to our family and friends who came to celebrate with us!! As a 1 year old, Alayna has been taking several steps unassisted but reverts back to crawling when she feels the need, the need for speed (catch the movie reference??). She is also impressing me everyday with new skills. Recently, while eating veggies and rice, I handed her the spoon to see what she would do. She dunked the spoon right in the bowl and then to her mouth. It was empty but at least she understands the idea. We'll keep working ;) The other day I asked her if she had a stinky diaper and she said "no," and she was right. Enjoy the pictures...that are exactly one month late!

Almost 1!!

2009-09-21T14:21:00.003-05:00

Alayna has been a busy little girl!! She now has 4 teeth (you can see the newest ones in the last picture). And she is getting close walking. She really likes to hold my fingers and walk in the yard. Newest words are "Yeah!" and "Wow!" (I think that's what she is saying anyway...) Alayna turns 1 on September 23 so my next post will be pictures from Alayna's 1st Birthday!!

Go Cardinals!!

2009-08-20T09:45:00.001-05:00

Alayna went to her first Cardinals game over the weekend with Mommy and Aunt Laura. We all had alot of fun. I'm not sure she ever realized that there was a baseball game going on down on the field but she seemed to enjoy looking around the stadium. And eating, of course!! She clapped when everyone else clapped and even did a bit of cheering. Due to the threat of bad weather we left during the 6th inning...not soon enough though!! We got caught in the pouring rain on the way to the car. Alayna didn't seem to mind though. She sang in the rain all the way to the car. What a fun day! Oh yeah, and the Cardinals eventually won the game!

Pictures From Rosemary

2009-07-30T13:58:00.000-05:00

We had an excellent week at Rosemary Beach. We drove all night Friday night and Alayna slept the whole time!! She would wake up to socialize a little when we stopped for gas but then went right back to sleep. We finally arrived at Rosemary between 10 and 11 Saturday morning. Our house had a pool so we usually spent mornings and evenings on the beach and afternoons at the pool. We did a lot of swimming and relaxing which was just what everyone needed. Alayna, however, insisted on getting up every morning at 5:30 AM!! So much for sleeping in on vacation!!

Alayna had a lot of "Firsts" on her "First Vacation"

First time in the sand

First time in the ocean

First time in the pool

First Ice Cream Cone...She LOVED it...just like Mom!

First Pedicure

Having fun in the pool with Daddy

Family Picture Night

We're Off To Florida!!

2009-07-10T16:09:00.000-05:00

After a crazy week, its finally Friday and we're heading to Florida for a week. Alayna's first vacation!! Here are a few random pictures until I can post some sunny beach shots (hopefully!)

A Day At The Farm

2009-06-19T09:39:00.000-05:00

We spent last Sunday at Grant's Farm in St. Louis. We had a party there for work and so Matt and I decided to take advantage of the day. We had a lot of fun!! Alayna met a lot of the people I work with and had her first sno-cone. She also rode the tram and got to see alot of animals . She LOVED the llamas!

On The Tram

Alayna's Favorite Llama

This is when Alayna was clapping for the llama. She was so excited!! It was really cute. Everyone was watching her instead of the llama.

Alayna met some new friends at the party....

I love this picture. Alayna was "cheering" during the presentations. We were trying to shush her so everyone could hear what was going on. Fortunately, no one seemed to mind.

On The Move

2009-06-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

Alayna can crawl!! My mom spent the first week of June with us and worked with her alot. By the end of the week she was "motoring," as her Grandpa Alan would say. It's pretty cute watching her see something across the room and then go after it. There's no stopping her now! Here is a shot of her on the move...and then one of her taking a break.

Alayna can also wave "Bye-Bye" and clap. One of her favorite games is catch. Well, I guess it should be called "throw." She loves to throw things and then I give them back to her and she throws them again. Here, she is playing "throw the laundry that Mommy just folded."

I finally got a picture of Alayna's teeth. She has two little teeth on the bottom but still none up top.

Alayna has a new buddy! Amy and Rylee came to visit us when we were in Pville for the weekend. It was great to see them! Hopefully, we can set up another playdate soon.

Peek-A-Boo

2009-05-28T10:18:00.000-05:00

One of Alayna's latest tricks is playing "Peek-A-Boo." She actually initiated the game with us one night at a restaurant. She started getting a little tired of sitting in her chair so I threw her blanket over her face (as a distraction technique) and the game began. She worked the blanket to peak her little face out at us, giggled, and did it again, and again and again and....

Buddies

2009-05-20T15:56:00.000-05:00

Aren't they cute?? The Corleys recently came for a visit and spent the weekend with us. Lilly was so good with Alayna. It was so much fun to watch them interact. Each morning, we heard "Good Morning, Layna!!" yelled from the top of the stairs. It was so sweet! Hopefully, they'll be back in St. Louis soon. Alayna misses her buddy!!

The Future's So Bright....

2009-04-30T14:18:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I went on a quick shopping trip. I was hoping to find a few things for myself but, of course, I found many more things I liked in Alayna's size instead. Needless to say, she got a lot of new summer clothes and accessories including new sunglasses that her Auntie L picked out.

She wears them quite well, don't ya think?

April was a pretty busy month at our house. We've started some outdoor projects and spend as much time outside as we can. Alayna loves taking walks around the neighborhood. She also would like me to share her big news with everyone....SHE HAS TWO TEETH!! They first poked through over the weekend. It's kind of hard to see them because she loves to stick her tongue out and cover them up. So, no pictures of them yet but they're there and they are super cute!

Here are a couple more pictures I thought I'd share....

Alayna's Easter Dress

Daddy's Birthday Present

Saturdays

2009-04-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

A few Saturdays ago, Alayna and I stopped by Aunt Sue's shop, Agnes Ross (http://www.AgnesRoss.com/) and had a little photo shoot on the display bed. Alayna was in the best mood and just kept smiling and posing for the camera. I probably took about 40 or 50 shots. These are some of my favorites.

Mmmm....Sweet Potatoes and Carrots

2009-04-01T15:07:00.000-05:00

I just love these pictures! Alayna gets SO excited when its time to eat but she can be so messy. So far, she's liked almost everything we've tried. She had a few gagging episodes when we tried peas though...oh well, like mother, like daughter. Bon Appetit!

Should I Be Concerned?

2009-03-09T09:19:00.000-05:00

Alayna loves to be naked!! Here are some pictures of her playing in her favorite outfit. I think she would like to be diaper free too but we can't quite trust her without one yet...ask her Daddy!

Mmmm...Cereal!!

2009-02-10T13:52:00.000-06:00

We started giving Alayna cereal 2 weeks ago. By the third night, she got the hang of it. Now I can't get the spoon to her mouth fast enough.

My Little Cutie

2009-01-30T15:20:00.000-06:00

Alayna has decided she loves the camera. All I have to do is hold it up and she smiles. What a little ham!

Thanks to the Drugers' for the super cute hat. It's a little big now but remember who her daddy is!

My First Post

2009-01-26T15:57:00.000-06:00

Well, I finally created a Blog. I was having so much fun reading other blogs that I decided I needed one too. I took this pic while Matt was reading to Alayna one night. Notice the two fingers in her mouth...they're her favorite!