Noah has been making a lot of weird faces at my camera lately. This shot was taken on the balcony of the bed and breakfast where we stayed in Tennessee for Jess and Tex’s wedding. This was the perfect lighting and scenery for a portrait, but he didn’t give me one single “portrait” expression. No smiles, no moody serious faces. He just bared his clenched teeth in every photo!

Oh, funny face. You get this from daddy, right?

Fall foliage? Check.

Navy vest? Check.

Weird face? Errr, check.

This little boy just keeps getting better and better with each passing day. Today I was upset about something, and he crawled up and laid his head down on my belly and started patting me on the side, the same way I pat his back gently when he bumps his head or has trouble falling asleep. As if to say, “It’s okay, Mama.” He was so sensitive to my emotions today, and it made me feel better.

Noah gives hugs and kisses, plays peek-a-boo (he covers his cheeks instead of his eyes), and understands simple words and phrases now, such as “upstairs,” “bye-bye,” and “nap.” The other day he ran headlong into the bathroom and jumped into the tub fully clothed simply because I asked if he wanted to take a bath. He hasn’t attempted to nurse in about two weeks now, so we’re all done. He’s growing up! Like a little funny-faced weed.

Noah, we love you, and we are so proud of you.

I promise I’m working on Tex and Jess’ wedding! Here are two more faves from what I worked on today.

Wedding par-tay!

Love this one…

Jess and Tex tied the knot yesterday in a ceremony that was completely them. Although it was a very crisp October afternoon, the outdoor ceremony was beautiful and heartwarming. I had so much fun photographing their wedding that I couldn’t wait to post a sneak peek. I promise there are lots more photos where these came from!

Congratulations, Jess and Tex! You made my job easy and fun. Enjoy your sneak peek!

Noah is fourteen months old, and I’ve skipped quite a few monthly updates. I’ve been really busy the past few months, but I wanted to quickly type a few things up so I will remember them!

Isn’t it funny how we teach our children tricks? Noah’s current arsenal of tricks includes:

clap
point
high five
blow kiss
wave bye bye
point out my nose if I ask, “Where’s my nose?”
walk and run
get up from the ground without pulling up on furniture
go up and down stairs
climb on furniture and tables
stab food and eat with a fork
fold his hands to pray when we say grace (although he’s been very stubborn about this lately because when he’s hungry, food is more important than anything else… kinda like his daddy, haha)

Words that he says, and their translations:

“Dah!” – said after ducking his head down and then popping up. It means “Boo!”

“Fffsssh” – said while pointing at his night light that makes ocean creatures circle around on the ceiling. It means “fish,” but he says it with no vowel sound.

“Taco/Tago/Tackle” – this one sounds different every time. Said while wiggling his fingers on my belly. Translation: “tickle tickle tickle.”

“Huh?/Ho?/Ha?” – said while holding my cell phone or his toy phone up to his shoulder – he hasn’t quite mastered holding it to his ear. It means, “Hello?”

“Dada” obviously means Daddy.

“Mamamamama” usually means “I’m sleepy! I want to nurse and take a nap right now!”