Happy Halloween!

As promised, here are a couple of photos of Norah in her first Halloween costume. In case you aren't up on your imaginary fairytale creatures, she's a baby mermaid. I can honestly say it was the most fun I've ever had sewing anything! The "tail" fabric was my inspiration. I found it at JoAnn's a couple of months back and immediately decided that she had to be a mermaid--after all, this is the only year she wont be walking (ie--that she wouldn't mind having her legs stuffed together in a green, lycra sack), so it was too perfect.

There weren't any mermaid patterns, so Gramps helped me make one of my own, using a good, old-fashioned paper bag. I think the costume is even more special to me, knowing that I made it one-of-a-kind, just for Norah.

Norah absolutely loves her tail. I've tried it on her several times over the past few weeks, and every time she's put it on, she's seemed to get really excited. Sunday, Jason and I carried her all over our church's Trunk or Treat and every time we greeted anyone, Norah would flip her tail. (She likes to watch it sparkle when it moves)

Speaking of Trunk or Treat...Jason and I had a great time walking around together, taking pictures, laughing and marveling at all the awesome costumes, and of course, showing off our pride and joy. For your viewing pleasure, I've included a few photos of some of my personal favorite costumes of the 2006 Halloween Season..enjoy!

9-Month News

Last week, Grandma (that's Mom Robinson, for those of you who can't keep all the grandma nicknames straight) surprised Norah with a super-cool 9-month birthday present. Its a fun new convertable walker/musical activity toy, and Norah LOVES it! She's not quite steady enough on her feet to walk behind and push it (it takes off and she face plants), but it can convert down to a rolling toy and she's had a blast with it all week, figuring out all the different things it can do. My personal favorite came Friday, when I turned around just in time to see her up on top of the toy, on her belly, using both arms to "paddle" her way across the room! It was too hillarious! I ran for the camera, but she was so excited that I was coming toward her with it that she crawled over her "Norah Coaster", trying to get to me and her good friend, the camera. ( I did manage to get one picture of her on top of it, but it wasn't nearly as funny as the memory in my mind of her paddling with her arms!)

Speaking of someone turning 9 months...we went in for our 9-month well-check a week ago Thursday (the 19th), and our doctor still wasn't too keen on Norah's weight gain (or lack thereof--she weighed-in at 13lbs.), so he set us up with an appointment with a specialist from Temple. Thankfully, he comes to B-CS every few weeks, and we were able to get in with him here in town. We saw him this past Thursday, and Jason and I absolutely loved him! In the week between the appointments, we increased Norah's intake and she had gained a whopping 1 lb. 14 oz. in just 7 days. The specialist (Dr. Easely) checked her out and said she looks fantastic and that as long as she continues to gain a little weight each week, he sees no reason to worry. That was welcome news. He also gave us the green light to turn Norah loose on table foods. Norah LOVES to eat, and has been covetting table food for quite a while now, so it is going to be fun to "share"some of our meals with her!

We went to our church's "Trunk or Treat" today and had a blast seeing all the cute and hillarious costumes on the kids and parents...and of course we had fun showing off Norah and her first Halloween costume! I'll try to post pictures of some of my favorites tomorrow. (Gotta give you something to look forward to on Monday, right?)

13 Things I'd Like to Do

This week's T-13 is a list of 13 selfish things I'd like to do...some realistic, some, not so much...but this is just for fun anyways, right?

1. Go on a cruise. I'm not really partial to where. I've just heard they're a lot of fun, and I've never been on a boat with an "inside" before.
2. Go to a major (or even minor) league baseball game. Especially a Texas team. I think it would be fun to sit in the cheap seats and maybe even eat one of those fabulous $9 ballpark hotdogs.
3. Ride in a convertible with the top down--preferably with my hubby in the driver's seat....ooooo at sunset on the beach...this just keeps getting better and better!
4. Plant a "cut flowers" garden in my backyard and keep fresh, cut flowers in vases in my house. Maybe even have an "herbs" section (not that kind of herbs!) and grow my own mint, rosemary, etc. to cook with.
5. Go backpacking in Europe. I'd love to tour a castle in England and imagine what it would have been like to wake up and have to walk on those cold stone floors! And I would love to see all the beautiful cathedrals, and the Sisteen Chapel, and ride in a gondola...oh there is so much i'd like to see and do in Europe!
   
6. Sing in a local choral group. I miss being a part of a choir so much!
7. See the Northern Lights, in person. (I saw them on Dave & Lisa's blog and the photos made me want to see the real deal---so mysterious and so beautiful!)
8. Attempt to surf. (Preferably in non-shark-infested waters...although I think New Zealand would be the most beautiful place ever to go, and I have a feeling its probably crawling...err...swimming with sharks!)
9. Publish something I've written (blog articles don't count, but I do get a little rush from hitting that orange button that says, "Publish Post"), or that I will write in the future. I really love to write, and it would be a dream come true to be able to proffit from doing something that I have a passion for.
10. Get the Camelot Disc Golf Course back! Jason and I live 2 blocks from Camelot park, and it used to have the greatest disc golf course ever in it. Last December, the city pulled the course because of a ridiculous complaint from ONE couple. Jason and I used to play that course together almost every day after work (It was our #1 source of recreational companionship.) and several other families played together (moms, dads, and teenagers). I'd give almost anything to have that course back...
11. Play the lead in "The Sound of Music" (even in the local theatre). Man, I love that show. But this "thing I'd like to do" is one of my unrealistic ones, because being in a show takes SO much time, and I'm not willing to lose that much time away from my family. (Not to mention, ithere is no way I could kiss another guy besides my husband...and there is no WAY Jason would EVER go out for the part of Captain Von Trapp...or any other musical role, for that matter!)
12. Have a house and some land in the country and own horses and take evening rides with my family, almost every day!
    
13. Take a trip to Disney World with all of our friends and their kids. I've always wanted to go to Disney World, and I think it would be SO much fun to tour the Magical Kingdom with a posse of friends! Oh, the pictures we'd take and the memories we'd make. Guess I'd better start saving!!

Norah's First Banana

Norah tried her first "banana ala peel" (as opposed to the jar food she's accustomed to) yesterday. Grammy had brought a banana over in her lunch when she came to visit, and thought she'd see if Norah would like a bite. Little did she know, Norah didn't "just want a piece of it...she wanted the whole thing"! (That's a little "Happy Gilmore" humor for all those members of the Gilmore clan who've seen that movie more times than I care to admit...and anyone else who's particularly good at movie quote trivia)

It was a pretty cute scene, and definately photo documentary-worthy. I'll break it down for you in a brief narrative...

Norah's eyes were huge with disbelief as she glanced back and forth between Mommy and Grammy, as if to ask, "Is this really for me?!" When she recieved no words of protest, she dove in, lower teeth first, leaving two distinct grooves down the side of the banana. After a timid first bite, Norah paused briefly, as if to assess the flavor and texture circulating around her palette. She quickly decided this new way of eating bananas was definately a good thing, because she took down the rest of the banana (including a small portion of peel, which she quickly determined was not so much a good thing) with impressive vigor. Grammy was a good sport about the loss of her banana. Honestly, I think she enjoyed watching Norah eat it more than she would have enjoyed eating it herself, anyhow.

For your viewing pleasure, I give you this series of photos, commemorating our most recent achievement in banana-dom. I hope it makes you want a banana--everyone needs a little potassium boost now and then.

Norah's Nook

Norah has found yet another "special place". Last night while Jason and I were eating dinner (Norah was post-dinner, hence the topless state of dress), watching Norah play, she inadventenly tossed one of her blocks into the lower cubby of our tv tower. Completely undaunted, she climbed right into the cubby! It was pretty cute watching her figure out how to lean in with her upper body and crawl the rest of the way.

Once she was there, she decided she liked it. So, she leaned over and began pulling her toys into the cubby with her, one, by one. Unfortunately, not all of her toys were within arm's reach. By about her third toy, she leaned a little too far-out and belly-surfed back down to the carpet. (Don't worry, she was fine--she didn't even sniffle) She must have decided that the cubby wasn't worth the hike, because she hasn't attempted to take up residence there again, just yet. (I'm just glad we had the camera handy for the first time!)

13 New(er) Hymns

As promised, I'll continue my "favorite hymns" topic this week. This week was a lot harder for me because so many of the new songs I know aren't in our hymnal, and I was having trouble remembering them all, so here's my list of "newer" hymns that I could remember the names of, even though a lot of them I've been singing for over 10 years. (That beats the 200 years that some of the others I know have been around for) Some of these are camp/devo songs--I really have a soft spot for that genre--good memories. Feel free to add your favorites, too. Maybe you can help me remember some of the new songs I forgot! I love to hear what other people are singing!

1. Thomas' Song (If I could only hold your hand, and touch the scars where nails were driven; I would need to feel your side where holy flesh by spear was riven. Then I'd believe, only then I'd believe your cruel death was part of a heavenly plan)
2. Someday (Gonna be ready when he calls my name, so-uh-uhm-day) This one has "Camp Bandina" written all over it. Good times. Great singing.
3. Days of Elijah--I love this song! But, I must admit, I loved it a lot more before the youth group started shouting "WOO!" after every other line. Not that I have anything against making a joyful noise to the Lord...its just the way they look at eachother and laugh everytime they do it, because they know they're driving all the traditionalists crazy, that gets my goat.
4. Glory (Glo-oh-oh-oh-ry to the King of Kings, Ma-ah-ah-jesty, power and strength to the Lord of lords)--I can't think of this song without picturing Steve Smith leading it.
   
5. The Worship Song (He is Alpha, Omega, beginning and end, He's my Savior, Messiah, Redeemer and friend, He's my Prince of Peace and I will live my life for Him)
6. All Praises Be (to the King of King and the Lord our God he is Wonderful....)
7. Blessed Jesus (Glorious, marvelous grace that rescued me; Holy, worthy is the Lamb who died for me!)
8. There's A Stirring ( I will rise up! I'll rise up! Then I'll bow down....)
   
9. He's Always Been Faithful to Me (All I have need of, thy hand will provide, He's always been faithful to me)--this one may just be one our church sings, I think one of our member's arranged it, but it is beautiful and one of my new favorites!
   
10. This Is the Day --(so let the heavens (praise Him) and let the earth (praise Him) and let the wind (praise Him) and let the rain (praise Him) and let the sun (praise Him)...)
    
11. Surely the Presence of the Lord (I can hear the brush of angel's wings, I see glory on each face)
12. Great Are You Lord (Holy Lord, most holy Lord, you alone are worthy of our praise...)--when our church sings this one, we sing it all together, then just the women, then just the men, then all together again. I always get goose bumps when we split up into our gender parts. It just sounds so beautiful!
13. The Greatest Commands (Love one another, for love is of God...)--this is the first song I remember hearing the first time I visited A&M Church of Christ with Jason. It was the most beautiful singing I'd ever heard. I still love this song!

Over and Out

I couldn't resist posting a couple of pictures of what Norah's been up to today. While I was sitting at the dining room table, she decided to encage herself in the legs enclosure under my chair, and play with mommy's ankles.

Never one to pass up a good photo op, I freed my ankles from my cherub's death grip, and quickly produced the camera, just in time to capture my little Houdini's escape act.

While it would have been all too easy to crawl out on all fours (the same way she got in there in the first place), where's the fun in that? No, instead Norah decided to find another exit route.--over and out! She stood up and then bent herself in half and flipped over the bar to her "freedom". She did this entire maneuver quite gracefully, landing carefully on her hands and then pulling her legs behind her (in a rather snake-like fashion). I assure you, folks, I was 2 feet from her, and she was in complete control of her limbs. It totally reminded me of Catherine Zeta Jones' training excercises in "Entrapment" (except we don't let our daughter wear skin-tight, black leggings). And you should have seen how proud she was of herself. Yes, I definately have to keep my eye on this little acrobat--I never know what she's gonna try next!

Well, Houdini and I are off to JoAnn Fabrics for the final touch for her Halloween costume...which, I might add, is pretty much the most fun thing I've ever sewn! (Feel free to post your guesses...unless you are one of the few who really knows what she's dressing up as....maybe I'll use you ideas for next year!)

Sisters, Shopping Sprees, and Saltgrass

Jason, Norah, and I took our first family roadtrip last weekend. Truth be told, it was the first time Jason and I have left town in over a year and a half! (I know, I know, we really should get out more) My little sis, Amanda, moved to Austin back in August, so this was our first trip to see her in her new environment.

We left for Austin (followed by my brother, Johnny, in his truck) Friday around 7pm. Amanda and Trae were both working at Carino's until late, so we let ourselves into Amanda's apartment, where I was totally impressed with how clean, cute, and well-decorated her place was. Amanda had made a big posterboard that said "Welcome Jonathan, Angela, Jason, and Norah!" and hung it on the door to her apartment. It was so huge, we could read it from the ground--and her apartment is on the third floor!

When Amanda and Trae got off from work, they came and met us at Amanda's apartment. We hugged and visited, and the old people with the baby (that would be Jason and me) decided we needed to go to bed! Jonathan and Trae headed over to Trae's apartment (on the other side of the same complex) and stayed up til who know's when watching "Tombstone".

The next morning, Amanda, Norah and I went shopping at the new outlet mall in Round Rock. The guys headed over to Wells Branch park to play a half round of disc golf. (Jason lost one of his beloved discs on top of a nearby building--but he assures me, the line was PERFECT--it would have been a great shot, otherwise)

Meanwhile, at the outlet mall, Amanda and I were having a blast finding all kinds of great deals. (I, by the way, highly recommend this shopping locale--it was huge, and had a ton of stores that I loved) Amanda's big purchase of the day--a t-shirt for her mini chiahuahua, Bob Marley, that said, "Only Child". I walked away with several bags of loot, too. (None of which included any puppy-wear)

Norah was a trooper, she stayed in her stroller from 11am until about 4pm without a complaint. Amanda and I laughed because at one point, I took her out to my car to change her diaper, and while I was cleaning Norah up, she found a little birdhouse Christmas ornament that a friend of ours had made. She played with it happily throughout the diaper change, and I failed to notice that she stowed it along when we put her back into the stroller. She held on to that little birdhouse like it was her prized possession all day long--even when she fell asleep! (I'll bet it'll be her favorite thing on our Christmas tree this year!) If you look closely at the photo, you can see it clutched between the tiny fingers of her left hand.

After our long day of shopping (and the guys' adventures with disc golf and the batting cages), we were famished, so we decided to try a new (to us) restaurant for dinner. When Gramps and Grandad used to live in Lago Vista, Jason and I watched a cool steakhouse called "Saltgrass" being built, but we never ate there. We decided to give it a whirl before we headed back home. Much to our dismay, there was a 45 minute wait, which we quickly determined was due to the fact that it was Round Rock's Homecoming weekend (judging by all the high school kids in formal wear), as well as being a UT home game night. I'd like to say the food was worth the wait, but in actuality, it was really just ok...and the prices were outrageous. The portions were big though, and we had a really cool waiter who taught us how to say, "Please don't eat me!" in Japanese. (And we had WAY too much fun taking digital pictures...we were probably more immature than the aforementioned Homecoming highschoolers...but we had fun!)

After dinner, Jason and I headed back to Bryan for a good night's sleep so we'd be fresh and ready to teach the 2-year-olds Sunday morning (Jason was my co-teacher this week since my regular co-teachers were all out of town...and I must say he did a fantastic job--he learned the kids' names a lot quicker than I ever did!)

One other highlight of the weekend I just can't help but mention is how proud I was of Norah. She was a good girl all weekend long, and even slept in her pack-and-play all night! (It was her first time away from her own bed)

Thanks, AA & Trae for a fantastic family weekend, and thank you so much, sweetheart for your very generous gift of spending money for a super-fun shopping spree!

13 Older Hymns

My good friend, Sara suggested I have a "favorite hymns" topic, but I love so many, I decided to make it a two-parter. So, this week's T-13 is a list of my 13 favorite older church hymns and I'll follow up next week with my list of favorite newer hymns.

Hope these songs have you singing and smiling like they did me when I made the list. It really lifted my spirits! Have a great Thursday, and feel free to add your favorites. I really had so many more than 13...it was hard to choose! I only made it halfway through "Songs of the Church" before my list was full. And no, I didn't steal a copy of our church hymnal...(actually, it was more like 2..but they're being put to good use! Please don't turn me in!)

1. Sing and Be Happy
   
2. Our God, He is Alive (AKA "728b"to my CoC affiliated friends)
3. Jesus Paid it All
4. A Beautiful Life (Life's Evening Sun Is Sinking Low---love those deep bass voices!)
5. O Sacred Head
6. Paradise Valley (This one gets stuck in my head all the time, but I don't mind because I love it!)
7. O Lord, Our Lord (When else do the sopranos get to bust a high A?)
   
8. There Is Sunshine In My Soul (When I was in the AFC, I sang weekly at Sherwood Nursing Home. There was a sweet woman named "Miss Evelynn" who wasn't well enough to leave her room, so we would make a special trip to see her each week and this was the song she always requested. To this day, when I sing it, I always think of her and how in awe of her joy--despite her circumstances--I always felt. I wish I could show you the radiant smile she had every time we sang to her--it was truly a blessing to me to meet her)
9. It is Well With My Soul
10. The Lord Bless You and Keep You (Our church traditionally sings this as our "parting song" after devos, bbqs, or other times of fellowship, and also when we say "goodbye" to families who are moving away. It makes me want to cry, and feel peaceful, all at the same time...and I love that "7-fold Amen"!)
11. The Great Redeemer (He is ev'-ry thing-to-me-to-me)
12. Blessed Jesus, Hold My Hand
13. The New Song (which, ironically, is now considered an old song)
    

Mommy's Back!

Whew! It's been a rough past few days. I (along with my cousin, Donna, who had the misfortune of dining with me Saturday for lunch) am finally over a really bad bout with food poisoning...and let me just say that if you've never had it before, you're definately not missing out on anything good.

I dont know what I would have done without my sweet husband and my amazing mom these past few days, but you'd better believe I've said a lot of thankful prayers for them this week!

As today is the first day I've felt worth beans all week, I had a lot of catching up to do. Norah and I had to go to her favorite place, Walmart, to get some badly needed groceries. (We were neck-and-neck with Old Mother Hubbard as far as bare cupboards go) After putting all the food away, I went through Norah's closet and put away all of the 0-3 month clothes (finally!). A closet purge always does my heart good. Norah and I have also been catching up on our play time together since I hadn't been the most attentive mommy over the past few days. She was more than content to read stories with me and crawl up and down the hallway together. (She thinks its pretty funny that Mommy can crawl, too)

I think her promotion day for Bible class is quickly approaching. There are so many new babies being born, I'm sure she'll have to move to the next class soon, simply for the sake for no more room. She loves her teachers so much, I know she'll miss them. Her favorite songs from class right now are "The Trees are Gently Swaying" (she grins EVERY time we start to sing it, even if she's mid-cry) and "I Can Make My Hands Patt-Patt-Patt" (She even patts her hands when we sing it to her!)

I am so thankful to have such a sweet, healthy, happy baby girl. (And I am SO happy that she didn't seem to suffer any of the effects of my food poisoning adventure) It feels good to be back in the saddle. I'm looking forward to cooking dinner for Jason for the first time this week! (And I'm sure he's looking forward to not having to eat fast food, again!)

Norah's Special Place

We've had a great week. Norah has been such a good girl! She is really learning how to entertain herself, and be content playing on her own, which is a huge help to Mommy, when I have things to do like housework, cooking, or dare I say it?--Hair and makeup!

She's been exploring all sorts of things--and even experimenting with letting go of what she's holding on to while she's standing...but only long enough to switch to someplace else (like from the love-seat to the couch, etc.) She's walking around holding onto everything she can find, and when she can't get somewhere that way, she just lets go, and crawls the rest of the way.

This week, while I was working on a cake, she was playing quietly, close to the table where I was working. Then, I couldn't find her for a moment, so I turned around, to be greeted by what I thought was a pretty cute sight. She had somehow managed to gracefully nestle herself under her highchair, which was propped against the wall. It really is a wonder she didn't knock it over on top of herself getting in there. And to my even greater surprise, she exited her "special place" as gracefully as she had entered (I watched her, in wonder, as she delicately placed her hands and feet, just-so, as not to disturb the chair's legs)

I had to laugh at the second picture. That is the look she always seems to have when I find her doing something new to her (that she thinks might be a "no-no"). I promise, I don't beat my daughter--but doesn't she really look like she's expecting to be in trouble?

In addition to achieving acrobatic greatness, Norah also succeeded in occupying herself with no complaints, for the duration of my cake exploit. (Which is progess for us--I usually need Grammy to be here when I work on a cake because Norah has a tendancy to get jealous.

Another big milestone we've been working on this week is bedtime. We have been very blessed for most of Norah's 8 months, to have a sweet baby girl who likes her bed, and sleeps all night long, but sometime last month, she started fighting bedtime. Not fun. A few nights Jason would rock her to sleep (after we'd let her cry for 45 min. with no sign of stopping). But this week, we seemed to turn a corner, and the apparent solution was pretty unexpected.

It seems Norah needs a late nap--like around 5-6:30pm. When she wakes up from that nap, she'll play happily for an hour and a half, and then its time for bed. And for the past 4 nights, she's gone willingly. I guess she was just getting so tired between her afternoon nap and bedtime that she was fighting sleep because she was so tired...if that makes sense. At any rate, I hope we're out of the woods because it is SO much nicer to just put her in bed and walk away!

13 Favorite Chick Flicks

For lack of any "less shallow" ideas, this week's T-13 is a list of some of my favorite "Chick Flicks". (In order to preserve his dignity, I wont devulge how many of these Jason has actually sat through with me...I'll just say he's a good sport, and I love my husband!)

1. Sabrina--I like both versions, but I'm partial to Harrison Ford as Linus. He plays the uptight, self-centered, arrogant business man too well!
   
2. Raising Helen--I laughed, I cried, and Kate Hudson has perfect hair.
   
3. The Wedding Planner--Yeah, I know...its a JLo flick...but I thought it was cute.
   
4. 13 Going on 30--The "Thriller" dance scene is the funniest thing I've seen in a LONG time!
   
5. The Lake House--just watched this one over the weekend and loved it---although it ended a little abruptly.
   
6. A Walk to Remember--this one is definately worthy of a box of tissues.
   
7. An Affair to Remember--the Carey Grant version. One of my favorite movies, ever.
   
8. Steel Magnolias--This one still makes me cry every time I see it...why do we torture ourselves with super-sad movies and love every second?
   
9. Fried Green Tomatoes--Ta-Wanda!!!
   
10. My Best Friend's Wedding--So many funny lines in this one ("You're never gonna be jello")
    
11. To Catch a Thief--another Carey Grant favorite...and I love Grace Kelly too!
    
12. Ever After--great take on the Cinderella story. I loved it...but I haven't seen it in years.
    
13. Runaway Bride--It was great to see Julia Roberts and Richard Gere back together again (I loved Pretty Woman too--even if it was a "Hooker Cinderella Story")

PS--Any T-13 topic suggestions you can come up with would be welcomed...I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel over here!

Guess What Norah Found Today

Now if you think really hard, I'll bet you can guess what fun new toy our darling 8-month-old found to play with today. That's right...the door stopper! I was in the kitchen working on a cake, when suddenly a loud, vibrating, "Do-oi-oi-oin-g!" pierced the quiet on the other side of the kitchen wall. I didn't even have to look. The door stopper spring has one of those sounds that is completely unmistakable for anything else. I just grabbed the camera and got ready to document Norah the Explorer's latest "discovery".

She was having a ball...and then she saw me. It was priceless--she was completely intent on making her music there with the doorstop, then she looked up and saw me towering over her. Her elation melted as she looked up at me with questioning eyes, as if to ask, "Am I in big trouble?" I couldn't help but laugh, and she knew from that, that everything was ok. She laughed too. (She's started doing that this week--if I laugh at something, she mimmicks me...so funny!) She even made her funny "Sniffy-Face" (She has taken to milking that face for laughs every chance she can get...and she will now do it on command, which is pretty fun when we want to show our friends!) Then she went back to her playtime with the door stop. I'm just thankful she didn't put it in her mouth. (Although, I did go and give all the door stops throughout the house a good wipe down, just to be safe)