Kylie Comes to Stay

Norah and Eli's cousin (well, technically my cousin Helen's daughter) came to play a few days this week. I prepped Norah for her arrival the night before, explaining that baby Kylie would be visiting and I would need her to be extra helpful. Norah was ecstatic.

Kylie's arrival provided an opportunity for the first-ever picture of the three Gilmore great-grandchildren together. (The cooperated pretty well, if you ask me!)









Eli and Kylie's first up-close encounter











Eli was a little more aggressive than Kylie probably would have liked. He grabbed her arm and put his hand on it to "pose". She went with the flow.









I had to laugh at Norah. The instant she saw that Kylie had arrived, she rushed out of the room and returned a couple of minutes later with her latest, favorite pair of shoes. I guess she's been dying for another girl to play dress up with...I told Helen, I can SO see Norah playing "beauty shop" with Kylie in a few, short years!

From the Mouthes of Babes...

Last week we stopped in at Hastings to rent a movie. Since it was just a "grab & go" stop, Jason ran into the store and I stayed in the car with the kids. The following is the conversation Norah and I had while we were waiting.

N: There's an owl in the latter.
A: (Not noticing any owls, therefore assuming the aforementioned statement was a product of Norah's imaginary play) An owl, wow!
N: See it, Mommy?
A: No. I don't see it, Norah. Where is the ladder?
N: No, Mommy. Owl's in the la-TTER.
A: (puzzled look)
N: In the latter T, Mama...over there (points to the "Hastings" sign where, nestled in the crook of the letter "T" is a decoy owl-- the kind they use to keep the birds away)
A: Why, Norah, you're right! There is an owl in the letter T.
N: (Nods and beams with pride and satisfaction that she was finally able to help her poor, dense mom understand what she was trying to say)

Return to Sender?

Upon emerging from the back of the house, where I had been getting ready, I thwarted what I thought might have been Norah's first recorded attempt to get rid of her baby brother. In case you can't quite tell, those are address labels slathered all over his noggin.

After a little consideration however, I decided that since the labels were addressed to our home, Norah wasn't trying to ship Eli out, but rather to identify him as a member of our household, in case he is ever misplaced.(much like the casserole dishes in our cabinet, which bear similar address labels for identification at church potlucks),



Apparently, she wanted to make very certain everyone knew to whom he belongs.






And Eli, was very grateful for his big sister's concern. I felt sorry for the little guy, as the removal of the stickers further diminished what little hair he has, but he was a trooper and only cried for a minute. I can't wait to see what other sibling shenanigans will transpire over the course of their childhood!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Mimi acquired some new plants for Mother's Day, so she invited her budding, green thumb, granddaughter to assist her in transplanting them.

Mimi had gloves on, so Norah insisted on wearing a pair, herself.












One of the blooms fell off of a shrimp plant, resulting in a sullen Norah's exclamation of, "Oh no! Poor little flower, you fell off"














Watering was definitely her favorite part of the day...

...And More Cake

This was the most fun week (in cakes) I've had in a while. Three cakes, all with different designs than "usual". It was a nice break from the monotony of the norm.

The first cake was for a baby shower for our good friends the Joneses. It was my first experience making marshmallow fondant. I have to admit, once I finished, I worried that people might think it was a bit barbaric to eat a baby-shaped cake, in celebration of an upcoming birth...but thankfully, that didn't seem to phase anyone. (The nose, all ten toes, and even 1 1/2 arms were devoured, in addition to most of the rest of the cake!)



The second cake was a referral (friend of a friend), who requested a "Hot Pink, Black, and Turquoise Girls' Rock-esque" cake. The sides are supposed to be a leopard-ish print, in case you cant tell.

And for those of you who may have wondered what ever happened to those two, cute kids you used to like reading about on this blog...don't worry, I'm finished posting cake photos (at least for a few days), so I'll now return you to your regularly scheduled program, "The Chronicles of Norah and Eli."

Up, Up, Up With the Fish!

"We can have lots of good fun if you wish, with a game that I call, 'Up-Up-Up with the fish!'".


"Put me down!" said the fish.
"This is no fun at all!
Put me down!" said the fish,
"I do not wish to fall!"

I LOVE Dr. Seuss, (Thankfully, so does Norah) so I was thrilled when a precious friend from church ordered a "Cat in the Hat"-inspired cake for her daughter's 5th birthday. Nothing like a good children's book cake to re-ignite my cake creativity! It was such a fun cake to make!

I Still Say They Look Alike

Ever since Norah was born, we've heard countless times how much she looks like her daddy. I'd say for every hundred people who tell us she favors Jason, I hear that she looks like me, maybe once. (And I'm really ok with that--after all, his good looks were a contributing factor to my marrying him)

Eli's been a different story. We've heard a myriad of theories as to who he looks like-- ranging from the Robinsons, to the Maniords, to the Gilmores, and Shelbys, and back again. (Not to mention a few random, non-family comparisons...not sure how I feel about those implications!)

My story hasn't changed. I still say he looks like a more masculine version of his big sister. (With his own, distinct charm, of course) So, to continue with my blog tradition, here is another photo for comparison. The first photo is of Norah at about the age Eli is now, and the second is one I took of Eli this morning (sorry for posting it twice, but I wanted them close together for the comparison) At any rate, they're making different faces, and shot from slightly different angles, but I still think they look pretty similar. Don't worry. It's ok if you disagree. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, after all.

Speaking of opinions...thanks for all of your input (and compliments on my son's dashing looks) on which photo to send in for the baby blessing. (I did, by the way, go with photo #1 by unanimous vote.)

Eli Update (in pictures)

I needed a photo to submit for this Sunday's "baby blessing" at church, so I thought I'd post my two favorites from E's mini photo shoot this morning. Which one would you have chosen?

Extra Edition

I witnessed a classic "Norah-ism this morning. I laughed so hard, in fact, that I couldn't wait until next week's "From the Mouthes of Babes" post to share it.

N: Mommy, I'm so berry, berry hungry.
A: What would you like for breakfast?
N: Cross the lakes.
A: What?
N: Cross the lakes (with careful enunciation on each, individual syllable, this time).
A: Norah, I don't understand what you're saying, honey. Would you like a waffle or an oatmeal bar?
N: I'd like Cross the lakes-- like Daddy eats.

It suddenly dawned on me she was asking for Frosted Flakes. Jason's been eating them all week long and I guess she decided they looked good.

As a side note...the top she's wearing in these pictures is one I made for Patti last summer and Jenny handed it back down for Norah to enjoy. It was my first experience with shirring, and the tutorial on House on Hill Road was a great help! Sewing with elastic thread was a little intimidating, but once I braved up to it, it wasn't as frightening as I'd expected...and I was more than pleased with the results! (I'm just excited that it's endured through 2 toddlers wearing it!)

From the Mouthes of Babes...

A: (to Daddy) I can't believe how curly Norah's hair is getting.
N: It's so berry, berry, berry cute!


At the dinner table, Norah was playing with her food (Lately, she has become the world's slowest eater. She still eats great, it just takes her roughly 100 years to finish a plateful of food). Hoping to make it to Wednesday night worship on time, I finally decided to lay down the law.

A: (slightly flustered, in my staccato, "bossy mom" voice) Norah, I want you to sit down, eat your carrots, and eat your chicken.

Silence, coupled with a mixed look of confusion/pleasure at the realization of her own ingenuity...

N: (calmy) Mommy, I'm already sitting down.
A: Well, you've got me there. Thank you. Now, please finish your dinner.

Pretty (Tough) in Pink

Remember those teeth I was telling you about?










Now, I'm sure when he's older, Eli's gonna wonder why I took pictures of him in a hot pink wagon. Well, the simple answer is...he loved it...and it was there, and he was cute. For now, let's just not mention it to him that it's pink, deal? Uncle Grant hooked Norah up with this personally custom-painted wagon (the back even has her name on it!) for her birthday. (Aunt Paige made the color-coordinated seat cushion) Both kids LOVE going for rides in the wagon together (more pictures of that coming soon!)

"I'm sorry, what did you say? This wagon is what? Pink? Yep. That's what I was thought you said. What am I gonna tell the guys back at the nursery?"

While Eli sat debating a more masculine term for pink ("Ruddy? Rhymes with muddy. Not bad. Salmon? Isn't that a type of fish...that's manly, right?")...






Norah feverishly tried to pop every bubble in sight...















in her wagon- matching, hot pink boots, no less. (She calls these her "Jenny boots"...you'll never guess who gave them to her)

An in case you're wondering, yes, we do let her wear them with shorts out in public. It is springtime in Texas, you know.







It was a fun night, for the whole family. We are truly loving the beautiful, down-right Spring-like weather (while it lasts!). What are the odds our lawn will look this green, come August?

Go Fly a Kite

Once upon a blustery evening, a young family of four took a walk to the park. Much, to the eldest daughter's delight, her parents had packed a special surprise.




Both children were amazed by their father's kite flying "mad skills". (Little did they know that he had used this same kite-flying prowess to woo their mother during their courtship, many years ago)

Unfortunately, the mother's camera battery was quite low, and therefore, only allowed her to capture a few, quick pictures of this momentous experience. (Hence, the submission of an eyes-closed photo of their daughter, and the lack of submission of any photos of their son, who, by the way, LOVED watching this family activity, as was evidenced by the huge grin on his face for the duration of the flight...)







But oh, the kite-flying was glorious! (And hopefully just the beginning of many more -albiet, better photographed, family, kite-involved adventures to come!)