13 Things I Love About my Valentime

In honor of Valentine's (or as Jason and I call it, "Valentimes", cause its just more fun to say it that way) Day next Wednesday, this week's T-13 is an ode to my sweetheart.

1. He's a man of God. I am so thankful to have a Christian husband leading our family. He says wonderful, heartfelt prayers that often convict me to put more effort into my own.
2. He's so handsome! After knowing him for pretty much my entire life, (ok, so I wasn't as into him in Junior High...but I learned my lesson) I still think I "married up". He has the most beautiful, clear, blue eyes (that he has passed on to our sweet baby girl) and a genuine smile that makes you feel pretty special when you earn it.
3. His great sense of humor. I can't remember a joke to save my life...so whenever I see a good one (usually from my friends through e-mail), I always make sure to tell Jason, and I love it when he pulls them out and brings down the house at get-togethers. He's a great joke-teller. He has a good laugh too--and that's important if you've ever met someone with an obnoxious one!
4. He's a great father. When Jason and I were dating, he once confided to me that one of his life's ambitions was to be a good dad. I can attest that he is living that ambition out. Norah loves Jason so much. I can already tell he's gonna be the "fun parent". He'll crawl around on the floor with her, acting ridiculous, tickling her silly, or helping her put together a puzzle-- all while winning her deepest affection. No wonder she wants to call everyone "Dada". She probably wishes he was with her all the time!
5. He's athletic. So maybe its a little immature on my part that I'm so proud to be "dating a big jock"...but I guess I kinda am. Jason and I have played sports together all throughout our marriage, and I've always taken secret pride in the awesome catch he made in the outfield, the huge putt he makes for a birdie, or the super-long drive he throws in the presence of strangers, leaving them awestruck (ok, sometimes I guess I cross the line of secrecy when I yell out things like, "That's MY husband!" but I can't help it!)
   
6. He smells good. I don't know how he does it, but he almost always smells good, even though he rarely wears cologne. He does shower regularly, and definately wears deodorant...but I prefer to think its something in his body chemistry--its more mysterious that way.
   
7. He's good at fixing things. Not that I'm Suzy Helpless, but I don't possess knowledge on many things, such as the inner workings of the toilet, replacing ceiling fans, or how to fix a curtain rod that is too tall (no, I know how to make it telescope inside itself if it is too wide--I'm not a total idiot, I'm referring to my problem the other day when the curtainrod stuck out too far because of the light fixture over my sink, and Jason cut the metal and redrilled holes so I could still hang my precious curtains)
8. He's easy-going. It takes a lot to make him mad...and even when he does get mad, if he takes a nap, he always forgets about it.
9. He's a hard worker. Ask anyone, including his past and present bosses. His favorite verse is 1 Thessalonians 4:11, and he lives it every day. You should see his hands. They are "strong hands".
10. He's not picky. I love that Jason hates shopping so much that he will wear anything (with few exceptions such as cords, which is such a shame, cause I think they look great on guys) as long as I buy it for him and he doesn't have to go to the store, himself. He'll also try anything I cook at least once, and most of the time, he's complimentary of everything I cook.
11. He's brave (and patient). I've lost count of how many late-night missions I've sent him on to "stake out" the house and make sure no bad guys are lurking about. (Many of which I've woken him up for) He never makes me go because he knows I'm afraid of the boogey man, and he rarely gets angry at me for being mistaken. (He hasn't found any burglars yet!)
12. He's thoughtful. He gives great gifts--and that's really saying something, considering we're talking about a guy who HATES to shop. Maybe its just because he'd rather think really hard beforehand so he can only go to one place, but I'd rather think he's just a thoughtful kind of guy.
13. He's a nice guy. I catch him all the time asking the cashier at Walmart how her day has been. He always says thank you. He's courteous to strangers. And I think that is so incredibly attractive.

Walking and Window Dressing

I snapped this cute picture of Norah Sunday afternoon. Jason and I had just gotten in from playing with the Aggie Disc Golf club. I had been wearing the blue bandanna like a headband to keep my hair out of my face, and Norah came over and plucked it right off my head, and made several futile attempts to put it on her own, until I finally helped her out. Much cuter on her, for sure!




Also, I'm very proud to announce that Norah has officially joined the biped nation! After nearly 2 months of experimenting with a few steps here and there, out of nowhere, she decided to up and walk last Friday. She's been cruising around on two feet, ever since. I'm amazed at how quickly her balance has improved. She can walk all the way across the room and back without falling! . Most of the time, her preferred posture while strolling is both arms up and a big grin.





Walking isn't the only new mode of transportation Norah tried this week. She also discovered that Great Grandmother gives one mean horsey ride! I wish I could upload her squeals of delight, because they were priceless. (And don't worry, Grandmother was fine--she's surprisingly spry...and I think she had as much fun as Norah)




Today was also an exciting day because I finally got the chance to make my kitchen curtains! (Thanks to Gramps, Johnny, Mom R, and Grandmother for the JoAnn giftcards/ Christmas money that funded the project!) Unfortunately, once the curtains were finished, I discovered that the curtain rod couldn't be installed because it overlapped with the light fixture above our sink. Thankfully, my super-sweet husband cut the rod and re-drilled holes in it so the rod and the light could co-exist, and I could have the satisfaction of seeing the finished product. Thanks, sweetheart for making time to help me after a long day at work (even before practicing your putting!)

13 Things I'm Glad I Tried

I've always heard it said that "its good to try new things". So I got to thinking about some of the once "new" things that I've tried that I'm thankful for. Maybe you're on the fence about experiencing some of the things on my list, and if so, here's what has earned my endorsement. (And no, I'm not getting paid for any of this-- just my unsolicited opinion, as a free service to you) Feel free to let me know if you agree with me, or if I talked you into trying something you, too love. (Just dont let me know if you try any of these 13 things and hate them, because I really don't need that kind of guilt)

1. Special K Red Berries- Delicious...and nutritious!
2. "The Illusionist" on dvd- we loved it! One of my favorite rentals in a long, long time.
3. Shutterfly- I tried Shutterfly.com for our Christmas cards and had a blast. I was really pleased with the price and finished product. I even had special thank you notes printed for Norah's birthday gifts (with a picture of her and her beloved sock monkey)!
   
4. Buck's Pizza Rolls- Not nearly as nutritious as #1, but still delicious, and you can't beat 50 cent rolls on Tuesday! I think they're the best pizza rolls in town.
5. Knitting- I never had any desire to knit. I thought it was for "old ladies" who were exceptionally coordinated. Then I tried to crochet and I stunk at it, so I decided to give knitting a try...and I really enjoy it! Its neat to be able to make something useful and practical from just a pair of needles and a ball (or 4) of yarn.
   
6. Raisins- I recently gave them a try after a lifetime of thinking I didn't like them. (I figured if I was gonna subject Norah to them, the least I could do was eat some, myself.) Turns out, raisins aren't too bad. (My little sis has informed me that when, in my old age, I try these new things and discover that I now like them, it simply means that enough of my taste buds have "died" that I now THINK it tastes good.)
7. Veggie Tales- I'm addicted. My current favorite is "A Snoodle's Tale", which is a parody of a Dr. Seuss book. Hilarious, smart, and moral.
8. Secret with Olay moisturizers- I've always been a Secret girl, but I love the new Olay moisturizing version of my old standby.
   
9. Walgreen's. Open 24 hours, 365 days a year. Great service. PLUS, I can upload all my digital photos to their website and they're ready in an hour! I love Walgreen's!
10. Speaking of "24"!!! Jason and I are addicted to "24" and can't wait to see what tight spot Jack Bauer will manage to get out of next. We've currently watched all the way through season 4 (all on dvd, commercial-free). It's fun to have a show that we look forward to watching together, after Norah's safely tucked in.
11. Dangly earrings. Up until last month, I had never owned a pair. Then a good friend (thanks, Katy) gave me a pair for my birthday, and lo and behold, I really like them! At first I felt a little like a poser, but after I got used to the way they felt, I really enjoyed wearing them. They really made me feel feminine!
12. Online Shopping-- I love to buy online. I feel like I can find practically anything I could possibly want on the web. Plus, I can usually find it for less than I would if I spent all day long shopping for it. Sure, it might take out some of the suspense of "the hunt", but I still prefer it to live shopping, hands down.
    
13. Disc Golf- yeah, I'll admit, it sounds pretty dorky, but Jason and I have clocked a lot of hours playing together, and we both really love it! We can already tell Norah's gonna get into it--she loves to watch Daddy practice his putting in the back yard. She even says "Daddy!" every time she hears the disc go into the basket chains!

Blogger's Block

I'm sorry its been a while since my last post. I've been suffering through a case of blogger's block. Just because I haven't updated doesn't mean I've had nothing to report.

Last week we took a family trip to Target, where we bought Norah her "big girl" car seat. She absolutely loves it! This picture is from her first spin in the new seat. She was so funny. Each time I would turn around to check on her, she'd flash a huge grin, wave her little hand (she's totally into doing the backwards "wave at myself" wave--so cute) and say, "Hi!". It's easy to see that she's proud of herself for graduating up to a forward-facing carseat.


On the 23rd, we went went in for Norah's one-year check-up. I got her all dressed and ready to be there for our 9am appointment, then I sat down on the couch to check my email with a bottle of water beside me. I even thought to myself, "I ought to put this water away--its just the right height for Norah to grab". I quickly forgot, and before I knew it, I heard Norah shriek, followed by cries of disapproval. I didn't even have to look. It was too easy to guess. Sure enough, she had gone to grab the bottle of water and had drenched herself. Being the caring, loving, responsible adult that I am, I took a couple of photos of her looking dejected, and then changed her clothes.

1-year update:
Weight- 16 lbs. 15 oz. (just below the 5th%)
Height-27.5" (10th%)
Head Circumference- 45.3cm
# of Teeth- 9
She is taking more and more steps each day, but still prefers crawling when she's in a hurry. We can see a definite improvement in her balance that I think means she'll be running in no time.

A Birthday Party, in Review

Well, we made it. After more than a year of planning (I know, I seriously need to get a life), Norah's first birthday party has come and gone. The following is a photo-recap of Norah's big day. (And this is a fun picture of Norah making "monkey sounds")

This was her birthday party outfit (purchased from a super-sweet seller on E-bay)I sewed a little, red bow on the monkey's head to make it a little bit more girly. I loved that the back of the sweater had the back view of the monkey.

This cake was my inspiration for the entire party. I saw it on Martha Stewart.com while I was pregnant and fell in love.











Mom snapped a picture of me showing off Norah's freshly decorated smash cake around 3pm, Friday afternoon. I put the finishing touches on the big cake around 11pm that night. It was a LONG day! (But totally worth it!)














Monkey Cupcakes-These were my own creation after I started to panic that there wasn't enough cake for everyone (or enough chocolate for my chocoholic friends) The ears are halved Nilla Wafers, the eyes are chocolate chips, and the nostrils and mouth are made of licorice string.



















The "Spread"







My personal favorite project for the party was the favor bags for Norah's little buddies. Mom helped me sew the felt monkey faces that decorated the front each bag (I also sewed a safety pin on the back of each one, in case the kids wanted to keep them to pin to their backpack, bulletin board, shirt, or whatever).




Contents of the goody bags: monkey stickers, a flannel monkey sack with a ribbon drawstring, filled with a set of alphabet magnets for the fridge, a bag of banana runts (remember the 3 lbs. I bought?), and my personal favorite, a stuffed monkey with little magnets inside his hands and feet. (And yes, if you're observant, you've noticed that this bag went to AA & Trae, and no, they aren't kids, but Amanda asked me to bend the rules since she and Trae had to work and couldn't make the party, but came to town Saturday night to celebrate with us)

We actually used the stuffed monkeys to decorate the house before putting them in the goody bags. (Might as well get our money's worth out of them!) There were 15 of the little magnetic monkeys, so Jason hid them all around the livingroom, and we let the kids have a monkey scavenger hunt. The first kid (with adult help) to guess the correct number of hidden monkeys won a barrel of monkeys. (It was pretty funny watching all the adults scanning the room while the kids were playing)

We had a house-full! (Close to 40 between the adults and kids) We are so blessed to have so many friends and family members who love Norah. It was very humbling to know that our house was filled with people who deeply love Norah and pray for her on a regular basis. I hope she'll look back at these pictures some day and realize how much she is loved.

One of Jason's groomsmen even surprised us by coming into town. (Here he is visiting with Grandad Shelby in the kitchen) We really enjoyed getting to catch up with Brett and share the weekend with him. He was an ideal house guest--very low-mantainance, cleaned up after himself, and most importantly, he and Norah played very well together!


Here we are goofing around with Jenny and the twins, who came to the party in their adoreable monkey tees. Patti was so funny--she went all over the living room pointing out each of the little magnetic monkeys, beckoning the nearest adult to hand them to her. She gathered quite an impressive collection!

Finally, it was time for the cake! Norah beamed with pride when we presented her with her own monkey smash cake.
Jason and I helped with blowing out her candle---but if mental concentration could have extinguished the flame, she wouldn't have needed any assistance.

She stared at the cake for the longest time before digging in (she was probably wondering if it were a mistake that we set it within her reach or some sort of mean trick).









She got over her timidity pretty fast... and I'm not sure, but I think she liked it.












Mom R video-ed the mometous occassion, while a nervous uncle Grant mused whether or not Norah would survive the amount of chocolate she injested, unscathed. (Don't worry, she did--we took it away before she made herself sick)

After the cake, we opened gifts. Jason and I were completely overwhelmed by the thoughtfulness and generosity of our friends and family. (And Norah loves everything she received!)


It was a memorable day (well, Norah probably wont remember any of it...but we have lots of pictures, so at least she'll know we tried to make it special). I'd say I can't wait til next year's party... but I think in the mean time, I'll just enjoy Norah while she's still 1 and hope she doesn't grow up too fast!

Happy Birthday, Norah!

We officially have a 1-year old in our midst! Norah's celebrated her first birthday today. Jason even remembered to call and wish her happy birthday at exactly 11:21am. (Way to go, Daddy!) While she'll have to wait until her party tomorrow, to open most of her gifts, she did receive a few special gifts from some of her great grandparents, today.

The first gifts arrived via personal delivery. Gramps and Grandad Shelby (Norah's great grandparents--my mom's folks) dropped by around 3pm for a spot of tea, each with their gift for the birthday girl.

Grandad's gift had been somewhat of an illusive mystery for the past year. When he came to the hospital to see Norah last year, he informed us that he had already purchased her first birthday gift. My brother (who was there when Grandad told me about his purchase) and I have been racking our brains for the past year trying to guess what the secret gift could be. Gramps made things even more interesting by giving us tricky clues now and then. In the end, no one could guess what Grandad up his sleeve. And finally, we have the answer!! Grandad, who is known for showering my Gramps-much to her dismay--with TONS of uniquely shaped candles that he finds all over town, had found a special birthday candle for his first great grandchild. This candle (pictured to the right) is numbered from 1-21 and says, "Happy Birthday" at the bottom. It is meant to be burnt down each year, to reach the birthday girl's new age. (We think it may take a whole day to burn it down one number though, cause we burned it for over 4 hours and it barely put a dent in the top of the candle! We plan to burn it again tomorrow during the party)


Gramps' gift was a hand-sewn sock monkey, complete with flirtatious eyelashes, a flannel night gown, tiny bunny slippers, and a floppy hat (all of which Norah delights in removing from the monkey's body, and attempting to wear, herself!) Norah loves her new monkey buddy. She's carried it all over the house, and even cried until I put it in the car with her when we left the house tonight! (Guess we chose an appropriate theme for her birthday party!) Another special feature: it came with adoption papers! We havent named monkey yet (I think I'd rather let Norah name her), so for now, she'll remain "Monkey".





The third (and final) present that Norah opened today, arrived via UPS. Memaw Gilmore (my dad's mom) had a gift sent from Toys-R-Us, specially gift wrapped for our birthday girl. Norah really enjoyed tearing the paper! (She takes her dear, sweet time...but its pretty fun to watch!)








After some time, all the paper was torn away, to reveal...a See-N- Say! I hadn't even thought about a See-N-Say in years! Jason gave Norah a quick lesson in how to pull the lever, while she watched the dial spin and point to a cow, quickly followed by a loud, "Moo!". She squealed with delight and quickly brushed Daddy away so she could play with her toy, unaided. She loves it...especially when it plays "Old MacDonald", as song, she's quite familiar with.

All-in-all, I'd have to say its been a great birthday. More updates on the party, coming soon!

13 Photo Memories of Norah's First Year

Our sweet baby girl will be one tomorrow, so what better topic for this week's T-13 than a photo tribute to 13 memories we've made over the past year. We thank God every day for this rich blessing in our lives.

1. Love at first sight. Yes, I am massive in this picture...but it still makes me smile. The moment the doctor handed us the baby we had been waiting so anxiously to meet was one of the most incredible moments of my life. She was so much more beautiful than we expected her to be (I mean, you hear all these horror stories about what newborns look like---but she was so pretty!) I couldn't believe she was really ours!

2. Cuddling. All 9 months of my pregnancy I prayed for a cuddler, and God blessed us with one. From birth, Norah loved to snuggle. This is one of my favorite first memories of her. I wrapped my arms around her, and she "hugged" my arm. I was so thankful Jason got a picture of it!







3. Becoming parents. I know most people probably think that "becoming a parent" happens in the delivery room with the arrival of the baby, but for us, I think it really happened when we got home from the hospital (which we were still a little in shock that they were gonna let a couple of inexperienced know-nothing "kids" leave the hospital with a perfect baby, with no instruction manual or adult supervision) I will never forget the overwhelming feeling of "fearfulness of the unknown" I felt when we entered our house for the first time, alone, with Norah. It was an eerie calm that seemed to tell us that life would be different from this point on---and it has been, but in a good way. It has been amazing watching Jason become a dad. He is so naturally good at this, and inspires me to be better each day.



4. Gotta love the boppy! Norah was a great sleeper, from the very beginning. Granted, she slept a lot more then than she does now...I'm still thankful for the 1.5-2 naps a day she still takes, and the full night's sleep she usually affords us!










5. First Easter! Here she is in the sweet Easter dress that Grammy made for her (covered in slobber...go figure), and her sweet, little white shoes, that believe it or not, still fit!














6. The toe-sucking phase. Ahhhh...I miss those days. This photo was taken at Wings-N-More. And no, we didn't take her into the restaurant barefoot, she de-socked herself and went to sucking on her toes right in front of everyone!













7. First Father's Day! Jason looked so dashing in the special tie that Norah helped make. (We inked up her little feet and stamped "Norah loves Daddy" on it) He wore it with pride, and didn't even complain that it was pink. I told him I think he should wear it to her rehearsal dinner, someday. He replied, "I don't want to talk about it." Implying, he's not even close to ready to thinking of letting her go.











8. Norah's first taste of pears. She didn't make it through the whole jar before she fell into a deep slumber...this gave birth to one of my personal favorite blog entries, "The Princess and the Pear". She still falls asleep mid-meal from time to time.






9. This is one of my favorite pictures from our year. We have it blown up and framed in our bedroom. Norah was supposed to be taking a nap, but Jason and I could hear her singing and playing, so we crawled into her room on our hands and knees with the camera...apparently we weren't as stealthy as we gave ourselves credit for, because Norah intercepted our ambush tactics!








10. First ride in a shopping cart. We just happened to have the camera in the diaper bag, so we decided to photo document. I'm so glad we did because this is another of my favorite photos (also framed in my bedroom). Doesn't she look like she's about to ride a roller coaster?















11. All Hail the Jumperoo! First toy to ever make Norah fall asleep, standing up! She still loves the Jumperoo, to this day, and has fallen asleep in it several times since this picture was taken.











12. First Halloween! Gramps and I made Norah an original costume with no patterns, whatsoever. We had so much fun showing off our little mermaid! Norah loved her costume, too. She flapped her little tail for everyone we met. I can't wait til next Halloween!









13. First Christmas! After the numerous family Christmas gatherings we took Norah to, she should be a seasoned pro at opening presents. Good thing, since her birthday is tomorrow!