Family News

For those who haven't heard...my little sister is getting married!! She's been engaged for a little over 2 weeks now, and I wanted to be sure she had a chance to tell her friends/family before I blogged it. His name is Trae McAnn, and we think he's a pretty great guy. (This photo, and the new ones on our header are courtesy of Jenny)

Over the weekend, we had the chance to meet some of Trae's sweet family. Jason, Norah, and I went to Georgetown for Trae's twin nieces' birthday party. Abbie & Gracie are just 4 months older than Norah, so we were pretty sure they'd be a great match. Here's the only photo I got of them together, as they were very busy playing (Please appreciate my posting it, because Amanda will probably kill me).







AA was a great sport...I think she took Norah down that slide about 57 times!











Amanda had me make matching shirts for the girls and their mommy.








They also received lots of super-fun dress-up clothes, shoes, and jewelry....Which Norah promptly attempted to raid when she thought no one was looking.










When we explained to her that birthday party costume jewelry and shoe-thievery was a faux paus, she decided grand theft auto was more appropriate.









In the end, she was content to settle for some quality time with Daddy. It was a fun weekend, and nice to get to know Amanda's soon-to-be in-laws. (Not to mention getting home just in time to see the Aggies come back on Oklahoma State. Talk about a great game!)

A Lot on Her Plate

Sorry for the lack of posts lately...my camera batteries were dead, and without pictures, I'm less-than-inspired.

Friday night Uncle Grant and Aunt Paige came to dinner. I noticed I had a pretty wide variety of food on Norah's plate that night, so I decided to to document how well she's eating at 20-months.

On the menu: Oatmeal breaded baked chicken, Italian-style green beans (the flat ones), fruit salad (strawberries, green apples, red grapes and bananas), mashed potatoes, and spiral mac and cheese. (And for the record, that is a dessert plate, I didn't load her down with a full-size dinner plate)






Norah's fav: mac & cheese! (here she is very seriously pointing at it in response to my question)











Just a few, short minutes later? Not much left. And she finished off the rest after the picture! She was even relatively neat (so as not to waste any tiny morsel)-- that's our girl!

Rocking Donkey

About a month ago, a sweet couple from church, who volunteer weekly with my mom at the food pantry, asked Mom if Norah could use a rocking "horse". Apparently, while on vacation this summer, they came across a well-loved rocking donkey, and thought of Norah. They fixed him up, providing it with a new ear and tail (which had been "loved off" by the precious owner), and voila! Bear in mind, this thoughtful couple is not family--just a loving couple from church (the wife taught Norah when she was a little baby in cradle roll). Their love, thoughtfulness, and generosity melts my heart and reminds me how blessed we are to be a part of such a loving, church family.

As you can see from the pictures, Norah is in love with "Donkey". She asks for him by name, and likes to ride on his back every time she visits Grammy and Grandpa. The second photo, I like to think of as Norah's idea of "riding side saddle"...not especially lady-like, but still amusing, nonetheless!

Sewing Lessons

I put my appliqué projects on hold for the week to work on Norah's Halloween costume. Like last year, I couldn't find a pattern that was exactly what I wanted, so I've been "winging it". Lucky for me, I've had a great sewing coach to help me through.




As mentioned in a previous post, I'm currently working at a card table in the living room ( until my sewing desk is back in its place), which means my sewing is out in the middle of everything. As a result, Norah has taken up residence in my sewing chair nearly every time it is vacated. (I think the look on her face in this photo says, "Welcome to my sewing room, what can I do for you?")




Thankfully, she's pretty good about letting me get back to work...but I have to admit she looks pretty cute peaking out from behind my machine.

The costume is coming along great. I've finished the hardest part of the sewing, but I still have a little "constructing" to do. I can't wait to unveil this year's secret, "Little People" inspired costume!

Overheard

Norah: "I sorry, finger." (to self, upon smashing it)

Norah: "Helllooooo?!...He---llooooooo?!!..."Helloooooo!?!! (shouted in a sing-songy voice at 3am this morning, in increasingly louder and higher pitched increments. Do you think she's trying to prepare me for baby brother's early morning feedings? If so, I failed miserably. I stayed in bed and waited it out. She finally gave up and went back to sleep

First Trip to the Library

Yesterday, Norah and I made our first (and long, overdue) trip to our local public library. My mom took us on countless trips to this very same library when I was a little girl, so it was a little nostalgic for me. (I hate to admit it, but it's probably be 6 or more years since I've darkened their door...I've become a bit of a "book ownership junkie")

The whole way there (all 5 minutes it took), I drilled Norah on library etiquette, reminding her that we had to be quiet. When I'd ask if she understood, she'd respond with, "Shhhh...quiet".

Once we arrived, the first sight we took in, of course, had to be to see the big bell. I can't tell you how many times I rang that bell as a child. It was one of my favorite things about our library. Apparently, someone got a little tired of hearing kids ring the bell though, because the clanger was tied to the side of the stand, so we just settled for pictures.

Next we headed inside and up the stairs to the children's library. (Norah loved the climb!) The first thing she noticed upon our arrival? The puzzle table! She raced over and plopped down in front of a dinosaur puzzle. She's been into dinosaurs (or "Dinos", as she refers to them) lately.

Even though I really wanted the focus of our trip to be books, I decided it was more important for her to have a good first library experience, so I let her enjoy the puzzles, while I picked out a few books. (She didn't stay with the puzzles for long when she realized I was walking away--she quickly trailed behind me) She was ecstatic when we found a treasure trove of "Clifford" books (what kid doesn't love a big, red dog?), so we sat down and read a few.

I have to admit, this was the most awkward part of our trip. I had envisioned our reading together, but didn't take into account how quiet the library is. There were several home school students working on nearby computers, and the librarian, quietly working away at her desk. I felt compelled to whisper-read the books to her, and Norah wasn't too keen on this method. (She's used to sound effects and voices...all the bells and whistles) So, after choosing 4 books, we headed back downstairs to check out and head home.

She couldn't wait til we got home to look at her new books, and since she's usually very good about being gentle, I let her look at one. (Apparently she's discovered that reading books upside down in the car counteracts nausea)

We've already read all four of our selections several times, so I'm sure another trip to the library will be in order soon. But first, I think I may see about making a library book bag (Go ahead, Amanda, tell me what a big nerd I am). I'd like to have a "special place" to keep our books when we aren't reading them, that they'll all stay together and not be lost...not to mention, if we get very many books, it'll make toting them home much easier! I look forward to many more trips to the library, and I hope both our children grow up loving that "musty book smell" that greets you as you walk through the doors as much as I do!

Oh...and I guess the library etiquette lesson stuck, because she did very well at being quiet, and on the way to church last night, Jason and I overheard Norah in the backseat saying, "Shh!" "Hush!" "Quiet!" over and over again.

Good, Clean Fun

Norah's new favorite phrase: "Bubble Baff?" She asks for one pretty much every night, and we usually comply. This first picture is of her "swimming". She likes to lie on her tummy and we pull her hands, sliding her back and forth.










She's also picked up the word "beard". She's taken to caking bubbles on her chin and saying "Beard! Beard!"




This one is of her hugging the tub. We are so blessed to have a 20-month old who loves both her bath and bed times.




And then there's always the classic, cheesy grin.