23 months!

Our wild haired girl this morning before we had a chance to brush it. She kind of looks like a kewpie doll with that tuft on top of her head. Her curls are crazy in the morning!

One month to go until the big 2! Norah will tell you she will be 2 on her birthday. She will also add that she wants cake and pink balloons. And hearts. (I'm not sure where she wants the hearts, but she wants hearts.)


With the birthday, also comes the big switch to a new class. It is sad to leave behind a class and teacher we love, but she will be with a new teacher we love as well and old friends who already moved up. For a few months, they have been telling us they are ready to move Norah, but the next class did not have space until the end of the summer. In the meantime, she visits and loves, loves the fun and different toys in the new class. She will also enjoy longer circle times because she loves to sing, count, listen to stories and play group games.


Norah jabbers away more than I can say. She is starting to put multiple full sentences together like "There is water in my eye. I need my towel." Talking isn't limited to daytime though. Like her father and brother, she has a few things to say in her sleep. She must often dream about school or playing with friends because we commonly hear things like "It's my turn now." coming from her crib.

Norah loves to sing. Her favorite songs to sing to us are the ABC's, Twinkle Little Star, & the Barney song which she sings at school & with Liza. She has also learned to spell her name (most of the time, sometimes she forgets a letter) because we made up a song to the tune of Bingo. "There was a sweet little girl & Norah was her name-o. N-O-R-A-H. N-O-R-A-H. N-O-R-A-H. And Norah was her name-o!

Norah knows her left and right feet, but it is limited to her feet. She won't show you her left and right arms or hands.

Stephan helps Norah learn Spanish. What else are big brothers for? She counts to 5, but he is helping her practice how to say hello, goodbye, help and stop. Last night she as she tried to climb on a chair, she actually said help in English & then Spanish! They are having fun together at day camp where they are called Big Red and Little Red. I like having him at her school because I get so many detailed reports! Stephan also made a good buddy who will be at his new middle school in the fall.

My favorite kind of days....

...are the ones when we have no plans. No place to be. When we can leave the house without a watch or phone and it does not matter. We decided this weekend would be that kind of weekend. We thought of fun things to do...or consider...but decided not to make a single plan. This morning we went for a 4+ mile walk into town, over bridges, along the river walk, past the fire station with all of its vehicles in the street (a treat for the kids!), to sit by the creek, onto the park, past the baseball diamond and back home. We got drinks at one of our favorite coffee shops, played on the playground and enjoyed being outdoors with no time commitments.

How to get an 11 year old to pose for a picture....suggest climbing a tree and then offer to take their picture while up in the branches. They will think it is a great idea to photograph their climbing skills!

The toddler park

On Sunday, Casey, Stephan and I went to see Harry Potter! We loved it, but Stephan felt more sad at the end than he realized he would. It was nice for the three of us to have some time together. Shelly offered to watch Norah while she was visiting from Chicago. Great Aunt Karen visited from Nebraska with her puppy Duffy. Here is Norah with two of Duffy's toys. Norah really liked Duffy and thought his cage was a fun place to hide. She also loved playing with Aunt Karen and wanted to be near her the rest of the afternoon. I tried to snap a picture of the three of them on the front lawn with Norah's little blue chair, but Norah was on the move again.

Grandma, Shelly and Norah made a trip to the toddler park. It has been so cool for the last few days, it feels like autumn!

"Happy Nana day to you!"

We celebrated Nana's birthday at Grandpa & Grandma's house. Norah liked to say "Happy Nana day to you!" She was a wild girl by the end of the night & I am convinced she needs more exercise that a greyhound. She RAN around the circle in front of the house (which won't make sense to most of you, but trust me, it's a lot of running for a little one) over and over. She looked like a drunken sailor and fell flat on her face twice only to get up and keep going. Later she twirled around & around and said "I be dizzy!" She thought that was pretty funny. Stephan pulled her in her wagon and he also used it as sort of a skateboard, which I probably would have decided was not safe if I hadn't been trying to keep up with our little racer.

People often ask kids if the feel or look any older on their birthday. I am not sure what it is about this year, but I swear that Stephan looked older as soon as he turned 11. He is looking more and more like a preteen everyday. And he is a faithful guardian of Norah. He goes to summer day camp three days a week at Norah's school. He keeps a watchful eye on her and gives me reports at the end of the day. If he is near her and sees someone take a toy or jump in front of her in the line for the slide, he tries to intervene.

Norah loves to sit on rocks. They are not big, but she always looks so proud of herself when she takes a seat on one.


CONGRATULATIONS to Shelly & Dan who got engaged! Today I got to look at a reception site with Shelly, Grandpa & Grandma. It's going to be a beautiful wedding!

I love this picture because someone had just asked Norah to smile and this is the face anyone gets when they ask her to smile for the camera...scrunched up eyes! She says "cheese" pretty nicely though so that's our new trick.

Earlier in the day when I buckled her into her carseat, my hair fell in front of my face and she couldn't see it. She squealed "Oh no, Mommy! OPEN your hair!" We keep laughing about that!

"I need winter"

It's hard to tell what is happening in this picture, but I snapped it as she scooted by. The other morning before school, she put on a winter hat & just one mitten. She wore them around the house as she said "I need winter!" It made me laugh that she kept saying she needed it. Luckily I convinced her to wear a summer hat to school!

Norah's new thing is remembering which stores have certain color carts. At our grocery store, they have black carts & green carts. One day she decided she would only ride in the green carts. We have no idea why. Now when we pull up to other stores like Target or Home Depot, she says "Target, red cart." It's such a funny thing for her to think about!

Birthday Fun

What do you get when you mix silly boys, dart gun races through the woods, a bonfire with s'mores, a game of "midnight army," late night movies & a sleepover? One thrilled birthday boy who said this was his favorite birthday party ever!

Norah kept saying "Happy brudder day, Stephan!"

She ate her dessert with flare & thought it was the tastiest treat!

The next day Stephan asked her what she wants on her birthday to which she replied

"I want CAKE!"

Happy Birthday Stephan!

It's hard to believe that this little guy is now
this big guy at age 11!

Stephan had a great year 10. He went to a new school, made friends & got excellent grades. He worked very hard in soccer this spring, showed great sportsmanship and grew in many ways. I am most proud when I watch him with Norah because it's the perfect snapshot of his kind heart. And she just adores her big brudder.

We are getting ready to celebrate on Saturday with a few of Stephan's favorite things...water guns, a bonfire, s'mores, good company, and a movie sleepover.

what a show!

At night just before the fireworks....

We had a fantastic time at the fireworks. Norah loved every minute of it. We danced to a big brass band, saw her teacher, and she "Ooohed" and "Aaawed" over all of the colors. Stephan ran into a few of his school friends too. He said it was the best 4th of July ever!

Stephan is ready to go on his big trip with Grandpa and Grandma. First stop, the hand surgeon for his broken finger & to get a fancy splint. And then he is off! When he returns, we will celebrate the big 1-1.

Happy Independence Day!

4th of July 2003

And today just before Stephan lined up to walk with his soccer club in the parade.

The 4th of July is my favorite holiday. I love all of it...the parades, snuggling on blankets to watch the fireworks, those little ice cream cups with the wooden spoons, the strong sense of community, and of course, celebrating how lucky we are to live in the land of the free.

This morning we headed to the parade. It was two hours! Norah loved watching all of the trucks, bands, dancers, animals and fancy cars. She waited and waited to see her big brother walk by.

Before we left, I kept trying to teach her to sing "I love a parade," but she would interrupt me and say "Oh, Mommy, Norah love it too!"

She collected some beads from the high school cheerleaders

Parade? Can't I just eat these rocks?
No? How about a woodchip? Just one?
Hmmmm...these unknown green berries?
No? Ok, then I'll go for the boring snack we brought from home...

It's coming....

....it's almost here. I am trying to pretend it doesn't exist. Stephan's 11th birthday is just days away. Where does time go? Who is this big kid?

Stephan made it nearly 11 years before breaking a bone. He broke his finger this week & will be getting a pretty fancy splint from the hand doctor before he heads on his big trip to Michigan.

(he was trying so hard not to laugh while I was taking these pictures)