Family Day in Madison

On Saturday we drove to Madison for a fun family day. We enjoyed the only sunshine of the weekend before the terrible storms hit at the farmer's market on the capitol square, the WI Veterans Museum and the botanical gardens. We had a wonderful morning together.

Here is Stephan the vet museum. It is a fantastic museum! We did not plan to go there, but spontaneously stopped in for the little history lover. All of the exhibits are really well done.
(It was so dark in there I couldn't get a good picture!)

This is an extremely happy Wisconsin cow! You may have seen those "Happy cows are from California" ads, but don't believe the hype! Happy cows live right here!

The Madison Farmer's Market had cows on the square to teach kids about the state's dairy industry. Stephan and Norah both loved petting the cows.

After our picnic, we visited the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. They are gorgeous! The flowers were in full bloom and there are many fountains, courtyards, ponds and rock gardens to explore.

splashing in the fountain...

Yes, this is the back of Norah's head. I am obsessed with her swirls. They are not quite long enough for curls, but the ends of her strawberry hair swirl up like little duck tails. I play with it constantly!

Enjoying a favorite pastime of babies everywhere...playing with tupperware on the floor. If it looks like she is up to something sneaky, she is probably making a plan to crawl away unnoticed and find something (oh, say dog food) that I have not yet figured out to baby proof.

Below is our backyard. Norah enjoys being outside as much as possible. When it rained most of the weekend, she would tap her little hand on the deck doors to motion for us to go out.

It is such a peaceful way to end our days out in our new yard. I could watch her play in the grass for hours. She concentrates so hard to pick up the grass and leaves in between her little fingers. Every extra minute I spend coming home in traffic on a longer commute is well worth these moments in our yard.

Blog Makeover!

How do you like the new look of our blog?!? The talented Danielle of Blogs by Danielle (link to the right) created the new look. I love the way it turned out. It is very me and a sweet background for Stephan and Norah's pictures. I highly recommend her services & it is always great to support the business of someone who gives to the community...Danielle also generously donates her time and talents to one of my favorite charitable organizations. If you are in the market for a blog makeover, check out Blogs by Danielle!

Our little peanut!

Our little peanut is growing up so fast! She paid a visit to the doctor this week. She is 27.5 inches long (just over the 50th percentile...pretty petite compared to her brother who was always in the 90's!) and weighs 19 pounds and 9 ounces (although my left bicep was sure it would be more!) Norah loves to wave at everyone and crawls EVERYwhere! It is exciting, but makes me a little nervous. Everyday I think of something new to baby proof!

A Ray Fan Through the Years....

Just in time for a heated playoff game, Stephan received an extra special package from Jessie & Sam to cheer on Ray Allen with the Celtics! I have two adorable pictures of Stephan in Ray's jerseys from his time on the Bucks and Sonics. They are pre-digital so one of these days I will get around to scanning them!

Happy Memorial Day!

We had a wonderful & warm Memorial Day weekend. We walked with our new neighbors and one of Stephan's new friends downtown to see the local parade. Stephan is the family history buff. He has read a lot about World War II this year & it was special for him to see so many vets from that era.

Norah thought this was all very exciting!

There is a paved path that takes us from our street to a main road that heads downtown. Along the way there is a place to stop and admire the Cedar Creek.

We spent the afternoon in the yard with family visitors. Norah enjoys being outside & when we walk past the sliding door to the deck, she often reaches & squeals to go out.

Pops took this picture of Norah on the deck. She loves to smile at the camera!

And Shelly took this picture before we had to take cover in the shade on the deck. The sun was too bright for our fair skin!

Nine months!

It is hard to believe our little peanut is nine months old! The time has flown by unbelievably fast! Norah is a mover. She had been wiggling along in her own funny way to get from point a to point b, but is now crawling the "regular" way. And she looks thrilled when she realizes the possibilities of where she can go and how fast. Norah is pulling herself up on everything...even if it is not sturdy. And if she has something with just a little height like a pillow, she will push herself up into a standing position, but topples over right away, of course. She is anxious to walk. Maybe she will be an early walker like her dad and brother? Norah is as smiley as ever, but also has a little shy side. She is very cuddly and likes to give "kisses." She loves her doll (which is a doll I have had since my 1st birthday) and "kisses" it when you say "Can you kiss the baby?" She loves books and will listen to each word on the page when we read, especially if it has real photos or very realistic drawings. She thinks her toes are the most fascinating thing she has seen. And, of course, she loves to eat! :)

Special day for Stephan...

Tuesday was a special day a Stephan's school. During lunch, it was the annual Hot Dog Day where parents and siblings join the kids on the school lawn for a picnic lunch. Norah and I had fun visiting Stephan's class and playing on the playground after school.

In the evening, Stephan's class along with one other class had Art Night full of singing, poetry and a short play about prairies. Last year, Stephan's class built a prairie that turned into a school-wide project this year.

Stephan gathered up the courage to audition for a small group trio in one of the songs. He got the part and worked so hard on his lines in preparation for the show. He has a sweet little voice and did a great job at the performance!