I would never ruin bedtime....

....with chocolate! Nope, not me, I wouldn't do that! It was a chocolate kind of day though and fortunately Norah still went to sleep!

I had to show how long Norah's hair is in the back when it's wet and uncurled. If only the front of her hair would catch up with the rest! Stephan likes to tell me she has 80's hair. She's lucky it's curly!

More pictures from Feast of St. Francis....

A sweet couple at church emailed me these pictures they took a couple of weeks ago from our Feast of St. Francis when we were outside at the pet blessing. They said they have over a dozen pictures of Norah and took the time to burn a disk for us that we will pick up next Sunday.

Stephan was not interested in being photographed, but he gave in for just one quick pic.

Sweet Sunday

I sat down to write a post and realized I didn't take any pictures today! It was a relaxing Sunday...just what we needed! We all headed to church this morning & it was one of my days to volunteer with the youth formation. I was supposed to be with 2nd and 3rd graders, but was pleasantly surprised when they moved the groups around and I got to be with Stephan. Norah decided she had no intention of playing in the nursery room, which is funny because she talked about the playroom all week after missing church last Sunday when she and Casey were sick. I brought her to be with me and Stephan and she had a blast. We brought her into the service for communion when she loudly declared "Time for the bread!" (We have a very family friendly church so it's the norm!) She was really taken with the choir today. We sat right in front of them and she sang "Aaaaah" very quietly in my ear every time they sang a hymn. Casey and the kids spent a lot of time in the yard raking and playing in the leaves, and Norah and I painted mini pumpkins & glued shapes on them. I ran 6 and a half miles which is my longest run to date! I ran along a route I made up trying to incorporate all of my favorite places to run and walk....along the creek, the riverwalk and steps, down a very cool and artsy residential street I found , and past golden fields and cattails.

I needed to bake a dessert for my MOPS group tomorrow & found this fun recipe for "surprise middle cupcakes." Very naughty and delicious....

• buy premade cookie dough balls (or you could also make your own dough)
  
• prepare chocolate cake batter
  
• fill cupcake holders halfway and place the cookie dough ball in the middle of the cupcake holder
• Bake & frost with chocolate frosting
  

Goal!

Stephan scored another goal in today's soccer game! He usually plays midfield and sets up a lot of great assists without the glory of the goal. This season he has been averaging one goal in each game. He is loving it to say the least! It was a hard fought game today that didn't end well for the team, but what's a loss once in a great while? It teaches them to savor the wins. And all of the kids displayed great sportsmanship.

Stephan was accepted into the stage crew for the school play. I say "accepted" with a laugh because along with many other activities at his school, he had to get a certain number of teachers to sign a form that states he is responsible. (The school is really big on this teacher signing policy!) Fortunately, despite a well-known messy locker, he makes a good impression on his teachers! :) The school is performing Into the Woods (such a fun play for schools) at the end of November. I can't wait!

Norahisms

Love these piggies...Norah's teacher said she is very proud of her pigtails and always checks them out in the mirror when she is in the bathroom.

I have been a terrible blogger lately! As I sorted pictures, albums and mementos this weekend, I realized I was not doing a good job of documenting fun things about Norah since I pretty much let the blog take the place of a baby book. (Still hoping to turn this into a keepsake book with the right software...)

Norah is a busy little bee! Stephan loves to ask her (many times over) about her favorite things...

Favorite food: This changes regularly, but our favorite answer was "samples" (our grocery store always has yummy stuff to taste)
Favorite color: Well, she says pink, but she always gravitates to purple when offered choice between different colored items

For a number of weeks Norah has said she wants to be a doctor for Halloween and when she grows up. (Her doctor kit is daily fun!) The other day she said "I want to be a pumpkin when I'm a grown up mommy!" (She thinks all women are mommies...so to her a woman is a "grown up mommy.") I asked "You are going to be a pumpkin when you grow up?" to which she replied "Yes, I sure ARE!"

Other cute things she loves to say (sometimes in the right context & sometimes not) "Oh, I can't believe it!" "Can you do me a favor?" "I have something to tell you..." "Whoa, that was close!" and "Awwwww!" She has started to say "Awwww" all the time when something is cute or she likes it.

When she wakes up in the morning, she calls to us from her bed "Mommy! Daddy! Where are you? I'M TALKING TO YOU!" And Casey thinks she sounds like a southern girl because of the way she says things like "More hay-am please."

Norah is so loving and snuggly. At just the right moments, she will throw her arms around me and say "I love you!" or tilt her head, flash a little smile and just say "Awww, Mommy...."

The "say cheese face"

Stephan always laughs that Norah is such a girly girl because she loves purses, hair accessories and jewelry. She also loves to be outside, rough & tumble, and isn't afraid to get dirty. She may be wearing a dress and carrying a purse, but she won't think twice about rolling down the hill and trying to play football with her dad & brother.

Every now and then, but not too often, a bit of a sassy two year old emerges...her latest phrase in her sassy moods is "You are not older than ME!" I can only imagine this is something said among the kids at school. Age and birthday parties are very important trump cards to toddlers & preschoolers.

Norah is doing so well at school. She loves the new 2 year old class and the longer lesson times. Before the move to this room, Norah could count to 5 in Spanish, but she is up to 10 now and knows a few colors & words. Her teacher incorporates Spanish every day & the class sponsors a child in Latin America. They may not totally understand the concept, but I'm so pleased their teacher looks for ways to talk about other cultures. (Especially in our not-so-diverse community!) Norah can also recognize a lot of capital letters when she sees them in words. And I've been told Norah is a ham at school. Who could imagine that?!? :)

Norah walked around like this for a long time the other day. She found her swimsuit and slipped her arms through the straps with the suit hanging over her tummy. She would grab a bag, leave the room & say "Bye! I'm going swimming with Grandma." Then she would return and tell us all about swimming.

All Creatures Great and Small

All things bright and beautiful,

All creatures great and small,

All things wise and wonderful,

The Lord God made them all.

-Cecile Frances Alexander

Last weekend Casey and I ran in the Race for the Cure to raise money to fight breast cancer. We had many people to honor during the run like our friend Debbie pictured here with friend Barbara. Jude walked with Debbie along the 5k route & Shelly also ran with her friend Sara. We, of course, thought a lot of our Erika. I hope it was good prep for me to go a little longer and run the 8k Al's Run for Children's Hospital.

This weekend Stephan had another great soccer game. His team is off to a great start!

Casey and I tackled a lot of house projects together like painting the downstairs bathroom. It's a brown color with a hint of rust. I love the way it turned out. It's fairly dark for the small space, but it's a very warm & cozy hue. We worked hard and made a few other paiting plans.

This morning at church, family pets were blessed, along with animals on the grounds surrounding the church, as part of the Feast of St. Francis. Apparently, it's failry controversal in some churches to bless the animals. We feel lucky to belong to a church that welcomes everyone...even the furry or feathered.

I LOVED these Irish Setters! They are show dogs & one of them placed 2nd at the national dog show this year.

After a busy morning caring for the dolls in the nursery, Norah hammed it up at the animal blessing. She showed off the colorful sunglasses Jesssie gave her along with other items she brought in her little purse. A few others at church commented her well packed hand bag! She kept the nursery staff busy pushing the dolls in their toy strollers outside in the chruch yard. This was the only way she would stay in the nursery today!

Our rector talked about the earth and climate change during his sermon as it relates to St. Francis and his love of nature and animals. It tied in well with an event Stephan and I went to for my office where nature enthusists worked to reintroduce sturgeon to the local river. Stephan got to hold a few of the fishy fellows before they were placed back into their rightful habitat.

"In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, creeping things innumerable there, living things both small and great."
-Psalm 104: 10-25

A little catching up to do...

I have a few weeks of catch up....I've had trouble getting pictures to load, and, well, I am sort of blogged out. Starting with Labor Day, we had a fun filled day at the lake with Casey's coworkers. The kids love boating & tubing. Even Norah joined in the tubing excitement (slow, of course) and didn't want to stop. Stephan went so fast, he caught quite a bit of air.

We have had a lot of fun at the park, practicing soccer and spending time outside. Oh yeah, and enjoying school!

Game Day! Football fun in the yard...

....Norah going long to catch a throw from her Daddy.

Are you ready for some football?!?

We enjoyed walking around our community during the wine & harvest festivities and to see the Halloween and autumn decorations. This teapot really steams!

Mmmm....kettle corn....Stephan's favorite!

Stephan's soccer team is off to a great start! He even scored a goal in his second game!!

Norah, Daddy, Dan & Reese went to the Brewers game.

Norah and Reese ran the bases after the game.

This weekend we enjoyed a dinner at our church. There were children's activities planned while the adults enjoyed a candlelit dinner with a jazz band. We got to know more of the families and spent a lot of time talking with the parish leadership. It really solidified we found the perfect Church for us! Stephan made a new buddy who is also in his youth group. On Sunday morning, I volunteered with the 3 year old Sunday School class. I was so excited! I will only do it periodically though because I really do enjoy time with Casey in the service. It was Norah's first time joining us for communion time.

Tonight I started MOPS. I had a great time! I planned to join last year, but felt to busy. I am glad I made the time to go. Tonight was more of a getting to know you meeting, but we ate yummy treats, made a craft project, among other things. One of the moms from Norah's class is in it too!