Different

It is amazing how 2 kids, same parents, can be so different. Nora is very sweet, cuddly, and happy (just like her brother) yet kind of high maintenance, noisy, and impatient. We love her either way.

A few of our favorite, and not so favorite, things about her...

She loves food! However, from one day to the next she changes her mind on what she likes. What she gobbles one meal, is pushed aside (on the floor) at the next.

She is starting to sleep through the night. I love this! yet, she is up by 6:30 AM which I don't love. She does nap great and goes down without a fuss, at night she throws a fit so we've decided to just rock her at night. It only takes a minute, and it is really sweet to hold a sleeping baby.

Her favorite things- loves the sand table, water, toys (emptying & refilling buckets of toys-we just need to teacher how to sort!) and hates other things- GRASS, her new carseat, getting her diaper changed.

She is really into blowing bubbles/spitting right now. Always making noise and yells/whines really loud when we are not meeting her needs (or just can't figure them out.)

She is really really happy. Loves to go up to anyone visiting our house and have them hold her. You would think I never hold her, but I DO I DO! She is just very sweet- her favorite people to just be held by, other than mom & dad, are Papa Russ, Kim, Shalese, and Michelle.

Nora gives kisses (just smack your lips at her), gives really sweet hugs with arms tight around you and pats your back, and if you put out your hand she will pretend to give you her pacifier

That is our sweet "love bug!"








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CELEBRATION

Our little girl has turned one, hooray! My sister asked me if I would cry, and I said probably not and I didn't. I have thought why and it is because I look forward to the 1 year mark for so many wonderful reasons. I love the 1 year to 5 year age, so many exciting milestones. Walking, talking, personality coming out. It is really exciting.

Also, she is sleeping through the night FINALLY! Hooray for 1 year old!

Just like anything else, we never seem to celebrate once. Party with Grandma & Papa a week early, birthday lunch with Jack's friend and her mom, cousins coming over for a second lunch with play/party, and then dinner & cake with Grandma Diane who was visiting from NC.

A couple of picture highlights.


cake #1 (too tired)

Clothes & blocks


Leap Frog purple dog and her very first baby doll, which she loves

And big blocks! Obviously both kids LOVE these!


Lasagna for dinner and Birthday Cake

I guess they are learning to share...


Birthday Bath and a family picture

Jack wanted to sing happy birthday all by himself, probably just so he could blow out Nora's candle all by himself.

TYPE A

That's me. Many see that as a negative label, but I don't mind and am kind of proud of some of my TYPE A personality traits. being organized, in control/controlling, proactive are just some of the positives.

Our latest task at hand- Jack is wearing an eye patch for 2 hours each day to help strengthen his weaker eye. Yes, he still wears glasses and that corrects his eye-crossing for focus, but the patch will help there be no residual crossing due to one eye being "lazy" or weaker than the other.

The Dr. prescribed this last Friday, and I had to determine how we were going to make this happen. I was not thrilled with my kid being "that kid with the weird patch on his eye" so I had to get geared up for this too. We decided to start on Monday.

After all of the effort, the hype, the pirate storybooks and tv show, Monday was not so great- we got it on for only 30 min. after pain and suffering on both of our parts, but by Tuesday it was smooth sailing. Yes, it's only been 3 days, but he is ready & excited for tomorrow already!


He has a fire truck or racecar patch to choose from. And his pirate chart for the week.


See, the weird kid with the patch is still SUPER CUTE!

Winter Fun

Yes- Winter is OVER here in Wisconsin. I know I am jinxing ourselves by packing up our winter clothes and bringing out the warm weather stuff, but oh well.

Here are a couple pictures from the fun we've had this winter!

Mom & Jacks snowman. Dan & Jack's snowmen- Jack built his all by himself. :)


Yes, she is still in her carseat so she rarely needed the whole snowsuit jazz when we went out to run errands. We were working the HAT. :)

And a little fun with friends!

In case "You Don't Know Jack"

In celebration of our little boy turning into a BIG KID, here are a few things-good and bad- that make him who he is.

IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER

He is a picky eater. His staples include mac & cheese, pizza, quesadilla, and hot dog.

He loves to sing songs of his TV shows. We know the Thomas Song, Mickey Mouse, Jake and the Pirates. Lately he is requesting "Fireman Sam" and Dan and I spent 5 min playing & replaying the theme song so we could get it right, just for him.

HE LOVES Papa's I-Pad

He asks for Mom to snuggle every night. It is really hard to say no.

He just finished his first set of swimming lessons. HE IS A PRO-well for a 3 year old. He even goes off of the diving board!


He cannot live without his McQueen Hat. We bought him McQueen shoes (he needed new tennis shoes) only so we could give him the choice of wearing his McQueen hat or shoes, potentially that could get him down to 50% of hat time. FAIL.

He is very helpful. Will help set the table, empty garbages, and put laundry away.

Asks for piano lessons, and we sing and play piano together. Also likes to play the violin.

Is potty-trained and will always choose to go outside, if given the choice.

LOVES chocolate.

Likes to play Mom, Dad, and baby with animals, people, cars. Mostly they kiss eachother and say "I Love You" but once in a while he talks to them like his kids and tells them it's bedtime, gives them choices, and puts them on the toy dollhouse toilet. hmmm...

Lately he has been sad if we leave him places- like at a friend's house. After we pick him up he says "Mom, you lost me."

Loves kisses goodbye from his Dad.

He says funny things like...
"You Want to come to?"
"That makes you happy!"
"I want to go to the Dr., feel me so good."
"No, first _________" when I want him to do something.

Is that enough... I could go on forever!

He is a good kid, and we are so glad that he is ours!