Norah's 2!

Our sweet, lovable, funny girl turned 2 last week. It's hard to believe that 2 years ago on July 15th at 8:03pm she joined us. Funny how it seems like yesterday and so long ago all at the same time. So, here are some of our favorite things about our favorite girl:

1. How affectionate she is. She is truly the most affectionate and loving little thing. Everyday I get tons of unsolicited hugs and kisses from her. "A hug, Mommy! A kiss, Mommy!"
2. Her squeezes. For a long time we've played the squeezing game with her (who can love squeeze the hardest). I keep thinking that someday she's really going to figure out how to squeeze, but no luck so far. She makes this face like she's squeezing really hard and even shakes a little but you feel absolutely nothing on your arms.
3. Her dimples.
4. Her dancing. She would dance with me all day if I would agree. By the way, how come all those years of dance classes don't make ANY difference when I'm dancing at home with my 2 year old. I couldn't feel more ungraceful. She doesn't care one bit though so I guess what does it matter....
5. Instead of saying "music" she calls it "muse-e-mock." Don't ask me why. I love it though. Jason tries to correct her and I won't let him. It's just too funny. She's a ridiculously good talker, no need to correct her on that one. I also love "Cindabrella." She says it with such authority, like, "Yeah, that's her name mom. Why do you keep asking?" I also love that she says "No way." All the time now. She uses it when she thinks something is silly or can't believe it, "No waaaayyyyy." "Mommy, I want some chap-chip" is also fun (her request for chapstick).
6. How much she loves her Daddy. Today she asked me where Daddy was and I asked her where she thought he was. "Church?" No. "Grandma and Grandpas?" No, he's at work. "Daddy's at work. Daddy a doctor?" Don't know where she got that, but it was pretty cute. She's THRILLED when she hears the garage door opening. Definitely a Daddy's girl.
7. How much she loves her brother.
8. Her singing. I think Sunbeam is my favorite. Twinkle, Twinkle, Wheels on the bus, the Frowny Face song, and Jingle Bells are some of my other favorites. (see post below)
9. Her prayers. They are so tender and honest. They always include lots of family members and things that happened in the day, including things that are important to a toddler like presents, playdough, carebears, park, etc. She never let's us forget to say them before going to bed and even frequently requests a prayer before nap time.
10. Her love of books. She's my bookworm. I can't tell you how many times I hear "Mommy, read books? Mommy, let's read books!" in a day.
11. Her enthusiasm. She gets excited about just about everything. If I say, "Norah, would you like to go to the store with Mommy?" her typical response is to bend down, jump up really high while yelping "Yes! Yes!" and pumping her fists in the air followed by a "That sounds like a good idea!"
12. Her belly laugh. When we tickle her she says "No tickle MMMeeeeEEEE!" The inflection is so funny.

Happy Birthday, Norah! We love you to pieces. Today I was reading her books and as she was getting off the bed to get another one I was smiling at her and thinking of how much fun she is. She got off the bed and turned back to me and said "I make Mommy happy." So true, Norah. You do make us happy. We're lucky to have such a darling girl (tantrums and all). We love you!!!

Norah Singing

Kiddos

Geez, I love my kids. There are no words. I just LOVE them. Take a look at these pictures and you'll see what I mean. How could I resist those dimples?! Being a mom is the best. It's work, but it is the best....

The 4th

We had a blast (excuse the pun....I couldn't resist myself) at the Brown's on the 4th. Jason has some serious pyro brothers. If you don't believe me....take a look at the picture below. Ben's favorite holiday literally is the 4th of July, that's just how much he likes fire. It sure does make it fun for the rest of us! Jason got a couple boxes of free fireworks from the people that have a stand in their shopping center, plus Ben and Myles went and bought a bunch too. So....we definitely had our fair share of fireworks. And the ladder trick made it spectacular....don't know the ladder trick? Oh, just look below, and your 4th of July's will forever be improved.


Ben planning out the show. We told him we would like it choreographed to music next year.




Love the sparkler in the mouth.




She liked the show. No pictures of Ellis....he was sleeping or eating. :)




So, here is the ladder trick. Two ladders and a board...you get the idea. I'm telling you it makes a world of difference. You feel like you're watching a legitimate firework show. You get the shot up and the twinkle down. Now I'm sounding like the obsessed one....but seriously, it's really cool. Try it.

Ellis and Ellis Meet

Last month my grandparents came out to visit which was such a treat. They got to meet little Ellis and see our house and had some time to visit which we always look forward to. It was especially fun to get the big Ellis and the little Ellis together. My grandparents are so cute. We all wish we lived closer, but I guess that makes us appreciate the visits even more.


So sweet, the two Ellis' getting to know each other. (It's Ellis' in that sentence, right? Not Ellis's? Hmm...probably no one would have noticed had I not pointed it out. )


I love this: not only do they share the same name, but the same hairdo! Ha! I said that to Grandpa and he laughed and said, "Yeah, but the difference is his is coming in!"




Oh, what a cute picture. Weird to think that someday Jason, Norah, and I will have a picture like this....


Grandpa brought a ball-cap for Ellis from his alma mater Michigan State where he played football during his college years. It was for the boy, but our girl seemed to like it. Looks cute on her, don't you think?


My grandma was talking about looking at the blog and how she loves to read the comments and my mom goes, "What comments? There are comments?" Haha. Go, Grandma! One step ahead of mom on the technology department. She also, while describing someone who was sitting next to them on the plane, referred to them as having lots of "bling." She's so hip and so much fun to talk to. Not to mention a whirl wind in the kitchen. She does dishes faster than my dishwasher I kid you not.


We took a trip to the zoo.


Mom and Ellis. Check out that male-pattern-baldness. On Ellis of course, not Mom.


Norah really loved playing with her Great Grandpa. Read her a book and you're sure to capture her heart.

We love Tahoe!

Isn't it so beautiful there?! We love it. If you haven't ever been, you need to come visit us and we will take you there. Lucky for us Jason's wonderful parents have a time-share condo up there every year around Memorial Day and they are so sweet to invite us up with them....which we happily accept! The weather was great and we had a lot of fun. Truth be told the kids were pretty crazy at times.....could it be the altitude? Maybe teeth? Who knows. Overall though we had a great time and a nice change of scenery.












Don't be fooled. See the paved road? We drove 90% of the way and then took a little walk around to see the view. Short and sweet, which is just what we needed.


Yes, he is sleeping in a drawer. With two "babies" and only one porta-crib, we decided to hold up the family tradition of babies in a drawer. When I was a wee one my mom had me sleep in the drawer up at my grandparents lake house and we have laughed about it over the years. It really is the perfect traveling crib though: don't need to pack it, it's portable, nice and cozy for the little one, doesn't take up a lot of room, it's free......see, I've convinced you, huh?!


Pool was pretty cold, but Daddy was a good sport. She, of course, didn't seem to notice.


Grandma loves the babies, and it is DEFINITELY mutual. She has the magic touch!



Sunglasses are a must with Norah in the car. Ever since she was just over a year she's had a real serious problem with the sun in her eyes. If it was sunny out, and I don't mean sun in her eyes but just sunny in general, she would yell "OWIES, Mommy, OWIES!" over and over while shielding her eyes with her hands. One day Grandma Barbara was watching her and she wouldn't go down for her nap so they jumped in the car hoping that would help. At each cry of "owies, Grandma!" she would turn the car the opposite direction like the sweet, tender grandma she is. The "owie" request eventually lead them all the way to Cameron Park! Ha! She's grown out of it a bit, but we still keep them on hand just in case.

Visit from the Roundy's

Our friends the Roundy's who are currently living in Switzerland made a trip to California to visit family and stayed with us for a night. It was fun to catch up and see their ADORABLE kids. Norah especially had fun playing with them--it made me even more excited for her to have siblings she can play with. It was a fun and busy day: visit to the temple, park, and train museum.