4th of July Fun

On July 3rd and 5th, we went down to Danielle and Jeff's house for BBQ and fun. Nora had a great time! She got to eat watermelon, play in a kiddie pool (although, she REALLY wanted to go in the big pool - it was just too cold!), play badminton, and of course, see Danielle and Jeff - two of her favorite people! The weather was pretty nice and we really enjoyed relaxing and having some fun.

"I'm ready...hit it to me"

Who's really playing here, Nora, or Jeff?

Trying to figure out how to fill this squirting toy so I can get everyone else wet!

This is the life...being fed watermelon while standing in the pool!

Backyard Fun

We have managed to collect a number of fun backyard toys for Nora. We purchased a toddler swing, which is bolted to the underside of the deck. Nora loves it! We also got a Little Tykes playhouse, a climbing structure with a slide, a sandbox and a small inflatable pool. It's been great for the past few weeks because the playgrounds are pretty crowded (when it's not raining) and Nora loves to run and play outside. We don't have a flat enough spot for a swingset, but we have plenty to keep her busy right now!

Here she is swinging - and almost falling asleep!

Davis Farmland

We went to the Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA a few weeks ago. It's a great place to go with small children. They have a big farm area where the kids can run around and pet/feed the miniature goats. They also have a lot of different play areas with swings and slides and such, and a great splash zone for cooling off in. We packed a picnic lunch and played there until Nora completely wore herself out! She loved feeding the goats as long as it was on her terms. If she could approach the goat, she was happy. I had a hard time not laughing at her when she had her feed cup in her hand and a goat came up to eat and she backed away and said "no, no goat." Of course, the goat was hungry, so he just kept following her. Overall, she really enjoyed seeing all the animals!

Toddler Bed

We decided to move Nora into a toddler bed in June. She was getting pretty good at climbing and was able to climb into her crib, so we took the drop gate off and put the toddler rail on. She can get in and out of the bed herself. She has not gotten up out of bed at night, but sometimes during nap, she gets up to move. Here is a photo of where she napped the day after we put her in the toddler bed:

Memorial Weekend Camping Trip

We went camping with my dad, Danielle and Jeff over Memorial Weekend. Seems so long ago now, but it was a great weekend! I'm glad we went when we did, as the summer has not been real warm and sunny. The camping trip was very different than last year. Last year, Nora was not mobile and would stay on a blanket. She also fell asleep in the stroller. This year, she was much more mobile and interested in exploring. To entertain her at the campsite, we gave her a bucket and she collected acorns. This kept her occupied for quite a long time! She also loved riding in the bike seat on the back of Andy's bike. Lucky for us, wearing her me-mut (helmet) was fun - we actually had difficulty getting her to take it off! Nora enjoyed her very first s'more as well. She didn't much like sleeping in the tent - she would only sleep if we were with her, so Andy and I ended up keeping her up a bit late (about 9pm) and then all going to bed together. Andy and Jeff had a good time chopping up some of the downed wood from the ice storm. Overall, it was a great weekend!

Long Time...No Blogging

I've fallen into the realm of the blogging slacker. Sorry to all my family members who have been waiting for photo updates! With an active toddler and another one on the way, it's been a busy few months! I'll try to get caught up now - but then it may be awhile again!

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all my mom friends and family members! I hope everyone is able to enjoy the day. I'm so glad the weather is nice and we'll be able to spend the afternoon in the sun with our family.

I also thought today might be a good day to post a pregnancy update! I hit the third trimester next week - yikes! I'm not sure where all the time has gone! So far, this pregnancy has been mostly uneventful. The hardest part is surviving the days after Nora has a bad night. Overall, I can't complain. I'm looking forward to meeting our little pumpkin in August!

New Climbing Toy!

As many know, Nora loves to climb. She climbs into her high chair all the time (even if the tray is on - she'll climb around and over the tray!). I've been taking her to the local parks to climb ladders and go down the slides, but over school vacation week, I realized that the parks may not be a great option all summer - a lot of the bigger kids just don't look out for the smaller ones. Andy and I decided we needed to invest in some good outdoor toys for Nora, and were fortunate enough to find a friend who was getting rid of a climbing structure. Just set it up and Nora loves it! I'm sure the novelty will wear off soon, but it's nice to have something she can play on in the yard. Our yard isn't level enough for a nice swingset, but I think if we ever move it may be one of our first big purchases!

Pig tails and helping daddy

Nora's hair has been long enough for awhile to actually put in pigtails, but we haven't had the ability to keep her in them long enough to get a photo! She usually either squirms to much to put them in or she pulls them right out. They look really cute though!



We purchased a few cabinets to put in our basement to help organize all my craft supplies (and Nora's fingerpaints, stamps and stickers). Nora had a great time helping Andy put them together. She handed him the nails for the back of the cabinet. It was very cute. She also held a screwdriver in her hand and pretended it was a hammer so she could 'help.' I think she's going to be a very crafty child!




Checking out the cabinet after we stood it up. It was a great size for playing in!

Watermelon!

It's finally feeling like spring here, and to celebrate a nice weekend, we got a small watermelon. It was the first time Nora got a piece of watermelon. She's had it in chunks in fruit salad before, but never as a wedge. She really enjoyed it, and made a nice drippy mess! It was fun to watch, and Andy and I enjoyed eating the melon as well. It reminded us that summer is almost here!




"All done." Nora still uses her signs pretty often, but now many of them are accompanied by words or phrases. She says all done, more and help as she makes the sign.