this weekend we went to brooks' grandparents lake house. brooks' mommy is one of my very best friends from college. you two are only a few months apart and LOVED playing together this weekend! brooks is going to have a baby sister too in just a few short months... maybe your sisters will be besties, too?! aunt b and uncle josh came with and although the weather wasn't the sunniest or warmest, we all had such a great time!
i love spending time with my closest girlfriends and i am lucky our families get along so well, too!
i honestly didn't take too many pictures because it was so nice to get away and "unplug" for awhile, be without our phones, live in the moment, etc.
relaxing with friends is exactly how we wanted to start our summer!
TGIF!
ready to go on the boat!
first boat ride
jumping in the lake with daddy!
uncle jamie let you drive the boat (not really) & honk the horn
you had such a fun memorial day weekend!! it was non-stop fun the whole 3 days! here's a little recap in pictures of what we did...
friday...
selfies with mommy after work
kissing your "baby yister"
always a silly face for the camera
saturday...
gymnastics (mastics) bright and early
then off to the zoo with "gamma"!
"aminals...are you?!"
home for naps and then back to grandma & papa's house for a sleepover while mommy & daddy went on a date!
all the important stuff for g&p's... bunny, blankie, paci, & your backpack!
sunday...
starbucks & the park with grandma
and just hanging around the house while it was raining.
monday...
a festive red, white, & blue breakfast
the parade quickly before it rained!
and LOTS of outdoor play time after the rain ended!
walks, water table, and helping daddy fix things around the house.
so silly!
going for walks... looking for duckies
finally warm enough for the water table! pure joy!
we were late to bed almost every night this weekend because we were having so much fun! this weekend got me so very excited to spend the summer with you! it will be our last summer just me and you and i will be sure we make the most of it! our days will be filled with swimming, gymnastics, walks, park dates, and picnics--all your favorite things.
today your daddy and i looked at you and said (yet again), "when did our baby get so big?" you seem to amaze us each and every day with the things you say and know.
just wanted to put some pictures up of our life lately... nothing too exciting these days, but lots of new things you're learning and saying!
mommy: "what does mommy call you, nora?"
nora: "boo boo" (said with a big smile on your face!)
* you're learning your nicknames already :)
we've been spending our afternoons going for walks, going to the park, and lots of outside play time!!
i am counting down the days until school's out for the SUMMER!
you saw an outdoor playhouse this weekend and wanted to play in it SO badly!! you said, "papa, have it?!" "pease?!" sorry boo, papa isn't going to buy you everything you ask for!! but it was sweet :) life lessons learned early on :)
ice cream in a cone... very exciting!
reading "moon" with Gigi
gymastics!
smelling the flowers with mommy
love these people :)
park fun
hangin' like a big girl at grandma & papa's
the calm before the storm... balloons popping might be the worst thing in the world to a toddler!
well it's true... you're losing your title as "only child"! your dad and i are going to have another baby! we could not be more thrilled to give you a sibling so close in age! you two will be just about 2 years apart. it's our hope that you will grow to be life long friends.
you don't really understand the concept of "new baby", but you know there is a baby in your mommy's tummy. if we ask you where the baby is you say "mommy. tummy!" and point to my tummy or try to pull up my shirt. you think you have a baby in your belly too :) nope, just a lot of noodles & cheese!
right before mother's day your dad and i were able to see the baby at the doctor's office and find out if it is a boy or girl! when we asked you what you thought the baby might be, you said "boy" or "brother" more often than "girl" or "sister"...
after we went to the doctor's office on friday, we brought a giant box to party city to be filled with pink or blue balloons... we didn't know what the gender was at this point and handed over an envelope with the girl or boy ultrasound picture to the balloon lady at the party store. she filled the box and it was burning a hole in our car the whole way home!! daddy and i were very anxious to find out what was inside that box!
friday night we had our families over to witness the "balloon-box opening" and find out if you'd have a little sister or little brother!
well, to much of our surprise, it's a ....
GIRL! you will be getting a baby sister at the end of september :)
your dad and i are so excited to have another little lady in our family! we absolutely love having a daughter and now even better...two daughters! i do not have a sister and i look forward to the bond that you and your sister will share throughout life. you will be close in age, so i hope you have a lot in common and grow to be each other's best friends. your dad and i think we are doing pretty good at this "girl mom" stuff and look forward to many more years of headbands, accessories, and gymnastics class! (dirt-playing, knee-skinning, and bike-riding included!)
you will always be our first baby girl, though. the baby girl that made us parents. the baby girl that taught us love is so much greater than you can imagine. you are, and always will be, so incredibly special to us.
we celebrated my second mothers day yesterday and it was a wonderful day. i am so lucky that i get to be celebrated this day because of YOU. i love that you get to call me "mommy". there's nothing i love to hear more than your sweet sweet voice saying, "mommy".
being a mom is one of the greatest jobs in the world. it is hard and difficult at times, but oh so rewarding all the time.
saturday we had your first gymnastics ('mastics') class and to say you loved it would be an understatement. you were so incredibly happy to be running around and exploring all the gymnastics equipment. we learned how to do summersaults and all of a sudden, you're doing them on your own! how neat to watch you learn something so quickly :)
walking on the beam at gymnastics
hanging with papa, oliver & uncle kyle :)
sunday we celebrated mother's day with grandma and papa (and uncle kyle, too!) with brunch downtown. you love going out to eat, but only for a short time. you ate like a champ, but wanted to walk around the crowded restaurant the whole time. papa says, "no no nora!" :)
selfies with mommy :)
your silly faces :)
my "three" favorite girls :)
my beautiful mom & daughters
then we came home for what i was hoping would be nap time, but you had other plans :) good thing your daddy hung out with you while i closed my eyes for a few minute!
then we headed over to gigi's to spend mothers day with her! you LOVE playing with uncle mike and jimmy, especially when they play games like peek-a-boo and chase you around the kitchen. at both of your grandma's houses, you know where they keep the "nora food" and go straight for their cabinets with cheerios (go-gos) and crackers.
our home is very colorful these days with all the flowers around!! your dad, papa, and uncles all bought me flowers for mother's day! i feel so special when they do things like that :) you point to every flower arrangement and say "flowers. pretty!"
i feel so honored to be your mommy. thank you for being my baby girl!
