Summer

Oh, hallelujah, the weather is beautiful.  So much better than the Polar Vortex.  Also, as it were, I'm on summer break, and I have time to do things, like write a blog post. Nifty.

So let's cover the most important things from the ninety-five months since I last wrote.

1. Potty Training: whoa. But I think it's safe to say that aside from 1ish accident a day (and sometimes none!), Nora is an undie-wearing lady.  No more diapers! Except at night and naptime. But, alas, I shouldn't speak too soon, because we are still living in a world of sticker charts and you-need-to-sit-on-the-potty every about 45 minutes. But, this is an improvement from every 25 minutes, which is where we started. And I feel sort of almost comfortable leaving the house with her for more than 12 minutes at a time again, but not without at least 2 changes of clothes.  (And, as I found out the hard way at the Children's Museum, it's not such a bad idea to have a spare outfit for myself as well...)  I will probably write another blog post on this, and I am warning you that it will probably be called Why Potty Training is the Worst.  (Even though I've heard some horror stories and ours really isn't bad.)

2. Summer and Beyond: I am back to life as a full-time stay-at-home mom.  My year as a part-time teacher was splendid, but I knew going into it that it would likely be only a 1-year thing, and since I declined a full-time spot and they didn't have any part-time spots available again next fall (unless something would come up between now and then), I'm back to life as Mom.

3. "Mom" is Nora's preferred name for me. What is this about?! I didn't order a teenager.  I try to correct her with "Mommy" and "Mama," but she persists.

4. She says "Mom" 938 times a day.  Sometimes I think my head might explode.

5. Ryan and his dad built a sandbox for Nora.  She loooooves it.  One day we learned that ants had taken up residence in said sandbox.  Naturally, I turned to the internet for answers, and discovered that cinnamon will deter ants.  I bought a bulk thing of cinnamon, dumped it in, mixed it around...and the dog ate it.  "Hooray," Zadie said in her funny dog-voice, "someone has filled this giant wooden box with SNACKS!"  So now we have less ants but a sand-eating dog instead. I'm not sure which is worse.

6.We went to Florida for Spring Break (wow, it really has been a long time since I updated this). Here's the highlights:

Riding bikes to get ice cream was great, and we could
justify it because we rode bikes first. Getting a decent
picture of Nora eating ice cream was a much more difficult feat.

:)

First waterslide. 

I love this picture.

We didn't take many toys along, so in the condo Nora
entertained herself by climbing everything.

My favorite daddy-daughter picture.

Oh, hey, blue eyes.

7. She has lots of funny sayings, and comes up with new things all the time. My favorites:
        - Uppa-si = upside down
        - Kwok-a-donna = crocodile
        - A-ready? A-set? DOH! = what she says whenever she is preparing to race
        - Appasaw = applesauce
        - Me hear sumfing. = what she says whenever she hears something even remotely out of the ordinary.
        - Roun-ning! Roun-ning! = what she says when she wants me to sing the wheels on the bus (go round
           and round...get it?)
        - Me mo. = I would like more.
        - Mo 'gain. - More, again. Often used in reference to ice cream and being tossed in the air.
        - AbbyTaaaate = Abby and Kate (her cousins)
        - Daddy do it! = what she said to Ryan last night because he was driving instead of participating in the
          hand motions of Wheels on the Bus for the 35th time in the car.
        - Zay-Zay NO!  Me tell Zay-Zay no. = what she says every time Zadie tries to jump up on her seat at
          the table.
        - IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII comiiinnnnnnnn' = how she announces her entrance into a room
        - Da pie-ya = the potty (sadly she doesn't say this anymore. Just potty, like a regular grown-up)
        - Me lika da pizza. = she's Italian.

8. Humidity curls: proof that she's mine (in case you were concerned).  These arrived approximately 4 seconds after stepping outside of the airport in Florida, and have stuck around ever since.  She had them last summer, but since she was basically bald until 18 months, this is the first we've seen them in action for real. (Again - Polar Vortex = no humidity. No fun.)

8. Easter was also lovely.

Made a bunny cake (aka: licked frosting) with Mimi

Wore a cute dress but didn't stop to pose for pictures

A double rainbow arrived a day or two later. How fun! This has also
prompted many readings of the Noah's Ark story in the children's Bible.

9.  I braved a 5 hour road trip sans husband to visit my sis & family.  It's safe to say I now know all of the songs on Dora the Explorer: Big Sister and Elmo's Potty Time.  I'm not sure this has been good for my sanity, but we survived and even had fun in the process.

A's 1st Communion. So grown up in her dress! Nora decided against sleep the night before,
and alas - no good pictures with her in them.

10. GG and Papa Ray came to visit.  They babysat while we worked, and in return, Nora threw a ball at Papa Ray's face and broke his glasses. Thankfully there was a repair shop not far from us and they fixed them.  They're nice people and still like us.

Cheese!

11. I bet you're bored. Good night. :)