Say what?

We pulled into B's (the babysitter) driveway this morning and Tess saw the next door neighbor's granddaughter in the window. 

Tess:  "Mom, there's Langley."
Me:  "Yep, there she is.  She's pretty cute."
Tess:  "I think she's going to get a baby sister."
Me:  "Maybe."
Tess:  "Yeah, I think they're gonna go to the hospital and pick one out."

Happy Birthday, Great Grandpa!

Over the weekend, we traveled up to Aunt Jane and Uncle Bill's house to celebrate Great Grandpa's 81st birthday!  We had a great time visiting with everyone, especially Will!

And special thanks to Uncle Bill for some of the pictures!

Miss. Petunia Merryfeather

Who is Miss. Petunia Merryfeather, you ask?  Why she is Nora's new resident owl that was made special for Nora by Cassandra, Mom's work friend.  Yes, she is the same friend that made Nora's birdies that hang above her bed.

Nora was pretty delighted to meet Petunia, who now sits on her bedroom shelf and is simply the perfect addition to her room!

Cassandra is so talented!  She even has her own Etsy shop that you can find by clicking here.  She specializes in custom plush art and jewelry.  All beautifully handmade!

Welcome Miss. Piglet

Nora had her first teeth brushing experience tonight.  I am sure that according to the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry, we're way behind already, but oh well. 

And as you can see, she loved it.

Ok, that was a lie.  She pretty much hated it.

She much preferred doing it herself. 

Big sister even tried to show her the way. 



What's happening, Hot Stuff? **

Nora's lookin' cute heading into swimming this morning.

** An oldie, but a goodie

Well, I figured it was time for a post... not sure what about, but maybe just a little bit of what we've got going on right now...

So what's new with us, you ask?

• Saturdays have somehow turned into a busy day just like the preceding five... with ballet at 9:45, Nora's swim class at 11:15 and Tess' class at 11:45, I'm ready for a nap by noon.  

• Nora just had her fifth tooth pop up today, on the bottom to the right (her right) of her two bottom teeth. 

• Nora said her first two word phrase today!  We were at Tess' ballet class and watching Tess through the window.  I said, "Nora, say hi to Tess!"  And she promptly responded, "Hi Taaaa."  Clear as a bell and so cute.

• We are researching preschools for Tess.  Can you even believe it?!  I knew this was something on our upcoming to-do list, but all it took was one dinner out with two of the other moms on our street, and now I am feeling completely behind the ball and stressed about it. 

• We had a fun little trip to the library today.  Tess loved it and brought home five books, three of which are cat/kitten centered.  Oh dear.  Were you even aware that the Berenstein Bears brought home a new kitten?  Oh, yes they did. 

• Nora is an eating machine.  Seriously.   

• Last weekend, the girls stayed at Meena and Papa's house and Tess happened to walk into the kitchen while Meena was loading the dishwasher.  As expected, Tess asked if she could help.  Meena was just about done (and really just wanted to get the task over with) and said something like, "that's okay Tess, I'm almost done..."  Tess immediately countered with, "but Meena, that's what friends are for!"  So guess who got to help finish the job?

And for some live swimming action:

Nora first... notice how she kicks! 

(And beware... the video gets a little 'cheeky' at the end, courtesy of Tess.)

And now for Tess swimming all by herself!

Tess is officially a skier.

Tess skiing = Day 2. Watch and be amazed.

This time, we went at night.

Watch out!

Three cheers for Uncle Mark, the human escalator.

It was all good until Dad let her go at the top at the hill and she headed right for (and right into) three boys standing on the hill.  Oh my, someone was very upset, but luckily, was unscathed (except for a small scratch on her face).  On the way back to our condo, while still crying, she said, "Mom, I was so scared and going so fast that I forgot to say, 'look out below!'  Next time I will say that."

Ski patrol administering first aid

A sad skier

The evolution of a mini-skier...

And there she goes!

Happy New Year!

Like most every year, we rang in the New Year with Papa Art, Grandma and Uncle Mark!  Only this year, we did it in Maryland.  We have had an adventure-filled weekend, jam packed with skiing, swimming, Barbie car driving and gingerbread house making!

En route to our destination

Getting closer...

Two little present-opening pirates

Tess' new camera

Nora's look of surprise and instant love when she laid eyes on her new Mickey Mouse Clubhouse book

New lip smackers.  *SMOOOOOCH!*

The new Barbie mobile.  Technically Nora's gift. 

Try explaining that to Tess.  Nora's begging you.

Happy New Year!

Nora's not loving her tiara.

Nora sporting her Wisconsin shirt (a gift from Aunt Sally!, Badgers Superfan) 

on Rose Bowl Day.

Barbie, er, Tess waving to her fans.

Again, don't try to tell her this is Nora's car.

Their first trip in the car with the battery installed.  Priceless.

No, their mouths never closed.

Bathing beauty

Gingerbread house time