A Happy Fourth of July!

This year to celebrate the Fourth of July we had a full day!

It started with breakfast at church, but before we could get there (already late of course) we found this...

Yes, that's my 2nd flat tire in less than a week!

Then, we got ready and went out on the lake with April & Travis.  Nora loved it!  It was a world of difference than the last time she went (when she had a fever and Roseola).  It helped that we got to ride around in the boat instead of just the go/stop of pulling tubers and skiers.

Captain Nora.  When the cat's away... 

Nora & Daddy enjoying the boat.

Nora took a nice long nap!

See the tiny ripples?  That's Aaron trying to ski barefoot.

April & Travis on the boat.

Thanks Aunt Karen for the perfect blue & white swim suit!

After we were finished boating, we came home.  Nora got a nap in while Aaron enjoyed Transformers with my brother, Xan.  Of course that was when the storm hit us.  Luckily, it passed quickly and we voted for pizza instead of grilling out.  Then, we headed to The Dellingers' house for the festivities.  I'd guess there was more than $500 worth of fireworks there between the men.  Don't worry, they all bargain shopped and got good deals!

The men taking over the cul-de-sac for fireworks

Nora enjoyed all of her 4th of July outfits.  1 of them being her last year's dress.  =)  (Pillowcase dresses do fit for a while.)  Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of her (any of the 3 times she wore it this weekend!).  Her favorite accessory though, her new red cowboy boots.

Thanks PawPaw & Dee Dee for the outfit!

Sitting down to eat my stolen un-ripe tomato from Mommy's plant.

Jenny's picture captures her perfectly!

Hope everyone else had a great holiday as well!  We are so blessed and grateful for this country we live in!

1,2,3,4

Finally a blog catch-up...

ONE. 1 trip to TN for the week to get to know some of Aaron's family while he and his uncle worked on his grandma's house! We had fun and they LOVED Nora! (Was there any doubt...?) It was nice to spend time getting to know them. Sadly, I never took any pictures! We have just be on the go lately and it's not stopping! This week we're home wrapping things up and then we're beach bound until mid-August! Woo-hoo for Nora's first summer at the beach!

TWO. 2 people that love, love, love Aaron! (Well, I'm sure there are more...) Nora and I pulled out all the stops to show Aaron how much we love him for Father's Day! It started with special edition pop tarts (YES! We are too late Sunday mornings to eat a real breakfast!), some new shirts, cookies, and Nora gave him a book about Father's Day. (Nothing too great...just lots of thoughts!) Oh yeah, Nora wore a special outfit that said "Daddy Loves Me" too! We did eat diner with my family and had a meal he likes--mini meatloaves. Each of the men had their own desert of their choosing too. Aaron chose a strawberry cheesecake ice cream cake.

Aaron is the BEST Dad! He loves even the diaper changing because Nora smiles and shows him how much she loves him too! Aaron did a great job speaking at church about fatherhood and does a great job taking care of us every day! He works hard all day and then often works hard at home fixing up the house! I love him so much and am so happy with the great man he is!



THREE. Nora is now 3 MONTHS OLD! Can you believe it? She is growing like crazy and it is so exciting as she begins to do more and more on her own! She absolutely loves watching people and sitting up to be a part of things. (Yes, she also enjoys the tv. Our poor girl will bend her whole body while eating to see the tv!) She can play on her own with her play gyms for a long time now! (Woo-hoo!!) We've also been working with her on a new trick. If we howl, she sings along!! I haven't decided if that's to get her to love dogs or Team Jacob. =)





FOUR. The 4th of July. We had fun celebrating for two nights. Nora looked super-cute in her outfit my mom made her! Her cousin, Millie, had a matching one but sadly we never got a picture of them together in it. Good news: Aaron didn't even get hurt shooting off fireworks this year! (I'm always nervous!)