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!)

Little Fishy Fishy

Nora has been swimming twice now and she loves it!!  We're so glad!  She comes from some water-loving families on both sides!  She has a grandma and a great-grandma that love teaching kids to swim.  One of them even does it for a living, so she's bound to know how to swim!  The first time she went swimming was at my sister's in-laws' pool.  She and my mom were betting she'd scream...she didn't even make a sound!  We're so excited she loves it!  =)

Nora, and her cousin Millie, have matching swimsuits, aren't they cute?!?

Aaron loved Millie's sunglasses on Nora!  

(Afterwards I searched high and low for her own pair and FINALLY found some!  Too bad they're still too big.  

Now I'm back on the search for an even smaller pair!)

After swimming the girls were worn out and both napped poolside.  We're raising these girls right!

2 Month Check Up

Today Nora went for her 2 month check up...well, they had to reschedule the appointment so actually she is 2 months and 13 days. 

We're proud to announce that she is a HIGH FLYER!!

Nora is now: 

 13 lbs 6 oz.

24 inches long

38 1/2 cm around her head! 

That means she is in the 98% for weight, 95% for height, and 50% for the size of that noggin!  Anyone surprised??  Doubt it...=) 

Oh, and as for those shots...she was over the crying in about 45 seconds.  Then it was just the occasional whimper.  (Maybe whenever she thought about it...) That's our Nora!  Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pie (as I taught my first graders to say)! 

 

Now, I will be the first to admit...she doesn't get that pain tolerance from me...that's Aaron all the way.  I'd probably still be whining!! 

Vote, Vote, Vote!!

Big Lots 2010 Lots2Give Video Contest

Cotton Belt Elementary School, my (former) home away from home, is trying to win a contest through Big Lots for a grant. Click on the link above and vote!! One school wins $10,000 and 46 schools win $2,000! With all the budget cuts we're are continuously having schools need grants like these! Cotton Belt is trying to win the grant to create a room full of materials for parents to check out and help their children at home. (Wouldn't that be perfect!?!? As a teacher, that's the best thing a parent can do is help their child at home!!!) If you find a little extra time in your day, please vote! You can vote 3 times a day from now until July 5th!

THANKS!! =)

PS-The easiest way (in my opinion) is to sign in with your facebook account.  Then it's just a click or two and you're done!  (Oh and you can click "cancel" and not share the vote with your facebook account.)

Done.

It's official.  I.  Am.  Done.  Teaching.  =)   WOO-HOO!!

Don't get me wrong...I love, love, LOVE teaching! And I will miss it.  There is something so fun about helping children learn.  There is this moment, called the ah-ha moment, when something clicks and they get it that is so exciting to watch.  First graders are the cutest little kids that love their teacher, love learning, love being at school, and will work hard to do whatever you ask them.  They are the best grade to teach!  Well, they are usually like that...this year (like my first year teaching) I had some tough kids.  But I still loved it.  There is something really GREAT about going to work to do a  job you LOVE.

I highly recommend doing whatever you love, even if it doesn't "pay" well.  Kinda like what I'm going to do now.  Be a mom.  I am so excited to be able to teach my own kid!  She is the cutest and sweetest baby!  I really missed her for the 4 days I was a working mom.  (Honestly she was well taken care of by her Mimi and Tutu and they liked it!  Thanks, Mom and Tutu!)

Yeah for Mommyhood!!

Highly Entertaining...

One thing we LOVE about Nora is how entertaining she is! Who needs tv now? Aaron can play with her for hours...making her say things and make funny faces. Ahh, the enjoyments of parenthood. =)

Here are a few videos...enjoy!

I Love Being a Mommy!

Sunday was my first Mother's Day as a mother...it was FABULOUS! Aaron did a wonderful job of showing his (and Nora's) love for me as a mother! I got a sweet card, some money to buy a necklace I really want =), and a corsage to wear to church. Aaron and Buck, my sister's husband, got together and cooked us (Niki and I) dinner for Mother's Day too! Yum! It was steak, lobster, green beans, mashed potatoes, and rolls. They worked hard and we loved it! We finished off the night by taking desert over to my mom's (and grandma's). Niki made homemade chocolate ice cream and I made a triple chocolate cake. Boy did it all go fast!