So we are still blogging...

So obviously it's been a little while since our last post (sorry about that!). Here's a quick rundown of life in the McCoy house since February. Norah started preschool back in early February, and after some initial hesitation about Mommy leaving her, she really loved going. She enjoyed playing with some new friends (who were her own age, instead of the adults she's around most of the time), and had fun doing all kinds of art projects. Her vocabulary also grew by leaps and bounds almost immediately after starting school. She went from occasionally saying "bear" or "ball" to forming 2-3 word sentances and using words like "artichoke" and "hummus"- all within a month. It's been really fun for Dan and I to get this new window into her world. We knew she was thinking about all kinds of good stuff, but now it's really nice for her to be able to verbalize her preferences and tell us what she's thinking or what she wants to do.

In February, I also started a new job. Actually, I'm still working for the MESA program at Fresno State, but since my boss left, I'm now the Interim Director of the program. This has been a really great opportunity professionally, but it also meant that I had to go back to working full time. I miss my time with Norah, but between preschool and some extra days at Grandma's, Norah seems to be fine with the arrangement.

Between work, classes, and projects around the house for Dan and I, the spring flew by. We have been re-doing some of the landscaping in our backyard, and Dan was busy with some fence repairs, faucet and light installations, and lots of sprinkler work. (He's so handy!) Even as we finish one project, there are always many more we want to do. With the summer heat coming, we won't be doing much more outside until the fall.

We were lucky to be able to spend Easter in Festus with Dan's family. Norah loved playing with her cousins Ember and Autumn, and we got to catch up with Dan's parents, brother/sister-in-law, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Ember taught Norah how to hunt for Easter eggs, so next year she'll be a pro! While we were in Festus, Norah got to experience her first tornado warning, but luckily for all of us Festus escaped with no damage.

Bubbles with Grammy... Easter Bunny fun with the cousins...


Easter in Festus... Being silly

Norah and Dan treated me to a very special Mother's Day, complete with blueberry pancakes, a bike ride, and lots of good play time. We got to celebrate Mother's Day for my mom a few weeks later when both Maggie and Laura were in town, and Dan got to celebrate with Judie in person when she was here at the end of May.

Norah's ABC's


Dan's Graduation

After a particularly busy semester, Dan received his MBA at the end of May. He graduated with distinction - and a perfect 4.0! Norah and I are so proud of him, and very excited that he'll be home more in the evenings now. Of course, he's excited that he won't have all the late nights filled with homework! Judie, Mike, Maggie, and Laura were able to come out to share the celebration.

Dan's Graduation

We combined Dan's graduation party with Norah's 2nd birthday party, so in addition to a nice lunch for Dan, we all got to have chocolate birthday cake with blue frosting (Norah's very specific request.) For her actual birthday, Norah decided she wanted pizza and green cupcakes with green frosting. (Can you tell we're working on colors?) All in all, Norah is very excited to be two. (She's also working on her numbers, and has quickly grasped the idea that two cookies/books/toys/etc. are better than one- so she couldn't wait to be two years old, too.

Making blue frosting...Birthday cake #1

Tea with Grammy...Birthday cake #2

So that's the quick version of what we've been up to. Hope everyone is having a good start to the summer!

These boots are made for walkin'

Norah loves her boots, and that means she wants to wear them every day- regardless of what outfit she has on. It's not that I don't suggest other shoes, ones that might coordinate a bit better, it's just that she is more persistent than me and after awhile, it's not worth the fight. She's not even two yet!

Wednesday and Thursday...


...Friday and Saturday (today)

Anyone placing bets on what shoes she wants to wear tomorrow? My money is on the boots.

Norah's First Day of School

Norah started a preschool-readiness program yesterday- such a big girl already! She'll be going two days a week, which should give her a great opportunity to play with some other one and two-year-olds (instead of just the adults she's usually around!). So far she seems to love it. She came home yesterday with some Valentines from her new friends, a picture that she got to paint, and a grass stain on her pants. That seems like a pretty good day to me!

Showing off her new backpack on the way to school... Lots of things to do on the first day

Happy New Year!

So now that it's the middle of January, I'm finally getting around to doing a post with our Christmas pictures and an update of our our activities during the first part of the new year. We had a wonderful Christmas- lots of time to relax with family and celebrate the season. Norah had lots of fun opening her presents, though it took her over a week to open everything since she only wanted to open one present at a sitting. What fun is a gift if you can't play with it immediately? Everyone was very generous, and she will be enjoying her new toys, books, clothes, etc. for some time! We were lucky to have both of my sisters home for Christmas, but missed being able to see everyone in Missouri this year.

All dressed up for Christmas Eve mass... Leaving cookies for Santa

Playing with her toys on Christmas morning... Sisters!

The day after Christmas we were able to travel to the Bay Area to see my extended family there. Norah loves playing with her great-grandparents and aunts and uncles, and Dan and I enjoy the time to catch up with everyone. Thanks to Rachel, Ali, and Grace for entertaining her this year so Dan and I could finish our dinners!

Visiting in Livermore... Showing off her new tutu in Castro Valley

I got to take two weeks off work this year, but Dan wasn't quite so lucky, so we spent most of the week between Christmas and New Year's in Fresno hanging out. I love just being able to spend days at home with Norah- though her Aunt Maggie and Aunt Laura demanded some of her time as well. Oh, the busy life of a 19-month old! My Dad got to celebrate his (big) birthday with his whole family before Laura headed back to Chicago, then we enjoyed a quiet weekend of family time and Wii before we all had to go back to work on the 3rd.

Norah's new ride (she finally opened it just before New Year's)... A basketball from Daddy

Now we're back into our usual routines of work, and Dan starts his final semester of his MBA program this coming week. He has turned into an amazing student- with a 4.0 through five semesters of classes! Norah and I are so proud of him! Norah continues to enjoy her days with Grandma while I'm at work. (I think she wishes I worked more often, since she always seems a little disappointed to leave when I arrive to pick her up at the end of the day.) She has been taking a gymnastics class this fall and winter, and she just had a recital yesterday to show off all the skills she has learned. She invited her Daddy, Grandma, and Grandpa to come and watch and really enjoyed being able to show off for them. Since she's had such fun with gymnastics so far, we decided to continue the class this spring- though she gets to move up an age level now, so she'll be with the bigger kids this time around.

Happy 2011 to all!

In Memoriam

Yoda Mangan

(1996-2011)

Last weekend, a dear member of the family left us. Yoda was a our family's dog, and we were very fortunate to have spent the last 15 years with him. It's hard to put into words just how special he was to us, though I'm sure others that have lost pets can understand. All I can say is that I will miss him very much. He was a great dog.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy 2011!

Dan, Kristin, & Norah

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Since it's been a VERY long time since our last post, here's a quick summary of what we've been up to...

Dan ran a half marathon in early November, finishing in 1:30:54, which was 50th place overall (out of over 1200 guys) and 14th place in his age group. He was pretty excited about his time and Norah and I were glad to be able to cheer him on at the finish line!

Good job Daddy!...Happy Birthday!

The next week Dan and I celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary and Dan's 31st birthday. Norah was happy to help her Daddy with his present and candles (and of course, the cake).

We had a very special Thanksgiving this year since Judie and Mike were able to come out for a visit. Norah loved showing them all of her toys and books and enjoyed lots of good play time with Grammy and Grandpa. Dan made a very impressive turkey, and with everyone else helping with the side dishes and appetizers, we ate quite well! Since the weather was pretty rainy for most of Thanksgiving weekend, we had a pretty low-key time (no Black Friday shopping this year), though we did enjoy watching Notre Dame beat USC (finally) in football. It was a great visit and we were so excited to have Judie and Mike make the long trip here!

Giving thanks for all our blessings

Now we're busy getting ready for Christmas. We got our tree a couple of weeks ago and- with Norah's help- put lots of lights and ornaments on it. (Of course, all the fragile ones went on the top half of the tree while the hardier ones went on the bottom.) Both my mom and Judie were nice enough to share our childhood ornaments with us, so our tree tells quite a story of 31 years of Christmases. It's really fun to see all of our handmade ornaments, as well as those that were given to us by grandparents, parents, aunts, uncles, and friends throughout the years. We look forward to adding all of Norah's ornaments as the years go by!

O Christmas Tree... Hanging the first ornament

Dan is almost done with the fall semester of classes, with just one semester to go before graduation. (Almost means that there is still a final project to turn in, though Dan assures me that he is "nearly" done. It just wouldn't feel like the end of the semester with out some good old fashioned procrastination and stress!) This semester was another busy one, with two regular classes, a final project, and an independent study. I can't say enough how glad he (and all of us) will be when he is done!

Now we're trying to finish our last minute Christmas shopping. I am lucky to have two weeks off work this year, which has given Norah and I some good time to shop, work on projects around the house, and play. Dan still has to work for a few more days before his Christmas vacation (long weekend) starts.

Enjoying the leaves last weekend

The real story of this weekend has been the rain in Fresno. Usually we are thankful for the water, but this weekend's downpours have caused some issues around our house. We have a new indoor water feature- a babbling brook running through the heating ducts in the foundation of our house. I'm sure that the peaceful sound of running water that starts every time our heater kicks on will soon be replaced by the unpleasant reality of a repair bill, but for now Dan and I just put out a tarp and sandbags (thanks to the Army for Dan's sandbagging skills) and are waiting for the rain to stop. Oh the joys of homeownership!

We hope that everyone has a very Merry Christmas and look forward to seeing or talking to many of you before the new year!