Beach Time!

Dan, Norah, and I are having a fun summer- busy with work and school during the week and enjoying weekends at the beach or with visitors. Norah started going to the daycare/preschool program at Fresno State in June. It has made for some early days for her (I have to be at work at 7 in the summers, so I drop her off around 6:45), but she seems to like the teachers and the other kids and it's nice for me having her nearby. Dan and I have even been able to join her for lunch a couple of times. She is definitely exploring her messier side there, since she often comes home with paint in funny places (i.e. her armpit or her hair). Dan and I have had to establish her "school" outfits, which are the same 2-3 pairs of shorts and shirts that she wears every day so we don't ruin her entire wardrobe:) I know, she's just learning and being creative!

Norah is also starting to come up with some pretty funny sayings (most of which are variations of things she must hear Dan and I say to her a lot). For example, she now answers most yes or no questions with a short pause, and then "Um, probably yes." or "Um, probably no." As in, "Would you like some yogurt for a snack?" "Um (let me consider that for a moment), probably yes." She has also come up with some very polite ways of saying no when I ask her to do things that she does not want to do- "Not right now" and "Maybe tomorrow" are current favorites; "Ma (I'm) full" (pointing to stomach) applies to dinner. ("Can you help me clean up your toys?" "Maybe tomorrow." or "How about another bite of your chicken?" "Ma full.") So endearing!

We've been lucky to be able to head over to the beach for several long weekends- trying to escape the Fresno heat! My mom and dad, Maggie, Jake, Laura, Norah, and I enjoyed a fun 4th of July weekend there, with Dan joining us for the last couple of days. Norah was a little unsure about the fireworks (especially since it was WAY past her normal bedtime), but she is otherwise turning into quite a beach baby. Dan got to spend most of the weekend in Festus celebrating his Grandma McCoy's 90th birthday. It was a special time for his whole family- and a very fun party, I hear- so Norah and I were sad to miss the festivities.

Sweatshirts in July? (we're definitely not in Fresno!)... Run faster Daddy!

The next weekend, my cousin Julia and her family traveled from Idaho to visit us (they're brave to make the drive from Boise to California with toddlers, but we sure loved seeing them!). Norah enjoyed playing with her cousins Liam (almost 3) and Owen (1)- and even did a pretty good job of sharing.

Liam helping Norah on the bike... Playing together... Cousins!

We made another trip to the beach last weekend for some quiet family time. It's nice to be able to get away at the spur of the moment:) As you can see in the pictures and video below, a trip to the beach is a little more involved with a toddler- get sunscreen and beach outfit on, pack up all the toys/blankets/chairs, walk to the beach, build sandcastles/play in the water, get VERY dirty (don't even think about sitting down and reading a magazine Mommy and Daddy), walk back (make a stop at the park on the way), take off beach outfit, hose down entire body, catch naked toddler who is now running at full speed around the backyard, put on new outfit, etc. Norah loves it!

Look- I found a sand dollar... A very sandy Norah... Sunscreen+sand+Norah=very dirty!

Happy July to all!

Congrats!

Congrats to my sister Maggie, who graduated from her MBA program at UC Davis yesterday! Thanks for letting us join in the celebration!

Three MBA's... Norah was very proud of her Aunt Maggie (and happy to be able to run around outside after the ceremony!)

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.