Wednesday and Thursday...
...Friday and Saturday (today)
Anyone placing bets on what shoes she wants to wear tomorrow? My money is on the boots.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
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)
Wednesday and Thursday...
...Friday and Saturday (today)
Thursday, February 10, 2011
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
Showing off her new backpack on the way to school... Lots of things to do on the first day
Saturday, January 15, 2011
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.
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!
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!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
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.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
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!
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!
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!
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!
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Halloween!
Finally- the long awaited Halloween pictures! Sorry for the delay- we've been offline the last few days as we switched internet plans.
Halloween 2010: Norah is a little lamb
Norah had a fun Halloween- after some initial skepticism about the costume. I think some of the fuzz from the hood got into her mouth at first. (If you look closely in the pictures, you can see that it got all over Dan and me, too!) We went trick-or-treating at Grandma and Grandpa's (and a few other houses on their block), since most of our neighbors didn't have their lights on. She got the hang of trick-or-treating pretty quickly, and loved looking at all the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns at everyone's houses. She was even nice enough to give all of her candy to her Daddy! Maybe next year she'll get to try some of it!
Are ewe kidding me?
Halloween 2010: Norah is a little lamb
Norah had a fun Halloween- after some initial skepticism about the costume. I think some of the fuzz from the hood got into her mouth at first. (If you look closely in the pictures, you can see that it got all over Dan and me, too!) We went trick-or-treating at Grandma and Grandpa's (and a few other houses on their block), since most of our neighbors didn't have their lights on. She got the hang of trick-or-treating pretty quickly, and loved looking at all the pumpkins and jack-o-lanterns at everyone's houses. She was even nice enough to give all of her candy to her Daddy! Maybe next year she'll get to try some of it!
Are ewe kidding me?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
