Sunday, June 11, 2006
So many rocks, so little time
If Nora had her way, we would have spent the entire weekend throwing rocks into the water.
A Weekend in the Woods
This weekend we went to Deception Pass State Park, on Whidbey Island, for some camping and hiking. It was a bit more of a challenge than the last time we went camping with Nora (a year ago), as she wasn't doing much back then except drooling and sleeping. Times sure have changed!
The look on her face once we got the tent set up was priceless. "Nye nye? Tent? Nye nye?!" - it was the first time in ages that she was actually excited about sleeping! She followed me around the tent, proudly handing the stakes to me as I pounded them in. "Welcome!" "Welcome!" (she hasn't quite figured out in what order "Thank you" and "You're welcome" are supposed to go.)
But this ruse only lasted a few hours. Once we tried to get her to bed, she put up her best defenses...an hour of screaming and yelling later she finally gave in and went to sleep.
We were all worn out by the end of the day, and lulled ourselves to sleep with the sound of the crickets, the ocean, and the sounds of the fighter jets doing practice runs overhead. There is a massive Navy airbase on Whidbey Island.
The next morning it was raining. According to tradition, this means finding a greasy spoon somewhere for breakfast to wait out the weather. We drove down Hwy. 20 until we spotted the trademarks of a perfect location:
"Breakfast Served Anytime" sign? Check.
Lots of rusty pickup trucks in the parking lot? Check.
Named after the owner? Check.
Indeed, we were not disappointed. We had stumbled into the local Navy hangout. The restaurant's booth seating was crafted from salvaged bench seats from late 1980's vintage Plymouth minivans. Yellowed photographs of Navy flyers from every major war, newspapers, and other bits of memerobilia covered the walls. But what clinched it for us was when the waitress arrived at our table and said "what can I get for y'all?" in a flawless Texan accent. We had arrived!
We spent the remainder of the day exploring Whidbey Island, starting with a hike up the hills around Deception Pass. Nora rode on my back, which turned into a game once we got into the woods. Whenever we went under a tree, she would yell "treeeee!" then duck down and put her head on my shoulder. Climbing up the hills with a squirming 20-month-old on my back was a great workout, which I certainly needed after our EXCELLENT breakfast.
Enough with my rambling...on with the pictures! Enjoy!
The look on her face once we got the tent set up was priceless. "Nye nye? Tent? Nye nye?!" - it was the first time in ages that she was actually excited about sleeping! She followed me around the tent, proudly handing the stakes to me as I pounded them in. "Welcome!" "Welcome!" (she hasn't quite figured out in what order "Thank you" and "You're welcome" are supposed to go.)
But this ruse only lasted a few hours. Once we tried to get her to bed, she put up her best defenses...an hour of screaming and yelling later she finally gave in and went to sleep.
We were all worn out by the end of the day, and lulled ourselves to sleep with the sound of the crickets, the ocean, and the sounds of the fighter jets doing practice runs overhead. There is a massive Navy airbase on Whidbey Island.
The next morning it was raining. According to tradition, this means finding a greasy spoon somewhere for breakfast to wait out the weather. We drove down Hwy. 20 until we spotted the trademarks of a perfect location:
"Breakfast Served Anytime" sign? Check.
Lots of rusty pickup trucks in the parking lot? Check.
Named after the owner? Check.
Indeed, we were not disappointed. We had stumbled into the local Navy hangout. The restaurant's booth seating was crafted from salvaged bench seats from late 1980's vintage Plymouth minivans. Yellowed photographs of Navy flyers from every major war, newspapers, and other bits of memerobilia covered the walls. But what clinched it for us was when the waitress arrived at our table and said "what can I get for y'all?" in a flawless Texan accent. We had arrived!
We spent the remainder of the day exploring Whidbey Island, starting with a hike up the hills around Deception Pass. Nora rode on my back, which turned into a game once we got into the woods. Whenever we went under a tree, she would yell "treeeee!" then duck down and put her head on my shoulder. Climbing up the hills with a squirming 20-month-old on my back was a great workout, which I certainly needed after our EXCELLENT breakfast.
Enough with my rambling...on with the pictures! Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Singing and Conversations
Nora’s newest past time is singing to her favorite Sesame Street CD in the car. She sings the last word of most phrases. It is a blast to listen to her jam in the back seat on the way home from daycare! She even makes requests: “Elmo” and “Wubba” seem to be the favorites. If she doesn’t want to listen to a song, she’ll also let you know very quickly with a loud and fast, “No, no, no!”
Conversation with Nora is also much improved. Last night at dinner Nora decided she wanted to talk about her friend “Lyssa” (Alyssa) from daycare. “Lyssa hug” was how she talked about hugging Alyssa every morning. She was also worried about Daddy’s owie from their fall a few weeks ago. She said over and over, “Daddy’s owie all better” while she pointed to her hand and his. The other obsessive conversation last night was about Grandpa. She would say, “Paba, where are you? Paba home?” then answer herself, “Paba, bybye, Paba airpane.”
Saturday, June 03, 2006
Kite
Nora, Brian and I enjoyed flying a kite that B brought back from China this morning. We are at Gasworks Park in this photo. 
Friday, June 02, 2006
Thank goodness for ear tubes
Welp, Nora has another ear infection, but thankfully those ear tubes are doing their jobs. Nora has yellow snot coming out both of her ears at the moment! I'm just can't imagine if all that goop was stuck behind her little eardrums. She is quite cranky at home right now and is crying or screaming if I'm not holding her at every second. However, she is amazingly well behaved at daycare! She was better last night as she was able to sit in her highchair and eat dinner on her own, but she was back to sitting on my hip or on the sink all morning while I got ready for work. So much for reading books on her own for a few more days.
Daddy is coming home tomorrow and we are both VERY excited. Ok, so maybe I'm the one that is VERY excited and Nora will be happy to see him. We are going out to the Red Robin tonight with some friends (Yeah, we have made two friends here ;-). It is a burger place that has a wonderful children's menu. Hopefully that will make the evening go quickly!
Daddy is coming home tomorrow and we are both VERY excited. Ok, so maybe I'm the one that is VERY excited and Nora will be happy to see him. We are going out to the Red Robin tonight with some friends (Yeah, we have made two friends here ;-). It is a burger place that has a wonderful children's menu. Hopefully that will make the evening go quickly!
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
Posing for Daddy
I didn't realize Brian had taken this one on her ponytail morning. Too cute for words!
Riding the Cow
We found a cow at Pike Place Market this morning that made Nora forget about her terrible cough for a few minutes. She has been a handful today as her throat is probably raw from coughing all the time. The doctor told us that it is just viral and nothing we can do about it. Not too much fun!
Monday, May 29, 2006
Sunday, May 28, 2006
Reading
This is where you'll find Nora for the majority of the morning while I am getting ready. She absolutely loves to read books in her chair. The floor around her is covered with books when she is done!
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