Greenlake Park

This morning we went for a walk around Greenlake Park, on the north side of Seattle. We were impressed by the number of joggers and walkers on the trail on a Sunday morning in February. Nora had lots of fun checking out the ducks and made sure to say hi to all of the dogs that we passed during our trek around the lake.

The final product

Nora is posing for Daddy (blue bow and all) at the outdoor shopping center in Redmond where she had her haircut.

Haircut in progress

 

Time for a haircut!

This afternoon we took Nora in for a haircut. The place specializes in haircuts for young children, so she got to sit and play in her own little truck the whole time. 

Nora the Architect

Nora the architect
Originally uploaded by binmke.

Inspired by the architectural wonders of the city that we saw today, Nora returned home to render her own vision for the next addition to the Seattle skyline...in Duplo blocks.

Weekend wanderings

Nora came down with another series of ear infections and the croup on Wednesday…Mommy has been keeping her company this whole time so we decided it was time to get out and do something fun this weekend. We’re hoping that Nora will be feeling better tomorrow…it has been a while since she slept through the night, and Mommy and Daddy are starting to feel the effects.

Today we got to do lots of fun things…we had a great dim sum lunch at a Chinese place in Bellevue, then headed to West Seattle to do some sightseeing and exploring. Nora charmed the woman working the counter at the Italian bakery we visited and managed to score a free cookie!

We meandered down the hill until we reached Alki Beach, which has a great view of Elliott Bay, the Olympic mountain range, and the Seattle skyline. The view was amazing…without hardly a cloud in the sky! The tide was low, so we got to see some tiny little crabs that scattered when we picked up a rock. Nora got to examine some clam shells, and squealed when she put her hands in the water. The temperature was about 45 degrees but the water was very cold.

She doesn’t quite understand the difference between birds and ducks…every time she saw a pigeon or seagull today, she pointed and excitedly said “duck-ee! duck-ee!”

Another busy weekend

We had another busy (and BEAUTIFUL) weekend. On Saturday, we went with some friends to the Woodland Park Zoo, so that Nora could get some exposure to those animals she keeps reading about in all of her books. The zoo is absolutely amazing, laid out like a park with incredible trees native to the regions represented (Africa, SE Asia, etc.). Nora's favorite animal was the gorilla.

Nora's vocabulary continues to expand every day. Now she makes animal sounds, and can identify almost all of the animals in her book. My personal favorite is the rooster, which comes out sounding something like "ak...dooooooo!"

It was almost 60 degrees and sunny on Sunday, so we went to the store and bought flowers. Nora was very enthusiastic about helping mommy plant them...she loved playing with the potting soil and throwing clods of dirt off the balcony. It was a bit strange for us to be outside planting flowers in February.

Alas, no pictures as our camera seems to be malfunctioning.

I love to play dress up at daycare!

 

Playing Outside at Daycare

 

What a week!

Nana and Auntie Vanessa were visiting us this week, and did a great job of keeping Nora entertained for hours on end. They played together, read lots of books, went to the aquarium, and had fun talking to Papa on the webcam.

Early Saturday morning we all headed west, to the Pacific coast and the Quinault Rainforest. The trip turned out to be more of an adventure than any of us thought it would be. Nana was in crutches, and there was no electricity in the cabin until late Saturday night...which made for a chilly evening. We had a fire going in the fireplace (Nora's observation: "hot") and made some hot chocolate while we waited for the electricty to come back. Nora waddled around the living room in five layers of clothing and played hide-and-seek with me, having a great time dispite the circumstances. The electricity (and heat!) finally came on around 10:00 PM.

They headed back to Milwaukee yesterday, and today it's back to the routine (and electricity!) of our new home. The city is in a state of mourning after the Seahawks' loss!

Lake Quinault

Here is Nora checking out our cabin at Lake Quinault. 

"Do it again, Mommy!"

 

Pigtails

The kids played dress up at daycare this afternoon and somehow a few of the girls ended up with pigtails in their hair. We couldn't get over how grown up Nora looked! 

Jabber Jabber

Nora is constantly talking now. Her new found words include, but are not limited to: apple, dog, milk, blanket, bath (this was new tonight), shoe, and Elmo (what is with kids and this little red creature?). More has morphed into Ma Ma but still includes the sign.

It is quite amazing how much she is able to communicate verbally. It sure makes our lives easier knowing exactly what she wants when she is standing next to the fridge saying, "Milk? Milk?"

Visitors!

This afternoon we had some special visitors arrive from "back east". Nana and Auntie Vanessa will be spending the week out here with us. Nora loving all the attention...I haven't seen her this wound up in weeks.

The highlight of their visit is coming up this weekend, when we venture out to the Quinault Rainforest! Stay tuned!

Nora and Daddy at Gas Works Park

Here we are, checking out the view of the Seattle skyline and the sailboats from Gas Works Park. 

Daddy - Look at his nose!

 

Nora in the City

Today we hit some of the not-so-well-known tourist spots in Seattle. We spent the rainy morning exploring the northern neighborhoods of Ballard and Fremont. This sculpture is the Fremont Troll. He protects the north end of the Aurora Bridge and even has a street named after him. Nora really liked his big nose, and made sure to point it out to us in case we did not notice.

Nora visits Bainbridge Island

We spent the day today exploring the west side of Puget Sound. The trip was around 120 miles of great scenery, including the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, lunch in the Norwegian immigrant town of Poulsbo, a two-hour hike through the Bloedel Reserve on Bainbridge Island, and finally a ferry ride across Elliot Bay back to Seattle.

Normally we would post lots of photos...but the battery in the camera decided to die as soon as we left home this morning. @(#&$@#!

The Bloedel Reserve is a nature preserve--formerly a private estate--that is now open to the public. The trees and gardens there were incredibly beautiful, even moreso because we got our first good dose of sunshine today for the first time in several weeks. The moss garden and the Japanese zen garden were really fun to explore. Nora had a good time riding in the carrier on my back and touching the tree branches while we walked.

The highlight for Nora was seeing the swans and ducks in the pond. It didn't take her long before she started saying her favorite new word: duc-k (she hasn't quite been able to reduce it down to one syllable yet). This joins boo-k and gac-k (sock) as her new vocabulary for the week.

New Words

This weekend has blessed Nora with an expanded vocabulary. She has begun saying book, sock (gock) and bike all the time!