What Are We Reading? - 9.19.13

This week, we found a real steal at a local baby shop we didn't know existed. Three great board books for only $6 total! To properly honor our bargain hunting skills, we've been reading them to Norah all week. The verdict is still out on whether she is as in love with our thrifty find as we are.

It is actually three story collections, including Bedtime Hugs, Read Me a Story and Mother Goose. Norah is still rough with her books, so this is a happy middle between a book with only pictures and an actual story book.


      
As for me, I've been gettin' my learn on with some books about The Tudor Dynasty. The books I've finished recently have all been historical fiction, but I thought it was a good place to start. Especially since I knew nothing about this time period. With historical fiction, it's hard to tell which statements are true, so I supplemented with a podcast to find out. And boy, oh boy, does Ms. Gregory take a lot of liberties to make her story juicy! All in all, they're definitely entertaining. When I'm finished all the books in the series, I plan to check out a documentary or a non-fiction book where I can put it all together.

Dad has been finishing up the Song of Ice and Fire series, so "Shh!", don't spoil it! I can't wait until he finishes so I can get rid of the constant fear of accidentally revealing a plot point he hasn't read about yet!

Happy Reading!

Items Mentioned in Today's Post
The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory
A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five by George R.R. Martin
The History Chicks - podcast: Teeny Tiny Tudor Tutorial | Tudor Grandmothers | Katherine of Aragon | Anne Boleyn | Last Four Wives of Henry VIII

Tidy Tuesday: The Wonders of White Vinegar

I want to take a moment to talk about my favorite household cleaner: white vinegar!

This stuff can be used to clean everything. Floors, counters, glass, you name it.

Here's a roundup of items you can clean. Most are things that you've probably not cleaned in quite awhile. I'm slowly making my way through the list and I'll post in the upcoming weeks about my progress. So far, I've done my washing machine and coffee machine.

Top Loader Washing Machine
Coffee Machine and Carafe
Shower, Tile Grout and Sink
Dishwasher
Floors
 
What have you used vinegar to clean?

Reclaiming Your Exercise Routine With a Toddler in Tow

This week, I've been trying to reclaim my running routine. As anyone who exercises knows, motivation is key to getting in a workout. Having a toddler to take care of is often my motivation for NOT exercising. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I'm trying new ways to spend time with her, and exercise at the same time. So far, it's gone better than expected.

In order to get my priorities back in order, I had to start with my head instead of my body. Yeah, it's hard to take care of a baby and work out, but then I started thinking about the future. I owe it to Norah to exercise. Exercising leads to a healthier me. A healthier me means I will live longer and be able to be there for her.

Then she starts screaming and all those flowery thoughts go out the window. She gets upset when I'm out of the room or if I put her in a playpen, so using the treadmill is out. She can't stand it when I'm in the room but not paying attention to her, so even using hand weights or bands is hard.

Now that the daylight is lasting longer, I've found that the only thing I can do with this little bugger is take her out with me on a jog. The first thing we do when we get home is have play time. That seems to satiate her need for "mommy time". After about fifteen minutes, I strap her into the stroller and we're off. Usually she has a terrible time in the stroller because she hates being strapped in, but the faster movement must be soothing to her because she tends to doze off. Once that happens, I can really focus on the run.

Sure, it may be hard to get in a work out EVERY day, but right now I'm settling on three times a week. Norah is a bad napper, so this new technique works for both of us. She gets her cranks out, and I get my exercise on.

Any other tips on how to get a workout in would be appreciated!

In case anyone is interested, to get back into running, I'm using the Couch to 5k plan. I'm also planning on running this at the end of the summer so that I have some sort of goal to work towards!

September 22 - Run the Cape May Vineyard!

DIY No-Sew Birthday Bunting

Norah turned one on March 19. That following weekend we had her big birthday bash. Many of her family and friends turned out for the occasion and I did most of the decorating DIY style (exception: tablecloths, balloons, birthday hat) because I love when our parties are unique.

The theme of the party, as you may remember from the invitation, was "Under the Sea/Octopus" with hot pink, purple and blue as accent colors.

I saw a tutorial for no-sew bunting and knew this was right up my alley. You can check out all the details at The Eclectic Owl, but this is the basic idea:

1. Cut out triangles as the base of the bunting.
2. Cut circles to house each letter - make sure they fit inside the triangles!
3. Choose your favorite font - in my case I used Sailor since that was one of the fonts I used on the invitations - and print letters large enough so they will sit perfectly inside the circles you just cut in Step 2.
4. Trace the letters onto the felt and cut out.
5. Glue the letters onto the circles and then circles onto the triangles.
6. Attach each completed letter/circle/triangle set to the ribbon you will use to hang the bunting.
7. Let dry for about 10 minutes and hang.

A close up of one of the letters

Pretty simple, huh?

I was running behind schedule and I didn't do the glueing until 10 minutes before people arrived, but the no-sew technique made it quick and easy.

If you are interested in sewing a more durable bunting that you can re-use, try this tutorial at Penny Carnival.

Happy (no) sewing!

A Reflection on the Boston Marathon

Yesterday, a very terrible thing happened in Boston.  Not only were two people killed, but many were injured.  Many of these injured were people who were, just minutes earlier, completing a 26 mile run.
As disturbing and sad as it is, events like this really make you appreciate those who step up in times of need. 

When I left work last night and got into my car, I heard the news of the bombs that went off in Boston.  My local NPR station was streaming the coverage by the Boston NPR affiliate. At that time, all they knew was that two people were dead and about one hundred injured. Soon a report rolled in that one of the people killed was an eight year old boy.  Next the station went "on the scene" to the near by hospitals. Reporters stated that it was still a bit chaotic, but they received word that many of the injuries were amputations.  

The marathon was still in progress when the bombs went off. People who trained for months in order to complete this 26 mile run were crossing the finish line. I've never completed a marathon, but even after I trained and ran my first 5k, I felt a tremendous amount of pride and accomplishment. A feeling I'm sure many of these people felt. Sure, they were tired, dehydrated and maybe had an ankle sprain, but they did it! Then, suddenly, none of that mattered anymore. They needed help.

And that's when the reports detailing the first responders started to come in. While most people were trying to get away as fast as they could, a sea of green vested police officers, EMTs and even doctors rushed directly into the bomb blast to help people. They tore down barricades like salmon swimming against the stream, even before they knew exactly what was going on.

So when I think about how sad it is that someone did this, I try to think about the good.  It's not fair that an eight year old's life was cut short yesterday, that another person was killed and many injured. It's sad that people who were, just moments before, completing an amazing athletic feat, may now be double amputees. In fact, thinking about this stuff makes me feel a whole range of emotions: sadness, rage, anger, defeat. But try to restore faith in the human race and remember all those people who didn't think about anything but running towards the disaster and helping anyone they could.

If you know one, thank a first responder today! Also give your little ones a hug and appreciate every moment you have with them!

My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone in Boston. It's one of my favorite cities to visit, and I know the people of Boston will get through this.

*Due to the graphic nature of most of the photos, I won't be posting any here. However, if you are interested, there is an excellent collection of shots at Boston.com's Big Picture Blog.

Milestone Alert: 12 months

Well, we did it! Our baby survived an entire year without us royally screwing her up! Time to celebrate! Let's have some cake.

This month, we took Norah for professional pictures instead of taking one on our living room chair. They turned out really well and of course they suckered us into the ultra deluxe package.

Here are some more shots from the session:

 As far as Norah's schedule goes, it hasn't really changed too much.

Breakfast at 7:30 am 
4 ounces whole milk
Whole wheat pancakes or french toast
fruit (ex. cut up bananas)

Nap for about a half hour around 9:30 am
4 ounces milk when she wakes up
small snack like yogurt or crackers

Lunch at 12:30 pm
4 ounces whole milk
1 package of Gerber Graduates toddler food (Example: Gerber Graduates, Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Vegetables )
a vegetable or fruit (whatever daycare is serving that day - the last few days it's been corn or green beans)

Nap around 2 pm (sometimes this one doesn't happen and she sleeps for about 20 minutes when we get home from daycare)
4 ounces whole milk when she wakes up
another snack like the one above

Dinner at 6 pm
4 ounces formula
Whatever we are eating for dinner cut up into small pieces (Example: Last night we had tortellini and meatballs so I just cut them up and let her eat while we ate)
Fruit Yogurt melts

Sleep at 7:30 pm

As you can see, we've cut out formula for good. YAY! We've also made the switch to straw cups instead of bottles. DOUBLE YAY!

Happy Birthday, Norah!!

Birthday Party Invites - Under the Sea

Now that everyone has safely received their invitation, I thought I'd share it with the world.

So how did I put this monster together? Well, each one took about an hour start to finish. First, I traced and cut out the octopus pattern. After all the octopi were cut, I glued one on top of the other in reverse. This creates the eight legged look.

I ordered the card stock from Cards and Pockets because I couldn't find anything that inexpensive in my local stores. Since it's two pieces, I had to mount the blue card onto the pink one. Before I did that, I printed directly onto the blue card using my home printer.

Of course, I did not have any good fonts on my computer so I did a quick internet search for "free sailing fonts" and found these.

Once the cards were printed and glued together, I attached an octopus to each. Then I went back and attached googly eyes for a fun effect. At that point, it felt like it was still missing something. I stared at it and wondered what I could do to punch it up. Then I remembered I had a bag of foam board sea creatures that I purchased from A.C. Moore. The pack came with these little starfish that were just perfect for a bow on the octopus' head.

While everything was drying, I addressed the envelopes and then stuffed them.

NOTE: If you make this invitation for yourself, take it to the post office. The foam board I used made the invitation too thick to be processed as regular mail and needed extra postage. ($0.66 if you're wondering!)

Stay tuned next week as I leak some other ideas I have for Norah's birthday bash!

Weekend Recap - 3.4.13

This weekend was pretty low key for Norah. We spent Saturday getting haircuts and buying all sorts of yummy baby food.

For most of Sunday morning, Norah was either playing or zooming around with her (not so) new walker that a friend lent us. She really loves walking with that thing, but she gets total jelly legs when we try to hold her hands and stand her up. She has the strength, she's just a total chicken!

 

Sunday afternoon was a girl's day for me, so Norah spent some time with Dad and her grandparents.

Food wise, Norah was not much of an eater this weekend. She didn't finish her breakfast either day, and she downright refused to eat her carrots at snack time. Since her first birthday is fast approaching, we're starting to wean her off of formula and on to milk. The whole weekend she did half milk, half formula and she drank it out of straw cups! This is some real progress. Soon we'll be done with formula and bottles! YAY!!!!!!!

Have a great week, everyone!

Baby Book of the Week: Newbery Edition

Yesterday's post was getting a bit too long for my tastes, so I decided to bring the reading fun to you over two days. Today I'll talk about the Newbery Medal winner and honorees. Note that these books are for older readers (the books below range from ages 8 and up), so use your own judgement when reading to your little ones!

"The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." [Source]


The 2013 award went to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, about a gorilla named Ivan who befriends a baby elephant named Ruby. Newbery Medal Committee Chair Steven Engelfried says this about the book: “Katherine Applegate gives readers a unique and unforgettable gorilla’s-eye-view of the world that challenges the way we look at animals and at ourselves.”

Three other children's books were awarded a Newbery Honor, as well - Splendors and Gloom, Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, and Three Times Lucky.

Missed yesterday's post? Click here to read about the Caldecott winners.

Books Mentioned Above 

Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author and Illustrator: Katherine Applegate and Patricia Castelao
Pages: 300
Format: Hardcover

Title: Splendors and Glooms
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover

Title: Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover

Title: Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage
Pages: 312
Format: Hardcover

Baby Book of the Week: Caldecott Edition

This week Norah and I are reading classic Dr. Seuss: Yertle the Turtle. Like most Dr. Seuss books, this story has a lesson - even the little people wayyyyy at the bottom of the pile have rights. It's a great thing to learn, and one I'm sure we're explain using this story when she begins to understand a little better. Right now, it's just fun to read the rhymes!

In other book news, the Caldecott and Newbery Awards came out.



The Caldecott Medal "was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." [Source]



This year, the award went to This is Not my Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Caldecott Chair Sandra Imdieke had this to say about it: “With minute changes in eyes and the slightest displacement of seagrass, Klassen’s masterful illustrations tell the story the narrator doesn’t know.”

Caldecott Honors also went to Creepy Carrots, Extra Yarn, Green, One Cool Friend and Sleep Like a Tiger.


Even though work is crazy right now, I still managed to get in some reading of my own. I finished a book called Unravel Me about a 17 year old girl with the power to kill people with just her touch. . It is a sequel and it ended on a cliffhanger that has me frothing at the mouth for the next book in the series.

After that, I started Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I am only about 6% in, but so far it has me guessing. It is written in first person and switches between the current story narrated by Nick (the husband) and the past - also written in first person, but told through the diary entries of Amy (the wife).  This style makes me want to keep reading to find out what, if anything, Nick is hiding about the disappearance of his wife.

Please stay tuned for tomorrow's post where I'll talk about the other big winners this week: The Newbery!

Books Mentioned in This Post

Title: Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
Author: Dr. Seuss
Format: Hardcover

Title: This Is Not My Hat
Author and Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Creepy Carrots!
Author and Illustrator: Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Extra Yarn
Author and Illustrator: Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Green
Author and Illustrator:Laura Vaccaro Seger
Pages: 36
Format: Hardcover

Title: One Cool Friend
Author and Illustrator: Toni Buzzeo and David Small
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover

Title: Sleep Like a Tiger
Author and Illustrator: Mary Logue and Pamela Zagarenski
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Pages: 461
Format: Hardcover

Title: Gone Girl: A Novel
Author: Gillian Flynn
Pages: 419
Format: Hardcover

Weekend Recap - 2.25.13

Another week has passed us by, but we had lots of excitement here.

First up, on Saturday Norah and I went to a wedding shower for my husband's cousin. There were plenty of people there to give her kisses and waves (her new favorite thing), but I think she found the whole thing just a bit overwhelming. Four hours in a high chair is just not something she's into. Now that she's learning to walk, she wants to practice all the time. The car ride home took about forty minutes and she slept right through it!










On Sunday we celebrated Poppy's birthday by going out to breakfast and then having cake (yes, we're bad, we had cake for lunch). Norah must be going through a super growth spurt because she ate the following before noon:

• 1 container of yoToddler yogurt
• Half an orange
• Half a pancake
• A handful (mine, not hers) of Cheerios
• A few bites of my ham and egg omelette
• A quarter of a piece of toast
• About 10 blueberry puffs
• 12 oz of formula

Phew! This little bugger is going to eat us out of house and home if we're not careful!

Sunday afternoon meant working from home for me, so Norah and Dad went to the supermarket. From what he tells me, she made lots of friends while she was there.

Have a great week, everyone!

Milestone Alert: Eleven Months

Man oh man is time flying by! Norah is 11 months old today!


Now that we're fast approaching the one year mark, we're integrating more food and less formula into Norah's diet. This past weekend she drank all her four ounce bottles out of a sippy cup, too! That was huge since she she's been struggling with the straw. Now we just have to get bigger ones so she can drink more than four ounces at a time!

This is her basic routine right now:

Wake up at 6:30 am

Breakfast at 7:30 am
4 ounces formula
1 package of Gerber Graduates Breakfast Buddies - Apple Cinnamon Cereal

Nap for about a half hour around 9:30 am

6 ounces formula when she wakes up

Lunch at 12:30 pm
4 ounces formula
1/2 package of Gerber Graduates toddler food (Example: Gerber Graduates, Mac & Cheese with Chicken & Vegetables )
handful of puffs or Yogurt Melts

Nap around 2 pm

6 ounces formula when she wakes up

Dinner at 6 pm
4 ounces formula
Whatever we are eating for dinner cut up into small pieces (Example: Last night we had tortellini and meatballs so I just cut them up and let her eat while we ate)
Fruit Yogurt melts

Sleep at 7:30 pm

We can't wait to see what the next month has in store for us!

Weekend Recap - 2.18.13

So, what did everyone do this weekend? Here in NJ it was back to a very cold 28 degrees. Needless to say, we didn't spend much time outside!

On Saturday we ventured out to a children's museum right around the corner from our house called The Garden State Discovery Museum. Norah had fun, but most of the exhibits were geared towards older kids. I think we'll hold off on heading back to this place until the summer, on a day where it's not overrun with birthday parties.

Sunday morning means grocery shopping. We've gotten into the routine of heading to the store as soon as Norah eats breakfast. This turns a usually stressful afternoon trip into a good experience. The only other people in the store at this early hour are other parents. It makes it a lot easier if Norah starts freaking out. At least these other people understand. This week it's Norah, next week it might be their child!

On Sunday afternoon I tried to do some artwork with Norah. It didn't turn out so well. She really hates the feel of paint on her hands.



I know this is a three day weekend for most, but it's back to work for me today. Norah will have a daddy-daughter day since daycare is closed for training. She's going to hang out with her friend Colleen. And when I say hang out, I mean they'll just play with toys in the same room and barely acknowledge each others existence (except when one picks up a toy the other one wants.)

Hope everyone has a nice week!

Baby Book of the Week: Story Time for Lamb

I think this book might contain the cutest illustrations I've ever seen. It's about a lamb that is getting ready to go to bed, but before he does, the mother lamb reads him a story. The colors in the book are very vibrant and when Norah gets to an age where she can sit in our laps and read along, I think she'll appreciate this. 

Overall, it's a great short read to get in before bed. I hate putting her down without a story and this is perfect for those nights when she's getting grumpy or it's past bedtime.

Title: Story Time for Lamb
Author: Michael Dahl
Illustrator: Oriol Vidal
Pages: 20
Format: Board Book
Check out the whole Hello Genius series here.

The Liebster Award

Happy weekend, everyone. Today is a special bonus post, since I don't normally post on the weekend.

Rachael over at The Revolution of Stay at Home Mom found my blog and gave me an award. For those of you who aren't immersed in the blogging world like I am, from time to time, other bloggers give these out so you can find links to blogs of like-minded people. It's also a nice way to tell someone you like their blog!

So now that this award has passed on to me, I must pass it on to others.

The Rules 

• Share 11 facts about myself 
• Answer 11 questions from the blogger that nominated you 
• Nominate 11 other bloggers with less than 200 followers for the award 
• Create 11 questions for nominees to answer Link back to the person who nominated you

11 Facts About Me

• I work full time as a tax accountant.
• Even though it sucks to clean your car off, I love the snow.
• I don't like swimming in the Atlantic Ocean. It is cold and murky and I have a constant fear of getting bitten by a jelly fish.
• My favorite part of travelling is packing. I like to challenge myself to fit everything in the smallest bag possible. Last year we went to Hawaii for almost two weeks and my bag was so small that if I my husband wasn't already checking his bag, I would have just did carry on.
• If I had unlimited money, I think I'd retire on the Big Island of Hawaii. 
• I don't know how to drive a manual transmission.
• Cooking is one of my favorite ways to relieve stress.
• Though I love cooking, I cannot make a pancake to save my life. They always come out flat and spongy tasting. Even if I use the exact same ingredients that my husband does.
• I love entertaining and DIY party crafts.
• I really can't believe that Norah will be one next month. It blows my mind how fast this last year went.
• This summer we're going on a beach vacation with friends. I'm excited to see how Norah reacts to the ocean. Hopefully she does not share my fear of swimming in it!

11 Answers
When's the last time you laughed until your cheeks hurt? 
Not sure if my cheeks hurt, but last Saturday when we were playing Taboo. The clues were very "interesting".

What's the best advice you've ever received? 
When it comes to raising your child, you will always know best. Listen to what others have to say to gain perspective, but in the end, it is your decision to make and no one else's.

Which activities make you lose track of time? 
Cooking and browsing the internet.

When's the last time you tried something new? 
Just this week I set up my new sewing machine. Haven't started any projects yet, but I stitched some fabric together to practice a straight line.

If money wasn't a factor what would you be doing right now?
Travelling.

What's your favorite song of all time? 
All time? Wow, that's a hard one. I can't really pick so I'll give you my favorite song right now: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons.

What's something that you wish you could do more of? 
I'd like to cook more and spend more time with Norah. Also, sleep. Sleep would be great.

What's the last book you read? 
Currently 75% through the last released book in the Song of Ice and Fire series, Dance with Dragons.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 
I always wanted to be a lawyer. Ended up being the next closest thing, accountant.

What do you believe in, without question.
Hard work always yields results.

What is something that most people would be surprised to learn about you?
Two years ago I started writing a book, but never finished editing it.

11 Bloggers
Hot Buttered
The Mommy Games
Stop, Drop and Blog
My Semi True Story
Mommy Call
Martha Wills
Still a Dancing Queen
Writing Pad Dad
Ittybits & Pieces - she already got a Liebster last week, but I like her blog, so I'm nominating her again. Check out her answers here.
Wages Wonderful Wacky World
OhBoyMom

11 questions

1. What is your favorite holiday?
2. Who is your favorite celebrity?
3. What is playing on your radio/ipod/iphone/other audio player of choice right this moment?
4. What's your favorite part of blogging?
5. What do you do for a living?
6. What is your favorite place to vacation?
7. What's your favorite food?
8. What food can't you stand?
9. If you had to live somewhere other than where you live right now for the rest of your life, where would it be?
10. What are the last three books you've read?
11. Where is your favorite place to shop?

I already linked her at the top, but please make sure you visit Racheal's blog, The Revolution of Stay at Home Mom. She has lots of great things to say!

Flashback Friday: 2.1.13

Can you believe it's February already? I sure can't! This is the last month we'll be able to say to Norah, "Wow, you've never been alive in this month before!"

In March she'll turn one, and I'm sure I'll have many exciting posts about what I'm planning for her birthday, so stay tuned.

Today we'll flash back all the way to last February. This is what Norah looked like then.

Happy Friday, everyone!

Who Needs Sleep?: When a Sick Baby Keeps You Up

Norah’s been sleeping through the night since the 2 month mark. In the book of babies, that makes us extremely lucky. Sometimes we forget that, though, and she keeps us up all night.
This past weekend was one of her "reminder lessons". On Friday night, she was fussy and wouldn't eat. She screamed when I changed her diaper, cried when I tried to play with her, and resisted bedtime like a cat to water. Where did our happy baby go? She'd clocked out, and angry baby had checked in.

Where did THIS happy baby go?

That night, she woke up screaming several times. We rocked her back to sleep. Then she woke up around 3 am and vomited everywhere. She also rolled around in it, so it was all over her. While hubby cleaned up the sheets, I cleaned the baby. A half hour later she was sleeping again and stayed that way until morning. Hallelujah!

On her first diaper change after waking, we found a bright red diaper rash that was bleeding, so off to the doctor we went. Upon examination, the doctor concluded that the antibiotic she was on for her ear infection last week proceeded to give her a fungal infection. We needed prescription ointment, stat.

Diaper changes for the rest of the weekend were awful. The rash stung, so using regular baby wipes was torture of the worst kind, keeping her from sleeping most of Saturday night. Luckily, we were able to give her some baby Motrin to get her through.

Sunday she was in better spirits, but mom and dad were beyond tired. With all of our weekend errands yet to be completed, we shipped Norah off to her grandparents' house where she spent the afternoon with Mom-mom, Poppy, Uncle Joey and Andrea.

So what do you do when the baby gets up over and over again? In the moment, you grin and bear it because there's nothing else to do. The next night, you go to sleep as soon as the baby goes down and hope for the best!

Flashback Friday - 1.25.13

Today we flashback to June 2012, when Norah was baptized. She was pretty well behaved, and even fell asleep during part of the ceremony.


There was a big (and when I say big, I really mean huge) party at the school gym next to the church afterwards.


The next day, I dressed her up for a "formal" photo to put in the thank you cards. 1,347,865 snaps later, this is the best I ended up with!


Happy Friday, everyone!