Haircut

I was getting my hair highlighted and trimmed today. I go to a gal from my church who does it in her home (so I can take my kids if I need to). While we were there I asked her opinion on Lucy's hair (she had never had a haircut) and she suggested that we cut off some of the baby hair that looks stringy and crazy. I used to pull Lucy's hair up into a little ponytail on the top of her head until recently. Now she rips it out and rips hair out with it, so I have stopped pulling it up and it is ALWAYS a mess. One thing about Lucy's hair is that it is kind of curly - unlike Norah's, whose is very straight with a slight curl under at the bottom. Anyway, the curls just make it even crazier.

SO, I decided to have Mary cut it off and layer it just a little. I think it is so cute and not I don't have to try to pull it up to keep it out of her face. Just getting rid of the baby-fine hair makes it look thicker. Kevin did mention something about not knowing he had a little boy - I don't think it looks boyish, but it is short.

And here she is, sporting her new do!

Sorry for the glare in the last picture!

Doctor's Appt.

Norah went to the doctor for her well child visit on Monday. This year has been so much better than last! We have had very few issues with her asthma this past year - thankfully! Some how I missed how tall Norah is - but the nurse said she is in the 20th percentile (let me say for the record, Norah has never been higher than the 5th percentile for height, so she has really grown!!!). She weighs 29.4 pounds - 5th percentile.

Easter

So here are my Easter pictures - several days later!! My sister and her family came to church with us and then back to our house where the Morrison's joined us for lunch.

Easter egg hunt - in the cold - between snow flurries.

Ryan, Savannah, and Norah decorated their cupcakes!

Typical picture with Norah - eyes half closed.

Our best attempt at a picture of the girls together. Notice Lucy's crazy, messy hair - it's about to change!!!

Happy 4th Birthday, Norah!

It is hard to believe it, but Norah is 4 years old! I barely remember labor and delivery - which is probably good, considering it was very long and then ended in a c-section anyway. She was so little - 6 pounds, 3 ounces when she was born, and only 5 pounds 8 ounces when we left the hospital. Norah surprised us by coming 2 weeks early - the first day of my spring break. Let me just say - she continues to surprise us on a regular basis.

Norah was a very good baby - rarely cried or fussed about anything. She has been a great sleeper since she was very little. She was sleeping 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. by 3 months and still sleeps 11-12 hours a night.

A few of our favorite things about Norah:

> She has an amazing imagination! She is typically a princess in some far off castle or a Sunday school teacher teaching a number of children at one time (she usually lines up her dolls and stuffed animals on the steps). Norah also enjoys being a mom, a doctor, a chef, a cheerleader, Starbucks worker, teacher, dog - the list goes on and on. I sometimes hear her talking from her room and it sounds like there are others up there with her, but it is just her, pretending and making all the characters talk.

> She loves to help bake! Several times a week she asks to bake something. We usually make muffins or bread once a week, then we make cookies or cakes if we have a good reason. She is an excellent helper and enjoys tasting our final product.

> Norah loves to help Lucy. If Lucy can't reach something, Norah is very quick to offer her assistance. If Lucy needs help doing something, Norah will show her.

> Even though Lucy can drive her crazy, Norah almost always wants her around. I had a babysitter stay with Lucy while I went to Norah's Easter party and Norah was a little sad that Lucy was missing out.

> Norah adores her friends and cousins. She talks about them all the time and she often pretends that one of them is here. She will walk with her hand sticking out like she is holding someone else's hand. She regularly pretends to have a sleepover and she has to make a spot for Kate and Savannah.

> Norah is incredibly dramatic. Although the drama can sometimes frustrate us, Norah is good at telling stories!

>Norah is also very empathetic. She can truly feel another's pain and if someone she knows is sad - she is just as sad.

> Norah's language has always been very good. She was speaking in 3 and 4 word sentences by 15 months. She loves to learn new words and find was of using them. If she hears a word that she doesn't know, she quickly asks for a meaning to begin processing it.

> She loves books! We are reading all the time! We often read the same books over and over. She has some favorites - My First Little House on the Prairie set, You are Special by Max Lucado, Polite as a Princess, Tessa the Teacher, the Tale of the Three Trees.

> She is very interested in Heaven. She asks, "Who is in Heaven?" She likes the Bible story of Jesus returning to Heaven. She asks what Heaven is like - and how we get to Heaven. She wonders if she will ride a cloud to Heaven someday.

Of course, as her mom I could go on and on, but these are a few things to give you an idea of what she is like. She has her 4 year check up at the doctor this week - I will post her measurements later in the week.

I will end with some pictures of Norah. Sorry there are so many - I had a hard time choosing!!

The Computer is Fixed!!!!!

We have our computer back and it is working!!!!! I was afraid we would have to buy a new one - which is not in our budget right now.


Lucy is doing breathing treatments right now - every 4 hours. Thankfully, this time it is just Lucy - Norah only has to do her typical 1 a day. I took Lucy to the doctor today and as I was finishing up talking to the doctor in the exam room, Lucy steps into the hallway and shouts at the nurse, "COOKIE!" The nurse said, "Is it okay with your mommy?" Lucy responds without looking at me, "YUP!" Then she ran down the hall to claim her cookies.


I don't know if I ever mentioned that Lucy is completely potty trained. I know I mentioned that we were working on it - her choice, not mine. Well, it is official, she is potty trained. I'm thankful that the hard part is over and that it didn't take much effort on my part.


Norah's birthday is Sunday. She is going to open presents tomorrow, though, since Sunday will be busy with Easter stuff. Her party is in a couple of weeks - combined with Lucy. My college friend, Sara, designed their invitations - we love them!! Check out the other cards she has designed!

I know that this is just a bunch of random thoughts - sorry! I've had things to post at different times, but didn't do it because the old computer was driving me crazy!!!

And Now Lucy

Lucy and I were in the car waiting in line to pick up Norah. I turned on a nursery rhyme cd and started to sing along.
From the back seat, I hear, "Mommy, noying!"

Yes, my 22 month old just told me I was annoying. Sad, really.

Geography Can Be Confusing

I know it has been awile since I last posted. We have actually had a lot going on since my last post - too much for one post. While Kevin was in Minnesota for a few days, the girls and I went to Morton - did a lot in a very short amount of time. Kevin's family was here this past weekend. Kevin and I ran in the St. Patrick's Day 5 mile run. All this - plus a million other things - and still using the old computer.

So instead of boring details - I will share a funny Norah story.
When I picked Norah up from school on Monday (we headed to Morton from there), I said, "I just talked to Daddy and his plane landed safely in Minnesota."
Norah throws her head back and chuckles to herself, then says, "Minnesota! I told my teacher he went to El Salvador."

Hmmm

She's Moving to Australia

As I stated in my previous post, Norah chose to wear a dress today because Savannah was coming over and Savannah loves dresses. Norah took the dress off for nap because she had leggings and a shirt under the dress.
After her nap as she was putting on her dress and having issues, she says, "I'm leaving. I am not coming back and where I'm going they have lots of dresses. I'm going to Australia and I can wear whatever dress I want to. Good-bye - I will not miss you!"

A few minutes later, Kevin called and asked what was going on. I told him that Norah was moving to Australia. From the other room she yells, " I am not moving to Australia because don't have food there. They have NO food there and I am hungry."

Thank goodness there is no food in Australia or I might not see my daughter again.

I think she looks cute in her dress. I would post a picture, but I don't think I can with this crazy computer - maybe Kevin can do it later.

Fun with Friends

Yesterday, the girls and I went to play at my friend, Alisha's house. She has a little boy Micah - he's about 9 months. The girls had fun and Micah seemed to get a kick out of them. Norah let Alisha see her nasty side - she had a couple of fits while we were there. Yes - I said Norah, my almost 4 year old - not Lucy as some might expect.









Today, the Morrison's came over for a couple of hours. I told Norah on Wednesday that Savannah might come over on Friday - since then Norah has been talking about what she is going to wear. Savannah loves to wear skirts and dresses, so Norah often wants to wear a dress when she is going to be with Savannah!! LOL!

How Colorful is Your Diet?

I'm using the old computer, so we'll see how this goes. (I actually started this on Wednesday - in case the computer shut down on me or was too slow!)


My Thursday Thought is about nutrition. This is a subject that I feel quite passionate about because as Americans - we are horrible eaters. Everything is supersized or fried. Our country is significantly overweight - more kids than ever are obese. Parents often teach their children to "clear your plate" - encouraging children to over eat. Then we have the opposite side of things - young girls starving themselves, detox diets, misuse of diet products for quick results.

Also - this may be a passion of mine - but that doesn't make me an expert. I enjoy reading books/articles on fitness and nutrition. I have as big a sweet tooth as anyone I know, but I try to eat in moderation and I try to live a well-balanced, healthy lifestyle. I enjoy finding new ways to cook something to make it healthier and I enjoy learning new exercises that challenge me. I love that feeling of being so sore I can hardly move - knowing that a new workout that I tried challenged me that much.

Anyway, I could go on and on and even get a little fired up about things - so I am going to ask one question.

How colorful is your diet? The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that for the average 2000 calorie diet you eat 2 1/2 cups of vegetables and 2 cups of fruit. Do you regularly follow this suggestion? Also, our fruits and vegetables should take up about half of our meal. We have so much produce available to us, but are using a variety of them in our meals?

What are your favorite foods that are colorful?


I try to make colorful meals. I am trying to encourage the girls to eat a variety of fruits and veges - it's a little hard because Kevin is not a big fan of vegetables (he likes corn, green beans, and lettuce). I also try to add extra vegetables in certain recipes/foods. I make my spaghetti sauce with shredded carrots and zucchini. I buy vanilla yogurt and add fresh pureed fruits. My girls do like their sweets, but we are trying to teach them "everything in moderation." Norah knows that too much sugar is bad for her body and teeth and she reminds us of that regularly (like last week when Kevin brought donuts home one morning).

We always have a fruit with breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We have vegetable with lunch and dinner - sometimes 2 at dinner (salad and something else). I should probably try to get another serving of vegetables in and maybe not as much fruit. Although, for me, eating the extra fruit is better than filling up on carbs or extra meat.


I LOVE berries, pumpkin, green beans, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash.

Blogging Vacation

Well, it looks as if I will be going on a vacation from the blogging world. Kev's laptop has officially died! He was able to get an old computer working temporarily, but it is SO SLOW that I don't think I will be wasting time trying update my blog. I may try to read and comment if I can - we'll see. Kevin is thinking of sending the computer to my brother, Rick, in Chicago to see if he can fix it (he does that sort of thing - builds computers, fixes them, etc). I think he will be getting a new one - we'll see!!
Bye-bye!!