Weeks 37 and 38- Lullaby and Goodnight

I think this is a first. I did not do a blog entry at all last week. It's not because we didn't have pictures to share. It's not because I forgot. The problem is that a certain little someone will not go to sleep at night in her own crib. She is falling asleep on me, still, in the rocking chair, and by the time I get her down, I've been dog tired with a thousand things to still get done. Each day I would think, "Tonight I'll update the blog", and then 10:00, 10:30, 11:00 PM would roll around, and it would get pushed to the back burner once again.

So anyway, playing catch up.

Last weekend, we took Nora to the Tennessee Valley Fair. Last year when we took her, she was really only interested in the animals. She wasn't big enough to ride many (if any) rides, and the rest of the fair was completely lost on her at just 18 months old. This year, it wasn't much different. She liked the animals, the carousel, the fish pond, and sitting by the water.

We got on the teacups ride, which she thought was fun for about 20 seconds before deciding she wanted to get off immediately. Thankfully, we were the only people on the ride, so the operator was able to stop and let us off.

However, there was one thing she absolutely loved. The tractors. Color me surprised by this.

We walked through the barn on 2 separate occasions, and she insisted on climbing up on every single one. She would have stayed longer if I didn't drag her way for nap time.

And this is how she felt about nap time that day.

Dreaming about tractors.

After nap time, she did enjoy showing off her fish pond prize, an orange elephant, while eating her fair food: Animal Crackers! (It could have been much worse. Deep fried Oreos, anyone?)

I wish I could say that as these weeks come to a close that her bedtime routine was getting back to normal, but...

As much as I want her to have an easier time going to bed at night, I know this, too, shall pas. Plus, I can't even be upset at a this face.

Week 36- Go Big Orange

It is Football Time in Tennessee, and lucky for Nora, she looks good in orange, since I'm pretty sure it's a color that will be a staple in her fall wardrobe for many years to come.

While we were watching the Tennessee vs Western Kentucky game (52-20 GBO!), Nora shushed me while I was singing Rocky Top and then she told me "no" when I yelled "touchdown". She has a lot to learn about being a Vols fan!

Nora and I have had some fun around the house this week. Two of her favorite places to hang out are in "my" chair (the leather recliner) and in her tent. She likes to run and hide in her tent whenever it is time for her to have her diaper changed.

 

She likes to sit in the chair and order me to either sit next to her, which is a pretty tight squeeze, or to sit on the couch across from her. On this particular afternoon, she ordered me to the couch and did not appreciate having her picture taken while she was trying to watch her new favorite TV show, Peppa Pig.

Will you kindly put that camera away, please?

"No cheese!"

Drama queen.

As a side-note, when did my chunky monkey baby become less of a chunky baby and more of a monkey toddler with long and strong legs instead of little sausage rolls??

This afternoon, Nora had a chance to play with her friend Amelia. We haven't had a chance to get together in a while now, and Nora was super excited when she woke up from her nap to learn that we were going to meet "Meeya" at the playground. The girls had fun climbing all over the playground equipment, and they got a huge kick out of swinging side-by-side.

 

 

Something else huge happened this week. Brad and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. It's been a wonderful 10 years with a wonderful man, and I am almost certain that I speak for both of us when I say that I can't wait to see what the next 40+ have in store for us.

Sweet flowers from a sweet husband

Week 35- Boomsday

Labor Day weekend means one thing if you live in Knoxville: Boomsday. This is one of the largest fireworks shows in the southeast and is known to attract over 300,000 people. We've gone a few times in the past 10 years, but it can be hard to find a good spot. Plus, traffic is awful. This year, though, a work friend invited us to watch from her house. They have a great view! You can't see the light show on the bridge over the water, but you can see all of the main fireworks from her front yard! They had homemade ice cream, apple dumplings, and lemonade on what was a perfect summer's night.

Whoa.

We knew that I would know some people there from work, but we were pleasantly surprised that Nora's beloved Ms. Tracy as well as one of her day care friends was also there tonight. It's a small world!

Nora and one of her day care besties, Dylan.

Tonight was the first time we purposely kept Nora up past her bedtime. She was so sleepy on the ride home in the car. It didn't take her long to pass out once I got her into her jammies and into bed. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her sweet little sleeping face, but it wasn't worth the risk of waking her ha!

Earlier today, we spent some time over at Sam and Patsy's because it is one of those rare times that all of Brad's brothers are in town at the same time.

Nora's treasure trove of toys from decades long gone.

Something else we are doing this weekend is dog-sitting Dodge and Nova for Jessica. That's right. We have FIVE dogs here this weekend. Nora  loves antagonizing playing with Nova, the big yellow lab, and she and Dodge had some time to chill together on the couch this afternoon.

And finally, earlier this week one evening when I had a lot of school work to get done, Brad took Nora over to his parents house to give me some time and space to work.

This is Nora's paradise. Sitting on Dede and Grandpa's front porch, watching the world go by while Peppa Pig plays on the Ipad. Life is good.