Week 30- Our Good Times Start and End

Our vacation just got started last week, and just like that, it's come to an end. We did our best to enjoy the second and final week of our staycation.

Early in the week, Nora had fun checking out my new car.

She got to sit in the front seat, play with the lock, and jam to a little NKOTB. Of course, the car never left the driveway, but she had fun being a big girl "riding" shot gun for a few minutes.

Mid-week, something huge happened. Brad and I left Nora with friends overnight for the first time in almost 2.5 years. In the past, Brad has had to go away overnight, and I have had to go away over night, but we've not been away overnight together. So, Nora stayed with Jessica, Jason, and the kiddos while Brad and I went to Nashville to see the Monkees play at the Ryman.

The last time Brad saw them was in '86 shortly after MTV decided to re-play all of their old episodes in hopes of  "reigniting Monkeemania". The first time he saw them, Michael Nesmith was not with them. Sadly, this time, Davy Jones was not. However, the show was great and included a lovely tribute to Davy. I teased Brad a lot leading up to the concert, but the whole trip, concert included, was a lot of fun. And as for Nora? She handled her time away from Mom and Dad like a pro, and had a grand time playing with Kaitlyn.

The rest of our week was low-key. I hit the gym a couple of times (ow!) and Nora hit the Little Gym, where we have signed up her for the regular season, which lasts from mid-August through May.

Nora kicked back, stealing her Daddy's milkshake (check out the mean mug she was giving me!) and taking super-long afternoon naps.

Something else we've been doing a lot of lately...

Nora LOVES blowing and chasing bubbles. She also loves singing. Here, we're groovin' to Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

Alas, it all ends now. Nora has been asleep for hours, and Brad and I are headed that way ourselves. In the morning, we are back to work. Nora is back to Ms. Tracy. (Thank God for Ms. Tracy!) I can not believe it is that time already.

Week 29- Staycation

This week, both Brad and I have finally had some time off, and we have done absolutely nothing but stay close to home, which was exactly what we needed.

On Friday, we took Nora down to Market Square where she insisted upon running through the fountains. Thankfully I had a swimsuit and swim diaper with me because I'm pretty sure she would have caused a scene if we had told her no. Afterwards, we had lunch at Tomato Head where Nora devoured a slice of ham and pineapple pizza. Then, for an extra treat, we stopped by Rita's for some frozen custard.

Is my child the only weirdo who tries to eat a custard cone with a spoon?

Yesterday, we decided to try to give Nora another break from the heat by bringing her back to Dede and Grandpa's swimming pool. She talks big game about getting in the water with Daddy, but once she's actually faced with it, she is a little hesitant.

Brad does a great job of easing her in and talking her up, but she still won't stay in the water with him for more than a minute or 2. So, Brad ended up doing a lot of swimming by himself while Nora and I just dipped our toes.

It's worth noting that at 86 degrees, the pool water was more like bath water. It *almost* made me want to get in.

Something else that Nora has been doing recently is asking to sit on the potty after bath time. Now, only twice has she actually done anything IN the potty, but considering that she used to treat it like a torture device, I guess actually sitting on it is a pretty good first step!

In other big news? I said good bye to my first car. I imagine Nora will find it strange and funny that I didn't get my drivers license until I was 32, and when I did, we were gifted a 1992 Honda Accord by Brad's parents. (They bought it from Brad's aunt and uncle Penny and Bill.) It has served me well over the past 4 years, but this week, I traded it in for a not-nearly-as-old 2004 Honda Accord. Yes, the same car. Why mess with a good thing?

Once I get used to the really good brakes, I think I'm going to love this car.

Weeks 27 and 28- Home Sweet Home

Over the past 2 weeks, I had to be away for work for about half the time. My first trip was to Orlando for the AVID summer conference. It rained the entire time I was there. The conference was terrible. The food was mediocre and way too expensive. I came down with a cold the last day we were there. Our flight was delayed on the way home, and we missed our connection. We ended up renting a car and driving home from Atlanta. Needless to say, when I got home, I did NOT want to leave for my next conference just a few days later. Thankfully, the 2nd trip was much better. The TAP summer institute in Indianapolis was a big hit. Almost our entire leadership team from Austin-East attended, and we spent lots of quality time together both in and out of conference hours.

My flights were once again delayed on the way home, but I was in good company, and I knew that once I got home, I was home to stay.

Thankfully, while I was gone, Nora and her Daddy had lots of quality time, and he was so good to take pictures and send them to me while I was missing them so much. They spent a lot of time at Dede and Grandpa's house where I'm sure Nora was spoiled with crackers and cookies until her little heart was content.

Also...

Nora helped her Daddy take care of the dogs.

They took a trip to the Fort Loudon dam where Nora enjoyed looking at the water.

Something we got to do together as a family over the past 2 weeks was attend the Pratt 4th of July at the Gentry farm. Here is Nora playing with her cousin Amelia.

Finally, this weekend, Nora and I went to a 1st birthday party. This was the biggest 1st birthday party I have ever seen (not that I have been to many.) It was for one of her day care friends and Ms. Tracy's grandson, Joseph III aka 3J.  Nora was unhappy because I woke her from a nap, but once she warmed up, she had fun playing in one of the THREE bounce houses with her friends Jackson and Garrett.

I am very much looking forward to this week ahead as it is officially the first one of MY summer vacation. School starts back (for teachers) on July 29. The time is short, so I am determined to make the most of my time off.

Week 26- Just a Girl

A girl and her dog.

A girl watching her Grampy on Youtube.

A messy barbeque faced girl visiting her Dede and Grandpa's house.

Week 25- Fever!

I got a call from Tracy on Friday  morning saying that Nora had a fever of 102.7! I felt awful that I sent her to daycare sick like that. She had been whiny that morning, but she hadn't slept well the night before, and I just assumed she was tired. I have to believe that she was not that hot when I shipped her off that morning. Surely I would have noticed if she was burning up like that. Right? Brad picked her up and brought her home to rest. Then, I met them at the doctor's office shortly before 11. The doctor swabbed her throat, and thankfully, she did not have strep. She had a regular ol' virus. We were told to keep the tylenol and ibuprofen to her, and if the fever wasn't gone by Monday, we were supposed to go back in.

We got home just in time for Nora to hurl all over me and our front steps. Better outside than in, I guess.

Once I got us both cleaned up, she spent most of the afternoon curled up on me like this:

Thankfully, by 7 p.m., her appetite was returning. She requested 2 blueberry waffles and some applesauce, which made me feel better. By the next morning, her fever was gone, and her appetite was back in full swing!

Earlier in the week, Momma had a different kind of fever. NKOTB fever!

Allison, Camelia, and I made our way to Nashville on Tuesday afternoon to see Boys II Men, 98 Degrees, and NKOTB. We were just a wee bit excited. As usual, my boyfriend, Joe Mac, did not disappoint. ::Swoon::

Brad and Nora survived the night without me, though Nora does seem to have taken over our bed a bit....

No Daddy! My bed!



Week 24- Father's Day

This weekend was Father's Day. I found this gem of a picture of my Dad and me. The caption on my Dad's Facebook says it was my first time on skates. I'm guessing I was about 3 or 4 years old, which would make it about 1980-1981, but I'm not 100% sure.

I talked to Dad for a few minutes today, which was nice, but it would have been better if I could have visited, too. There are many things that I love about living in East Tennessee, but the distance from home can be really hard sometimes. Last week, we lost Blannie- my father's father. I hadn't seen my grandfather in probably 18 years, and it makes me really sad to think about how infrequently Nora will get to see my Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad: Skype! Passports! Chop chop! xo

Anyway, nostalgia and homesickness aside, we had a really nice weekend. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: Nora has the best Daddy. The things that make him the best sound ordinary, but when you piece them all together, they are the every day things that happy childhoods are made of.

We spent a lot of time at Dede and Grandpa's house this weekend. Yesterday, Brad and Nora spent some time in the pool.

At first, it looked like we were going to have a repeat of last year, but then Nora got to watch her Daddy do some sort of cannonball type dives into the pool...

She thought that was hilarious, so she decided to give the pool a 2nd chance.

She would get into the pool and let Brad swish her around a little bit. Then, she'd fuss to be let out. She would run around the patio a little bit and then back to the pool with her arms outstretched to be carried back in. It was a much more successful attempt than any previous attempts. We're hoping by the end of the summer, she'll be a little fishy.

Last night, we had a Father's Day dinner at Bo and Lea's. Nora ran herself ragged and slept like a log all night, which was exactly what Brad and I needed because she is still not completely past this weird sleep regression that we have all been suffering through.

Today, after church, we stopped by Dede and Grandpa's again to let Bella dog out because they were on a little half-day road trip. While we were there, we had lunch, and I got this adorable picture of Brad's Father's Day tie that Nora finger painted for him at church today.

Here Nora is cheesin' for the camera on our way to the car.

After our little miss had a nice afternoon nap, we headed back one more time to bring Grandpa his Father's Day cards and a few pictures we had printed off for him. While we were there, Nora was being her usual busy little self, but she was also being very sweet, giving out lots of hugs, kisses, and tickles to not only her grandparents, but also to Bella the dog. We snapped just a couple more pictures on our way out.

I hope all the Dads in our life had a Happy Father's Day. They are all loved very much.

Week 23- Friends and Cousins

This week, Nora did many typical things.

She played in her yard.

She played with her dogs.

She read with her Daddy.

This week, we also celebrated Amelia's 2nd birthday. It was a Peppa Pig birthday party that included a giant bounce house!

Nora had fun playing on "Amelia Land" (a big wooden play house, sliding board, swing set) and eating happy cake.

Also this week, Nora's cousin, "the other Sarah Lyle", became Mrs. Sarah Harris. Since there was a family wedding, Nora's Ohio cousins were in town. She got to play with them for just a little while at Dede and Grandpa's house this afternoon, but Nora loved seeing Matthew, Jack, and Adelle!

Awwwwwwww!