Baking with Norah

She certainly has become "Mommy's little helper-" Absolutely loves helping out in the kitchen and even snagged her to help "Sort the clothes" - baking seems to be her favorite, though. Sunday was a pumpkin pie and tonight was some sugar cookies.

Happy Halloween!

Took Norah to the Anthem Community model home trick or treat- they had all sorts of tables set up for crafts, handing out candy, picture stations, etc. Then off to some friends' houses to show off my little Nemo- Scott worked, so I got to relish the look on her face when people would show her the bowl of candy- WOW- priceless. She already woke up this morning asking for more "Trick or treating..."

sha-nastics

We thought it would be fun for Norah to start gymnastics- or "sha-natics," as she calls it. We enrolled her in the 1 1/2 to 3 year old group, not knowing if she would really like it or if she would be able to "follow the directions" of the teacher. Last Monday - the 20th- was her first session- she was a bit hesitant, as it is from 1-1:30, right in the middle of her nap time. Once she got started, though, she absolutely loved it!! So this week, Scott brought the camera and captured some pics and video- no audio, though, sorry. This week was fun- as soon as she put her leotard on, she knew where she was heading- she particiapted and cried when it was time to leave- here are some shots...

Catch of the Day

Scott decided to take Norah fishing- at least give it a try. When we were in MN, she really didn't have any patience and wanted to reel in right away. Well, tonight was a different story. I went up to the pond to take some pics, when I pulled up, there was Norah & Daddy sitting side by side on the edge of the pond. I walked up just as Daddy said "Your bobber is under water! You have a fish- reel it in" She waited to reel in until Scott said she could, and pulled in about a 12" catfish. Of course, had to be a catfish. She was very proud, and we had to bribe her away from the fishing.

All Dogs Go to Heaven

Yes, and Bandit found his place there on Sunday evening, about 6 pm. Unexpectedly, we got a call while we were in Las Vegas. Bandit had been at the PetSmart Doggie Hotel- when they went to check on him, he wasn't breathing. Although they rushed him to the Emergency Vet Clinic, it was too late. They brought him down to Tucson, where the U of A will perform an autopsy. We have been in shock- Bandit was SO healthy- only a 6 year old lab, showing no signs of illness or anything! He was SO good, too- Norah would literally pull him around the house by his ears- he would just look at us, as if "whatever..." HE certainly was our buddy- and we will miss him!

Vegas, Baby!!

We had a great time- despite hearing the news about Bandit. As far as gambling, I think Scott came out a little ahead (he sat at a blackjack table the last night from about 9 pm to 4:30 am- coming out ahead is pretty good for about 7 1/2 hours of entertainment) and I lost a little...oh well. We saw a lot- went to the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel at night and had a spectacular view, watched the water show at the Bellagio, walked through the Bellagio, Caesar's, etc...amazing! And had some great dinners- the seafood buffet at the Rio was unbelievable, as was the Prime Rib dinner at the Orleans, where we stayed. Norah stayed at her day care house for the weekend and did ok- missed us a little, I guess, but it was so nice that Cindie knew her so well (she's been going to Cindie's for 2 years.)

first ultrasound

Here is the first ultrasound for our newest family member...the U/S tech sd that everything looked good, and that all measurements were right on for how far along I am. The official due date is April 27th- still too early to tell if Norah will have a brother or a sister...probably around Thanksgiving is when we'll find out. But for now, everything looked good- a strong heartbeat at 176 beats/minute. Yes, I cried when I heard it- just something about hearing your baby's heart beat.
Then after the Dr's appt., we were off to the store to buy some ginger pops- to ease the nausea. oh well, the nausea should be subsiding soon, it's less than what it had been. I just keep thinking that it's the baby getting stronger : )

Are we crazy??

This morning, we took Norah to the Kidsfaire/Family Expo at the University of Phoenix Stadium- where the AZ Cardinals play. Anyways- it was packed- couldn't barely move with all of the strollers- BUT Norah had fun- she got to see Barney perform, meet Clifford and Peter the Rabbit and go to the petting zoo, as well as getting handouts from all of the vendors. Loads of fun...Actually, it was more of a test to see how she would handle the characters- lately she has been really afraid of characters- so when we have talked about taking her to Disneyland, we thought it wouldn't be such a grand idea if she would freak out...she DIDN'T have any problems with Clifford or Peter Rabbit- gave them high fives, in fact, so looks like we will be off to Cali sometime soon!!

Fun times!

Grammy and Boppa Steve came out to Arizona in hopes of escaping Hurricane Ike- IT turned out Ike headed north and Port Lavaca really didn't even get rain. Which is fine- we had a good time -thanks Grammy for having a tea party with Norah!

Frozen like a popsicle

Our community had a little "pet extravaganza" with a talent show for the pets. And their owners. Bandit, for those of you that have met him, does a trick where he balances the treat on his nose, and then when prompted, flips the treat in the air nad catches it in his mouth. It's pretty impressive, and even more so now that Norah can direct him to do it. Well, that was the "talent" for the show. EXCEPT once Norah put the treat on Bandit's nose, he froze. She said "OK, get it!" MANY times, and then Scott tried to help her out, but Bandit wouldn't do it- the treat just stayed on his nose, for almost a minute...oh well. I guess even dogs get stage fright!

remembering Mom

It's been almost a year since we (Sandy & I) lost our Mom. Wow. There are times that it flies by, and other times it just hits us. Like a ton of bricks. Like tonight, we were talking on the phone, remembering how it was a year ago today that she had her stroke, and it was the beginning of the end of her fight. And how there are times we just want her back to hug, or for her to give us some encouragement or even advice. Or to share in our joys. And then we remember the excrutiating pain that she endured during her fight, and realize it would only be selfish for us to want her to be back, because then she would be in pain, and we are reminded how life just isn't fair. And how much CANCER SUCKS! But we do remember all of the good times, and how many lives she touched- at church, school, and all of her family & friends. This is what helps- knowing how many people loved her and will always miss her! It is then that we are reminded that sometimes we don't want it to get easier to miss her, or for our pain to be eased, or just to miss those little things. We love you, Mom!

A day trip on the Apache Trail

A day trip to Globe turned into driving the Apache Trail- for those that are not familiar with Arizona, the Apache Trail is 24 miles of dirt road that is mostly one lane- Not that that's an issue, except that it is on the side of the mountains, and is very windy- having a lot of hairpin turns. The 24 miles took over an hour to drive- my knuckles were white from just hanging onto the "holy shit" handle in the car, and I'm sure my blood pressure was very high. All through this, Norah slept- we took some pics of the view- it was spectacular!

Beat LA

The game was fun, although the outcome wasn't what we wanted! The D-Backs got smoked!!!

It's positive!!!

Not sure if everyone has heard the news, but Norah is going to be a BIG sister in April!! We went to the Dr. today for a confirmation!! Our next appointment is September 23rd, which will include an Ultrasound already! Norah really doesn't get yet, but will be close to 4 when the baby comes, so she will by then.

No more hearing aids!!!

Lately when we've taken Norah to her audiologist, her hearing tests have been pretty good. So, she ordered an ABR test (Automated Brainstem Response) since the last ABR was done when Norah was about 6 weeks old. This last test is the one that the school district has been using to qualify her for special education services through the district. The ABR test requires her to be under anesthesia, so we went to the Gilbert Surgery Center and had her otolaryngologist/neurotologist do the test. He told us after the test was done that he is a strong, firm believer in being aggressive with having kids wear hearing aids that have a deficit with hearing...and he really didn't feel the need to have Norah continue with hers. Her hearing loss is mild, and when we first found out about her loss, Boys Town told us they were on the fence, too, with the hearing aids. Well, we wanted to be proactive, and thought better to be that way, than to try to play catch up when she is 3 or 4. Considering we really haven't been that compliant with having Norah wear them, & her developmental scores are well within the average range, we felt comfortable having her not wear them, as well as deciding to pull her from the CHIC (Center for hearing impaired Children) preschool program in the fall. So, at the follow up appointment, (today, 7-1)Dr. Marleigh and Dr. Fucci wrote a very nice letter to the school district letting them know that due to Norah's current ABR, they would be discontinuing the need for Norah to wear her hearing aids, and that they would be continuing to follow and monitor her hearing annually.
Now, if this only could have happened BEFORE she flushed them down the toilet and we had to replace them! : )

our new house---

After arriving home, we were, of course, curious to see how our house had come along...looks like the kitchen cabinets, countertops, and tile is all in, along with the bathroom stuff...Yeah! Our final walk through is scheduled for July 15th, and everything is right on track....
I am continuing to keep the updated pics on our Picasa link so check there often

Fishing in Orr...

Scott was able to fish every day after we got back from Duluth- I could have, too, but Norah really didn't want to, and I really enjoyed watching her learn how to play "Memory"- the old fashioned way with a deck of cards... she got pretty good, too. Scott caught quite a few bass, some sunfish, and a few northerns. The weather was absolutely perfect- a high around 70, which was so nice since AZ weather was around 115+ every day...

Trip to Orr, MN

My parents have rented a cabin on Pelican Lake in Orr, MN for the past 27 years- so this year, we thought it would be fun to join my Dad and sister up there. We had a lot of fun, and knew that my Mom was there in spirit. These are some of my favorites that we took- the rest of the week is on the Rose Picasa web link- I have tried to continue to add little details about each photo....
We did take an overnight trip to Duluth- Scott had never seen Lake Superior- so we took a scenic drive over on Highway 1, through Tower, Ely, Isabella, and then down Highway 61. We stopped at Split Rock Lighthouse and then after dinner at Grandma's, we walked along the shore and "tried" to skip rocks. Tuesday morning, we visited the Great Lakes Aquarium- this is as close as we got to a moose, and Norah was impressed by the big fish.
Tuesday afternoon, we drove back to Orr, and finally were able to try some fishing. We found out just how much Norah DIDN'T want to fish - would NOT touch a fish, and definitely not a worm. Not only that, but playing in a sandbox was also new to her- we just don't have that kind of stuff down here- now put her in a pool....She did enjoy sitting on the dock watching the pelicans swim nearby.

Our new home

After looking at MANY models and specs, and knowing we were getting ready to purchase, we finally decided on a plan that we LOVE- this is a spec home that is slated to be done around mid-July. We put the earnest money down this afternoon- in fact I pulled Scott off the basketball court to make sure it was something we were ready for- then sat down and went over the contract. The great thing about this location is that Scott patrols in this area already, and it is 15 minutes closer to my job...which means only a 10 minute commute with no stop lights in between. The new K-8 is 3 blocks away, too...We'll keep ya'all posted with the new address and such when things get a little closer.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!!!

A tough year, probably the hardest there will be- maybe because I wasn't anticipating the emotions, since it seems everyone talks about the holidays being the hardest. It is the little things that make me miss my Mom the most, and honestly, I don't really want that ever to go away, as hard as it is. In any case, there were some tears, but we were able to spend time with my Dad while he was down, and then Scott and Norah took me out to Texas Roadhouse.
On another note, Minneapolis Parks celebrated Arbor Day, which the celebration just happened to be on May 9th, Norah's birthday, and Jefferson Community School planted a tree in honor of Mom. It was so fitting, since she loved her students so much as well as the outdoors. Sandy was able to go, and participated in the ceremony. She said it was so nice, there were students there of Mom's and lots of teachers. The principal, Ray, had some nice words to say about Mom, and there was also a song. I posted all of the pics on the Picasa page. It brings tears to my eyes, knowing how our Mom touched so many people. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

Jammin' to Twinkle, Twinkle!!

So, our neighboors, and dear friends, had joked with us for over 10 months about getting Norah a set of drums for her birthday. Their daughter, Taylor, is a 9th grader, and plays the drums in the school band, as well as having a full set in their garage. Since Norah loves to play Taylor's drums, they thought it would be neat to get her a set of her own. Ha ha, we were thinking Fisher Price, or something on that order- Nope- before we knew it, Norah was playing her drums, singing Twinkle Twinkle and her ABC's right along...
Thanks, Dave, Kathy, and Taylor!!!

Happy Birthday, Norah!!!

Happy Birthday, Norah!! Wow, 3 years old, we can't believe it!! When we stop and think about what happened 3 years ago, and the 10 days you spent in the NICU, we are SO grateful for how far you've come!!!
This birthday was kinda quiet, until she opened her last present- Boppa(my Dad, as she calls him her Boppa) came down to help celebrate- A small party, but just as well- our neighboors gave her a set of DRUMS....

Sedona, cont....

We arrived home yesterday evening after a wonderful day of sightseeing. We had promised each other we would sleep in in the morning...well, as anyone with kids knows, kids or no kids on the trip, you are still up early...We grabbed a quick breakfast at the local diner and then headed to the "uptown" Sedona area. There we took the trolley ride tour throughout town, which we both really enjoyed. check out www.sedonatrolley.com if you are going to be heading in that direction-well worth it!! It seems we were the only ones up early in the morning, because we had our own private trolley ride...our tour-guide stopped to let us take pictures, answered all of our questions, etc. After the ride, we did a little more shopping, and then decided to take a scenic ride to Flagstaff. Wow- the view along the way was really pretty- Flagstaff was nice, a little chilly (only 60 degrees)- so we stopped for some snacks and then were on our way home.
We arrived home to find Norah VERY happy at our neighboors house- this had to have been the best part of the trip, knowing our daughter was in good hands & not really missing us too much...She had been swimming when we arrived home, so she was very happy!! Thanks again Dave, Kathy, and Taylor for watching Norah -and Bandit, too!!

On Vacation in Sedona!

Scott finally had a weekend off, so no sooner than he had hung up the phone to tell me he didn't have to work, I was on the computer looking for a place for us to visit. Scott had gone up to Sedona in January & LOVED it, so Sedona it would be. Sooo... that evening (I think it was Monday...) I asked our friends Dave & Kathy if they wouldn't mind watching Bandit for the weekend...Kathy's response was "Why don't you leave Norah here, too..." So, we have an adult weekend! So, now we are here and I have to say the scenery is everything I had heard it was- Absolutely beautiful! Wow! The weather here is wonderful, too- about 72 degrees, a little wind, and a lot of sunshine. Perfect!
This town, I was told, had a lot of "psychic" and palm reading places, you get the picture. So, as we were walking in the uptown area, we noticed a store "Golf Store" -we walked in, looked around a bit, then noticed something a little different- it was actually a Golf Store/Psychic Readings Store. Hmmmmm....could they predict if I was going to have a good round of golf? Because that's really what would encourage me to make a purchase... ha ha.