Hostess with the Mostest

Dear Nora,

Last week you and I hosted a little Christmas Advent Party on Thursday morning when Luke was at preschool. I was initially thinking about it more for the moms, as most of the big kids would be at school, but several of your little friends came. Abigail, Avery, and Anna to name a few. It was so cute because you were so excited to have them over and kept talking about how your friends were coming. You had no trouble sharing your toys with them and have continued to talk about it for days afterward. Today when UPS knocked on the door, you looked up expectantly and said, "it's my friends." I loved getting to do something like that with you and plan for more of it, especially once Luke is in kindergarten. It will be fun to have special play dates that are just for you.

Love,
Mommy

Big Girl

Dear Nora,

You are getting to be so big, yet are still sweet and cuddly, which I love. People are always commenting on how you are speaking so well, even in full sentences. Honestly, part of it may be that you look younger than you are because you are so little. I see other 2 year olds and they look like giants to me! But, I know it's not just that. You do speak very well and love to express yourself. Your most commonly constructed sentence is, "Oh, I dropped it the fork" or "Oh, I need it my doggie," said with much earnestness. You are quite the entertainer. You love to close your eyes and exclaim "I can't see anywhere!" You and Luke have this game where you try to plug your nose with your fingers and talk in a funny voice. You also have a rendition of the ABC's that I don't quite get, but you will repeat it over and over, making Luke crack up.

You have been moved up to the next class at church, which means you are in Luke's class! Apparently you like it just fine and even sit next to Luke at the table. You talk about Knox and Eliana, friends you see at church. We go to UpWord together on Tuesdays while Luke is in preschool and you are in one of the rooms that Luke used to go to when he was your age, and one of the teachers is even the same. It's surreal for me to walk in with you, proudly sporting your backpack, and leave you there. You have been unsure and a little sad at drop off, but are confidently playing and having fun each time I pick you up. You will tell Daddy or me throughout the week, "I had fun UpWord!" and tell Luke that we went to UpWord while he was at preschool. You miss him during the day and will ask several times, "Where's Luke?" then say, "Oh, he's at school." On Thursday we went to Starbucks with Mrs. Devyn and little Avery. You were delighted as could be sitting in a big chair munching on your cheerios. Then we went to play at the Tot Spot at the Fort Bend Childrens Museum and you had a blast. It was fun to have a playdate just for you.

I love you so much and am glad you're still my petite, adorable 2 year old. :)

Love,
Mommy

Summer Fun

Dear Luke and Nora,

I looked at the calendar today and realized we only have 2 1/2 more weeks of summer. The summer season has never been my favorite as a stay-at-home mom because I miss the structure and activity of the school year. It's also so hot outside and the pool can be a challenge with only me to watch both of you. But I have to say, in spite of a few long days at home, we have had a really good summer! I think the awareness that a year from now you will be starting kindergarten, Luke, and we will be preparing for you to start preschool, Nora, has helped me seize these days and make the most of them! I've been keeping a "bucket list" of the fun things we've gotten to do together:

Beach vacation in Galveston
Our neighborhood pool (we've spent lots of time at the pool and you've both become much more comfortable in the water! I can probably only handle it with two of you because you are both fairly cautious and obedient. :)
Backyard water table
Bubbles in the backyard (a favorite of yours, Nora)
Riding your bike, Luke, at "the tunnel park"
Nora's birthday party, baby dedication and family visit
Chick-fil-A (always a reliable favorite)
MOD Pizza
Frozen yogurt
Fort Bend Childrens Museum (the first time we stayed 4 hours and last time we stayed 5 hours!)
Grace Fellowship VBS (this was a wonderful activity for us while Daddy was in India. I was sick and even lost my voice, but working the crafts gave me something to do every day without having to make a plan, and you both LOVED the childcare program. You still talk about it a couple months later!)
Jump Street
Play-doh
Stickers
Stamps
Uno (So. Much. Uno. :)
Dice
Hide and seek
Watching movies in our PJ's (the first full-length film for both of you, Cars. Nora, you lost interest pretty early on, and Luke, you asked several times if it was almost over.)
The library (Story Time and checking out books)
TX Borders
Exploration Park
McDonald's
Shipley Donuts (mmm)
The carousel at Katy Mills (this was for you, Luke; Nora, you cried the whole time. :(
Majest Kids
Downtown aquarium
Showcase gymnastics
Pengu swimming lessons
Long Meadow Farms pool
Pine Mill Ranch splash pad
Picnics (by the TV, at the pool, outside the childrens museum)
Ice cream
Memorizing verses (mostly you, Luke, but Nora, you picked up on a couple, too!)
Trip to Keller
Visit from Aunt Holly, Caroline and Wesley
Trip to Carrollton
Kid Zone
Riding the Dart Train
Carrollton spray park

Still hoping to visit the Sugar Creek Baptist Playscape next week and also the Houston Museum of Natural Science. Oh, and today, we "went bowling" downstairs and you both loved it for almost an hour! I sure love you, too, and am so thankful I get to stay home and be your mommy.

Love,
Mommy

Cute Things

Hi Nora,

Life continues to pass by one day at a time, but since I'm with you so much, it's hard to stop and realize how much you are growing and changing every single day. I wanted to make a list of some of the cute things you are doing right now, a snapshot of who you are at 2 years and 2 months.

You have started pretending that you are changing your bear or doggy's dirty diaper. You say "doggy stinky" and lay the dog down, wiping, fastening, then picking it up to say "all clean."

You love to "try it," meaning buckling yourself in the car seat or high chair and are passionate about trying to brush your own teeth. You also love to wipe your own hands and to turn on your white noise. I have noticed you doing it with your foot, like I do, since I have you in my arms when I do it.

You are learning to pray by repeating me or Daddy. Luke really likes it when you pray. The cutest, of course, is when Luke leads you in prayer.

You are learning one of Luke's memory verses by default! The other day I said we were going to the children's museum and you said, "Children, obey your parents." Good job!

You love to give kisses, on each cheek, and are still so cuddly. You must have your cuddle time after your nap if there's any hope of transitioning well to the rest of the afternoon.

You love to read "Tubby Time" before bed and will sit in the rocking chair by yourself, flipping the pages and saying some of the words.

You talk about your friends "Avery, Abigail, Max" even though you usually don't seem very interested to interact with them when we are together.

You no longer cry at church drop off, but walk in confidently with your monogrammed backpack on, getting all sorts of attention. Not so at community group. I kept you with the adults last time and you were pretty good and loved being in there with us, climbing on me like a jungle gym and flipping through my Bible.

You love your whale pj's and always want to wear them if they are clean.

You like to say "PBS" (Luke corrects you by saying it's VVS, when it is of course, VBS.) You all had so much fun at Grace's VBS earlier this summer. You also like to passionately say "eleven o'clock" and Luke always corrects you with the real time. This discussion can get pretty heated!

You roar like a dinosaur, pretty loudly, too.

We love you so much!

Love,
Mommy

Baby Dedication

Dear Nora,

A couple weeks ago, after your 2nd birthday party, we got to dedicate you at our church. It was Real Hope's first dedication and very special to be a part of it. Several special people came to celebrate with us and we got to read a short letter stating our prayer for you as you grow up:

We pray that your identity will be rooted in Christ, that you will know whose you are, regardless of what lies our culture may be telling you.

We pray that you will be sensitive to the Holy Spirit's leading in your life and to those around you who are hurting or marginalized.

We pray that you will fearlessly follow Christ, regardless of where He may lead you and what others may think.

We love you!

Love,
Mommy

Dear Nora (Love, Daddy)

Dear Nora,

Time has flown by over the last couple years – it’s hard to believe you’re already two! We’ve been celebrating you over the last week. Nana and Papa just moved here from Carrollton, and Honey, Grandpa, Aunt Holly, Uncle Tim, Caroline, and Wesley all drove down to celebrate your 2^nd birthday. You are so loved!

We celebrated your birthday together as a family at our house. Mommy decorated everything so beautifully. It was a star-themed party, and she worked so hard to make a star cake and have other star decorations. In the days leading up to your party you would excitedly blurt out “party!”, or “two!” or “star!” It was adorable.

On Sunday, we had our first-ever baby dedications at Real Hope Community Church, and we got to dedicate you! Mommy read a nice letter to you (from us), and we prayed over you. We pray for you every day, Nora, that God would take care of you and draw you close to him. Mommy and I will do our best to point you to him, but we know that God will do the real work on your heart. It’s nice to be able to trust him about that.

Most days in the morning I see your tiny little head next to my bed after my alarm goes off. You want to climb up and snuggle with me a little bit (which I love). When I come home after work you are always excited to see me. We play together on the floor, and you like for me to “fly” you (lie on my back and hold you above me). You also like to just sit on the couch with me and cuddle. I love those moments, and try to cherish each one.

In the evenings I give you a bath and get you ready for bed. I love to brush your hair, because when I do we look in the mirror together and laugh. You’ll often turn and look at the side of my face, and when I look back you’ll laugh and look back at the mirror. Then I brush your teeth and play with you for a few minutes before Mommy puts you to bed.

You definitely love your brother Luke and take an interest in the things he likes. It’s so sweet to see you two watching Thomas the Tank Engine together on the couch, and I love seeing you play together. You’re both still learning how to share and play well together, but for the most part you enjoy each other’s company. It’s clear he loves you and cares about you, and you obviously look up to him. It will be so much fun to see your relationship grow over the years.

Here are some of my favorite things that you say these days (and their translations):

§  F’minut (I want you to pick me up and hold me for a minute)

§  Stoot (Scoot, i.e. what you do when you’re coming down the stairs)

§  Abgale (your friend Abigail)

§  Hold you! (I want you to hold me)

§  Tidar (guitar)

§  Muse Me (excuse me, said earnestly after you toot)

§  Uv Uv (I love you song)

§  Dink dink (Skinnamarinkey dinky dink song)

§  Hat! (Sir Toppum Hatt from Thomas)

§  Kay (I’m ok, said usually after you cough or something)

I could never fully articulate how much I love you, Nora. You are beyond adorable, and I thank God every day that I have the privilege of being your Daddy. I’m trying to fully enjoy and experience these days because one day when you’re older I know I’ll look back and wish I could hold you at this age one more time. So I’m going to squeeze those cheeks and cuddle with you as long as I can!

Love, Daddy 

Almost Two

Dear Nora,

You will be 2 years old in a week and a half! I have been preparing all sorts of baby items to donate lately and it has made me pretty nostalgic for when you and Luke were just babies. At the same time, I found myself glad to realize I bought our last half gallon of whole milk at the store this week, since you will start drinking 1% soon, like most of the family. I feel bad that I haven't kept up better with your blog lately. In some ways you seem to be developing and growing so quickly that I can't keep up with the changes. But I also find myself with very little time to really think or focus. So, as you approach 2, I want to capture what I can, scattered as it may be.

You can say so many words. At age 2, toddlers are supposed to have 50 words and I remember being really concerned because Luke probably didn't have half that number. Well, you may just know double that number! You will repeat anything and you love to point out what things are for others to acknowledge: shirt, bear, chair, couch, fountain, airplane (sounds like "happy"). You say "home" when we pull into the driveway and you have recently started singing "Jesus Loves Me" when I put you to bed and saying "I love you" when I tell you the same. You know your colors, some letters (I haven't worked with you on this at all, oops) and like to count with Luke. You count 1, 2, 3... and then often skip to 8, 9, 10. :)

You love to get down and walk or run with Luke. The last few months at preschool drop off, you wanted to get down and walk with Luke to his class, excitedly going right to his room. When I picked you up from church yesterday you and your friend Knox were running up and down the room and you were happily saying "running". When we left our community group last night you said "fun" and "friends." You had a hard time the first several weeks, but did your best last night with the teenage babysitters. It's been harder to keep my eye on both you and Luke at parks lately, because whereas you used to stick right by my side, now you want to climb. You still don't want to go down the slide without holding my hands, but you are certainly on the move.

And speaking of Luke, you sure love your brother. You love to sit on the couch with him to watch a show after breakfast and you love to play trains! He clearly loves you, too. He often wants you to play with him and is disappointed if you aren't interested. He loves to get you up in the morning if he's up first and you ask about him when you are up first. You also know how to stand up for yourself and have taken to hitting when he gets in your space or threatens to take a toy. You know to stand in the corner for timeout, then when it's over, will happily say "sorry" and give him a hug. You love to say "night night" when it's time for bed and will run to give him and Daddy hugs before I put you in your bed.

You LOVE cheerios, crackers, stickers, and playing outside, especially with bubbles. You had your first powdered sugar donut in Galveston a few weeks ago and excitedly asked for an "o-nut" when you saw that Wesley was going to have one, even though you didn't know what it was. You speak your mind when you don't like the food I put in front of you (even if it's your favorite, burritos), but then sometimes start eating with tears rolling down your cheeks when I walk away and ignore you. You are still a picky eater, but have ventured out and started eating some chicken and pasta.

You have become more confident and friendly in your interactions, sometimes giving hugs and high fives to people at church. You can be quite the entertainer when you're not feeling shy. You like to laugh and you love to have your picture taken and say "cheese!" When you toot you say "muse me" and want to make sure you have been heard before you go on with what you were doing. You say "hold you" when you want to be held and you love to now crawl up the stairs and scoot down by yourself. You have just learned to go grab your shoes, put them on when it's time to go somewhere, and once we get home, take them off and put them away. I am grateful for your new skill and you are quite proud of yourself!

You still don't sleep as late as I'd like, either in the morning or for naps. If Daddy's available, sometimes he will go lie down in your room and you'll go back to sleep. I'm not so patient, but sometimes if I am holding you on the couch after a nap, you may fall back to sleep. You like to take your time to ease back into the day.

I am constantly thanking God for you, for the gift you are to our family, for your sweet personality, your growth and development, your health, and that I get to put you to bed in a safe place, clean and fed every night. What tremendous gifts these are from Him. We love you, dear Nora, and are excited to celebrate you at your "star party" this weekend!

Love,
Mommy

Naps

Dear Nora,

You've taken a couple afternoon naps like this lately and I think you are a fan. :) You like to cuddle on the couch when you wake up from your nap in bed and occasionally you fall back asleep. I love the time with you and know these days won't last forever!

Love,
Mommy

Daddy likes to get in on the action, too, but he prefers to sleep along with you. :)

20 Months

Dear Nora,

You are upstairs napping while Luke is at preschool and I want to try and take a snapshot of your little life at this stage. Your personality and communication have been growing and developing so much over these past few weeks and it's been so much fun to watch.

You love to talk and will mimic any word I give you to say. You love to point out what things are: couch, shirt, chair, shoes, socks, cheet (cheeks), teeth, etc. You know how to ask for something when you want it, too. You love to watch Daniel Tiger with Luke and will say "show, cat". When you're hungry, you have no problem letting me know you'd like a "snat" or "chee-yos". You even say "pees" and "tanks". You love to say "no", even if the answer is really yes. When it's time for bed you will run to find Daddy and Luke for hugs and to say "nye nye". One of my favorite things must be watching you and Luke hug and say goodnight before bed. :)

You are understanding so much more than you are saying, too. Last week when Honey was visiting, I called from upstairs for Luke to put his shoes on and Honey said you immediately ran over to where your shoes are kept by the door. Later I called to Luke that Daddy would be home soon if he wanted to watch and you immediately ran over to your perch at the guest room window to watch for him with your big brother.

Ryan told me Sunday that your teacher, Sam, said you are learning to stand up for yourself, too. Apparently your friend Knox will take your toys, but now you walk right up and take them back. He told her you get lots of practice with that at home! It used to be that if I heard you cry when playing with Luke in the other room that Luke had taken your toy. Now it may be that, or it may simply be that you want Luke's toy. I have to be careful not to make assumptions and try to really assess what's going on.

You still love to be held and cuddle with Mommy. Most afternoons after your nap (which is still almost always too short), I will come downstairs and just sit with you on the couch while you snuggle in my lap with your bear in hand. There are often so many other things I could be doing, but I love this time with you.

You absolutely love being outside and we have been spending lots of time in the backyard while the weather is nice. You just like to run/frolic/skip around, pick up and drop the balls, and will ask me to blow bubbles. You seem a little scared of the bubbles when they come toward you, but you also find them delightfully entertaining. Last week when we got out Luke's t-ball set, you wanted to play, too. We tried taking turns, but you just did not get the concept and wanted the bat all to yourself, so eventually we just went inside.

I love your spunk, your sweetness, and your happy personality and am so thankful I get to spend these days with you!

Love,
Mommy

Little Reader

Dear Nora,

A few times recently all has been quiet and I've wondered where you are. I try to find you without you seeing me if you're not getting into trouble. Then I will find you sitting quietly in your room looking at your books. So sweet.

Love,
Mommy