Norah’s first day of school

Norah had her first day of preschool (for this year) yesterday. About half of Norah’s classmates were in her class last year and she was very excited to see them again. She was also excited to go to her new classroom since Dallas Spanish House moved to a beautiful, completely renovated building on Skillman and Mockingbird.

She’s wasn’t very willing to pose for pictures She just wanted to get to class as fast as possible! Here she is sitting with her friend Vida. Ivonne, one of her teachers, is in the background.  One of the parents designed this tree to decorate new the school. There is a tile for each child. Norah’s tile

Alice at the Beach

This was Alice’s very first beach trip. She wasn’t timid about the water at all and loved splashing around. The first day we were there she was just running and around in circles in the water giggling. She’d fall down on her face, get up, laugh it off and keep on running. Norah still hates getting her face wet so it amazed me to see Alice fall in the water over and over without it phasing her.

Me and my water baby Alice had a lot of quality time with Daddy on the beach There is something so beautiful about a baby on a beach. I loved watching her get her toes wet. I took these pictures while I was taking Alice for a walk to try to get her to nap. She insisted on getting out of the stroller and playing just a little bit more and I figured we were on vacation so why not? I took some pictures of her, savored the moment, and soon she was exhausted and fell right asleep.I think Alice’s favorite part of the beach trip was spending time with Norah. Even though Norah made several friends at the beach she depended mostly on Alice a lot for a playmate and Alice loved playing with her big sister.Alice and Kimball This is Alice holding on to her sunglasses in the hummer She got excited when she saw the horsesShe was very willing to let Grandpa Guy hold herAlice was absolutely no trouble on this trip. She slept on the beach every day so no one had to take her home, she went to bed easily and slept through the night, and she maintained her delightful cheerful disposition all weeklong. Bryan and I joke sometimes that Alice thinks to herself “what would be easiest for my parents right now?” I can’t believe what a good little traveler we have! Alice also significantly increased her vocabulary during the week. Words I heard her say for the first time were: Car, bite, go, water, Mimi, nay (horse), shoe. I' love my little A.

Norah at the Beach

Norah had so much fun at the beach and she made the most of every minute she had there. The last time Norah went to the beach was August 2011 and she was scared of getting in the ocean. I knew this year would be different and I looked forward to showing her the ocean all summer. She doesn’t remember going to the beach two years ago so I had the same excitement of taking her for the first time.

I made a goal to focus on Norah during this trip. When Bryan and I “divide and conquer” the kids at home I always end up with Alice and he always ends up with Norah. At first it was just because I needed to nurse Alice and its continued like that because of Alice’s separation anxiety. I worry that I don’t have enough quality one on one time with Norah or that she will think Alice is my favorite. Sometimes Norah wants to read with me at bedtime and Alice inevitably throws such a fit about switching primary parents that even Norah gives up and decides its not worth it. I told Bryan that unless I needed to try to get Alice to nap I wanted him to take Alice and I would take Norah. Norah is so independent and social that she quickly made friends on the beach and played with them (especially with Ceci) but I still made a conscious effort to focus on her and sit by her while she played in the sand with friends. I don’t have an pictures to prove it but I think nearly every day I held Norah on my hip and jumped in the waves with her. It was so wonderful having the luxury of one on one time with her her all week long. I loved talking to her about how big and beautiful the ocean was and trying to answer her constant ‘why?’ questions. I know she won’t remember any of this but I hope she’ll read this post someday know how much I treasure my time with her.

In this picture Norah is running to fill up this bucket with water so she could sit in it She did this until she fell out and then she’d repeat Norah wanted to learn to boogie board like her friend Ceci so I relinquished her to Bryan for lessons Norah was fascinated by this huge spider in front of our beach house and checked to see if it was still in its web a few times each day Norah riding in the hummer on the beach looking for horses. We saw two dolphins coming up for air.  She also flew a kite – not in this picture though – it wasn’t windy enough. I didn’t get a picture of the day we were successfulAnd she was very nice to her sister all week I love this little girl!

Hicks Family Reunion

Bryan’s parents took us to the Outer Banks for a family vacation. This was our 4th time staying in Corolla with them and we had a great time. It was forecasted to rain the whole week but we ended up having great weather. It rained for half the day Monday but we otherwise enjoyed plenty of Sunshine and temps in the low 80s. The only thing that would have made the week better is if Courtney had been there. We missed her so much.

The highlight of the trip was hearing that Kelsey and Kimball are expecting a baby in early April. They nonchalantly came into the kitchen wearing t-shirts that said “This girl is going to be a mommy” and “this guy is going to be a daddy.” I think Susan was the first to read the shirts and once she screamed the rest of us caught on. We’re so excited for them! Another highlight was taking a wild horse tour with “Lars” as our guide My favorite part of these beach trips is the chance to take a daily walk in the morning because beach is empty and beautiful and Bryan and I always have great conversations.  Norah enjoyed getting extra attention from her grandparentsWe went out for Ice Cream at Granny B’sWe managed to get Alice to take a nap on the beach (usually in the stroller) every day and Norah even took a long nap one day after getting heat exhaustion. We thought they might fall asleep on these towels but they were just refueling. There were some games of PresidentWe played in the sand and we wore our surf shirts and we came home tired every day It was a wonderful trip and we are so grateful to Guy and Susan for taking us. I have so many pictures of the girls so there are more posts to come.

The Greatest Show On Earth

We had the most amazing day today. Our friends Christine and David took us to the Ringling Bros & Barnum and Bailey Circus!!! David’s firm has a suite at the American Airlines Center and they had extra tickets and a parking pass for us. They even treated us to a nice spread of brats, chicken tenders, fruit and cookies. It was so luxurious I felt like we were celebrities and having so much space definitely made it easier for the kids to make through the performance. This is the back of the suite with Christine and Norah’s classmate David. Norah had circus unit at preschool so she knew enough to be incredibly exited. Before the Circus began the floor was open to the audience. Norah and Alice got to try on circus costumes Norah also got to see an Elephant paint a picture and join in a dance party with clowns Norah LOVES to dance. I know this is out of focus – but it captures her enthusiasm.TThe girls even watched the set upThe circus was pretty traditional, there were clowns, elephants (Alice acknowledged the elephants by waving her arm like a trunk and making her best elephant sounds), lions and tigers, dogs, trapeze artists, trick horse riders and a motorcycle cage. I was glad all the classics were there because Norah was looking for them. She was so excited to see the ringmaster. I would have enjoyed the circus on my own, but it was 10 times as much fun going with Norah and seeing her excitement. Norah and Alice both were mesmerized by the performance.They alternated between standing and sitting but they watched the whole show. I feel so grateful to David and Christine for inviting us. We had a wonderful time and I know this will be a very special memory for me.