Nora Rose: ONE YEAR!

The time has come.  Nora Rose is one year old.  Hard for me to fathom (though I know I sound like a broken record each month, it just always baffles me how quickly the time flies).

She's a little light and joy.

At one year old she:

~ Repeats/copies/does just about everything her sister does.  It's just the cutest thing.  Elise coughs, Nora coughs.  Elise claps, Nora claps, and so on.  Adorable.

~ Eats well, generally.  Loves carrots (with a touch of cinnamon), yogurt, bananas, and bread...green veggies still not her fav.

(Not the greatest photo, but still sweet of N exploring her sprinkle pancakes and candle :)

~ Naps two times a day still.  10 am and 1:30 pm.  Seems to work pretty well, though she's not a long sleeper.  At night she goes to sleep at 7:45 and still consistently wakes up at 5 am...but will then go back to sleep until about 6:30 am.  Ah, our girlies are not known for their amazing sleeping skills ;)

~ LOVES playing with shoes and taking them all over the house.  She also thinks it's the coolest thing ever to get ahold of the wipes and take them out.

~ Has started climbing up on the couches, which is both really cute and a bit nerve-wrecking too (we're afraid she'll fall right off, even though she knows how to get down feet first).

~ This girl never slows down and keeps us on our toes.  She's a little cute ball of energy (and a big part of the reason we're tired at night...but it's worth it ;)

~ Is starting to demonstrate her own opinions.  Is not too happy if you tell her no or take something away from her.  Hehe.

~ Still doesn't have much hair, has three teeth on bottom and two on top with two more top teeth coming in, and wears generally between 9 and 12 month clothes (though more 12 month now).

Nory girl, we don't know where the time has gone, but we know it's just going to keep flying.  Life with you in it is so much sweeter.  We're thankful God allowed you to be "ours" a year ago and we pray for many more years with you.  Keep true to your name, little, and be that light He made you to be! Happiest Birthday, We love you!

Nora's One Year Photos: Sweet Girl & Family Silliness

Oh this little girl.  This cute little girl.

She'll be one in just over a week.

I love these photos of her.  Those teeth.  That's all I gotta say.  Those teeeeeeth! :)

This dress is our "one year photo shoot" baby girl dress.  That means Elise wore it for her one year photos too...and if we have any more baby girls, it'll be their dress too.  How about a comparison photo of E and N at one year?  (Nora above and Elise below, just in case that isn't obvious ;)

Isn't it amazing how two sisters can be so cute yet so different?  Love, love them.

Back to our shoot.  We tried to get some family shots, which are always hilarious and challenging.  These were our best (and funniest) ones :)

 (We think that one above really kind of captures our crazy...and yes, it's absolutely crazy around here ;)

 Told ya! (haha, in that one above the kiddos are normal and us 'rents are goofin')

Oh, Nory girl...I think it's time we stop feeding you Miracle Grow and get out that brick to put on your head.  Love you so, so much, little.

Nora's One Year Photos: Playground

Just the other day we went down to the big grassy area and playground outside our apartment building and took some sweet pics of our Nora for her one year photo shoot.  Can't even believe we're already facing a year with this girl!

Those photos are forthcoming ;)

However, post-shoot we did spend some time on the slide and swings.  These girls have been LOVING this weather...and so have their Mama and Dada.

I love all these photos and the girls in them.  But there is a special place in my heart for that last photo with my big girl.  We've been having some two year old moments lately and having to push discipline and consistency, so it warms my heart to have a snuggle photo with my E, even if it was a quick one ;)

Sister Series: PINK!

We just recently pulled our pink tent back out and the girls have been having loads of fun playing.

Then, yesterday, I dressed the girls for church and realized that they were matching! (go figure... ;) It was unintentional, actually, but I had to capture it.  The tent made the perfect background.

Keeping a bow on Nor is nearly impossible these days (she will NOT leave it on), so I had to grab a shot while I could.  And then let's talk about the no smiling she's got going on in these pics...poor chick has FOUR teeth coming in at the same time.  To say she's been kinda cranky would be an understatement.  Poor Nor Nor!

Love that little model pose there :)  And I have to say, I'll be sad when these girls outgrow that heart shirt...er, well, dress.  E wore it as a dress and now as a shirt.  Next it'll be passed down to Nora.  Goodness, I think that outfit will have to be a part of our future "favorite outfits" quilt to be made!

Art, Art, It's Good for Your Heart

That's the motto we try to follow around here :)

Almost every day Elise and I do some kind of art...or at least try to paint.  The girl loves her some art, which of course makes me happy.  We'll see how long her art-lovin' lasts...perhaps only a few years, perhaps a lifetime?  Time will tell!

Either way, every other week I lead an art project for toddlers (and their mamas) and Elise gets to be my guinea pig.  That means we're trying new art projects fairly often.  It's a fun time.

Here she is showing off our latest project.  She was pretty proud of her flowers and after we finished the ones below she immediately wanted to do more.  Love it.

Little sis was asleep during this time, but if she's awake she generally wants in on the action, too (mainly just wanting me to hold her so she can see what's going on :)  I'm excited to see what interests these girls develop, be it art or science, sports or music.  It's a blessing to watch them grow!