Sunshine Day

Our weather this weekend was unbelievably gorgeous. Since Josh is done with classes for the summer, he took a little break and spent the whole weekend with us! It was so much fun. We went into Boston on Saturday and celebrated Memorial Day on Monday with a barbecue and friends. Here are some pictures of Nora enjoying the sunshine after church on Sunday. The kids love to play outside the front of the church when the weather is nice and Nora has caught right on! She's a little social bug and loves to run around with the big kids. Especially when it involves doing dangerous things like scaling tall rock walls and then running along the top.

Girls' Day Out

After a week of being sick with a horrible cold, followed by Nora's doctor's appointment that involved an immunization and blood test (highly traumatic) we decided it was definitely time for a fun day out together. We started with lunch at the Cheesecake Factory with a friend- thanks for the great idea, Brittany! It was delicious and fun. I treated Nora to a mango raspberry smoothie which she finished almost by herself and enjoyed immensely. We then spent the afternoon trying on maternity clothes with our friend, browsing the homegoods at Macy's (during Nora's stroller nap), admiring the fish and other animals at the rainforest cafe, and playing at pottery barn kids- Nora's all time favorite store. Nora has become such a fun little companion, I almost am starting to feel like I'm hanging out with my favorite girl friend rather than being a mother- that is until I have to pry a toy from her white knuckled fists while she kicks at me and screams. I haven't treated a friend that way in a while...

Isn't she adorable? All the waitresses said so. (yes, that's mango smoothie down the front of her shirt)

Farmer Girl

Nora and I visited a farm this morning where we went on a hayride and Nora got take home a small plant of her own. She was supposed to help plant it but ended up smiling for the camera instead for most the planting time. Of course that didn't stop her from proudly exclaiming to her dad as soon as she saw him "look what I made!" I had a great weekend of scrapbooking with the girls as a late mothers' day present from Josh. Finally starting on the huge stack of halloween pictures gave me hope that I may actually be caught up some day. But at the rate that I take pictures, probably not. None the less, it was great fun!

Nora's Birthday Party!

We finally found a day that worked to have Nora's second birthday party. (Almost) all of her best friends could make it, Nora had a blast and hasn't stopped talking about it since. It was a Tinkerbell Pixie party in honor of her adorable halloween costume from last year. Although the weather was cold and rainy at first, we did manage to get outside before the party ended for a little bit of playtime on her new swingset. Here is a picture of Nora as Tinkerbell (last halloween) which was our theme inspiration and then a few from her party.

Girls

Nora has made such great friends here and I am so grateful. These girls always have a ball (and so do us Moms!) It's been so fun watching the kids grow and change together. This week we had some beautiful weather and our first outdoor playdate. We played on the swingset, and had a delicious lunch together. Thanks for hosting, Susan!

Patriots' Day

Patriots' Day is is a holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord, the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. It is observed in Massachusetts and Maine (which was once part of Massachusetts). We enjoyed a parade at the Battlegreen in Lexington center, a Paul Revere ride-by and some ice cream with the ward later that night.

More Family

Family

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The greatest part about our trip was getting to spend time with so many family members that we hardly ever get to see since moving to Boston. Here are some pictures of fun times just hanging out with cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.

A Sick Day at the Zoo

My dad took us to the zoo on a day that Nora was really sick. I think it helped to take her mind off the way that she was feeling to see all the animals and get some fresh air. Luckily, within a day or two, and with the help of a little children's ibuprofin (which I had to spike her juice with in secret because she wouldn't take it) she was back to her old self. I think it's funny how you can tell she's sick from her expression in the pictures- kinda zoned out. Poor little thing.

Nora turns Two!

A couple days after we got to Utah, Nora had her second birthday! We had a small family party to celebrate. Nora loved the cake and even managed to blow out her own candle. Because she loves being the center of attention, birthdays are right down her alley.

A Day at the Farm

We had one whirlwind weekend with Josh's family who had come to visit for Nora's cousin's baptism. The farm at Thanksgiving Point was a total hit. Nora got to ride a pony and I got to milk a cow! Other than that, we enjoyed meeting all sorts of farm animals and topped it off with some delicious ice cream. What a great day! I was especially happy to have Josh there at last.

Aquarium

Nora has always loved the creatures of the underwater world, so the aquarium was a perfect activity for her. Salt Lake City finally has one and we enjoyed it throughly. She still talks about all the fish and other animals she saw there.

Friends

I was lucky enough for the chance to meet up with some old BYU friends for dinner one night. In the past three years, they havn't seemed to change much except for the addition of an ADORABLE little girl and another on the way. It was so fun to see them again and to catch up a bit. It was so much like old times except that Josh wasn't there and we were chasing two munchkins around the restaurant. Nora had an instant friend!

Swimming

My parents have a membership with a fitness club in Orem. I think one of Nora's favorite parts of our trip was swimming at the indoor pool with them! She fought getting out of the pool with a vengence I have only seen in her rarely. The funniest part was how badly she wanted to swim "all by self" while we were carrying her around with her head safely out of the water. I tried to explain to her that if I let go, she would go under, but it did not deter her in the least. I suspected it last summer but now I'm sure, my little girl is a true water baby!