Nora Evelyn

Nora and I cleared the sidewalk and made a snowman this morning. I’m convinced that if midwesterners were really resourceful we’d have a tourist industry, like New England with the leaves, centered around people from warm places coming to gawk at our snow, engage in the exciting world of shoveling it, make snowmen, and drink hot cocoa. We have one guest suite available for the remainder of this season; act quickly, spaces are limited by, let’s say, overwhelming demand.

Our friends Ben & Rachel stopped by today with their sweet, clever, friendly, and beautiful daughter, Harper. Nora and Harper played with Nora’s toys for a while and honed their nascent (but now very real) interpersonal skills before we all headed off to Zingerman’s for lunch.

Later, Nora taught Harper how to use the giant shape sorter thing Sylvia gave us last year and how to balance and do yoga on an icepack and, in exchange, Harper taught Nora that the pedals on her tricycle are not merely curb feelers.

Either these wonderful people live too far away or we do; either way, Wisconsin simply has to go

p.s. I also tried feeding Nora pickles again. Still, emphatically, no go.
p.p.s. Happy 50^th birthday, Uncle Brien!

the best part of any present is? I’ll give you a minute to guess. Go ahead…

giving it? no. getting it? no. unwrapping it? close! playing with it? getting colder. give up?

the box! Nora built herself a fort (no parental construction assistance or suggestion)

( be sure to click this one )

After a fantastic time at Papa & Baba’s house (and an amazingly successful nap) we all headed over to dinner with the paternal side of the family. Amazingly, no authorities were called this year and a lovely time was had by several.

You just absolutely have to love anyone who gets as excited about giving a present as my big sister does:

* Uncle Brien, Brien, and Beth live there too.

Nora had a ball playing and opening presents and eating breakfast and playing piano and eating cookies and opening presents and taking a nap (!??!) with Kacie at Papa & Baba’s house on Christmas day.

(I enjoy leaving an easter egg picture click on a christmas day post.)

Nora’s second Christmas morning at our house started with this little dollhouse and a poor wooden doll family trapped in frog wrapping paper. Fortunately, Nora was kind enough to free them.

We had dinner with our friend Joanna just before Christmas and Nora took something of a liking to her right away.

Nora’s Granny bought her a table and chairs for her birthday. This now forms the basis (with some posterboard wall protection) of Nora’s artwork display area/studio. Here are some photos of her hard at work on some of her latest creations. Also visible in these pictures is the giant cold air return vent in the floor that Nora loves dropping puzzle pieces and crayons into. We’ll be installing screening over winter break.

Nora helped me make some cookies to give away as presents this year. When she cuts a cookie she wants it to stay cut. Here we see Nora sporting her fancy new stripey sweater; a birthday gift from her great aunts Marge & Ginny.

We helped Papa and Baba put up their new tree this weekend. We’re not crazy enough to tempt Nora with a tree in our own home this year so it was nice to get the tradition without the temptation.