Nora Evelyn

What? You don’t wear your pajamas to the museum (in this case, the Bay Area Discovery Museum)?

One of Parker’s favorite places to visit is the Alligator Museum (also known as the California Academy of Sciences). Our first trip there was derailed by an enormously long entrance line, so we played outside by the fountain instead and then had lunch.

During our trip to San Francisco, Nora and Parker bonded over their shared love for Mickey Mouse, dinner, IKEA, and laughing. Behold:

A month ago we were in San Francisco. I’ve been slow to update the blog but what can I say? If writing a dissertation were easy everyone would be doing it. Anyway, here is a photo of Nora settling in for the night in Ellen, Erick, and Parker’s giant guest bed (queen size) which she had all to herself. She was somewhat pleased.

You’ll never guess where Nora went on vacation last week. Here’s a hint:

Since we were in Evanston for Halloween this year, one of Jill’s friends told us about a fun activity aimed at the small set: the Fairy Tale Trail. Basically they divide up an enormous room into nine smaller rooms, each with a different theme: Alice in Wonderland, the Three Bears, the Little Mermaid, Jungle Book, etc. Each room had murals all over the walls, theme-related toys, and big people dressed in character. Nora loved it.

Not only did we enjoy the company of great friends and a Great Lake in Evanston but Nora’s Great Aunts came up from Indiana to spend the evening with us on Halloween. We had a lovely stroll, an enjoyable dinner, and then the playful acrobatic performance of one Nora E. McGowan to warm us on what was otherwise a somewhat chilly evening. Thanks for joining us, Marge and Ginny, and we’ll see you this weekend for Thanksgiving. :)

Nora adored Lake Michigan and had much to say about the water, the boats, the sky, Chicago’s skyline, etc. Here she is enjoying the view near Northwestern’s campus.

We’re very far behind on blog posts and we’re going to try to right that condition a little bit today and tomorrow. Here is a pair of shots of Nora loving life in a giant bed all to herself in the hotel in Evanston.

One of the things we did on our recent trip to Chicago was visit the Museum of Science and Industry. There was a LOT going on there, most of it over Nora’s head (literally!), but there were a few things she enjoyed: