maine.....

nora had so much fun playing in the sand with her grammy and grandpa! actually, she liked trying to eat whatever they would let her get into her mouth!

nora liked looking at the lobster. she was curious! but don't worry, she didn't get to eat it yet!

nora knew that sandy loved to lay on the stairs. so, nora loved to climb the stairs to find sandy. then, she discovered that stairs were quite a bit of fun, even if sandy wasn't there!!

it was quite a bit of fun for me... just laying out and relaxing! did i mention that i sailed almost every day and got to read quite a few books!

the haile fam watching the sun set over the lake!


we had quite a few bonfires... smores and all!!

we also got to see auntie coco... she picked us up at the airport and let us stay at her place! it was very nice!!! we had so much fun!

nora loved to be in the water, as well.... she and her daddy played quite a bit!

she loved to climb all over the rocks and all over the sand!



















more to come from ohio and chicago!!!

poopy...

not sure, but i think a neighbor kid has been yelling "poopy" for the last five minutes... i guess it could be something else. oh well! speaking of... nora's mattress got here on wednesday. i dragged nora and all of the new bedding to the laundry room. i got her room all ready for her. i struggled, fought and sweated to get the mattress pad and sheet on the new mattress! (honestly, i know they have to be tight, but it took me over five minutes to fight each one on!) that night, she slept in her new bed. i remember thinking, as much work as it was to get the sheet and mattess pad on, maybe i just wouldn't change her sheets for a long while! however, when nora woke up on friday morning, her diaper had had a little explosion. she was COVERED in poop. it was caked in her pacifier and all over her face. it was all over the bed rails. it was GROSS! i figured you moms would enjoy that story...

did i mention that nora took her first steps in chicago?? she continues to take a few steps at a time, and then lunges towards whomever has their arms outstretched! so cute... enjoy the pics!

alright, please excuse the little bit of clutter left, but here are some new pics of the new place! we ABSOLUTELY love being in here. it's so much fun.... and, there is a bit more room, so we can more easily accomodate visitors! come visit!!!

still in the closet!!!

alright... so i will post more pics soon. here are some for now. it was a FABULOUS two and a half weeks away. we saw so many people and did so many fun things. more to come on that...
as you can see, nora is having a hard time not being in the closet... she still likes to crawl in there. her mattress came today, and she is sleeping for the first time in her crib! (she's been sleeping in her room for three nights) she is still curled up in the corner of her crib (i just went in to check on her).
she took a few steps in chicago. three the first time and then five the second time. she is still very hesitant on her steps. but, someday soon! we LOVE our new place... again, more pictures to come (i have to unbury us first!!!). we even have a little backyard. it's dirt right now, but david is thinking about sod/field turf to make it playable for nora! and i don't have to do stairs! and we have SO much more room! it's been awesome so far... and i go to bed every night exhausted from moving things around and unpacking!

as for the video... nora LOVES to dance. anytime she hears music, she starts to move. stay with the video and you can see her getting her groove on!!!

oh....io!!

well, our week in maine was awesome.  except my camera broke while we were there.  so, i will try to get pictures on here from there.  we sailed, canoed, kayaked, fished (okay, david did) and just thoroughly enjoyed our vacation.  nora and i are now in twinsburg for the party of all parties and just to hang out.  meanwhile... david just got back to sd and will start the moving process tomorrow.  here is just a glimpse of what is going on.  a cute pic from the iphoto booth, and a vid that davy gravy took this morning of nora just being cute!  she loves trying new foods.. and eating all sorts of big girl foods!

dogs, moving and guac...

nora loves dogs... it doesn't matter how big or small, ones she knows or not. she loves them. we were on a walk the other day, and she saw doggies coming towards us and she started waving like mad. but when i try to get her to wave at humans, she couldn't be less interested... people always feel bad when their dogs lick nora and try to keep them away. but, in reality, nora LOVES and LIVES for having dogs lick her. when they don't, she chases them and wants attention from them. she has no fear of them! it's so fun to watch her get so excited!!! the pic here is at a friends' mom's house... we went swimming, then got to play with the grandma and her dogs! it was a blast!

so, i think i just carried nora up the hill and starirs for the last time. unless i take her somewhere tonight. behind her, you can see the stacks of boxes... (that's just one stack!) but i am really almost all packed! it feels good... now i just have to clean! (my kitchen is almost done, just floors and the bathroom... and we are paying someone to do the carpets!)

new foods... the other day (at the zoo), i thought i would give nora a bit of my guacamole to try (as avos are her favorite food). however, i hadn't tried the food yet, myself. needless to say, it was the spiciest guac i have ever had! unfortunately i didn't figure it out until AFTER nora started crying! oh no.... i felt so bad. note to self... always try food first!!

the zoo... and other related stories!!

we went to the zoo yesterday with our friends, sarah, ashly and ethan. the kids were a little cranky, but we had a ton of fun! nora and ethan both enjoyed being out of the strollers more...

check out nora's feet... this is how she stands! her feet are all twisted! and check out those thighs!! how awesome are they??

i got a great shot of all six teeth! what a big girl!! i can't believe how big she looks with teeth... this cougar really liked that both kids were out of the strollers. i think he would have much preferred that they were in his cage! he kept circling the area we were standing... and followed us as we moved on down the road. (as far as he could, anyway). the kids were amused and talking to him! the moms got out their cameras, and eveyrone around us was kind of shocked, i think!

the orangutan was just chilling with his back to everyone. it was cool to see him so up close... i had forgotten how HUGE they are! we got to see lots of interesting animals... nora was a little more entertained than previous trips to the zoo... and we got an r-rated performance by some anteaters! i think the parents were more entertained than the kids!

we got home from the zoo, and david got nora out of the carseat, upstairs, changed her diaper and washed her face, all without the little girl even flinching, let alone waking up! we wore her out!!!

alright, enough procrastination on my part... back to packing!