Pretty princesses

Last night, we went to Nora's friend Izzy's house (Isabel) to have a play/dinner date with her and her big brother Sammy and mom Holly. Nora had worn her Cinderella dress all day and refused to take it off before going to Izzy's house. As soon as Izzy saw Nora in her costume, she ran to her room and put on her Sleeping Beauty costume, while brother Sammy, holding his plastic Army men in his hands, complained "But I don't want to dress up!" Despite Sammy's reluctance to dress up, he, Izzy and Nora had a great time together, and Caroline had fun just trying to keep up with them. Holly and I also enjoyed the chance to talk and catch up on each other's histories and backgrounds. I'm posting photos of Nora & Izzy, Nora, Izzy & Sammy, and all the kids watching The Wizard of Oz. Unbeknownst to me, Izzy also dressed up as Dorothy for Halloween and is a big Wizard of Oz fan (she wasn't in school for the Halloween party b/c she was visiting her cousins in PA). So she and Nora have lots in common. And Caroline enjoyed getting close to the screen to get a better view of her fellow Munchkins.

First kiss

Caroline got (and gave) her first kiss last night to an older man, Gunnar Westland (who is all of 16 months). Gunnar, his big sister Pippa and mom Amber came over for a playdate and dinner last night, along with Bronwyn and Lauren. Amber is new to the area, but has quickly become a part of the neighborhood "scene." :-) Gunnar is Caroline's first real friend...up until now, she's always tagged behind Nora and her friends, wishing she could do all the things they do. It's interesting to see how possessive she gets when Gunnar plays with her toys; I'm so used to it being the other way around, with Nora wresting her toys out of Caroline's hands. It's funny to see that Caroline is just as determined and strong-willed as her big sister (Lord, help me!). Caroline also has a new favorite game - pressing her face up against the cover of her music toy box. Nora, knowing how cute Caroline is when she does that, tried to do the same. Nice try, dear. Today is a rainy day - we'll probably stay indoors and are looking forward to another play/dinner date tonight at Nora's classmate's house (Isabel - along with big brother Sammy and mom Holly, also Navy). Then tomorrow it's off to Richmond to meet up with the Duba family -- fun times!

Veteran's Day adventure

Yesterday morning, I took the girls to a Veteran's Day parade down by the oceanfront in Virginia Beach. It sure was a lot colder than the last time we were there! The Virginian-Pilot ran a series of articles about local P.O.W.s that really moved me, and I thought it would nice to do something to honor all of those men and women who have served our country. I don't think Nora really understood why we were there, but she sure did enjoy the free candy that the veterans kept throwing to us. Caroline got her first taste of Reese's Pieces and had fun trying to join those marching in the parade, as I chased her from behind. After that, we met up with Judy and Taylor at the mall and rode the carousel and lunched at the food court. Nora and Taylor went into a automated photo booth and had a series of pictures taken labeled "Best Friends" - it was adorable! We stayed close to home today, but still stayed pretty busy; after gymnastics, we had Amber and her son Gunnar over for a bit, and then we played outside with Reilly and Zoe later this afternoon.

Sunshine-y day

We had a really good day today. We went downtown to the Y, and I got in my little workout, and then I took the girls for a walk down to the waterfront since it was a gorgeous day and they're predicting rain for later this week. Nora posed in front of a mermaid statue (Norfolk's public art project...there are mermaid statues all over the city, all decorated differently). On our way back to the car, we discovered a heart spray painted on a bush, and a cool restaurant called the Pagoda Garden tucked away in the historic Freemason District. It's literally a pagoda, surrounded by a landscaped garden, pond and water fountains. Quite an oasis. The girls loved looking at the fountains and going over the bridge. It's closed on Mondays, so I'm looking forward to going back there to eat some other day. After that, we came home for a late lunch and Caroline took a nap while Nora and I practiced learning how to read from her "Bob" Books (books from Grandma and Grandpa). Then, the doorbell rang around 3 p.m. and I was surprised to receive the most gorgeous bouquet of flowers from Mike! I got Nora to capture the moment with the camera. Thank you, Mike - they are beautiful! We had dinner at the Smith's tonight (Taylor's house), which was lovely...good conversation, good wine, a Disney movie playing in the background, punctuated by the occasional toy fight or Caroline attempting to eat from the cat's bowl.

Precious moments

The late afternoon sun peeking through the changing leaves on the tree outside our kitchen window...Caroline stuffing broccoli into her mouth at breakneck speed, grunting and breathing heavily the whole time. These are some of the precious moments from an otherwise uneventful weekend. Happy Birthday Grandpa!

You've got a friend

It seems that Nora and Caroline are really becoming friends lately. Nora is always trying to share things with Caroline, such as her chocolate ice cream cone (although, by the same token, she expects Caroline to automatically share things with her, like her sippy cup, which is problematic for many reasons). And she is starting to include her in the games we play, particularly our new game called "Dress up dance party." Nora gets upset whenever I take Caroline away from her, such as for a nap, and always has a smile for her in the morning. Caroline lights up whenever she sees big sister "Noa" and it's clear that she's trying to imitate her every move. Nora loves to spin in a circle, and Caroline has taught herself to do the same. On another note, Caroline is starting to assert herself. Last night, she started helping herself to peas and sweet potatoes off of my plate, and this morning, I caught her with her hand in Nora's half-finished cereal bowl, picking out pieces of soggy Life cereal for herself. These girls are certainly not going to be shrinking violets! Here they are having fun on the big comfy chair this morning in their new matching pjs from Grandma.

Parting is such sweet sorrow

We were so sad to have to take Grandma and Grandpa to the airport yesterday afternoon, but were consoled by the fact that we will see them again (and Aunt Alli, Uncle Matt, Great Grandma, and all the gang) in three weeks. We went to church yesterday morning (Nora had another good morning at her "church school") and came home to have some lunch and a little early bird celebration of Grandpa's birthday. Nora and I had fun baking the chocolate brownies in the morning (Nora probably had more fun than I did since she got to lick the spoon!). After we got back from the airport, we played dress up, had dinner, baths and went to bed. Caroline woke up at 4:20 am this morning, since she's still adjusting to daylight savings. Nora had more sense and woke up at 5:20...ugh. I can't wait 'til they're teenagers and start sleeping in until 11!