Flower Girl-ing It Up

May marked a big milestone for us; first overnight away as a family, and Norah's first time being a flower girl! Blake and Molly got married at Pine River Ranch in Leavenworth; and the whole ceremony was absolutely lovely (of course!! Those two are amazing) and we were so happy to be a part of it. Here are a few shots from the day:

She did wonderfully; it was such a fun trip! She looks very serious in this last pic, but she was a ball of happy all day. I have more pictures I need to move to this computer! More to come soon!

Day at the Zoo with Dad

I took Emma to Ikea with my mom and sister, and Bryan took Norah on a date to the zoo! They had a blast! I'm glad they got to have one-on-one time. And the photos made me oh-so-happy.

Norah's Fourth Birtday

You guys. You guys!! How has it been so long since I've blogged?!

We certainly haven't been busy just keeping up with life. Or juggling working from home and following two amazing girls around. Or making sure said girls aren't hurting themselves too badly/eating things they shouldn't be/generally staying busy and happy. Okay... you got me. We've been busy bees over here!!

Not to mention, after fourteen months, Emma started walking (!!!!) and FAST! That girl wants to follow her big sister-- whom she loves dearly! And Norah is totally up for the job. Big sister-dom was meant for that girl. Watching these two makes my heart hurt. 

So catching up!! There have been some adorable things to cover, starting with Norah's fourth birthday! This year she has been all about BUGS. Butterflies, spiders, creepy crawlies galore. Right in theme, my cousin Blake went to the store to get her a stick bug; they were fresh out; so he showed up with a scorpion. Meet Helen: 

At the time I wasn't too happy (to say the least) but Helen didn't end up staying (of course); and it ended up being quite a good story. Dear Blake: message received, we won't ask you to babysit any time soon! (haha! We love you my crazy cousin!) 

The next day we hit the zoo. And because they charge $25 to do face paint, I just did it myself at home. Behold the ferocious tiger!

Birthday request? Camel ride!

Finally, a trip to Build a Bear for a new stuffie (she chose a cat)

And here are her four year old answers to our quiz: 

        What is your name: Norah

        How old are you? 4

        What is your favorite:

             Color: Purple and pink

             Food: Chicken nuggets and French fries and ketsup

             TV show: Wild Kratts

             Toy: Chloe my baby doll and centipede

             Book: My butterfly book

           What is your favorite thing to do? Find bugs outside

           What do you want to be when you grow up? A bird keeper

           Who do you like to spend time with? Nani and Papa dude and Omi and Papa Vic

           What do you do really well? Play outside!

        What was the best thing that happened to you this year? My butterflies hatched!

           What makes you laugh? When somebody says funny things

           What is the best time of day? Going on walks

           What are you afraid of? Scary things like monsters

           Who is your best friend? Marley and Isaac

           What do you like to do with your family? Play outside

           What do you love to learn about?  Birds and bugs!

           Where do you like to go? Wiggleworks and on walks

        What is your favorite thing about our family? That you guys are special to me

        If you had $100, what would you buy? A pony

        What do you like best about yourself? That I can play on my own

           If you had one wish, what would it be? That I could meet all the animals

Our gal is growing up to be such an amazing kid. Four has been a fantastic year so far; she loves learning everything she can about science, bugs, and the world; has moved in to her big girl bed, and overall just been a whole heck of a lot of fun. 

Emma's First Birthday

On Sunday we celebrated Emma's first birthday (on the actual day, so nice it fell on a weekend)! It was great. It was pretty relaxed, we had a fun day of playing with balloons, running amok in the house, and preparing for family to come over for spaghetti and cake that evening. 

Opening a few presents early in the morning: Books, pop up toys, pull crocodiles and such. Sister was a great help, of course!

Appreciating new music shakers

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Getting in some Nana birthday snuggles!

We were so grateful that we got to have Papa Vic over! He is in a new home now, and we were all so happy that he was able to come and celebrate. I knew it meant a lot to everybody.

Moe, excited that he believes he finally has control of the keys. We didn't have the heart to tell him they weren't real. He was super stoked about him. (Look at the plan in that face...)

Omi and Papa Vic!

Auntie Amy, I don't think that's the right way up for people? Norah looks highly dissatisfied, of course.

Getting some cousin Brian snuggles. His girlfriend and him are moving to LA in a few weeks; it was great to get him over!

Papa Dude with his mom, Great Grandma!

'Yeeeeeeeah mom didn't listen to Pinterest and actually baked me a real cake!'

'Meh. Are there any more scrambled eggs?'

 Overall, it was a wonderful day. Norah did great sharing the spotlight, and Emma didn't have any memorable meltdowns. I was so happy to have everyone over and celebrate! (How the heck is our tiny baby already a year?!??!?!?!)

Also, I'm reflecting back. I've blogged once a week for two pregnancies, and monthly for a year each for two babies. I promise to continue to blog-- this is my photo album and journal of sorts, after all-- just seems really strange to not have a monthly commitment of some sort!! Perhaps I will post a new challenge to myself... :)