Those I Love the Most

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Christmas Eve 2014

Christmas was a bit of a bummer this year. A couple days before, we all came down with Influenza. All of us, that is, except Nora--which is extremely surprising considering our living conditions. We were quite a sight, all cooped up in our tiny apartment as sick as can be. Nora just ran around crazy as always wondering, what was wrong with all of us? (I was still nursing her, so maybe she got antibodies?) So come Christmas Eve, we were lucky enough to have all finally gotten rid of our fevers at least. I had taken all of "Christmas" to my parents, and we were planning on sleeping there since we didn't have a true home of our own. (We didn't even get to put up our Christmas tree this year. We just got a teeny one from Walmart that we shoved in a corner.) So getting sick was quite a nuisance. Of course we had to still go to my parents'! So, we all ate in exile (we had a bedroom with a table all to ourselves away from everyone else), and then tried to keep on masks while we were gathered. We didn't want to share our germs, and we did our best. Here are some pics of the night: We played a fun white elephant game.

Franklin was really excited to get some big, silky, purple, old lady underwear.

Bennett really wanted a pet mouse (which someone had brought as a gift), but I insisted on him trading for something else (after all, no pets in the apartment). He chose an old bowling ball, instead with finger holes that would probably never fit any person ever in the history of time.

Awesome matching robes!

And awesome matching pullovers. Thanks Grandma!

Cute matching jammies!

Nora's First Birthday {December 2014}

We lived in our dark apartment while building our house for 8 months. We thought it would only be 5 months or so, so eight months felt really long. We did not plan on celebrating almost every major holiday and every person's birthday (besides mine) while living there. It was a bit of a bummer to celebrate a "First Birthday" in a place that wasn't really home. At least Nora didn't know any better, but I sure did. I tried to make the best of it.

Of course Nora was absolutely darling, as usual. We sure love our little girl. She is doted upon by every member of our family. She knows how to get into everything and make mess after mess. But at the end of the day, when I think of her, she just makes me laugh. She is so spunky and has such a huge personality in her little body...(she is a bit like her older sister!) She is well rounded and loves girly things as well as boy things. She loves babies, balls, cars, dinosaurs, stuffed animals, and loves her siblings!

She is an early talker and could say several words by her first birthday (also like Mylie.) She was my first child to be able to walk on her first birthday! After all my late, late walkers, it was so fun to have a baby learn before turning one! She was my first one-year-old to actually stand on the table and throw her cake when she was done!

Her day was pretty low key. We hung out around home during the day. For dinner we went to Noodles & Co. for some Mac and Cheese. Then we had presents and snowman cake back at the apartment. Only my mom could make it (my dad had had surgery again, just like on Bennett's birthday), and Russell's parents. Nora put on a great show when we let her dig into her cake.