Nora: 5 years old

My goodness.  You are a kind, loving, smart, compassionate, fun, giggly little girl and you're growing up so quickly.  You're five.  A whole hand! We love you more than we can express and thank God daily that He gave you to us. Here's to a fantastic fifth year, Nora Kate.

Balloon Party! 

You didn't want much -- just a balloon party with your
family and a pink cake with sparkles.

The favorite gift of the day was "Headbands" -- a gift Uncle Jeff
and Aunt Katie bought you that you had EVERYONE playing.

Another favorite gift -- your goggles.
You even slept with them on that night! 

And of course your Olaf hat from Uncle Greg and Jess!
Who doesn't love Olaf?!

The best wrap job had to go to me and your dad.
A new bike for the spring.

Birthday love!

If the sidewalks are dry in January... 

you have to try out your new bike.  No questions about it.

You got to pick your birthday dinner.  Anything you want.
What was on the menu? Chocolate Chip Pancakes of course! 

I've done this interview with her ever since she was 3 years old and I'd like to continue it until she's 18. Here's "Nora Kate: Interview with a 5 year old"

Nora Kate: 

Interview with a 5 year old

Favorite Color: pink, purple, yellow, blue, red and green. No orange. 

Favorite thing to do: jumping on the cushions, puzzles and charades 

Favorite Fruit & Veggie: strawberries and corn

Favorite TV Show: Blues Clues  

Favorite Lunch: Peanut Butter and Jelly

Favorite Outfit: dresses

Favorite Game: Charades

Favorite Snack: graham crackers

Favorite Animal: giraffes because it has a long neck and licks us

Favorite Song: I don't know

Favorite Book: Ramona 

Best Friends: Mallory Juliette, Kailyn and Myles 

Favorite Cereal: Chocolate Cinnamon Toast Crunch 

Favorite Outside Activity: playing in the snow, playing soccer, having races, and riding bikes and scooters

Favorite Drink: lemonade 

Favorite Holiday: Trick-or-Treating

What do you take to bed? Guy and blanket 

What do you want for your birthday dinner? tacos 

What do you want to be when you grow up? an angel 

Two Wheelers!

So, this happened this summer....

 

Yes, that's both of them peddling as fast as their little legs can on two wheels.  No more training wheels here.

Concentration and wind blowing through their hair.

I had a feeling Nora, who has always been pretty physical, would be able to kick the training wheels. And, to be honest, I had a feeling Myles might be able to also but when I brought up the idea to Nora he wasn't even three and I didn't want to try yet.

Nora was a little tentative at first.  She didn't want you to let go.  At all.  I'd have to trick her and continue to run beside her all hunched over and occasionally let go.  After a few days she started getting her balance more and more but the confidence just lacked.  She would go for the length of one house and just stop. At this point I knew it wasn't an issue of not being able to - it was simply getting confident. 

Then there's this one.  After just one day of watching Nora he asked if he could try and I wasn't going to say no.  He was just days shy of being three and we took off his training wheels.  From the first time I held the back of his seat I could feel his balance was spot-on and it wasn't going to take him long.  Sure enough, within two days he was off and running, or I suppose I should say riding.  He caught on quicker than his big sister which I wondered how she was going to react over.  Nora can be a sensitive little soul so I wondered, as I saw her silently watching him, if she would be discouraged by his success. 

Luckily, just the opposite was true.  It gave her the extra push she needed to ride past the neighbors' house and be OK with me letting go and not continuing to run beside her. I'd say it took her about a week and a half to really get it down.  Myles - a day.  The day before he turned three he was riding a two-wheeler.  

The next hurdle we worked on was turning around in driveways and, more importantly, starting without me holding on.  Let me tell you, I spent about two weeks walking between eight houses to give them one shove so they could get moving again. Needless to say once they could start on their own was a big day for us.  

And this is how they spent the rest of the summer.  Helmets on, riding bikes.  I loved that I could stay stationary with Greta in the yard while they rode back and forth all day long with their neighborhood friends. Bikes are how we took walks too.  It meant that I could actually walk at a decent pace to get some exercise. We even bought a baby bike seat for the back of my bike so we could take family bike rides.  We all liked those.

Next summer... a bigger bike for this lady.

Halloween

If you ask Nora what her favorite holiday is she'll tell you Halloween. If you ask why it's kind of obvious - because we go trick-or-treating and we get lots of candy.

A couple of her friends at the Blue Room Halloween Party. Mallory, Nora, and Kailyn.

The Great Pumpkin

For Greta - she didn't have a choice (obviously). In our family, you're the duck the first year you can walk.  Nora was the duck, Myles was the duck, it was her turn.  It's like a rite of passage. 

Myles wanted to be a pumpkin.  Sometimes I have no clue where  he gets his ideas but a pumpkin he was. 

I love that Nora chose to be a witch this year in a sea of Elsas. 100% her idea. 

The thing that's special about Myles' pumpkin costume is that I wore it when I was about his age. 

This Halloween was nasty.  The weather was downright terrible.  It was damp, cold and windy so we didn't go very far - around one short block - but their baskets were full so they were happy.

This was the view the entire time. She literally ran from house to house and not because of the cold but because she was so excited. Plus I think she wanted to beat the other kids we went with so she could ring the door bell.

Myles on the other hand took his time.

Candy and pizza was on the menu for dinner that night.  They had plenty to choose from and were happily on a sugar high until they crashed.  Bedtime.

They're already talking about what they want to be next year.

Greta: twelve months

One year old. Amazing. When I look back at all the changes that happen in the first year I am completely in awe.  I simply can't believe that a child goes from only eating and sleeping unable to hold up their own heads to walking, babbling little humans with opinions (which she isn't afraid to let you know) likes, dislikes, etc. 

Her birthday fell on a Saturday this year so we were able to have her party on her day. One of the downfalls when you're the one hosting the party is that you generally don't have a lot of time to be the photographer too so all my pictures are mediocre but there are pictures so I can't complain.

 Every night before bed I sing her "You are My Sunshine" so that was the theme of her party.

As you may notice we were still in the process of redoing the mantle.

She loves Nora's baby so we bought her her very own baby similar to Nora's. Go figure - she has no interest in her!

Her own phone.

Sorry, the picture won't rotate.

She was able to blow out her own candle! I told her it was hot and she blew.

She wouldn't put the phone down!

None of my kids were too interested in their smash cakes.

Myles thought she might eat more if she had a fork. No cigar.

Hands down my favorite decoration of the entire party.  I'm so happy I did her monthly pictures like this.  You can really see the growth from month to month. Some months seem like bigger jumps than others. (Click on the picture to make it larger) Just when I think I know which one is my favorite then another month catches my eye and I change my mind.  

Can't imagine what this next year has in store for her.  Can't wait to watch and see.

 

You're sweet and loving. You're stubborn and impatient.  You love your brother and sister the most. You don't let your age keep you from trying things (because you see Nora and Myles do it and figure you can too). You are sometimes slow to laugh but I know you're having fun. You always want to be in the thick of things. You are unique. You are you.  We love you, Greta.

Pre-K Feild Trip: Goebberts

It's a tradition that's been happening for years.  In the fall, St. Paul's Pre-K classes take a field trip to Goebbert's Pumpkin Patch. The kids love it.  The parents love it.  Everyone wins.

Nora, Mallory, and Myles.

 

Most kids love the pumpkin eating dino...

Myles ran away scared and sat on the hill.

One of their favorite parts is feeding the giraffes carrots sticks.

Look at that face!

Pure joy.

They also loved the bus ride, Myles' first one.  He was so exhausted he fell asleep on me on the way home. (I know I have some pictures of the bus experience -- us before hand, getting on the bus, him asleep on me  -- but I have no idea what happened to them.  Can't find any!) I know I'm already looking forward to next year when it's just me and this dude, one-on-one.