While the heat has been turned up on the metroplex, that hasn't kept the Monkey Girl indoors. At least, not in the mornings. Afternoons are still pretty much all about the air-conditioner.
The past two weeks have flown by. Two Wednesdays ago, Norah's friend Josh decided to help everyone beat the Summer heat by hosting a rockin' ice cream social. It was a great time for the many parents and a greater time for the many, many kids, and while Norah and Josh were the first kids in the wading pool, they weren't the last. No, by the end of the afternoon it was a pants-optional party for the toddlers, and swim diapers were being put to good use. Though Norah didn't eat any ice cream, she sampled several of the toppings Alison generously offered for the guests. Gummy bears were clearly Norah's favorite. But given the amount of running and bouncing and splashing that took place, I'd say all of the kids burned off more than enough calories to make the afternoon a wash.
Last weekend, Karen and I left town without our sweet girl for the first time ever. We didn't even stay in the country, heading to Acapulco to attend Karen's law school roomate's wedding (congratulations Jessica!). Norah was in very capable hands, however, as Mimi made the trip up from Rockport for the weekend. Up here in the States, the days flew by for Mimi and Norah as they got together with Tracey and Kaelyn fon Thursday, Uncle David on Friday, and some of Mimi's dear friends from East Texas on Saturday. Norah had a great time with Mimi, and was certainly sad when she woke up from her nap on Sunday afternoon to a Mimi-less house. Lucky for Norah (and Mimi), we are leaving tomorrow morning for a three-day trip to Rockport to give the girls more time to bond. Mainly over manis and pedis, I bet.
Down Acapulco way, Karen and I had a great time on our mini vacation. Highlights included: (1) a nice dinner at Zibu, a "MexTai" (yes, Mexican food and Thai food really do go well together ) restaurant overlooking the water; (2) a cruise to see the famous Acapulco cliff divers (think the cliff jumping scene in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, just more graceful); and (3) a trip to "authentic" Acapulco -- more specifically, a scary flea market where I didn't keep my hands out of my pockets for 45 straight minutes while we shopped for an authentic Mexican dress for Norah. The wedding on Saturday night was beautiful, and everyone had a great time watching the happy couple (the bride is the one in the white dress on the left in the picture below). It was certainly nice to spend the weekend away from mandated 6:30 a.m. wake-up calls and dinners cut short by someone letting you know they are finished by hurling broccoli at the dogs, but I don't think it is a stretch to say we both missed Norah terribly.
It took a day to decompress before we headed out again (well, to decompress and to watch the conclusion of the U.S. Open on Monday). But, Norah and I did it in style on Tuesday, heading to the Dallas Arboretum to meet my friend Lindsay and her beautiful little girl Caroline. The girls seemed to mind the heat less than their parents, as they did quite the job running circuits up and down steps, around fountains, through fields, and so on.
Friday morning we mooched off the hard working people of Highland Park by giving Abbott Park a try. It did not disappoint. This well-shaded, toddler-friendly park just steps away from Knox-Henderson (think Chuys, Harry's Hot Dogs and Custard, etc.) is in danger of becoming a weekly stop for us. It may not have Daryl Johnston, but I'd take shade over celebrities any day in heat like this. Jackie and Charlie met us at the park, and after 45 very fun minutes, we decided to find air conditioning. We brought lunch over to Kelley and baby Jack Wideman, where three people who met 13 long years ago during their first semester at SMU, and who are now parents (when did that happen, again?) enjoyed being entertained by three very sweet kids.
I am hopeful that the cute picture below is an indication that Norah is starting to actually smile for the camera. Perhaps...
In other news:
- Norah is still loving her swim lessons. She can now hold her breath under water for 5 seconds, and while I keep expecting her to come up from being under water for that long with an upset face, she is enjoying it so far. In fact, during a trip to the pool this past week, Norah spent a good bit of time thrill seeking by repeatedly dunking her head under water in the deep end (i.e., the "she couldn't stand up if she tried" end) of the baby pool.
- The Air Conditioner broke in our house on Wednesday, making for quite a hot afternoon. Fortunately, it was again running at its normal (although very below average) strength by the next afternoon.
- Norah has become a bit obsessed with shoes. Mainly flip flops. She takes as many pairs out of Karen's closet as she can, and either tries to walk in them herself or force Karen to. Since Norah is a girl, and shoes are shoes, this has me afraid.
- Norah now knows 3 words in Spanish thanks to Diego: arbol (tree), salta (jump), and brinca (hop).
- Slides are still Norah's favorite thing in the world.
Have a great week everybody!
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