Norah's Summer Travels

Hi everybody! I apologize for the long 9-week absence. NINE!? Simply inexcusable. Nevertheless, despite the lack of posting, Norah's Summer has not been lacking fun activities.

To recap our last visit, Norah and Mimi had a great weekend together in Arlington on June 18-21. After the wildly successful girls' weekend, it was only a matter of time before Norah demanded to see Mimi again. I obliged, and we visited Mimi from June 29-July 1. We took a trip to Mimi's school, and promptly climbed into one of the students' desks. We also had a fun trip to the Rockport beach, which is only about 12 inches deep a good distance from the shore, thus allowing Norah to play in very cute and non-threatening waves. We also made a trip to the pool where Norah showed off her swimming skills to Mimi. It was a fantastic trip, and Norah had a great time with Mimi and Papa (not to mention playing with Dexter dog and chasing Mimi's two cats). The three days flew by, and Norah was very very sad when we had to leave.

After returning from Rockport, we relaxed for a couple of days in preparation for 4th of July weekend. Karen's friend Sasha and her family were in the area staying at the massive -- and awesome -- Great Wolf Lodge in Grapevine. They generously shared an extra pass to the waterpark with us, allowing us to enjoy the awesomeness with them. Norah got to be very good friends with the toddler area. Especially the two slides.

Norah very much enjoyed playing with Hannah and Misha, and by the looks of it, the three of them just may be up to many hijinks together in the future.

Norah and Misha in identical adorable poses.

Norah and Hannah celebrating the 4th of July!

July 10 brought the big event of the Summer. The Denney/Coomer Maui trip. Norah was rightfully excited the day we left, trying on her swimsuit (or, as she said it at the time, "zoooot". As of August 25, it is now known as a "babing soot." Not bad.) Friday morning before we left for the airport.

Here is a glance at how things went on the trip:

Day 1: Can you consider a travel day an actual vacation day? Either way, Norah rocked the 7 hour flight and 1 hour drive, adjusting to the five-hour time change better than pretty much anyone else, staying up until past midnight Texas time and sleeping until almost 10am Texas time the next morning.

Day 2: Easing into the vacation with a walk on the boardwalk, one of five trips to the local safeway, and naps for everyone not named Paul.

Day 3: The first trip to the beach! Norah quickly determined that the taste of Maui sand was preferable to Rockport sand (no offense, Mimi...I think it was just the texture). We also found a nice little park on the water. It was easy to determine that it was in fact an excellent park when we noticed locals were actually there. Locals!

Day 4: A ride on the train! Norah loved riding the "sugar cane train" Monday morning. It was a nice little hour-long trip that was fun for all. That afternoon, I went to play golf with Mr. Coomer at the gorgeous Plantation Course in Kapalua. Fun was had by all on certain holes. Certain holes were just plain mean.

Day 5: The Coomers took the sunrise bikeride down Haleakala volcano, which I hear was fun. As you need to get up at 2am to take part in that exercise, I politely declined. Norah and Karen hung out in style on the balcony before we headed to the Westin kids pool to freeload on their awesome kid-friendly pirate ship. It may not be too much of a reach to say that the hour she was running on and around this pirate ship full of slides, stairs and tunnels was perhaps the greatest single hour of Norah's 21 months.

That night, we went to a luau. I don't want to be harsh, but it was pretty much a beating. That being said, Norah was much more entertaining than the folks on stage, as she spent the better part of an hour dancing and twirling in her patriotic dress.

Day 6: Up bright and early for a snorkeling/dolphin watching cruise. The snorkeling was OK, but the big hightlight was watching the bottlenose dolphins that joined us just in time for Norah to learn to say "meah, ...fins," while patting her chest (translation: "come here, dolphins!"). It broke the dial on the cuteness meter.

Day 7: A fun helicopter tour of Maui for the 5 of us. While the tour company promised us Norah would be passed out within 10 minutes of takeoff, we were skeptical. We were right. She did eventually pass out, but after 50 minutes, not 10. Still, it gave her a chance to see some beautiful sights, and munch on about 50 gummy bears that helped her survive the 10,000 foot elevation change from the volcano to the rainforst.

Patiently awaiting the helicopter ride.

Up and away!

Thank you for the gummy bears!

Day 8: On our last full day of vacation, the Coomers drove the Hana Highway while Karen, Norah and I headed to the beach. Norah still hasn't met a beach she didn't fall in love with. She sprinted up and down this one, digging and eating sand, and running over and around a few unsuspecting sunbathers.

Day 9: After a quick game of hide and seek with Grandmama, we packed up and headed out. We stopped by the Maui Aquarium to let Norah sprint some energy out before the 8 hour flight home, and I'd say it worked pretty well. Norah slept for 4 hours, watched Diego for 3 hours, and was well behaved for about 55 of the remaining 60 minutes.

All in all, it was a great trip. How could any trip not be awesome with the cutest monkey girl in the world along for the ride?

It's Too Dang Hot For a Penguin...

...but not for Norah, it seems.

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!

Summer A Go-Go

Summer. It is here. It is in full swing. And I am pretty sure it's gonna be awesome. Norah thorougly enjoyed her first week of daily trips to parks, swim lessons, new baby sightings, and fun lunches. So, let's make with the story telling.

Sunday, we got Norah hair clips for the first time. As you can see, She liked them. A lot.

Monday morning, we had planned to meet up with Norah's friend Charlie, so we headed out to Caruth Park in Dallas to play while Charlie napped. Unfortunately for us, Charlie's morning nap went a little longer than usual, and we weren't able to meet up. Little did we know that our morning play session at the park would lead to Norah's second celebrity sighting. While Norah was running over a bridge, someone came up behind her and passed her. Norah, say hello to former Dallas Cowboy great Daryl Johnston. While Norah probably didn't know he was a celebrity, she must have taken a cue from my giddiness (and the fact I almost squealed out like a teenage girl), because she said hi to him several times over the next few minutes. And for the record, I did handle myself with relative calm, only shaking his hand (not bear hugging him) and saying I was a big fan. Stalk you soon, Moose!

On Wednesday, Norah had her first swim lesson, and it is safe to say Wednesday mornings will be a highlight of our week for the rest of the Summer. She enjoyed every part of it. Being dunked in the water to teach her how to hold her breath? Check. Kicking her little feet with cute little flippers on to the tunes of London Bridge and Wheels on the Bus? Check. The only thing she didn't enjoy was being in a pool with three slides around it and not being able to go down any of them until the end of class. Every 45 seconds, it was "sly, sly." Anyhoo, another parent in the class was nice enough to snap this photo of us post-lesson. I have a feeling there will be several stories to share from these lessons. Just a hunch.




After our swim lesson, we made another trip to Dallas so Norah could meet her newest friend, Jackson Matthew Wideman, born to our dear friends Matt and Kelley on June 2. Jack is an incredibly handsome little man, and he couldn't have been more polite to his visitors, even agreeing to pose for a picture with me. Norah loved saying "Jack" over and over, and she missed him so much when he went down for a nap that she went into the nursery to get him. Several times. Sorry about that, Kelley...



On Thursday, we met up with Tracey and Kaelyn at an indoor play area inside Irving Bible Church. Yes, that's right. As you can see in the pictures below, the good folks at IBC constructed a massive play area that will serve up hours of fun during the many 100+ degree days we are sure to encounter this Summer. Norah absolutely loves Kaelyn, and she doesn't seem to be losing the desire to call her "Gah-gee" anytime soon. The girls had a great time climbing in countless tunnels and tubes, over nets and sliding down lots of slides, slides, glorious slides! After the girls' workout, they split a pizza and mandarin oranges at TGI Fridays, and Norah spent almost three hours napping. Ahh yes, I scored the coveted three hour nap. Sweet Thursday success.

(Thank you, Tracey, for pointing out that Norah looked like she was climbing a stripper pole when this picture was taken)

Karen worked in Dallas on Friday, and we were able to pick her up for lunch. The excited look on Norah's face when Karen gets home from work everyday is priceless, but I don't think it can match the "I'm having lunch with Mama?!" look. Norah was thrilled when she saw Karen walking out of her office building, and she was even more talkative and giggly at lunch than usual.

Saturday, we stumbled upon the Southlake Police and Fire Appreciation Day at Southlake Town Square. While Norah enjoyed sprinting through and around the gazebo much more than looking at the police cars and ambulances, she did stop moving just long enough to pose for this picture with Miss Southlake and Miss Teen Southlake. Thanks ladies!

Today was a rather calm end to a crazy week. As our house is supposedly on the market (is 6 showings in 3 months good? No? Just checking.), we held an open house today to celebrate our recent price drop. Yay! While no one came to look at the Denney home, I enjoyed a nice day on the golf course, and Karen and Norah took a trip to see Grandmama and Grandaddy. Yes, Norah did find my golf hat, and no, we didn't tell her it was safe to drive her fire engine without being able to see. She did quite fine with it pulled over her eyes, thank you very much.

Have a great week everybody!

Carolina on Our Minds

So maybe this 14 weeks of Summer thing won't be too bad. At least that's the impression I get after spending the first week in a mountain/lake utopia where it is a constant 75 degrees and people play golf and sit on boats and docks all day. Thank you Lake Toxaway, North Carolina.

Yes, Norah and I (along with a hefty amount of luggge) left early Monday morning for Greenville, South Carolina, where my Dad (aka Grandpa) and Grandma (Great Grandma) were waiting to drive us to a lovely getaway in the mountains. Norah was an absolute doll on the 135-minute flight. Literally no crying or whining, just putting Diego stickers all over the plane window and listening to my ipod the entire time. Sweet success.

Upon arriving in Lake Toxaway, Norah took no time in reintroducing herself to her Uncle James, Aunt Karin, Grandma LeeAnne, and Great Grandma Byra. She began playing with James and Karin right away after realizing they possessed bubble solution and the ability to create bubbles (what you can't see in this picture are the ants the size of a fist that Norah thankfully managed to avoid all trip).






Norah found it far more fun to play with James and Karin than to eat the first two days of our trip, but who can blame her. She was quite good at being wherever they were, and was happy to find that James actually woke up earlier than she did every morning. Don't think that it didn't cross my mind to offer to support James with a scholarship to "Super-Terrific Taking Care of Norah Camp" in Arlington this summer.

As you can see, Norah and the kids enjoyed lots of games of hide and seek, jumping on the bed, and chase (which usually ended in Norah trying to pin one or both of them).

Unfortunately, Norah's favorite game of the week turned out to be playing with her Great Grandma's walker. And Norah being Norah, she didn't always wait for Great Grandma to sit down before swooping the walker out from under her. Oh dear. But Great Grandma was a great sport, and fortunately no one suffered any serious injuries. On the bright side, at least I know what to get Norah this summer if she eventually finds every toy in the house tiresome.

A great picture of Norah and Grandma LeeAnne (trust me, Norah only looks upset because she wasn't able to take the picture).

LeeAnne and the Great Grandmas were generous enough to take care of Norah on Tuesday while the rest of the Denneys played golf at the phenomenally gorgeous Lake Toxaway Country Club. Dad and Karin bested James and myself in a best-ball battle royale, but all of us had a great time. And I am not exaggerating when I say that my 13- and 10-year old siblings will have golf scholarships waiting for them if they stick with it, should they so choose. Without several clutch shots by both kids, the team scores would have been much higher than the 85 and 98 that were carded.

Keeping in the golf theme, this is probably one of my favorite pictures of Norah ever. Blowing a kiss to the golf course? She is getting my hopes way too high.

We took to the lake after golf on Tuesday, and while Norah did not enjoy wearing a life vest, she did like running up and down the boat while it was moving (pictures of Norah on the boat are forthcoming from Tennessee).

Wednesday was pretty easy going, as we only left the house to take a quick 30-minute swim in the pool. Norah wanted to stay longer, but the pool was freezing and so was I. Still, with her swim lessons beginning this coming Wednesday, it was nice to see how much she enjoys the water. Whether it will annoy the other kids and parents in the class when she splashes them remains to be seen.

Thursday morning came too quickly, as we again hit the road for the Greenville airport. Although Norah was sad to go, she was happy to pose for a picture in her newly acquired pink hat (thanks Grandma!). And at the airport, I got this classic picture of Great Grandma, Grandpa and Norah. Also one of my favorites ever.

The flight home was just as good as the flight on Monday. Being that she was absolutely exhausted, Norah was out almost right away, and she slept for an hour and a half with her head on my chest. Which is probably more snuggling time than she has given me in the past 6 months combined. Almost makes me want to take her flying more often. That, or putting a dash of Benadryl in her milk once in a while.

All in all it was an awesome trip. Great family time, lots of playing, a plenty of relaxation. So, one week down and thirteen to go. If they are all as smooth as week 1, Norah and I are going to get along just fine these next three months. No pressure, sweetie.