Darling!

Nora has renamed herself "Darling." This comes from a game we play, in which she hides and I wonder aloud where she might be, and, when she pops out of hiding, I say "Darling!" (think: Daaaahling!!) very dramatically and run over and hug her in relief at finding her ;)

So, a few days back, I asked "Nora, do you want some water?' to which she responded, "No Nora, DARLING!" and we have been instructed to call her that on several occasions since.

Now, I can remember renaming myself quite frequently (e.g., Cally, Cali, Kaloni, etc...), but it was maybe 5th grade, I had no idea that 2 years olds do this too!!

She does look very darling, though...

Future scientist

Greg has started working on a new aphid project recently, and turns out that Nora is entranced by all things bug. She likes trying to catch them, look at them under the microscope, and put them in vials of alcohol. Our future scientist at work....

Shhhh... don't tell Greg I put a picture up here of him w/ no shirt on ;)

Cool Aunt Sarah

Nora's cool Aunt Sarah (aka Aunt Seeya) came to visit in March, and not only was it a great visit and a wonderful chance to catch up with Sarah (for me) but it was also so wonderful to watch Nora interact and idolize her cool Aunt... Everything Sarah did, Nora had to do too!

Case in point... Sarah taught Nora all about how to work the swimsuit and get a tan (Dad, please don't have a heart attack, Nora was covered in SPF 50 and only 'layed out' long enough for her mommy to stage a picture...)

Aunt Sarah also brought Nora some great gifts, including a UF tshirt (no picture yet), which when Nora wears, she always says "Go Gators, chomp chomp!" and also Nora's first play horses. The blankets that came with the horses promptly became wipes for when Nora has to change her babies' diapers (see 2/11 post), and Nora has had an endless amount of fun letting each of her stuffed animals take turns riding on the horses...

Easter Egg Huntin

Hunting for Easter eggs at church...

Nora actually 'got' the idea this year and
really went crazy trying to find the eggs.

Going for the tough ones...
Greg got in on the fun...

It has been a really busy few months lately, with a lot of travel and fun, and we are gearing up for the summer ahead and for some time at home before the big trip to Barcelona this summer.
In happy news, we have decided to join the church that we've been attending for a while, Palo Cristi Presbyterian, and we are very excited about that.
In sad news, I just turned down a job opportunity for this Fall, and we are planning to stay in Arizona ONE MORE YEAR and try again to find jobs for both of us in the same place next year! I am sad but at peace about it, so I just wanted to let everyone know, who has been following along with our job sagas...

So cute

I love this picture of Nora :)

She is sporting the new strawberry sunglasses, which she selected herself!

Wow, mom's in a picture too... This is a rarity!

My friend Erica took these when our Alpha Chi Omega alumni group visited the Desert Botanical Gardens last weekend.