Park City Trip

A couple weeks ago we took a little "spring break" to beautiful Park City, Utah. The Anderson's met the rest of the Daggett Family for five days of family fun in the sun on the mountain.

 

The idea of traveling (flying) causes a little anxiety but I shouldn't have worried, the kids did great! Erik and Thomas had so much to talk about on our 2+ hour flight.

We were so happy to finally make it to the mountains. We had been talking about our trip for so long that it was fun to see Thomas experience everything we had told him about.

Not only did we get to spend five days with my parents and siblings but we were lucky enough to get to stay with The GAP (Great Aunt Paula) and Uncle John in their beautiful home. John and Nora formed a special bond right off the bat, Nora got so excited whenever John entered the room.

Moments after getting settled at John and Paula's Erik and I ditched our kids and hit the town. It was so nice to enjoy a drink and lunch in downtown Park City. We even had time for a little shopping. :)

We returned to enjoy another cold beverage on the deck.

Auntie Lolo was so excited to be reunited with her Pretzy Pie.

If you want Thomas to warm up to you all you need to do is watch YouTube videos of heavy equipment.

Grandpa F enjoying a little snuggle with Nora Mae.

 

Thomas' first day of vacation came to a close with a snuggle and story by the fire with Auntie Lolo.

 

 Day #2 the boys left early enough to be the first in line at the lifts. Thomas would have loved to have joined them but we decided to wait until next year to put him on skis.

We met the skiers at the mountain for lunch. Obviously the kiddos were a little distracted with all that was going on at the base of the mountain.

After lunch the kids and I sent Daddy back onto the mountain for an afternoon of skiing.

Lolo and I walked Thomas onto the base a ways so he could watch Uncle Bub, Daddy, and Grandpa take off on the chair lift. We had a hard time getting him back to the car.

 

Such a beautiful view.

It is so special to share a meal around one table. We had a great dinner every night and perhaps even better entertainment. Paula has saved every thank you note we have ever sent her, every Christmas/Birthday list we have sent her, and many school assignments and projects. Each night she "roasted" one of us and that was quite comical. Drew and Hannah provided the best material, some how Paula ended up with a love letter Drew sent an old girlfriend...so funny!

 

 Day #3 started with a cup of coffee...

and a puzzle.

 

Hannah, Lauren and I joined the boys for the day or should I say one run. They couldn't keep up with us so we had to leave them behind. ;) Lolo claims she isn't a skier but check out that form!

Hannah is certainly more comfortable on skis than Lauren and I. She did one run with Lauren and I before joining the boys.

The most relaxing part of my day was riding the lift with this sissy.

Thomas waited all day long for the fire with marshmallows.

 It's a good thing Uncle John was around because Grandpa F did not have the patience to roast a golden marshmallow.

 Not long after Thomas consumed his first smore did the rest of the family join the party. With eight sets of eyes all on Thomas there was no way he was going to fall in the fire.

 Hey, if everyone else is going to supervise our kid we can relax and snuggle by the fire.

What a beautiful night with beautiful people.

 

Day #4 started off with a trip to "Dr. Bear." Actually, Thomas spent much of the morning in Dr. Bear's office. He was treated for everything from cuts on his hand to jumper knees. We are still doing therapy for those darn knees. (I'm so glad Thomas has an imagination.)

 

When Dr. Bear was out of the office she was able to read with Nora. I am very appreciative of all the time my mom and The GAP spent with Thomas and Nora. I enjoyed all my "time off."

 

Those views from John and Paula's deck make a great backdrop for photos.

 

It was SO great spending five days with these gals.

 

Alleluia. Both kids are looking at the camera and we're going to go ahead and count Nora's smirk as a smile. :)

 

All my faves!

Mom and Dad, thanks for sponsoring the trip! Thanks for all the love and attention you give our babes. Thanks for the memories! Love you both! XOXO

 

John and Paula, Thank you for opening your home to the Daggett's! We have so many great memories at your Park City home from this vacation and past trips. We will miss visiting you in the mountains but we are SO excited you're moving back to MN. You two are fabulous hosts. You make everyone feel so comfortable and special. Thanks for the great meals, the nightly "roastings" and for the love and attention you gave our children. Love you both! XOXO

Nora: Ten Months

Ten months old and so big and proud! Baby girl doesn't seem like such a baby anymore. She is busy, hungry, happy and head over heels in love with her Daddy.

(I didn't do so great on the family pictures last month. This month will be better.)

Eat: She is still a hungry hippo. She eats food five times a day and has 2-3 bottles a day. She eats mostly big people food but we occasionally supplement with baby food. Nora is not a picky eater, but she especially likes peas, turkey, cheese, bananas, and smoothies. She has a bottle before naps and bed time. 

 

Sleep: Finally, mostly sleeping through the night. She didn't sleep well on our vacation but other then those four nights she has been sleeping great. Only a few nights has she needed a bottle. Nora goes down around 8:30 and sleeps until 7:30ish or 8:00 on a good day. I try to squeeze in two naps a day but one a day is the norm. Ideally she'd nap from 10-11:00 and again from 2-4:00 but most days it's one nap from 1:00-4:00. Two naps is probably better for her but I don't mind the long nap in the afternoon which overlaps with Thomas' nap which means I get to nap!!!

 

Play: She likes to play with whatever Thomas is playing with. Baby dolls make her smile and so do cars. She is always happy walking around so we've offered up our backs for her happiness. (She will not use the walker.)

 

Development: Nora's hair is thickening up and getting longer. Still not crawling but walking (with help) like crazy. She is starting to take a few steps on her own but otherwise only needs one hand to hold. She likes to do the stairs too. She does a lot of babbling but I haven't understood much other than Mama and Dada. Nora is obsessed with her daddy. Watching her reaction when he gets home after work is SO cute. She squeals and kicks and waves her arms above her head. And after that he better not leave her sight or we'll have trouble!

 

Brother: I think Nora is starting to bug Thomas a bit. They always want the same toy or book. I try to help them work things out but I also want to give them the opportunity to come to a compromise on their own. He hits her more than I'd like but the kisses outnumber the hits so I'm trying not to get too worked up about it. She is the first person he goes to see in the morning and he loves making her laugh.

 

Daddy: "Nora Mae Pretzy Pie is really becoming a Daddy’s girl.  It’s so fun to see how excited she gets when she sees me walk through the door after work.  Elise says that she really misses me, but I still contest that she just knows that I’ll hold her hands and walk around the house with her (much to my back’s displeasure).  She loves to walk, and at this point, I think that she is just going to skip crawling all together.  Her personality is so bubbly and happy, which fits her chunky little frame just perfectly."

(This is how Erik spends a couple evenings a week, playing in the toy aisles at Target while I do the grocery shopping.)

 

 

Mama: She's my little love bug, my cuddly kangaroo...

I've been working on Nora's birthday party for a few months and this WAS going to be a super duper celebration but each month I find myself simplifying the plans. If her birthday was more than 3 months away she probably end up not having a party at all. ;)



Valentine's Day

I was just going through pictures and realized I forgot to post about Valentine's Day. The kids and I had a fun time doing special projects. We didn't do anything grand but I tried to make it special.  We started off the day by getting dressed before lunch, which rarely happens. The kids put on their Valentine's outfits from Grandma Jo. We wanted to take Erik a special Valentine at work.
We brought him two of his favorite things: a donut and a Starbucks. And of course, a picture of his babes. "Donut you know we love you a latte?"

We surprised him which was kind of special and a little risky. He was supposed to get on an important phone call two minutes after we arrived. It was a quick visit. Donuts are frowned upon at the "healthy way of life company." Thomas was happy to take that off dad's hands.

We attempted a family picture. It went about as well as could be expected.

Daddy and Nora spent some quality time together while Thomas and I whipped up some cupcakes. I am so pleased he enjoys working in the kitchen.

He is very particular about putting liners in the pan. It's a great project for him unless you're in a rush to get the cupcakes in the oven.

Success.

We wrapped up the day with a stack of Valentine's day books. We read the same eight Valentine's Day books all week long, I am not disappointed about being done with those books for a while.

 

After those books are read, teeth are brushed, prayers are said and the kids are tucked in is when the real Valentine's Day celebration started. ;)

Something Great to Imitate

A few weeks ago we had the following quote on our chalkboard...

"Children are great imitators. Give them something great to imitate."
 

Last weekend Erik did some work on his "little" sisters car. He is always so good about including Thomas in all his projects. T got his first lesson on changing oil, adding washer fluid, checking the air filter and transmission fluid, and removing a tire. What a valuable experience.

Later that evening Thomas put his new skills to good use. We found him under the "hood" of his little sisters "car." He changed her oil and checked her tires.

 

Erik certainly gives the kids plenty of "great" to imitate. Too bad Thomas was in bed last night while Erik was up making banana bread. ;)