Everything has been going well for all three of us. Brett did run his race over Labor Day weekend, along with our friends Tom and Beth. All three did great, and Brett felt so good that he decided to join Tom's Dances With Dirt team for their race the next weekend. DWD is a 100K relay race (not a typo... that's 62 miles). Each person on the five member team runs 3 separate legs, usually for a total of 12 to 17 miles. The kicker is that the terrain is like the worst cross country race you ever saw! At one point, Brett was in mud up to his armpits (literally), using a rope to pull himself through the muck. He said it was hard, but fun, and the only soreness he had the next day were his calves (he hasn't been running on any hills, so the hilly course was tough on those muscles). He is still considering either the half or the whole marathon in Detroit, but wants to get the really long (20 mile) training run behind him before he registers.
We had a chance to visit with some out-of-town cousins this past month too. Sadly, my cousin Maria was in town for her grandfather's funeral, but it was still so nice to see her and her little guy Jake (or should I say, not so little. Jake is ~6 months younger than Nora and outweighs her by about 5 lbs!). My Aunt Marguerite and Uncle Rick were also in town from Seattle, and we even got a chance to hang out with Michelle and "baby" Lucas (he's no shrimp either!) We have a picture of the cousins and the babies together, but it's on my mom's camera... when we'll manage to download that onto a computer and share it has yet to be determined!
Speaking of my mom, she and my dad are in Egypt right now! They left for their trip to the Holy Lands and Egypt a week and a half ago. We've been able to follow along on a blog that their guide posts online each evening, and it's been great to see where they've gone and what they've seen (and eaten... a lot of footage of the lunches and dinners makes it into the video clips!) Nora and I expect to pick them up on Thursday afternoon and can't wait to hear about everything.
Nora has been working on her spoon skillz and they're coming along really well. She can eat applesauce and yogurt on her own with a spoon and thinks it's the greatest. A lot lands on her bib, but not to worry... she thinks throwing dirty clothes into her laundry hamper is the second greatest thing ever. Soon, she'll be running this house on her own (awesome). Or else just running all over this house... running is her current choice of locomotion. So funny to watch since she doesn't yet pump her arms at all!
Last weekend we were in Portage and Mendon to visit with Brett's family. Beth and Chris are getting ready for a fun trip of their own with their friend Judy, and Lon and Diane were just getting back from a weekend of camping. The weather was a little cool so we didn't get into the lake for a swim, too bad. We did, though, get over to see Brett's Grandparents (Nora's Great-Grandparents) and Nora behaved herself pretty well!
Not too much else to say. Thanks for checking the blog... here are a bunch of random pictures (of you-know-who). Enjoy, and keep in touch!
Love,
Sarah, Brett and Nora G
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Should anyone look like this much trouble first thing in the morning??? Seriously, it's a little scary
This is much better:
This is Nora's response when you ask her to smile. Her Grandpa H thinks she looks like Popeye... I can't say that I disagree!
More smiling...
... and this is what she does when you ask to see a frown (check out the fish tattoo on her thigh!):
We've had a LOT of self-accessorizing this summer. Anything she finds can generally become a bracelet, a hat, or a purse. Here she is wearing some packaging as a hat:
... and a teething ring as a bracelet (along with this little scarf that came with her dress... she loved it):
... and totally overdoing the whole look, but loving it anyhow! Anytime she added something new to her ensemble, she'd say "pretty!"
But sometimes just one accessory was enough to make a girl feel glamorous:
We read all the time... and when we're not reading to her, she likes to look at books by herself. Right now, we've had a hot streak with "Are You My Mother," "Green Eggs and Ham," and "Hug" (by Jez Alborough... she calls it "Bobo" after the little Gorilla in the book). She has also borrowed her dad's paperback copy of "Everything is Illuminated" several times and "read" it for up to ten minutes at a time.
Hurricane force winds:
Okay, I know this is a fluke, but check it out anyhow! Nora chose the letters of her own name and spelled it out (100% backwards) in the tub the other night. I'll admit, she did not have the whole alphabet in the tub with her [though more than just her name], but she was so deliberate in sticking up the letters and turning them around until they were upright, it made it look like she really knew what she was doing! (note the ankle bracelet/ activity gym link, even in the tub)
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