swimming

Nora got dunked by Dad
then decided she didn't have enough of the dunking and dunked herself in Bean's water bowl

No time for naps

Ahhh, finally, a little shut eye.  After the dust of a great week settled, Nora was able to relax with Grandma and get  a little shut eye.

No she's not a vampire baby....it's juice from a delicious bing cherry from aunt Casey's parent's orchard.  She loves them!!  The mosquito (notice on Nora's cheek) must have been lured in from the sight of what he thought would be an easy drink.  

It's been a great week.  One of my best friends, Kate, and her brother, Matt, drove out from Minnesota.  Nora basically boycotted all naps for the week, not wanting to miss a thing.  




Lester diving for rocks up at green lakes.

It's official, she's mobile

Not only is she mobile, she's fast, and she's busy!!  In the time it took for me to call a local shop for their store hours she had her entire bottle drawer scattered across the kitchen and then had moved on to the cook books.  Even when I'm watching her she's managed to take a  bite out of a gift certificate, poke herself in the nose with a pine needle and eat an ant.  She's knocked over a coffee table and sent picture frames flying.  

She started pulling up on everything around the first of the month and now she's a complete pro.  She does multiple speed laps around things, while letting go with one hand and looking back over her shoulder to make sure someone is watching her skills.  She's brave and very tough, Ralph and I are always discovering new bruises and scratches and find ourselves saying "ohhhh" and "ewhhhh" alot like we're watching a sporting event in which you feel the athletes' pain.  While she is a tough cookie, she has developed a new and very real fear of the vacuum cleaner - not sure what this is about.  Perhaps Ralph has reminded her one too many times that this will be a future chore of hers.   

Nora participated in the 4th or July procession of the species with Bean, Ben, Lester and her girlfriend, Georgia.  

Ralph brought Nora a pine cone home from California bigger than her head.  She was only mildly impressed