Survival...

Well... I did it. I survived the first week of nursing school. Whew!

Actually, it really wasn't that bad. Although we did have 8 chapters to read on the first night, they did a really good job of easing us into the program. The instructors spent a lot of time explaining the 150+ page syllabus (no joke), and answering all of our crazy questions. They are doing a lot of wonderful things to welcome us to the program, such as giving us free lunch tomorrow to meet with the 2nd year students, letting us off early on Friday, etc. I think it will be a good year! One week down, 11 more to go...

Now off I go to read 10 chapters, do 6 chapters of math, and read two medical journal articles - all by Tuesday! Yipee!

A fire and a good book

All the making of a cozy fall day...

Our first fire of the season...

Listening to "Wuthering Heights" on CD...

and

Making mini freezer meals for busy nights...

Looks like Fall is here!

First day of Preschool

Thursday was another BIG day at our house - Taylor's first day of PRESCHOOL!! For three days, he went with me to drop off and pick up Maddie from Kindergarten. Not a day went by that he didn't ask, "When do I get to go to school?" Well, this was the day!
He was so excited. The first thing he said when he woke up and I told him he got to go to school was, "Yeah, and I get to have pudding!" Apparently he saw that Maddie had gotten pudding in HER lunchbox the day before, so he should get one too. Rational thinking.

When we got there, he seemed a bit apprehensive. He looked SO cute carrying his new TMNT lunchbox. He didn't need to bring a lunch, but he insisted on bringing one - with the pudding. Once he got to his classroom, he found his cubby hole with his name on it, hung up his coat, and went right to playing! He barely even looked back at me as I was leaving. What a big boy!
When I got there to pick him up, it was lunch time. They actually cook a meal for all the children, so he didn't even thing about the lunch he'd brought - or the pudding. Mexican rice with chicken, green beans, and fruit cocktail - yummy!
They all looked so cute lined up at the tables. There were about six kids on each side of the table. When I asked Taylor what he liked about the day, he said the bible story and play time. Sounds like a great school day to me!
By the time we got out the door to go home, he was ready to leave... this picture says it all. I asked him to smile, and he said he was too tired, so his fingers had to help him. Ok, Smarty.

Speaking of smarty, watch this:



Do you THINK he's ready for school? Maybe he could teach them a thing or two...

Who do they take after?

My friend, Liza, found this cool look-alike meter (thanks Liza!) - you be the judge! Is it right?

Who does Maddie look like??



Who does Taylor look like?



Ummmm.... yeah. Shocker, I know.

Maddie N. Norris - Kindergartener!

Can you believe it? I can't! Here she is, though. Maddie is finally a Kindergartener!

Maddie was so excited! This morning when I woke her up and told her it was time to get ready for school, she acted like it was Christmas morning! I suppose for a little one, it kind of IS like Christmas... she gained 11 new friends, a GREAT teacher Tammy, blueberry muffins for breakfast, and hot cocoa after her first day of class - ALL IN ONE DAY! Who can blame her!
This is Maddie's class. Now, because there was already another "Madison" in the class, our Madisyn will be going by "Maddie" at school, which she it totally fine to do. When we walked into the classroom today, all the kids were buzzing! There was a cute note on the board of how we could help our kids get ready for class:

1. Put bags and lunches in their cubbies:
2. Hang up your coat
3. Wash your hands
4. Find your stick (still don't know what that was for, but it had her name on it...)
5. Sit in the circle
6. Give kisses goodbye!


This was the little girl Maddie chose to sit by. Her name is Alli. She had a matching (almost) shirt like Maddie's, which she thought was pretty cool. Maddie made sure to talk to all the kids today. She, of course, has no problem conversing with total strangers. She was so excited for class to start.

When I picked her up, I asked her what the class rules were: No kicking, hitting, punching, being mean, or jumping up and down (that last one was Colby's input, a boy in her class). She said her favorite part of the day was playing in the gym for "recess" - ah, yes, isn't that always the favorite part of any kid's school day?

Here's to a great year!!

Sick boy

When he woke up yesterday, I knew something was wrong. First of all, he didn't wake UP until almost 9:30 am, then he didn't take two bites of his cereal (which he usually downs), then he was yawning all morning telling me he was still tired. At first I thought, oh, he must be growing - because that is a mother's answer to why he is sleeping more than normal

We had planned to go to the park for a picnic, so when we showed up, one thing led to another, and everything melted down for him. He wanted to go home. Then I KNEW something was wrong. When we got home around noon, he laid down for a much needed nap. After a couple hours he was back up, but not much better. Decided he wanted to watch a movie. About an hour into the movie, I noticed he wasn't even in the room to watch the movie. Maddie didn't know where he'd gone either. This is where I found him:

He'd gone ahead and put himself BACK in bed, pulled the covers up, and went back to sleep. He looked so sweet, but it was so sad.

When he woke up, he stayed in bed for a good hour, missing dinner, then decided he needed a bath. After his bath, he curled up with his bear, Boomer, and my blankie in my bed, and relaxed. He looked much better, but didn't feel better, he said.There is almost nothing that makes this kid feel better except being able to take a picture with his mom's camera:Not bad for a sicky. Ten otter pops later, he seems to be feeling a little better, but not healthy. Please pray for all our health as the school season begins. None of us can afford to be sick!

Seattle with friends

On of my most FAVORITE things is catching up with old friends. Yesterday I got together with some of my very favorite people. In my younger days, I was VERY involved in a children's theatre group, Creative Theatre Experience (CTE). It was my life every summer. Shannon, Bethany and Jeremy were all a part of it with me. We are like family. We get together every Christmas break for dinner, but occasionally, we get to see each other MORE than once a year. Yesterday was that day!

Jeremy was back from New York to visit his new niece, and Bethany and Shannon live in Seattle, so we got together for lunch in Seattle. We ate at Gordon Biersch - yummy, then took the Monorail over to the Pacific Science Center to walk around. Of course, the kids were thrilled that they got to ride on a train!

Taylor and Maddie BOTH took to Jeremy... must be the teddy bear face! :-)

They also LOVED playing in the fountain. They kept trying to dodge the water sprays. Maddie got it once - it was hilarious!

I have to put this video on here. Maddie and Taylor were playing this game where they'd throw a cup down the hill, then race to get it. Taylor got mad at Maddie for throwing his cup, and the fit that ensued was HILARIOUS!!

Can you say: NAPTIME?!

Bethany and I at the fountain

The highlight of the trip for Maddie was "driving" the Monorail. The driver was so nice and let Maddie come up, push the horn and decide whether to go fast or slow... Maybe we've just discovered why the Monorail has had two accidents in recent years...

Alas, the day ended, and this was our drive home! What a fun day.

Shan, Bethany, and Jer - thank you! I loved getting time with all of you. See you in three months!

Are you kidding me?!

For those of you (myself included) who have been wondering what my next two years will look like for nursing school, here it is:

NINETEEN INCHES and counting... and THIS is only for the first QUARTER!!!

I think I will use a lot of them throughout the two years, but there are still MORE books to buy next quarter!

Pray with me AND for me!!

Bike-a-thon

As you can tell from the last couple blogs, Maddie and Taylor have been really into riding their bikes lately. Taylor really wants his training wheels off, but Maddie needed to accomplish that first. His will come off soon, I think. He seems ready. They can always go back on, but he is so determined, I bet we'll soon have a blog with the joyous news of his new accomplishment! Until then, here are a couple cute pictures from the week of bike riding.
This is taken at ROCKET DONUTS! It is one of the best kept secrets of Bellingham. I wish it was still a secret to me because I can't stay away!! Think Krispy Kreme - but WAAAAYYYYYY better!

I am so proud...

What a monumental day!




Maddie's triumph! A day none of us will forget!

"Look momma, NO WHEELS!"

Girl Time

Maddie and I got some much needed girl time with our "fun friend," Miss Amy. Before I go on, let me clarify: our "fun friend" is titled that way because she and her husband are our friends whom we do nothing with EXCEPT have fun... don't go to church, work or the gym together, aren't related, have nothing to do with them except have fun; therefore, they are our fun friends.

Miss Amy and I thought it would be fun to include Maddie in our bi-monthly ritual of breakfast at our favorite local cafe, Old Town Cafe. We have met there for breakfast for almost nine years now... we order the SAME thing every time - fruit, homemade granola, and yogurt. YUM! Maddie thought she was so special coming to our breakfast. Miss Amy and I thought it bizarre that we had been going to breakfast for so long before Maddie was born, had brought her with us to breakfast years before in her infant carrier, and now the big girl is getting ready to go to Kindergarten. Ugh!

Got Milk?

After breakfast, we drove around looking for some good garage sales, but somedays are hit and miss. This was definitely a miss...

Finally, we headed to get our nails done. Miss Amy chose to get a pedicure, instead. Maddie, of course, was quite taken with the foot bath Miss Amy got to put her feet in. It did have bubbles, after all... Then it was her turn to get her nails done! She was so cute sitting there. I told her to be sure and listen to what the man said to do. She was VERY good! I have to say, it was so cute how she picked her nail color. The decal on the window of the store had a lady with bright pink nails, so Maddie decided that she wanted to look like the lady in the window... oh well.
It was such a fun day, we are already planning our next "girl time." Maddie has already decided she wants to have a foot bath like Miss Amy... ah, beauty!

Penny for your thoughts?

My daughter LOVES our dog, Cede (say-dee). Unfortunately since we are renting our house, we can't have her with us. She is currently living with my mom on the farm in Olympia. This breaks Maddie's heart. When we go to visit my mom, Maddie spends practically the entire trip hanging out with Cede. It is really adorable. I have told Maddie that when we get a new house with fence around it, we can have Cede back. This summer we were very close to moving to a house with a fence, but it didn't happen.

Madisyn's brain amazes me. Her memory is better than mine. She can go somewhere once and remember it two years later. She DOESN'T forget. I need to always remember that.

Fast forward to today. We stopped at my school to drop off some paperwork. There is a fountain on campus that my kids LOVE to toss pennies in... As we stood looking at the fountain, Maddie asked me if she could have a penny to wish for a fence. She didn't say it like she was begging me for it; just like she had been thinking about her dog, wishing for her.

If that doesn't break your heart...

The Perfect Day

Yesterday was a great example of what a perfect day is like for me! We spent the entire day hanging out as a family... With all the busyness of the summer, we haven't had much of a chance to do family outings. Now, we are trying to make up for that!

We hoped in the car and headed up to Newton Wave Pool in Surrey, B.C., Canada... it was cloudy down here, but in B.C., it was beautiful. That made the drive nice. The wave pool is indoors, so it was very comfortable! They have three different pools, and the kids made use of ALL three. Maddie said her favorite was the medium size one that has a little blue slide going into it. There was also a really big wave pool that both the kids liked. Taylor especially liked running into the waves as they rolled in. Maddie is certainly a water child! She goes crazy when she gets in the water. Any sense of self control she has before she gets in the water (which isn't much...) goes completely away! Out of control! Taylor was not as adventurous as Madisyn, but he still really enjoyed being in the water.

One thing I have to say that was funny was the reaction we got from the border patrol guards coming and going. When they asked where we were going/where we had been, and we told them to a swimming pool, they were both dumbfounded as to why we were going to Canada to go swimming... they must have thought we didn't know the US had swimming pools!

After the pool, we headed back the the US and went straight to Ed & Aileen's Dairy in Lynden for .39 cent ice cream cones and end of the season blackberries!! So good.... can you tell?

We stopped at my sister's house in Lynden before we started home. We ate dinner at this cute little diner on the Hannegan Road called the Rusty Wagon. Rick said he'd driven by the place a hundred times, but had never eaten there... it was really good! We might have to go back!

The night ended with the kids fast asleep from a long day of playing, and Rick and I shared some time together watching this gorgeous sunset!
Perfect!

Good Food... Good Friends... no kids!

I love it when Rick and I get a chance to have a night out without kids. I obviously love my kids, BUT, I really love being out in public and not having to clean food off of shirts, order from the kids menus, or make three trips to the bathroom! I especially love that time when it's with my husband. Friday night was spent doing just that!!

Our friends, Brian and Kristi, were so gracious and took us out on the town in Seattle! We had a delicious meal at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. It was amazing. The filet mignon is bar none the best I've ever had! They serve it on a plate that is 500 degrees, so it continues to cook once it's brought to you! SOOOO good. We finished the night with a delicious dessert at Prizzo Italian Restaurant in U Village. We all ordered something different: lemon cheesecake with raspberry sauce, tiramisu, gelato, ice cream.... ALL good.

We would have topped the night off with Krispy Kremes, but there was literally NO ROOM left - plus I think we might have all thrown up! What a fun night...

New lesson...

Yesterday was a monumental day for Maddie and Taylor... they both learned to ride their bikes! Up until now, Maddie has been very hesitant to get on her bike. She was pretty scared she'd fall off. While we assured her there would be times she would fall, she needed to try! Taylor took the initiative and did it first. Shortly after, Maddie hopped on her bike and excelled!

This was the first try:




Finally, success!




Next.... training wheels come off! That might take awhile.

Grandpa Eric and Uncle Bryan

When I got back from Chicago, my dad and brother were up for a visit! We had a wonderful and (unfortunately) short visit. We walked all over Fairhaven and downtown Bellingham, but my favorite part of the trip was flying kites at Zuanich Park. My dad and brother have high-performance kites that they do tricks with, and Taylor flew a kite for the first time! It was so cute watching him out there with them - they had the cool fancy kites, Taylor had his dollar store Backyardigans kite. Perfect.Thanks for the visit dad and Bryan... we miss you already!

Chicago... finally!

Well.... after almost nine years, I finally returned to one of my favorite places on earth - CHICAGO! I lived there for almost three years after college. I lived in Hyde Park on the south side, and also lived off Southport in Lakeview on the north side. I loved this city for everything it has to offer.... the food, the mixing pot of cultures, the arts, the CUBS! Chicago, I have always said, is basically your typical small, midwestern town stuck in a big city. More times than not, the peeps of Chicago are friendly - get this: they actually SMILE. Unheard of in big cities. I love the smell of Chicago, too. Can't quite describe it except for it is a great combination of pee-filled subways, greek/mexican/italian food, and peanuts with a hint of rain.

My best friends from college, Michele, Lori, and Julie, all decided that since it was our 10-year graduation anniversary, we needed to meet for a reunion. Chicago was the perfect place. I flew into Indianapolis, and after lunch with some friends, we drove up to Chicago and met Julie at our hotel.
Now when I say Chicago is a small town, I mean they have the hospitality of a small town. EVERYWHERE we went, we were being GIVEN things - drinks, food, covers! People showered us with midwestern hospitality! It was fantastic. Case in point: We ate dinner the first night at my favorite mexican joint, Uncle Julio's Hacienda. The manager came to our table because he heard we Julie had a food allergy. He wanted to be sure she was taken care of, and she suggested he take care of us with free margaritas! Go figure - he brought them right over. Hilarious. We felt like superstars. Actually, we kept joking that we were kind of like the 'Sex and the City' girls - minus the sex. Oh, and on the way to dinner this night, we were walking by an art gallery that was having a grand opening... the doorman beckoned us in and offered us wine and hors d'oeuvers. Hospitality. The art was ok, too. Actually they had a gorgeous B/W photo of a dancer's shadow.... I loved it.

The next day was spent shopping and enjoying the Magnificent Mile. While I know there is SOOO much more to Chicago than the tourist trap of the MM, it was still fun just to walk the big city streets and just "BE" in the atmosphere. Filene's Basement, H & M's, Water Tower Place, Forever 21... a lot of great stores not our here.

Insert funny story here:
So we were walking the street and came upon this person spray painted silver with a bucket of money in front of her. Now, I have seen those amazing street perfomers who pose like mannequins for hours and will only move if you tip them. So we walked by this "lady" who was "performing" with a huge crowd around her. We were all waiting to see if she would move. She was AMAZING. She didn't BUDGE! She was as still a mannequin. So, Michele decided to tip her to see her move positions. Nothing. A few more minutes.... nothing. Five minutes.... nothing. We kept saying, "Is she even real? She has to be!" So Julie went up and touched her ear to see if she flinched - NOT REAL!! We paid $1 to watch a freakin' mannequin! The best part is a guy finally walked up in a silver suit and started preparing for the REAL show. We didn't stick around to see what IT was, but I thought he was ingenious for leaving his money pail. The dude made a buck for nothing! Ha. Tourists....













This was dinner on our second night. We ate Medi- terranean at Tizi Melloul's. It was a really fun atmosphere. Our maitre d', Stephen, was fantastic - our server, not so much. When Stephen asked how our night was, we told him we weren't thrilled with the server. He asked what could be done, we suggested he just make sure we were taken care of. He did. He brought us all champagne! Again, midwestern hospitality.
On our final day, we didn't leave the hotel room, except for breakfast. We went on four hour trek to find some good, quick, cheap breakfast, only to discover that on a rainy Sunday morning in Chicago, nothing is quick or cheap. We walked to a restaurant that had about 30 people waiting for five tables, so we hopped in a cab bound for one of my fav greasy spoons in Lincoln Park. Alas.... after 15 minutes in the cab, we discovered it was no longer there. So we continued to drive, finally stopping at the first restaurant we saw. After an hour long wait, we finally were seated in the corner with the air conditioning blowing directly on us. Now, if it were the normal 95 degrees summer day in Chicago, it would have been welcomed. BUT, it was a cold, rainy, 65 degree Washington-weather day in Chicago - no AC was needed, but alas we had it.

After a LONG bus ride - walk - then train ride back to the hotel, a nap was in order. We decided to stay in for our "last supper." What is the perfect last Chicago meal???
Yep! Giordano's deep dish pizza!! SOOOO good. Except, we were also hungry for Chinese. So we ordered both. That is the beauty of delivery.

Julie left the next morning to head back to Michigan, and Lori, Michele and I drove around for a little while to explore my old stomping grounds. We drove through Lakeview, Lincoln Park, down Belmont, Southport, Halstead, Clybourne, Sedgwick.... all my favorite neighborhoods and streets. It is amazing how after so much time I can still remember it like it was yesterday.

I spent the last few hours in Chicago by myself, reminiscing. I ate lunch one last time at Uncle Julio's (yes, it was THAT good), then headed to the airport. The music on my iPod on the train was very fitting - almost as if a soundtrack were playing. It was an instrumental song Rick wrote for me a while back, but I felt like I was watching myself in a movie - sitting on the train, remembering, watching the city go by...

I loved every minute of it. Now...back to reality. Thank you MJ, Jules, and LV for the memories!! I can't wait until next time....