Mommy, Daddy (and Doggy) Go On Holiday

Well, after almost 9 months, Mommy and Daddy finally took their first long weekend without Ms. Norah. You'd think that almost 9 months of sleep deprivation, diaper changing, crying/screaming patrol, spit-up cleaning, baby-proofing, teething, and...well....life changing events would lend itself to Mommy and Daddy being more ready than ever to 'get the hell outta Dodge' so-to-speak but, as all things have been since Norah-Belle was born, it wasn't that easy. The maximum time that D & J had been away from Norah since she was born was only about 14 hours, so this was a bit of a challenge.

After a few tears and a ton of big hugs and kisses, Mommy and Daddy left Norah in the care of Grandma and Poppi while they took their other 'fur child', Angus, down to the cabin in NC for a few days of R&R and to close the place up for the Winter.

All in all, it was a TON of fun, and we're glad that we did it. We played cards, went fly-fishing, hiking, poked around the shops in some quaint towns, sat by a roaring fire, ate WONDERFUL food, took in the beautiful Fall Foliage and just generally loved spending time with one another and, of course, Angus.

Our beautiful little Boxer-Boy had the best time by far. He got to be off leash and traipse around the woods, sleep on the couch, take hikes and have Mom and Dad all to himself for over 48 hours! Even though Angus is THE BEST 'big brother' that we could ask for, we sometimes forget that he needs his 'alone time w/ Mommy & Daddy' too, so we're glad that he got to have that.

Grandma and Poppi took EXCELLENT care of our little baby and she, too, had a blast. It's safe to say that we all got a welcome holiday!

Windmill Farms '09...A Day That Will Live In Infamy

It started out as a great idea: "It's a beautiful, crisp Fall day. Let's take Norah out to a pumpkin patch and petting zoo", we thought. Well, you know what they say: 'The best laid plans of mice and men...." right? :-)

Norah had a great time, initially. We bought some cider so that Daddy can make some hard cider to warm us during the Winter months. Norah played in a pumpkin patch and got to pose with one as big as she is. We got our picture taken with Frankenstein and some other scary characters. And, we even got to visit with some roosters, goats and deer.

Then, came the Lama pen. We had been having such a fun time getting up close and personal with the animals that we didn't even think about the quirky personalities of these "Sweaters-with-hooves" until it was too late. And, for those of you that don't know...lamas spit....a lot.

We were just about to get the cutest shot of this furry little friend sauntering up to our daughter when....WHAM! This precious Peruvian animal hocked up a giant loogie and spat it in Norah's face! That's right. You heard it here. A lama spit in our daughter's face.

Mommy and Daddy's fears were quickly assuaged once we ascertained that the offensive liquid had not gotten in her eyes and/or mouth and began laughing. Norah, on the other hand, did not take this assault so lightheartedly. She began crying...hard. After a few minutes of tears (and some anti-bacterial gel on her hands etc...) Norah came back to her senses and was right as rain. The incident, however, will be forever etched in our memories....just one of the many that we love to share with all of you.

It All Started With....

...a kiss on Oct. 8th 2000. A "Yes" on Oct. 8th 2004. And an "I Do" on Oct. 8th 2005. Nine years of togetherness and 4 years of marriage and the Honeymoon still isn't over. JC & Dan's Big Adventure continues....with our little Diva of a daughter! :-)