Waiting to see what Santa brought

Po learns a new skill

Climbing on tables.

Look out Craig!

Did Porter take this picture?

Nah, he was napping.

New York, New York!

What a fun vacation! Craig was sweet enough to take care of the kids this weekend while I have a quick trip to NYC to see Joe and Brett! We've had a great time, shopping and even going on a night cruise around the city. Lots of gorgeous scenery and good drinks, followed up by a late night dinner to Perilla (my favorite place to eat in NYC, and Joe and Brett's too)!

Finn Dudley

In my travels to DC, I went to see one of my very best friends Abbie Dixon Dudley. Abbie and husband Nate's 8-month old Finn is such a cutie! Huge blue eyes and the cutest smile ever. He even has a hilarious low crawl that gets him around the room in a flash. Abbie, pack your running shoes!

Prague friends

Katie, Megan and Sydney

Last week I had the chance to visit our dear friends the O'Briens, who recently moved back from Abu Dhabi to the DC area. While Jack is on an overseas assignment, Jan and the girls are getting settled back into the area. I also got to see Rita and Andy Roth and their daughter Sydney, who live in the area and were Prague friends as well. It was so nice to spend time with them, and I only wish my girls could have seen their friends too!

Po rides the Wonder Horse

Porter absolutely loves the Wonder Horse (circa 1967) that belonged to Craig as a child and that all four have loved thus far. He's a little more interested in me and the camera, though!

First day of second grade

Since we moved into our new house in the spring, Martha changed schools to Gullett Elementary, and yesterday was the first day of school. She was excited and a little nervous, although it turns out she knew several girls from summer camp and made a few new friends as well. She has a new teacher, Ms. Barnes, which she proclaimed as "very nice." She was thinking of her first grade teacher at Highland Park however (Mrs. Powers) and wondering how her first day was going. (A trip to see Mrs. Powers shortly is in order.)

Before and after

Grayson had his first haircut a few months ago, at the Main Street barbershop at Disney World, no less! See the difference for yourself. It would seem that our fears that the curls would be gone forever were unfounded, as they are already coming back!

Pudgy and perfect

Isn't he beautiful?

Princesses

I am way behind on Disney pictures, since annual training has taken over my life! Here is a photo of the girls at the Grand Floridian hotel after the Cinderella dinner. More photos to come soon.

Martha's new bike

Before I left for DC the day after Memorial Day, Martha was still riding with training wheels. (Craig and I totally missed helping her learn last summer, bad parents!!) I told her that once she was able to take off the stabilizers, she could pick out a new bike. Two weeks later when I returned, she was riding on two wheels. We had looked at a number of bikes at a number of different bike stores and Target, but she loved this one the first time she saw it. We went back for it on Sunday, and she spent yesterday afternoon riding like the wind.

Jennings' ballet recital

Second from the left

Fourth from the left

Jennings and the rest of her ballet class from Slavin Nadal Ballet had their first recital on Sunday. It was adorable, and even had a costume change! Jennings was very excited to receive the beautiful roses that Martha (amazingly!) picked out just for her.

Martha rides

Martha, doing what she loves best

Sea World

Shamu! Shamu! Shamu!

(As screamed several hundred thousand times by a certain curly-headed 2-year old)

Cotton Candy

Jennings' 4th Birthday

Jennings recently had her 4th birthday and wanted to have a slumber party! We decided to follow in her friend Lillia's footsteps and have a pretend slumber party, where everyone came dressed in their PJs and brought sleeping bags and teddy bears. A good (noisy!) time was had by all, even Grayson (the only boy begrudgingly invited).

More pictures from the backyard

In the backyard

The children are enjoying the new house, their new rooms, and especially the back yard. While it is not as big as the one at the rented house, it has a "climbing tree" that Martha climbs and everyone else loves to sit in. Porter is enjoying taste-testing the grass and sticks the yard has to offer. The weather has been great with the exception of today, as it is pouring rain and dark outside. But the yard needs it and there are flowers to plant!

Our house

A very, very, very fine house!

Now if all those boxes would unpack themselves....

Swing!

We took a long walk yesterday to see the runners in the Austin marathon and ended up at Ramsey Park near our old house. The kids love this park and Porter had his first go in the swing. The looks says it all, he loved it!

The house hunt continues...

We've been crazy-busy house hunting these past few weeks with Craig home, some highs and some lows. (Particulary an enlightening white-knuckle experience trying to back out of a crazily steep "driveway of death" on a house we had just made an offer on. Yes, we rescinded. Note to self: make sure the Suburban can back out BEFORE deciding it's a dream house!)

The good news is interest rates are low and there are tons of awesome houses on the market in the areas we want to be. Austin has great elementary schools, and we are concentrating the search oon the top four on our list, which are happily close to work and the younger childrens' preschools.

Of course there is still an offer on the table for us to move with my company to DC for two or more years, hmmmmm. Never a dull moment with the Normands!

I did it!

Unbelievably, I covered this office chair all by myself! Ok, so it isn't pretty underneath and who knows how long it will hold up once it is sat upon, but it looks nice for now. I forgot to take a before picture of the ugly patterned brocade that it had, and there was NO way I was going to un-staple it! (Note to self: borrow Monika's staple gun because my office stapler is not the handiest for recovering projects....)