Monday, June 22, 2009

A chair, Baby June, AND Baby Ethan


Nonna's House Summer 2009, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Norah loves Ethan's toddler-sized recliner. Ethan loves whatever Norah loves, so he is squished onto it too. I guess he is still toting around his man-satchel (Alessia's old purse), while Norah continues to tote June around.

If this is how my daughter is being treated...


Nonna's House Summer 2009, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

This may look shocking, but Norah actually put herself into Zero's kennel....or so my sister tells me....

Nonna's House! 2


Nonna's House Summer 2009, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Norah and Nonna and Jeri went to a Father's Day picnic, and Norah got to play in the "Big Pool" as she called it. She loved sitting and splashing in this kayak.

Nonna's House!


Nonna's House Summer 2009, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

We sent Norah ahead of us to Nonna's house so that I (Chiara) could get some work in at my old job. Everyone is pitching in to watch her for the 4 days she is unaccompanied by parents in MI! She is having a great time, though.

Nonna said that Norah kept telling her that Mamma and Daddy were at the store (It's going to be a LONG trip to the store!). I wonder if she has figured it out yet.

Here are she and Ethan in his pool.

Yet another box


Mid June049, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Did we mention that our daughter loves to sit in cardboard boxes?

Mr. Heart Shirt 2


Mid June043, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Rachael couldn't wait to show Cy's daddy when they got home! Cy couldn't wait for it to stop raining so he could finally go outside!

Mr. Heart Shirt


Mid June039, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Baby Cy was over at our house and had a MAJOR situation with his diaper. Consequently, he was without clothes, and since Norah was napping in her room, the only option we had was to put him in her backup outfit which I keep in her diaper bag. So, like it or not, Cy is wearing a shirt with hearts all over it!

Happy Fathers Days


Mid June035, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

She started filling in extra letters to help me finish the message. Thanks, Norah!

Happy Father's Day


Mid June020, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

This was Norah's card for James for Father's Day. She wanted to help, and saw that the "I" which I was using for an "H" at the end of her name was sideways, so she fixed it for me. There was NO convincing her to turn it back on its side, so I just bit the bullet and took the photo.

Potato Heads


Mid June006, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Is this what we look like to Norah? She pointed at the first and said, "Daddy", the second and said, "Mamma" and the third and said, "Baby". Very modern-art if you ask me!

Chalk time


Mid June053, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

One of our favorite evening activities is sidewalk chalking our patio. It has been raining so much that every day, we get a clean slate on which to draw our masterpieces. Norah always insists on drawing "Big Jet", and James is willing to oblige on most occasions. Here, however, he decided to draw a rattlesnake. Norah is helping.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Two Years ago


Second Day014, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Here are James and Norah on June 1, 2007. Norah is 1 day old, and James is 29 years old! How time flies!

Cupcakes are yummy


May June 2009004, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Norah really enjoys her cupcakes. They always end up all over her face, including inside her nostrils!

More Bump!


May June 2009009, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Another action shot. I always get knocked out of this game in the first round, so I was available to take photos!

Bump!


May June 2009008, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Here's an action shot of James playing Bump!

Birthday Picnic


May June 2009007, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

We had a Hemsley Birthday Barbecue at our house, and Norah got to eat her cupcake on her new kind-sized picnic table. Here she is hanging out with our friend Andy.

Still not a box!


May June 2009015, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

The Not a Box is still in Norah's room, and she still makes a beeline for it whenever she is up there. It houses random toys, stuffed animals, her 2 woolen blankets that she insists on sleeping with, tea cups, puzzle pieces, and Norah from time to time!

2 years old


May June 2009028, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Norah getting ready to eat cake.

Birthday Duo


May June 2009022, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Here are James and Norah in their birthday hats. James' is "Transformers", and Norah's is "Dora the explorer". I had one on too, but luckily I am on the OTHER side of the camera!

James' birthday!


May June 2009018, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

James' birthday was the day after Norah's, so we had a celebratory dinner and opened gifts for both of them on this evening. Here are the birthday duo (+ one June doll which Norah drags everywhere!).

This way!


May June 2009040, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Norah is Ms. Independence. She has officially entered the "I can do it MYSELF" stage, and loves to take walks "by myself!" which is not a good habit to let her get into. Here she is pointing the way for Daddy.

Cool colors


May June 2009036, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

I think the colors in this photo turned out so crisply. It was a beautiful day for a 2nd birthday. Norah loved touching and smelling the irises that grew in our yard (behind her) this spring. Now, the irises are gone and she is always telling us: "Iris all gone. Go to sleep. Play hide-seek."

I'm 2!


May June 2009035, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

I sent James out with Norah on her birthday to get some cute 2-year-old photos, and this is what I find on the camera's memory card!

Anyway, Norah is 2! We had a quiet birthday, and then celebrated later that week with a barbecue for all of our local friends.

It was a man's weekend too!


May June 2009043, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

James, Nick, Jim, and my dad did many manly things during the weekend too. They went golfing, shooting targets, saw Terminator 17 or whichever one is out now, and played two-player Nintendo DS games. Who says guys can't have fun at a bridal shower?

Not a box!


May June 2009099, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

I tell you, where there are boxes, there are happy children who are more than willing to sit in those boxes! Here are Lolo and Christopher busting one of the not-a-boxes at the shower!

Sunny's Shower 4


May June 2009095, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Sunny was VERY excited to receive this colander. I am not joking--I think it was her favorite gift! :-) Considering the amount of pasta my brother Nick eats (he can eat about a pound in one sitting!)--this will come in very useful!

Sunny's Shower 3


May June 2009094, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

We had two stowaways at the party: Lolo and Christopher. They entertained themselves by going under the gift table and hiding from us!

Sunny's Shower 2


May June 2009091, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

She got these cute aprons from her mom.

Sunny's Shower


May June 2009085, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

We hosted a bridal shower for Sunny (and Nick...) while we were in GR. It was a good time, and nice to meet her mom and her sister, Wendy.

River Walk 2


May June 2009063, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

This is a better shot!

The River walk


May June 2009061, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Here are Norah and Jeri on the River Walk, a very nice boardwalk all up and down the river through downtown.

By the fish ladder...


May June 2009054, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Here are Nonna and Norah near what appears to be the fish ladder. I am glad I wasn't with them, because Norah is far too close to the raging Grand river for my comfort!!!!!! Looks like Nonna has quite a grip on the stroller, though!

Grand Rapids trip


May June 2009053, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

We all went to GR in late May for Sunny's bridal shower. Nonna and Jeri took Norah for a long walk downtown to keep Norah out of my way while I was trying to prepare for the shower. Here is Nonna and Norah on the big button in G. R. Ford Park.

The Projects 3


May June 2009145, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Here's the frame we all built for James' world map. It turned out really nicely, and much more economical than the several hundred dollars it would have cost to have it framed professionally!

The Projects 2


May June 2009144, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

One of the major and most noticeable things Grandpa and Oma helped with was putting the light fixture in the recently painted bathroom, and also framing out the mirror so it looks more inviting.

Here is a list of the other things they (we) did:
built a screen for one of our front windows
fixed the front door weather stripping and added a latch
built frame for mirror and world map (next photo)
hung light fixture
painted porch posts
planted vegetables and flowers
hung new blinds in our bedroom
fixed a snow shovel that was broken
fixed the deck boards that were loose
replaced thermostat

And so much more! All in about 1 week! Thanks Dad and Maria!

The Projects 1


May June 2009140, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Grandpa and Oma helped us with so many project while they were here. I will list them in the next post, but here is evidence of one of them. Oma scraped and repainted my porch supports which were rusting badly. It took a lot longer than I thought, and I helped a little, but kept getting side-tracked. Anyway, thank you Maria for all your work on this--they look great! And, the Clematis plant loves his new, rust free trellis!

The Big Rocks


May June 2009138, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Here is a nice photo with Grandpa and Oma on the Big Rocks. I think the rocks are actually chunks of limestone with fossils in them from the Lake MacBride area.

Still swinging!


May June 2009134, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Norah could swing all day every day, but we always have to lure her away somehow. Here is one last shot to show how much she likes it!

To lure her away, we told her she could walk by herself over to the rocks to take some photos there. It worked...

Higher, Oma, Higher!


May June 2009114, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Oma was lucky enough to push Norah on the swings, too! Here is a picture that shows how high she likes to go!

Higher, Grandpa, Higher!


May June 2009116, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Norah LOVES the park, so we took a walk there one morning to show Grandpa and Oma the wonderful swings. Plus, they needed a break from all the projects they were doing at our house (more on that later!).

Grandpa and Oma got roped into swinging Norah, who is a very demanding swing-er. She loves to go "Higher!" I guess she does not share my fear of heights....

One Hot Day 2


May June 2009164, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Baby Cy finally got used to the water and started splashing--Norah kept saying, "No, Baby Cy, No!" whenever she would get splashed!

One Hot Day


May June 2009162, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

We have had a cold and rainy spring, for the most part. But, once in a while, God throws us a bone to keep us thinking that summer might be on its way. This was a nice hot day, and we set up Norah's pool so she and Baby Cy could splash around a little. There is Baby Cy's mom, Rachael, too.

What's inside?


May June 2009156, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Grandpa, Oma, and Norah are checking out the interior of the fire engine.

Grandpa and Oma


May June 2009148, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

Grandpa and Oma came to visit, and we all went to a garden store to pick out some flowers. Turns out they have a hot pink old-fashioned fire engine at this place too. We had to take a photo!

More not a box!


May June 2009167, originally uploaded by James Hemsley.

I was working on the computer and Norah was playing with her tea set, which is housed in the box you see in this photo. I turned around (after hearing that unsettling silence that usually means trouble) to find Norah smashed into the box! She is like a hamster that loves to squeeze itself into small places.

Anyway, since the camera was right there, I took a photo....