James Hemsley and the Family Band

Luke and Lucy Lou 2

2012-01-16T21:07:00.003-06:00

Luca and Lucia in the snow 2, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Doesn't Lucy look like she has just figured out how to escape from the sled?

Luke and Lucy Lou

2012-01-16T21:07:00.001-06:00

Luca and Lucia in the snow 1, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Luca and Lucia are only about 2 months apart in age, so we hope they will be great friends. In the meantime, we are forcing them to spend some quality time together on a sled in the middle of a sea of deep snow--they have no choice but to hang out together!

Mama and Luca

2012-01-16T21:05:00.001-06:00

Mama and Luca in the snow 2, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Me and my baby pausing for a quick photo!

I can't put my arms down!

2012-01-16T21:04:00.002-06:00

Luca in the snow 2, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's Luca toddling around in his snow gear--he was so puffy he couldn't turn his head and could barely walk, but he still had a blast! He kept walking around, pointing, and saying "No, No!" (Snow, Snow!)

Snow, sweet snow!

2012-01-16T21:03:00.001-06:00

Kids in the snow, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

It finally snowed here in the Midwest and the kids got a chance to use their winter gear. We went up to MI for a quick visit and the kids had a blast playing in the snow--even the babies!

Grandparents!

2012-01-10T18:45:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno026, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Grandma and Grandpa got in on one last shot!

Brothers, wives, and kids

2012-01-10T18:44:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno024, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here we are all posing together!

Chins out, tummies in!

2012-01-10T18:43:00.002-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno017, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

The three brothers posing together on our last night in Reno. We had a great time seeing everyone there! Hope we can come out again soon, only next time, there will be one MORE of us!

Ferris Wheel 3

2012-01-10T18:42:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno052, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Whoa! They were up high! I was glad to be on solid ground with Luca. Heights and I don't get along!

Ferris Wheel 2

2012-01-10T18:41:00.003-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno049, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

There they go!

Ferris Wheel

2012-01-10T18:41:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno043, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's Luca waiting to see Norah and Daddy get on the big Ferris wheel at Scheel's in Reno.

Grandmas

2012-01-10T18:38:00.003-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno089, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah and her grandma and great-grandma!

Competition

2012-01-10T18:38:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno083, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

James and Adam had a competition to see who could build the tallest tower. They did not factor in the "Luke factor," which is to say, they didn't plan on him coming by and knocking down the towers with one quick swipe of his toddler hand! Poor Adam!

Norah and Ahpah

2012-01-10T18:36:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno075, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here are Norah and her great-grandmother (Ahpah) having a hug!

Train Museum!

2012-01-10T18:34:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno054, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We went to Sacramento for a few days to visit the Morgan side of the family, and, while there, we visited the Sacramento Train Museum with Uncle Adam and Aunt Cassie. The kids had a lot of fun looking at and playing on the old trains!

Back in time

2012-01-10T18:33:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno125, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

There was one Model T that the kids could actually climb into and play. They had dress-up hats for them to wear. Don't they look quaint?

Car Museum

2012-01-10T18:31:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno116, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We went to the National Automobile Museum one day to check out the cars. The kids had fun looking at all the old cars.

All the cars (or at least most) came from Harrah's (of Harrah's casinos) car collection; his criteria for collecting was that he wanted cars that were extremely rare, or that were one-of-a-kind. So, there were some pretty spectacular cars there.

At the park

2012-01-10T18:29:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno110, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We had another fantastic day in the high 40's, so we took the kids down the hill to a nice little park. It is so great that we can spend so much time outdoors in the winter! I am not ready for winter to really begin!

Christmas cookies

2012-01-10T18:28:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno188, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Aunt Liz helped Norah and Jacob decorate (and eat) some Christmas cookies. They had a lot of fun!

Christmas 3

2012-01-10T18:26:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno179, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here are Norah and Jacob checking out some other toys. You might be wondering where Luca is...he was taking a nap! In fact, he didn't open his gifts till about a week later--there never was a good time! Luckily, he was none-the-wiser that he had been passed over on Christmas!

Christmas 2

2012-01-10T18:23:00.003-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno155, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah got this cool bath set in its own clawfoot tub, which she now uses for her mini princess dolls!

Christmas!

2012-01-10T18:23:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno154, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

On Christmas Day, we got to finally open the gifts (Norah was very patient!) Jacob got this cool firetruck and pretty much only played with this toy for the rest of the day! He had no interest in opening his other toys!

Ice Skating 5

2012-01-10T17:40:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno219, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Peter and Liz are pros, so they took Norah around the rink FAST! She loved it!

Ice Skating 4

2012-01-10T17:39:00.003-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno217, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here they come!

Ice Skating 3

2012-01-10T17:39:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno213, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah and Daddy making their way (carefully) around the rink.

Ice Skating 2

2012-01-10T17:38:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno211, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's the group--the best group shot I could get!

Ice Skating

2012-01-10T17:37:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno208, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah, Daddy, Uncle Peter, Aunt Liz, and Jacob went ice skating one day. Norah fell a lot, but she was such a trooper. Last year, she would have started crying and would have wanted to quit. This year, she has been telling me, "I want to walk on the ice with those special shoes" so she was determined to give it her all. We were very impressed!

The three of us

2012-01-10T15:24:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno263, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Mommy the nervous, Norah the brave, and Luca the indifferent!

Another Norah shot

2012-01-10T15:23:00.003-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno261, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

It's almost impossible to take a bad photo when in such a beautiful place!

Positively

2012-01-10T15:23:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno258, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

James is positively an instigator (he loves to see my reactions to his crazy decisions) and Luca looks positively bored to be standing on top of this rock!

Heart attack!

2012-01-10T15:21:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno256, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

While I was snapping that last photo of Norah, I ASSUMED James was bringing my baby back to me, unharmed. I looked up, and there, about 8 feet above me, was James balancing precariously with my precious baby! All air left my lungs, and my heart skipped a beat (or 2 or 3), and then I yelled at him and snapped this photo!

Norah the daring

2012-01-10T15:19:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno255, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah climbed another one near the water's edge and I snapped this photo of her. What a cutie, if I do say so myself!

Making mommy nervous is fun!

2012-01-10T15:18:00.002-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno252, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

James loves making me nervous, so he took my two beloved children and walked them down close to the water to touch the big boulder. I was so nervous that he would trip and send Luca plunging into the icy water!

Can I climb one, too?

2012-01-10T15:16:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno244, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Luca wanted more than anything to climb the boulders, too. His puffy coat was not ideal for climbing (and he is 18 mos. old!), so he was not able to scale this one...

Norah climbs her first boulder

2012-01-10T15:15:00.002-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno242, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

On the way to Lake Tahoe, we were trying to explain to Norah what 'boulders' are, and I don't think she really got it until she climbed one!

On the shores of Lake Tahoe

2012-01-10T15:10:00.003-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno240, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

The water in Lake Tahoe is crystal clear--just beautiful. See those boulders back there? We will be climbing them soon!

That's about it

2012-01-10T15:10:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno235, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

It didn't snow AT ALL when we were in Reno. In fact, one day, it got up to 70 degrees! The ski resorts were using machines to pump snow out on their runs, since Christmas time is their peak season...they were not happy with the weather. I was delighted with the weather because driving over (usually snowy) mountain passes, which is usually a time when my blood pressure goes through the roof, was a calm and lovely experience this year!

Mommy and kids

2012-01-10T15:07:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno233, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

My turn with my lovelies!

Norah the explorer

2012-01-10T15:06:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno226, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Doesn't Norah look like an intrepid explorer, surveying her discovery?

We are holding their feet!

2012-01-10T15:05:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno224, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Because of the rocky cliff, I insisted that James hold their feet while I quickly snapped the photo!

Daddy and kids

2012-01-10T15:04:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno221, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Still enjoying the lookout above Lake Tahoe...on the other side of this wall, there is a sheer rocky cliff down a couple hundred feet. I was a nervous wreck while the kids were up there!

Lake Tahoe, you are beautiful!

2012-01-10T15:03:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno220, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's the Family Band at an overlook at Lake Tahoe. We drove over the pass one day because the weather was so mild and we wanted a change of scenery. Norah did not want to go at first, but soon, she was begging us not to leave (once she got a chance to climb some boulders...see coming photos)!

Miracle of miracles

2012-01-10T15:01:00.001-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno266, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

One night after dinner, as the daughters-in-law were cleaning up dishes, we didn't hear any screaming from the kids so we looked over only to find the 3 Hemsley brothers each reading a book to one child! How helpful!

Luca's cars

2012-01-10T14:59:00.002-06:00

Late December 2011 Reno292, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

James got Luca these little construction cars for our plane trip out to Reno, NV. He loves them and can identify them when asked. He even says 'bulldozer' in his own Luca way.

Speaking of Reno, we flew out for a couple weeks to spend time with the Hemsley clan. Norah was a superstar (as usual) on the plane; Luca earned a C- on the way there. He would not fall asleep until the very end and spent a lot of time kicking and writhing. But, we made it, and had a great time once there!

Christmas Card outtake

2011-12-16T16:55:00.001-06:00

MidDec2011030, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Luca before the breakdown...

Christmas card outtake

2011-12-16T16:54:00.001-06:00

MidDec2011034, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's a cute one of Norah--at least she was behaving!

Christmas card FAIL

2011-12-16T16:53:00.001-06:00

MidDec2011039, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

I have been trying for some time now to get a decent photo of the two kids for our Christmas card. This is really difficult to do when any photo session lasting more than 10 seconds results in THIS!

Norah and Daddy

2011-12-16T16:51:00.001-06:00

MidDec2011020, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We had a party in her classroom after the sing-a-long, and here are Norah and Daddy posing by the Christmas tree that the kids decorated.

Christmas is coming!

2011-12-16T16:50:00.001-06:00

MidDec2011008, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah had a Christmas sing-a-long at school today, and I guess I am missing some brain cells because it didn't click for me to dress her in Christmas clothes (as all the other kids are...); oh, well!

She had a great time singing with her friends from school, and we got to join in on some of the carols, too!

Luca's reaction to Santa

2011-12-09T18:46:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011048, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

I had to post this even though I took a terrible photo....Luca was NOT into being placed in Santa's arms! Maybe next year!

Santa was a great sport about it--what a nice guy!

A little fuzzy, but....

2011-12-09T18:44:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011047, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here we are at a Christmas Party hosted by our realtor, Cindy. It was really nice, and Santa was there for the kids!
Unfortunately, this picture is fuzzy, but at least we are all in it!

Who's that baby?

2011-12-09T18:40:00.002-06:00

Early December 2011037, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

I don't know if I have ever posted our Hemsley Original Song, "Who's that baby?" It is very versatile, and we use it for both Norah and Luca, but mostly Luca now because he is still a "baby."
Here it is:

Who's that baby over there?
Luca Bear, Luca Bear!
Who's that baby with brown hair?
Luca Bear, Luca Bear!
Who's that baby sitting there?
Luca Bear, Luca Bear!
Who's that baby on the stairs?
Luca Bear, Luca Bear!
Go, Luca Bear!

Helpful girl

2011-12-09T18:37:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011035, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah liked to take Luke shoes off when they get home, and he seems to cooperate more for her than for me; go for it, Norah!

Group shot!

2011-12-09T18:36:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011032, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

At least Norah was looking at me for my picture--who knows how everyone else's turned out!

Ballerina 5

2011-12-09T18:35:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011029, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

3rd position? Correct me if I am wrong...

Ballerina 4

2011-12-09T18:34:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011028, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

2nd Position, I think....

Ballerina 3

2011-12-09T18:33:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011020, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

"Who wants to show the parents how we leap?"
"We do!!!"

Ballerina 2

2011-12-09T18:31:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011009, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

What a sweet girl!

Ballerina 1

2011-12-09T18:30:00.001-06:00

Early December 2011005, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah had her final ballet class of the year and all the parents were invited to watch what they have been learning. Here's Norah ready and waiting on her "X" to show us what she has learned!

Thanksgiving Extravaganzaaaaaaa!

2011-12-09T18:28:00.001-06:00

Late November002, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We had a massive Thanksgiving feast organized by our brother-in-law Jim's parents and Alessia and Sunny, and it was great! There were at least 70 in attendance, including my long lost brother Mark, who now lives in NY and thinks that that gives him the right to talk real funny. Here are Mark and Norah enjoying some appetizers before the actual feast!

Can we eat it now?

2011-12-09T18:26:00.001-06:00

Late November013, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Oma and Norah called "first smells" on the pie once it was out of the oven!

Apple pie and Oma

2011-12-09T18:25:00.001-06:00

Late November009, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Oma and Grandpa came for a visit after Adam and Cassie left, and Norah and Oma made a delicious apple pie! Here they are putting the crumb topping on...yum!

Norah on the boat

2011-12-09T18:24:00.003-06:00

Late November025, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's Norah enjoying the boat ride AND her cookie from lunch!

Adam and Cassie

2011-12-09T18:24:00.001-06:00

Late November022, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here are Adam and Cassie enjoying the ride on the boat. We are so glad we were able to spend some time with both of them!
At first, Norah and Luke were pretty terrified by Adam (Norah curled up into the fetal position when she first saw him and said she was 'tired'), but within about half an hour, they were all best friends!

Beautiful Baby

2011-12-09T18:22:00.001-06:00

Late November016, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

In mid-November, James brother Adam and his wife, Cassie came to visit Chicago. We all took a Chicago architecture boat tour. Here's Luca enjoying the scenery on the Chicago River.

At the zoo

2011-11-08T13:27:00.001-06:00

Early November 2011002, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We had some friends stay with us this past weekend, and as Saturday was another nice fall day, we all headed to the zoo.

Norah and Rory got to ride the carousel. They loved it!!!

Self portrait

2011-11-08T13:25:00.001-06:00

Early November 2011032, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

An attempt at a self portrait of the three of us...

Brother and Sister

2011-11-08T13:19:00.001-06:00

Early November 2011027, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

I tried to get a good photo of the both of them, but Luke was in serious need of a bang-trim (he has since had one!) and they were never both looking at me at the same time! Here, neither of them are looking at me, but they both look happy!

Raking Leaves 2

2011-11-08T13:17:00.003-06:00

Early November 2011015, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Luke and his rake---try to take it away and face the wrath of a 17-month-old!

Raking Leaves 1

2011-11-08T13:17:00.001-06:00

Early November 2011013, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

It was a beautiful fall day, so the kids and I went out to rake some leaves. Norah mostly just sat in this pile of leaves and buried herself, while Luke raked with his mini-rake.

On the prowl for candy

2011-11-08T13:14:00.001-06:00

Halloween 2011008, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We started with Norah and Luke walking--about 1 second after I took this photo, he fell on his face and scraped his forehead. So, he rode in the stroller while Norah ran from house to house.

Halloween Wildlife!

2011-11-08T13:12:00.001-06:00

Halloween 2011001, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah and Luke had a blast this Halloween. Norah wants everyone to know that she was a Butterfly Princess at school, but a lion at night so she could be warmer. Luke was a koala bear. Doesn't he look cozy?

Static, anyone?

2011-10-05T09:47:00.001-05:00

luke at the park1, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Baby hair is so fine--look how the static from the slide made Luke's hair stand on end! It was hilarious!

You could really see how long it was, but I am still not going to get it cut! I love when little boys have long(ish) curly hair!

This is what I like about fall...

2011-10-05T09:45:00.001-05:00

norah at the park, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

I love lovely fall days (in the low 70's) that are sunny and blustery--like yesterday!

Here's Norah at the park, enjoying being outside.

Turtle!

2011-10-03T10:29:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011011, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

On the way out of the garden, we saw some people that had found a turtle, so we went to take a look. The turtle was trying to get away, but turtles are slow so we were able to get some pictures! I wonder where this little turtle was going?

Takin' a break

2011-10-03T10:27:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011008, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah got down and sat next to Luca on his "bench." His bottom was pretty muddy after this little walk!

Luca's turn to walk

2011-10-03T10:26:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011005, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We moved away from the scores of people, and I let Luca out to burn some energy. He walked around the rose garden and had fun sitting on the little border bricks of the garden. When he starts crawling, you know he is ready to be put back into the stroller.

Hay maze

2011-10-03T10:25:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011001, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

They had a maze set up out of hay bales, and Norah and the other kids had a blast climbing on it and jumping from wall to wall.

There was also a band there that were playing folksy tunes. They had some cool instruments in their ensemble, including a washboard, and a "bass" made out of a drum, a huge rubber band, and a soda can. You have to see it to believe it. Norah loved watching and listening to them!

Bulb Festival

2011-10-03T10:22:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011002, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Yesterday, we went to the Bulb Festival at the Botanic Garden (can you tell we love this place?) It was all decked out for fall, and looked really beautiful. They had a giant pile of pumpkins and gourds--it was about 10 feet high!

More petting zoo

2011-10-03T10:21:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011028, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

James took the kids into another petting area, and Luca and Norah got to pet baby pigs, a calf, and some more goats. Luca just loved actually touching the animals! He was surprisingly gentle, too.

Tractors!

2011-10-03T10:19:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011027, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We took the kids over to see some tractors that were parked nearby. Luca had fun sitting in the seat. Then, James noticed that the keys were in the tractors, and we thought that maybe they weren't meant to be climbed on by young children. If Luca was 1 or 2 years older, he would have had that tractor on in about 10 seconds!

Pony Ride 2

2011-10-03T10:17:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011024, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's Norah after her pony ride--she was thrilled!

Pony Ride

2011-10-03T10:16:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011017, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

I can't believe my daughter is old enough to be put on a pony! She had so much fun! Her pony's name was "Banana" and she thought this was a funny name!

Fall Festival

2011-10-03T10:15:00.001-05:00

Early October 2011016, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We went to the local Fall Festival on Saturday, which was the first sunny day in over a week! The ground was a little squishy, and Luca fell many times and got pretty dirty, but they had a really good time petting the baby animals and seeing the horses, taking a pony ride (Norah), and a wagon ride, too.

This is fun!

2011-10-03T10:10:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011002, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah was having a blast going around the track! They had to go around 10 times for 10 stickers, and then they got a water bottle as a prize.

Trike-a-thon

2011-10-03T10:09:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011004, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah's school held a trike-a-thon last week to raise money for supplies, playground equipment, etc. Here's Norah trying to bust her way out of the pack!

It was a miracle that it wasn't raining for the event; it rained pretty much every other minute between Monday and Friday of that week!

Norah-sized bench 2

2011-10-03T10:07:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011023, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Grandpa took a turn on the Norah-sized bench, too!

It was a great day at the gardens, and a great visit overall with Grandma and Grandpa! We did lots of things: the gardens, downtown, the Shedd aquarium, stuff around our suburb, etc. Come back any time!

Norah-sized bench

2011-10-03T10:05:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011022, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah and Daddy were taking a rest on a cute little Norah-sized bench in a small alcove in the garden. Notice her treasures--things she picks up here and there around the garden--which eventually end up in my possession!

So independent

2011-10-03T10:04:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011019, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah's physical skills are getting better and better day by day. I think after she broke her leg at 22 months, she was left a little behind in terms of running, jumping, climbing, etc. Now, she is a good climber and a great runner and jumper. She climbed up onto this rock and commanded me to take a picture!

Grandma and Norah

2011-10-03T10:03:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011018, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We all went to the "sensory" garden, where you are encouraged to use your senses. Norah and Grandma took a break to have a photo taken.

Railroad Garden 3

2011-10-03T10:02:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011016, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Daddy and Luca

Railroad Garden 2

2011-10-03T10:01:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011013, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

I couldn't get a good shot of them looking at me--they were always looking at the trains!

Railroad Garden

2011-10-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011012, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We took James' parents, who were here for a visit, to the CBG and we all went into the Railroad Garden. Norah and Luca LOVED it. Luca kept running from place to place saying, "WOW!" which is one of his "words" It was really cute. Here is Norah in front to the San Francisco part of the garden.

My Little Ballerina

2011-10-03T09:51:00.001-05:00

Late Sept 2011031, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Norah started ballet lessons at the Park District in September. Here she is on her first day--very excited!

Can I come, too?

2011-09-08T12:23:00.001-05:00

Early September 2011007, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Luca wanted to stay and play at Norah's school, but alas, he is too little!

First Day of Pre-K

2011-09-08T12:22:00.001-05:00

Early September 2011001, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

Here's Norah raring to go on her first day of Pre-K with Mrs. Bauer. She had a lot of fun, and even made some friends!

Calder

2011-09-08T12:21:00.001-05:00

Early September 2011021, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

On our way back to the train station, we spotted this Calder sculpture (I think it's a representation of a flamingo) so we had to take a photo. Can you spot Norah and Sam?

Hemsley family

2011-09-08T12:19:00.001-05:00

Early September 2011016, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We took a family photo at the "Bean" or officially, the "Cloud Gate" sculpture.

Millennium Park Fountain

2011-09-08T12:18:00.002-05:00

Early September 2011015, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

There is a really fun fountain at Millennium Park, so after the museum and lunch, we went there to let Norah splash around. Some kids were soaked, and it was about 70 degrees out (cold!). Norah slipped a few times, but managed to stay mostly dry!

Hotel Hemsley

2011-09-08T12:17:00.001-05:00

Early September 2011013, originally uploaded by Chiara and James Hemsley.

We also had our friends from Iowa City, Amanda and Sam, come to visit for Labor Day weekend. We all took the train downtown and went to the Art Institute. It was really fun, and it's great to be members because you walk right in!