Ballerina Birthday Party

Nora feeling very proud of her ballerina outfit before the party

Posing with one of her best friends, Olivia, who is adorable in her shy devotion to Nora

Enjoying some post-performance Skyline, just like the professional ballerinas do

Eating ice cream, working some deals, and looking cute

We had a lovely Sunday afternoon ice cream break with Aunt Patsy and cousin Tyler yesterday. Nora hugged her double chocolate chip close and devoured every bite of the generous scoop; I don't think we'll ever need to take a DNA test to establish paternity on this one.

And here she is at home wheeling and dealing on the phone with Itsy. Note the adorable jeans jacket; I bought it in the big kids section at Old Navy so that I wouldn't have to deal with any applique butterflies or flowers. A baby or toddler in a jeans jacket is on my list of the cutest things in the universe.

Does she know something I don't?

Most nights, after I tuck Nora in and sing that night's songs (normally "Blackbird" and "Sweet Baby James," also known as "The Cowboy Song"), after we blow two-handed kisses to each other as I back out the door, as I'm closing the door and just before it clicks shut, Nora calls out, "Be careful."

Stir a Spoon and DRINK IT.

Thank goodness Nora doesn't know any actual swear words; she'd cuss like a dockworker if she knew how.

The only word we've outlawed at our house (so far) is "stupid"; I'm sure there will be many more, but that's the first word we made the mistake of reacting to, so Nora latched onto it. We had to explain that it was a word that could make people feel bad. And then we noticed how often we say it ourselves.

Prohibition has made "stupid" an exotic and exhilarating word to contemplate. When she's in the mood for a thrill, she'll say "st" with a little half-smile on her face, and at a warning look from me, she'll boldly say "Stir a spoon and DRINK IT!" She made that expression up all by herself, but it certainly conveys the particular flip contempt that one looks for in a crude idiom.

Butterfly Princess with a Hacking Cough

Pretty Princess

Girls' Day Out

Nora and I had a nice morning at the Museum Center a week or two ago, followed by a lunch date at Skyline-- a typical combination, since a hot dog is pretty much the only bribe that can get her off the slide or away from the sandbox.

Waiting for the balls to drop out of the ceiling

Jam session
Making the dinosaurs kiss each other

On our way out, we discovered a ballerina.

My girl has graduated from hot dogs to coneys.

Stealing my crackers just for the thrill factor