Merry Christmas 2012

After another wonderful holiday season, I thought I would sit down for a minute and reflect on our special day. Part of me doing this blog is to update our friends and family of our happenings, but also so that Nora can look back at it someday and learn about her life growing up :)

As most of you know, Nora and I were able to fly back to Kansas earlier this month to spend an entire week with our family. Nick, on the other hand, is not allowed any vacation days in the month of December, so he had to stay behind. We had such a fabulous time as always, making our rounds and visiting as many family members and friends as possible. It is still very important to us that we stay connected with everyone there even though we aren't around often. We celebrated my nephew and brother's birthday, made a trip to see Santa, dined out with some friends, did some Christmas shopping and I even managed a moms day out by myself, which never really happens :)

Once we returned to Albuquerque, we put the finishing touches on our holiday details and it was actually a very relaxing few days. Prior to Christmas Eve, we attended a beautiful Christmas service at one of my good friend's church to put us in the holiday spirit. Then, on Christmas Eve, Nora and I had a fun day of baking Christmas goodies and finishing up all the last minute wrapping and grocery shopping. By Christmas Eve evening, Nick was able to squeeze out of work just in time to meet us for mass at St. Jude's Catholic Church. It was quite an interesting experience however, because it was beyond overly crowded and with an overly energetic toddler, I was maybe able to sing along to one song....

One our way home from mass though, we cranked up the Christmas station and did our normal sing along :) We decided to start some new traditions this year too, so we allowed everyone to open just one present that evening. Everyone got new jammies to wear that night. After tucking our little Angel into bed, Santa arrived at the Steffen household and we were even surprised at the massive amounts of gifts he left. After his departure, Nick and I were able to relax in front of the fireplace and chose a Christmas movie from Netflix to end the night.

So, I must admit, I was the first to arise once again on Christmas Day! This has always been a tradition on the Underwood side. I get so excited I can hardly stand it! haha. Nora awoke at about 7:30 and we were ready to get the show on the road. As expected, she was extremely excited as we walked down the stairs and she saw all the gifts. She dove right in, opening every one we put in front of her. We did have to stop along the way to play with some of them too. Therefore, this process took nearly two hours and our house looked like there had been a tornado come through...

We also decide to make a tasty brunch to tide us over until our evening plans. Nick and I tag teamed it in the kitchen and it turned our wonderfully! We actually even surprised ourselves :) And...of course followed by an enormous meal, the entire family decided to take a little siesta. 

The rest of the day was spent playing with all our new toys. And of course, I cleaned, haha. We were also so blessed to get to go spend some time with our neighbors and friends for a holiday meal that evening. It was so thoughtful of them to invite us because, even though we enjoy spending time as a family of 3, we are very social people and do miss the larger gatherings and get-togethers on these special days.

 As you can tell, all in all, it was a joyous occasion. We are always a bit sad once it has ended but we are now trying to find a spot for all our new goodies and will enjoy getting back into our little routine. We have lots coming up in the next few months so stay tuned....Uncle Clif and Scott are making a trip in January, Nick's work will keep us busy in February with a black tie event and then a week long trip to St. Petersburg and then we hope to find some time to jet back to Texas too!

 

Nora's Firsts

For all those other fellow mommies out there, I am sure you feel the same way as I do, but I absolutely love getting to experience the "firsts" with Nora. It so seems that this week she has had a lot of them and I would like to share...

This week has been jammed packed with activities and events, many of which my little lady is experiencing for the very first time! To begin the week, Nora got to help make her very first Gingerbread house :) Although mommy ended up doing most of the work, she did enjoy putting her fingers in the frosting and tasting several of the yummy candies, it was precious.

Speaking of tasting, Nora also tried both ranch and ketchup this week! She seemed like such a big girl, dipping her pizza and fries into a heaping pile of sauce. It was hilarious to watch her first dip her finger in it and then proceed to dip the the same piece of food in it over and over again, each time just licking off the sauce. Her face afterwards was also priceless as she grinned ear to ear with sauce covering her lips!

My little smarty pants has also learned another body part and another new baby sign this week. She is now able to show us, her head, nose, tummy and mouth by pointing to them :) She also signed thank-you to mommy for sharing her snacks. I know I am partial, but I do believe have one very intelligent little cookie on my hands..

Today was filled with firsts as well!! First off, at Gymboree today, Nora literally starting running!! She was literally running circles around her other little friends at class today. Not to mention, she was trying to be the teacher already by leading all the other kids in the activities...mama better make sure to lace up her shoes tight from now on because the race is on....

Today was also Nora's first haircut...after going back and forth on weather or not we should get it done, I decided on just a trim. She was such a big girl once again though  and amazed me with how brave and unintimidated she was. She let the lady, wash her hair, cut it and style it with not hardly a screech...I was so relieved that this turned out to be a good experience because honestly I was expecting the opposite, haha. I love the final product though, her little face just looks so cute with her new little bobbed cut!

And, to finish us off, tomorrow will be a big first for our little Bean Head...she will ride an airplane with mommy for the very first time! I am not going to lie, this mommy is a wee bit nervous how I will be able to contain one very energetic and mobile 15 month old for nearly three hours...I have packed our "entertainment" bag and hoping for the best... and some very understanding passengers too, lol. I will update you soon and let you know how it all turns out.

Well as you can tell, I am once again an excited and doting mom and am darn proud of it!

Well as you can tell, I am once again an excited and doting mom and am darn proud of it!

Thanksgiving with the Steffens

We have had so much to be thankful for this year including the beautiful Thanksgiving that we just had as a family :) Since we celebrated the traditional style earlier this month while my wonderful parents were in town, we spent the holiday as just our little family of three...

At first I was a bit sad to think about not getting to spend Thanksgiving or Christmas day with our families this year, but it dawned on me that Nick and Nora are my family now, and this is our home now :) We can still make our own memories together and start our own new traditions...and we did just that! I was so excited that Nick took the entire week off this year (which those of you that know him, know that is huge!) so we decided to plan a mini family vacation. After narrowing our choices down to the Grand Canyon in Arizona or Durango, Colorado, we opted for the one closer to home this time. (only a 4 hour car ride).

I am sure glad we chose Durango, because as I am sure you can tell by our pictures, we had a blast! We had such a wonderful time exploring the quaint little mountain town and its surrounding areas. The scenery was absolutely magnificent and  I was particularly excited to get to see some snow and let Nora play in it for her very first time! (I think she is going to be a snowbird like her mama). And of course with any vacation, it is always fun to try new restaurants and do some shopping. I was able to start my Christmas shopping and even managed to pick up a few special items for Nick and I, including our Christmas outfits.

We had decided to make sure we scheduled our trip so that we would be home in time to spend Thanksgiving as a family (including our doggies). Since we had already started a couple traditions the last couple years, we were looking forward to carrying out our Thursday. Those traditions included, a morning workout (so we can have guilt free eating all day, lol), a menu of my famous Lasagna and banana creme pie and bringing out all the Christmas decorations while listening to some holiday music and drinking some warm apple cider! And this year, we did the entire thing while staying in our jammies (comfy clothes) all day and not taking a single picture, haha! The day actually turned out wonderful and even better then expected.

 Well since we didn't take any pics of the actual Thanksgiving day, I am going to include a couple of Nora's Fall Pics and some of our favorites from Durango. I hope you too had a wonderful holiday!

30 Days of Thankfulness...

I decided this year that instead of doing a facebook post each day, I would go ahead and post mine all at once :) I think it is such a great idea to take time each day to reflect on all those blessings you have, but I will admit, I get tired of reading them all month long, lol. I feel so deeply fortunate to have so many wonderful blessings in my life so here they go...

1. I am thankful for my perfect little daughter, Nora Cate Steffen! I could not imagine a day without my little lady. I love her sweet little looks, her bubbly personality, her silly sense of humor and the list could go on and on, she truly is my new best friend :)

2. I am thankful for my amazing, hardworking, caring, unselfish husband, Nick Steffen! He really is every woman's dream husband. He treats me like a queen every day, is a wonderful father and provides solely for our family. I have been lucky enough to spend 4 wonderful years with this man and look forward to growing old with him.

3. I am thankful for my family! My parents have been tremendous role models for my brother and I and for that I can not thank them more. They have supported me through many ups and downs and taught me numerous life lessons. Although I wish I could see them more often, there is not a day that goes by that I do not think of them :)

4. I am thankful for my health! Taking care of yourself is a way of life. Above all, you must make yourself a priority. This means eating healthy, exercising and getting plenty of sleep. I am grateful that I chose to do all of those and have been blessed with a healthy life so far.

5. I am thankful to get to be a stay at home mama! I feel so blessed that our situation has allowed me to get to raise my baby girl. I could not imagine not being the one there with her each and every minute, guiding her, teaching her and bonding with her. It is the greatest job in the whole wide world :)

6. I am thankful for my dogs! I know, some days I may not feel like this, but ultimately my fur babies were my first babies. They love me unconditionally and make such wonderful siblings for Nora.

7. I am thankful for my beautiful home! I sometimes still can't believe that it is ours but we are so proud of it. It may not be a mansion but it is perfect for my family. It is warm, cozy, family friendly and all ours!

8. I am thankful for the ability to drive! Living an on-the-go lifestyle is what we do best. I am blessed to have a nice, reliable car that gets us around each and every day and keeps us from getting bored or going stir crazy.

9. I am thankful for my friends! I am beyond blessed to now have friends in 3 different states. Weather they are friends I see every day or just occasionally, I enjoy each and every one of them for different reasons and couldn't imagine life without any of them.

10. I am thankful for Nick's Job! Some may not be able to live the lifestyle we live, with moving often, however, we love it! Not only does his job provide us with a great quality of life, but we are able to experience so many different areas that wouldn't be otherwise. Each and every place we have lived so far, has had it's own set of wonderful memories that we will cherish forever.

11. I am thankful for Kansas State University! They provided me with a quality education and many life long friendships. I am always proud to say I am a Wildcat and hope someday that little Nora will follow in her mommy and daddy's footsteps.

12. I am thankful for Sports! Not only because my husband loves them but they provide a great deal of entertainment in our lives. We love nothing more than having a cold one and watching our favorite team duke it out on the field.

13. I am thankful for clothes/fashion! Although I do not shop near as much for myself anymore, I love following the latest trends and keeping up with the times. Nothing makes you feel better than getting all dressed in a rockin outfit and going out on the town :)

14. I am thankful for computers! Of course I would follow up my shopping post by computers as online shopping has become one of my new hobbies....so awesome that you have any information you need right at your fingertips at all times.

15. I am thankful for my cell phone! I think I would be lost without this item. Not only does it allow me to communicate with my friends and loved ones, but it also helps me stay connected via the internet at all times. It also provides my wonderful workout music while I am at the gym taking care of my health, lol

16. I am thankful for the outdoors! I love everything that goes along with outside, the fresh air, the change in temperature, the smell of flowers, the beautiful scenery. I could possibly live outdoors if someone would let me :)

17. I am thankful for food! We are blessed to always have enough and to be able to enjoy the deliciousness of so many different varieties. Nothing is more fun than trying out a new restaurant or dining with friends and family.

18. I am thankful for my looks! I know this may sound vane but I am comfortable in my own skin. I love my long dark hair, my tanned skin and believe it or not, I don't even mind being short.

19. I am thankful for God! He has sure blessed our family in so many ways and I know he is always looking over us. Nightly prayer is part of our daily routine and although we may not attend mass every single week, we are spiritual and religious people daily.

20. I am thankful for life experiences! My life to this point has been a journey. There is not one part of it, however that I would take back. Each experience has helped make me the person that I am today.

21. I am thankful for my Westside Mommy Group! In the few short months we have lived in New Mexico, I have met some wonderful fellow mommies that have become a big part of Nora and I's life. They make me feel wanted and provide friendship and support each and every day!

22. I am thankful for our Hot Tub! haha, this may sound funny but not only is it relaxing but it has helped Nick and I maintain a strong relationship. I value the evenings spent out there in the back yard discussing our days and keeping connected with one another :)

23. I am thankful for wine and adult beverages! As a grown up, I reserve the right to unwind, relax and have a good time. Wine and spirits sure help to do that when needed ;P)

24. I am thankful for good neighbors! In both of our homes now, we have been so lucky to have amazing neighbors that have also become our good friends. Sure makes a person feel at-home when they are comfortable with their surroundings.

25. I am thankful for music! The power of music is tremendous...from dancing to unwinding, music can sure make a difference in a person's mood. I am so glad there are so many different varieties to chose from too.

26. I am thankful for facebook! Yes, I may be a wee bit of an addiction but especially living far away from friends and family, I love being able to stay connected. Life would be very boring without it I think, lol

27. I am thankful for humor! A daily laugh is a must in this house. Weather it be something silly Nora did or something I read online, smiling and a good belly laugh is good for one's soul.

28. I am thankful for TV/DVD's/Direct TV/DVR/Netflix....I think you get the point!

29. I am thankful for air transportation! Moving all over the place is not that difficult because you are always just a few hours away via airplane. Now if this was just more affordable, I would be even more thankful :)

 30. I am thankful for you that took the time to read this!! Evidently you are my friend and care enough about me that you are interested in what is important to me. I hope you have enjoyed it :)

Happy Halloween!

I am sure you all can already tell by our picture galore, that we partied hard this Halloween! From costume themed birthday parties to fall festivals and trick or treating, we sure did it up right this year :) As Nora is getting older, these type of holidays are sure taking on a new meaning!

Halloween has always been one of Nick and I's favorite holidays, although it used to be spent by getting all dressed up and spending a wild evening at the bar or a house party.lol Now a days, it is centered around choosing the perfect little costume(s) for our little lady and watching her take in all the new experiences. I was a bit concerned about how Nora would handle all the costumes, decorations, etc as I have read that some toddlers find this a scarey time. Of course however, my little fearless ball of energy reacted just fine!

I will have to say, probably the most precious moment of the holiday was seeing my little Beanie- Head go trick or treating for the first time! Watching her waddle up to the first house carrying her little pink bucket just melted my heart once again....and then to see her reaction as they opened the door and as she walked right into our neighbors house was just priceless :) We were so glad daddy was right there to capture the moments with pictures of course. Needless to say we were both pretty proud parents that night.


Although it was a short night, it was a very memorable one! I am sure she will build up stamina each year though and it will too become one of her favorite holidays of the year :)

I am cutting this a bit short because I also feel like I want to write about something else that happened this Halloween, that did touch our hearts in many ways. Very sadly, we got news that a co-worker of Nick's wife passed away at a very young age, leaving behind four small children :( As we were enjoying the excitement of celebrating with Nora, as a fellow mother, I had a heavy heart knowing this mama would not be spending Halloween with her precious little ones, nor any other holiday....

I am not going to get into all the details but I just feel like I want to say to all my mommy friends out there...please do not take any day for granted! Spend time with your babies, teach them things, enjoy the small things they bring to you on a daily basis. I know there will be rough times, but try not dwell on them and move on quickly. Life really is too short and precious to waste any of it! Too often I hear others dwell on things such as housework, money, work, etc, but just remember that your child is only a baby once, you will never get this minute, month, year, etc to repeat it again....so make it count!

That is the end of my little soap box today but hoping you all have a wonderful weekend and say a little prayer each night for what you have and others that may be struggling right now. I know this has sure made me once again reflect on all the positive I have in my life and for that I am thankful.

Fourteen Month Milestones :)

Once again I find myself slacking in the blog department but mostly because I have been keeping so busy with my little buddy that I rarely have time to sit down... I didn't think it was even possible but I find myself falling even more in love with Nora each and every day! The little things she does and says just melt my heart while making me giggle all at the same time. As we approach her precious 14th month of life, I thought I would update everyone on some of her fun new milestones :)

It is hard finding a place to start as I feel she has learned so much the last few weeks....but most noticeably, she is walking!!!!! Everyone kept telling me not to rush it because our life as we knew it would be over, but honestly..I love it! It is like she has gained a whole new set of independence and it has opened many more doors as to what we can do together. She is still a bit wobbly at times and we have already had our fair share of bonks and bruises but it all comes along with the territory. Mama tries not to overact so Nora can shake it off pretty quickly.

Baby sign language has also been a daily lesson in our house. She has now learned how to sign "more", "eat" and "milk", will shrug her shoulders and lift her arms when I say "what?" and will usually mimic any others I do but hasn't quite mastered the meanings of them yet. It is just amazing that she can pick these up in just a few short days. After demonstrating the milk sign a few times, she began doing it on command and then even while in the bath when she was ready for her nighttime bottle.

Speaking of mimicking what we do, we have also shown her how to blow kisses, clap, wave hi and bye and shake her fingers to certain parts of songs like "no more monkeys jumping on the bed", which all she can now do to perfection! Not surprisingly, she is very social like her mother and waves at nearly everyone we see while out and about and flashes that big ol' toothy grin. She has even made grumpy old men pay attention to her and smile and coo back to her! Of course mama eggs her on a lot because I want her to be friendly and polite as she becomes older. My poor dad used to try and say that little kids should be seen and not heard but believe me, that was not the case for me nor does it look to hold true for Ms. Nora!

Nora loves playing with her daddy when he gets home from work and now knows when she hears the house alarm beep in the evenings that it is time for daddy to come home. She will literally run to him but then quickly run by, making daddy chase her, and then it starts their one hour of extreme playtime before bedtime, lol. This time is usually mommy's little break time but I usually get sucked in because it is soooo cute to hear all the giggles and squeals coming from jumping on the bed, wearing daddy's tie around and torturing poor Tripp dog!

As I have said before, I try to do some kind of activity each day with Nora and lately we have been working on her fine motor skills....we have painted, used crayons and she is even using a spoon to eat with sometimes now with a little assistance :) She can also brush her hair and put on "lipstick" aka chap stick like such a big girl.

Lastly, yes I saved the best for last, NORA IS A DANCER!!! OMG, anytime she hears music and especially one with a beat, this little gal gets her whole body into it, starting with a head bob, arms a-swaying and booty a-shaking! It has got to be the cutest thing I have ever seen and I mean it! She will also start this performance when she is strapped in her car seat and mommy turns the beats up for her! I literally can not wait to get her started in dance class in less than a year now :) They can start here at the age of 2 and yes, I have already been doing my research!

Well, I am sure there are even more milestones I may have overlooked but for now, I hope I have kept you entertained! Be sure to stay tuned for all our Halloween fun and cuteness. It was our goal to have her walking by trick or treat time and I am proud to say we have reached that!

Fiesta de Balloons 2012 :)

Wow! I am not even sure if I will be able to describe to you the beauty of this event but I will sure try :) Prior to even moving to Albuquerque, everyone was telling us about the huge hot air balloon festival that was held there each year and how we MUST go! We definitely marked our calendars and watched all the hype building the month prior, leading up the big event! It lasts for 9 days and is always held the first week of October. 

Last weekend was the opening weekend and we made arrangements to go. As Saturday was the opening day, we chose to hold off and buy our tickets for Sunday. We are certainly glad we did as the event was canceled on Saturday due to the weather. Come to find out, in order for the balloons to launch, the conditions have to be very still and pretty much perfect. They also don't make this decision until the very last minute unfortunately. 

So...Sunday morning, the Steffen clan decided to take their chances and awoke around 4:30 a.m. (yes, even little Nora) to get bundled up and head to the Balloon Fiesta Park. We had to take our chances that the balloons would launch and I was soooo excited, I could hardly stand it, hehe. Nora on the other hand was wondering why in the world mommy and daddy would wake her up at this time of day. You want to arrive early due to traffic and also to make sure you get to see the first balloon fill up at 5:45 a.m. Immediately following that they began the Dawn Patrol. It was absolutely breath taking for someone who has never seen such a thing :) Nora immediately began to look alive as the lined up approx. 15 balloons and began shooting the fire into them so they were glowing! As they all were tied there glowing, the enormous crowd was chanting and cheering like you were at a championship sporting event!

Shortly after the Dawn Patrol ended and the sun came up, the entire field was full, and I mean FULL of balloons of all shapes, sizes, and colors. They took turns launching off from one side of the field to the other. Probably the neatest part was just getting to stand right next to them as they aired up and prepared for their ascension. There was no sitting involved, we walked around for hours (4 to be exact) watching hundreds of balloons lift off :)

Our sweet little Nora (ok, mom and dad too) were just memorized with the event. We took picture after picture of all our favorite balloons to help remember the event and of course to show all our friends and family how amazing the day was :) Nick and I are excited that we will also be going one more time before the event wraps up. This Saturday we have tickets to go to the "Glowdeo" which is the night launch of balloons which I believe will be a lot like the Dawn Patrol but even bigger! I am sure we will be posting even more pictures of that phenomenal event too!

In conclusion.... I HIGHLY recommend to all our friends and family to add this to your bucket list! You must come at some point and witness this awesome event, you will not be disappointed.

Below are a few of my favorite pics from a very memorable day with my little family......

Pumpkin Season 2012

Pumpkin bars, pumpkin latte's, pumpkin bread, pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin candles....ok you get my point, it's that time of year :) Fall time is probably my most favorite time of year (well except for Christmas). I love everything that comes along with it; from the cooler weather, football on TV, various festivals and Halloween parties.... and it's even more fun now that there is a little one in the family to share it with!


Last October, Nora was barely a month old so although we did make a trip to the pumpkin patch and dress her up in full costume, it was a pretty low key month aside from that. Now that she is a bit older, we have a schedule packed full of activities to take part in this month. I should also note that the weather here is becoming absolutely beautiful. We still have the warm afternoons but the morning and evening temperatures feel delightful :) 


We started off October by going to The Galloping Grace Pumpkin Patch with our wonderful friends from the West side Moms Group. Luckily, it is not far from our casa and is free to get in (hence why we will most likely be going back again later this month) so it made for an enjoyable morning. Of course I had to get Nora a special Halloween outfit to wear for this outing as I knew it would be a prime opportunity for taking photos...


Nora had a great time even with being tired. (we are trying to transition her to one nap a day and do away with her morning nap). She was amazed with all the pumpkins and the first thing she got to do was sit in a huge pile of corn kernels. She really enjoyed feeling the corn with her hands and feet as she cruised about. I did have to pull a few kernels out of her mouth however as we are still in the "I need to eat everything" phase. She was also very excited to get to see some animals. Nora LOVES animals of all kinds. Of course she calls them all dogs but she had fun pointing at the goats, horse, chickens and even bunnies. Since Nora also loves water I let her get a bit wet as she played with all her little friends in the duck pond. The last activity before heading out however, had to have been her favorite (or at least got the most smiles), she got to ride around on a mini John Deere Tractor. She had gotten to do this at the state fair a couple weeks ago so she jumped on there like a pro and had a blast. All in all, I think the trip was a big success.


Nick and I plan on taking Nora to the larger pumpkin patch located about 45 minutes outside of Albuquerque later this month so be sure to stay tuned for even more adorable photos of the little lady! She has also got quite the darling Halloween costume picked out as well so we will be excited when the end of the month rolls around. Well, our Fall is definitely off to a fun start and we hope y'all's is too :))))

 Little Miss Nora Cate in the corn!

 Nora and Mommy (she has become even more attached to me lately if that is even possible :))

 Nora and her friend Jackson playing with the pumpkin

Nora pushing her friend Preston (ps this is the first little boy Nora kissed on the mouth, hehe)

 Miss Independent checking out the dogs, I mean goats!

 The gals doing a little playing in the duck pond!