16 month Milestones...

Wow, I guess I have been slacking once again on keeping my blog up to date, I have been working hard on all those New Year's Resolutions and of course my little lady keeps me hoping these days :)

I think I have said this a couple other times before but I wish that I could literally "freeze" time right now so that Nora stayed as she is forever!!! lol. She is like a little grown up in a tiny body who is coming out more and more each day, and I love it. So far we have been very lucky that she has continued with her very happy, energetic and caring personality...I am sure our time for the temper tantrums and telling us no will be coming, but right now we are enjoying our precious and innocent little gal.

Nora has learned quite a lot just since Christmas time. She has really started talking lately and has even said a couple 3 word sentences. Of course, my favorite is..."I want Mommy", which she says to her father, hehe. Added to Nora's vocabulary are now, mama, dada, papa, dog, duck, more, yeah, nah, done, one, ball, bubbles, and a few other babbles we have yet to identify :) She can point to most all her body parts and also identifies numerous objects when we ask her to point to them in a book. Mostly right now she enjoys finding animals and food (a girl after my own heart).

I think what amazes me most is how much language she actually understands. I can ask her to do things like "go give this to daddy", "go get your shopping cart", "get your shoes Nora, we are going to go", "clean up your toys please", "go pet the dog"...and she will process it for a second and then do it!  I guess I was thinking that since she wasn't talking a great deal yet, she was still just too little, but boy was I wrong, she
really is becoming my "big" girl.

Most of you also know that Nora does use baby sign language too. She has perfected a few new ones too like thank you and apple here recently. We most often practice these when we are in the car or in the bath tub (when she is actually sitting still) and she always amazes me with her ability to remember them even if we haven't reviewed them for awhile.

A few of my favorites with Nora right now are her love of books and outdoors! She could literally sit and look at her books for hours. Nothing warms my heart more than when she plops over on my lap with a book and wants me to read to her :) I have been known to plop down smack dab in the middle of the kitchen to read her a good book because I can't deny it when she comes carrying it to me with that big ol' cheesey grin of hers. Like her mommy, she has taken a great love for the outdoors. We are so thankful for our beautiful backyard and the nice weather we have been having lately, because it is a daily part of our routine to get in at least an hour outside playing each day. I also believe this helps keep her healthy. We have been blessed that Nora has stayed fairly healthy so far this winter season. Even her Doctor commented at her 15 month appointment how she was surprised that she had not seen Nora in almost 3 months!

 Lastly, I feel the need to write about Nora's love for makeup and anything girly :) I know her dad would love it if she became his little tomgirl but with a mom like me, I am very doubtful that will happen....she loves carrying around my purses, wearing my jewelry and more recently she has to sit in the sink while I get ready in the morning and put on her own makeup too! Of course, most of it is pretend, but I am grooming my little lady for what is to come; she is preparing to become a little diva and I am proud of it, haha

New Year....New Adventures!

I should first start off by saying that I am not a huge believer in New Year's Resolutions (however I do have a few things I would like to work on this year)....I still like to think that I continue to live life the way I think it should be and think that I am doing a pretty good job as it is, haha. I agree that the idea, "A New Year, A New You" is good in theory but sadly so many people find themselves making the same resolutions year after year because they simply can't keep the ones they made the year before...Instead I thought I would list out some of my personal philosophies that I try to abide by day end and day out, so that I can have them fresh in my mind as we take on another wonderful year of adventures~!

1. Start each day with a positive outlook! No matter if you are going on a rough night's sleep or a cruddy day before, each day holds new potential! Especially if you have children. Each day they wake up as if today is a new day and still have that energetic attitude to explore what the day has to offer! (my wonderful husband sends me a morning text every morning, saying "Good morning my girls, I love You!" I mean who could have a frown on their face after seeing that first thing in the morning...)

2. Plan ahead! Although I too enjoy the occasional spontaneity of doing something last minute, I have learned with a child that being prepared is best :) I have a dry erase calendar on my fridge that each Sunday I fill in with the weeks plan. I like to have one event/outing planned per day. This helps keep the week moving and allows Nora and I to get out and socialize with as many different people as possible. I am also known for picking out our clothes and packing the diaper bag the night before to allow for a smooth morning to follow :) My husband is also wonderful at this by ironing all his work clothes on Sundays and packing his lunch the night before too... love him! lol

3. Keep a Clean/Organized house! I once read somewhere that you can tell alot about someone by the way they keep house. Ok, I will admit with a toddler, it is a daily process of keeping ours clean but each and every single night, with the help of my dear husband, all the toys are put away, the dishes are done and everything is in it's correct spot before we sit down and relax for the evening. This not only helps with the flow of our day but never allows me to get that overwhelming feeling when there is clutter everywhere or we can not find what we need.

4. Take Good Care of Yourself! This includes eating healthy, exercising regularly and caring about your appearance. Once again, I  read somewhere that those people who dress up and feel good about their appearance actually perform better during the day. Nick and I work hard on making sure we eat healthy meals for the most part, and both make time to hit the gym 3-4 days a week. This is a commitment we made to ourselves about 4 new year's ago and we have kept to it and it feels great!

5. Pay Attention to your Finances! Since becoming a stay at home mom (the best decision we ever made) we have had to become more aware of our financial situation. We cut corners where-ever possible. We have paid off one of the cars and nearly all our credit card debt. We have cut up all those credit cards so we only live off what daddy makes each month. We manage this by only going to the grocery store once a week, allowing ourselves to only eat out once a week and continuing to look for bargains when we can. I also have found a new hobby of local "swap websites" where I can sell used items and then in return I use that money for Nora and I's "play money" aka, Nora's wardrobe fund, haha!

6. Plan for Your Future! Although I am a firm believer in living each day to its fullest, it is important to be looking ahead and know how all your decisions today can affect you later on down the line. I think partially because Nick works for a Life Insurance Company and handles this daily, we are extremely well prepared for our future, including Nora's college education and retirement for the young age we are still at. I really hope that everyone has someone that can help them look into this too! I mean all and all, the goal is to someday be able to both retire and go do all the things you could never afford to do while raising kids, haha!

Ok, Ok, I don't want to overwhelm anyone with any more nor do I want anyone to think we are perfect so I shall end with some goals I have set for myself this year....

1. Continue to eat healthy, exercise and teach Nora how to live a healthy lifestyle.
2. Learn to cook better and prepare meals for my family most nights.
3. Try to real in my spending when it comes to just "extra things" we don't necessarily need...
4. Be more thoughtful to my husband. He works extremely hard and needs a break too :)
5. Make each and every day count with Nora, teach or expose her to one new activity/adventure a day! And watch less TV....