Norah recently.

We have had a fun summer together! Norah loves to play outside, especially with our neighbor friend Elizabeth. She has grown in riding her bike so much from last year and has rode several miles! She loves to play “campsite” in the backyard where she sets up all the sand toys and makes different creations like she's cooking on a campground, and loves to push her dolls in the stroller. She enjoys coloring and her details and creativity are impressive. She likes to ask how to write different words, or just strings a bunch of letters together if she's writing herself. She loves babies, playing house with Lucy and Ellory, magnatiles, her allotted screen time, and play-doh. She enjoys reading with us but doesn't choose to read independently tons. We read a lot of books for the summer library reading program and she was excited she won one of the grand prizes- tickets to the aquarium and butterfly house! She loves to go to the pool or golfing with Kley. Norah has an amazing memory and remembers things from a long time ago or will spout off some facts that she learned off one of her shows the pertains to the conversation. Norah did really well finishing up the school year doing online learning, and we also have been doing several workbook pages a day in a kindergarten book. She will occasionally have a day where her attitude isn't the best, but most days it goes well. She does well wearing a mask when we go to an indoor public place, though has also said that wearing a mask isn't as fun as she thought it would be.

Norah used to be pretty slow to warm up to new things, but she recently had swimming lessons and was a flower girl in a wedding, and she wasn't nervous at all and did both things fabulously! Her swim teacher asked if we had a pool and said she was doing great, even doing some things above her level! I wondered if Norah would get nervous beforehand being a flower girl, but she held her own and didn't even need us by her. She waited with the bridal party and walked down like a pro! We had someone come do Norah's hair for the wedding, which she loved and was a special touch. Norah also did t-ball and the family class for Kindermusik this summer. It was so nice to have some activities after not having anything for a long time. Overall, t-ball was good for Norah we think. There are lots of good life lessons to be learned participating in a team sport. A few nights Norah didn't seem to really love it or put forth her best effort, but most nights she seemed to have fun and try.

Norah is wearing a size 12 shoe and size 6/small clothes. A few select things from stores that run smaller are a size 7. A big event for Norah was losing her first tooth on July 18 (bottom left)! She is very excited about it and loves to tell people. She was chewing on the string of her swimsuit short, and that really pulled it loose. She was very upset at first wondering what was happening, and it bled a little too, but once we told her it was normal she calmed down. She did not want to pull it out, but she kept wiggling it so much that within a few hours it was really loose and it basically just fell out in her fingers without even pulling. Both of her bottom and her top right 6-year-old molars are in, and the top left one is peeking through. Norah still doesn't like taking her vitamins. She hardly ever naps and does a great job staying quiet in her room during rest time. Norah had a spurt awhile back where it took her awhile to fall asleep and she would come out of her room a couple times, but recently has been doing really well and going to sleep easily. She occasionally sleeps through the night, but most nights she is up at least once to go to the bathroom (we are trying to work on her going independently in the night and not waking me up, but it's not going well- oh well!).

Kindergarten is quickly approaching! Norah seems excited to go. Our girl is growing up! It will be so strange not to have her here all day, but thankful she is growing, healthy, and ready to spread her wings a little more. I think Norah's love languages are quality time and physical touch. We love you so very much, Norah!