Garrett and me at the mud run (I'm 15 weeks pregnant)
When Garrett and I became parents we almost instantly found it hard to go out on dates together. The little things we used to do like gym dates and going out to dinner just aren’t possible like they used to be.
Garrett and I both love being parents and love spending time with our family. We’d much rather take Nora with us to do something than leave her home with someone else. It’s just who we are and the type of parents we want to be.
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Have you ever been shark teeth hunting? It is definitely addicting! I got hooked when I first moved to North Carolina. NC beaches are the first beaches I’ve been to that are uncombed. In Maryland and Delaware they comb the beaches with man-made machines and (in my mind) strip the beach of all of her natural treasure. Onslow Beach (located on Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune) is my favorite place to go shark teeth hunting. Nora loves it too! All I have to do is give her a plastic bag and she will spend hours filling it with shells, rocks and even sand (Yes, she is known for scooping handfuls of sand into her bag).
Garrett and I recently had some …
Nora meets creatures from the b**ch.
My child is obscene and she doesn’t even know it! Nora, like a typical toddler, has been having trouble pronouncing particular letters in the alphabet. Letters that cause her particular trouble are Ls and Rs.
The absence of these letters has a horrifying impact on her vocabulary. Completely innocent words have been turned dirty by my toddler’s mouth. Garrett and I don’t curse so these slip-ups in her vocabulary have been a particular “Yikes!” moment for me!
While Nora’s mispronunciations often get a chuckle out of me and others who are listening I’m slightly embarrassed. Garrett and I often repeat what Nora …
Have you ever heard of “chopping?” No, I’m not talking about chopping up veggies for a soup. I’m talking about “chopping down a hallway.” Unless you’ve had the pleasure of being a student at the Naval Academy (or know someone who was) you probably have no idea what I am talking about.
My husband was telling me the other day about being a plebe at the Naval Academy. All plebes have to chop down the hallway (i.e. march/prance with high knees) and say, “Go Navy, Sir!” or, “Beat Army, Sir!” when they turn a corner. Garrett got up from the dinner table to demonstrate and guess who followed suit.
Watch this hilarious video to find out 
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I’ve blogged before about Nora’s love for shopping. I’m afraid to report that her love of shopping has reached a new level. One I’ve never even seen before –and believe me, I’ve babysat a lot of kids!
The first thing Nora tells me when she wakes up is, “I want to go shopping!” She will repeat her request about every ten to fifteen minutes throughout the day. Last week when Garrett was getting Nora ready for a trip to Auto Zone to buy some brakes for the truck she asked, “Shopping?” Garrett said, “Yes, we’re going shopping for truck brakes.” Nora happily replied, “Hooray!” and threw her hands in the air.
Nora gets very excited to be doing any kind …
Nora helps to carry our healthy groceries inside
Here are two of my favorite healthy recipes to give to Nora –and eat myself: The hummus recipe is from my sister, Marianne and the Vegan Banana Walnut Muffin recipe from my sister, Kathleen.
Before I give you the recipes I want to ask you, have you ever tried to make hummus? I love hummus and a while ago decide to try to make my own. I tried various recipes and every time I ended up with a disgusting bit of mush. I even tried the recipe on the back of the can of garbanzo beans which …
