End of Summer

I was trying to take a picture of Nora with 'the bear' last week and didn't realize I still had the camera set to record video. It took me a few seconds to figure it out, and in that time I caught this funny moment:






This the resulting photo:

Summer is unfortunately coming to an end. Next week I go back to work and Nora heads to daycare. I am hoping they can help with her sleep issues since I can't seem to get her to cooperate. She has turned into quite a happy, fun little baby but her sleep habits are beyond my ability. In the meantime, we enjoyed a quiet weekend at home.

Nora got some new fall clothes this weekend, I tried the hat on her; sure hope her head grows in the next few months!

When she's in the right mood, she likes to read books.

Nora ran her first 5K on Sunday morning! She placed in the stroller division, clearly she was not being powered my Mom.

I know you aren't supposed to plop your kids in front of the TV, but she is mesmerized by it.

Next week Nora goes on her second trip-off to Green Bay to meet all of her great-grandparents and other family members.

Playtime

Nora is getting very playful these days, and has found her voice. She's quite the talker; here is just a tiny sample of playtime. Be sure to have your speakers turned on.

Of coarse, all this playing really tires her out! She's also become a thumb sucker this week, not sure if that is good or bad...

And she seems to have warmed up the the moose a little bit.

Sunday we went to the pool, and a trip to the pool wouldn't be complete without a bikini!


She dipped her toes in the water for the first time.

Which, again, tired her out.

She did it!!

She really did it! And this time when I say she, I'm not referring to Nora... Claire made it 4100+ miles across the United States on a bike! My parents were heading out to CA to greet Claire when she arrived, and at the last minute Nora and I decided to go too and surprise her, what fun! I'm not sure why I thought traveling alone with a 10 week old was a good idea, but I figured once I navigated the airport and airplane I'd have the help of my family for the rest of the trip.

Hanging out not-so-patiently waiting for the Bike and Builders to arrive at Cowell Beach in Santa Cruz, CA. It was August 14 and they (33 young adults) had left Charleston, SC in late May, biking and working on affordable housing projects along the way. This was the day they had been waiting for.

There was a lot of craziness that ensued when they arrived, and I didn't do a very good job of catching it on camera. Basically, they arrived at the beach, took off some of their bike clothes as fast as humanly possible, and dashed toward the ocean. Hugging, splashing, singing and pure joy followed, it was quite a scene.

They had dipped their rear tires in the Atlantic before leaving Charleston, so they had to dip their front tires in the Pacific in Santa Cruz.

Nora is so proud of Auntie Claire! And so are the rest of us. And by the way, she was very surprised, it was fun.

We spend the next few days exploring Santa Cruz, visiting some wineries, and hanging out in San Francisco. I'm not sure everyone enjoyed Nora's nightime wakings and occasional outbursts, but we did enjoy spending time together.

All dressed up and ready to go to a few vineyards.

Just chillin' after a diaper change.

Nora in a vineyard in Los Gatos.

Superbaby playing with Grandpa.

Hanging out at the beach boardwalk in Santa Cruz.

A small part of the Golden Gate Bridge can be seen in the background. It was so cold and windy, our stop was very brief.


Nora and I and Alcatraz. She wasn't too impressed.

All in all, it was a fun trip that left us all a little worn out.

Uncles, Bergs and Grandparents...

...oh my! It's been a busy week and a half.

When she doesn't have visitors, Nora really enjoys playing on her activity mat.

Uncle Bruce and Meghan came for a visit last weekend. The first three times Bruce held Nora, he put her to sleep! He's got a knack for that I guess...

They both enjoyed morning playtime, Nora's favorite time of the day.

We spent Saturday afternoon out and about. We stopped at a Farmer's Market, had lunch, and went to LeftHand Brewery. Here is Nora with her empty beer sampler.

Nora and Dad playing in the grass.

We also had a few visits from Sawyer recently. On the first, Nora and Sawyer had the same agenda-and it wasn't playtime. This is what they did for two hours!

On the second visit, everyone was alert and more playful.

On Monday, my mom arrived back in Denver for a short stopover on her way to CA. She and Nora helped me with an ambitious project I undertook with too aggressive a timeline!

Tuesday, Dad flew in from Florida just for the day on his way to CA. He dropped off a special gift for Nora-the Winnie the Pooh stuffed animal he had given me the day I was born. Pooh is well worn (so am I!) and missing his red shirt, but not bad for a man his age!

So as usual, there is never a dull moment for the Koskis. Soon I'll fill you in on Nora's biggest adventure yet. Oh, and at Nora's 9 week appointment, she was 10lb even-she's made it to the double digits!

Uncle Number 1

Notice I did not title this entry Number 1 Uncle! Nora is not playing favorites... Michael and Emily came for a long weekend. They both got to practice their baby calming skills during Happy Hour in Boulder Friday night.

She was well behaved with Jeff and I though!

Emily (aka Auntie Em) took hundreds of photos of Nora during the three day photo shoot, complete with outfit and background changes. I'm sure she took some fantastic photos, can't wait to see them!


I, however, am not a photographer but did snap a few.

Even though she can roll over, Nora still has some growing up to do.

Unfortunately, I did not capture a photo of the main event of the day on Saturday. Jeff and Michael stood guard over the smoker in the alley and smoked a pork butt for 11 hours. It sure was tasty!

Before heading to the airport, we stopped for ice cream. Since Nora didn't get any, I took a picture of Michael and Emily instead.