Book Recommendations, Part II

Tuesday, May 31, 2011

I've been terrible about reading books since Nora was born. Well, I do read them, but they are of the board book variety. :) But a few weeks ago, we got an iPad (yay!), and now I have access to Kindle, eBooks, and Nook apps. Somehow, being able to read on this device has renewed my excitement for reading. I've already sped through my first book (more on that soon), and now I'm ready for more.

In March of last year, I asked all of you for book recommendations, and came away with many titles to add to the "to read" list. Admittedly, I still have many more of those original titles to read, but since it's been a year, I wanted to put this request out there again and ask what y'all have read recently that you've loved.

Last time, someone recommended Firefly Lane, which I absolutely LOVED, so I'm hoping to uncover more gems like that. If you want to see some of the things I've read and enjoyed to get an idea of my taste, see my books label.

I know all of you bookworms really enjoyed the discussion and recommendations that the last post garnered, so I'm hoping the same for this year. Oh, and you get bonus points if your recommendations are cheap in Kindle/eBook/Nook format. ;)

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Kale Pasta with Lemon and Garlic

Monday, May 30, 2011

I have heard so much about kale, but prior to making this dish for dinner tonight, I had never had kale before. I don't know much about how to prepare it, and I'm not too familiar with the different varieties of kale.

But as I was sifting through my Google Reader during my menu planning on Saturday morning, I decided that Memorial Day was going to be the day to try it. You know, the day when most people are gorging themselves on hot dogs and hamburgers at the thousands of barbecues planned for this day. Go figure.

And what do you know? I cannot say enough good things about this recipe. I went into it with hope and an open mind, but I was still very pleasantly surprised when I took my first bite.


Come to find out, I didn't even use the right kind of kale. The recipe calls for black kale, which is also known as dino, Tuscan, or Lacinato kale. As far as I could tell, my grocery store only carries one variety of kale, and I couldn't even find any kind of label on it that said anything but "kale." So, I took a chance and figured I wouldn't know the difference anyway. After doing a little Googling this afternoon to find out how to trim kale (I told you, I didn't even know how to prepare it), I found that what I bought was actually curly kale.

Well, I'm here to tell you that it did not matter one bit. Supposedly, curly kale is more bitter than black kale, but I really didn't notice. The dressing has so much flavor, and the lemon, garlic, and olive oil did a great job of masking any bitterness. Don't get me wrong, there is still what I would call a "bite" to it--but I generally hate bitter greens and I did not mind this at all. Top it all off with a little bit of spice from the crushed red pepper and black pepper, and well, you've got a winner.

And psssst... it's really good for you, too! I'm excited to try kale in other dishes, too.

I clearly wasn't paying much attention when I initially looked at the recipe, because up until I was re-reading it today, I assumed that the kale was cooked. Well, it isn't--and at first I thought that was going to be weird--but trust me and give it a chance. As is, this dish is wonderfully easy to pull together since the only cooking involved is boiling the pasta. This is especially great this time of year when it's hot outside and the last thing you want to do is stand over a stove to cook dinner. However, if you wanted to make it a little more substantial, you could easily add some grilled or sauteed chicken breast pieces to the dish for some protein.

Kale Pasta with Lemon and Garlic
(Source: Spoon With Me, as seen on Annie's Eats)

Ingredients:
- 1 large bunch dino kale (aka black, Tuscan, or Lacinato), rinsed and dried
- 2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup finely grated parmigiano reggiano, plus additional for garnish
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish
- freshly squeezed juice from 2 lemons (plus extra, for garnish)
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 (16 ounce) package whole wheat penne

Directions:
1. In a large saucepan, bring 5 quarts of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions.

2. In the meantime, chop the kale into 1/2 inch ribbons and put in a large bowl.

3. On a cutting board, mince the garlic cloves. Sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt and smash into a paste using a fork or the side of a chefs knife. transfer the garlic paste to a small bowl. Add the olive oil, lemon juice, grated parmigiano, red pepper flakes, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Whisk together until combined.

4. Pour the dressing into the large bowl with the kale and toss well until the kale is thoroughly coated.

5. When the pasta is finished cooking, drain, and set aside for a minute or so to cool slightly.

6. Then, add the pasta to the large bowl with the kale salad, tossing well to combine.

7. Garnish individual servings of pasta with an extra squeeze of lemon juice, a light sprinkling of kosher salt, and a few gratings of parmigiano reggiano. Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Tortilla and Black Bean Pie

Sunday, May 29, 2011

I'm going to make a confession that will likely make me sound crazy. Or just stupid. But, it's true, so whatever. Here we go...

I found this recipe because I was looking for a reason to use my springform pan. It had been a while and I saw it sitting in my cupboard and thought, I really need to use that thing. Of course, there were a million and one recipes for cheesecake that use springform pans, but um... I don't like cheesecake. There were obviously other cakes as well, but when I saw this, I was intrigued.


I think this dish should actually be called "tortilla and black bean lasagna," but I guess it's called a pie because it's made in a round dish and cut into wedges to serve. Whatever you call it, though, it's good. This came together really easily, too, so if you're looking for a fairly quick weeknight meal, this is your solution. It could be made even more quickly if you make the bean mixture in advance, and simply assemble and bake it on the night you want to eat it.

Melissa adapted the recipe to include ground beef, and only one can of black beans, but we decided to forgo the beef and make the original, vegetarian version. The only other change we made was to omit the two serrano peppers.

I have to say: Don't be deterred by the use of a beer in the recipe. Growing up, I had an uncle (he's an ex-uncle now) who put beer in everything he cooked. And we're not talking about good beer, either. My cousin and I always used to beg him to make "normal" spaghetti sauce, but we rarely won. If we were lucky, he's put aside a little bit of sauce for us before adding his "secret ingredient." Blech. So, although I like beer, I'm still a bit scarred and hesitant to use it in my cooking unless it makes sense to me. It seemed weird to use it in this instance, but I threw caution to the wind and just went with it, and in the end, I'm glad I did.

Although this isn't a good picture, I wanted to share what it looks like as a whole (well, except for a piece cut out of it):
Tortilla and Black Bean Pie
(Source: Adapted from Delicious Meliscious)

Ingredients:
- 4 (10-inch) flour (or wheat) tortillas
- 1 tbsp. canola oil
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 mild jalapenos
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cans (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 12 ounces beer, or 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 can corn, drained OR 1 package (10 ounces) frozen corn
- 1 small jar of enchilada sauce
- 4 scallions, thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 2 1/2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream and salsa, for serving (optional)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. If your springform pan is smaller than your tortillas, use a paring knife to trim tortillas to fit the pan, using the bottom of the pan as a guide. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, and cumin; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes.

3. Add beans and beer to skillet, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium; simmer until liquid has almost evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in corn and scallions, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Fit a tortilla in bottom of springform pan; layer with 1/4 of the beans, drizzle with some enchilada sauce, and top with 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat three times, using 1 cup cheese on top layer. Bake until hot and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes. Unmold pie; sprinkle with scallions. To serve, slice into wedges and serve with sour cream and salsa.

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Delicious

Saturday, May 28, 2011

One of the biggest advantages to summer clothes on babies is getting to see their little baby arms.


And even though she's not exactly the definition of "chub," Nora still has the adorable little folds at the wrist. GAH, so cute.

AND... look how curly her hair is these days. Thank you, humidity.

Excuse me while I go *nom* on her a bit. I can't resist.

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Hyena Baby

Thursday, May 26, 2011

Nora gets GIDDY when she's tired.

Well, she gets giddy, then she gets ornery. It's adorable. The giddy part, anyway.

When we were on vacation out west, we were getting great giggles out of her every night, because by the time bedtime rolled around, she was pretty much always overtired. (Oops.) One night, we were playing with her in our hotel room and she just started cracking up at everything.

I managed to get some of it on video, and have been meaning to share it for a while. I finally got it transferred and uploaded tonight. Check it out; she sounds like a little hyena!

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Captured.

Monday, May 23, 2011

A few weeks ago, we had the pleasure of meeting up with Morgan Dawson to have family photos taken. It's something Michael and I have been wanting to do for a while, but we had to wait for the weather to get nice. And now that spring seems to *finally* be making an appearance, we managed to book our session for one of the nicest evenings we've had yet!

Morgan was nice enough to allow me to share our sneak peek photos here on the blog. We're really happy with how these turned out, and can't wait to see the rest. Now, to figure out what to order. Decisions, decisions!



{Do y'all think it's possible to Photoshop roots? Love this pic, but can't get over the roots. Yikes. Try to focus on the cute baby, ha!}
{so totally her at this stage}
{The first few times I looked at this photo, all I saw were her eyes. And her little porcelain face. Now, I see her signature toes and it makes this pic THAT much better.}

{LOVE}

{Scout had to come out to play!}

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My Brother, The Groom

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Thanks for all of you who chimed in with hair suggestions on Friday. I had several "inspiration photos" to share with the stylists on the day of, and we went with one of the ones that incorporated a french braid, even though the stylist said she was not great at french braiding.

Yeah. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me, either.

But, I think it came out pretty good, and it was off my neck and out of my face, which are the two most important aspects of any hair style, in my opinion.

Here is a pic of me with my handsome brothers. The groom twin is on the left. :)

Trevor and Kara were married at an orchard, with their reception in a beautiful barn that was built in the 1700s. The whole thing had a beautiful, rustic feeling and to top it all off, the weather was absolutely perfect, which allowed all of the guests to spend a lot of time outdoors. Quite simply, it was lovely. And they are married!

We don't have a lot of photos (and the few that I have, I haven't transferred off of our camera yet), so for those who are curious to see the bride, this cell phone pic will have to do!
Maybe I will eventually share a few more. Hunter managed to steal the show during the first dance by turning it into a family-of-three affair, and choosing that moment to dig for gold with his finger in his little nose. THANK HEAVEN FOR LITTLE BOYS. ;)

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Hair S.O.S.

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Just about 36 hours from now, I will be getting my hair done as a bridesmaid in my brother's wedding. And, well, I don't have a plan. I have very little idea of what I'm going to ask the stylist to do.

So, I figured I would go out on a limb here and see if any of you are bored enough to help me. :) Maybe you're slow at work on a Friday morning and this is your kind of thing. Who knows?

I'm pretty sure I'd like to have it all up in some way. And I did love my wedding day hair, which you can see pretty well in this photo:
And I could request something similar to that, but I already did that for my other brother's wedding in October, so... it would be nice to do something a little different.

Ideas? Suggestions? Thoughts? Links to inspiration photos would be most appreciated.

*MWAH*

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Kickoff

Monday, May 16, 2011

It's the beginning of a busy wedding season for us. This past weekend, we attended wedding #1 out of 7 between now and October. Yowzers.

I got to hang out with most of my girls from college. Always a pleasure!

It is also the beginning of getting "babysitters" for Nora (a.k.a. the grandmas). We've been holed up most of the winter so we haven't had many occasions to leave Nora with anyone but her daycare provider.

For the wedding, Miss Nora spent the day/night with my mom, which was successful after the first 10 minutes or so. When Michael and I left the house, Nora screamed so hysterically that we could even hear her outside. It was heartbreaking and made me feel awful. My mom texted me shortly after to tell me that she had calmed down, and the rest of the day and night went off without a hitch, so it was fine.

From now on, I can only hope it gets easier. For all of us!

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Yogurt

Saturday, May 14, 2011

Nora tried yogurt for the first time on Friday. I mixed it up with some pear puree and dished it out.

Success. Good stuff.

Next up on the "I'll be surprised if she likes it" list: Cranberry puree. I tasted it and it is BITTER. I don't know if any amount of pureed apples, pears, or yogurt is going to be able to mask that. We shall see.

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Eight Months Old

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Dear Nora,

New this month is an additional nickname: Nora Noo. You can thank Mary (your daycare provider) for that one. I heard her say it to you one day and it stuck with me. I started using it at home, then Daddy picked up on it, and now we use it every day. We’ve also developed spin-off names like Noo or Noo-Noo. It just seems so fitting for you. These names are, of course, in addition to all of the other ones you’ve acquired since you were born.

I feel like I say it every month, but you are SO.MUCH.FUN. You are such a happy girl, and now that you’re able, you smile, laugh, giggle, play, and interact all of the time. The moments that we get to spend with you are so precious, and they fill my heart my joy.

It’s easy to see when things excite or please you by the expressions on your face and the waving of your arms and legs. You and your daycare buddy, Amelia (you two are almost exactly the same age), are always excited to see each other in the mornings. You squeal and “talk” and wave your arms at each other. It’s hilarious and so adorable. I love that you already have a friend to share your days with when we’re away at work. Mary says that you guys share toys and touch and pull at each other’s hair, faces, clothing, hands, feet. You also pull pacifiers out of each other’s mouths and pop them into your own. Immune system building at its finest, I suppose!
You have the sitting up skill down to a science now. When you fall, it’s pretty much always because you mean to. You fling yourself backward on purpose, or lean forward all the way to bring yourself onto your tummy. You have figured out how to wiggle and scootch your way over to something that you want, and sometimes you get your legs and feet into this funny position that seems like it MIGHT be the very early stages of crawling.
You can turn on the Fisher Price Lights ‘n’ Sounds machine in your crib, all by yourself. Sometimes you use your hands, other times you use your feet. But we know you do it knowingly, because we’ve watched you. You know exactly where the button is and what it’s for.

This month, you suddenly decided that you do not like the changing table anymore. Ever since you were born, it has been one of your happy places. No matter the mood you were in, we could always make you smile and laugh on the changing table. Now, however, you seem to view it as a torture device because OH.MY.GOSH, heaven forbid you have to spend 60 seconds on your back. As soon as we sit you up on the table, you are happy as a clam, reaching for all of the objects around you.
Because of this whole aversion to lying down on your back and having to stay still, diaper changes have become more of a challenge. You try to roll left and right, doing your best to escape from us. Sometimes changing your diaper feels like we are trying to wrestle an alligator. I can’t believe we are already at this stage—I thought we’d have a few months of easy changes left. Oh well, we’re quickly learning to be experts at the on-the-move diaper change! We will prevail!

I can’t even remember all of the foods you’ve tried at this point. Pretty much anything is game as far as fruits and vegetables go. And now that you’re eight months, I’m looking forward to introducing you to yogurt, cheeses, beans, and some other new foods. If your track record is any indication, you will love the new flavors.

We went on our first week-long vacation with you this month. We went to Las Vegas, Utah, and Arizona. We visited the Grand Canyon. During the trip, we slept in a different hotel room almost every night, and you didn’t seem to think that was any big deal. You loved being with us, and you enjoyed people watching while we were out and about every day. You were great on our flights and car rides. We were so proud of you.
Before our trip, we had you back at the doctor due to you being sick for a month straight. That RSV that you were diagnosed with last month? Well, you followed that up with a couple of colds right in a row, and we wanted to get you checked out prior to leaving town. It turned out that you had an ear infection (your second one). We were worried about flying with you, but you didn’t seem to be bothered. While at the doctor, you were weighed, and you were 14 lbs., 13 oz. Growing girl!
You still have a touch of stranger danger, but it really depends on your mood. Sometimes you like to be a little charmer and smile at the people around you (even if they’re not looking at you). You’re generally fine with people as long as they aren’t holding you! You prefer to be held by Daddy and me, but we’re working on it. Grammy babysat you on Good Friday since Mary had the day off, and you did so well. I love for you to have that kind of quality time with your grandparents.

Still no teeth. But that has become the single most-asked question from everybody we encounter. “Does she have any teeth yet?” Nope. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Those pearly whites are taking their merry time. I’m just soaking up every last day without them, honestly. As cute as I’m sure they’ll be, I am going to miss your toothless grin.
On an almost daily basis, I am struck by the speed at which time is flying by. I drink in every minute of my snuggles with you at bedtime each night. I gaze at you sleeping in your crib and I can’t believe how long you look when you’re all stretched out.

I know you have to keep growing up, but don’t do it too fast, OK?

I love you forever and ever.

Bear hugs,
Mommy

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Catching Up

Monday, May 9, 2011

The first two days of our vacation, I was on track to keep up with the blog posts. I was actually planning on posting them in real time! I was so proud of myself for getting both Saturday and Sunday's blog posts up by Monday morning.

And then, just as I was getting ready to publish a blog post, our MacBook alerted me that its battery was dying. I asked Michael to grab the power adapter for me so we could plug it in. No big deal. Except when I plugged it in, the light didn't go on, indicating it was charging.

We tried again. We tried plugging it into different outlets. After several minutes of troubleshooting, we discovered that the adapter was indeed DEAD.

On vacation. Out in the middle of nowhere.

Michael called Apple and after troubleshooting a few things over the phone, they agreed that it was dead, too. They said they would replace it under warranty. Because we always use our laptop to back up our photos while we're on vacation, it was important for us to get the new adapter ASAP. So, we had Apple ship us the new adapter to our lodge in the Grand Canyon. Hilariousness.

As it turned out, we ended up at a few hotels that didn't offer internet (or wanted you to pay an arm and a leg for it), so I would've had trouble keeping up with my posts throughout the week anyway.

As a result, here I am, back from vacation, and trying to catch up. I'll be continuing to back-post our vacation recaps, so make sure to check for updates by scrolling down the page. (Assuming you read on the blog. If you read through a reader, well, the new posts should show up automatically.)

Lots and lots of pics to share, so stay tuned!

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Mommy

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Words cannot express how thankful I am to be called Mommy. Nora is the greatest gift I have ever received and every night, I say a little prayer to recognize that. I know what I have.

What a wonderful feeling it is to celebrate Mother's Day with my little girl. Still, it is a bit strange because I feel like I have already been given everything--I have her. So, today, that is what I celebrated. I celebrated the gift of motherhood, giving thanks for that privilege and also to the mother who raised me. I learned what it is to be a mother from being mothered by her.

{When I became Mommy}


{When my mom became Mommy}

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there. I hope you had fabulous days with the little ones (or big ones, if they're grown!) who gave you that title.

Also, for those of you who are still trying to become moms... I remember what that ache feels like. I do not forget. And for you, I hope that this Mother's Day is your last one with "empty arms."

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Tardy

Saturday, May 7, 2011

We screwed up.

We screwed up so, so badly.

Our flight was at 7:10 a.m. yesterday morning. We got up at 4:30 a.m.

In hindsight, it was so clearly not enough time, but our hotel was relatively close to the airport (less than 10 minutes), so we thought we were good.

I started to get very, very nervous when it was 5:45 a.m. and we were still in our hotel room. We lit a little fire under our asses and got out as quickly as possible, but then we had to stop to top off the gas tank for the rental car. And then, the rental car return ended up being way PAST the airport, and by the time we got there, unloaded, got Nora's car seat (and other belongings) packed and zipped into the car seat bag, caught the shuttle to the terminal, arrived at the terminal...

We were 5-10 minutes too late. FIVE TO TEN MINUTES.

They wouldn't let us check in. Delta has a policy that you must be checked in 45 minutes prior to scheduled departure time. (I know that other airlines are only 30 minutes. Too bad we were not flying those other airlines.)

We got sent over to "Special Services," to deal with a (admittedly VERY nice) ticket agent who tried everything he possibly could to get us home as soon as humanly possible. The very best he was able to do was to get us home at 11 p.m.

We were supposed to get home at 5 p.m.

If we had been up at 4:00 a.m., we would've been fine. But that extra half hour of sleep cost us SIX EXTRA HOURS in an airport.

I have never been so pissed at myself. Not only did we miss our flight, but we missed our flight WITH A BABY. For crying out loud, we are idiots. But I'll tell you what, though... I don't foresee us ever making that mistake again. Lesson learned, folks.

So, after being on a vacation that was go-go-go (which is typical travel fashion for us), we suddenly found ourselves with a lot of TIME. Lots and lots of extra time. We meandered everywhere today. I don't think I've ever walked so slowly in my entire life. What, we have to go all the way to Terminal A? Meh. We have THREE HOURS. Let's walk slowly. Really slowly.

Our 7:10 a.m. departure from Vegas became a 9:45 a.m. departure. So, needless to say, we had plenty of time in the Las Vegas airport. We discovered they had free wi-fi there (love it), so we spent some time uploading pics to Facebook, and of course played with Nora. She was simply fascinated by Daddy's hat.

We made it through our first stretch of waiting, and it was finally time to board. A 4+ hour flight later, and we were in Atlanta, at least. But we had a freaking four-hour layover to contend with there, which was less than ideal. Surprisingly, it went by more quickly than we thought it would, especially since we killed a ton of time by going for a sit-down dinner.

From there, we simply walked the terminal, back and forth, back and forth. Nora dozed off in her stroller, which was great, considering she had barely napped all day and wasn't going to be home until way past her bedtime.
Thankfully, after missing the flight, everything was uneventful. Flights were on time, Nora was a fantastic little flyer (once again), the in-flight movie (which we could only half-watch with a baby) was decent (it was The Tourist), and all was well.

It was certainly a long day, though.

My mom (bless her!) picked us up at the airport shortly after 11 p.m., and we pulled into our driveway around midnight. Nora fell asleep in the car on the way home so I transferred her directly from her car seat to bed. For the first time in her little life, she slept in her clothes. :)

Michael and I were more than ready for bed ourselves. We're tired today. The late bedtime + jet lag is not fun. Nora has been a trooper, though. We all slept late this morning, until 10:00 a.m. We actually got up before Nora did, which was great because I went in to find her in the "butt-in-the-air" sleep position that is ridiculously adorable. So, of course I had to take a thousand pictures of her:
It's good to be home.

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Hoover Dam & A Sliver of Vegas

Friday, May 6, 2011

After all of the driving we've done this week, I have to say that most of it was really not that bad. Until today. The ride from the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas (about 4.5 to 5 hours) sucked. OK, I take it back... most of it was OK, too. But the last hour or so, and especially the stretch from the Hoover Dam to Vegas? OH.EM.GEE. I just wanted to get out of the car. Out of the car NOW.

As always, we got up early, packed up the car, and left as quickly as we could. We arrived at the Hoover Dam around noon, and well, we were out of there in about 15 minutes. The Hoover Dam? I'm sorry, but it was B-O-R-I-N-G. I had totally overestimated what this thing would look like in my head, and when we finally saw it, I was completely underwhelmed. Oh well.

(ETA: Thanks to a commenter, I'm now aware that we were in the wrong spot for pictures. We were at the back, and somehow completely missed the front of the dam. In hindsight, I still don't see how we could've accessed the front from where we were. Oops! That makes a lot of sense, though, because Michael and I kept saying that it looked nothing like we thought it would. Come to find out we were just on the wrong side! Amateurs' mistake.)

Still, we parked for a few minutes and took a few photos, simply because we were there.

Once back on the road, we hit a lot of traffic on our way to our hotel in Las Vegas, which was a Westin located about a block off of the strip on Flamingo Road. After suffering a bit longer in the car, we finally pulled in and were able to get out of that stinkin' car.

We were immediately taken aback by the OVEN that we had driven into. The forecasted high in Las Vegas today was 97 degrees. Yowzers.

We took a bit of a break in our air conditioned hotel room, but then decided to brave the strip for a little while. We applied a ton of sunblock and hit the streets.
Given the heat, we didn't go too far. We got to the strip and cut across the street to position ourselves in front of the Bellagio fountains. There were a lot of people standing around waiting, so we figured we were probably pretty close to being able to see one of the fountain shows (which we now know occur on the hour and half-hour, in case you're curious).

While we waited, we busied ourselves with more photos:

In the meantime, Nora fell asleep. So cute, but even in the photo you can tell she's sweating!
How cute is she, gripping onto her little rubber ducky that the Westin gave her upon check-in?

Soon, the fountains began to do their thing:
After the show, we ducked into a hotel/casino for some air conditioning. While we walked through, Nora woke up (the girl can't pass up a chance to people watch!). Once back outside, we were immediately hot again. There's not much you can do when it's freakin' 97 degrees.
Nora was a champ drinking water out of the bottle.

By this time, it was later afternoon and we were starving, so we started to look for the nearest place to eat. We stumbled upon Margaritaville and we went with it. A frozen drink + a gigantic pulled pork sandwich later, and I was a happy camper.
After eating, we didn't feel like we really had anywhere else we wanted to go (especially not with a baby), so we went back to our hotel. Michael wandered around with Nora while I played a few more penny slots--and I won $10. Woohoo! :)
Once again, I just have to comment on the cuteness of summer clothing. Tank tops! Shorts! I die.

Nora was EXHAUSTED tonight, so we made sure to get her to bed early. She was actually sleeping a little bit before 7:00. Yes, you read that right--we were in our room for the night by 7 p.m. We clearly do not belong in Vegas. :)

Although this has been a great week, I think we are just about ready to go home. Up and at 'em early tomorrow morning...

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