Outside

I'm afraid we've created a monster.

We've had pretty great weather this week. Every night after work, we've taken Nora outside to play. The only problem (if you can call it that) is that she LOVES it--a little too much, maybe. The minute we get home, she's whining/reaching for the door/begging to go outside. We happily oblige, but sometimes it's necessary to--I don't know--drop our things off in the house, change our clothes, get dinner started, or pee. God forbid!

It's tough to teach an 18 month old patience, especially when they can't comprehend reason.

Anyway. A couple of nights ago, I finally put away the iPhone and got the real camera out. I also unburied my 50mm f/1.8 lens, which--although my favorite--I haven't used in quite some time. I chased Nora around in the front and back yards, trying desperately to get some good photos of our girl. And then, I edited them! I took a night off from kitchen stuff to enjoy playing around with pics. The results are the photos here in this post. Not perfect (hello, limb chops!), but it was the best I could do with a fixed lens and a never-stops-moving toddler.

This little one enjoys being outside so much that she doesn't even want to sleep. Or bathe. Last night, she threw an absolute FIT when I took her shoes off, took her upstairs, and gave her a quick bath. She normally loves baths, so it was a different experience to have her screaming and fighting me (I even had to call in reinforcements--Michael!) the whole time.

{Reaching for a ball that Daddy threw way up into the sky}

We didn't move into our house until mid-August of last year, and at that point, we were in a mad rush of house projects to make the place liveable. We didn't have much time to be outdoors, and even when we did, it was tough because Nora was not yet walking, but didn't like to be in the grass for extended periods of time. So, this will be our first time to really take advantage of the benefits of having a house. With a yard. And a fence. And a driveway.

{Waving bye-bye to Daddy}

We have big plans for a spring and summer filled with cars/bikes, balls, bubbles, slides, swings, chalk, and a baby pool. And (hopefully) eating things straight out of our soon-to-be little backyard garden.

Yesterday, as I drove home after picking up Nora from daycare, I glanced in the back seat to see her SLEEPING, wisps of her hair gently moving in the breeze flowing in through my half-open window. It's only a 10-minute drive from daycare to our house, which is never enough time for her to fall asleep anymore. The last time that happened? Last summer.

I asked Mary whether Nora had actually napped yesterday, and she said that she did, but only for 45 minutes. She had been furious with Mary when she brought her inside to nap, and when she woke up, all she wanted to do was go back out.

We have an outdoor-loving girl.

And it is still only March. We have 7+ months ahead of us to enjoy the great outdoors.

I can't wait to see how our adventures unfold.