While I've been away...

(from blogging that is) lots has happened and Cora has grown like crazy.  I didn't mean to take a break from blogging, but sometimes life just gets in the way and I didn't really want to spend my 45 minute nap breaks editing/uploading/blogging my pics.  So, sorry for the hiatus, I'm going to attempt to catch up with a photo dump of our life in the past 3 months.

So, while I was away lazy...

   
Cora learned to sit

and stand up in her exersaucer

She deepened her friendship with her favorite doggie, Uncle Beau

She tried her first solids - avocados.  This was her reaction.

Cora learned to read.  (Not really!)

There were lots of naps

We visited friends

  

We visited family

Cora learned to ride a scooter


She went to the beach for the first time

(Immediately after Slik snapped this pic, a huge wave drenched me up to my knees.  It was COLD)

  

We've really just been enjoying time together and with friends and family these past few months.  As Cora has become more interactive and active, I'm understanding how life as a mom can be so busy even if at the end of the day, all you've done is "played" with your child.  I wouldn't trade these moments for anything though - I just love how Cora has been changing before my eyes.

Right now, we're visiting my family in NJ, so hopefully I can carve out some time to catch everyone up on our lives and some big changes coming ahead :)  So, that's it for now!

Before I sign off, here's a bonus picture of my blue-eyed loves

Easy Infinity Scarf Tutorial

My awesome sister has been visiting me this past month and we've been having a lot of fun spending quality time together.  Whenever we hang out, we have so much fun because we are alike in so many ways.  We have the same silly quirks, enjoy grocery shopping and free samples, love watching cheesy dance chick flicks, and are always having random dance parties around the house.

Last week, she put her high school video project editing skills to good use and filmed and edited my very first video tutorial - it's my take on how to make an easy infinity scarf.

We had a fun time making this and I hope you find it useful and easy to follow.  Feel free to use/share/pin it!

Jersey Girl

Time has been flying by and it's been over a month since I last posted.  Cora is growing at an exponential rate and I am just unable to keep up with her on my blog! It's been a busy couple of months for us as we spent 5 weeks in NJ with my family.  Cora made it through her first plane ride beautifully, which was a huge relief for me.  This trip was Cora's first time meeting most of my family and childhood friends, and most people commented that she was so much bigger in real life than she appeared in my pictures.  Yes, their observations were true, but I've also been lagging in my posting by at least a month, and in baby terms, alot can change in a month!

So here's a run through of our month-long stay in the fabulous state of New Jersey!

We arrived just in time for my brother's graduation from medical school.  Can't believe my younger brother is actually a doctor now! Crazy, and I'm crazy proud of him!

  

  

We took Cora into NYC for the first time - to get Halal of course!

  

A few random pictures taken over the course of our stay:

My little bookworm

Of course we squeezed in a family photoshoot!

  

  


I had such a good time introducing Cora to her Jersey roots.  She's gonna be a Jersey girl at heart, just like her momma!

The Bluebonnet Escapade

In Texas, every year around April/May is considered bluebonnet season.  It's the short period in spring when the state flower blooms all over the state.  The flowers are beautiful and sprout up alongside highways and parks.  For all you non-Texans, bluebonnet season is a big deal here and it's no joke.  There are websites devoted to updating the public on bluebonnet sightings and families flock out to remote locations to capture their yearly bluebonnet family pictures.

Being Cora's first bluebonnet season, I thought it might be fun to try and get a few family pictures of our own.  So, I checked out the Texas bluebonnet sighting facebook page (yes, that actually exists) and found a location in The Woodlands, which is a suburb north of Houston.  It just so happened that we were planning on having dinner with some friends up there so we left a little early to take a few pictures in the optimal late afternoon sunlight.  Well, optimal sunlight or not, things did not quite go as planned.  The sun was still strong and Cora was getting hungry.  I managed to snap a few photos of Slik and Cora before the little lady just about had enough.

Cora - not too thrilled with taking pictures

"The sun is too bright for my little blue eyes."

"This is not my idea of fun."

A picture where Cora looks like a sleeping angel - I assure you, this was not the case.

"Please mommy, just let me be done!"

I had hoped to get a family picture, but Cora did not last long enough for that.  So I gave up and left to meet our friends.

A few weeks later, we were heading home from Austin and drove by a popular bluebonnet spot.  The highway was lined with parked cars and there were tons of people taking pictures in this big field of bluebonnets.

  

This photo shoot wasn't getting off to a good start either.  Poor Cora was blinded by the strong sun.

There was lots of crying, but once I figured out how to pose with Cora's face in the shade, she let us snap a few more pictures.

In the end, I still wasn't able to achieve my goal of getting a good family shot, but I think we did get a few good ones after all.  Maybe next time, I'll save myself the grief, spend the money, and hire a real photographer to do the photos instead.