The Farrells

The Farrells
Matt, Nicki, Owen and Nora live in the San Francisco Bay area. Matt is a research analyst at CBRE and is loving his job. Nicki spends her time playing with Owen and Nora, reading, crafting, and taking lots of pictures. Owen loves to read, sing, throw toys, and quote movies. Nora is growing quickly and loves to be the center of attention. We have a wonderful life!

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Saturday, July 28, 2012

Alameda County Fair


The Alameda County Fairgrounds are located in Pleasanton not far from our apartment. Last year as we were looking for an apartment in Pleasanton, we drove past the county fair many times, but never actually had the time to go, so this year we decided to make it a priority. The fair is supposed to be one of the biggest and the best in this area. We got free tickets through Facebook, and made a day of it. It was hot, but we had a blast!

Looking at some sheep. We skipped most of the livestock displays... mostly because it was hot and they were smelly. ;)

Watching mutton busting. Owen was too small for it this year (you have to be 4), but Matt wants to put him in it next year. I'm not quite as sure... 

The fair had these giant coloring pages all over the place next to buckets of crayons for the kids. Owen thought it was a pretty good idea.

Meeting Curious George in the kids park.

Nora pretty much hung out in her carseat (in the stroller) all day long to stay out of the sun. She did surprisingly well.

Waiting for the racing pigs to start.

They were so much fun to watch!

In the audience for the clown show.

The clowns had a toilet paper gun!

Our one splurge (justified by the fact that we got in free) was a funnel cake with strawberries, ice cream, and whipped cream. Yum!
In the model train building. SO cool.


Fire trucks and firemen (and the free hats they gave out) are  always a top priority for Owen.

At the race track, getting ready to watch a horse race!

Cute baby taking a break from the stroller. 

The landscaping displays were really neat... we saw some beautiful gardens!

We also saw a lot of the displays from people who submitted things they had made. Here we are in the food and fabric art building, looking at all the cool cakes and quilts, and taking a break in the air conditioning.

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

5 Months!

I can't believe Nora is already 5 months old. I think we're just starting to come out of her tummy troubles (knock on wood), and finally starting to see some of her personality come through, rather than just having her be unhappy all the time. At her 4 month check up, she was 14 lbs, 5 oz, and 25 inches long, which is about 75% for both measurements. She's kind of a tank compared to Owen. :) We love cuddling all her squishiness, though.

Nora loves to be talked to, and will give a giant smile to almost anyone who talks to her. She absolutely loves Matt and Owen and gets excited when they walk in the room. One of her favorite things to do is watch Owen play or run around, and he loves making her laugh. These two are going to be great friends. :) Nora is a thumb-sucker, though we're trying to get her to prefer her pacifier rather than her thumb (it's much easier to take away later!). She doesn't sleep very well, and still has to be completely swaddled in order to sleep. She loves to look at and play with toys and puts everything in her mouth. She's just starting to eat solid food, but she doesn't like it very much. She loves bouncing around in her jumper. She has rolled over, but doesn't consistently do it, because she doesn't like to spend much time on the floor - she's a cuddle bug, and much prefers to be held. It's been a wild five months, but we love this little girly and can't wait to see more of her personality come out as her stomach gets stronger and happier!

Brand new little one... at 8lbs, 11oz.

One month.

All wrapped up in her nifty swaddler.

Two months. Not loving tummy time. :)

She sure does love her daddy, though.

I love Owen's face in the back of this one - ha!

2 1/2 months.

First time looking at her toys on her playmat... she was fascinated!

Not loving tummy time.... again.

3 months. love this sweet face. She loves watching Owen. 





Wearing a new church dress for the first time.

What a good head holder!

Oh! These cheeks!

3 1/2 months. Are you done taking pictures yet, mom?
Sleepy 4 month girl.

Nora does not like the regular baby carrier that we have, so I researched different options. There is one that's called a Moby Wrap that looked really comfy, but I wasn't willing to pay $50 for it when it's basically just a couple yards of fabric. I made this one for less than $20, and she loves it!


4 1/2 months. First solid food!

Seriously, guys?

Aaaand we're done.

Toe sucking!

Thumb sucking!

She's getting better at tummy time, especially if I sit and talk to her.

Love this cute face.

Does her hair look a bit red in this picture? We can't decide what color her hair or her eyes are going to be... her hair is sometimes brown, sometimes blonde, and has some red in it too. Her eyes still have a lot of grey, but the middles are starting to turn... green? Brown? Hazel? We're about 90% sure they won't be blue, though.


Trying out a little scoot.

Her hair looks pretty blonde in this one. Not nearly as blonde as mine was when I was a baby, but still pretty light.

Avoiding going to bed... watching the computer with daddy.

We just pulled out her high chair last week She loves it, especially when Owen brings her lots of toys.

Sleeping in daddy's arms during dinner.

5 months! She loves to sit with everyone on the couch.

Smiley!

Starting to sit up!
Getting distracted by the couch she thinks is tasty...

Timber!