Fun with “Pa”

This weekend, we were down in Virginia to visit my dad and some of his family. My dad lives in a small town, so there isn’t much to do—and that always equals a very low-key, relaxing time. The best indicator of this? I took afternoon naps while Nora napped. You know, instead of running around like crazy people trying to get as much done around the house in those few precious hours.

I’m not normally a very good napper. But man, afternoon naps? I miss you.

I also didn’t wear a lick of makeup this weekend. I somehow forgot my mascara but remembered everything else. And I don’t know, I figure if I’m not wearing mascara—one of the most important makeup elements, in my opinion—I might as well wear nothing at all. FREEEEDOOMMM!

The difference between our visit this year and last year is that Nora is SO MUCH MORE AWESOME. She has been warming up to people a lot faster lately, and my dad is no exception. She had some serious fun with her “Pa,” and so did we!

Below is a selection of photos from the weekend. It’s really amazing to look back at Nora during our trip to Virginia last year, on this exact same weekend in 2011. I can’t believe how different she looks!

She was fascinated with her pa’s guitar and got a big kick out of it when he played it for her. She even tried to “help” by turning the keys at the top, resulting in a lot of tuning done by Pa!

We had great weather, so we took a trip to the playground to let Nora do her thing.

She actually semi-understands posing for photos now. Whether or not she actually does it depends on her mood and who/what she is posing with. In this particular instance, she was thrilled to pose with Pa and Mommy—she even leaned her cheek right up against mine. She’s the cutest!

We visited a winery, just for something fun to do for an hour. I’d never tried any of the Virginia wines. I’m no connoisseur, but I like to experiment.

As it turns out, my dad and I have very similar taste in wine. We both hated all of the reds! And the sweet/dessert wines were pretty much sickeningly sweet. There was one that tasted like pure syrup! I’m pretty sure I was watching for his reaction to the syrupy one here, haha.

We spent some time with my grandparents, and were sure to snap a few photos even though Nora was being less than cooperative at this particular moment. We only get to see them once a year at best, so we have to take advantage!

Overall, it was a nice trip. A little too short for all involved, but at least we got down there to see my dad and grandparents. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see my aunt or any of my cousins this trip. :(

It won’t be long before we see my dad again… he’s coming up at Christmas! I can’t tell you the last time I saw my dad at Christmastime. And it’ll be here before we know it.
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I’m participating in Nablopomo, and I may have had to cheat a little bit to catch up from a weekend away. Don’t hold it against me. :)