Our Little Firecracker

She may look sweet and innocent here, but this little lady is anything but. Her first word was "no," and though she says it in a charming little pixie voice, she means business when she says it (which was quite some time ago; I just failed to mark the occasion on the ol' blog and think it a very fitting example of the emotional being that is our lovably stubborn little girl).

Nora reached the 18-month mark on the fourth of July, and boy oh boy, did we have one killer half-birthday celebration for her (though she did have to share it with the rest of the nation). The second annual Burt Backyard Fourth of July Extravaganza went off without a hitch and featured everything from a Slip 'n' Slide belly flop contest for the kiddos to a visit from an old Ohio pal (and her very nice beau) for the adults. More to come on that (I just got Photoshop CS5 and am too busy playing around to do much else in my leisure computer time), but for now, I thought I'd post this soon-to-be Burt family wall art to mark my youngest's 18-month-old charm.

Sure do love that little girl -- even if she does take after her melodramatic mama. Perhaps I'll feel the same sense of vindication my mom is currently enjoying (she visited last weekend as well) 28 years down the line when Nora Lynn produces a McAfee-Reece-gened tornado of a woman of her own.