Family,
And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where another epic month for Team Taylor is in the books. Let's get amongst it, shall we?
4/1 - So today was not a great day for Team Taylor (medically speaking, at least). For starters, it just straight up looks like an Apothecary in our house. Not only have we been cycling through antibiotics constantly since December, but now both K and Bear are getting daily allergy medicine. For K we've actually moved from Claritin (lowest strength) to Zyrtec (highest strength). We think we've seen nominal improvement, but she is still blowing out oceans of snot, coughing some, and has red bags under her eyes. Also, she's sleeping DEEP - we are having to wake her up every morning.
Bear had a temperature in the afternoon, and JT scheduled a time to meet with Ashley at the Y tomorrow to see if Cora still had fluid in her ears. She had pointed to her left one throughout the day and even told us that it hurt "all day long." Keep in mind this is after Cefdinir, Augmentin, AND Amoxicillin! JT (wisely) made an appointment for Tuesday, and we weren't sure what they were going to say. I mean, at this point, she'd had all the meds you could give a kid, so....
On the Kaitlyn front, she got her first real splinter today. They were playing in the woods at school, and a bit of a branch got caught in her hand. She said that she was very brave (has actually used the phrase "rough and tumble" multiple times this month!) and didn't cry, but she said it really hurt when Ms. Pate pulled it out.
4/2 - Sure enough, Cora DOES have another ear infection! We are sure if it's new or just a continuation of the previous ones, but that feels more likely. However, here was the problem - since they'd given her everything they could orally, they now had to move to the next phase - SHOTS IN THE LEG! And get this - because she's so little, they couldn't put all that medicine in 1 leg, which meant she had to have two shots! But it gets worse - they told us that it would take at least 4 shots to fully kill the infection, which meant they had to schedule another round of shots for Wednesday! Jenny was a rockstar, as was Cora. JT said that she did cry and was really sore after the injection, but a little ice cream and a cotton candy lollipop took care of everything. :-)
On the Kaitlyn front, she now has one of her 6 year molars fully in! She said that it was a little sensitive, but all in all it doesn't seem to be bothering her too much. Also, she cashed in $50 Bradford Bucks for the right to "sit in the special space." Now I will be honest, I haven't managed to really figure out what this is, but I think it's a tipi or tent somewhere in the classroom where you can sit all day. More to come, but I can confirm she is quite excited.
And speaking of Bradford Bucks - she got an extra special sticker for cashing in her $100 to buy the stuffed animal party. She gets a sticker every day that she's good in class, and on this day she got a huge one that said "Friend to the End." Love it!
4/3 - Bear had shots 3 and 4 today, and she was a trooper! JT said that it wasn't as bad and that she didn't seem as sore (the worst must have been after the nap yesterday, as bear didn't even want to stand up in her crib).
I need to mention that Bear is doing "huggy!" and "Kissy!" all the time now, and it is SUPER cute. Basically she comes at you like a battering ram to hug you. This is fine as long as you know it's coming. However, given her current height, she's quite dangerous for this guy if I'm not paying attention. :-)
4/4 - Tipi update: apparently K still hasn't made it into the "special spot" yet because other kids are cashing in their coupons for it as well. I mean, does it come with a Tesla parked in there? Is there kool-aid in the water fountain? Do tell! Anyhoo - we are still waiting. Stay tuned for updates.
Bear went back in for the checkup today, and they said that she STILL has fluid in her ears. That meant TWO MORE SHOTS! This one must have been awful, as Cora knew it was coming. Jenny actually had to hold the poor girl down, and Cora still refuses to let me take band-aids off. 
Bear has been super cute lately - she will either say "Color with me, Gag" or "Play with me, Gag." And if she sees the princess castle, she'll say "Play Pinsheshes with me, Gag." I mean...purty cute...K read "Dragons Love Tacos" tonight with minimal help, and she did it in about 10 minutes! It was AWESOME to watch (and hear)! Proud of you, kid! Bear was impressive as well, as she told me she wanted to "read" Shimmer and Shine, and she actually did several of the pages from memory! It's funny - she did NOT like me reading - she wanted to keep doing it. She only has the first half more or less committed to memory, so I let her work through it about 4 times before we sacked out (at which point she was ANGRY that she didn't get a sticker for bed).
Also, K got her first official NC ID today! It actually says the date she turns 21 on there - 2034!!!! Holy Moly...our girl is growing up!
4/5 - So K woke me at 2:09 this morning with a "sour throat" and feeling hot. She was 100.2, and she said it hurt every time she swallowed. I gave her some ibuprofen, and she did sleep until I woke her at 7:15. I gave her meds again at 7:15 (admittedly earlier than I would have liked, but you do what you gotta do), and she was a little whiny/verge of tears for most of the morning. I am picking her up earlier today (real time typing this bit) from school to take her into the Peds. Not sure what they can give her - hopefully no shots for her!
UPDATE! So I picked K up at 2:15, and she almost broke down crying the second she saw me. You could tell she wasn't happy, and when I said, "I've made you a doctor's appointment," she just started bawling in the office. She said, "I don't want the swab!" and started crying uncontrollably. Cora then followed suit with her crying, at which point I actually started laughing. I am not kidding - these kids have cried 36 hours straight. K was (understandably) also upset that she missed a) recess and b) shopping with her Bradford Bucks. But I tried to give her as much time in class as possible, which was a good thing since she GOT THE TIPI TODAY!!!! She got to sit in there for snack, lunch, and art. She seemed quite happy (and hot lunch was good today). She did unfortunately leave her jacket at school (which didn't help matters), but regardless - we got her to the Peds at 3:30, and we were in at 3:45.
K did start crying when they said they needed to swab her, but Tracy was GREAT and did it quickly. K asked before they started, "Is it okay if I stop crying first?" Poor thing...she even had to wear a mask in the waiting area and was breaking out in goose bumps. The test came back positive - STREP ROUND III! She is at the midway point to an ENT referral, and Dr. Knutson thinks that the size of her tonsils are the problem. That means we'll be chilling at home tomorrow, but she should not longer be contagious (and feeling much better) this time tomorrow. But I will need to go and get her new toothbrushes, as apparently we have to chuck the old ones once she's no longer contagious. 
4/6 - So let me just say it - today was no easy day, and it was TOTALLY unplanned. Long story short - my grandmother (Grand Nanny - my last grandparent) is in Hospice, and the end is likely very near. I hadn't planned to go and see her this side of Heaven, but there were a lot of signs God gave me that suggested I should do otherwise. If you want to hear about all that, you can go to my Encounter log, but long story short - I went to bed the night before knowing that we needed to drive to TN on Saturday. And since I had to teach at church on Sunday, that meant 8 hours in the car.
Kaitlyn woke up first (I'd already backed the car), and I talked her through what needed to happen. Simply put, she was AWESOME. We talked about Nanny going to Heaven, and she asked great questions like "Is she going to be with God?" It was really sweet, and when I told her I needed her to be strong for me today, she was a ROCK.
Seriously - she was great in the car. The girls had a lot of tablet time, and K shared the tablet with Cora. They colored, we listened to music, and we really did have fun. Once we got to Kingsport, mom took them to CFA and then shopping at Hobby Lobby while I sat in there with Nanny and Benny, saying my farewells. I then drove the girls to Warrior's Path State Park for an hour. There was an AMAZING playground, and they went hard there before hopping back into the car for the drive home. Honestly - they couldn't have been sweeter.
The best line came about halfway through the drive. I asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to give some of her allowance for the Liberty Offering, and she said, "Yeah, sure." I asked how much, and she said, "I don't know. Maybe a $20?" LOVE THIS KID! And true to form - she gave $23 on Sunday morning. PROUD OF YOU, KID!
At the end of it, I told Kaitlyn, "Sorry about today." She replied, "Why? It was a GREAT day!" That did bring a smile to my face and ended a tough day on a high note. LOVE MY GIRLS!
4/7 - Today was a great day back in CLT. It started off with church, which was FANTASTIC. I was the teacher in Arrows, and it's just SO wonderful to have Kaitlyn in there. She actually got picked for the game in the first service (and the girls won the game, so GOOD JOB, KIDDO!). She is so polite, so sweet, clearly enjoys all the games, and is high energy during the worship time. I am really, really proud of her. And best of all, she was a GREAT help tidying up the chairs between services - I was so proud of her! She then cashed in 25 tokens for a MEGA lollipop - which she has quite enjoyed over the last 3 days. :-) 
Also, Kaitlyn played a lot of the Word Freeze game, and she was really, REALLY good at it! It's so cute how she runs up and freezes her arms - too cute! And the smile with the little dimple is just priceless.Bear was great at church as well - MAN, does that girl love her lollipops. :-) She helped pick up a little trash as well - it was pretty cute watching them work together.
After church, we headed home for lunch before rolling to the Y for an hour of swimming. The girls were GREAT and really had fun. Unfortunately there was no hot water left in the showers, meaning they didn't get the chance to rinse off properly there. However, we got them home, they watched a movie, had a shower, and ate pizza, so they didn't exactly suffer. :-)
4/8 - So how's this for amazing - tonight Kaitlyn did AN ENTIRE SHEET OF MATH PROBLEMS CORRECTLY. The one catch is that it was a subtraction worksheet and she did addition instead (Details), but she added all of them correctly. And when I pointed out the minus sign, she started doing some of those correctly! Honestly - this Singapore math stuff is GREAT!
when she brings in her new cat and uni-kitty. Cute...
And it should be noted that I likely did start a dangerous precedent tonight. I was still working and needed Cora occupied, so I gave her first Kaitlyn's phone and then Jenny's tablet. Cora has figured out the coloring unicorns app, and she seems to really enjoy it. However, when the screen is full and it stops reacting, she goes BALLISTIC. Luckily I didn't have to speak during any of those moments...
4/9 - Kaitlyn had another first today - her first ever stage play! It was a class field trip, and they went to the Children's Theater to see "Pete the Cat." Ms. Pate send us some CUTE pictures of the class, and everyone was all smiles the entire time. They even beat the rain and had the chance to eat and play in the park, which K said was her favorite part of the whole day. :-) She was dressed the part as well, wearing kitty knee high socks!
One cute thing to note about K's reading - she is starting to use contextual clues! She was reading Alice in Wonderland tonight, and when she got to a word that she didn't know (Bottle), she looked at the picture. She saw it, said, "I used my Eagle Eye, dada," and then said the word correctly. Proud of you, kid!
Can I just say how GREAT AND AMAZING IT WAS that the whole family unit was back together again today! Such peace and tranquility in the house! Well, except for Bear, who was NOT happy with dada. She is at that age now where she wants to do EVERYTHING by herself, and honestly I can't remember all of it. Stepping out of the bathtub, clipping herself in, climbing into every chair, laying down on her back while you brush her teeth - you name it. I just don't know what is normal, and when I tell her no, she just absolutely BLOWS HER STACK. Tonight she got out of the bath and said EXTREMELY clearly, "I want MOMMY tonight!" Luckily Kaitlyn wanted daddy. :-)
One cute thing to note about K's reading - she is starting to use contextual clues! She was reading Alice in Wonderland tonight, and when she got to a word that she didn't know (Bottle), she looked at the picture. She saw it, said, "I used my Eagle Eye, dada," and then said the word correctly. Proud of you, kid!
Can I just say how GREAT AND AMAZING IT WAS that the whole family unit was back together again today! Such peace and tranquility in the house! Well, except for Bear, who was NOT happy with dada. She is at that age now where she wants to do EVERYTHING by herself, and honestly I can't remember all of it. Stepping out of the bathtub, clipping herself in, climbing into every chair, laying down on her back while you brush her teeth - you name it. I just don't know what is normal, and when I tell her no, she just absolutely BLOWS HER STACK. Tonight she got out of the bath and said EXTREMELY clearly, "I want MOMMY tonight!" Luckily Kaitlyn wanted daddy. :-)
4/10 - It was back to normal today, which was AWESOME!!!! JT took Cora to the Y, where the staff commented on how much Bear likes to color. It should be noted that Cora is finally starting to stay in the lines a bit more - YAY! She is also CONSTANTLY picking her left nostril, but I'm not totally sure how to stop that at present. She did get her first ever time out today for hitting Kaitlyn (MAN, this child is VIOLENT!), but after that she's good. Oh, and did I mention that she will absolutely let you brush her teeth, but on one condition - SHE HAS TO BE LAYING DOWN IN HER ROOM. I mean....WHAT? Hey - whatever it takes...
Cora is now stepping into and out of the bath, and K is a great help with getting her toothpaste onto her brush in the evening. K has been a tremendous helper lately, which has been wonderful. Speaking of brushing, Cora definitely has a yellow sheen to her teeth - not from lack of our scrubbing, mind you! Soon we are going to transition to a) real toothpaste and b) pull-ups. Big things are happening here!
Some other notes:
1. K listens to the "Memory" music box from Vol Nana EVERY NIGHT before bed. It's become a ritual, and it's so sweet. I find myself standing outside her door after I close it, just listening to the music. Too sweet.
2. I was trying to get Cora up the stairs tonight, and she didn't like my prompting. She turned around and said, "I punch you in the eyeball. GAG!" I mean... no words...
4/11 - Kate came over today, and the girls seemed to have a blast. It's cute to watch them make up stories on the fly - JUST LIKE JOHNNY AND I DID growing up. Too cute. Now granted, they didn't get to play as long since...well...Cheryl sort of forgot to pick K up at BPS. :-) But hey, K got more bonding time with Ms. Pate, so all was right with the world. :-)
The girls were super sweet tonight. I've put them to bed solo the last two nights, and it's really been so nice - no tears, no screaming, just hugs and snuggles. It's amazing how much more harmony and tranquility exists in the house when both parents are around. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!
4/14 - K was in Arrows with me today, and she was SO CUTE! Honestly, she is just SUCH a model student for the other kids. She sits there quietly and politely when adults are talking, screams and interacts when prompted, and even raises her hand to ask questions! The sweetest part for me - when I do the invitation to salvation, she always raises her hand to ask Jesus into her heart. She's got her eyes closed, her head bowed, her kitty dress on, and her hand up. Just a perfect moment.
K is honestly SO independent now. Teeth - check. Bathing herself - check. Drying herself - check. Lotion (except her back) - check. Shoes and hair - check (but hair she's not always motivated to do :-)). She can even turn off the alarm and reheat her food by herself now - she's THAT tall!
Cora is starting to assert her independence as well. She is ADAMANT about climbing into her seat, stepping out of the car, and stepping into and out of the bath. She is LOVING the fact that she now steps out of the bath, after which time we wrap her in a towel just like we do for "Kate-win." :-) Oh, and Bear will let you brush her teeth after she tries, but there is a catch - she has to be laying down on the carpet in her room! I mean..okay...I guess... :-)
Cora even wants to help Kaitlyn empty the dishwasher, which is honestly super cute. At first I tried to resist it, but now I encourage it - so long as we can keep Cora doing the plastic items only. She's a good little helper!
Oh, and K started doing flash cards today. It was addition, and she got almost EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!! It was amazing! Good job, kiddo, and full marks, Ms. Pate!
4/15 - So today was an emotional but really good day. Nanny passed away at 8 AM Saturday morning, and in God's perfect timing - the funeral was Monday at 4 PM. We set out about 8:15, stopping at Early Girl Eatery in Asheville (used to be King Daddy). You should have seen Cora eat - she SUCKED DOWN a glass of chocolate milk like it was nothing. I actually had to hold the glass down to keep her from tipping it over!
We then hopped back into the car and set off down (curvy) Asheville highway. We were about 30 min away from Asheville when Cora said, "I'm going to throw up, mom." My comment: "There is no way she's self-aware enough to know that." That being said, I did check the rear view, and she didn't look great. Jenny turned around and held a bag in front of her, but then Jenny started getting sick due to the curves.
Sure enough, Jenny turns back around, sits down, and BOOM! Cora EXPLODES with vomit. And it just keeps coming! She FLOODED her lap and the car seat. I pulled off, at which time Kaitlyn just starts bawling. But here's the most amazing thing - Cora, covered in vomit, looks at her sister and says, "It's okay, "Kate-win." I mean...it was one of those moments I'll remember forever.
What I will also remember forever - changing her clothes outside of the car with a wind chill in the 30's and then trying to get enough vomit out of the car so that it didn't reek to high Heaven for the remainder of the drive. Needless to say - we washed pretty much EVERYTHING that night.
We got to Nanny's about 1:50, and I dropped the girls there while I headed to the funeral home (a lot I could obviously cover here, but I'm focusing this on the girls since it's their blog). A family friend, Joy Stansell, was an ANGEL and watched the girls during the service, and she was SO GREAT with them! She showed up with a little goody bag for each of them, and obviously they warmed right up to her. Throw in some Disney channel and some candy, and you have 2 very happy girls.
Dad went by after the service and dropped off an Easter basket from Granny A. Dad told them, "Don't open it until your daddy gets here," but I arrived 3 minutes later (not kidding) to find that basket SHREDDED and the girls already into the candy. HILARIOUS!
We spent the night at mom's, putting Cora down about 7:30 and K down about 8:15. It was obviously a very emotional, tough day, but I think having the girls there really helped lift mom's spirits. For my part, I was thankful to have all the family together.
4/16 - So...get ready for this: CORA CLIMBED OUT OF HER CRIB LAST NIGHT!!!!! I mean...WHAT?!?!?! It was the funniest thing - I was up about 7, and Jenny came down a little later. Jenny looked through the glass into mom's room (Cora's baby bed is in there) and said, "I don't see Bear." I dismissed it, thinking that she was likely in shadow or in the corner, but OH NO - that wasn't the case.
Get this - Mom said she was in bed at 11:30 when she heard a loud THUMP. She heard Cora whimpering but didn't go in, as she remembered my instructions that they just need to cry it out. :-) Proud of you, mama! However, after about 20-30 minutes of whimpering, she went in, shined a light in the crib...and didn't see her granddaughter. Oh boy...
Turns out Bear had crawled out, fallen, hit her arm and then her head, and was just whimpering on the floor. Mom took her to her room, where Bear tried to get comfortable and sleep but ultimately couldn't. She finally gave out at 1:30 AM, after which time mom barricaded her with pillows. :-) Craziness!!!! That basically means the end of the pack 'n play, which means we can't really travel until we can sort this out. Our next trip is Edisto in June, so there is work to be done!
The day itself was good. We had breakfast with Grand Pooh and Vol Nana before heading to Russellville for a bit. K was really brave and tried to read a book while she said goodbye to mom. She leaked out a few tears, but she rallied really quickly. So proud of her! We then had an hour at Russellville, and the girls LOVED it. They ran around the gym, ran down the halls, had juice boxes, and read some books in the library. It was so fun! It was then back home. We stopped for ice cream and a little park time in Black Mountain, and the girls were really pretty good the whole trip. Bear managed a 37 minute nap, which was her first nap in FOUR DAYS! The only hiccup was K's first ever nose bleed, but we managed to contain it fairly quickly.
4/17 - Today was a fun one...THE RETURN TO CAROWINDS!!!!! The girls had about 3.5 hrs there with Team McLaren before shuffling over to QT for a MEGA ICEE. Seriously - the photo Jenny sent me was TOO CUTE. Look at Cora SUCKING DOWN that puppy! Hilarious.
4/18 - The girls were SO WONDERFUL playing with each other tonight. It was like magic! They were laughing, playing, and just SO happy the entire time. There wasn't a single whine - not in the bath, not downstairs, not at the dinner table. It was just AWESOME! I wanted to bottle it! :-) I was seriously SO happy. They painted their magnetic butterflies (a gift from Granny A in their Easter Basket), and then K carried Bear around saying, "Bug-A-Boo!" Cora just KEPT laughing - it was too cute.
We let them stay up and play late, because honestly the energy in the house was just SO good. Then, after bath (where the girls cackled the entire time), K read "Peter and the Wolf"...and CRUSHED it. I was seriously AMAZED. That girl is REALLY improving - her speed tonight was noticeably faster!
4/20 - Today was a good one. We stayed in the house pretty much all day (minus Jenny and I getting workouts), which was good given the rather shoddy weather. The original plan had been a brewery with Team McLaren, but instead we opted for them coming over and grilling. Kaitlyn is sporting a TERRIBLE cough right now. They checked her and said her lungs were clear, but MAN she sounds rough. She said that her right ear is hurting, and today she just laid around for a good portion of the morning, under a blanket and sucking her thumb. I mean, that NEVER happens, so we fear something might be brewing.
What I will say - her and Bear played SO GOOD together today. It was so cute! They were just sweet as could be, playing with the hatchimals and doing little "Miraculous" (as in Ladybug and Cat Noir) stories and games. I played with them a bit - it was too cute.
4/20 - So another great Saturday in the books, with us largely taking it easy. The weather wasn't great (quite chilly), and so we were content to spend most of the day inside. I played quite a bit with Cora today, which was a hoot. She's gotten quite fond of jumping off Kaitlyn's chair and onto one of the pillows that mom just bought for them. Also, we spent a lot of time playing with Hatchimals (that has very much been a theme lately). Cora has started naming all of them, and her favorite is a little orange fish named Bubbles. The cutest part - when I asked what we were playing, she said, "I don't know!" So I asked, "Are these hatchimals going to Tennessee?" She said, "Yeah!" and has proceeded to take them on "trips to TN" (aka moving them from the rug to the chair) ever since. We also played a TON of "Miraculous" (that would be tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir). Kaitlyn now says that her necklace is her miraculous and even has a saying to invoke her kwame: "Magic out!" It's pretty cute...
We played some Monopoly and just chilled for most of the afternoon before Team McLaren came over, after which time it was a total hoot. The girls were GREAT about playing by themselves (most of the time in the Bonus room), which meant that the adults really got to just relax and have some fun. It was GREAT - a good time was had by all.
4/21 - EASTER SUNDAY AT FREEDOM HOUSE!!!!! This day was GREAT, starting with the Easter Bunny's delivery to the Bonus Room. We hid 35 eggs - 34 of which were found (I have NO IDEA where the other one is). The Easter Bunny provided lots of candy and fun stuff for the beach, and Cora seemed to enjoy hunting the eggs (she actually did find several herself). K was less than impressed that every egg "only" had candy...I mean...first world problems...
After also opening baskets from Vol Nana and Grand Pooh, it was then over to Freedom House for a pair of services. I got to teach in Arrows, and it was AWESOME - 82 kids! We had 35 kids say the prayer of salvation, and it was just such a wonderful experience watching Kaitlyn in there. Every week she raises her hand to accept Jesus into her heart - I love it! She is so well behaved, has such good energy, listens so well, and is generally just an angel in there. Honestly, I am SO EXCITED and feel SO BLESSED that I get to teach my kids the Word of God for the next 8 straight years - THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!
After church, we held rabbits, held chicks, and got some photos before rolling home. Nole Nana and Grandpa showed up around 3, and we hung out with them for a bit before having Easter dinner - it was yummy!
All in all, a GREAT (but rapid fire) weekend! Jenny and I crashed hard about 9 PM - good times! I will have to say - this was the most excited I've ever been for Easter. I think I am finally realizing the enormity of what that weekend represents, and that gratitude just makes it so much more special. Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for us.
4/22 - Back to school! I think K was excited, and they definitely had fun given the weather! K wore a dark blue shirt and these CUTE khaki shorts - she just looks ADORABLE! And she's in pig tails...just about the cutest thing ever.
Jenny had the girls at the park in the afternoon - K is already getting tan! Bear is still sporting porcelain skin at the moment, so we know it's time to start applying sun screen in the afternoon. It's touching the 80's now, and I'm so glad Jenny and Cora are making the most of it during the afternoon (and then adding K to the mix when she gets home). Makin' it count!
The one random thing to report - there is a FUNKY smell in Bear's room. Jenny and I both noticed it, and K definitely smells it as well. We CANNOT figure out what it is, but we are thinking it's potentially some stale urine that escaped a diaper somewhere. We have been tracking it for a day or so, but we can't find the source. The good news - it's not overpowering, but it's definitely there. Watch this space!
4/23 - So I had a GREAT morning with my girls today. I am officially done training for my upcoming race, which means at this point I'm just chilling in the mornings. Today that was really nice, as I got to enjoy by coffee, hang with Kaitlyn for a bit (great snuggles on the couch), and then even tickle bear in her room for a bit. I've also had the chance to drop off and pick up K both days this week, and it looks like I'll get to tomorrow as well! Yay!
K read Dumbo tonight - finished the entire book in a single sitting. I must say, there is now NO QUESTION that she's reading faster, putting words together faster, and absolutely reading bigger (and newer) words correctly - so proud of her!
4/24 - Best line of the day came from Cora at dinner. Jenny is currently heating her eyelids right now to reactivate the oil glands and thereby alleviate some dryness. Well, at dinner I asked her, "Did you heat your eyeballs today?" Cora looks at me in disgust and says, "I not EAT my eyeballs today. GAG." HILARIOUS! You could tell she was just flabbergasted by the question.
Oh, and I think Jenny has solved the mystery of the smell! We actually think it was Cora's purple PJs! She must have peed on them, and then it must have dried. Either way, Jenny washed them, and the room smelled NOTICEABLY better today. But then, at bath time, I dried Bear and let her run into her room naked while I got K out of the bath. Well, Cora runs back in holding her meningning, and she says, "I need pee." I am thinking AMAZING!!!!! She's realized she needs to be and has potty trained herself! I have her sit on Froggy Potty, and she smiles HUGE. She then says, "I poop and pee on floor." Um....WHAT?!?!?!? Turns out, she had just peed on the floor a bit, which I was able to get up. She also did pee a bit in froggy potty, so I'll take that as a win! :-) Too funny.
On the Kaitlyn front, she's got $91 Bradford Bucks! I mean, that girl is a money making machine!!! Also, she is getting better about turning off her light when she leaves her room, and she does remind me that I need to say "Thank you" to her when she does things (especially unprompted). It's funny, as I remember doing the same thing to my mom as a kid. Turnabout's fair play, eh?
4/25: A great moment today - I am walking into Cora's room and I say, "How's Bear Bear?" She looks at me matter of factly and says, "I not Bear Bear. I "Co-wa." This was a BIG moment - the first time I'd ever heard her say her own name when referencing herself! It's pretty amazing on that subject, as she's actually correcting herself when she uses incorrect pronouns now. And she is speaking SO clearly!
4/26 - Kaitlyn and I drove to TN today for the 3 Sisters Ultra Running Festival. I picked K up right at noon, and this time she was STOKED to see Dada, as she knew that good times were about to ensue. We had a really easy drive over the mountain (with only a brief slowdown), and K was GREAT the entire time - very polite about her tablet, very self sufficient, and very sweet. We had some fun conversations! The weather was pretty good (could have been disastrous and was rainy in spots), but we rolled on fine.
We arrived in Knoxville around 5, and K stayed with the kids while I went to see Johnny coach ball. This was a win-win, as I knew that a) K didn't want to go to the game and b) she needed to burn off some of that excess energy. They have such an amazing play area, and she was INSTANTLY in Heaven! Sam was so sweet to her, and they immediately started playing - making forts, playing with toys, playing pretend - you name it. Good times!
4/27 - So full disclosure - I was running around in the woods for SEVEN HOURS today, meaning that the Rice clan had to look after my oldest. They were GREAT about it, and I am pleased to report that K had SO MUCH FUN!!!! THANK YOU, JOHNNY AND REBEKA!!!!
There were donuts for breakfast, Mary Poppins on the TV, 3 hours of playing outside on their playset, other TV time, playing downstairs, and even snow cones! Kaitlyn got the rainbow flavor - and even convinced Sam to try it (she very much liked it). And get this - when I came home, Sam was wearing her hair the same way that K is now wearing it (1 side pigtail, the other half down - K LOVES it). They were just SO CUTE together.
And if I may be allowed to brag on my children... :-)
When I was talking to Beka that evening, she commented on how amazing K's reading level was. She noted that K was reading all the signs and was reading things quickly like Sam does - she was very impressed. She THEN commented about how K was doing math quickly like Jack does - doing some big math problems. She was impressed by that as well. WAY TO GO, K! THANK YOU, BRADFORD! I was proud as a peacock. :-)
And get this - Bear peed on froggy potty again!!!! Yay!!!!!! She is really getting the hang of it and LOVES to see mama (and Gag) do the peepee dance whenever we see a successful urination. LOVE MY GIRLS!!!
Did I mention that K is wearing two bracelets (which she got with Vol Nana at the aquarium gift shop), a necklace from Vol Nana (that contains her "Miraculous" - "Tiki, Spots on!") and a choker? The choker is SO INCREDIBLY CUTE ON HER - I LOVE IT!!!!
That night K was laying in bed with Sam and asked if we could have breakfast with the Rice's tomorrow. I said now (as we were flying out the door early to see mom), and K almost instantly became sad. However, when I promised she could still have a mini-donut, she perked up considerably.
And the cutest bit of all this was watching Sam and K share that bed together. Sam was reading to her, and K was just curled up on her pillow beside her, staring at the book intently and sucking her thumb. It was SO sweet! It was an image I'll hold in my head forever - just the picture of perfect, happy innocence where all is right with the world.
4/28 - After some promised donuts in the morning (and Sam doing K's hair quickly :-)), we were out the door and bound for Whitesburg. K was REALLY brave and tried SO HARD not to cry, but ultimately some tears were shed for about 10 or so minutes. The reality is that she and Sam really, really like each other, and they get along SO well. They have so much fun together, and they boys are great with them as well. Sam even gave K a "BFF" bracelet when she left - so sweet.
We made it to mom's right about 9, and a GREAT next 5.5 hours ensued. It was just so wonderful and so relaxing. K and I had a great breakfast (K got a full sized donut this time :-)), and then she snuggled up with Vol Nana a bit in her room. K was SO tired given early starts and late bed times - she actually wanted to NAP at mom's! But truthfully, she didn't want to lose a second with mom, so she was more than content to just snuggle up beside her, surrounded by 3 kitties. :-)
Oh, and get this - Emmi (one of mom's cats) saw K's little stuffed cat (which K has since named Stella in honor of one of the Rice cats), and she immediately bristled. K thought that was amazing, and so she started moving the stuffed kitty's paws. Emmi hissed and swiped at it! It was hilarious - talk about bristled!!!
The day was really great. K rested, petted the cats, fed the dogs, watched some TV, and played a lot with mom, Steve, Dad, and Alice. Dad and Alice got there about 11, and we had 3 or so absolutely WONDERFUL hours on the porch, just drinking coffee, eating like kings, and enjoying the amazing weather. It was well and truly perfect - as relaxed as I've been in a long time. THANK YOU, MOM AND STEVE, for being such amazing hosts. THANK YOU, DAD AND ALICE, for coming over and bonding.
We headed out about 2:30, and as you can expect the tears flowed like a river for the better part of 30 minutes. K tried to nap in the car, but she just couldn't get comfortable (Friday night they'd gone to bed at 10 PM, and K actually asked to go to bed but then changed her mind when nobody else wanted to go up. Saturday was 9 PM, after they'd played hard ALL DAY). We got home about 6:30, and K was in bed before 8. It was SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND - my heart was full of TN memories.
4/29 - It was back to normal for Team Taylor today, and it was wonderful to be home. But in a SHOCKING turn of events - there is now a new "Baby Shark" version when you ask Google to play it! We can't get it to play the other version - for shame! However, Cora still seems happy. Mercifully, this newer version is harder to dance to, so I'm not longer asked to perform at every meal... :-)
Also, another positive note on K - she's running WAY better these days! Her stride has straightened out, and she's not wiggling her legs and crossing them over as much. Admittedly it still happens when she gets REALLY excited and tries to make a sharp turn, but hey - we're getting there. :-)
4/30 - Cora peed in Froggy Potty again - second time in three days!!!!! Also, I want to brag on the girls again: we met with our financial advisor at the house tonight (it was a nearly two hour meeting!), and the girls were ANGELS. They ate quietly right beside us and then were SUPER sweet and quiet watching a show while we did our review. When Dave left, he said, "I've been to a lot of houses with their children down here for meetings, but it's almost never like this. Your girls are so sweet." HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!
Okay, that's a wild, wonderful, WHIRLWIND April in the books. Chat with you next month!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
Cora is now stepping into and out of the bath, and K is a great help with getting her toothpaste onto her brush in the evening. K has been a tremendous helper lately, which has been wonderful. Speaking of brushing, Cora definitely has a yellow sheen to her teeth - not from lack of our scrubbing, mind you! Soon we are going to transition to a) real toothpaste and b) pull-ups. Big things are happening here! Some other notes:
1. K listens to the "Memory" music box from Vol Nana EVERY NIGHT before bed. It's become a ritual, and it's so sweet. I find myself standing outside her door after I close it, just listening to the music. Too sweet.
2. I was trying to get Cora up the stairs tonight, and she didn't like my prompting. She turned around and said, "I punch you in the eyeball. GAG!" I mean... no words...
4/11 - Kate came over today, and the girls seemed to have a blast. It's cute to watch them make up stories on the fly - JUST LIKE JOHNNY AND I DID growing up. Too cute. Now granted, they didn't get to play as long since...well...Cheryl sort of forgot to pick K up at BPS. :-) But hey, K got more bonding time with Ms. Pate, so all was right with the world. :-)
The girls were super sweet tonight. I've put them to bed solo the last two nights, and it's really been so nice - no tears, no screaming, just hugs and snuggles. It's amazing how much more harmony and tranquility exists in the house when both parents are around. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!
4/14 - K was in Arrows with me today, and she was SO CUTE! Honestly, she is just SUCH a model student for the other kids. She sits there quietly and politely when adults are talking, screams and interacts when prompted, and even raises her hand to ask questions! The sweetest part for me - when I do the invitation to salvation, she always raises her hand to ask Jesus into her heart. She's got her eyes closed, her head bowed, her kitty dress on, and her hand up. Just a perfect moment.
K is honestly SO independent now. Teeth - check. Bathing herself - check. Drying herself - check. Lotion (except her back) - check. Shoes and hair - check (but hair she's not always motivated to do :-)). She can even turn off the alarm and reheat her food by herself now - she's THAT tall!
Cora even wants to help Kaitlyn empty the dishwasher, which is honestly super cute. At first I tried to resist it, but now I encourage it - so long as we can keep Cora doing the plastic items only. She's a good little helper!
Oh, and K started doing flash cards today. It was addition, and she got almost EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!! It was amazing! Good job, kiddo, and full marks, Ms. Pate!4/15 - So today was an emotional but really good day. Nanny passed away at 8 AM Saturday morning, and in God's perfect timing - the funeral was Monday at 4 PM. We set out about 8:15, stopping at Early Girl Eatery in Asheville (used to be King Daddy). You should have seen Cora eat - she SUCKED DOWN a glass of chocolate milk like it was nothing. I actually had to hold the glass down to keep her from tipping it over!
We then hopped back into the car and set off down (curvy) Asheville highway. We were about 30 min away from Asheville when Cora said, "I'm going to throw up, mom." My comment: "There is no way she's self-aware enough to know that." That being said, I did check the rear view, and she didn't look great. Jenny turned around and held a bag in front of her, but then Jenny started getting sick due to the curves.
Sure enough, Jenny turns back around, sits down, and BOOM! Cora EXPLODES with vomit. And it just keeps coming! She FLOODED her lap and the car seat. I pulled off, at which time Kaitlyn just starts bawling. But here's the most amazing thing - Cora, covered in vomit, looks at her sister and says, "It's okay, "Kate-win." I mean...it was one of those moments I'll remember forever.
What I will also remember forever - changing her clothes outside of the car with a wind chill in the 30's and then trying to get enough vomit out of the car so that it didn't reek to high Heaven for the remainder of the drive. Needless to say - we washed pretty much EVERYTHING that night.
We got to Nanny's about 1:50, and I dropped the girls there while I headed to the funeral home (a lot I could obviously cover here, but I'm focusing this on the girls since it's their blog). A family friend, Joy Stansell, was an ANGEL and watched the girls during the service, and she was SO GREAT with them! She showed up with a little goody bag for each of them, and obviously they warmed right up to her. Throw in some Disney channel and some candy, and you have 2 very happy girls. 
Dad went by after the service and dropped off an Easter basket from Granny A. Dad told them, "Don't open it until your daddy gets here," but I arrived 3 minutes later (not kidding) to find that basket SHREDDED and the girls already into the candy. HILARIOUS! We spent the night at mom's, putting Cora down about 7:30 and K down about 8:15. It was obviously a very emotional, tough day, but I think having the girls there really helped lift mom's spirits. For my part, I was thankful to have all the family together.
4/16 - So...get ready for this: CORA CLIMBED OUT OF HER CRIB LAST NIGHT!!!!! I mean...WHAT?!?!?! It was the funniest thing - I was up about 7, and Jenny came down a little later. Jenny looked through the glass into mom's room (Cora's baby bed is in there) and said, "I don't see Bear." I dismissed it, thinking that she was likely in shadow or in the corner, but OH NO - that wasn't the case.
Get this - Mom said she was in bed at 11:30 when she heard a loud THUMP. She heard Cora whimpering but didn't go in, as she remembered my instructions that they just need to cry it out. :-) Proud of you, mama! However, after about 20-30 minutes of whimpering, she went in, shined a light in the crib...and didn't see her granddaughter. Oh boy...Turns out Bear had crawled out, fallen, hit her arm and then her head, and was just whimpering on the floor. Mom took her to her room, where Bear tried to get comfortable and sleep but ultimately couldn't. She finally gave out at 1:30 AM, after which time mom barricaded her with pillows. :-) Craziness!!!! That basically means the end of the pack 'n play, which means we can't really travel until we can sort this out. Our next trip is Edisto in June, so there is work to be done!
The day itself was good. We had breakfast with Grand Pooh and Vol Nana before heading to Russellville for a bit. K was really brave and tried to read a book while she said goodbye to mom. She leaked out a few tears, but she rallied really quickly. So proud of her! We then had an hour at Russellville, and the girls LOVED it. They ran around the gym, ran down the halls, had juice boxes, and read some books in the library. It was so fun! It was then back home. We stopped for ice cream and a little park time in Black Mountain, and the girls were really pretty good the whole trip. Bear managed a 37 minute nap, which was her first nap in FOUR DAYS! The only hiccup was K's first ever nose bleed, but we managed to contain it fairly quickly.
4/17 - Today was a fun one...THE RETURN TO CAROWINDS!!!!! The girls had about 3.5 hrs there with Team McLaren before shuffling over to QT for a MEGA ICEE. Seriously - the photo Jenny sent me was TOO CUTE. Look at Cora SUCKING DOWN that puppy! Hilarious. 4/18 - The girls were SO WONDERFUL playing with each other tonight. It was like magic! They were laughing, playing, and just SO happy the entire time. There wasn't a single whine - not in the bath, not downstairs, not at the dinner table. It was just AWESOME! I wanted to bottle it! :-) I was seriously SO happy. They painted their magnetic butterflies (a gift from Granny A in their Easter Basket), and then K carried Bear around saying, "Bug-A-Boo!" Cora just KEPT laughing - it was too cute.
We let them stay up and play late, because honestly the energy in the house was just SO good. Then, after bath (where the girls cackled the entire time), K read "Peter and the Wolf"...and CRUSHED it. I was seriously AMAZED. That girl is REALLY improving - her speed tonight was noticeably faster!
4/20 - Today was a good one. We stayed in the house pretty much all day (minus Jenny and I getting workouts), which was good given the rather shoddy weather. The original plan had been a brewery with Team McLaren, but instead we opted for them coming over and grilling. Kaitlyn is sporting a TERRIBLE cough right now. They checked her and said her lungs were clear, but MAN she sounds rough. She said that her right ear is hurting, and today she just laid around for a good portion of the morning, under a blanket and sucking her thumb. I mean, that NEVER happens, so we fear something might be brewing.What I will say - her and Bear played SO GOOD together today. It was so cute! They were just sweet as could be, playing with the hatchimals and doing little "Miraculous" (as in Ladybug and Cat Noir) stories and games. I played with them a bit - it was too cute.
4/20 - So another great Saturday in the books, with us largely taking it easy. The weather wasn't great (quite chilly), and so we were content to spend most of the day inside. I played quite a bit with Cora today, which was a hoot. She's gotten quite fond of jumping off Kaitlyn's chair and onto one of the pillows that mom just bought for them. Also, we spent a lot of time playing with Hatchimals (that has very much been a theme lately). Cora has started naming all of them, and her favorite is a little orange fish named Bubbles. The cutest part - when I asked what we were playing, she said, "I don't know!" So I asked, "Are these hatchimals going to Tennessee?" She said, "Yeah!" and has proceeded to take them on "trips to TN" (aka moving them from the rug to the chair) ever since. We also played a TON of "Miraculous" (that would be tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir). Kaitlyn now says that her necklace is her miraculous and even has a saying to invoke her kwame: "Magic out!" It's pretty cute...
We played some Monopoly and just chilled for most of the afternoon before Team McLaren came over, after which time it was a total hoot. The girls were GREAT about playing by themselves (most of the time in the Bonus room), which meant that the adults really got to just relax and have some fun. It was GREAT - a good time was had by all.
4/21 - EASTER SUNDAY AT FREEDOM HOUSE!!!!! This day was GREAT, starting with the Easter Bunny's delivery to the Bonus Room. We hid 35 eggs - 34 of which were found (I have NO IDEA where the other one is). The Easter Bunny provided lots of candy and fun stuff for the beach, and Cora seemed to enjoy hunting the eggs (she actually did find several herself). K was less than impressed that every egg "only" had candy...I mean...first world problems...
After also opening baskets from Vol Nana and Grand Pooh, it was then over to Freedom House for a pair of services. I got to teach in Arrows, and it was AWESOME - 82 kids! We had 35 kids say the prayer of salvation, and it was just such a wonderful experience watching Kaitlyn in there. Every week she raises her hand to accept Jesus into her heart - I love it! She is so well behaved, has such good energy, listens so well, and is generally just an angel in there. Honestly, I am SO EXCITED and feel SO BLESSED that I get to teach my kids the Word of God for the next 8 straight years - THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!! After church, we held rabbits, held chicks, and got some photos before rolling home. Nole Nana and Grandpa showed up around 3, and we hung out with them for a bit before having Easter dinner - it was yummy!
All in all, a GREAT (but rapid fire) weekend! Jenny and I crashed hard about 9 PM - good times! I will have to say - this was the most excited I've ever been for Easter. I think I am finally realizing the enormity of what that weekend represents, and that gratitude just makes it so much more special. Thank you, Jesus, for dying on the cross for us. 4/22 - Back to school! I think K was excited, and they definitely had fun given the weather! K wore a dark blue shirt and these CUTE khaki shorts - she just looks ADORABLE! And she's in pig tails...just about the cutest thing ever.
Jenny had the girls at the park in the afternoon - K is already getting tan! Bear is still sporting porcelain skin at the moment, so we know it's time to start applying sun screen in the afternoon. It's touching the 80's now, and I'm so glad Jenny and Cora are making the most of it during the afternoon (and then adding K to the mix when she gets home). Makin' it count!
4/23 - So I had a GREAT morning with my girls today. I am officially done training for my upcoming race, which means at this point I'm just chilling in the mornings. Today that was really nice, as I got to enjoy by coffee, hang with Kaitlyn for a bit (great snuggles on the couch), and then even tickle bear in her room for a bit. I've also had the chance to drop off and pick up K both days this week, and it looks like I'll get to tomorrow as well! Yay!
K read Dumbo tonight - finished the entire book in a single sitting. I must say, there is now NO QUESTION that she's reading faster, putting words together faster, and absolutely reading bigger (and newer) words correctly - so proud of her!
4/24 - Best line of the day came from Cora at dinner. Jenny is currently heating her eyelids right now to reactivate the oil glands and thereby alleviate some dryness. Well, at dinner I asked her, "Did you heat your eyeballs today?" Cora looks at me in disgust and says, "I not EAT my eyeballs today. GAG." HILARIOUS! You could tell she was just flabbergasted by the question. Oh, and I think Jenny has solved the mystery of the smell! We actually think it was Cora's purple PJs! She must have peed on them, and then it must have dried. Either way, Jenny washed them, and the room smelled NOTICEABLY better today. But then, at bath time, I dried Bear and let her run into her room naked while I got K out of the bath. Well, Cora runs back in holding her meningning, and she says, "I need pee." I am thinking AMAZING!!!!! She's realized she needs to be and has potty trained herself! I have her sit on Froggy Potty, and she smiles HUGE. She then says, "I poop and pee on floor." Um....WHAT?!?!?!? Turns out, she had just peed on the floor a bit, which I was able to get up. She also did pee a bit in froggy potty, so I'll take that as a win! :-) Too funny.
On the Kaitlyn front, she's got $91 Bradford Bucks! I mean, that girl is a money making machine!!! Also, she is getting better about turning off her light when she leaves her room, and she does remind me that I need to say "Thank you" to her when she does things (especially unprompted). It's funny, as I remember doing the same thing to my mom as a kid. Turnabout's fair play, eh?
4/25: A great moment today - I am walking into Cora's room and I say, "How's Bear Bear?" She looks at me matter of factly and says, "I not Bear Bear. I "Co-wa." This was a BIG moment - the first time I'd ever heard her say her own name when referencing herself! It's pretty amazing on that subject, as she's actually correcting herself when she uses incorrect pronouns now. And she is speaking SO clearly!
4/26 - Kaitlyn and I drove to TN today for the 3 Sisters Ultra Running Festival. I picked K up right at noon, and this time she was STOKED to see Dada, as she knew that good times were about to ensue. We had a really easy drive over the mountain (with only a brief slowdown), and K was GREAT the entire time - very polite about her tablet, very self sufficient, and very sweet. We had some fun conversations! The weather was pretty good (could have been disastrous and was rainy in spots), but we rolled on fine.
We arrived in Knoxville around 5, and K stayed with the kids while I went to see Johnny coach ball. This was a win-win, as I knew that a) K didn't want to go to the game and b) she needed to burn off some of that excess energy. They have such an amazing play area, and she was INSTANTLY in Heaven! Sam was so sweet to her, and they immediately started playing - making forts, playing with toys, playing pretend - you name it. Good times!4/27 - So full disclosure - I was running around in the woods for SEVEN HOURS today, meaning that the Rice clan had to look after my oldest. They were GREAT about it, and I am pleased to report that K had SO MUCH FUN!!!! THANK YOU, JOHNNY AND REBEKA!!!!
There were donuts for breakfast, Mary Poppins on the TV, 3 hours of playing outside on their playset, other TV time, playing downstairs, and even snow cones! Kaitlyn got the rainbow flavor - and even convinced Sam to try it (she very much liked it). And get this - when I came home, Sam was wearing her hair the same way that K is now wearing it (1 side pigtail, the other half down - K LOVES it). They were just SO CUTE together. And if I may be allowed to brag on my children... :-)
When I was talking to Beka that evening, she commented on how amazing K's reading level was. She noted that K was reading all the signs and was reading things quickly like Sam does - she was very impressed. She THEN commented about how K was doing math quickly like Jack does - doing some big math problems. She was impressed by that as well. WAY TO GO, K! THANK YOU, BRADFORD! I was proud as a peacock. :-)
And get this - Bear peed on froggy potty again!!!! Yay!!!!!! She is really getting the hang of it and LOVES to see mama (and Gag) do the peepee dance whenever we see a successful urination. LOVE MY GIRLS!!!Did I mention that K is wearing two bracelets (which she got with Vol Nana at the aquarium gift shop), a necklace from Vol Nana (that contains her "Miraculous" - "Tiki, Spots on!") and a choker? The choker is SO INCREDIBLY CUTE ON HER - I LOVE IT!!!!
That night K was laying in bed with Sam and asked if we could have breakfast with the Rice's tomorrow. I said now (as we were flying out the door early to see mom), and K almost instantly became sad. However, when I promised she could still have a mini-donut, she perked up considerably.
And the cutest bit of all this was watching Sam and K share that bed together. Sam was reading to her, and K was just curled up on her pillow beside her, staring at the book intently and sucking her thumb. It was SO sweet! It was an image I'll hold in my head forever - just the picture of perfect, happy innocence where all is right with the world.4/28 - After some promised donuts in the morning (and Sam doing K's hair quickly :-)), we were out the door and bound for Whitesburg. K was REALLY brave and tried SO HARD not to cry, but ultimately some tears were shed for about 10 or so minutes. The reality is that she and Sam really, really like each other, and they get along SO well. They have so much fun together, and they boys are great with them as well. Sam even gave K a "BFF" bracelet when she left - so sweet.
We made it to mom's right about 9, and a GREAT next 5.5 hours ensued. It was just so wonderful and so relaxing. K and I had a great breakfast (K got a full sized donut this time :-)), and then she snuggled up with Vol Nana a bit in her room. K was SO tired given early starts and late bed times - she actually wanted to NAP at mom's! But truthfully, she didn't want to lose a second with mom, so she was more than content to just snuggle up beside her, surrounded by 3 kitties. :-)
Oh, and get this - Emmi (one of mom's cats) saw K's little stuffed cat (which K has since named Stella in honor of one of the Rice cats), and she immediately bristled. K thought that was amazing, and so she started moving the stuffed kitty's paws. Emmi hissed and swiped at it! It was hilarious - talk about bristled!!!
The day was really great. K rested, petted the cats, fed the dogs, watched some TV, and played a lot with mom, Steve, Dad, and Alice. Dad and Alice got there about 11, and we had 3 or so absolutely WONDERFUL hours on the porch, just drinking coffee, eating like kings, and enjoying the amazing weather. It was well and truly perfect - as relaxed as I've been in a long time. THANK YOU, MOM AND STEVE, for being such amazing hosts. THANK YOU, DAD AND ALICE, for coming over and bonding. We headed out about 2:30, and as you can expect the tears flowed like a river for the better part of 30 minutes. K tried to nap in the car, but she just couldn't get comfortable (Friday night they'd gone to bed at 10 PM, and K actually asked to go to bed but then changed her mind when nobody else wanted to go up. Saturday was 9 PM, after they'd played hard ALL DAY). We got home about 6:30, and K was in bed before 8. It was SUCH A GREAT WEEKEND - my heart was full of TN memories.
4/29 - It was back to normal for Team Taylor today, and it was wonderful to be home. But in a SHOCKING turn of events - there is now a new "Baby Shark" version when you ask Google to play it! We can't get it to play the other version - for shame! However, Cora still seems happy. Mercifully, this newer version is harder to dance to, so I'm not longer asked to perform at every meal... :-)
Also, another positive note on K - she's running WAY better these days! Her stride has straightened out, and she's not wiggling her legs and crossing them over as much. Admittedly it still happens when she gets REALLY excited and tries to make a sharp turn, but hey - we're getting there. :-)
4/30 - Cora peed in Froggy Potty again - second time in three days!!!!! Also, I want to brag on the girls again: we met with our financial advisor at the house tonight (it was a nearly two hour meeting!), and the girls were ANGELS. They ate quietly right beside us and then were SUPER sweet and quiet watching a show while we did our review. When Dave left, he said, "I've been to a lot of houses with their children down here for meetings, but it's almost never like this. Your girls are so sweet." HOW COOL IS THAT?!?!?!
Okay, that's a wild, wonderful, WHIRLWIND April in the books. Chat with you next month!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
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