And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where once again there's PLENTY to catch you up on. Let's get amongst it, shall we?
But that wasn't the end of it - it kept delaying and delaying, until they posted a new departure time of 8:55 PM (still no plane inbound). So this is where the story gets awesome and we remember how good God is. We started praying, and Jenny went to the counter to see about switching her flight. She beat the rush (the line formed almost immediately after she got there), and she got one of the last seats on the 4 PM flight the next day...AND got another 36 hours in FLL! How awesome is that?!?!?!?! This way she got to come home to rest (vs. showing up shattered), and more importantly - Kaitlyn was able to get a good night's sleep. For the record - that plane departed at 10:55 and landed at 12:49 AM - they wouldn't have been in bed until after 2!
So let me just type it here (it will be in my Encounter Log as well, but to preserve this) - I have NO IDEA why God engineered the circumstances the way He did, but I am believing he protected my family from something. The added time (and the fact that they landed today in PERFECT weather vs. last night in madness) with the fam and the fact that they are now there safe as I type this is more than enough reason for me to praise Jesus and say "THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!"And I have to give Kaitlyn credit - she was a trooper and was really great about the whole thing. At 6 PM I actually drove over there to drop off ear buds, a long sleeve shirt, and dinner - they both had to eat Lunchables for dinner! K was really good when we got home - she was laughing and in good spirits. And hey - it wasn't all bad - she was on her tablet effectively FIVE STRAIGHT HOURS, and she's now almost through with the Worst Witch (Season 3). I pulled down some Carmen San Diego and some episodes of "The Deep." Hopefully she likes them!
Bear was a trooper for the pickup - really sweet watching her wave bye to them when we went back over (and K and JT both got good hugs from her while strapped in). The most exciting thing from Bear today - she actually said the "May God bless you" prayer WITH me - same time, same cadence, and correct words today! First time I've ever heard her do that!8/2 - Flight to FLL take 2! The day was great again in the run-up to the departure, with both girls getting a good playdate at Clan McLaren (thank you, Cheryl!) It was so sweet, as it was Cora's first official "invite" for a play date. Originally the plan had been that their oldest would watch Bear while I worked today - she'd read the Babysitter's handbook and everything! I hate it didn't work out, but I am sure we'll be tapping her on the shoulder many times in the future.
We all rode to the airport as a family, and we dropped the girls about 2:45 (for a 4 PM flight). Well, the plane arrived, and all was good...until they had a mechanical inspection due to an issue. The good news - they got off about 4:55, and they are all ensconced at 3 sons brewing drinking AMAZING beer as I type this - ENJOY FAMILY! To be clear - Kaitlyn is NOT drinking amazing beer...but I'm sure she is having an AMAZING time with the cousins.
And so began my time with Bear. I rolled through 3 My Little Pony episodes so I could finish work, and then we played in the Bonus room for a bit before dinner. She was SO SWEET - it's amazing how creative she's become and how content she is to play by herself. She is LOVING playing with the ponies!She ate GREAT at dinner - including all veggies (and some additional veggies while she tried my pasta!). She was a trooper and in really good spirits all afternoon. God blessed me by reminding me to "say yes" more often, and that definitely helped keep things light. She brushed her teeth good - definitely spitting now! It's so cute to watch her. She will literally pull herself up over the basin like a gymnast and spit - too funny. And my favorite thing - at night after reading, she's now climbing straight into bed vs. letting me rock her. BUT - when you reach your hand over the bed, she reaches up and takes it while you pray, and then when you're done - she climbs into your lap and curls up. I mean, I don't know how much longer this phase will last, but it is pure magic.
8/3 - Today was a really, really good day. Here on my end, I hit the gym with Bear early in the morning. As soon as I walked in, the staff said, "Hey, Cora! Do you want Frozen Puzzles or Unicorn puzzles today?" Love that! They also extended me some grace, as I didn't realize she had to be in closed toed shoes. They are good people. :-) We then rolled over to DPK for 2.5 hours! We really had a blast, and Cora was all over the place and VERY active. It was really fun, and the dedicated time was GREAT. The reality for me (which I didn't think about until we were walking out) - that is probably the last time I'll ever set foot in there, as our membership expires on 8/31 (and we don't have plans to renew given that both girls will be in school this year). It wasn't an emotional moment for me so much as yet another reminder of the inexorable march of time, but I probably would have taken it all in a final time as I exited stage right. Either way, it was a GREAT way to end my chapter there (I say that because JT and Cora are planning to go at least one more time later this month), and my heart is full.Down south in the sunshine state, Kaitlyn and JT were TEARING IT UP! Seriously - those girls hit the pool in the morning, and then they hit the beach in the afternoon. After that, it was the highlight of the day - entrance to the Boca Raton Resort! This place isn't open to the public, but Markham's best friend was attending a conference there, and he got them in! The pool looked amazing - as did the private beach and all the fancy drinks they were sipping! Well done, Outlaw!
8/4 - It was another great day in CLT for Team Taylor! Bear and I had two services at Freedom House (where JG laid it DOWN), and then it was back home for a bit. Bear played great by herself after lunch - it's truly amazing how good she does at entertaining herself! We tried to go to the pool, but thunder was heard DURING OUR 3 MINUTE DRIVE THERE (which we didn't hear given the music), so we were shot down. Honestly, Cora didn't really want to go, and she was happy as a clam just hanging out and playing at the house - puzzles, ponies, and princesses. That could be the title of her autobiography! There were some tough moments to record, most of which are the result of a) Jenny being gone and b) her not napping for a third straight day. She was pretty whiny most of the day (lots of "UGH!!!!!", flopping on the floor, lightly banging her head on the floor, and often refusing to listen or just plain screaming "NO!"), and unfortunately I did have to stripe her (very lightly) twice. The first was for her SPITTING ON THE FLOOR, and the second was for willful disobedience (refusing to help me clean up milk she'd spilled). But the good news - when she spilled milk for a second time that day, she promptly got a paper towel and cleaned it up! :-) We've had 3 milk spills over the last 48 hours, but I'm okay with it so long as she learns the importance of being careful with the "big girl cup." Her favorite big girl cup is the unicorn - she gets quite agitated when I put it in the dish washer!
At one point in her crying, I just picked her up, put her on my shoulder, and asked if she missed mama. She nodded, and that seemed to calm her down. It's almost as if she just needed to know that I knew she missed her, because after that we did improve.
Down south, it was a fun day of church, cooking out, and hanging with the fam. And get this - Kaitlyn apparently executed a backflip! I think they are having a great time down there, and Steve told me he walked into the girls room yesterday to find Kaitlyn reading to both of them (and the twins sitting there in rapt fascination). Love that girl! Proud of you, kiddo!
8/5 - So Lindsey Williams was a LIFE SAVER today!!!! She watched the Bear in the morning so I could go into the office and get some work done. I then picked Bear up about 12:15, got her home for lunch, and down for a nap about 1. I thought she'd sleep until 3:30, but she was up at 2:45 all smiles (which was NOT the way she went down!). I was on calls until 6:15, but it was nothing 4 episodes of My Little Pony couldn't fix. :-)That being said, a few things I must comment on. Cora absolutely REFUSES to eat vegetables of any kind. She would rather starve than eat them. Also, getting her to eat fruit is almost impossible. Carbs, chicken, rice - whatever the main is, she will inhale. But when you offer her anything else, she just kicks up a tremendous fuss. She was really tough today - crying uncontrollably a couple of times. And she even SPIT ON THE CARPET in her room in defiance tonight - crazy! But truthfully, she's just very out of sorts. Case in point - I asked her tonight, "Do you want the Dory towel or the Tsum Tsum towel?" Her response: "I want mama." It was impossibly beautiful and heart-breaking at the same time. Soon enough, kiddo!
We did have some fun moments - kicking balloons, playing find the kitty, and saying "Daddy Bo-waddie" over and over. But let me tell you - getting that child to wash her hands is NOT easy. :-) She unfortunately got spanked today, and I had to take away toys twice, but hopefully it was just a combination of exhaustion, being out of the normal routine, and missing JT - all of which will be rectified soon! But does ANYONE know the trick to keep her from eating her boogers? GROSS, DUDE!!!!!!
8/6 - Lindsey was AGAIN a huge life saver for me today, and Cora had a great time over there once again. They went to the local splash pad, where they had a blast (and L Dub even got a few smiles and a super cute, pensive photo of Bear). I picked her up at the same time, and we essentially rinse-repeated the previous day. Bear slept 2.5 hours this afternoon, which was a big help and let me crank through some work. It still meant that I had to put on a few shows for her, but the day was easier than Monday (when I got a surprise 5 PM mtg). Honestly, this whole experience was tougher than I expected. I am SO GLAD the girls got to go and have so much fun, but I didn't realize how much tougher it would be than in times previous (aka with my previous employer). Bear was full on, work was full on, plus I had some church commitments to consider. The good news is that we made it through, but it was tough on me emotionally. For example, it's tough when she wants to play, and I have to keep telling her no (because I'm working on something). It's also tough to resort to TV being the babysitter, which basically felt like abandonment on my part. I had expected to log off most days around 4 and then check back in after Bear was in bed, but that just wasn't feasible with the schedule we kept. And once I told her I couldn't play, it just usually spiraled out of control, with the end result being a lot of crying, Cora sulking, and me feeling like a failure a) as a parent and b) as an employee (because this was obviously wearing on my ability to stay focused and crank out work). Don't get me wrong - we still had great moments, and I still delivered everything expected of me, but emotionally it was far more draining than I expected.
But there was a simply beautiful, perfect moment toward the end of the night that I must recount. Cora was downstairs in her nightgown (the little pink unicorn one), hair down, coloring at the coffee table. I was working on something when she innocuously said, "Do you love me, Gag?" I replied "Of course I do." Then she said, "Does Kate-win love me?" Followed by "Does mommy love me?" She's also taken to asking me if she looks pretty or saying "Does this look so pretty, Gag?" I mean, it's so cute. LOVE. THAT. KID. Oh, and one other thing - Bear has been DESPERATE to look at photos on my phone, and I have let her do it from time to time during this stretch. Well, a day or so ago she discovered the August video for her (the monthly one I do for the girls and archive), and she LOVED it. It was so sweet - almost like it was the moment that God had been planning as the big reveal. She heard me say "Hey Cora Bear" and start talking, and she looked over and said, "Is this for me, Gag?" I told her yes, and her smile was a mile wide. She must have watched it 10 times in the run up to JT and K's arrival.
8/7 - REUNITED!!!!! The girls got home safely today! YAY! Bear and I had a good morning, and then Jaden showed up about 8:30. I worked from the office (put in quite a long day to claw back some time), and JT and K got home about 11:30 (and had a lunch reunion at CFA to celebrate :-)).
I got home about 6:30, and you could tell that JT was just about fit to be tied. Bear was in quite the mood, and it looked very indicative of what I'd experienced the past 3 days. The challenge has really been around her anger at EVERYTHING - even when she gets exactly what she wants. For example, if she asks for water and you give it to her, she'll scream "NO! I don't WANT it!" and then throw it! So yes, there has been striping and taking lots of things away (side note - the last two days have been better, and we haven't had to take anything. RE-SULT!). It's been the same with puzzles, ponies, other toys - you name it. If she asks you to play and you don't do it INSTANTLY, then she goes crazy. And then, once you've finished whatever task you were trying to complete and can play, she REFUSES to do anything. Just so odd, but hey - we are getting there! :-) After all, pressure is a privilege. :-)8/8 - A blessed return to normalcy!!!! I was able to go into the office at a normal time, get a run in during the morning, you name it - back to the normal plan of attack, baby!!!! It was soooooooooo nice.
The girls were really good as well - it is amazing how well they play together. I mean, they definitely have their moments (like wanting the exact same toy even though neither has touched it in 6 months AND there are 14,678 others to choose from), but by and large they are super sweet together. It is funny now, as both of them are saying "Watch me!" pretty much all the time. Don't get me wrong - I love it. It's just sometimes a bit overwhelming to get it in stereo if you aren't mentally prepared. :-) That night at bedtime, Cora was HILARIOUS grabbing K's thumb and screaming "GET THE THUMB OUT OF YOUR MOUTH!!!!" They were both just giggling to beat the band. Then, while rocking Cora to sleep, she started rubbing under my collar and asked, "What is that, Gag?" I told her it was chest hair and said "Boys usually have chest hair." She responded: "Yes, you have chest hair. And a penis. And I have a Chin-O." I mean...you can't make this stuff up. From the mouth of babes...
Oh, and some good news - because Bradford has decided to start school 15 min earlier, we now have a clear runway to get K to her piano lessons. She is LOVING it (practicing every day on her own!), so we are thrilled that we get to stay with Carleen. Yay! As always - God makes a way.
8/9 - I took the day off work today, which meant that Team Taylor was able to get on the road early for the weekend road trip to....Raleigh, baby!!! We stopped at CFA in High Point for about 2 hours (made it count with a Wal-Mart stop as well) before rolling into Raleigh about 3. We had some time to kill, so we made our way to Gizmo Brew works (which was in the middle of NOWHERE in this industrial area). Well, let me tell you - HIDDEN GEM, BABY! This place was GREAT, and the girls had a blast as well. There were puppies, the girls got kettle corn, they played with their toys, and most importantly - Chive TV was on, showing videos of cute puppies, people doing awesome feats, and people making complete morons of themselves. The girls were laughing and just having a blast - so fun!
The highlight on the drive up was a big milestone for K - she read the ENTIRE Purrmaids book - her first ever Chapter book! It was something like 94 pages, and she CRUSHED IT! IT was hilarious - she refused to put it down - even walked into CFA with it and wouldn't go to the playground until she finished it (she was even letting her ice cream melt while she read it - what does THAT tell you?!?!?!). I was so proud, as this really does open the door for bigger books (like series for young readers). Very excited! Proud of you, kiddo!We had a good afternoon with the Hunsucker clan (K claimed Lepry almost immediately, of course), and all was well until bedtime. :-) Cora somehow managed to open her water bottle, FLOODING the pack 'n play (she wanted to sleep in that vs. the bed). We got it changed and she calmed down, but she was NOT best pleased.
K was able to go to sleep instantly, but James kept calling out and asking for things (more water, food, a toy, a blanket, etc). Finally K came down the back staircase and very politely asked if the parents could do anything. It. Was. Awesome. She really is a very mature little gal most of the time. Again - proud of you, kiddo!
8/10 - Pool Day! After a really good morning, we rolled over to the Raleigh Racquet club for a pool day, and the girls had a BLAST. We were there over 4 hours! Cora clearly didn't sleep well, as she fell asleep in the car at 10:30 AM on the drive over! We knew she needed to sleep (and Grant was asleep as well), so we just left the car running (with an adult present of course) while Bear slept. That kid slept almost an hour, and likely would have gone longer had we not switched out and made so much noise with the doors!
Also, there was this girl named Star who was DESPERATE to play with Kaitlyn's mermaid tail. I didn't realize this was a common thing, but Jenny said it has happened multiple times. Well, this girl just wouldn't leave K alone, so she finally agreed to let her try it. I have to give K credit - she was really good about saying no and holding firm, but eventually I think she just felt sorry for her. :-) So they played together and shared it for the last hour or so, and they seemed to become friends. Kaitlyn asked Jenny to "get Star's mom's number so we can see her again." It was cute (and they did say goodbye to each other as they left - really amazing how quickly kids can bond, huh?).
After the pool, we went to Clouds Brewing, and let me tell you - It. Was. Beer. Nirvana! First off, the place is TOTALLY designed for families - there is a lego area, a play house, chess boards, games, a basketball shooting game, disc golf, darts, air hockey - you name it, and all of it free! Throw in great beer, doggies, drinks for the girls, and ice cream, and you have pretty much the best place ever. Kaitlyn walked in and said, "This is the biggest brewery I've ever seen!" Several parents have found it VERY amusing that our daughter has been to enough that she can size them up. :-)We did have one issue where I offered K ice cream in the form of a Dove Bar and she almost refused because it wasn't "ice cream in a bowl." She was crying and refused to look at me (to be fair, I didn't take it very well after she refused to acknowledge it was ice cream despite my FOURTH effort to convince her it was), but all was well once I brought them over.
The girls had a good night with a pair of very sweet sitters while we all went out for dinner and a night cap. It was GREAT to have a date night - don't see those too often these days!
8/11 - Team Taylor spent the morning playing with and chatting to Team Hunsucker before packing it up and heading home around 11. We stopped in Burlington right by Elon College at Red Robin, where we proceeded to GORGE ourselves on burgers, fries and mac. Get this - for the kids, it's BOTTOMLESS MAC 'N CHEESE, as well as bottomless sides! That means they were shoveling down mandarin oranges and mac as if it were their jobs - too cute! Plus they really had a good time coloring on the kids menu with all the games, so the time flew. It was a little pricey for the adult meals, but on the whole it was a good experience. :-)
We got home and unpacked, and then Jenny settled in for her BOD workout. Well, get this - Kaitlyn wanted to try it as well, and so SHE did the workout also! I got some great footage and picks of them both doing lunches and burpees. Too cute!
Unfortunately, K left her necklace in Raleigh, but Aunt Kim is shipping it this way. The catch (and the part that makes it a GREAT teaching moment - she's taking the shipping out of K's allowance. Well played, wife muffin!!! At first K was freaking out, thinking it was going to be her WHOLE kiddie. Once we explained that wasn't the case and it would only be a couple of dollars, the panic subsided somewhat. :-) All the same - very proud of wife muffin for handling it the way she did!8/12 - YMCA Camp! At least...that was the level of excitement we had when we dropped her off on the first day. We were expecting GREAT things from this camp. Well, let's just say we might have overestimated their ability to deliver...
The Camp was called "Animal Encounters," and promised lots of adventures as kids learned all about animals and the animal kingdom. Well, when I picked K up about 4:20 that day and asked if she enjoyed it, she was polite and said it was okay. I asked what they were doing when I picked her up, and she said, "We were playing the sit in silence game." When I pressed, she said that, as kids spoke and broke their silence, the instructors were just adding time - to the point that it had been 30 minutes! I asked what else they didn't and she didn't really give me any details. That day I dismissed it as her not wanting to talk about it, which was similar to most days at school. Only later did I learn the truth (but we'll get to that part).
The only other excitement of the evening - Cora announced "I pooped!", and when I went to change her, I noticed she had something on her hand...which she was trying to wipe on K's puffy seat! Sure enough, she had pooped and then reached into her diaper, pulled out a load of poop, and was looking for somewhere to wipe it! SOOOOOOOOOO VILE! Luckily we managed to get her to freeze until we could wipe it off her hands. I mean....GROSS, dude...
8/13 - So given the less than stellar review from Day 1 of the Y camp, it was an easy decision to call an audible when we got a text from Alexis (Ellie's mom), asking if the girls wanted to go to....CAROWINDS, BABY!!!! K was super excited, and they had a GREAT day (until the very end...more to come on that). Get this - K did the Carolina Cyclone....TWICE! It was her first ever Loop de Loop! Jenny said that she was excited but a little scared in line, and then she got noticeably scared once strapped in. Then, when it started ticking up to the loop, she was apparently screaming and crying! But as soon as it was done, she looked at JT and said, "That was FUN! Can we do it again!"They all had a blast, and Cora was apparently an ANIMAL in the wave pool! Jenny said it was unreal to watch how brave she was as she dove into those waves. Truly, that girl has NO FEAR!
The one hiccup for the whole day - on the walk out, a MASSIVE storm came out of nowhere. At first JT thought it was perfect timing, as it would give them an excuse to get out of the water and get home before rush hour. However, the storm then hit in FULL FORCE, and it must have been epic. Kaitlyn was apparently in full tears and in full meltdown, as they forced everyone to seek shelter. Jenny said it was the biggest storm she's seen in a while, and K said the thunder was like a firecracker. Later that day a storm from the same squall line came over the house, and I said, "We'll hear that thunder very soon given how close the lightning is." K looked up and said, "Is that why they say lightning before the thunder?" I'm telling you - GENIUS. :-)
Oh, and we found out K's first grade teacher!!! She has Mr. McMahon! So far the only two kids we know in her class are Flynn and Eden, but I am very, VERY excited about the way it's all worked out. Plus, he's the track coach - so I like him already. Jenny was really smart about it - she didn't tell K who she got until she confirmed that she had friends in there. Well played, Wife Muffin!
8/14 - K went back to Y camp today, solely because of the fact that they were taking a field trip to the Gem Theater to see Dora the Explorer. Well, I pick her up, and she tells me that the movie was okay, but she had no money and so she didn't get to buy anything - no candy, no drink, no nothing. And since they made her leave her water and snack on the bus, she didn't have anything for the duration in there. She was clearly unhappy, and I was frustrated because that was NEVER communicated to us as parents - no idea how some kids just knew what to do! And she said that some kids didn't have any money, but they provided snacks for them. Now don't get me wrong - I didn't have a ton of sympathy here, because she still got to see a movie. But when I asked about the rest of the day, I realized what a trash camp this was.
She said there were no organized activities. They just ran around in the field in the morning, and then they moved to a big open room in the afternoon where there were "a few balls to throw around." She said that snack time wasn't organized (you brought your own snacks and ate them when you wanted) and most importantly - they had not taught a lesson or mentioned ANYTHING about animals the ENTIRE TIME. Basically it was just supervised alone time, and she only knew one other kid there. She said that she spent most of the day just sitting - either inside or out. SO DISAPPOINTING!
That was the last straw for me. I knew that Jenny was already regretting not spending this last week with them before school, so I went home and told JT that K wasn't going back - we would just figure something out, but we weren't sending her back there to be bored and just sit around. Obviously Jenny totally agreed, and we laid out a fun alternative for Thursday for the girls. That gave me a lot of peace, as I was just not comfortable sending her back to that environment. Poor form, YMCA! There is a lot you do well - this isn't one of them it seems.It was a good night for Bear, as Jenny gave her a present this evening - her very own light up shoes!!! Cora was SO excited! She would stomp on the ground to make them light up, and then she just kept running NONSTOP down the hallway. "Watch. Me. Gag!" I mean, watching her with the whale spout bouncing, unikitty dress on, in those shoes...it was absolutely perfect. I loved it. Good choice, JT!
8/15 - Executive Decision day! Team Taylor did NOT report for YMCA camp, but instead had an INCREDIBLE day! When we went to bed last night, we honestly weren't sure what we were going to do. The plan was DPK, then the park beside it, then CFA, and then Sweet Frog. Well, K walked downstairs this morning and said, "I had a dream that I was at Defy Gravity - it was SO real!" THAT was a Holy Spirit moment, as the plan for the day was suddenly set!
They made it to the 9 AM slot, which is key because it's 6 & under. Get this - they were the ONLY PEOPLE in the place! The photos JT has of them by themselves is CRAZY - very cool, and they made it count for a solid hour (no injuries this time!). After that it was over to the library, where they read a TON of books. They came back with some books (including some level 3 ones), but they also came back with DVD's for the first time ever: 2 of Elena of Avalor, as well as Dumbo. The girls have watched Elena NON-STOP since checking it out - it's been crazy! Apparently they watched a lot of it in Florida, but they are ALL About it right now. And when the "This is my time" song comes on, Kaitlyn presses the button on the scepter that sings the song at the same time! Too cute.
After that, it was over to CFA for the playground and a light lunch, because they THEN switched gears and rolled over to Sweet Frog, baby! And get this - it was "No Weigh" day for medium cups - check out the size of their handiwork! Jealous I wasn't there! It was then over to piano, where K continues to make progress, improve, and be given increasingly tougher assignments. It's very cool to hear the progress being made upstairs on the keyboard in the bonus room - proud of you, kiddo!
A few more items to note:
1. Cora is getting a few freckles on her face. They are teeny and super cute. Love it!
2. Cora is definitely starting to brush better, and she's spitting MUCH better.
3. Nap time for Cora is now IN THE SLEEPING BAG!!!! It's too cute - you walk in to find her sleeping on the floor, Lamb Lamb over her, on her tummy, in the bag, snoring away. Love. It.4. Kaitlyn is now brushing for the full minute, and I'm happy to say it's unprompted (by me at least). She is using the firefly toothbrush that blinks for the full minute, so I know she's getting some extended time on those pearly whites. Yay!
One thing I am struggling with at the moment (and had to sit them down and tell them this evening) - I am getting a little frustrated having to tell them things multiple times before it is actioned (heading up, brushing teeth, washing hands, putting on shoes, etc). I have started tightening the screws (aka consequences for it), and between speaking to them and enforcing it with punishment, I am seeing things move faster.
8/16 - So today was DEFINITELY one for the books. I was able to get the day off last minute, and so the girls and I headed south of the border for a full day at CAROWINDS, BABY!!!! And get this - we spent EIGHT HOURS there! Kaitlyn was a BEAST - that girl is now tall enough to do all but the biggest coasters, and she is absolutely LOVING them. She did the Flying Cobras 5 times!!!! I was with her on three of them, and I am still in recovery...:-)
She also did the Hurler, the Carolina Cyclone, and tons of other rides, as well as spending 3+ hours in the waterpark - we closed it down! Seriously - it was EXACTLY what I wanted and felt like a PERFECT last Friday of Summer. We even got ICEEs on the way out, so the girls were all smiles (and powered up with all that sugar!). Bear was a trooper and had a BLAST in the water park - that girl is FEARLESS in the water, and she LOVES jumping into the waves in the wave pool! I loved riding some rides with her as well. It was just perfect for me, as I had a great mix of time (all happy) with my ladies. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!!8/17 - SERVE DAY!!!!!! So today was AWESOME, as it was FHC's big Serve Day across Charlotte. I was the Central coordinator, which meant I was covering 3 schools across CLT. While that was awesome, the highlight most relevant to this blog was the fact that ALL MY GIRLS SERVED AS WELL!!! It was really, really cool. The girls showed up at Parkside, where they all helped paint columns in the media center. It was so neat! I have some great photos of both of them with paint rollers - K was really getting after it!
The funniest moment apparently (which I didn't see) was when Cora stepped in paint and then started running around. Someone said, "Pick her up!", and a random volunteer scooped her up. Needless to say Cora was NOT best pleased and absolutely LOST it. Too funny. But all's well that ends well. :-)
The girls apparently served until well the end time (they got home between 1-2), which was AWESOME! Multiple people (even the overall coordinator) said that the girls "crushed it" and were such great helpers (and so well behaved). I did get to see them doing some cleanup - even Cora helped wipe down chairs and tables! So proud of my girls - love those kids!
8/18 - Kaitlyn got her second ever token for being the first to pop up when hearing "attention!" today in Arrows! Proud of you, kiddo! The day was fun, as we had 2 hours at the pool after church (it was HOT). We played "Mr. Daddy Shark" most of the time, which meant I did a lot of throwing K around the pool (and am consequently exhausted). What was odd - it really did feel like the end of summer, as I don't know if we'll be back at the pool as a family this year. The good news - we had fun today, and my heart is full in terms of pool time. I am ready for the next big thing.
Dinner was Mac 'n Cheese, but we finally had to lay down the law and offer only vegetables and fruit first. Well get this - Cora REFUSED to eat her peas, so she didn't get any Mac! All she had for dinner was probably 10-15 blueberries. Fingers crossed that girl sleeps! I mean, she hasn't napped for 4 straight days, so at least the odds are in our favor.
Poor Kaitlyn was helping tidy the front room and slipped this evening, rolling her ankle. It clearly hurt her, and she couldn't put much weight on it. Cora ran in there to see what was happening, and I asked Bear to come back with me so K could have a moment with Jenny. When Bear wouldn't move (meaning I had to carry her into the family room), She. Went. Crazy. In her defense, she might have just wanted to help, but I just wanted K to have some time to cry without anyone looking.
Kaitlyn was SUCH a good big sister today. On the way to church, the sun was in Bear's eyes, so K leaned over and covered her eyes with her hand. And then, at lunch when Cora was screaming so loudly I thought she was going to puke, K went over and gave her a hug to calm her. Cora INSTANTLY settled - it was so sweet! Love my girls!8/19 - BIG DAY FOR TEAM TAYLOR - Kaitlyn met her teacher today! We showed up at Bradford, and it was a wonderful half hour of seeing old friends, making some new friends, and most importantly - meeting Mr. McMahon! He seemed very nice, had a little gift for all the kids, and had some information for himself at each child's seat. He's a history major and an ACC man - albeit a State Grad! :-) Interestingly enough, his co-teacher is ALSO male - how crazy is that! K got the chance to see Eden, Clan McLaren, Mrs. Pate, and Mrs. Hong - good day! :-)
After that it was spending the afternoon with Ellie, where they had some fun and had some good pool time despite less than stellar weather. Then it was home for a little more Elena (shocking, I know) before sacking out early. We're trying to get them back on schedule, as the school year is coming!
8/20 - Last day before school starts! Nole Nana came by today, and the girls split time between the house, CFA (for 2 hours apparently), and the Mallard Creek Rec Center. It's here, ladies and gentlemen. GO TIME!!!
Oh, and update - Team Taylor has had to resort to desperate measures to get Bear to eat anything other than her main. For the second time this week, we have put plates with just fruit and veg in front of them both, telling them that they must eat both before they can receive anything else. K, as usual, performs like a champion - even gets seconds of veggies! Bear was COMPLETELY resistant the first night - just had like 6 blueberries for dinner! Tonight, however, the dial turned, and she ATE ALL HER FRUIT AND VEG!!!! It was a big win - YESSSSSSSS!
Also, we introduced K to her new round of chores for the upcoming school year:
1. Take your completed paperwork out and put it in the file box
2. Make as much of your lunch as you can, as well as both of your snacks
3. When cold, hang up jacket - always make sure shoes are put away
4. You are now responsible for remembering your lunch and snacks!
5. All the old chores still exist (table, plates, dishes)6. We will add in room tidy (including vacuuming) next week
So far, she's been great about it (I'm writing this on 8/23).
8/21 - FIRST DAY OF FIRST GRADE FOR MY OLDEST!!!!! I mean, how is that even possible?!?!?!?! We got the first day pictures, and I'm happy to report that she still wants to be a cat when she grows up. Love it!
I didn't get many details (which isn't surprising), but I've learned a lot from Jenny over the past year, and so I didn't push it. I just simply asked if she had a good day. She gave me the thumbs up, and at dinner she opened up a bit on her own. Cora was very chatty and told me all about her day - it was cute.
The carpool line was apparently quite long, but that's to be expected during week 1. The most important thing was that she seemed to enjoy it, she counted north of 100 (103, as that was the number of stars she collected for a project), and she got to have lunch with Ellie. :-) All in all, I would count it as a success (and did I mention how cute her hair was!).
The girls watched PJ Masks tonight - they have been ALL ABOUT Disney since K's return from Florida. Some of that stems from the girls watching Disney down in FL, but they are also just loving the new catalogue of shows available now that we have Hulu. Every evening is like Christmas morning!
The school year is always easier for me in this regard, as I want them to be able to watch a little TV and just decompress after a full day at school. Also, because I know that they are reading, learning, and studying, there is less pressure to ensure that's a point of focus in the house. We obviously are still ensuring she's practicing piano every day (next lesson is tomorrow!), but I like that balance of being back to giving her a place of refuge in these 4 walls vs. it also being something of a classroom.One thing to note - I was coming back from my run today, and I saw Mike loading up the car. They were about to set out driving Sarah Beth up to VT, and I caught them right before they headed out. You could tell the emotions were close to the surface, and so I didn't tarry long. I texted them later in the day to check in, as between that chance meeting and the reality that K is now in first grade (translation - it goes fast), I was a bit melancholy and almost emotional for part of the day. Julie's response to me was to make sure to love these girls and make every second count, and I am strengthening my resolve once again to do just that. Love these kids!
Girls were down by 7:30 - I'm expecting them to sleep well!
8/22 - It was another really good day, and K seemed to enjoy both school and piano. Her afternoons are a little longer now, as she's accompanying Team Burch to soccer practice, but it's all good (and K hasn't complained). She enjoys the time with Taylie it seems, which is really good.
Cora had a very fun day today, starting with DPK! It was really good for her and JT to get some quality time, and they made it count for several hours! Also, I came home to find Bear singing the Elena song "And now that I'm here, there's a mission at hand..." in time with the scepter of light. It was too cute! She is speaking SO clearly now, and her hair is getting so long! She looks and acts like a little person - it's crazy! Love these girls!
8/23 - I got the chance to drop the kids at BPS, and I was easily the best drop-off I've ever had with them. We all laughed, conversation was easy, and the line moved smoothly. Jenny took Bear to the store with her before rolling up to Romp n Roll for a free class - looks like they had a BLAST! This photo of Bear is one of my favorites from this month.After that, they returned home to start the three day lockdown that is uncharted territory (and then some) for Team Taylor - POTTY TRAINING BOOT CAMP with Drill Sergeant Jenny. Oh readers...it's 4 days later as I'm typing this, so prepare for some good stories...
So first off, the good news - Bear figured out quickly what "that feeling" was, and after a few accidents, she actually did get some pee in Ducky Potty! She absolutely LOVES listening to it sing - too funny! Each time she got any pee in the potty, she received an M & M, and she was LOVING sucking down all the Gatorade she could handle (you could tell her mind was blown - she couldn't believe JT just kept giving it to her...and in a Romp n Roll water bottle no less!). Cora got progressively better throughout the day, and then there was one point where she looked at us really oddly and then said, "I haffa go potty! Well, she ran in there, but nothing came out. I thought maybe she'd had an accident, so I looked around where she had been standing. There was no pee, but MAN was there a HUGE DEUCE sitting on the floor. Thank goodness it was a solid log vs. the normal pellets!
We put her in a pull-up for bedtime. I know some methods say don't do that, but I really didn't like the idea of waking her up an hour into sleep to try and get her in the rhythm. Fingers crossed!On the Kaitlyn front, she had a great day at school, and then she got to spend 3 hours at the pool with the Burch clan. They had a blast AND had some pizza for dinner, so it was quite the successful evening. Also, Kaitlyn is in LOVE with this "evil clown" at their house named Chuckles. This scarecrow looks like the creature from "It" (Pennywise), but they have decided he's nice and is named Chuckles (K actually wants her very own Chuckles - she has even said she'll buy it with her own money!).
One thing I've noticed - K's first habit (aside from thumb sucking, of course). She's starting to clench her jaw to one side. It's probably something she's done for awhile, but it's a lot more pronounced now that one of her front teeth is missing (did I mention that two more are loose?!?!?!?!!?!?).
8/24 - A really great day for Team Taylor, starting with a fun run for me through the neighborhood before Daddy Daughter breakfast at the Sweet Spot! I had originally planned to take K to the Famous Toastery, but she told me she wanted a muffin from the Sweet Spot. It actually was perfect, as a) we saw Emmi there, and b) K and I got to watch cartoons together on Boomerang. She absolutely LOVED Tom & Jerry, and we've since recorded a boatload of them!
The afternoon was good - Cora definitely started to get the hang of it! She was bottomless all day, but she consistently announced when she needed to potty, ran in there, and didn't spill a drop on the floor. YAY! And the biggest news - after about 10 trips (which told us something was definitely brewing), she POOPED ON THE POTTY!!!!!! BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!!! YAY!!! PEE PEE! POO POO! (Insert gif of Jenny and I dancing here). Also, Bear napped in her panties, and she woke up dry! It was obviously a lot of work and a full day of watching her meningning, but I'm thrilled to report that it went well. Two days in, it's feeling like success!
On the Kaitlyn front, she actually got down south with JT for Hayden's 6th birthday party, where they had a BLAST at L'il Gym. Jenny said it was amazing to watch them in action 2 years later (her last party there was when she was 4), as now they can climb on everything! K's favorite thing was the "Hot Dog" swing, which I did see video of - looked really cool!
Jenny and K went to church that evening, where it was Friends and Family Takeover. It worked out GREAT for K, as a) she got to go on stage in Arrows for the first time ever to lead Worship Dance, b) she got to play on all the inflatables, and c) she got free custard!
8/25 - Jenny gave K the choice today: attend two services with Daddy (I was teaching second service) or stay at home and help potty train. Remembering the ice cream and inflatables, it was a fairly quick decision. :-) And so K went to Freedom House with me, where she got THREE ROUNDS on the inflatables and had two more ice creams! I mean, not a bad day, eh?
On the Bear front, she dropped another steamer in Ducky Potty, and it was a pretty successful morning. We moved her to being in panties, but she didn't love the panties (and truth be told, the cut on them was really, really odd). In addition, she absolutely FLOODED the bed with urine during her nap. I mean...we are talking a RIVER.
The afternoon did NOT go well. Cora just KEPT peeing through panties. It's like she thought they were diapers, because she was just POURING out pee. I cleaned up 4 messes in less than an hour! When we ran out of panties, she went back to being bottomless, and sure enough - no issues! She didn't let another drop hit the floor! The "panty progression" was my idea...and clearly it was a bad one. Sorry, wife muffin!!!8/26 - Both girls used Ducky Potty this morning! How funny! JT was watching Ian as well as Bear today while K was at school, and things must have gone well. I mean, there were some accidents, and the house looks like Baghdad outside of the Green Zone, but hey - progress continued to be made. Cora had some accidents with panties again, but this time she did manage to get some pee in the potty. And when she went bottomless, that girl didn't let a SINGLE DROP leak! She's TOTALLY fine without panties - rocks it! But when you put panties on her, she just can't seem to make the connection that they aren't diapers. It's really been interesting to watch.
Jenny has made a smart play - she's started the Potty Chart. 10 stickers = a treat, and 100 stickers = getting to buy a toy at Wal-Mart. But here's the catch - you only get a sticker if 100% goes into the potty, and if any hits the floor, mama bear takes a sticker away. That very well could be the carrot Bear needs, as right now she is NOT enjoying her panties experience.
On the Kaitlyn front, it was another good day at school. She had music, and it's amazing how quickly she learns the songs in there! Her memory is SUPER sharp - no question about it. Case in point - she's largely memorized "Oh, the Places You'll Go," which is a rather long book (with plenty of made up words!).
K did say that she misses Ms. Glosson (the old music teacher who moved to Columbia, SC). Jenny noted tonight that K's been a little quieter lately, and so she's not sure if something is wrong at school or if she's just tired. I honestly think it's just the adjustment to the new schedule, as I remember how exhausted she was that first week of Kindy! Plus she's got chores, piano, and is getting home a bit later, so that squeezes the playtime window. I didn't really think about it, but now I want to double my efforts to ensure she gets some quality relaxation time each day (and she knows she's loved).
She is working on her "book box" for class, which is where all of her big, important books and projects will be kept. She announced she wanted to work on it tonight (it's not due until Friday, so I LOVED that initiative!), and she did a GREAT job! She put pictures on it, colored it, wrote her name on it, and just generally made it look great. PROUD OF YOU, KIDDO!
8/27 - Jenny Taylor was a FORCE OF NATURE today. She was watching Cora and helping Lindsey with Ian, but that wasn't going to slow her down. She took a 4 year old and a 2 year old being potty trained to....DPK, BABY!!!!! This was the end of our membership (expires on Saturday), and we wanted to ensure we got one last round in. They had a blast, and all seemed to go well (it was apparently bedlam in there). The one hiccup was Cora's lone accident, but Praise Jesus it was RIGHT BESIDE the bathroom. Jenny figured Cora probably wouldn't go on the big potty, and sure enough she FREAKED OUT when Jenny took her into the stall. Luckily Jenny had the foresight to bring our portable potty and bag, and sure enough - it did the trick! It's funny - Cora really is scared of the big potty for some reason. Also, she does NOT like to pull down her panties. She pretty much refuses to pee unless an adult helps her.
Jenny AGAIN proved very sharp in the ways of potty training mothers a bit later by introducing a new twist on the potty training chart. Up until this point you got a sticker anytime you got all the pee (or poop) in the potty, and you lost a sticker if any of it hit the ground. Well, the new wrinkle - if you aren't willing to pull your pants down (meaning you make Jenny do it), you get neither a sticker nor an M & M. The funny part - Cora didn't think Jenny would hold the line on this, but that girl clearly didn't realize how determined Jenny was to close this down. And sure enough - on the next round, Cora yanked those panties down (and has been ever since). Way to go, Wife Muffin!!!!! Full marks!
Cora did acquire her 10th sticker today, so she received her first prize - a pair of My Little Pony dolls! She was THRILLED - loves them, plays with them constantly, and even wants to sleep with them! RE-SULT! I think it's quite interesting - so many of her toys were here when she was old enough to realize what they were, and consequently she hasn't received many "new" toys that are 100% hers (vs. shared). You can tell she loves it and values them very highly. It's super cute. Tonight she asked me if they were hard. When I said yes (they are plastic), she said, "They are a little soft. The hair and the tail is soft." Tru dat.
Also, Bear sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider" to me tonight. Cutest. Thing. EVER. I absolutely loved it.
As for K, she is LOVING playing with the "recording bird" that repeats whatever she says. She is getting TONS of mileage with that thing - and apparently it's the highlight of the carpool as well! JT said everyone (even Jackson) was getting in on the act. Too funny!
Also - K had a GREAT line this morning. I was complaining about an organization's poor customer service, and I said, "These people are clowns." Kaitlyn instantly piped in and said, "No offense, Chuckles." HILARIOUS! Full marks, kid! That as some rapier wit right there!
8/28 - JT took Ian and Bear to a class at Romp N Roll today, and it was a smashing success! She got both of them to go potty before AND after class! RE-SULT! Cora also peed and pooped right after nap - she's getting it! She had one accident at dinner, but she was in panties all day! I watched her take them off before bath - she's getting the hang of it! We went with a different cut of panties, and that's making a HUGE difference.
For Kaitlyn, she had a good day at school (best part of the day is still recess), but she came home and told me "You gave me too much lunch. I couldn't finish my mac 'n cheese because I was too full and had to throw half away." I will be honest - I didn't take this well, and I came down fairly hard. For starters, SHE packed her lunch (as we'll remind her next time). I then explained she could have eaten the mac first vs. the other stuff, all of which would have kept until the next day. I actually had to pry all the details out of her (did she have the normal amount of time, etc), and at one point she said, "Let's just stop this conversation." I then politely explained that if she ever wanted me to pay for mac again, she would answer my questions so we could formulate a better plan. I'm happy to confirm that got her attention. :-)
Oh, and the girls are ALL ABOUT Tinkerbell and the Neverland Pirate Fairies right now. Netflix, you are on a roll!
8/30 - It was a fun day for Jenny and Bear, as Cora did another open gym at Romp 'n Roll! This was the end of our two week trial, and it sounds like they had fun. Poor bear's knees were still really, really hurting from her fall, and so she couldn't crawl around the way she would have normally. However, she still had fun on the slides, and by all accounts she enjoyed herself. Apparently they only get 15 minutes in the "gym" during the classes, so this was a nice treat to have the full hour to "romp around." It's so cute - that girl absolutely LOVES Rompy now! She carries that stuffed animal around everywhere - too cute!
After that it was over to UCUMC for....Meet the Teachers! Cora absolutely LOVED it - there were new toys to play with, and she was in Heaven running around. Sounds like she didn't want to leave, so I think it will be a success. :-)
The afternoon was a fun one for everyone, as Kate came over!!! The girls played GREAT, and it was so wonderful to see them pick right back up where they'd left off. They just don't get to see each other much during the school day, and so this was a real treat for them. They played, had some popcorn with a movie, at mac 'n cheese, etc - it was a great night! Bear even stayed up with them to watch the movie, which meant that we didn't get the girls down until 9 pm! Yikes! Needless to say we were a fast follow.
8/31 - So the girls didn't come out of their rooms until 6:30, but I was downstairs praying and heard them up and moving at 5:11!!! But I must give them credit - they were really good about hanging on for a good 80 or so minutes before finally throwing that door open. We all went as a group to the Sweet Spot, where all three girls got chocolate milk and chocolate muffins - needless to say they weren't complaining! It was a really good morning - cartoons were on, the food was good, the weather was nice, and we were very relaxed. GREAT start to Labor Day weekend! We dropped Kate off at her house, and Clan McLaren invited us in. It was great all around, as we had some good laughs with the adults while the girls got another 2.5 hours hanging out in the basement! SCORE!
It was a tough day for Bear, as her knees really hurt her. The pain was acute when anything touched them, which included panties. That meant that she REALLY didn't want to pull her pants down to go potty, which resulted in a pair of accidents. But the good news - Ms. Cheryl did convince her to go when they first arrived, and it was a success! That lady has the touch!
Okay, that's all the news that's fit to print and August in the books! Chat with you in a month, when more BIG changes are in the books. Speak soon!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
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