And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where I sit here on the couch at 7:50 PM on March 11th, with a newly minted 7 year old asleep upstairs. This is it - the last post for Raise Kids With the Taylors, and it is with mixed emotions that I hit each key. The majority of what I'm feeling is relief - both that it's over and that I was able to carry it through this long - and the rest of it is a mixture of the unknown: will I miss it? Will the weekly video entries bridge the gap? Will those eventually become monthly? And of course, there is a tinge of sadness. Let's face it - this has been a journey for every day of the lives of my daughters, and after tonight that journey will be recorded via a different medium.
I remember writing my first post - sitting on the couch with Jenny out jogging or something. We'd just been shopping for the crib if memory serves, and I decided to give it a go. I remember saying in the first post: "I have no idea if this will work, how often I'll write, or if I'll even be able to keep it up, but here we go." And now, seven years later, I have all those answers. This has been a profoundly rewarding endeavor for me, and I am so grateful for all the idea, the time to write, and the memories made which are now recorded on these pages. And it is with that mindset that I now turn toward the first 11 days of March - which also represent the last 11 pages of written record on this adventure.Let's get amongst it, shall we? :-)
3/1 - We had two services today at FHC, and Kaitlyn got to play the game TWICE! I didn't realize she got to play it in the first one, but honestly - she was SO. WELL. BEHAVED. compared to those other kids, and sometimes you have to make good on your statement that you'll pick those best behaved children, right? Also - she got Attention TWICE! The second time she was CLEARLY the winner, but since Pastor Michael didn't see it, I gave it to her and one other kid on the basis that it was a tie. But full disclosure, kiddo - you won (and I told her as much after the fact).
K was desperate to go to the Prize hub, but when she got there she didn't have enough tokens. She "borrowed" 4 from Cora, and that enabled her to get some more Galaxy slime. Seriously - that girl is OBSESSED with slime right now. It's amazing! She's playing with it all the time and LOVING it! We have hardwoods downstairs, so I don't view it as a problem - I just find it fascinating how much she loves it (and really does play with it, so no complaints here). It's funny - the dining room is now the storage room for nicknacks, stuff for Goodwill, K's puzzles, her Lego sets, and her slime. We wall it off when company comes over, and it's absolutely serving as a multi-purpose room on a lot of fronts. We are using every square inch of this house right now, and I am LOVING that.
One thing that was tough when we got home - K seemed a little sad and said that she "wasted her tokens." I pressed on that, saying that clearly she got something she wanted, but then it came out that she gave up her favorite token, which had a rainbow someone had colored. Shocking, but I was not overcome with sadness. :-) 
We hit the park in the afternoon. It was a bit chilly, but the girls played great. And get this - Bear is now on the BIG SWINGS! She hangs in there well, and she's pumping those little legs as hard as she can - too cute! The one downside to all this - the angle for pushing her on those swings is NOT ideal unless you're an Ooompa Loompa, and so I basically had to do a split while pushing her. Yes, I'm sure I looked wicked manly doing that. That night we started reading "Captain Underpants Volume 9." Um.....not. a. fan. WOW. K seemed to enjoy it, and it is really nice to bounce back and forth alternating pages with her. But MAN - the subject matter, the misspelled words, etc - it's just not ideal. Oh well, at least she's learning new vocabulary. :-)
So I played the "memory game" upstairs with Cora today - that girl was unreal! Seriously - I know that she had at least one sheet memorized, but she definitely didn't have the others memorized and crushed it! She legit beat me one game (and that's not easy :-)). I was well and truly impressed - full marks, wee one!
3/3 - We continued our march through Captain Underpants today, and I must confess...I am starting to get into it. I am now very curious to see what ultimately happens to Kipper Krupp. :-) 
And can I HAPPILY report that Bear had a dry pull-up this morning? And not only that - when she wakes up dry, that girl takes care of business on Ducky Potty! YAY!!!!! Plus she's now putting her pull-up on all by herself. It's so cute - she puts it on and then pushes the front down below her belly button. "It's more comfortable like that, Gag." Love that kid! K asked a very interesting question tonight at bedtime: "Dada, why is Twinkle, Twinkle our nightly song?" It's funny - I honestly can't remember how long we've been singing that, but it must be at least 3 years running at this point. I do remember the first night I did the full version (from the CFA book) - if memory serves, Kaitlyn was wearing green (but that could be the old brain playing tricks on me), and I remember Jenny was surprised when I just started singing it.
Truly - I am so thankful it's had that kind of staying power, as we now sing it to Bear as well while we rock her at night. That should give it some longevity, as one never knows when the "switch flips" with kids and they "put away childish things." I think we still have a while with Kaitlyn, but I also know there are likely fewer days in the future of singing it than there are days in the past where we've sung it, rubbing her back and tickling her, all the while with her thumb in her mouth and her eyes closed, settling in for the night. 
Side note moving out of order on this: It was a moment during her birthday party sleepover that I realized how young - and fragile - she still is. The girls were bedding down to sleep - sleeping bags on air mattresses - and Kaitlyn took a drink from her hydro flask. She spilled a little, and it was too much (meaning too cold) to keep her nightgown on. She started crying, as she was concerned she wouldn't be able to wear the nightgown she'd picked out especially for the sleepover. Also, while changing she said, "But what if my sleeping bag is wet and I can't sleep in it?" Luckily, it was just a little damp, and we were able to throw it in the dryer. However, to me it was a realization moment - they are so big and often act so mature and grown up, but at the end of the day they are first graders (in K's case - preschool for Bear) and are so young and fragile.3/5 - The party draws near! Honestly, Kaitlyn is SO excited right now. The sleeping bags are out, the movie is selected, the popcorn and mac 'n cheese are procured, and the cookies are purchased. GO TIME, baby! Get this - she even cleaned the bonus room ON HER OWN to prepare for the sleepover! Love it! And I must confess, she did a GREAT job. Now one thing that is concerning - she came into our room at 5:30 AM this morning with a cough. She still seems to be in good spirits, but I know Jenny is worried about the party and K staying healthy. Praying!
On the Cora front, I must relate that she LOVES riding to preschool with JP - smiles, high fives, talkative, etc - but she still does NOT like riding with Lindsey. It is hilarious - she doesn't cry (as much at least), but she certainly still gets sullen, looks down, puts out the pouty lip, and won't talk. You are a trooper, L-Dub! If it's any consolation, she does the same thing to me. :-)
Actually, I have to confess that's not a true statement at the moment, as right now she really, REALLY likes hanging with Daddy. It's the first time EVER, but right now I am the ONLY person she will let brush her teeth. She runs to me with the toothbrush and toothpaste, dodging Jenny and saying, "No, daddy!!!!" Now what I will say - that girl has got some YELLOW teeth right now, likely a result of her still using the training toothpaste. Tonight I decided that, going forward, it's time to make the move to fluoride. She still has a bad habit of swallowing toothpaste, so my plan is to make her spit several times while brushing. Watch this space!Also - she's wanted me to read to her the last couple of nights. It's so cute, as she always starts with: "Do you want to read a couple of Bible stories?" WHO CAN SAY NO TO THAT?!?!?!?! She is ALL ABOUT Noah and the Flood, Jonah and the Whale (she even knows that Jonah went to Ninevah), and the 2 stories about Jesus - his birth and the feeding of 5,000. Too cute! We have a pretty good routine going where I ask pause and wait for her to say the next word in the story, and if I forget she corrects me! "No, daddy, you're supposed to say...." And yes - I am no longer GAG. I am now Daddy. Changing by the minute...
Lastly (speaking of changing by the minute) - she's FINALLY smiling for pictures now, and it's a really good smile! However, the arrangement is clear - if she smiles, then you MUST show her the picture instantly. Too cute.
3/6 - SLEEPOVER!!!!! Man, WHAT a day! They all arrived at 4 PM, and what followed was a veritable FLURRY of activity. It was insane! They played hard from 4-5:15, had their baths, and then settled down for Mac 'n Cheese, followed by Cookies and Ice cream. Then it was up to the bonus room for a movie ("Thunder and the House of Magic"), where we gave them all some popcorn as well. Then it was running around and "winding down" until about 9 PM, at which point we finally got them settled on their sleeping bags on the air mattresses in the bonus room. The girls were great about including Cora, and she was a great participant through it all (but she slept in her room, of course). We got them down about 9 PM, and we were in bed ourselves by 9:30 (EXHAUSTED). Poor Jenny was sick as a dog and hadn't slept the night before, but she was SUCH a trooper taking care of and looking after these girls. Work was insane for me, so I couldn't really help with much until about 5:15 or so. I came downstairs, and by 5:20 I was ready to go back to work. :-) Seriously - that much estrogen in the house was EXHAUSTING, and the noise/screaming/mess/frenetic activity was almost more than I could handle. Jenny and I looked at each other and agreed - this is the CAP on # of girls sleeping over for the foreseeable future. WHIRLWIND, BABY!!!!
3/7 - So...talk about one for the ages....this day started at 4:16 AM when I heard the sound of what I can only describe as elephants moving bookcases. Seriously - the whole house shifted, and my eyes popped open. I was pretty sure I knew the culprit, and sure enough, I went into the upstairs hallway to find the bonus room door closed...but with light spilling out on all sides. Sure enough, I opened that door, and the girls were in there jumping, laughing and playing! Come to find out, Kaitlyn had woken up at 3 AM coughing and decided "she needed someone to talk to," so she woke up Taylie! In Kaitlyn's defense, Taylie did say, "If you need someone to talk to, just wake me up. I'm good to get up whenever." Sweet girl, but I don't think she meant that early!
I was going out for a run anyway, so this actually worked out great for me. We wanted to ensure Jenny got some rest (she still wasn't feeling great), so we put on a movie for them at 5:50 AM (I think they started Monster House but didn't finish it because one of the girls found it a bit frightening) and I hit the road. I came back about 2.5 hours later to find an ocean of pancakes made and consumed (chocolate chip!), after which time the girls got dressed, played a bit, and then packed up, as it was time for the first of two featured destinations - Monkey Joe's!
We blew the doors off that place - were among the first (and only) people there the entire time. It was GREAT, as we got 90 minutes there, and the girls were able to go HARD. Pool Ellie got quite exhausted and actually had to lay her head on the central table and sleep! Eden and Sophia S, two girls from Kaitlyn's class, joined us, and they brought some great energy and life to the party. And let me tell you - Bear had a BLAST! Seriously - that girl was ALL ABOUT the little animal bounce area. I thought that she would prefer the princess bounce castle, but she was instead all about the giraffe, elephants, and kangaroo slide. Too funny! It really was a hoot to watch her play, and I was thankful for the dedicated bonding time with her, knowing the Kaitlyn was separately having an EPIC day. And speaking of epic, we had another surprise on this marathon of a day. Kaitlyn woke up with a super loose tooth, and it came out right at the end at Monkey Joe's. Honestly - she was FIXATED on it and kept wiggling it...which meant she was constantly putting her fingers in her mouth. And while that's normally not great, it's DEFINITELY not great at a dirty inflatable bounce facility. Oh well - she had fun and the tooth fairy is due to visit, so that's all that really matters. :-)
We opened presents there before shooting over to the second spot of the day and the featured lunch - Hawthorne's! It was GREAT - we rocked up with coloring books and 288 crayons for the kids, and that kept them transfixed while the food came. And let me just brag on the staff at Hawthorne's, as they were truly wonderful. They cut the pizzas into 16 slices vs. 8, gave us TONS of space, did a wonderful job with the kids drinks, and even stored the ice cream cake in their freezer AND gave us a knife to cut it! That cake was guuuuuuuuuuud, and the girls CRUSHED it. Oh, and speaking of crushing - Bear ate THREE slices of pizza! I mean, she was a bottomless pit! That bounce house wore that girl OUT! 
We then returned home for an hour or so of playtime, and the girls were in HEAVEN! Eden and Sophia didn't spend the night before, so they were so cute bouncing around the house. Sophia LOVED the Frozen house - too cute! Honestly - they are a great group of girls, and I'm very thankful K has made some wonderful, sweet friends.They all left about 3-3:30, and then Kaitlyn set to work on a lego set she'd received from one of the girls. She MOWED that thing down - was done before bed time! And she "dissected her alien," which she loved! She really did get some nice gifts - amazing what toys these kids have to play with these days.
She was sad that night, as she missed her friends and didn't want to sleep alone. There were some tears, likely from a mixture of exhaustion and the realization that the party was officially over. Mommy and daddy went to bed that night quite exhausted! But we were pleased with the effort. :-)
3/8 - the girls slept until 8! I mean, you talk about exhausted! That was probably 12 hours for both of them. We got them in bed around 7 PM the night before, but it was 8 because of daylight savings time. We hit LKN for service, where Kaitlyn was showered with 7 tokens! She was NOT happy, however, when she was informed that she needed to pay back Cora the 5 tokens she'd "borrowed" the Sunday before. There wasn't boo-hooing, but she was not in a good place. I'm going to blame it on continued exhaustion.
On thing to note - Kaitlyn came into our room and woke Jenny at 11:30, crying and saying that her throat hurt. Jenny was able to settle her with some ibuprofen, but that doesn't bode well for school tomorrow.3/9 - Poor Kaitlyn had a temperature of 101.5 this morning and was quite lethargic. We gave her some ibuprofen (which apparently you're not supposed to do unless they break 102), but school was never an option.
For Bear, we walked into her room to find the bedsheets soaked, as the second time in 3 days we'd forgotten to put a pull-up on her the night before! UPDATE - I'm thrilled to report we haven't made that same mistake again. :-)
3/10 - Our oldest is still sick! Her temp was 101.4 today, which makes it official: school policy is 24 hours fever free, which means she won't get to go to school on her birthday. We'd planned to have lunch with her and maybe send in some cupcakes (which we still can once she gets to feeling better), so it's really a bummer all around (most of all for her, of course). Don't get me wrong - Kaitlyn made the time count: watched tons of Glitter Force Doki Doki, read TWO Critter Club books cover to cover, and watched some more TV. However, she had absolutely NO energy and NO appetite.
And speaking of exhausted, Bear actually FELL ASLEEP ON ME while rocking her tonight! She was so out that I was able to transfer her to her bed - FIRST. TIME. EVER! It's funny, it's a few weeks later as I'm typing this, and that has actually now happened twice. She has been playing hard trying to keep up with sister and her friends, and it's wearing her out! But it's not all just exercise, as that girl is coughing a lot too. We'll have to keep an eye on that - watch this space!3/11 - K still had a fever today - the highest one yet for this episode - topping out at 102.5. Poor girl's face looks wiped, and she still has no energy and just seems so tired. She's definitely not sleeping good, as she's coughing constantly (Delsym works eventually, but it's clear she's not getting restful sleep). that translated into her actually falling asleep about 5:30 PM in her "movie chair," thumb in mouth and finally at peace. We got her and Bear (also coughing) in bed early, and despite songs and blowing out a candle, it certainly didn't feel like much of a birthday for Kaitlyn. Luckily we did make it up to her that following weekend, but her actually birthday was really pretty tough on Thing 1.
And just like that...it's over. The above represents my last post and the end of my time writing "Raise Kids With the Taylors." I've moved to a weekly video blog (I'm still taking notes - I'm just now recapping them on my phone and saving them to Prime and Google Photos), and I must confess that, while it's been an adjustment and likely not the same quality record as this, I am at peace with it, as there was simply no way I could continue on the current pace.
It's funny typing that now, as it's 3/24 as I type this, and a "Shelter in Place" has been ordered for Mecklenburg county from this coming Thursday until April 16 (just after Easter) due to the COVID-19 Coronavirus (that will be a marker for historical reference whenever someone cracks open these pages), meaning I now actually have more time than EVER to work on the blog. That being said, it feels good to have published 7 volumes, and I feel good about the effort.
Jenny - my Queen. My Wife. My love. I love you so much. Thank you for being the earthly gravitational center of this home.
Kaitlyn - thank you for being the amazing girl you are, and for changing EVERYTHING in our lives for the better.
Cora - thank you for being our miracle...our "good and perfect gift." You are the testimony that took our faith to another level.
Mommy and Daddy love you both SO MUCH. Our parenting hasn't been, and will never be, perfect. However, never doubt for a second how much you both are loved and how proud you have made us.
Father God - THANK YOU. For this life, this love, this adventure.
Readers - I hope you have laughed, cried, lived, and loved with us. God speed, and God bless - wherever you go.
And so this is Sammy the Bull, wrapping his 12th volume of Life with the Taylors and 7th as a parent, signing off from Team Taylor Base Camp in Charlotte, NC.
Love and gratitude to all - my cup runneth over.
Love,
Sam (aka Daddy), Jenny (aka Mommy), Kaitlyn (aka "TT"), and Cora (aka Bear)
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