And so it ends (with a bang!) - Year Three as a parent...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  3 years and 7 days

Family,

And a Happy Friday to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is rapidly winding down his work efforts for the day before an evening of the NCAA tournament and Daddy Daycare.  Hard to believe,

but I am sitting here typing the final post of K's 3rd year of life - how is that even possible?  Truthfully I must say that I simply CANNOT believe I have now been a parent for over a thousand days, and every day I'm still waking up in shock at how blessed I am to have the life I do.  But hey, this isn't about me - this is about the 11 days of March that got us through K's third year.  So let's get amongst it, shall we?

So let me state first off that the majority of this post will be about the trip we undertook for K's third birthday, namely the Walt Disney World Resort. :-)  This trip was a combination of many activities, and let me just say that it was AMAZING - not without hiccups to be sure, but absolutely incredible.  So incredible in fact that we're already planning another trip there in about 48 weeks time - how's that for a) leaving an impression and b) me finally making peace with the Mouse!

Day 1 of the trip (March 1) was the drive to Jacksonville.  In retrospect, we probably could have made it (and really should have), but we had no idea a) how many times we'd have to stop, b) how K would fare in the car, and C, how mental should would be if we pulled in after dark to Orlando.  Going 2/3 of the way also let us take our time (and me get a run in) during the morning.

The drive overall was pretty good.  K started out fussy (didn't sleep well), and she was very much in whining mode.  Truth be told, the whining has increased as of late, and now anytime she asks for something it's basically a whine.  I will get more onto the discipline aspects in either a later post or near the end of this one, but that was definitely something we contended with during the first 1-2 hours of the drive.  After that, however, it was definitely better.  Chik-fil-a certainly helped, and can someone say I-PAD?!?!?!?!  Seriously - that was amazing.  We didn't give it to her until the last hour of the trip, but from that point on it was RADIO SILENCE in the backseat.  She watched 2 episodes of Sofia and then played some games Jenny had downloaded - that thing is like crack! The rest of the trip was a mixture of snacks, K complaining, and lots of "her music."  At least we got to switch out some CD's, but if I never hear "Rock-a-bye, Baby" again, I'm pretty sure I'll be fine with that. :-)

"Ready to go to Disney, Dada!"

Gran - she might just have the gift... :-)

Dinner that night was at Dave & Busters.  K was pretty a) tired and b) wired at that point, and getting her to eat was a challenge.  We contemplated playing some games with her, but it was already late, and we thought it would be a nightmare getting her back out of there if we started.  Consequently we rolled back to the hotel, where we all slept in different locations - NONE OF WHICH WAS THE ACTUAL BED IN THE ROOM. :-)  You see, knowing that K wouldn't be able to sleep in the same room with us, we found a 1 bedroom suite.  And while that was great, it meant that we needed to put K on her air mattress in that room so we could close the door.  The one hiccup - the door didn't have a knob but a level, which meant that K could keep coming back out.  And boy, did she ever!  K actually kept coming out (called "Jack in the Box Syndrome" apparently) until 11 PM, at which point we had to threaten her with striping.  JT then crashed on the pull-out couch, and I was on the air mattress.  On the whole, it totally worked for us.  One thing that didn't work?  K waking up at 6:40, rarin' to go!  That being said, she did curl up with me in the air mattress for a bit, so I was in Heaven. :-)

The i-Pad...MAGIC.

For me that was just one of many truly great moments with K that I'd had over a stretch of a couple of weeks.  There were times where I'd so often find myself watching her and just thinking, you're her dad, and she's beautiful - enjoy this moment.  I have tried to make it a point to just "look" at K lately  from time to time - not parent her, not interact with her - just look at the miracle she is and enjoy being in her presence.  And while right now that's a bit tough since she can't stand me, the good news is that it's quite easy to stand on the sidelines and observe her as her little personality starts to come out.

On the second we rolled into Orlando, where we found a GREAT condo.  We spent that day doing the administrative aspects of the trip, such as getting unpacked and going to Publix for groceries.  This actually ended up being a treat for K, as she got her own beach ball.  The drama was when we tried to get an uninflated one after she'd carried one around the store.  Can someone say MELTDOWN BREWING?  But luckily they took it to the back and filled it up quickly, so the crisis was averted.  :-)  Such drama in the Happiest Place on Earth...but she did get a purple Publix balloon in the store as well (and a cookie!), so on the whole it was a good trip.

We also got to swim that day, and K LOVED IT!  The pool and weather were absolutely PERFECT, and I even got a run in.  All in all, it was a great start to the trip.  I will say the funniest moment - we are 2+miles from the condo on the drive down, and K yells "I've gotta pee pee!!!  I've gotta pee pee really bad!!!!"  Well, we are stuck at a light, and we think we're probably in trouble (she's just in a diaper).  However, the light changes (FINALLY - it was the longest light in the world), and we whip into the first parking lot we see (some hotel).  10 seconds later, we have K out of the car seat and sitting on froggy potty, where she pees a river with a smile as wide as the Grand Canyon.  Success, baby!!!!!

Step 1 - get those drawers down and sit on Froggy Potty.

Step 2:  Lean forward and let urine flow like Bridal Veil falls.

Step 3:  Ask Mommy and Daddy for a treat (rinse/repeat all day long).

First visit!

3/3 - GO TIME:  Team Taylor's first day at Disney.  So this day went from ok to good to simply amazing.  K was up early, and we were out the door by 8 or so (right on schedule!).  The drive to Disney wasn't bad, and I got really excited as we passed through "the gates" (reminded me of all my days at Typhoon Lagoon - crazy to be on the other side of it  - meaning being a parent - in that

moment).  We got into the Magic Kingdom, and everything out of the gate went really well (aside from paying $20 to park, of course - WOW).  The first hilarious moment was rocking up to the tram with our stroller that could have doubled for a Hummer or caravan going across the Sahara, having to then fold it up on a completely crowded tram (stuff raining out from all crevices), and then putting it on my lap and sitting in such a way that I wasn't even on the seat - nice quad workout!  But hey, 5 minutes later, we were at the will call, and we started with a bang, as K received a little pin that said "My first visit."  We then hopped upon the monorail, which K wasn't quite excited about as I'd originally expected.  We did get stuck for about 10 minutes waiting, and she sat for some of that, an indication that she was clearly tired.  She'd been tired the whole trip so far, and I was a little concerned about the meltdown.  But hey, we were here, and the moment was upon us as we arrived at the Magic Kingdom.

Magic Carpet selfie!!!!

"Yo, Ho!  Yo, ho - a pirate's life for me..."

Now those of you that know me will attest to the fact that I have been a little jaded against Disney since my time there.  That being said, I've always maintained that the culture of the cast members while "on stage" was nothing shy of incredible, and I saw that first hand this go-around.  Give them credit - EVERYONE was amazing to Kaitlyn.  It all started with the bag inspector giving Kaitlyn a sticker and just went up from there.  Full marks, Disney - I am impressed.

One for the ages - 2 generations of Dumbo fans.  Mom - this one's for you. :-)

Ok, so we got into the park, and I have only one word to describe it - BEDLAM.  The second we walked in, Minnie came skipping past us right on Main Street USA.  Now of course Kaitlyn wanted to go hug her, but as everything is now line-based, that would have meant a 30 minute wait (not kidding) just to have her picture taken with Minnie.  We managed to convince her to just "wave to Minnie," as I was trying to get her through Cinderella's castle and back into Fantasyland before the queues got mental.  I was in a weird place at that moment, as I wanted her to have a blast but also knew that having fun would necessitate getting to some rides before the lines got too long.  I imagine it's the dichotomy of emotions that all parents have, especially on their first visit.  Couple in K's clear tiredness and the fact that she didn't really understand why all these people were here, and you have a first rocky 15 minutes.

It cleared up quickly, however, and soon we were at Cinderella's castle, walking through the iconic landmark and popping out into Fantasyland.  The next two hours were still a bit of a struggle, as 1) we didn't really have our bearings, 2) our fast passes weren't until later, 3) it was wicked crowded, and 4) I just think K didn't really know what was going on.  That being said, after a ride on the Merry-go-round, she settled a bit, and then we had our first "Disney moment" - riding on it's a small world."

So I will jump around a bit from this point forward, but let me just say that I got teary-eyed on this ride.  Here it was - Jenny and I, who had been part of that first generation of kids to come to the Magic Kingdom, were now sitting in a ride with our daughter.  The joy and magic that had been given to us had now been passed to Kaitlyn, and watching her with wide eyes and a big smile was emotionally overwhelming.  For a lot of it I didn't even look at the ride - I just watched her snuggled up with Kaitlyn.  I'm getting a little emotional writing about it now.  It was just that realization that we are and have been SO INCREDIBLY BLESSED.  Thank you, Father - truly, it was incredible.

Once we got into fast past mode, the day took off like a rocket.  K got into the zone and started to understand what would happen - we would ride rides, we would look at different stuff, we would try to go potty often (she went SEVEN HOURS without peeing this day, but still no accidents!).  As the afternoon wore on, other kids faded, but K just got stronger (this girl will be a negative split kind of chick when she's a marathoner :-)).  She was smart enough to realize that she needed to ride in her stroller to keep her strength, and with that we were able to whip around everywhere.   That being said, she ran around most of the time, and she kept getting stronger and running faster as the day progressed. Also, as she didn't require a ticket, we could do each fast pass twice!  Her faves were Peter Pan ("Dada, is that London, where you and mommy lived?"), It's a Small World (3x), Dumbo (2x), and the top dog - Pirates of the Caribbean!  We did that one 4 times, and she loved "the dark and the big wave" - it was too cute.  We also did Aladdin's carpets and even made the Haunted Mansion - we just told her that it was Skippy's family and that was the house they came to for family reunions.  She loved it! We even had our first princess encounter, meeting Cinderella and Rapunzel (twice each).  It was cute because, when she came back in the second time (with me), they said "haven't we seen you before princess?"  Rapunzel said, "You get prettier every time I see you."  It was actually an interesting dynamic to watch, as at first K was very shy with the princesses (JT told me).  But this second time she warmed up more, and by day three (which we'll get to, obviously), she was all about it and understood what to do - cute!

Toward the end of the day we made good on the most basic of promises - ice cream!  At that point we'd been in the park almost 10 hours, which I was SHOCKED at.  And then, on the walk out, the Electric Light Parade was kicking off.  Well, at this point, we weren't going to miss this!  K absolutely LOVED it - she just couldn't get enough of all the lights and the floats.  Talk about some wide eyes!  When we finally got out of there about 7:30, K was still running!  I mean, we're talking 10.5 hours IN THE PARK!  We got to our car TEN MINUTES before the park closed, so it was a late night to bed.  That being said, it was a total success, and our hearts were full (even if the rest of us was exhausted :-)).

3/4 - This day was a really fun one as well, as this was the day world's collided.  Today was the day that the MTSU Blue Raiders (who Pattie plays for) played the UCF Golden Knights (Jenny's alma mater) in softball at the UCF stadium.  It was part of the UCF invitational, and this game was actually the genesis for the entire trip.  Pattie had 2 games on Friday and 2 on Saturday, so this was the first of a four game set for us.

We arrived about 10:30 or so, taking our time driving past all the old haunts for JT.  We parked right at the stadium in the midst of a beautiful day.  It should be noted that, prior to walking out of the condo, K grabbed us and said, "Stop guys!  We have to pray for Uncle Steve!"   Uncle Steve in this case was our neighbor who'd just had stints put in, but it was SO SWEET that K stopped us to pray for him.  As a side note (jumping forward), K has recently been asking us to do special prayers after our nightly prayer ritual.  These vary based on the day, but the most recent has been for her little friend Marlowe, who's just undergone her second surgery.

Oh dear, do we have another ADPi in training?

The day at the ballpark was fun.  They did a nice job of having life-size connect 4, corn hole, and some other "stuff" for K to do at the park.  K actually was just excited about eating a box of popcorn for breakfast (courtesy of Granny A), so all in all it was a win. :-)  MTSU went 1-1 that day (losing 2-0 to UCF).  I had to leave mid-way through the UCF game to drop Jenny at the Altamonte Mall (she was meeting Julie and Katie), and that, dear friends, is where things got interesting.

So K had been a little fussy during the day, but on the whole we just ascribed it to exhaustion.  Well, she fell asleep on the drive to Altamonte, waking up only in time to say bye to Jenny without realizing what was going on.  2 minutes later, we are in the middle of SIX LANES OF GRIDLOCK TRAFFIC, at which point K starts screaming.  That then transforms into her favorite phrase to repeat over and over when she's angry:  "I GOTTA GO POOPY!!!!!!"  In a word - AWESOME.

"I love Alphie, mommy!"

So let me set the scene.  It's rush hour in Orlando.  And by rush, I mean that NOTHING is rushing.  I-4 is a parking lot, and we haven't even made it to I-4.  K is screaming in the back, and I bet she said that phrase 200 consecutive times (I'm not kidding).  I kept saying, "Sweetheart, if you really need to go, just say the word 'Yes.'"  Nothing but the repetition.  When that changed to "I'm cold," I knew we were ok.  When it changed to "Blow my nose," I was still feeling good.  But when it suddenly changed to "I have to peepee really bad!", I started to get concerned.  I look back (we are moving at this point) and see K holding her bladder (she's only in panties), at which point I think "we're never gonna make it."  But I see a sign for John Young Parkway and I see a McDonald's sign.  Ok - here we go.

The goose with Aunt Pattie - all the gang back together!

So we pull into this McDonald's, get out, and run in.  K is SCREAMING, and the staff all looks up as we walk in (the main gal says, "that doesn't look good.").  We run into the bathroom, where K pees the Nile.  Instantly she is happy, and she walks out happy as a clam.  The best part?  The lady at the counter who spoke up when we walked in said, "Here you go, sugar," and gave K a My Little Pony doll from the Happy Meal toy pile. You would have thought she'd just given K a private audience with Mickey.

Seriously - K still LOVES this thing (Elsa the unicorn is her name).  She plays with it all the time, it sleeps in her bed, and is counted amongst the "friends" she has.  She loves it!  So on the whole, it was a win and a great story from the trip.  You just never know where the memories are gonna come from, right?

K was a jack in the box that night, but she did at least tell me she had to poopy (and did!) at one point before bed.  It was a great night, and I got to spend some time with cousin Chris as well (he'd just driven down from Jacksonville).  On the whole, another solid day in the books.

3/5 - Team Taylor split up this day, with Jenny and K heading to the Magic Kingdom and me heading back to the ball field.  While the crowds were MENTAL apparently, they did have a blast, as K got to play with her cousins - Malin and McKinley!  Steve and Sara brought the girls up, and all in all they must have had a blast.  The highlights that I know of:

I'm pretty sure K was afraid Elsa was gonna lose it and throw out a freezing spell.  Hence, she sent the twins in first.

But she's more of an Anna girl anyway... :-)

FINALLY!  An audience with the Big Cheese.

Aaaaaaand - done.  

1. They met the mouse!

2.  They met Anna and Elsa!

3.  They got a chance to ride Ariel and Winnie the Pooh (among other things, of course).

Sounds like they had a blast - it was just bedlam in the Magic Kingdom.  Lesson Learned - NEVER visit MK on a Saturday.

3/6 - Henceforth known as "THE BEST day of vacation and the day that hooked us on Disney forever":  This day was a visit to Hollywood Studios, again with Team Markham.  Let me say it again - other days were good, but this day was EPIC.  Going into this park, I wasn't really sure what to expect.  After all, there really were no "rides" for kids, and consequently I just wasn't sure what K was going to do.  Little did I know, I had nothing to fear.

So all in all, this park is PERFECT for kids.  For starters, there were almost no waits anywhere.  Secondly, it's a smaller park and is much less crowded, meaning there's just less chaos against which to battle.  Third, there is a huge "Disney Junior" section, which was absolutely PERFECT for K.  Seriously - this was HER JAM.  We rocked in, and there were Sofia, Minnie, and Doc McStuffin's all in a row, waiting to be hugged.  The lines were really, really small, and so there wasn't a lot of drama about killing time while waiting for that photo.  Plus, with the twins there, K was happy as a clam playing with them and running around with them.  We started the day with a Disney Junior show, where she saw the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Sofia the First, Doc McStuffins, and Jake and the Neverlanders all in one shot.  After that, she had the chance to hug doc (she actually hugged doc twice) before heading over to the Little Mermaid show (which she LOVED).  She actually loved the Little Mermaid show so much that she asked to see it again all day until we went back - it ended up being the very last thing we did before we called it a day for the trip.

The day was just largely stress-free, as we didn't have the pressure of thinking we needed to get to certain spots to beat lines.  By and large, there are just shows, characters to meet, stuff to look at, good food to eat, and a MONSTER playground (literally - it was the "Honey, I shrunk the kids" playground set) that K absolutely LOVED.  There were just so many highlights from this day, but the ones that come to mind:

1. K in her princess outfit kissing Sofia the First

2. K really getting into the spirit of meeting the characters and just wanted to hug and kiss them constantly

3. The twins throwing their malt shake around the restaurant while K sucked down EVERY. LAST MILLIMETER (drinking it once the spoon was no longer useful)

4.  Sitting on my lap in the Little Mermaid and saying, "Look at the pinchy crab" when she saw Sebastian

5.  K's energy and happiness as she danced and sang her way through the park (the 2 suckers didn't hurt)

But it was all summed up for me at the end of the day.  We had been in the park 8+ hours, and it was time to head home and back.  As we stepped back onto the main street heading out, K took my hand and said something that she often does:  "Dada, let's run a marathon."  And so there we were - father and daughter jogging down main street, the weather perfect, no clouds in the sky, palm trees swaying in the breeze, Mickey on his pedestal at the entrance, and K with a smile on her face a mile wide.  It was in that moment that I just lost it and started crying (with happiness, of course!), thinking about how special this moment was.  And I know that we'll go many more times (already planning next February!), but truly this one was special in a way that I'm not sure many can touch.  Jenny and I had done it - we had completed the cycle.  Jenny said it best when we were walking out (both of us teary-eyed):  "It's come full circle."  Truly, that was the case, and in that moment - my heart had rarely been more filled with happiness and peace.  Add in K peeing on the travel potty for the first time in the Hollywood Studios parking lot, and you've got the perfect cap to a day. :-)  This was the one day that truly felt like a holiday, and it was so good to end on such a high note.

Here's the Hollywood Studios highlight reel:

K was all about the "Honey, I shrunk the kids" play set.  

Credit to Disney, as this experience got Doc's claws into K - she LOVES her now.

Sheer luck that Minnie was the Clubhouse Character of the day!

SUGAR!!!  And what's this?  MORE SUGAR!!!!!!

I will consume EVERY OUNCE OF THIS MALT...

even as other foolish children waste theirs...

And because you are a captive audience and have no choice but to keep viewing, may I present the "Sofia Gallery," presented by Team Taylor:

And a few more Disney Pics...

"It's a world of laughter, a world of tears..."

3/7 - So this was a loooooooooooooooong drive home, but K was really pretty good through the whole thing.  We made it in about 10.5 hours, and next time I think we'll leave earlier and just power through a bit more.  We found 3 fields to run through (one was a random church parking lot), and we pumped K (and Jenny) full of Blizzard, so all in all no one could complain too much.  It definitely confirmed that we can make the drive there and back in a day, and going forward that's what we'll always do.

3/9 - So giving some updates post trip:  K is ALL ABOUT Doc McStuffins now.  She's got a Doc McStuffins nightgown, she's sleeping with Stuffy in bed, she's got a Doc cup that she's drinking from, and for several weeks Doc was the only show she would watch.  She's been walking around singing the theme song (I mean, it is pretty catchy).  This is still continuing as I type this (3/23), so all that Doc love at the Studios has had its desired effect.  Well play, Sir Mouse.  Well played...

3/10 - Today was a hilarious day, as K presented me with "My Dad and I," a little book she'd put together at Pre-school.  It was quite informative, and I learned tons about myself.  Some quick facts that K reported about me to the teachers:

Name:  Daddy

Age:  4 months old

As big as:  tall as a tree!

Eyes:  small and green (small - really?)

Favorite Food:  All white Cheese!  (WHAT?!?!?!?!)

He likes to go:  BATHROOM!  (well, she did hit the nail on the head)

Favorite thing to do with my dad:  Swimming

I love my dad because (and I quote):  "He is a silly rabbit.  Boing, boing!"

Honestly, I was in TEARS with laughter reading it - absolutely priceless!  I have it at my work desk right now, as I just can't bear to put it in her chest yet.  Love that kid!

3/11 - AND THEN, JUST LIKE THAT - She was three.  We woke up that Friday morning and realized that we'd been parents 3 years.  THREE years.  It was honestly hard to process.  The day itself was great.  Jenny had brought cupcakes on Thursday to Pre-school, and Friday featured cookies (you'll notice that sugar was the theme for the weekend).  It was a milestone day for K, as on this day she received her first pillow - Anna and Elsa.  It's really cute, and she's slept on it every night since then.  Now I should note that she wakes up on fire with sweaty hair because she sinks down into it, but hey - it's still pretty cute.  When we gave it to her, she was thrilled and kept saying, "It's my mountain!"  She kept climbing on it (she's now using it as her magic carpet as she flies through the air - also pretty cute.  We hung out with Renee and Emmi, with Natalie and the boys along for good measure.  All in all it was a really fun day, and we kept the party going all through the weekend.  JT's folks came over on 3/12, which meant more cupcakes and more good food!  K was treated to more gifts, so as you can expect she was happy as a clam.

On the Sunday (3/13), K woke up complaining of ear pain, but it was still a really good day.  She was a little sluggish at church, and we knew that she likely had an ear infection or something that would require some treatment.  To that end we did schedule an appointment with the Peds that Monday, where Dr. Knutson did confirm K had an ear infection.  Skipping ahead to the update there - we just finished a 10 day anti-biotic regimen tonight, and I do think she's a lot better.  However, she's still got a really deep cough, and so I fear that we haven't purged all of the gunk from her system.  Only time will tell (and she is coughing less), but there is a lot of mess in there.

3/15 was a big day, as K poopied on the potty for the first time ever at Pre-school!!!!! BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE!!!!!  This was a BIG day, as it definitely felt like a corner had been turned.  I really do think she's got potty training licked now (am hopeful at least), as we've gone probably 2-3 weeks without an accident (I can't recall one in March).  That is super-exciting, and yesterday (3/22) JT even moved Ducky Potty into the bathroom (aka "the final phase" for downstairs).  Now comes the next 2 tricks:  getting her to stay dry through the night, and weaning her off the treats we've been giving her for successfully using the toilet.  Given the rages she's throwing around right now, I can't say I'm looking forward to this next "milestone."

This week was a super tough one with K, and it's one that's been fairly constant since the return from Disney (especially over the last 2 weeks).  Bottom line - K has been a TYRANT, meaning that she's been almost impossible to deal with.  Now don't get me wrong - she is still a very sweet kid, and when it's just one parent, she's totally fine.  However, by and large she's fought us TOOTH AND NAIL about every single thing you can imagine.  I know that this happens with every kid, but I never expected this level of resistance about EVERY.  SINGLE.  THING.  We towed the line on over the week of the 14th, but at this point we are driving it HARD.

The blip on the radar was 3/18.  Jenny went over to a friend's house, and K stayed home with me.  Folks - she was an ANGEL child that night.  Seriously - it was like I had my daughter back.  I just couldn't believe the change.  We had a great night at dinner, had fun running around and playing, had an easy bath/bed ritual, and had a great morning.  It was night and day.  Unfortunately, it didn't last...

3/19 - A big (and sad - sniffle, sniffle) moment:  K said the word "animals" correctly for the first time ever.  It had ALWAYS been "amials" until that Saturday, and then she just dropped it correctly.  My heart trembled, as it was one of those moments where you realize:  "they're growing up.  Make sure you don't miss it."

Also on this day, K had the great line while holding her Easter basket:  "Dada, can you hold my eggs, cause I'm afraid I might drop 'em, and they will crack, and have a baby chick!"  This particular moment (which had me chuckling) is illustrative of how K has been stringing together these INCREDIBLY LONG sentences lately.  It's so funny - think of a paragraph's worth of words, separately by commas vs. semi-colons. :-)  There have been some doozies, and I need to make a note to remember them and write them down as they come up (if possible, as some are Tolstoy long).

No words.  Simply none.

Other than to show it to you again - hilarious!

3/20 - we hit Prosperity Park this day for the annual Easter bash.  Last year, K was in her cast, so it was much, much better this go-around!  K had an absolute blast, and we were there 3 hours!  K got her first ever Face Painting (a little cat face) and spent TONS of time in the bounce houses.  You can see the difference that 5-6 months makes, as she's now a) much stronger in jumping around and b) has much less fear of being around other kids.  It was helped by the fact that there was a smaller, open top bounce house this go-around - that was much more age appropriate for K, and she loved it.  She spent a lot of her time hugging and kissing the "dino" and the snail that were part of the bounce house.  K also climbed up this HUGE slide and went down on her own - THREE TIMES!  I was super proud of her, and dare I say I was more than a little scared when I realized how high the climb was probably 30 feet!).

The Easter Bash highlight reel (since I'm already over my photo quota, I might as well keep rolling):

To be clear - that is a raisin stuck to her tooth...
courtesy of Granny A...

I am going to stop here with the chronology, and we'll pick up Easter in the next blog (volume 4!).  As this feels like a good ending spot, let me just reflect on what the last 12-13 months have been like. 2015 and the first quarter of 2016 have been an amazing season in our lives.  True, we've taken some shots in that period - 3 miscarriages in just over a year span.  However, as is often the case, the good has far, far outweighed the bad, and even the tough times have served as incredible tools to help us grow mentally and physically, as well as serving to teach us how blessed we are for everything we already have.  As one of the guest pastor's at Freedom House once said - "turn your test into a testimony."  And those trials, coupled with the amazing adventures we've had in the past year, have made this (in my mind at least) the best year of my life.

There is a peace over this house now and a peace in my heart that I have never previously known.  With God now truly at the center of this family and with me understanding my role as a spiritual authority, it's amazing how I feel I've been transformed and how (I hope at least) it's made me a better parent and father.  Jenny and I are now in a rhythm that includes more time with Christ, more time with the church, and more activities in general, but thanks to the Holy Spirit we have seen not a drop-off in energy or enthusiasm but actually quite the opposite - I have more energy than ever!  And turning more to the focus of this blog, we are LOVING being a family.  2015 was a year of God teaching us that we can't control everything, that there is a season and a plan for us all.  That was a tough message to digest, but we have digested it now, and the peace and tranquility that has ensued has been nothing shy of miraculous.  Also, as we struggle with K's tantrums now, we realize more and more every day that most things do happen for a reason, and keeping Team Taylor a party of three for the moment could very well be something that has helped preserve our sanity and our family unit.  As I feel my stress level elevate on days where K is just fighting every single word I say tooth and nail (the terrible two's are actually the terrible three's!), there are days where I either feel like a tyrant or just feel frustrated, exasperated, and disappointed that perhaps I'm not being the father God called me to be.  However, I then go back to Hebrews and realize the awesome responsibility we have.  This rejuvenates me and refocuses my efforts, and this was not a source of strength and inspiration I would have thought about a year ago.  The Bible as a source of support alone has made this past year amazing, as it's given me the power to do so much more than I ever thought I was capable of.

This past year has seen Jenny and I really become active in the church - Jenny now as a Dream Team volunteer, an Outreach Mission member, and member of the FH Kids Teaching team, and me as a (newly minted) Team Lead for the Outreach.  This past year saw Team Taylor try two different forms of family vacations, both of which went well (but the second FAR better than the first!).  This past year saw Kaitlyn start pre-school, get potty trained, start swim lessons, grow in strength and confidence, become more comfortable with daycare (like church), and start to really showcase that (adorable but sometimes stubborn!) personality.  I think this was the year K officially established a dominant hand, and I think she's gonna be a lefty!  This was also the year that K first started to assert independence and say "no," and obviously the journey toward discipline is going to be an interesting one over the next 12 months.

And as for me, I will be honest and say that getting through volume three of this family history was tough sledding.  Part of me wants to call it right here, thank you all for reading, and carve back this time.  However, there is a reality that this time is FLYING BY, and I know I need to record this time - for our sakes and for Kaitlyns - as there are far too many memories to store in our minds alone, and we will need this as a reference.  To that end, I am committed to starting Volume 4 again in April.

So there you have it - 3 years as parents.  Simply impossible to believe.  As each day passes, I am having to focus more and more on not getting caught up "on the treadmill of life," and just going through the motions without looking at my wife and daughter and just realizing how blessed I am for each moment with them.  Admittedly it's easier when K isn't screaming "GO AWAY PLEASE DADA!!!!," but all the same - just like the SEC Network says:  "Take it all in."  :-)

That's all the news that's fit to print.  Chat with you in Volume 4!

Love,

Sam and Jenny