Remember Remember, the 2017 November...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  4 years, 8 months, and 19 days

Age of Lady Cora:  11 months and 8 days

Family,

And a good evening to you from the Queen City, where the Bull is about to publish his first post since turning 40!!!  Plenty of items to record from this EPIC November, so let's get amongst it, shall we?

11/1 - So this was the day Team Taylor's parental units left for VEGAS, BABY, but we did at least get the chance to see the girls in the morning before we left.  Lindsey picked up K, but in the morning I had both girls early in the AM.  K had the line of the day - as Cora was climbing on her, pulling on both the seat and the blanket, K said, "It's okay if Cora falls all over me, dada.  It's baby love."  Too cute!

Insert - the next 4 days were nothing shy of immortality for the Bull and Striker.  I turned 40 on the Thursday (the 2nd), and we had an INCREDIBLE 4 days in Vegas.  It was among if not THE BEST time I've ever had out there, and I can't thank my wife, friends, and family enough for making it so incredibly special.

Now THIS is how you watch a movie...

But FRET NOT, as life wasn't bad over in the Queen City either. :-)  K and Cora had two nights with Nole Nana and Grandpa (where they were treated to a 2:40 AM screamfest from the Nugget apparently), which seemed to go very well (minus the screaming, of course).  We actually got this story from Lindsey, who texted JT on my birthday and said, "So, have you talked to your parents today?"  Lindsey said, "I didn't get much as to why they were grumpy, but K did tell me that she woke up in the middle of the night to Cora screaming." :-)  Good times...especially if you're 2200 miles away. :-)

But the good news - all went well, and my mom arrived on Friday afternoon just before K arrived home from preschool.  What followed in the next 2 days was nothing short of the greatest weekend in K's life - seriously.

"I'm authorized to be here...I promise..."

So let me tell you what I know/have been able to piece together.  I did know that mom had planned to take the girls to Sweetfrog (which I agreed was a great idea), but I had NO IDEA what else was on the plan.  So get this - they show up at the mall, and K's face apparently instantly lit up.  She said, "Are we at the mall, Vol Nana?"  When mom told her yes, she said, "Do you have a ticket?"  Mom tried to explain that you didn't need a ticket for the mall, but then K marched her over to the aquarium, and she understood.  Now keep in mind - K has been trying to get Jenny to take her to that aquarium for probably a year now, but our membership expired and as it is rather pricey, so we've told her we no longer have a pass.  Well, when mom offered to take her in, K was OVER THE MOON.  She said, "This is my FAVORITE place!"

What followed was a series of SUPER CUTE photo ops and the biggest acquisition of all - a pair of mermaids from the gift shop.  Again, there were these two mermaids that K apparently had always asked JT for, but she'd always said no.  Well, Vol Nana didn't bat an eye. Good on ya. :-)  Add in a carousel ride, more stuffed animals (members of the Paw Patrol), a cookie, and a Sweet Frog run, and you have pretty much the greatest day EVER.

11/5 - On Sunday we arrived home and played with the girls a bit before mom took K to see My Little Pony at the movies.  K's quote was the best:  "We're going to have lunch at the movies - popcorn, a drink, and some gummy bears."  For the record, some stromboli bites were consumed as well. :-)  Oh, and K got to drive these little unicorn 4 wheeler things around the mall that I didn't even know existed.  She was in HEAVEN!   She even showed me her "Happy Dance" when she got home (which is really cute).

And so it should come as no surprise that, when 3 PM rolled around and mom had to leave, K was clearly trying to fight back tears.  She was super brave and really did good until mom was out the door, at which point we had some tears.  However, after I held her a bit, she did calm down.  And then, just when the issue was again in doubt, mom came through once again - this time in the form of a package waiting for K on the front door.

Mom - that girl loves you SO MUCH.  Thank you, thank you, thank you for being such a special person and shining light in her life.  I know that she views her time with you as nothing shy of pure magic, and I know that I am so blessed to have you in all of our lives.  I know you take incredible care of Cora as well, but since she screams more than she talks, I'll just have to wait to hear all the fun stuff you two do. :-)

Mom, Jan, Bob - I simply cannot THANK YOU ENOUGH for watching over our beautiful girls so Jenny and I could have this time together.  They were loved, they had fun, and they didn't miss their parents - which is all I could have asked for and then some.  Thank you all for loving our children so much, for playing with them, for making them laugh, for feeding them, and for spoiling them as only grandparents can.  It was an incredible 4 day stretch for everything, and I am so thankful for everything.

11/6 - So I have no lie to tell, after 10+ hours of sleep, I was very well rested but still frazzled on this day.  The return to normalcy after those 4 days was tougher than the normal re-entry into the atmosphere, but as I write this (the next day), I am feeling better.  K had her last swim lesson today, and it went GREAT.  Her instructor was very impressed, and as we're now taking a break, it's going to be up to us to keep her active and keep her skills in a reasonable spot until summer.  And now that we've decided to stay at Nomad (they kept our rate flat), I actually feel much better about carving out time in the schedule to swim and keep her active.

11/7 - Jenny signed the Goose up for Fun to Be Fit today, and we're SUPER excited about starting that later this month.  This is a gymnastics class, and all of her friends who have done it have all said great things.  The price was really reasonable, and since it's only 7 minutes away, it felt like something fun to definitely try.  So we're excited!

11/9 - So today K brushed her own teeth, wiped her own bottom after a poopy, and dried herself off after the bath.  It's so AWESOME to watch her not only learn how to do things, but also watch her proactively just tackle basic life activities.  The flip side - she needs me for less and less, and it was with a bit of sadness that I watched her grab her towel and dry herself off this evening.  Don't get me wrong - it's GREAT that she can do all this, and I am SO PROUD of her.  It's just a little add at the same time, as I am slowly being rendered obsolete.  But hey - I still had to dry her hair, so I'm still good for something. :-)

On the Koda front, Buke is now into EVERYTHING!  Seriously - this girl just goes FLAT OUT for whatever is the most dangerous thing in the room.  And now that she can crawl full speed, she goes at said dangerous object at about FOUR HUNDRED MILES AN HOUR.  Now that she's got "robe's," she is a BULLET.  Most notably now - she is ALL ABOUT opening drawers in the kitchen, and she wants to get into them all the time.  Consequently...the child locks have come back out.  Again, it's amazing, as K had NO INTEREST in those cabinets.  So crazy!

11/10 - today was a super fun day!  I was off due to Veteran's Day, and so we kicked off the festivities at UNCC for our annual fall pictures.  It was a GREAT day - beautiful, full of leaves, and complete with some neat backgrounds.  We didn't actually wander too far afield during the shoot, but I do think we got some really neat pics.

Highlights from the shoot:

After that, we had lunch at CFA, where Team Taylor basically ate an entire coop of chickens. :-)  K was in Heaven, consuming chocolate milk, ice cream, chicken strips, and even playing on the playground for a bit (it should be noted that it was BEDLAM in that place given that it was a) lunchtime and b) kids out of school).  After that it was home, where we chilled for a bit before going to the park with K.  During that chill session at home, we crossed off another big milestone for the nugget - BYE BYE INFANT CARRIER!!!!  That's right, sports fans - Cora is now in a rear facing car seat!  It really wasn't as bad as I expected, and after a few adjustments she now appears comfortable.  I will say that I'll be much happier when it's forward facing, but still - this was a big moment for us.

One thing I have to say about the park - K LOVES to do the pole (slides down it like Ryder from Paw Patrol), but she always acts like she's afraid when she gets there.  She'll climb to the top, but then she wants you to stand right below it "in case she falls."  I usually do this the first time or two, but then after that I don't.  When I refuse, K breaks down into a heap, bawling and asking for help getting down.  I always refuse, as she an either climb or slide (and regardless she's not in danger), but the constant spectacle from this has proven quite frustrating (as it's a ritual we repeat EVERY TIME we go to the park).  I think she was just tired today, as it was really tough getting her to go home.  She basically refused to pedal all the way home on the trike and kept asking for mommy vs. daddy (mommy was walking).  Despite the rough ending, however, it was still a really good day.

IN.  HEAVEN.

11/11 - Today was another fun one, as it started another 24 hour whirlwind with Dad and Alice.  They rocked up about 10:15, which was a good thing since K had asked me "are they off the interstate?" about 367 times that morning.  I had stopped answering after the 84th question, so you can imagine how relieved I was to see them. :-)

The featured activity of the day was a first for my girls - their first ever football game!  We had tickets to UNCC vs. MTSU, and the timing was perfect (2 PM start).  We were a little concerned about the weather, but honestly things couldn't have been better.  We rocked up about 1:30, checked the stroller, and then wandered around the stadium (super nice!).  Alice and K listened to the band while the rest of us found our seats, and then K got the one thing she'd been waiting for all day - POPCORN!  They bought a bottomless tub, and K went after that thing like she hadn't been fed in months.  Oh, and she spun some prize wheel and won sour patch kids!  I mean, can you say best day ever?  Throw in gifts from granny A, a bounce house (that was BEDLAM - I thought she was going to get crushed by the boys rough-housing in there), a refill on said bottomless popcorn tub, a free sandwich from Jimmy John's, and a ride in the stroller on the way back to the car, and you've got a recipe for BEST. DAY. EVER.  Cora even slept for an hour on Alice, which is WAY longer than I've ever seen her sleep on anyone (she was snoring to beat the band).  All in all, the game was an absolute success - even if K didn't watch a single play. :-)  Baby steps, my friends...

Afterwards we rolled over to Primal Brewing, where we got the chance to hang out with the Miller's. There was another family there, so K had a chance to play with an avalanche of toys before AJ rocked up with his Kindle.  K then got to watch the kindle, which of course put her in seventh heaven.  Add in a few puppies and some snacks, and that girl was good to go. :-)

The most interesting thing of the evening - Alice had her Kindle out while holding Cora.  In almost no time flat, Cora was swiping and touching the screen, playing the game that Alice had in front of her.  It is just AMAZING a) how quickly kids pick things up and b) how well engineered those products are.

All in all, it was a TREMENDOUS day for everyone - every day of my 40's has been pretty epic thus far!

Absolutely love this pic.

11/12 - So today was a visit to IHOP, where the wait was WAY longer than usual.  K was starving, but both she and Cora were really, really good and really, REALLY patient through the whole thing.  And hey, K got the cupcake combo, so she wasn't too upset about the wait. :-)

On the Cora development front, that girl is really starting to use and drink from her sippy cup!  JT has introduced it every time she's in her high chair, and you can tell that Cora is really getting the hang of it - very cool!  I mean, that little nugget is just growing like a weed.  Her mullet is finally starting to get a bit longer, and she's now finally getting some bangs in the front.  The hair is still cornsilk blonde and those eyes are still blue - wonder if it will stay that way.

We hit NOMAD as a family to swim in the afternoon, getting about 40 minutes in the warm pool playing "kitty catcher" (I'm still trying to figure out all the rules, for the record...).  And we even played a few rounds of Old Maid, where K showed off her AMAZING poker face (NOT).  It was hilarious - she had Old Maid, and when JT drew it from her, Kaitlyn just started cackling - too funny!

Old Maid has proven to be a bit of a problem, however, as K goes MENTAL when she gets Old Maid and loses (we are talking tears of agony).  We have told her that, at this point, won't play with her if she a) cheats, b) refuses to draw a card, or c) cries when she loses.  We'll see if that brings her around, as it's almost as crazy as the ritual with the pole at the playground (if not moreso).

So...lately I can't help but notice how much K wants to be around other folks all of the time.  I noticed it at the game in the bounce house (she was so sweet asking other girls if she could play with them), but I I have now come to realize that it's almost vital for K to be around people.  I will struggle mightily to pen what I'm trying to say, in large part to the fact that it's so different from the way I look at things.  K loves to have a playmate, and I'm not sure if it's because she just feels insecure, hasn't yet learned to entertain herself, isn't sure what to do in a lot of situations and wants to watch & learn from other people, or if it's just the way she's wired.  Case in point was today while I showered.  Rather than playing she sat on the rug of the shower and just waited for me to finish.  I'n not worried about it - it's just something that I will continue to monitor.

11/13 - So today ended up being rough.  In the evening, K refused to give JT back her phone after lotion was done (screamed "NO").  When Jenny took it from her, she actually tried to kick JT (she denied it, and to her credit she might have just been flailing, but still - unacceptable).  That cost her a book (at which point she started bawling), but then she started screaming (at which point she lost the plan privilege).  We ended up just telling her good night and walking out of the room.  I am happy to report that we haven't had any more incidents like that at bed, but I did still have to snatch the phone from her this evening (it's 11/15 as I type this).

11/15 - So I noticed something today while putting Cora down and reading to her.  She's learning how to turn the pages and understanding the significance of it!  I am opening the board books so the next page pops up, and without fail she'll grab it and flip the page.  I love her smile when we start reading. She is loving the Little Quack books - I think that is her favorite at present.  I normally do 2 or 3 books when I put her down (and I've been fortunate enough to be able to do that some lately for the morning nap), and she does seem to enjoy it.  But boy, when it's done and I turn the lamp off, LOOK OUT!!!!  Holy Moly that girl is angry (and has some STRONG obliques - it's tough to turn her!)  She also has a knack for punching me in the throat and face when I'm trying to settle her...which means that I don't usually settle her for very long... :-)

Pre-school shirts!

In another frustrating moment, K had a meltdown while Kate was over for a play date, all because she wanted the same type of candy for a treat that Kate had (K had picked first, and then when Kate picked something different, K "changed her mind."  Only problem - K had eaten half of it...).  We had a rinse/repeat of this because K didn't get the same spoon for her jello as Kate.  K then hit Jenny, for which she did apologize.  But then, this evening, she actually BIT me while we were playing tickle tag.  Honestly, WHAT IS GOING ON?  She was pretty good during the bed time ritual, but all the same - this is frustrating and not the little girl we know.  Watch this space!

11/18 - So today started the week vacation to TN.  I'm actually writing the TN recap back in CLT, so hopefully all this is in good order. :-)  The drive over was really easy - we stopped at CFA, where K played great and we all ate like kings.  We made really good time to Johnny's house in Knoxville, at which point it was MAGIC.  You see, Johnny has just finished his basement, and the kids went down there the SECOND we arrived.  Y'all, they played down there ALL AFTERNOON - we didn't even see them except when they came up for food!  It was amazing!  I mean seriously - once we got Koda down, it was smooth sailing, as the kids went right to bed (K slept with Sam, and Buke had her own room with the pack 'n play - it was awesome!

11/19 - continuing with the theme of awesomeness, the kids played non-stop in the basement all morning.  When Cora woke up, we rolled over to Smoky Mtn Brewery, where the kids were in heaven playing and eating together while the adults just chilled. Seriously - it was INCREDIBLE, as K just sat there and colored (which is something she would NEVER have done had Sam not been there).

After we said bye to them (swinging back by their house to pick up Twink...), we rolled via Whitesburg the long way, which allowed us to get a mint chocolate chip milkshake from Cardin's!  It was fun, as we ordered a medium and took turns sipping on it.  K was in heaven, as this was NOT a treat she was expecting.  Good times.

We arrived in the Burg about 1 PM or so, and after that is was 2.5 days of eating great, being spoiled, and petting kitties at Vol Nana and Grand Pooh's house.  K got to decorate her own tree, and she LOVED that (good call, Vol Nana).  And best of all...Sweetie Pie went into K's room and slept with her!  K didn't know it until the middle of the night when she went to pee, but Sweetie stayed on her bed all night EVERY NIGHT that K was there.  That girl absolutely LOVES those cats - knows their names, knows where they like to sleep, you name it.  She helped Mom and Steve feed the cats and the dogs every single day, and she spent most of her days stalking them and petting them non-stop.  It was honestly a sea of good food, cats, and movies (we watched Sing and Trolls), with an hour of visits to the park each day.  Oh, and did I mention we made a Yoder's run? :-)

Oh, and a great line from K the first night we were there.  She looks at Vol Nana during bedtime and asks, "What are we gonna do tomorrow?"  When mom says that she doesn't know, K says, "Chik-fil-A could be fun!"  Sneaky kid!  And for the record - we didn't go. :-)

11/20 - One thing I should have noted on the drive day:  K is really good about watching the scenery while we're in the car.  I love it, as a) it's what I did and b) I think helps to give an appreciation for the beauty of nature.

On the Cora front, that girl is moving her tongue around constantly.  Sometimes this gets frustrating, as she refuses to let the bottle into her mouth.  More often than not, however, I think she's just experimenting with a new set of discovered muscles.  And for the record - that girl has a LONG tongue - she can really stick that thing out there!

11/21 - Team Taylor rolled to the park today, where we ran into the Pastor who married us!  How cool is that?  The park was great, as it gave us a good hour of outdoor time.  We even let Cora crawl around on the equipment, which she seemed to enjoy.  And when we came home, we had a very special surprise from Grand Pooh - this hilarious fishing game!  Think of it as next generation Hungry Hippo, where the fish open and close their mouths and you have to hook them.  It is trickier than it looks until you get into the rhythm - especially when K is knocking the fish off your line and then harpooning her own!  But it was a lot of fun, and it gave us a much needed activity.

The funny thing from Koda- mom had spread a velour blanket out on the ground, and Cora LOVED it.  She would constantly lay flat on it and rub her face in it.  And more than once, she would get so excited that she would just slam her head against it, thinking it was nice and fluffy!  I mean, that kid has hit her head SO MANY TIMES in her first year of life - it's just crazy.  Rough and Tumble, baby!!!

11/22 - the Scream rolled 11 months today!  I mean, how is that even possible!  It's crazy how sturdy she is now - she really can stand on her own (when she wants to).  the trick is getting her to let go of things.  That being said, she's definitely getting braver!  It's only a matter of time now.

"Watch this, Vol Nana - I will HARPOON
this little critter..."

Some interesting items to note from today:

1.  We think Cora just might be allergic to cats.  She was very red-faced and flushed all day today, and she sneezed pretty much constantly while at mom's.  More to come, obviously, but it was so interesting to see those symptoms at mom's but nowhere else while we were in TN (certainly not at our house).

2.  K was really, really tough to manage this day.  She wants to win all the time at everything, which just feels so contradictory to how we are trying to teach her.  Case in point is the fishing game.  I caught a fish she was "apparently trying" to catch, and she spun around backwards and refused to play!  I obviously ended up catching more of them, and then she repeatedly said that she won.  I told her that we wouldn't play going forward if she couldn't have fun,  and I realize now that we are going to have to really enforce that (we have in the past already, which is why I'm shocked that it's reared its ugly head again).

We rolled over to Dad's today, where we had a really, really great visit.  It was a mixture of petting puppies, running around outside, playing with Brylie and Brynnox,  being loved on by Granny A and Aunt Pattie, and just hanging out.

11/23 - Happy Turkey Day!!!!  It was a great one that saw us POUNDING food, watching sports, and taking it easy.  We even made it over to Needmore Road to look at the land, and K came with us.  She got sooooooo sleepy in the car that she even dozed for a bit (too cute).  Her bedtime has consistently been 1 or so hours later than normal, and she's consistently been getting up earlier than normal, so something had to give.

Cindy Lou Who and the Grinch.

A cute moment to note - we went into GMT and GDT's house before leaving, and we had a chance to go upstairs to their bedroom.  As they are about to throw away tons of stuff, it was the last chance to go through their belongings.  We each found some stuff, but K had the best find - an old key.  It didn't open anything, but she loved it and was clearly fascinated by it.  I have it now and am going to put it on a chain and hang it in her room.  It is a great keepsake and has a lot of significance...almost as if she were meant to find it. :-)

11/24 - we packed up and headed over to Nanny's today, where we had Thanksgiving dinner part 2!  It was a great day, and Nanny was feeling really good.  She'd only seen Cora one other time, and she actually cried when we brought her through the door.  She also got to hold her twice, which was wonderful to see (Cora sat there happily, which was a blessing - thank you, Father!).

11/25 - Today was another great day, but it started tough for K.  She knew that we were leaving, and while she was excited to see Sam, Jack, and Henry, there was no denying the tears that come from leaving Vol Nana.  She was really brave and tried so hard, but at the end of the day the dam would not hold.  But hey, that means she really, really loves hanging out with her, so I am not going to complain for love nor money. :-)  And soon enough we were in Knoxville, where K went straight to the basement with the kids and had a blast!  We did take a break to visit Abridged Brewing by their house, and the kids were great to keep themselves occupied while the adults had a few.  It was then back to the house for good football, great food, and lots of laughs.  And yes - we basically didn't see K the rest of the night. :-)  When it's 4 adults to 1 Cora, life is a lot easier...

One sweet thing to note - when it's quiet or when I know she's sad, I always drive with 1 hand and give K my other.  Invariably, she always takes it.  We don't have to say anything - it is understood that I am reaching out to tell her I love her.  It's a unique, sweet bond, and I hope we have those moments for a long time to come.

11/26 - We headed out fairly early this morning, which was a good thing since it took us SIX HOURS to get home due to holiday traffic.  K was brave again, but the poor girl lost it when she had to say goodbye to Sam.  Talk about an emotional roller coaster!  We have so many good friends in TN - I wish we could see them more often, but we do the best we can (as do they).

The girls were so tired that they both slept almost TWO HOURS in the car ride home - basically the distance from Asheville to CLT!  All was ok but tenuous (you could tell K was tired and grouchy) until we got home, at which point we had a MELTDOWN FOR THE AGES.  Seriously, y'all - I have never seen anything like this.

Here's the deal: we got home, and K wanted to play outside.  We said yes, and then she asked if she could have her treat when she was done.  We said yes, and then 2 minutes later she was inside. :-)  Well, the first treat she wanted, we didn't have.  Then I offered her some rice krispies treats to take out to the kids she was playing with (the neighbors).  When she said no, I offered suckers.  When she said she wanted the Halloween candy, I got that down.  She started on gummy bears, but halfway through she decided she didn't want those.  She'd been in the car for 6 hours, so I gave her a pass and let her choose something else.  That's where the breakdown occurred.

So here's what happened - bottom line is that K refused to "pick a treat."  After 10 minutes of sifting through her candy, I put her on a 3 minute clock.  When the clock expired, I took all the candy but two options (Caramel or plain M&M's) and said, "I am still unloading the car.  When I come back, pick between the two."  When she hadn't, I picked for her (plain M & M's :-)).  I told her that, when I came back from the next load, they better be open (to be clear, there had been some other sass and back talk, so I was trying to make the point that I didn't have time for this foolishness).  I came back in and they weren't, and so I took the M & M's and threw them in the trash.  And it was at this point, dear readers, that K.  Went.  BALLISTIC.

This girl went NUTS!  She was throwing stuff, screaming, and just going crazy.  JT took her outside (you have to scream outside - that's the rule), and K actually punched our storm door!  We took her to her room, where she tried to tear the door handle off.  There was nothing we could do to calm her - twink:  gone.  Show:  gone.  No Kate play date this week:  gone.  Boxes of stuffed animals into jail:  gone.  Spanking:  gone.  It was amazing.  Finally we did get her calm, but it was a meltdown the likes of which I'd never seen (and hope I never see again).

11/27 - So let's just call it like it is:  Cora is just about ready to let go and walk!  Tonight at the dinner table she let go of the chair she was holding and just stood there playing with a block.  She must have stood for 10 seconds - crazy!  That girl is almost ready to walk - look out, Regal Court!


Other funny Cora updates - today I honestly thought she said her first word.  I was taking her up for her nap, and she pointed at the ceiling while going up the stairs and said (what sounded like) "up!"  I genuinely thought she made the association, but then her subsequent babbling poured a little water on that fire. :-)  I will say that she's now pointing at all kinds of stuff (especially in books), and she's also waving all the time.  That part is really funny, as she seems to wave constantly.  When you stand over her (or when she crawls to you while you're in the kitchen), she raises her arms expectantly, hoping that you will pick her up.  However, when you are doing 10,000 things in the kitchen and don't have time to do this, she pretty much gets FURIOUS at you, starts crying, and then follows you to wherever you are going.  This makes a) loading the dish washer (her favorite appliance), b) getting anything out of the fridge, or c) moving quickly around the island very difficult.  Also, did I mention that we now have EVERY SINGLE CABINET locked because Buke wants into ALL of them?  She LOVES to get into the dish rags, and now that she's discovered the rotating cupboard with the pots, we have to keep an extra special weather eye on her.  Never a dull moment!

Also, today was Day 1 with just 2 bottles!  That's right, sports fans - we have made the move to just 2 bottles a day (down from 4).  The schedule is still the same - 2 naps and 7 total feeds.  The difference now is that we're doing 2 bottles (7 AM and 7 PM), with 5 meals spread throughout the day.  Cora didn't love the approach at first, but I am pleased to report that she slept great (and didn't even get up until 7:30 this morning because she was SO tired!).

And good news on the Kaitlyn front - today was MUCH better.  While there were flashes of disobedience, it was NOTHING like Sunday night.  Obviously we didn't give her any animals back this evening, but provided all goes well tomorrow, we should be good to go for the ceremonial "returning of Twink."

11/28 - So VERY good news - Kaitlyn definitely seems to be getting back to normal, and one better - Cora is sleeping GREAT!  This was the second day in a row that she's made it until 7 AM, which is just incredible.

Also, K seems to LOVE gymnastics.  She had her first "real" class today, and she came back SO excited about it.  This is great news, as she definitely didn't have this same energy at the end of each swim lesson.  She showed me her "straddle" - that girl can almost get into a split!  JT said that she was a long way away from the action (and feeding Cora), but she was able to watch K in action.  They must have gotten onto the beams, the trampoline, and some other stuff - YAY!

As for Cora - Day 2 with just two bottles seems to be going ok.  She took 7 oz tonight, and she went to sleep fairly quickly.  Apparently solid food metabolizes slower and helps them to sleep longer, so perhaps that's what's elongating her sleep to 7.  Whatever it is, I'm not complaining! :-)  Plus JT said that she really likes the 5 meal/2 bottle plan, as it works better schedule-wise.  I have come downstairs the last couple of days to see them playing together - it's cute.  Oh, and Cora has suddenly started just shaking her head at random - it's pretty funny.  She won't do the "yes" nod - only the "no" nod, and she does it quite vigorously.

Oh, and a cute moment - Cheryl dropped Kate off this morning (JT took them to school), and they did get to play a bit.  They are so cute, as they include Cora in everything.  They play "Cora tag" and run form her as she crawls after them.  Kate has even started calling her Buke.  Love.  It.

11/29 - So I might have mentioned it, but Cora is waving all the time now - it's too cute!  She is waving at people when they leave especially, which is pretty adorable.

11/30 - So, I want the record to state that, at the moment, I feel like a terrible historian.  Yes, I know that there are a lot of words above to capture the events of the month, and yes, I am proud that nearly all major (and minor) events and milestones are being recorded.  However, at the moment I feel like I am absolutely scrambling to get them captured in time to remember the actual date the event took place.  Life just seems so busy right now, and the girls are changing so fast.  I have got to make more of an effort to either write every day or at least jot down notes.  Being gone for so many days in November didn't help, so hopefully this will be easier in December.

The one thing I have to relate today - ever since we arrived home last Sunday, K has been asking when we were going to decorate for Christmas - especially the tree.  I actually took it down from the attic yesterday and left it upstairs, which in retrospect was probably torture for her since we were so close.  I have vacillated, as I wanted to ensure we carved out dedicated time for the activity (with cocoa, music, and all that good stuff), but the flip side is that we lost the last 2 weekends in November and are gone all this weekend, meaning that there just hasn't been a good window of time for that.  consequently, we started doing a little decorating yesterday, with the big activity (the tree) kicking off today.

K was THRILLED - she went at those ornaments with a vengeance.  She was a big help in the afternoon, helping us to unpack the decorations around the house, open up the tree box, etc.  That same ferocity continued into the evening when it was time to do the ornaments, and she started TEARING into them.  Now honestly, there was a lot going on, and I didn't think much of it.  But when I heard the first one bounce on the floor, I did pay attention.  I heard "sorry, daddy," and I looked to see that my Larry Bird ornament (probably 30 years old) was now in 2 pieces (luckily just the basketball had separated from Larry's hand - an easy glue job).  I told her it was ok, and to her credit she worked diligently to try and put it back together, albeit to no avail.  I wasn't happy about it, but at the end of the day it was just an ornament - we have 7 million others, so all good.

A few more did fall, bounce, and clang, and I told Kaitlyn that, if any more were dropped or fell, she couldn't open any.  Also, I noticed a few breakable ones that I set aside and said, "Mommy has to open these."  You can probably see where this is going.

So throughout this whole process, JT and I are obviously chasing Cora, who is trying to touch and eat everything in her path.  Well, JT had (rightfully so) been 100% dedicated to that pursuit, and it was when I was going to spell her and let her put up some ornaments that we hear something SHATTER.  JT calmly said, "that didn't sound good," and then we looked over.  I didn't know what it was, but Jenny realized it instantly and was distraught, saying, "Oh no, no, no, no - that's first Christmas!"  I was still oblivious, as I couldn't remember our first Christmas ornament.  When I walked over, however, I saw what she meant.  In the floor, now in a thousand pieces and covered in the sand it held within, was the ornament we received in 2013 for "Baby's 1st Christmas," meaning the first ornament given to us for Kaitlyn.  It was among Jenny's favorites, and you could tell that JT was heartbroken.  She was on her knees looking at it, a mixture of shock and sadness on her face.

K was standing by the tree, and you could already tell that she knew something was wrong.  She said,  "That's ok.  You can just put it back together," but you could already tell that she was fighting back tears and knew that wasn't possible - simply hoping against hope that her parents had a miracle up their sleeves.  When I said, "it's okay, we just need to clean up (there was glass everywhere), and moved K over a bit, the poor girl just LOST IT.  She was SOBBING, which of course got Cora sobbing (while eating erasers on the table, of course), and all the while JT was really upset and having to clean up the mess while I held K and tried to calm her.  K got so upset that she hid behind the brown recliner and cried.  Honestly - it was a tough moment all around. I didn't really know what to do, so I comforted K while at the same time keeping an eye on Buke.  I then went to price replacements (astronomical), but there wasn't much left to say.  I told K "let's end on a good note," and had her put a few more ornaments on the tree, but then her and JT found a rhythm and continued until it was done (and it looks really good, for the record).  I am sure reading this 15+ years from now we'll chuckle about it, but I don't mind saying it was a really, really traumatic moment for everyone.  K felt like she'd let us down.  JT was sad because she'd lost a favorite ornament.  And I felt helpless because I didn't know how to help anyone.  We did rally, and today is a new day.  But MAN, that was tough.

The good news - K now has to let adults open all ornaments, and she seems quite content to let that happen. :-)

Okay, that closes out November - what an epic month and start to a new decade for Sammy the Bull.  Happy Holidays!  Chat in a month!

Love,

Sam and Jenny

And so ends the Bull's 30's - another classic October...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  4 years, 7 months, and 20 days

Age of Lady Cora:  10 months and 9 days

Family,

And a good evening to you from the Queen City - another incredible month in the books, so let's get after it, shall we?

Happy Halloween!  Yes - I went as Jenny.

10/1 - So we started this month with a bang - K ran into our bed at 5:51 AM!  Honestly, we had no choice but to send her back to bed, as we were exhausted and we did NOT want to establish a pre 6 AM precedent.  K was great about it, and she actually must have fallen back asleep, as she didn't come out of her room until about 7:30.

It was Sunday, and we made church and even the park.  JT had to do most of the lifting (especially the infant carrier), but I did manage to carry Cora a bit and stand for the songs at church.  What I will say - by the end of the day I was hurting, and I think I probably overdid it a bit.  That being said, it was SUCH a nice day, and I still took it VERY easy.  It's just something you can't rush, and I was still pretty sore (bending over was NOT fun).

We did have some "high drama" at the park.  K was being a bit of a pain, crying and saying she was scared at the top of the pole (which is silly because she's done the pole about 16,459 times).  Well, after that she wanted to swing with Cora and JT, but she didn't want to get her the normal swing - she wanted in the baby swing.  I didn't see this until I heard screaming, and then I looked up to find K COMPLETELY STUCK in the swing!  JT tried to get her out about 3 times, and then she called me over.  Well, I tried with her about 3 times, and we STILL couldn't move K.  At this point our oldest was getting REALLY upset, and she screamed out, "Daddy I'm sorry!" (she was apologizing for her attitude earlier).  She then followed it up with, "What if I"m stuck in here forever!"  I had to really fight to keep from laughing. :-)  The good news - a total stranger rolled over and helped us eventually push her out, but MAN was that high drama.  A few more tears later, and we just packed it in and headed home.  Good times... :-)

10/3 - So as I type this, I think I am close to on the mend.  Today has easily been the best day pain/tenderness wise, and this evening I didn't even have to use peas!  That's a HUGE win, and I can tell I'm now much more capable of moving and doing basic things.  Emptying the dishwasher last night was rather painful, but tonight it's already much better.  That's GREAT news, as it means I can start to be an active member of the family again (while still being careful that I don't get punched or kicked by the munchkins).

Cora says "Fire Butch Jones."

The day didn't start out great.  K was really disagreeable and disobedient in the morning, so much so that after taking away 4 items I had to spank her.  She has been violently saying "NO" lately, and Jenny and I have agreed that we just need to aggressively manage that so that she knows neither that response nor willful disobedience will be tolerated.  The good news - she did apologize before leaving for pre-school.  I take solace in the fact that she knows right from wrong and knows that she is loved, and so she usually does apologize to me after an episode (and I genuinely believe she means it).

It was a good day at pre-school.  K saw the OT (they come twice a year), and K taught her all kinds of crazy new moves.  That girl is STRONG walking up a wall!  And the funny quote from K - tonight she called my work briefcase a "purse."

On the Cora front - that girl is ALL ABOUT MOMMY right now.  It was too funny right before bed - I took her from JT to say good night, and she instantly looked back at JT and reached for her.  The message was clear:  "Put me down, old guy - I want the hot redhead."  I get it, I get.  Don't worry - I will still help with college and your wedding, sweetheart. :-)  But seriously - Koda is a climbing machine - she is now climbing up on K's chair, and watching her head crest the back rest is just hilarious!  She has a smile on her face, a tongue sticking out, drool everywhere, and a look of total concentration/elation in her eyes. Too cute.  Love my nugget!

10/4 - Today was a tough day for K - flu shot day!  Jenny was a visionary and knew better than to tell her until after pre-school (which was a good call because she started bawling .000007 seconds thereafter).  Anyhoo - K was very brave, and minus a few tears it all went swimmingly.  And as a treat, she got to visit the pets in the pet store and then got both a free cookie AND a bakery cookie from Publix.  But that's not the best part.

So part of the Publix draw for kids is a free balloon every time they come in.  It's always an el cheapo balloon, but K LOVES them (and they really do get use in our house).  Well, today they went to blow up a balloon for her, and the helium was out.  The fella disappeared for a second and then came back, apologizing profusely but explaining that he was unable to inflate any of the balloons due to the helium issue.

JT was ready to walk away, but then the guy said, "But I have already cleared it with my manager, and she can pick any balloon she wants on the rack.  Now we are talking these are SERIOUS balloons - mylar, inflated, and HUGE.  And what does K do?  She finds THE BIGGEST BALLOON ON THE RACK and says "I'll take that one."  WAY TO GO, KIDDO!  Take that brass ring and run with it!

Seriously - I am publishing this a month
after she brought that balloon home.
IT STILL HAS AIR.  

She walked into my office (while I was talking to my manager, for the record), cookie in one hand, ENORMOUS balloon in the other, and I almost cackled.  It's Frozen - Elsa on 1 side, Anna on the other.  Way to go, kid!  Your mamma didn't raise no fool!

10/6 - A new tradition has started at the Taylor household - Lunchable Friday!  K loves them (because they involve crackers, cheese, and oreos, but hey - details...#fatheroftheyear), and so on Fridays that's what we're letting her pack for lunch. It's funny, as I remember them from my childhood.  I thought they were awesome, but honestly they were out of budget for us.  Now, 30+ years on, they are only $1!!!  So yes, they are a cheap way to cover lunch, and she loves them.  Winner winner, chicken dinner!

Oh, and K has figured out how to take photos on JT's iPhone.  She loves it, and when she gets going, she takes about 700 in a 30 second window.  Yes, it's cute.  YES, we have to delete them due to storage constraints.

10/7 - So the Bull was actually out in Phoenix for a wedding (day trip!), but this was a big day for the Munchkin - FROZEN LIVE ON ICE!!!! Unfortunately, my mom and stepdad (who'd purchased the tickets) couldn't come, which meant that Jenny took K and her friend Taylie.  Taylie was a last minute add (we didn't know until the day before that they wouldn't be able to make it, as they had to look after Nanny in the hospital - now doing fine thank goodness!!!), but it ended up working out GREAT. The girls had popcorn and cotton candy, and the seats were straight BALLER.  Thanks, Vol Nana and Grand Pooh!    The photos (K dressed up as Elsa) were really cute, and I'm sure it was amazing.  I still remember my first Disney on Ice experience, and I'm sure it's only improved since then!

10/10 - So you'll notice some gaps in the reporting over the last few days.  Rest assured it's not because my love of this is flagging - we just haven't had a lot of chaos to report.  Yesterday was a bank holiday, so we spent it chilling and getting errands/chores completed (plus I was in recovery post AZ).  Today was back to the grind, and JT officially stepped into a new role - Car Pool Driver!  JT has now worked out a great system between Cheryl and Lindsey (it's quite complicated and sometimes involves changing cars - don't ask me to explain it), and today was Jenny's day to drive Kate and Kaitlyn to preschool.

The memorable moment for me was when Kate walked in and saw the "Frozen" mylar balloon.  She said, "Wow, that's a big balloon!"  Kaitlyn's response was awesome:  "I got that at Publix because they were out of helium.  Daddy thought it was a giant."  Too cute!

Side note - watching K and Kaitlyn play is just too cute.  Jenny has played "hide and seek" with them, and she said it's adorable when they hide together.  When Jenny opens the door and says "Got you!", they are apparently hugging in mock fright.  They are both really sweet girls, and I love watching them interact.  They had a cute moment last week when I was walking back into my office.  I heard Kate whisper "I just saw your daddy in the hallway."  I was already in my office, but I suddenly flung the door open to startle them and found them right outside my door - stinkers!

From a general perspective, we really seem to be in a terrific groove right now.  We are getting to the pool on a regular basis, Cora's schedule is pretty much locked in stone, K is getting lots of good time with Kate, we have been able to manage the finances pretty good, and truth be told life is just fantastic.  My stress level is at an all time low, and I just couldn't be happier with how everything is going.  The girls are growing up so quickly, and my schedule is allowing me to have a lot of time to play with them and watch them grow (which I am immensely thankful for).

The evening has now become a steady play session after dinner.  We play "earthquake" (where K runs under our legs, we drop them, and then shake them on top of her), the "red ball game" (where I rock K back and forth on the ball), tag (where we run after each other and yell "BOOKIE!!!!!!" every time we run past Cora - who smiles each time we do it), and "Monster" (this one is getting increasingly complicated with monster weapons).  We basically all take turns being monsters, and K is hilarious when she gets the hoodie on - especially when she booms out in her deepest voice "I DON'T LIKE TOYS!!!!!!"  Too funny.

10/11 - A big day in the life of a bibliophile and his daughter - Kaitlyn's first book order arrived!!!!  Yay!!!!!  Admittedly the highlight for her was not a book but Chester the raccoon (a stuffed animal that came with the book).  And yes - Kate ordered it as well, and YES - K is sleeping with Chester every night (Twink is currently in jail due to misbehavior).  The books are really cute, and it brought back such great memories flipping through the order catalogue.  Good times...

Another first (not so great) - we received an email today, informing us that one of the kids in K's class has lice!  So we are on the lookout to ensure we don't see anything jumping around in her hair.  So far K has been fine, but JT has her hair in a braid and is running coconut oil through it in an effort to keep the bugs at bay.  Good times... :-)

10/13 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, WIFE MUFFIN!!!!!!!  I love you so much.  You are THE BEST wife, mother, and friend a guy (or his daughters) could ask for.  These last 14 years (and especially the 11.5 married have been THE BEST of my entire life, and I am blessed beyond measure.


K made a cute little card for her the day before and was SO EXCITED to give it to her this morning.  She wanted to give it to her the second she ran into our room at 6:11, but I made her wait until 7 when JT came downstairs.  It was super cute - in purple (JT's favorite color), complete with stickers, pictures of mommy (her idea), balloons and hearts (also her idea), and a message inside that said:  "Happy Birthday!  Love, Kaitlyn."  Aside from part of the B and the V, K did the rest of it totally on her own!  Way to go, Munchkin!

The rice rusk.  Absolutely.  Disgusting.

And it occurs to me I've not really said much about the Nugget as of late.  That is not an oversight - it's just that things have been steady with Koda (aka "Anger Pocket," "Vishali," etc).  She is cruising and moving like you wouldn't believe, and the child has the INCREDIBLE ability to get into EXACTLY what you don't want her to get into - no matter what room she's in.  She loves pulling up on toilets, is cruising at light speed, and is eating like a champion.  Seriously - you should see the way this kid puts away cubes of food.  In fact, she's at the point now where she's preferring solid food to formula.  I'm fine with that, as it's WAY cheaper to feed her this way. :-)  We are still on 4 bottles a day, but pretty soon that's going to drop to 3 bottles, as Koda is typically not interested in either the 11 AM or 3 PM bottle.

As far as stairs go, that girl is now FLYING up them.  Last night she made it all the way up with only 1 slip back, but even then she caught herself.  It's crazy how strong she now is - holding her against your chest when she doesn't want to be there is now a difficult proposition!

10/13 - So today was a big day in the life of Sammy the Bull - my first ever foray into "playing with dolls."  Basically I was Anna and mother to Rapunzel, and we were visiting Elsa and baby Elsia (who live in a barn).  K was really cute as we did it, wanting the little girls to misbehave and have the mothers chase them around.  Her classic quote when I asked if Olaf was there:  "No, Olaf drove a long way to to shopping for us.  He went on the interstate to Tennessee."  She then had the two dolls face each other and ask, "Do you want to drink tea and watch the Panthers?"  SUCCESS!!!!  Brainwashing is working. :-)

One thing to note - K is definitely using that imagination right now, and she's coming up with some SERIOUSLY complicated games.  She'll always start by saying "Pretend that...", and then when we go from there is ANYONE'S guess.  The good news - if you do as you're told, she's happy as a clam.

Who needs a peloton...

One other thing to note tonight (still on K) - I gave her Twink back tonight, and she was super happy about it until she climbed into bed.  As she was tucking Twink in, she reached back to the the other side of her bed (against the wall) for something and said something incomprehensible.  When I asked what she needed, she suddenly started bawling!  She was so sad, and despite asking three times what was wrong, she wouldn't tell me.  Finally, it came out.  She looked at me earnestly and said, "If Twink is sleeping here, what will I do with Chester?"  I am not sure if she just loves Chester at the moment because Kate has one (so that is likely - she is even keeping Chester in her backpack at school), or if this is tied to an episode of Tangled:  the Series where Pascal feels marginalized, but she was really sad about it.  I tried to move Twink to a different pillow to give Chester some space, but K instantly moved over so she could hug Twink (I was at a loss at this point).  Luckily we found a place to snuggle Chester between the two of them, and suddenly all was okay.  WHEW. :-)

The monster is loose!

10/14 - I had the girls today (JT was at Women's Conference), and it was a great one.  We hit child watch for a bit (Cora was an angel), and then we also got some park time in (as well as watching plenty of football, of course!).  After an initial meltdown, K was a ROCK STAR at the park, swinging really good and climbing like a champion.  As for Nugget, she was in the swing for over 30 minutes! I mean, that girl LOVES motion and was content as could be - she likely would have sat there another hour!

It was great to see K climbing and running around.  Right now I really want to focus on endurance and strength, so I am trying to make a conscious effort to get her outside and active as much as possible.  It's an investment I know I need to make, so I am going to redouble efforts to build a schedule that ensures plenty of activity.  I know she gets good activity already at pre-school, but I want to ensure we augment that on our end, as fitness is so critical to well being.

K showing off her frog at Show & Tell (letter F).

One other thing to note - K has been AMAZING lately about starting to spell out words.  She also knows the sounds the letters make, and lately when we've said words she's said, "that starts with" and then says the correct letter.  It's SO COOL to hear!

10/15 - So today was a busy and good one, complete with a visit to church, breakfast at Toast, a swim at NOMAD, and even a trip to Lowe's to buy a new washing machine.  The only salient bit to record, however, was at 7:45 when we were getting ready to take Cora up.  I got her changed, put on her outfit, and walked her over to Jenny (who was keying in data for the church).  I lean her forward to kiss JT, and Cora VOMITS ON JENNY'S CHEST.  It wasn't a ton, and luckily Jenny didn't have her mouth open.  GROSS TO THE POWER OF INFINITY.  Dude, it was so foul.  JT's shirt was NASTY, and we were both in shock (and then couldn't stop laughing, of course).  Nugget - you are a MESS!  We love you, Bukie!!!!!

My little mermaid.

10/18 - So I just have to say it - K looks SO big now!  In certain outfits, she just looks so grown up.  She's about 50 lbs now and tall for her age, and when you add in her hair and the way she carries herself, it's easy to forget that she's only 4 1/2.  I just can't believe how fast they are both growing up. Honestly, I have been thinking this month about how much less I've written (compared to normal), and I even noted at one point that it feels as though we've settled into a rhythm where not much is new or noteworthy to report.  However, when I stopped and considered that, I just realized that constant change has become the new normal, and much like phyletic gradualism, both kids are changing every single day.  So quite the opposite of not having much to report - I now realize there s a TON to report, and I need to look at it constantly with fresh eyes so that I don't miss anything.

Looking SO GROWN UP!

Some of that I think has been just the month, as this has been a month of recovery after a CRAZY September.  Because of that, I will confess I've found myself not as focused on watching all the minutia and really soaking up every second with the munchkins.  However, I am trying to right the ship and make sure I look at them and just watch them in action every second I can, as I know we will not come this way again, and this period absolutely has a shelf life.  Case in point - K running into our bedroom every morning between 6:11 and 6:30.  While it does mean we lose a few minutes of sleep, I'm also conscious that there will come a time when she doesn't want to run into the room, and I will SORELY miss that once it's over.  And so for right now I am loving every second where she climbs into bed, gets under the covers (and gets twink there as well), and then curls up next to her dada.  She's even actually sleeping for 5-10 minutes, which is wonderful.  JT and I each put an arm around her, and we just snuggle as a family (until Cora starts screaming, of course :-)).

A random note about life - as you know, every night in the bathtub K says, "While you put on lotion and do my hair, can I please watch something on your phone?"  Of course the answer is always yes, but what has been fascinating is how the viewing choices have morphed over time.  Originally it was snippets from movies.  Then it was fairy tales.  Now, however (and really for the last month or two), K has been ALL ABOUT watching people play with toys - especially the LOL surprise dolls.  I have watched surprise dolls drive around in a camper van, hang out in a tree house, go to school and take a math test with a genie, get rescued from prison by Rider - you name it.  In a word...bizarre...

Also, I must relate - K is a serious nose picker at the moment.  I haven't said anything about it, as up until recently she was eating them from time to time and I didn't want to put a blazing spot light on it.  However, the other day I saw her picking both nostrils at the same time and thought, "Okay - something's gotta give."  So now I am trying to make a concerted effort to a) ensure I don't pick my nose in front of her and b) that I will need to tell her that we can't do that in public (but the home is still sanctuary, and to be fair that's where I see it most often - it's just about making sure she knows societal norms :-)).

10/20 - So I know I have said more than once how great a big sister K is, but lately I have been amazed how great she is with Cora.  I give JT a ton of credit here, as the three of them have built this amazing bond, and it's so cute to watch them play together.  K is super cute when she goes over to Cora and starts tickling her, saying, "Azabuke, you stinker!"  It is just magic to watch.  Cora ALWAYS smiles when K is around, and her eyes follow K all over the room.  Today was particularly cute, as Kate was over in the morning, and they all played together.  This happened again on the following Tuesday (obviously I'm writing this almost a week late), and it was a hoot to watch.  Essentially, all three of them get into the play pen together, and Cora loves it.  Then, when Cora starts crawling out, they play "tag" with her and run from her as she chases them.  Those two are adorable together.  I then blew their minds by dressing up as "Monster" and chasing after them - they were hilarious running from me.

Oh, and side note about monster - when Jenny is the monster, she usually "catches and eats me" at some point.  K runs by, sees that I've been captured, and says, "Dada, I just pulled you out of her tummy!"  I am pretty much a half digested man walking at this point...

On the letter front, it is AMAZING how K is starting to recognize letters.  She's pretty much constantly saying "(insert word here) starts with (insert correct letter).  The one pair that is tripping her up - V and F.  Today she said, "Volcano starts with F."  When I told her V, it blew her mind. :-)  She's also starting to write her letters, and she's doing amazing!  Seriously - she wrote nearly all of Jenny's birthday card (we are talking all but 2 letters), and she did Luke's birthday card as well.  She is only writing in capitals, but it's incredible.  And if I make the sound of the letter, she almost always recognizes it instantly.  This preschool is incredible, as they are really providing an amazing education out of the gate.

Happiness is a best friend and a slice of pizza.

10/21 - So this was a great one for K.  It started with a free activity at the Prosperity Park Clubhouse - Bat-o-ween!  The kids got to pet snakes and lizards, and then they went hunting for bats (fake ones, of course).  K was seated between Taylie and Kate - talk about being in Heaven!  They must have had a blast, and then they shot off from there to a birthday party at Fun to Be Fit.  K seemed to LOVE it, and it's actually really close to the house (which means we'll likely do it again soon).  JT got some great video of K jumping on the trampoline, bouncing into the blocks, and pulling up on parallel bars.    Kate was there as well, and Kaitlyn had a cupcake and pizza.  All in all, it was a GREAT day!  We had church in the evening before date night in (sushi and football) to celebrate JT's birthday.

Still.  Not.  Happy.

10/22 - Cora rolled 10 months today!!!  We did the photo shoot in the morning before rolling out the door.  Our destination was Indian Land, South Carolina, as we were going to visit Bob and Jan's new church.  We rolled in just before 10 AM, and luckily there was a GREAT nursery for Cora and Kaitlyn.  They were in Heaven with all the new toys, but the best part - they had "children's time, and Kaitlyn was the ONLY kid up front!"  She was absolutely adorable but super shy - you could tell she had NO IDEA why she was up front with all these adults.  But it was super cute - they were collecting dimes for hunger, and they gave K a bag to help take up the offering.  She did great and really got into it, and she definitely warmed up as people started handing out money. :-)  It's funny, when she gets embarrassed or is shy, she lowers her head and sticks her tongue out - the face is just priceless.  This was no exception.

We spent the afternoon chilling at the Tacy's, and it was a really good day.  K and I walked around and looked at Halloween decorations, and Cora discovered a new set of stairs and the baby bed (which she LOVED).

Also, when we were driving to the church, K yelled out EXIT!  Now normally she does this when she sees the red EXIT signs in buildings.  This time, however, she saw it as an exit on the interstate.  That means she's recognizing the sequence of letters!  She's starting to learn the basic building blocks of reading!  #GENIUS! :-)

10/24 - So Cora had a big moment today that JT pointed out.  She's starting to put stuff into containers.  She'll fill them and then empty them.  She's also LOVING the butterfly tunnel up in the bonus room.  She is now officially drooling all over the place, and we are still giving her medicine nightly to help her sleep.  However, some of those teeth are finally starting to come in.

On the formula front, we have officially moved from Gentlease to regular formula, and Cora seems to be handling the transition well.  At this point, she's not always taking all of her bottle (except the night feed, which she usually does manage to get down after several efforts), and she's definitely starting to get more calories from solids than at any point previous.  JT even whipped out the sippy cup for Cora to try, and she did actually put it to her mouth and drink some of it for the first time!  She is now devouring puffs and these things called Rice Rusks...which are absolute donkey trash.  Okay, okay - so they aren't horrible, but the important thing is that Cora LOVES them.  She is fascinated by the shape, texture, something - and she consumes those things like it's her job (which I guess it kind of is).

Now one thing I must note about Cora - when she stands up, her right foot almost ALWAYS is completely turned in.  I noticed today (I'm writing on 10/25) that she has finally started righting it (she normally does right it at some point, but today it was almost always forward from the beginning when she stands up).  I am not worried about it, but I can't help but notice it every time she stands.   K wasn't standing at this point, so I have no frame of reference.  I mean, let's face it:  I'm a parent - I always have to worry about something.

On, and the new song K and Kate are singing:  "F is for Funky Feet, F is for Funky Feet!  Funky Feet, Funky Feet, F is for Funky Feet!"  They say this while they both have their feet out the window of Jenny's car.  Too cute.  They also enjoy riding with Ms. Cheryl, as they get to rock out to Disney music the entire time.  Those two have really settled into a good rhythm of playing, and the car pool process seems to be working out well for Jenny.

And speaking of songs, K shows up home from preschool on this day (with Kate) and proceeds to sing the entire "Zaccheus" song from Music class. She really knew ALL the words!  Amazing - so proud of you, Munch!

10/25 - So, I woke up at 2:40 this day to the sound of my name.  I went into K's room, and she looked a proper mess.  She was shivering and holding her throat.  When she started talking, it was a raspy, hoarseness that I had NEVER heard from her (or anyone for that matter), and every breath sounded immensely painful.  Her cough was a seal bark (not an exaggeration), and when she asked for water, she was on the verge of tears.  She asked for medicine as well, and while I was getting it, I noticed her hands were shaking as she tried to drink from the water bottle.  Honestly, I was afraid something was wrong and her wind pipe was closing, but after some medicine, she seemed to be fine (meaning no pain).  The cough was horrendous, as was the breathing (which sounded terribly labored, but she said, it wasn't bothering her).  Twice while I was in there tending to her, she said, "Go tell mommy."  JT ended up laying in bed with her for a bit, while I went back to our room (unable to sleep, of course).

We took her to the doctor and confirmed that she's got croup.  Consequently, we've spent the day trying to keep her and Koda separated.  Technically K is still contagious and Cora could already have it, so we're just praying she (and everyone else) stays healthy.  It does mean that JT won't get to go to Chapel Hill this weekend, which obviously we all hate.  It also means that we have to start pumping in vitamin C to stay healthy for VEGAS, BABY!  After all, this guy doesn't want to be sick on his 40th!

10/26 - K woke up at 4:57 this morning in pain and coughing.  Ibuprofen managed to help calm her and ease the pain, but once again the poor thing wasn't feeling good and didn't get to go to preschool.

Cora had a runny nose when she woke up and was clearly congested, but so far no sign of croup, which is an absolutely blessing.  What it does mean is that we DEFINITELY couldn't take the girls to Chapel Hill and Raleigh, which meant that poor JT had to miss out on the weekend to watch over the girls.  My wife is pretty much the GREATEST WOMAN ALIVE EVER and told me there was no way I was missing that weekend.  I love you, wife muffin!!!!!!  But man did I hate it for her.  You could see the disappointment on her face, and it was not easy to just walk away and head out when I knew what she was going to be up against all weekend.  The good news - K was in good spirits all day and even got out for a bit (probably almost an hour) on her trike to look at Halloween decorations.  I pushed Nugget while K pedaled around - that girl was FLYING and was really starting to climb hills for the first time ever.  That's exciting, as it means we can start to go a bit further afield (right now it's still tricky to push both her and the stroller at the same time).

Also, there is a new game now - the Princess game.  This consists of us hiding 6-7 princesses (they are tiny little toys) throughout the house.  TT then goes and looks for them, requesting some "hotter/colder" assistance when she runs out of ideas.  I will say - she's a pretty good little seeker!

On the Cora front, that girl is almost standing!  She's definitely finding her balance and her legs, and you can tell she's getting sturdier.  When she remembers to turn her feet out, she does much better at balancing.  When she keeps that right foot turned in, however, she crumbles fairly quickly. She is even taking a few steps with help, but more often than not we end up dragging her vs. her initiating the movement.

Also, it should be noted that Cora LOVES the bath.  She can't get enough of splashing the water (she is quite the arm flailer in all aspects of life, but bath time is her favorite).  Another thing she enjoys (which is, well, quite odd for me) - having her meningning cleaned during a diaper change.  Seriously - EVERY TIME I wipe her before changing the diaper, she just cackles like it's the funniest thing ever.  Oh boy...I really don't have a guidebook for this...Lastly, she LOVES sneezing.  It's so cute - every time she does it she just grins from ear to ear.  And as long as she's not firing snot rockets, I typically grin as well...

Too cute.

10/28 - After 3 straight days at home and plenty of middle of the night wake-ups, K was fever free this morning!  She actually slept until 7:30, a sign that a) she was exhausted and b) she is catching up on some rough patches.  Cora was up a little after 6, and JT said the day went great.  They even made it over to the fall festival, where K went on her first ever pony ride!

10/29 - So we put Cora in "robe's" today, which are basically "training shoes" to help kids learn how to wear them.  Well, no sooner did we put her in them than our little nugget STOOD ON HER OWN FOR THE FIRST TIME!!!!!!  It was an AMAZING feat - she stood there a really long time (I got the second one on video).  K kept saying, "Do it again, mommy!"  We were all impressed.

I had the girls in the afternoon (got back from Chapel Hill about 2), and we went to the park, where K had a blast sliding head first and going down the pole.  We had a scare en route, she was pedaling really fast on her bike downhill when she lost control and flipped off it.  The good news - she was totally fine and only really hit her knee (and just a little scrape at that).  However, it was really scary.  But I am happy to report that she hopped back on it quickly after just a few tears, and best of all - she managed to regulate her speed much better the rest of the afternoon. :-)

10/30 - BACK TO PRESCHOOL TODAY!!!!!  K was SO excited - so much so that she could hardly even eat breakfast.  Her teacher had sent her a really sweet email on Friday, telling JT how much they missed her, as she always set a great example for the class.  That certainly makes a parent feel good!  Proud of you, kid!!!!

My Birthday card from K.  I love it!

K had a dentist appointment at 2, where for the first time ever she got the full adult treatment!  She sat in the big chair, had a cleaning, had x-rays, and even had fluoride!  I am pleased to report that she had ZERO cavities, and even better - her teeth are starting to move back into place now that she's stopped sucking her thumb.  YAY!  I know that, when she's tired, she's sucking it for a second at night, but honestly she goes to sleep quick, so I am not at all worried about that.

After the dentist, JT dropped her at Kate's house for a quick playdate before I picked her up at 3:45 to take her to swim lessons.  I didn't know it at the time, but this would actually be the final time I would set foot inside the NOMAD facility, a place that I have come to love over the last 2+ years.  Our membership expires at the end of the month, and with rates moving from $55 a month to almost $250 a month for the same access, we are choosing to try somewhere else.  And while I didn't realize at the time this was my last time walking through those doors, I have to say - what a way to go out.

It was, without a doubt, the best swim lesson I have ever seen Kaitlyn have.  She was a MONSTER in that water - swimming non-stop for 30 minutes.  She did some INCREDIBLE back stroke - easily the best I have ever seen her do.  Her arm was really, really up high, and she was reaching back!  Her freestyle was great as well.  Brandyn came over and said, "She had a really good lesson today," and I could tell he was impressed.  She must have swam 200 meters flat out, including a 50 in the cold pool (25 each back and free).  I was SO PROUD - she was even pushing off from the wall correctly to start her back stroke!  She was doing entire laps (25 each way) without stopping - 4 years old!  She even did some butterfly kicks, which you can tell she really enjoys.

After it was over, she actually hugged her instructor twice - the first time I've ever seen her do that.  She knows that she's only got one more lesson, and so I honestly think she wanted to make him proud and wanted to do good for him.  He's been an amazing instructor, and we will tell him as much when it's all said and done.  I know that, while she does protest about going to lessons, she will miss him and really likes him.  So yes - I was more than a little nostalgic watching the end of an era, but I was also super proud.  My oldest has learned how to swim and was doing great in that water.  My youngest was wonderful the whole time and just watched K in action, stopping to laugh when I tickled her from time to time.

10/31 - Happy Halloween!  Kate wasn't there, so K got to be both prayer leader (her job for this week) and flag holder.  Did I mention that she can recite the entire pledge of allegiance?  It's awesome!  Trick or treating was a TON of fun.  We went with Braylen and Jayden (our new neighbors), and K was a ROCK STAR keeping up with them!  She went as a leopard, and Cora was a lady bug - too cute.  K was amazing running up and down the hills.  Eventually I had to carry her, but she was in seventh heaven with the big kids.  And YES - she pocketed a TON of candy.  Next year I do want to decorate more, as I am starting to see the value in those traditions with family.  But hey, Christmas decorating is just two weeks away, so I will get a chance to redeem myself. :-)

The one funny story - JT had just started walking back with Cora in the stroller when K sneezed.  Snot came flying out like a ROCKET, and she said her usual "tissue, please."  Well, the issue is that we didn't actually HAVE any tissues, which meant I had to use the one thing available to me - MY SHIRT.  Dear readers, let me just tell you - THIS WAS A VOLUME OF SNOT THE LIKES OF WHICH I HAVE NEVER SEEN.  I mean, it just KEPT coming.  So wrong, man...

But the good news - when it was all said and done, K looked at me and said, "I love Halloween, dada.  Well, I love Halloween and Christmas."  Smart girl... :-)

So there you have it - an amazing October in the books and the last full month of my 30s.  It's an early start tomorrow - VEGAS, BABY!!!!!!!!  Can't wait to tell you the stories...but you'll have to wait a month for those. :-)

Love,

Sam and Jenny