And a good evening to you from the Queen City - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! TONS to get you
12/1 - December started off with a rather inauspicious beginning, as Bear woke up at 3:40 with a temperature of 100.7. This was a surreal experience, as I actually slept through Cora crying, yet Jenny sprang up and took care of it! I woke up to pee, only to find that my wife wasn't there. She said I was snoring like a banshee. I would agree, as MAN have I been running flat out lately (as has she).
She got Bear back down and came back in the room about 4:21, but then K came into our room and tapped me on the shoulder at 6:58! Again, I was OUT, but at least I'd had the chance to sleep pretty much straight through. What's really interesting is that Kaitlyn will sleep like a rock during the week (JT is rousing her about 7 AM these days for school), but she does NOT sleep in on the weekend! And when we asked her why she was up so early, her response was priceless: ADVENT CHOCOLATE!!!!! That isn't an exaggeration, as she'd been talking about getting into that advent calendar all week! Too funny.
JT made blueberry vanilla pancakes for breakfast (UH-MAZING), but Cora burned her hand on the griddle! The good news - it was just a brief second, and it was really just a surface burn. However, the bigger lesson was the fact that she can now get to pretty much anything on that island. She can't reach pots and pans that are on the stove yet, but we now know we're gonna have to be more cautious - that girl is into EVERYTHING!
The first of two featured activities was at 11 AM - the annual Santa visit at Highland Creek! We got there about 10:49 or so and were actually the second family in line - we even saw Santa (and Ms. Claus) arrive in his truck (with reindeer antlers on both doors - cute). The girls were really good for Santa, and we got some great pictures. K had written her letter to Santa earlier in the morning (we told her that she had to "commit" to what she wanted - two presents max), and she referred to him as "SC." When I told her she should write Santa vs. abbreviating it, she looked at me like I had 4 heads. But the master stroke - we had planned to give her this game called Soggy Doggy and were still wondering what Santa could give her. Well, sure enough, when we asked her the two things she wanted, she said, "Soggy Doggy and Hatchimals." BOOM GOES THE DYNAMITE - MASTER STROKE OF PROGNOSTICATION BY WIFE MUFFIN. So we effectively killed two birds with 1 stone. We spent about an hour at the club house, where the girls gorged themselves on sugar - hot cocoa (the first cup of which we spilled while desperately trying to "eat the marshmallows"), peppermint stick, sugar cookie, other treats - these girls were WIRED. We did the face painting, balloon animals, and rode the train - all in all a very good morning!
The funny part of the day started the previous day when Kaitlyn asked Jenny, "When can we get an Elf on the Shelf?" I mean, Y'ALL - I have been avoiding this like the plague for YEARS. Well, Jenny was in Lidl, and they had the generic version for $7 (vs. $25!). In a moment of weakness I capitulated, and the next thing I knew - that joker was ready to be placed for viewing.
Here's the funny part - we put him RIGHT IN THE LINE OF FIRE for her field of vision, and she missed him for FOUR HOURS. She left for the day (sleepover/birthday party at Kate's) WITHOUT SEEING IT! So we moved it to the mantle, resolved to "discover it" the next day.
Kaitlyn was at Kate's for a birthday slumber party from 4:30 until 10 PM, and she had a BLAST. It was unicorn themed, and the photos were priceless. Cheryl gave them all matching PJ's, they decorated their own cupcakes, they played games, and they even smashed a unicorn piñata. The cutest thing was all of them choosing to sleep on the floor vs. on the bed at night. It was lights out about 9 for them...and not much later for us over here in the Taylor household!
Side note about why I love BPS - their newsletter is just top notch, and the instruction she is getting is really, really wonderful. The fitness instruction is great, her creative thinking/writing skills really are rapidly expanding, and she's even getting emotional training in the form of learning about different emotions, what they mean, how we express them, etc. They read a book every week focused on a core group of words, topics, and emotions - it's really, really cool!
12/2 - Jenny and I got up fairly early, but Bear (who had been asleep since 8 PM the night before) was out WAY past her normal wakeup time. In fact, I had to wake her at 9:45, which meant that Cora had slept over THIRTEEN AND A HALF HOURS!!! The poor girl was a MESS when I woke her up - snot was caked to her face, nose, and lips, and her hair was stuck to her cheeks and matted with snot. It was SO FOUL, dude - I ain't gonna lie.
I did what I could to scrub the snot that was PLASTERED to her face and tried to pull it out of her hair as best I could. However, as I left it too long and was in a rush, it was not a picture perfect job. The good news is that she didn't have a temperature, which meant that I could still bring her along to church (WHEW!). She was definitely fussy and clingy (especially with Jenny during the day), but by and large she handled herself pretty well.
We picked K up about 10 and headed over to church, and all was well (she was in good spirits, which is impressive considering that she'd woken up at 5! I guess the brownie for breakfast helped...). It was then home, where K did start to manifest some bad behavior (which is always a sure sign that she's tired). It's funny - Kaitlyn without sleep and Kaitlyn with sleep are almost two entirely different children. This Kaitlyn (tired, whiny K) didn't want to lose at Go Pup and basically lost it every time Jenny or I won. Also, she was just flat rude for most of the afternoon. All of that changed, however, when she looked up at the mantle and saw the visitor from the North Pole. :-)
Y'all - I wish I'd had a video recorder for this whole experience, because it was just priceless. Kaitlyn was ELECTRIC. She had a whole list of things to tell us about the Elf on the Shelf - it was like she was the resident historian and had been waiting eons to tell us about this. Some key points on which she was able to illuminate us:1. You must name the Elf as soon as it arrives. Ours happens to be female - her name is Pearl (but Elfie is her nickname).
2. The Elf is REAL. K made a point to tell me this over and over. He just has to appear like a toy to us - those are the rules. But when we aren't looking, he is straight up breathing.
3. He goes to the North Pole every night and reports back on K's behavior. For her sake, I'm glad he's not real.
4. Pearl is 5 years old.
5. Did I mention he's real?
Seriously - K LOVES THIS THING. And while you apparently aren't supposed to touch the elf or "he/she will lose his/her magical powers," K isn't buying into that. She carries her everywhere, talks to her all the time, and is LOVING searching for him each morning - it is too cute! Finally - something more important than the advent chocolate!
Both the girls were a bit tired and whiny, and Jenny actually took Cora over to Ashley for a look in her ears. Sure enough - Ashley was able to see fluid, so we're taking Bear in tomorrow. Ashley gave her something to help suppress the cough, but it wasn't flavored and tasted like Chloroseptic. Bear thought it was going to be like tasty ibuprofen, but about 2.5 into taking it she realized that wasn't the case. Luckily she didn't spit it back out, but she did go running away saying, "No!"An interesting note in the evening - K again said she wanted to marry Jenny. When Jenny reminded her that she couldn't, she said, "But I don't wanna leave when I get older. I wanna stay with you forever." How sweet is that? I wasn't there - she told Jenny all this. In fact, side note - K really doesn't like me right now. She barely speaks to me and either cries or pouts when I ask her to do anything. It's been this way probably 6 weeks or so now, and I'm noticing that it's starting to weigh on me. I know it's just a phase, but I do hate it, as I hate losing this precious time.
12/3 - Bear visited Dr. Knutson today, where it was confirmed - DOUBLE EAR INFECTION! The crazy part is that she acted and seemed SO MUCH BETTER today. In fact, now is a good time to say that Cora is getting to be SO MUCH fun to play with. She's speaking more, you can play simple games with her, she likes to be tickled, she likes to run around, and she can answer very basic questions. IT's GREAT! She's still independent and likes to play on her own a lot, but it's just getting a lot easier (and by extension more fun) to pay with her now.A letter arrived in the mail today...from Santa. We opened it (no idea who it was from), and in there was a letter from Santa, the flight path for him to deliver presents, a certificate putting her on the nice list, and some other stuff. WOW! Turns out it was from Granny A. It was actually really cool, because it spoke most of the time about the reason for the season, and "Santa" talked about why he liked giving gifts - because it was celebrating the birth of Jesus.
Truthfully, I have really struggled with Santa this year. It's always been a topic in our house (to propagate the story or not), but until this year Santa hadn't been a big deal. That all changed with Kindergarten, as the voice of other kids and their Santa experiences has dramatically amplified his importance to Kaitlyn. I do struggle with it on several levels. One - I don't like lying to her about anything. Two - I worry about how she reconciles this with faith and belief in Christ (as conceptional I think it's tough to differentiate abstract concepts like this at their age). And three - I just don't want her to lose the meaning of Christmas in all this. Bottom line - I will be praying about this and trusting God for the victory. :-)But on less serious topics, I can confirm that K did find Pearl after quite a bit of assistance (up in the curtains). :-)
12/4 - K was up early to search for the elf and LOVED the fact that Pearl was sitting on top of Rainbow Dash in the Butler's pantry - too cute! Today was a good day and was pretty chill, with Bear definitely sounding better and acting like her normal self. She is breathing so much easier at night, which makes such a HUGE difference.
At night, Cora is all about reading "Belle's Big Move" - she loves it! And when it's time for Bell to say "Thank you," Cora will look up at you and do the Thank You sign - too cute! Also, she pets Bell continuously during the story, especially when Bell makes the whining noise - love it!
The highlight for the girls today was a package from Vol Nana FILLED with stuff - ornaments, advent calendars, candy, and some SUPER CUTE night gowns. K has suddenly decided that she is all about the onesies with feet, which is odd to me considering that they are SO HOT and she is the hottest blooded person on that PLANET.
12/5 - So now that we've got Cora on the mend, it was tough to watch K suddenly get really sluggish, rude, and angry at dinner. Sure enough, she'd spiked a 102.5 temperature! The good news is that she slept well all through the night (and it did come down some after ibuprofen), but she definitely didn't feel good.
Jenny volunteered that day, and she got to see K at lunch time (Hoff confirmed that Jason's Deli Mac 'n Cheese is still quite delicious :-)).
12/6 - K barely had a fever in the morning, so we sent her to school. She was pretty chipper in the morning with me, and I thought that perhaps it had just been a virus that spiked up and down. School went well, and she had no complaints. In the evening, however, she was clearly not feeling good. She didn't eat anything (second or third day in a row), and her temp was 102.6. Ashley had checked her and said her lungs and ears looked good, so it's very likely viral. Hopefully it will leave as quickly as it arrived, as it's making K an absolute tyrant (to me at least - she's still sweet to Jenny).
Every night for the last 2-3 months K has asked if she "gets mommy for bath and bed" or daddy. When we say Jenny, she says, "YES" and her eyes light up. When we say me, she becomes sullen, somber, and tries to find a way out of it. Ouch. 12/7 - Bear's vocabulary is exploding! Today we heard "bright" (that's what she said when I got her out of the crib after turning on the lap - she said "Bight!"), orange, and ready. It is really mind-blowing to me how well she knows her colors. I am sure Jenny practices with her, and of course she sees K coloring all the time. All the same, she's not even two and knows a TON of them - so awesome!
And I need to give a medicine update for Cora: she now HAPPILY takes her amoxicillin - is desperate for it the second she gets into her chair. Why, you may ask? Well, because she now gets a single "M & M" with each dose! It is seriously so cute. She will climb into her chair for breakfast and supper and say, "M!" immediately. She will then proceed to SUCK DOWN that antibiotic. Pretty cute...
K was in good spirits today - even snuggled with me a bit in the morning. And of course the day became AWESOME once Vol Nana arrived!!!! It was cute - I came home from work to find all four of my ladies huddled around the island making sugar cookies for the HC Cookie Exchange. I can confirm they were all quite tasty!
The evening was good - girls got down a bit late, but they were playing withe Vol Nana and were happy as clams the entire time.
12/8 - Today started with a bang about 9 AM - Santa called with a message for K! This was the third and final leg of the "Santa Tour de Force," courtesy of Granny A. Kaitlyn was all smiles and LOVED it - it definitely left a bigger impression than the video, largely in part (I think) because she didn't have to read any component of this to understand it. Too cute! I mean, after a phone call from Santa, it's all downhill, right? Well....maybe not in the case.
JT and I had the annual FH Central Christmas lunch from 11-2, and K was at Taylie's house for her birthday party during roughly that same window (sounds like they had a blast). Mom and K then went to Concord Mills to watch "Ralph Breaks the Internet," which they said was really cute. There must have been a slightly scary scene towards the end, as K asked if she could sit in Vol Nana's lap. Other than that, however, it went off without a hitch. And K did drink her first ever cherry slushy. :-)
After that, they went to IHOP, where K got the "Grinch" pancakes and a Cindy Lou Who mint chocolate - HELLOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SUGAR! But truthfully, I am so glad they went, as everything was shutting down ahead of the snowstorm. If they hadn't gone in this window, they would have missed the opportunity.
12/9 - We awoke to snow this morning! It was more ice than snow, which meant that a) everything was cancelled and b) we couldn't really drive anywhere. However, that was BEST NEWS EVER for my girls, as they were all about playing with Vol Nana! Mom does a great job of balancing time with them, and K is slowing accepting the fact that she has to share a little of Mom's time with her sister. 
I was sick and slept most of the day (went to bed at 7:30 on Saturday night and slept 27.5 of the 32 hours until 3:45 AM on Sunday morning!), but the girls made it count. They made reindeer food, watched movies, played games, and even opened a few (or more than a few) Christmas presents. I hate that I was down for the count, but thank goodness JT had someone to help her with the girls on a "shut in" day (and THANK YOU, FATHER, that we never lost power!). We did get out into the snow for two quick sessions, but Cora was NOT having it, and honestly - K was happier inside with Vol Nana. At least we did manage some wonderful pics, courtesy of portrait mode.
12/10 - So tonight was a big win for me - Kaitlyn actually asked for ME at bedtime!!! It was funny - both girls were laying in bed in K's room with Vol Nana, and when I told Bear it was time for her to go with Jenny (which would normally make her the happiest creature alive), she recoiled in horror, saying, "NO!" and pressing herself up against Mom as hard as she possibly could. It was too funny! Those girls love their grandparents...
School was cancelled today, but it worked out perfectly for the ladies in the house. Mom got the chance to go outside with the girls, where they made snow angels, had a snowball fight, and even made a snowman! It was really cute - they rolled up the balls and made the snowman on the deck, where it could stare in (and was shaded most of the day to keep it in place). K gave it a carrot nose a la Olaf, and she found some sticks from the woodpile for arms. They did a really good job!
I had been sick for most of the weekend (or off at least, as I slept 27.5 out of 33 hours at one point), but today I felt better. I was working, but luckily it was a quiet day, which meant that I got some good bonding time with everyone. K still had gymnastics, and so Vol Nana got to watch her in action (which was a real treat for the Goose, obviously).12/11 - Today started out rough, as K had to say good-bye to Vol Nana in the morning. I could tell last night when I tucked her in that she was already thinking about it, but obviously it hit home once she got clipped into her seat to go to school. She tried to be really, really brave, but ultimately she did break down and start crying. However, she was better than some times previous, and she had already stopped crying by the time she made the Burch house.
On the Cora front, the nugget is full on RUNNING at this point! She is too cute, and she really is getting much easier to engage with. She will play games with you now and will actually run when you chase her (and she wants to be chased). She likes to run from me and try to hide in between Jenny's legs. I will catch up and try to tickle her, and she's so cute as she says, "No, no!" But then the second you stop, she says, "Mo, mo!" It's already really cute how she anticipates it, as she opens her mouth and mimics the face I make before I dive in and tickle her on the changing table (standard practice for me while we're putting lotion on at night). 
12/12 - A big moment: Cora actually strung together two words today! JT was heading out, and she said, "Bye, mama!" Big Day! She's also now saying "All Done" while making the hand motion, and she's spouting out new words every single day. 
She is definitely becoming a My Little Pony fan. The ladies at the Y say that her first action every morning is to go and grab one of the two ponies they have. She apparently will then carry that thing around NONSTOP until JT comes to pick her up. Too cute! The other night I dried her off with the My Little Pony towel vs. the one I normally use for her, and she was SO excited. Amazing what kids get interested in.
One thing I have to note about Bear that is really, really funny - her "frump." When you correct her, fuss at her, or just can't understand what she's trying to say, her response is pretty standard:
1. Throw whatever she's holding in the floor.
2. Turn around and run toward a corner
3. Face the corner for an extended period of time
4. Fall down to her knees in somber silence
I mean, it beats a screaming child any day of the week, but it is just too funny!
12/13 - K came home with another 20 punch card for making great choices today! She again elected to bring a friend, and so Biscuit will make the trip with her on Friday. Proud of you, kid!
At bedtime, she mentioned that a kid named Milo had been bending her finger back trying to pop it and that it hurt. Interestingly enough, Mom said that K told her a boy named Milo had been bothering her, which is why she didn't like boys (which translated to why she didn't like Daddy - after all, he's a boy). The interesting thing - since telling Vol Nana that (and Vol Nana telling her that not all boys are mean and that she should tell the teacher if someone is being mean), our (mine and K's) relationship has totally transformed. It's BACK TO NORMAL, BABY!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!!! Seriously - it is like a light switch flipped, and now we are back to just having fun and really enjoying our time together - which makes SUCH A DIFFERENCE on the atmosphere in the house. THANK YOU, JESUS! 
I'd had my suspicions about boys bothering her a few weeks ago, and I flat asked her about it. She told me nothing was wrong, but she felt comfortable confiding in Vol Nana. The good news - mom helped her see that not all boys are bad. And truthfully, I don't think any of these kids are "bad" either. I think they are just boys, and boys play rough. Truly, everyone seems to get along really well in class.It was a good day for everyone (and Happy Birthday, Granddaddy!), but poor Cora fell at a friend's house and got a fat lip! It really was swollen, poor thing, and she did have a little blood. However, she rallied pretty quickly and seems none the worse for wear.
12/14 - I flew to Nashville this afternoon, but I did work from home so I could spend some time with the girls and see them in the morning. I am trying to make a much more concerted effort to spend some dedicated time with them and really make that time quality and focused - even if it's brief. For example - I have decided I will no longer have my phone with me at the dinner table, as I don't want any distractions. I am telling myself that next year has to be a focus on God, Jenny, and the girls - in that order. Work obviously is a big part of my day, as is exercise. However, if running and some emails have to take a backseat to Faith and Family, then that is exactly what I intend to have happen.
12/16 - I got home from Nashville in time to play with the girls, and that evening has set a tone that I'm THRILLED to report has carried through the last couple of days (it's Tuesday as I type this). Rather than going through mail or any of the ten thousand standing chores, I just focused on and played with the girls (and credit to Jenny for telling me to put the mail down). It wasn't much - I just had a sock that I was holding while K tried to grab it, but she and I had so much fun. Then I chased bear around, and she loved hiding from me and getting tickled. It was just all so cute and so perfect. The girls were screaming and squealing, I was more relaxed about the schedule, and more importantly - I had my head in the right place: making memories and having fun with them. I realized in that moment that I've not really been a fun dad lately. I've been a productive dad. I've been a dependable dad. But I've not been a fun dad, and it was almost like I had to admit that and then relearn it. 
Bear is just firing off a boatload of words a day at this point - "Anna" (Frozen), tree, goat, home, and house have been the most recent additions. She's really getting good at making you understand what she wants, and I am starting to learn the nuances to her pronunciation. Love it! Also, the ladies at the playhouse told us that the second she gets checked in, she immediately grabs a pony and holds onto it for dear life the entire time she's in there. Cute!
12/17 - Bear actually sang (okay, hummed) the My Little Pony theme song! We wrapped her in the My Little Pony towel after bath tonight, and she could NOT have been more excited. Oh, and for the record - the wheels have come off, and there are about 4 million stuffed animals in her crib (as well as water) these days. But she's happy, still sleeping good, and either way - there is NO POINT in fighting it. :-)
So something VERY cool today - I started to do the dinner pray, and K said, "I want to make up a prayer." Sure enough, she composed one right then and there, and it was AMAZING!!! So proud of that kid! She said she learned it in Arrows (she got to go in there on Sunday when they combined classes). She also knew that Nazareth was 80 miles from Bethlehem. I mean, this girl is GOOD.
12/18 - K did her own prayer at bedtime tonight! So sweet, and really thoughtful (and 90% focused on "the McLaren girls"). 12/19 - So Cora is DEFINITELY finding her voice these days...and her inner teenager. Remember in times previous when her "frump" was instant tears? Well, those days are long gone...now replaced with an eye roll, a sigh of exasperation, and a full rock back in defiance WHENEVER YOU ASK HER TO DO ANYTHING. Prayer hands? Eye roll. Stop throwing toys? Eye roll. Stop trying to break appliances? Eye roll.
But on a happier note, her vocabulary continues to explode! She has added "girl," "my eye", and "Pearl." She LOVES the elf and gasps in excitement whenever she sees her - it's pretty darn cute. Equally cute is Cora bathing herself. She well just keep saying "MO!" and begging for soap, oftentimes only washing her legs and knees. She will wash her meningning if you tell her, and she's even good about offering up her feet when she knows you need to wash those. However, the funniest part is when you try and wash her right leg (right leg only, mind you), and she tries to crawl away, laughing the whole time while you hold that ham hock. It's pretty funny.
12/20 - Today was a big one for K - the end of her first term at BPS! More importantly, it was "Pajama Day" for all the kiddos since they somehow "beat Mrs. Pate" at something (no idea what). Most importantly - it was "Kookies for Kindergarten!" It was cute - Jenny and Bear arrived at 1:50 PM, where they got to make a cookie with Kaitlyn (hers was HUGE and covered with marshmallows and icing) and eat it. They had a blast, and even Bear got a taste of things. All in all, it was a hoot.
12/22 - THE NUGGET IS TWO!!!!! HOLY MOLY, THE BEAR IS TWO!!!!! Can you believe it?!?!?!? WOW - I have no words. Cora Bear, Mommy and Daddy love you SO MUCH and are so honored and blessed to be your parents, guardians, and family on this journey we call life. You are such a sweet girl, and we are SO PROUD of how much you are growing and how quickly you're learning!We started the day with a bang - HUGE donuts from Harris Teeter, baby!!!! Kaitlyn and Jenny picked them out, and they did guuuuuuuuud. It was then time for presents, which was a little rocky out of the gate since Kaitlyn was under the impression that she too was getting presents. When we informed her that was NOT the case...it did NOT go well. Luckily, we explained that sisters can share their presents, which seemed to set things right. The problem is K's version of "sharing" is what most humans call "appropriation" - I see some epic fights in our future! #onlychildparentinggirls#offthemap#prayforus.
Next up was a definite highlight for the weekend - our first ever Family Serve at Freedom House! We were loading the assembled bikes for the bike giveaway over to Bradford, so all 4 of us were there working. Admittedly only one adult at a time could actually work since one of us had to keep eyes on Cora, but Kaitlyn was a good little worker and seemed to really enjoy it. She had to help put bike helmets on the handle bars and walk the bikes over to the truck for loading - I was proud of her!
Bear unfortunately was in TOTAL MELTDOWN by about 11:30, so we bounced when there was a break in the action. It was then home for Cora's nap, after which time we rolled down south for Carowinds Winterfest. It was really neat, but honestly - it was just too cold and too crowded for the girls. The previous two weekends had been rainouts, so the pent up demand to see the lights made it a HUGE crush of humanity everywhere you turned. Lines were crazy, and we ended up only doing 1 ride (the Carousel). We did however get to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas show, feed the animals in the petting zoo, listen to some great music, eat some gingerbread, see the lights, and even pose for a picture with Snoopy Santa. All in all, it was fun, but K didn't get to do a lot of what I think she expected (ride a few more rides, spend more time with Kate, etc). We were going to try to do dinner out, but Cora (who only napped about 45 min all day) was MENTAL by about 6, so we had to roll out of there and just get home as quickly as possible. I have to say that, despite clearly being exhausted and frustrated, K really was a trooper about the whole thing.
Oh, and did I tell you we've figured out the secret as to why she wears the glasses everywhere? The frames match Vol Nana's! Aha! I think Jenny was the one who figured it out - I was well and truly impressed with that sleuthing!
The funniest moment of the night - I was tucking K in when she asked, "Dada what if I yanked out some of your chest hair to wake you up?" I told her that would HURT, and then she asked why she didn't have chest hair. I explained that girls don't have chest hair, at which point she said, "Dada, mommy had hair on her meningning." When I explained that some day she would as well, she yelled out "GROSS!" I honestly couldn't stop cackling. AMAZING. From the mouth of babes...
On the Cora front, she continues to add words! Now she has said "plate," "Bowl," and "light." Oh, and the funny Cora move now - any time I'm running around the house naked and she sees me, she points at my penis and holds her noise and says "ewwwww." When I ask her if I am stinky, the answer is always a nod. :-)
12/23 - Today was a great day, and we had a lot of fun as a family. K and I played great together - it felt a lot like old times. We had church in the morning, and then we went to the McLaren's for dinner. Kaitlyn was sleeping over, and both sets of parents were very clear that we expected the girls to sleep until AT LEAST 6 AM. We told them that, if they woke Ms. Cheryl up again, there would be no more sleepovers. Sure enough - they made it to 6:01. However, given how tired K seemed to be the next day, I am wondering how continued and uninterrupted that sleep actually was. 12/24 - Today was a whirlwind, as I worked from home until about 12:45, at which point Team
Taylor rolled to church for Christmas Eve service. This is the one time a year the girls are actually in the Worship Center, and I'm pleased to report they did really well! Granted, it took a steady diet of sugar and other snacks to keep Cora in check until the end, but Kaitlyn really seemed to enjoy the music and almost all the other parts of the service (everything but the message basically :-)). She even got to hold the candle during silent night, which was really neat. I did get teary eyed a few times holding my girls (either by the hand, on my lap, or in my arms), as it was a very special hour for me. After service, it was carriage rides, hot cocoa, pictures with Mickey, and even a petting zoo outside FH! That occupied the girls for about 30-40 min, after which time Bear (who did NOT nap) had seen enough and was in meltdown. I am telling you what - that girl is likely gonna be a terror this next year! But she's so cute when she smiles or is asleep... :-)
After that it was over to the Williams house for the annual Italian Christmas Eve party. I did get the chance to eat, but Cora was absolutely INSANE over there, and I took her home so Jenny could get a little downtime. K was with Ry, so she was happy as a clam.
I got Bear down about 6:50, and JT and K rolled in around 7:30 or so. We put the reindeer food out front, set out Santa's cookies and milk, and got K down about 8. Before bed, however, we had one last thing we had to do - say goodbye to Pearl for the year. JT tried to warn me, but at the time I didn't realize what she was trying to tell me. K got really quiet when saying good-bye to Pearl (she was in the tree this morning with a note for K and Cora, telling them how good they'd been and that they were going to get a great report sent to Santa), and she asked if she could sleep with Pearl tonight, knowing that she had to go back to the North Pole that evening. I of course had to say no, as I didn't know how I would get it away from her if she was clamped onto it. She did walk away after a last hug, but then JT told me later that she absolutely BROKE DOWN in the car on the ride over to Lindsey's when she realized Pearl had to go (we are talking full on tears apparently).But the good news - Pearl did make it safely back to the North Pole (aka Jenny's closet), and we're none the worse for wear. Team Taylor, however, was the worse for wear by the end of the night, as we'd forgotten how much we still had to set up and do! Bless my saint of a wife, as she did ALL the wrapping. I was productive, but even so it took both of us going flat out for 3 hours to get things where they needed to be. Needless to say, we crawled into bed about 11:30 exhausted and hoping against hope that the girls would sleep in. Oh, how naive... :-)
12/25 - MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! Team Taylor was awakened at 5:27 by a certain 5 year old who announced that she "wanted to see if Santa had left anything, but it was too dark downstairs and she was scared." Remember that part about sleeping in? Yeah....I'm an idiot.
So I will be honest - this was an interesting (and at times tough) day, as I observed a lot of things that surprised and (in some cases) disappointed me. Make no mistake - it was a great day, and everyone had a lot of fun. However, the behaviors exhibited showed me that I definitely have work to do as a parent in 2019.
Kaitlyn was super excited to be sure, but multiple times she either started opening presents or getting into Cora's stocking after we'd explicitly (sometimes repeatedly) said not to. Also, after we'd given our four gifts, she said, "Okay, now we can get to the real presents." That is a tough thing to hear for several reasons, not the least of which is all the time, thought, and money we'd spent (especially Jenny!) on her gifts. She did like Santa's presents (the castle tent and soggy doggy), and she was excited about the light up shoes. The rest of it, however, she was very disinterested in.
When she got to other presents, she simply looked at them and then threw them to the side. And then when she received an ACTUAL WORKING CAMERA from Vol Nana, she said that she didn't want it to work because Kate's didn't work. It got to the point that I really had trouble enjoying the morning, as it was just so apparent how ungrateful she was. Now I realize that she's only 5 (almost 6), but I had never really seen this side of her. And surveying the scene after it was all over - looking at all the gifts she'd received - it was just hard for me to reconcile the behavior with what she'd been given. I walked away from that morning determined to really scale back what we give her in 2019 and focus more on her spending her allowance and truly learning the value of time, effort, and money, in addition to understanding the value of experiences vs. things.
Now that's not to say it was all doom and gloom, as we had a lot of great laughs. Both girls loved the tent and played in it a lot, and both girls were all about the sleeping bags from Vol Nana. K loved a stuffed animal that was in her stocking, and Cora could NOT get enough of the shopping cart from Aunt Kim and Uncle Matt - she pushed that puppy around everywhere!
Also, we had some great food and got some great outside time, playing with bubbles and our outside toys to get some fresh air. Truly, the day went super quick, and before you knew it the clock read 8 PM. Jenny and I were down about 9:30 after talking through the day and thinking about what we will do differently next year. We are absolutely on the same page, and we know that we'll keep with similar themes we've mentioned in other aspects of our lives - doing and spending less to focus on critical priorities and really focus on faith and family. I have since composed my list of goals for 2019 - a far cry from goals I've had in years previous! However, they feel right for us as a family.12/26 - Boxing Day was a blast! K did wake up at 4:50 complaining of a sore throat, but after some ibuprofen she managed to sleep another couple of hours and was fine upon waking. We rolled down to Nole Nana and grandpas, where we spent the day coloring, eating, and watching TV. Kaitlyn watched the Lion King for the first time ever, and it was so cute to watch her and Jenny together, fixated on the screen (it's Jenny's favorite Disney movie, and there were times she burst out laughing!). Cora even got to watch it, and it was SO CUTE watching her. She was standing there beside K, and every now and then she'd look over at me or Jenny with a look in her eyes that asked, "are you really okay with me watching this?" She'd then give a sly smile and resume watching. She didn't make the whole thing, but it was pretty darn fun sitting up there with them.
K was a coloring machine - she went through 24 big pictures in a color by dot book from the Tacy's. And speaking of presents, they absolutely knocked it out of the park! They got Cora an easel with chalk and magnetics, and she LOVED it. K got magna-tiles, and her and Cora played with them non-stop this morning (it's the 27th as I type this).
Bear was a talking machine today, and I heard "plane," "boat," and "help." She also took me into a room, turned out all the lights, and said, "dark." She then opened a door with a skylight and said, "bright." GENIUS, I'M TELLIN' YOU!!!!! Well done, bear!!!
12/27 - K came in at 4:54 this morning with the same complaint, falling back asleep until 7 after some medicine. The cough definitely sounds like croup, which means there's not a whole lot we can do except ride it out (viral). She doesn't have a fever and seems in pretty good spirits, so fingers crossed we still make TN without a hitch. We're planning to set out early tomorrow, so we just need a good night's sleep from the ladies!
12/28 - I am happy to report that the girls slept GREAT. So great, in fact, that we actually got a slightly later start than planned for TN. That being said, we were still out the door at 7:47, and we made fantastic time over the mountain (including a Cracker Barrel stop in Asheville). The girls were SO EXCITED to see Vol Nana and all the kitties, and the car ride was great (albeit insanely rainy). The time really did pass by fast, and I am happy to report that Rex the X made his first big trip over the mountain...and acquitted himself exceptionally well! Having all the space and extra horsepower was a big win (even at 16.6 mpg), but we didn't know at the time just how crucial all that extra space would prove to be... :-)
Cora was a hoot and sang the whole way. She did finally nap for about 45 minutes, and the X is so much bigger and handles so differently that I didn't sling her head all over the place on Asheville highway. RE-SULT!
We arrived about 1, and it was just a great day of chilling, eating like a champ, and chasing kitties all over the house. Poor little Max had never met the girls, and he was TERRIFIED when they came running in like gangbusters - poor thing ran all over the house looking for an exit! Cora was particularly priceless, as she flat CHASED those cats all over the place and LOVED climbing on Vol Nana's bed. Kaitlyn was, of course, in Heaven, as there were cats everywhere, and they were all willing to let her pet them. We got in bed at a reasonable hour that night, tummies and hearts full.
12/29 - After a delicious breakfast, we packed up and drove over to Dad's, where we had another great day of just chilling. We had an official "Christmas" with them, and K as usual made out like a bandit (12 presents!). But there was a distinct difference that I must call out here, as K was WONDERFUL opening gifts. She took the time to look at everything, she played with everything, and she genuinely seemed excited and appreciative. It was a huge relief for me, and it definitely showed me that we want mom and Steve present next year when those gifts are handed out. Kaitlyn was GREAT at the Tacy's as well, so I do think it's a function of having the grandparents there. 
The day was again wonderful. We had a fire, we had the hot tub, Alice made some great meals, we had lots of fun running around outside petting dogs, the football games were good - you name it. K and Bear played really, really well together and had a ton of fun. Kaitlyn is definitely starting to get better at playing by herself, which is interesting and good to see. It started with all the coloring and artwork, as that is obviously a solitary pursuit. However, she's gone beyond just art and is now really starting to create games, characters, and worlds, and she's starting to play well within those constructs. For me it's very exciting, as it shows creativity and imagination in bloom.The day passed quickly amidst all the laughs and fun. Work felt very far away, and it was just so wonderful to connect with my family and spent some time looking at the hills I grew up in.
One other item of note - people are really starting to take notice of Cora's intellect. Jenny and I noticed how insanely quick she was in picking things up - colors, body parts, puzzles, just to name a few - but others are now noticing that Cora is putting things together very quickly. I feel so blessed that both girls seem intelligent, as that will obviously make their lives so much easier. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!
12/30 - The weather was INCREDIBLE today, and we spent a lot of it outside! We had some hot tub time and running around at dad's, where Kaitlyn actually went and jumped from hay bale to hay bale! It was really cute - she asked if she could run around outside, and I said sure. She asked how far she could go, and I said, "Just start running" (she told me she'd stop at the last tree). She LOVED all the wide open spaces, and it was so wonderful to watch, as it reminded me of my childhood. Granny A walked down to the hay bales with Cora, and they all had a whale of a time exploring the fields - it was too cute! It was a reminder of how nice that space was growing up, as it was a safe place to explore and learn. It was just one more reminder of the importance of getting them back to "the country" on a regular basis, as it's a very different (yet equally important) part of their matriculation. 
That evening we went over to Nanny's, where we got to hang with Grand Nanny, Benny, Kay, and Charlie. It was a hoot, complete with "Speak Up" and a full on New Year's celebration (think hats, horns, streamers, etc). Everyone had a blast, and Cora ran up and down that hallway nonstop - just like her daddy used to! It was super cute, and we really had a good time eating, laughing, and hanging out. Nanny had Cora on her lap for a bit and LOVED that - she just thinks Bear is the cutest (and funniest) thing ever. Perhaps that's because she's named after her... :-)
12/31 - We made the trek home today, and it went very smoothly (minus a closed brewery, some rain, and 20 minutes of tears after leaving Vol Nana). Kaitlyn was again really brave until we drove away, at which point the poor little thing did cry big tears. But we rallied soon enough, and we were home about 2:30 or so. We spent the afternoon playing outside because it was basically 60! The girls got on the joy bay - Cora was actually able to use it for the first time ever! K was on the trike and the balance bike, and it was EASILY her best performance ever on the balance bike. She's now strong enough to control it, and she was AMAZING on that thing! That excited me a lot, as I was afraid she would never use it. However, I think she is enjoying it, as she now feels tall (and strong) enough to use it and keep herself upright. That evening we had another New Year's Celebration, complete with poppers, streamers, and a countdown on YouTube. Kaitlyn then wanted to "lead the New Years Parade," so we marched around the house singing random yet majestic songs. :-)
The girls were down at 7 PM, at which point JT and I popped some champagne, sat down, and watched some football. Another year in the books - how is that possible!
I will close this calendar year with this - 2018 was a year of TREMENDOUS change, but all of it for the better and all of it transforming the trajectory of our lives for the positive. It was, without a doubt, THE BEST year of my life, and I go into 2019 energized, focused, and ready to live intentional, prioritizing that which is most critical and drowning out the noise beyond it. It will (hopefully) be a year of simplification and stabilization as we adjust to (and continue to try and find) the "new normal."Praise and thanks to the Creator of the Universe for more blessings than any of us can possibly count or comprehend. God is good - ALL the time. THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!!
That's all the news that's fit to print. It's another year down - bring on 2019. Chat with you in the New Year!
Love,
Sam and Jenny
