And so ends the first summer as a part of 4...

Age of Lady Kaitlyn:  4 years, 5 months, and 20 days

Age of Lady Cora:  8 months and 9 days

Family,

And a good afternoon to you from the Queen City, where another great month for Team Taylor is in the books.  Let's get amongst it, shall we?

8/1 - So today was a BIG DAY in the life of Team Taylor.  After much discussion, deliberation, and debate, Team Taylor decided that August 1 (marking mine and Jenny's 14 year first date anniversary, for the record) was the day we would set Thumb sucking elimination milestones and goals in place for Kaitlyn.  JT had a brilliant plan, and our goal was to both sit down with her and discuss the approach.  Here was the plan:

1. Each day that she doesn't suck her thumb, she receives a sticker.
2. At the end of seven days, she can trade in the stickers for a trip to Sweet Frog (and let's be clear, she LOVES this place).
3. If she can do a full month, she can pick a toy at Toys R Us.

So I was up with her that morning and noticed that, during her show, she didn't suck her thumb a single second.  This was before we'd even mentioned anything to her, and so when I told Jenny, she agreed we should just kick it off.  She mentioned only the "7 days until Sweet Frog" piece, and K LIT UP LIKE MCADDENVILLE.  Seriously - it was TOO CUTE!  I had no idea the power frozen yogurt held over my child... :-)

#standard

But in all honesty, as I type this on day 7, the transformation has been almost immediate.  We had to remind her twice on Day 2 (when she was exhausted), but now we don't even see her doing it at night in her room!  She basically quit cold turkey - and all for some FroYo!  Love this kid!  So JT and I have decided we're not gonna mention Toys R Us yet.  And K - in the event you're reading this 30 years from now and realize we didn't end up buying you a toy - sorry!  We love you, pumpkin! :-)

I have really, really been proud of her, and I think K is proud she's stopped as well.  She has mentioned that Ryann, Sam, and Kate don't suck their thumbs, so I think it's a big deal to her.  So proud of that kid!  And I'm hoping it will save us from dealing with a jacked up grill later down the road.

K was a trooper in karate today as well - the only girl!  We ended up skipping on 8/3 (her first and likely only miss), but that gave her the chance to play in the pool with Pattie, and we didn't want her to miss that.

And speaking of sports, K has expressed more than once an interest in playing soccer again.  This marks the first time that she's campaigned to do something, and so that was good to hear.  She was very interested in dance camp this year (after the previous year), so that's another thing that's clearly got her attention.  It's just really neat to see what activities she gravitates to, and I think it will be fascinating to watch as that evolves over time.

On the Cora front, she is "lurch crawling" at this point. Basically she gets up on her knees like she's ready to go, and then she either collapses or launches forward like a ballistic missile.  It's pretty funny.  If she can just tuck in that tummy, she's ready to GO!  She is drooling all over the place at this point, so there's no question that she's teething.  You can here her breathing through the saliva at certain times during the day, and she's basically watered the entire hardwood.  Of course, she promptly crawls right over the top and dries it, so the floors are actually the cleanest they've been in years... :-)

I did have a Cora scare today.  JT and K were out, and I had Cora in the house with me.  She'd woken up early, and since I was on a call, I couldn't play with her.  Well, she screamed for about 30 minutes in the play pen, and I just assumed she'd finally calmed down.  Well, when I went down there, she was FLAT on her tummy and not moving.  I freaked out and hopped into the play pen, which startled her and woke her up.  The girl had screamed so much, she'd worn herself out and gone to sleep!  Mercifully that's all it was, but many did that frighten me.

One other thing to note - K started working on drawing letters today.  She did really good!  She was tracing them, but I was still really impressed.  And more impressive, she brought home a drawing from camp that was the first image that truly represented a person I've ever seen her do!  She's getting a lot more dexterity to go with that creativity, and you can see it in how she holds her pencil (no doubt she's a lefty, for the record - pencil and the Wii remote are both firmly in the left hand).

8/2 - I came downstairs today to find K at her Princess table by herself practicing her letters - amazing!  I mean, what daddy isn't proud to see that!  The smile on her face when I bragged on her was priceless.

Aunt Pattie and the girls showed up today, and K had a lot of fun playing with them.  They played quite a bit of i-Spy, and the girls were really good to pick easy things K could find.  There were some good laughs, and K enjoyed being "one of the girls."  That being said, when I took them to lunch, K didn't want to do anything but snuggle with me (which I was definitely good with!).  Pattie read to her that night, and all in all it was a good evening.

One thing I will say - I cannot WAIT to get rid of K's Sofia slippers.  Holy Moly, those things REEK!!!!! She wears them everywhere, and when she takes them off, both her feet and those slippers are straight TOXIC.  I have started washing her feet with a wipe every time she takes them off, as the smell is almost unbearable at times.  Obviously we won't take them from her at this point, but man, will I be glad when she outgrows them!

And on the Cora front - that girl is SERIOUSLY teething!  Her top two teeth are right there!  She's been really uncomfortable lately, and the pain has woken her up early during all of her naps.  She's sleeping pretty good at night, but you can still tell that it's bothering her, as she wakes up early (5ish) and never settles back great.  We actually started giving her meds to help with the pain, and so she's on a diet of Tylenol in the morning and Ibuprofen at night.  It has made a TREMENDOUS difference, and when you look in her mouth you can see why.  There are little white buds everywhere!

8/3 - So we had a scare today - a real one.  I was working in the office, when I heard K say in a voice that was clearly distressed, "Somebody help me please."  She wasn't screaming it, which is why it got my attention.  It was clearly the voice of someone very scared and unsure of what to do.

I walked into her room and found her basically speechless and in shock.  She was holding her finger, which she wouldn't let me touch.  I then noticed black spots on her finger, and she said, "Dada - I burned the wall.  There was fire."  At that point I freaked out (but appeared outwardly calm, of course) and sat down beside her to survey the scene.

K said (my memory of it):  "I turned the night light on, and there was fire, and I burned the wall.  I didn't know what to do, dada." (heartbreaking to see them so scared).  Later on, we managed to piece it together.  K had been sent to time out for pushing Cora (it had just been a slight push, but still - she knew what she was doing), and once in her room she had taken the nightlight out of the socket and thrown it against the door.  That shattered the bulb, but when she then plugged it back in, the wire was exposed and sparked, burning the wall (it really is brown) and singing her a bit.  The bulb then blew fully, opening the circuit, but obviously she didn't know that.

We managed to calm her down, and I didn't fuss at her anymore.  She needed grace, forgiveness, and love in that moment.  And regardless - something tells me she won't be doing that again anytime soon!  She was frightened and cried the next couple of times I plugged another light in and turned it on, but eventually she calmed down.  Truth be told, I think she was more concerned she was going to lose her nightlight. :-)

And the best news (aside from her being ok) - later on she admitted she had misbehaved and apologized to mommy, saying, "I'm sorry I pushed Cora."  She's a good kid with a great heart.  Love my girls!

8/4 - Cora started taking water from a straw today...and loved it!  Seriously - that kid will CRUSH solids, she will drink water from a straw, and she will put ANYTHING into her mouth, but she is eating less and less formula.  We usually manage to get enough in her to get her full, but it's becoming quite the process.  The good news - this means less and less formula is being purchased.  However, we do want to ensure that she at least gets 24 oz per day.  She's still well within that range, and obviously solid food intake is counterbalancing some of that need.  However, it is something we want to continue watching.

K wrapped her last summer camp today, and she came home having learned a new game - Rock, Paper, Scissors!  She showed up at the bottom of the stairs and said "Rock, Paper, Scissors - SHOOT!"  It was pretty cute.  We played that some today, as well as some iSpy at dinner (which was also fun).  I am enjoying these slightly more sedentary pursuits.  Cultivate this, I will...

I also introduced K probably to some of the Wii games, and she LOVED IT!  Seriously - she was a ROCK STAR at bowling - rolled a 107 on her first try!  She's really pretty good at Golf and Bowling, and I am having fun playing both with her.  Admittedly we need to watch the screen time now that we've added video games, but between Karate, camps, friends, books, playing, and swimming, I think she's getting a healthy mix.

8/5 - So today was a great (but long!) day.  I was up at 5:15 to run, and I got 4 hours and 7 minutes in at the whitewater center (19 miles on the trails, baby!!!).  It was awesome, and I then came home to have several hours of dedicated time with K (which was also WICKED AWESOME).  Seriously - I hadn't had that kind of quality time in awhile, and it really meant a ton to me.  We got to go swimming at NOMAD, and she was a waterdog - constantly jumping off the blocks and swimming great.  I really had fun - best we've played together in a long time.  She wasn't whiny or fussy, and it was just a lot of fun.  She did get sassy before church, but I think it was just her reaction to no longer having that dedicated daddy time, as we had both reveled in the focused time together.  She bawled when we dropped her at church, but then she was great at pickup and for the rest of the evening.

And K's best line of the day- when checking on my recent illness from Haiti, K asked, "Dada, do you still have a parachute in your tummy?"  Too cute!

8/6 - This day was a whirlwind, but we had plenty of good laughs.  K and I had a good chunk of time playing upstairs in the bonus room, where we played blocks (she's really enjoyed that the last couple of days - we've made lower, wider structures, which has actually served to keep them upright!  We have been building playgrounds and pre-schools, and a church is next on the list) for a bit before switching to the "earmuff game."  Unlike Old School, this doesn't involve tons of foul language.  Instead, it involves K saying a sentence and then me acting like I can't hear it because the earmuffs are blocking all sound.  Instead of answering the question, I repeat a sentence that rhymes with what she said.  She loved it - her laughter was infectious.

We then played some Wii, where she straight up beat me at fishing and the cow racing game - hilarious!  Some of the games were a little too complicated for her, but by and large we had a blast.

That afternoon we headed over to VBGB for Megan and Ryan's shower, and K was really good for almost the whole time.  3 hours in that heat was challenging for everyone, but she stayed busy coloring the Water Wow, eating, petting puppies, and playing Connect 4.  Toward the end, however, she went into meltdown, and as we left she was BAWLING.  We asked her if she wanted to go with me (I had to leave early with Cora, who was great the entire time) or stay with Jenny, and she said go with me.  Well, we started pulling out, and then she started screaming "LET ME OUT!!!! I WANT TO STAY WITH MOMMY!!!!"  Well, of course, we'd already started driving out, and when I said no she started bawling and saying "I want mommy!"  Now I have no idea how many times she said it, but I did start counting once we got to exit 18 on I-77.  In the 1.5 miles between there and I-485, she said it 29 times.  So....I'm putting the over/under at about 225.  EPIC.

I went to bed that night exhausted.  Honestly, between Haiti, the sickness, the run at the whitewater center, and the weekend we'd just had, I was spent.  In that moment it occurred to me that I (we) might be going a bit too hard, and that has prompted me to take stock in all of our activities.  I want to re-baseline and simplify again to ensure we (me) aren't red-lining.  That goes for the entire family across everything - church, activities, financials, you name it.  I haven't started working on that yet, but it's on the plan for this week.

8/7 - I was up about 5:45 this morning because we thought Cora was up.  However, she settled and actually slept until 7.  That worked out great, as it gave me the time I needed to pray.  K came down about 6:30, and her request was simple:  "Dada, will you cuddle and watch a Paw Patrol with me for one minute?"  It was so sweet - she just curled up with me and was happy as a clam.  Anytime I kissed her on the head, she would kiss me on the cheek.  She's actually done this for awhile, but it occurs to me that I haven't penned it yet.  We just sat there, holding hands and her leaning on me, and it was perfect.  We were able to do that again this evening (just for half an episode), and it was great once again.  What I am trying to be mindful of at the moment - I am trying to spread my time out across everyone, and with K I want to ensure she's really getting dedicated time with me vs. 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there, etc.  I think I've been guilty of that some, and that's not fair to her.  Consequently, I'm making a conscious effort to truly give her a block of time so that we can play, talk, and bond, and I think that time needs to be outside of the food/bath/bed ritual, as I doubt she counts those as bonding time.

Jenny had the Williams clan and the Rivera crew over today, and it was like a small zoo in this place. However, I think the kids had a lot of fun.  K was awesome in protecting me in my office.  When the kids started wandering into the halls or into her room, she ran in and said, "Guys, we have to stay in the bonus room!"  Love that kid!  Needing something calm in the afternoon, she painted...and was absolutely the cutest thing ever while doing it.

Oh, and her best line of the day:  "Dada, I didn't used to like pepperoni when I was three.  But now that I'm four, I like it."  Quality.  Maybe now we can finally get a bit more meat in this kid.

The two milestones for the day:

1. 7 days with no thumb sucking - CHECK!  Next stop:  SWEET FROG!!!!

2. Cora climbed over the step in the bonus room today (the one entering the hallway), and we all go to see it!  We didn't expect to see that today - awesome!  She's getting up on those knees better - only a matter of time.

What's interesting - we are baby proofed, but Cora gets into EVERYTHING.  Needless to say, the lack of attention we've paid to clipping the cabinets together will soon need to be addressed...

8/9 - So a big day on the playground for K - she slid down the pole at the playground all by herself!  This is big, and something I have never seen (truth be told I don't think happened before today).  This is just another thing that is awesome about K playing with girls a little older than her - she watches them do things, and it makes her want to do it because that achievement "further demonstrates that she's a big girl."  Proud of you kid!  In that same vein, I was watching her at the pool the other day as she pulled out of the water.  She's got some arm muscles like her mommy!  I have diesel women in my life - love it.

Also, JT and K went to NOMAD today, and Jenny said that she had one of the best swims she's had EVER.  Period.  She said that, while she was talking to a friend, K just jumped into the cold pool and swim a 50 free.  And then, with everyone properly amazed, she proceeded to do a 50 back!  Way to go, kiddo!  Her endurance and strokes are looking better than ever, and best of all - she's actually enjoying the strokes and working on them right now (which is really good to see).  They were in the cold pool for 45 minutes!

K has been an angel these last few days.  She is doing more and more on her own now - getting dressed, brushing her hair, brushing her teeth, etc - and tonight she even cleaned the Bonus Room on her own!  I mean, that is something I would NEVER have done at age 4, so clearly this child has more of JT's DNA than mine. :-)

Two more K items to note:

1. Tank game!  So K is officially in love with the Wii - especially the Tank game!  This is on "Wii Play," and it involves us driving around and trying to blow up tanks while they shoot back at us.  K is really improving, and now she is even hitting some of the tanks from a long way off - I'm impressed! She likes to curl up while we play - it's pretty darn cute.

2.  We have started playing "I Spy with my little eye" every time we sit down at the dinner table.  I have to give her credit - she's pretty good at it!  I credit Aunt Pattie for this, as she started it with her last week.  Since that time, it's become a staple at meal time (much like the cloud shape game is now a staple while driving).

On the Cora front, that girl pulled up already!  Seriously - she's not properly crawling yet (soooooo close), but she is already pulling up everywhere she can.  The other day she climbed onto the trampoline!  This evening she pulled up and was nearly standing (was on her feet - just not erect) on the step in K's bathroom.  It's crazy how strong that girl is (especially when she punches you in the throat when you're trying to burp her).

Also, today we had to start changing outfits because she's peeing so much while crawling!  This has now happened to us about 3 times.  I go to put her down, and when we lay her there to change her diaper, her front is wet around her tummy.  Nuts!  Again, this is something we NEVER dealt with during K's first year.  The good news - Cora genuinely seems to enjoy getting changed, and it's HILARIOUS to hear her giggle when you blow on her tummy on the changing table.  Too cute!

Oh, and while I was videoing Cora climbing onto the step tonight, K suddenly walked in front of the camera.  Now under normal circumstances this wouldn't have been funny.  At that moment, however, K was BUCK NAKED since it was bath time, and her bummy bummy just filled the screen!  We were cackling.

8/11 - So Granddaddy and Granny A pulled up this day, and K was so excited she could barely stand it. She kept asking, "How many minutes is it until Granny A gets here" (sorry Dad, you were an afterthought :-)), and so every 5 minutes I gave her the revised count.  When I would say "2 hours," she would say, "You mean 1, 2?"  I had to explain the seconds vs. minutes vs. hours concept, which I think was most definitely lost in translation.  The good news is that I had a distraction - FIRE TANKS!!!!

Jenny and K managed to get to the next level on the tank game, and K was ALL ABOUT IT.  She and I started playing, and now I'm addicted (seriously - I am contemplating signing off from here to go play up there by myself - how sad is that?).  The Wii has been a blessing during this intense heat, and given how hard K goes during the week - swimming, running, playing, karate, I don't mind the extra screen time.  Admittedly we have to watch it (and we do - we set a timer), but it's been a blast so far.  Plus, she's getting better and even taking some tanks out on her own!

As for K, she brushed her teeth unprompted today.  She's brushing them really well on her own now - another milestone crossed, and I'm now a little less useful.  Crazy how quickly they grow.  Oh, and K has been in one of her princess dresses for 3 days straight now.  It really is cute on her, and I think she loves how it feels.  Getting it off her is a virtual impossibility. :-)

8/12 - So today was about as flat out as I have EVER gone in my life as a father of 2.  K was up about 5:45 or so, and so I was up feeding her before it was light outside.  Once the house came to life, I headed out for 10 miles while Cora napped and they played with K (it should be noted that I returned to discover K was given sour patch kids at 8:40 AM...but to K's credit, she was the one who spilled the beans :-)).  It was then over to IHOP, where we all ate like kings and felt bigger than houses.  We then rolled over to Kirk Farms to walk the greenway, doing 1.25 out to the UNCC softball field before turning around.  K was a MACHINE, as she ran pretty much non-stop while there.  She had some new sparkly shoes from Granny A, and they made her superdeeduper fast. :-) Seriously - it was amazing to watch, as that girl ran over a mile on her own!

We then rolled over to Academy sports, where Cora dropped a steamer in the car while K, Granny A, and Granddaddy did a bit of shopping (K got some stylish shoes and clothes).  We then headed over for the marquee event of the day - SWEET FROG!!!!!  That's right, sports fans - K went a full week with no thumb sucking!  Actually, as I type this, she's gone 15 days with virtually no thumb sucking.  I saw it twice briefly yesterday (one was during her sleep, so we can't fault her for that one), but dare I say it - I think she's broken the habit.  AMAZING!

Orange belt, sir!

None of us save K had ever been there, so we had no idea what to expect.  Well, K was a great tour guide, as she knew EXACTLY what flavors she wanted.  This girl then proceeded to get OVER A POUND OF YOGURT, covered with rainbow sprinkles, a chocolate kiss, and a gummy frog.  And do you think she struggled to finish it?  NOT A CHANCE.  She crushed it.  In fact, when she was too cold inside and went outside and the remainder melted, she just drank it like a milkshake.  I am telling you people - when we are talking about treats, that girl is a FORCE. OF. NATURE.  It was incredible.

Next up was home before 90 minutes at the pool, where K showcased her strokes for the grandparents.  I was here with Cora letting her nap, as the day wasn't done at that point (Cora was amazing all day - talk about such a trooper!).  At 6, we rolled down to NoDa Brewing, where we really had a great couple of hours.  The girls were good, K made a friend, and dad and Alice loved it (Dad said it was his favorite brewery in CLT to date).  We then rolled him about 8:30, and the girls were in bed about 9.  The grandparents were in bed at 9:15, and I was alone on the porch drinking a coldski until about 10 before I called it a night.  WHEW - epic!  But the good news -we know we can do it when we have to!

8/13 - Cora was up at 5:38 this morning.  I was shocked given how late she went down, but JT has since explained to me that there is this thing called the "8 month sleep regression."  Apparently, between the teething and everything new they are hearing and seeing, their minds are just racing, and they don't want to go to sleep.  It is funny, but Cora really does fight me every single time I put her down.  That being said, she then instantly rolls over and passes out (seriously - she goes to sleep faster than anyone in the house at this point, and between K and Jenny that is really saying something!).


It was a great day all around.  After Dad and Alice left, I had the girls, and we had a fun afternoon of Wii before heading to swim lessons.  K is learning to work the remote now - can fast forward, play, and pause.  One more milestone, baby!  But I'm not ready for her to start selecting her own programming just yet...anyhoo, swim lessons were great, but at the 24 minute mark, K pops out, grabs her crotch, clenches her cheeks, and says, "I really have to go poopie!"  Now keep in mind - there is no outside bathroom, Renee is not home, and K is in a one piece.  So what do we do?  Strip her down naked and have her SQUAT IN THE YARD.  Luckily it was a false alarm (translation - she just had to pee and did it in the pool...which she later whispered to me), but man was it hilarious.  Oh, and the instructor didn't deduct the time. :-)

After that it was over to NOMAD, where K did something like 250 in the cold pool!  Cora got in the cold pool as well, and she really seemed to enjoy it!  Admittedly, I need to reinflate her little float, but all in all she seemed to have fun.  It was a great day!

8/14 - Cora was up at 5:36 this morning, but K made it all the way to 7:36!  It's funny - she's suddenly started sleeping with her Dohm on again, and that has EASILY improved her sleep.  She's now consistently getting another 45 minutes in the mornings, which is AWESOME.

So full disclosure - I was working and Daddy Daycare on this day, but by the blessings of God my schedule was perfect in that it allowed me to do both.  When I had meetings, Cora was asleep and K played great by herself.  When I was between meetings, I had time to feed Cora, play with K, read to them both, or make food.  All in all, it was just fantastic.  K and I played plenty of Wii (she's getting better, and she's even taken out a few fire tanks at this point "by her own" :-)), and the girls were super cute playing in the tunnel together.  As I have said before, K is an unbelievable  big sister in that she is GREAT about watching Cora, playing with her, and helping us with whatever we need.  We feel truly blessed in that regard.

The one funny part about the schedule.  All went well until the ONE MEETING where I had to do a lot of talking.  Well, I'm about halfway through my spiel, and K busts into the room holding her crotch.  I go on mute and say, "Just use my bathroom," after which time she tells me "I really gotta poopy!"  Poor girl must have sat on the can 15 minutes waiting on me, but we made it work!

8/15 - JT got back LATE last night (poor girl didn't get home until 1:30 due to storms - they even had to land at RDU to refuel!), but she was up at 5:12 with Cora (#rockstar).  JT was ill from food poisoning - she hadn't eaten in a day and STILL let husband bear sleep while she tended to the Scream.  Um, is she the best wife ever or what?

This day was a blur (aren't they all at this point), but it did give me a chance to reflect on the weekend.  It was great, and I really had fun with the girls.  True, it takes a bit more planning when you have two, but you can still do anything and everything you want to do (and smile the whole time).  Cora and I are bonding a lot more now - she's even reaching for me when she sees me in the room and someone else is holding her!  Also, she's getting much better at snuggling and cuddling at night before bed (she's finally laying on my shoulder, which wasn't something that had happened really before this past week), and I actually watched her fall asleep for the first time ever on me the other night.  One thing I struggled with during that reflection period - have I spent enough quality time with her?  Jenny is GREAT about reading to her, playing with her, and getting on the floor with her, whereas my focused time has been more around feeding, bathing, diapering - the nuts-and-bolts logical stuff.  It's something I will focus on going forward, as I don't want more time to pass with me having that worry.

8/16 - Play date with Kate today!  JT said they had a blast.  They went to her house vs. the pool due to weather, and it must have been a blast.  I really, really, REALLY hope they are in the same class next year!

8/17 - K bagged a fire tank today!  It was really cute.  Oh, and she is AWESOME at the cow riding game!  She has legitimately beaten me several times!  Fast learner, that one is!  The tank thing is particularly cute, as she rocks up right behind the stationary tanks and ASSASSINATES them.  It's too cute to watch her face light up.  Also, she was INCREDIBLE cleaning up last night.  She's been a tremendous helper.

They went to Katie's house this day, and JT said that K was super well behaved.  PROUD OF YOU, KID!

Oh, and did I mention that Cora is now able to climb onto K's trampoline all by herself?  Yeah, she's got her eye on the steps as well.  Sooooooo glad someone else installed that gate for us... :-)

8/18 - As you can tell, the last few days have been a blur, but I am actually typing this update in real time.  K put on her OWN SUNSCREEN before the pool today.  I mean, WHAT!?!?!?!

8/20 - So today was a really fun day.  We headed to the Lake for the semi-annual (now practically annual) LoanSolutions reunion, and everyone had a blast. We rocked up about 1:30 or so, and We actually managed to get Koda down for a nap.  K and JT went on the boat with the other folks, and they must have had a BLAST.  K apparently was even jumping off the side of the boat!  She must have had a great time swimming and jumping - even if she was forced to wear her puddle jumper (rules in the lake, yo!).

The kids were really cute playing together.  K and Georgia played well, but we think they had a crush on the same boy (Ben) and kept arguing over who got to sit beside him. :-)  At one point, I think K even ordered Georgia (who is cute as a button, by the way - 2 years old) to move so Ben would have a spot!  It was actually a really interesting dynamic to watch, as normally K is younger than the kids she's playing with.  Watching her with Georgia, I think they did a pretty good job of interacting (although it did take them a little while to warm up to each other), especially once toys started getting pulled out in Pop Pop's apartment. :-)  Seriously - it was great, as I got lots of good Bane brewing on draft, and the kids were largely self-sufficient and self-entertained.

Cora was really good as well - slept GREAT in the pack 'n play (2.5 hours!), and she absolutely LOVED being in the swing later in the afternoon.  Again, I am amazed by how different our children are.  Kaitlyn has never really liked swings (she's getting used to them now that she can control her speed and knows how to pump her arms),  but Buke (her new nickname) LOVES being in motion.  Just like the car - Cora is asleep instantly when we get going, but K never slept in the car at that age (and certainly not the length of time Cora does currently).

8/21 - Today was a big one for the US - Solar Eclipse Day!  Luckily we had a friend give us ISO certified glasses, and so Team Taylor camped out on the front lawn for about an hour or so and watched the whole thing.  We didn't get totality here (we were about 98%), but it was still really neat. The world definitely got darker, the insects started going nuts, and the world got 10 degrees cooler.  K was not overly impressed, but she was a good sport about it (even if she did try to sneak a glance or two without glasses) :-).  I mean, at the end of the day, when you're 4 and all you're looking at is a black circle moving over another circle, it's admittedly pretty boring.  Her cutest line was about 30 minutes into the whole thing while we were back inside:  "Dada, can I go look at the sun?"  Love it.

Swim lessons were also really good that day.  K is really doing GREAT work, and best of all she's working hard on her stroke and technique.  The key will obviously be maintaining it during the winter (as we don't think we'll sign up for group lessons or anything), but I am confident that we can do it - we just need to build a routine where swimming in the cold pool is fun...even when it's 40 degrees outside. :-)

Speaking of swimming, I just have to say it's crazy how tan K is after a summer in the pool.  The great news is that she never got a burn, and her little tan lines are just about the cutest thing ever.

Also, for Cora - big switch today for the bath - we moved her from the slope to the seat in the kiddie tub.  It made a HUGE difference, as now she's at the point she can sit up.  Before it was just a struggle to keep her from sliding down into the water, but now it's much easier.  And other other day K actually came in and helped us do her bath!  She was so cute pouring water from the cup over her.  All went well until K dumped it on her head (where I had shampoo).  Cora didn't love that too much, but hey - we all rallied quickly. :-)

8/22 - And just like that, we have an 8 month old!  I mean, come on!  This kid is growing like a weed!  It's crazy how quickly she's developing - both her physical strength and her milestones.  Case in point - this kid STOOD UP in the crib today!  So yes, we had to lower that puppy, as we otherwise risked her climbing out of it in the not too distant future - insane!

JT got out the block sorter on this day, and Cora seems to love playing with that.  Granted, she's not actually using it for its intended purpose yet, but she does seem to be loving chewing on each and every piece. :-)  Oh, and Scout is now back down on the hardwood, as Cora is pulling up on EVERYTHING at this point.  There is no question that her favorite spot in the house is ON THE TRAMPOLINE.  She gravitates to it the second she's allowed to get on the floor - too funny.  And it's really cute when both the girls get on it - I have taken some great pictures.

I will say again that it's just been SO wonderful to watch how great Kaitlyn is with Cora.  She really is a wonderful big sister, playing with her, watching her, helping to bathe her, offering to feed her, you name it.  JT said it well - we are so blessed to have all of this time at home as a family and to be able to play together and bond together.  Every day is a gift, and I have been really proud of all my girls for how they've played together, traveled together, shopped together, eaten together, and just bonded day in and day out.  A ton of credit goes to Jenny there, as she's really helping them to forge an amazing relationship.

K had karate on this day, and then she returned home to wait for Vol Nana.  Vol Nana rolled in shortly thereafter, and K was in HEAVEN.  Seriously - mom was SO GREAT with her, and they really did have fun.  Mom rocked up with a few new games - most notably Busy Town - and K wanted to play it non-stop.  It really is a cute game (I've played it as well), and given that each round is different, it was great for holding her attention.

8/23 - The Williams clan was at the house for a few hours today, and while it was just shy of disorganized chaos, we all survived. :-)  What I will say - I was SO PROUD of how K conducted herself.  That girl really is super well behaved.  She doesn't scream.  She is respectful.  She listens to the adults.  I was really, really proud of her (and told her as much after the fact).  Love that kid!  That sure makes a papa proud!

8/24 - Big day for K:  she had her final karate class and tested out for her Orange Belt!  JT and mom went to watch, and they said it was GREAT.  K must have worked really hard and listened really good, and the video & photos they have from it were super cute.  Proud of you, little goose!  Now granted, K is NOT interested in continuing at this time, but I am curious if it's something she'll want to get into again in future.  She has mentioned wanting to do soccer again, but we haven't heard much about that since she first brought it up.  Realistically I think we'll wait and see what 5 day a week preschool does to her, and then we'll assess.  I want to be sensitive to how busy she'll already be and not try to overload her, as I want to ensure she's got the chance to just play, rest, and be a kid.

This day overall was a whirlwind for everyone.  Mom, Muffin, and K went to IHOP for breakfast, and after the karate test out I met them at Sweet Frog to celebrate.  K absolutely LOVES that place - it is just too cute to watch her in there with the pumps.  She also eats every last ounce of whatever she pours, and her face looks like she's been rooting around in mud afterwards - too cute.

And crazy news on the Cora front - Buke actually WALKED with me holding her today.  Seriously - she took probably a good 6-8 steps (more like thumps, but still) while I was holding her hands, and she was smiling the whole time.  I actually just tried again (writing this on the 28th) today, and she wasn't as interested.  However, she definitely is capable!

This girl LOVES being in motion!

8/25 - GOOD NEWS!  We got the classmate assignments for UCUMC, and Kaitlyn is in Kate's class!!!!  We are thrilled about this obviously, as Kate is her best friend and they have SUCH a good time together.  Kate will definitely go to Bradford Prep next year, but we don't know about that since we'll have to enter the lottery.  Consequently, if this is the last year they are in school together, we wanted to ensure it was a fun one and that they made it count.

The afternoon was good.  Vol Nana left in the early afternoon, and while there were some tears (K was super brave), she rebounded quickly.  Mom and K had spent most of the morning swimming, and then Ry came home with K for a couple of hours.  They played really well together, decorating stuffed animals and even performing their own version of Sleeping Beauty (it was pretty cute).  Having Ry there (as well as the pool time) really was a life saver, as otherwise K would have been MENTAL once Vol Nana headed out.  Of course, she's already asking when Vol Nana is coming back...but at least there are no tears (and she's not yet started asking "How many minutes is it?" :-)).

Oh, and it's official - Cora has now pulled ALL THE WAY UP TO STANDING.  I mean...this kid is a force of nature...

8/26 - We spent the day on the lake today, hanging out at Sean's place.  We again availed of their AWESOME guest apartment, which always makes our lives SO much easier given the nap schedules and bedtimes for the 2 kids.  Everyone had a blast - especially K!  She got to play with her "best friend Sara," and they spent hours in the pool, diving for rings and swimming around.  Sara was great with her, and I do think they had fun.  Plus, their family has two puppies, so K was in Heaven. :-)

Also, this was a big night, as K and Cora slept in the same room for the first time ever!  K was really, really good about it.  She was super quiet, and she just crawled right into bed when it was her turn to head up.  And best of all - BOTH KIDS SLEPT UNTIL ALMOST 7!!!!  Cora has been sleeping increasingly longer and longer now that we've dropped the third nap - we are praying we've cracked the code!  Plus we think some of the teething has subsided, so that's a big win.

8/27 - So this was another really terrific day.  We had church in the morning (after donuts, baby), and then in the afternoon we spent about 90 minutes at the Sports Club pool.  I went down the slides with K, and we spent a good thirty minutes playing with the water gun.  I started throwing K in the pool, and I must have done it 40 times (not kidding).  It was a hoot, and she LOVED it.  She just kept saying, "Again, again!"  I mean, who can resist that?  Plus it was really fun.

One thing that was concerning - for the second day in a row, K mentioned that she had something crusty in her ear.  On Saturday, she just asked me to wipe it, which I did and all seemed instantly fine.  This evening, however, she complained of crustiness again, and her ear was sensitive to the touch.  We ended up giving her Advil, and it was clear that something wasn't right.  We both thought it was an ear infection, but the good news - crusty denoted that the tubes were working and draining, so that was a good thing.

8/28 - The house woke up at 7 AM today - Cora slept 12 hours!  That's the third straight MONEY BALL sleep we've had in a row!  We didn't wake up until K climbed in our bed at 7.

Unfortunately for K however, she didn't sleep great.  Our fears were confirmed when, upon inspecting her pillow, saw lots of discharge from her ear.  It's really an amazing thing to watch how tubes function, as it's CRAZY to think that, before this, all of that fluid was just accumulating within her middle ear.  No wonder she sometimes had trouble hearing us!

We made an appointment with the Peds as soon as they opened, and they confirmed that K does have an ear infection.  She's been in the water a ton lately, so perhaps it was just a matter of time.  The good news - both tubes are still in and working properly.  And so we have meds now, and the goal will to just keep her as comfortable as possible while the pain subsides.

K was so tired that she actually made a bed in the living room and fell asleep on Twink.  Poor girl was sleeping on her favorite stuffed animal.  It was heartbreaking.

Crazy that this would have been BEHIND her
ear if we didn't have the tubes in to drain it!

8/29 - So...tough night at the Taylor household.  For starters, Screamus called out at 12:30 or so and cried for about 30 min.  JT ended up going in there twice trying to soothe her, but she did finally settle.  Then, at 4:46 AM, I heard K saying, "Mommy....mommy...."  I went in there, and the poor girl was clearly distraught.  She was sitting up, somewhat afraid to move, and clearly in pain.  She had that deer in headlights look she gets when she's really uncomfortable, and you could tell that she was really in pain.  The doctor had told Jenny that it was quite an infection in there, and it must have finally manifested in totality during the night.  K was a FIRECRACKER - hottest I've ever felt her - and she didn't want anyone to touch or get near her ear.  The fluid was coming out so much that drops were pooling under her chin!  So we got her some ibuprofen, and I laid in bed with her until about 5:30. She still wasn't asleep, but at least the medicine was working and she was drowsy.

That was the first time both kids have ever cried out during the night, and needless to say I was dragging the next morning.  K was definitely in a lot of pain, and so we had to start mixing Tylenol with Advil.  However, she powered through, and Eli and Tessa were over in the evening, which definitely helped.  As long as we could keep her mind off it - movies, the Wii, etc - it was ok.  But by evening, it was clear she was really in pain.  We did manage to clean it later in the day, but it really hurt her anytime something touched it, so we had to be very delicate (at one point, K just laid on a washcloth so the warm water would slowly leech all the infection out).

20-30 min 2x daily like this while the
drops soaked in.  She was a trooper!

8/30 - K called out at 1 AM last night, but her fever had broken, and she did seem better.  She was still in pain and on the verge of tears, but you could tell that the discomfort wasn't all consuming.

Cora actually woke up fussy this morning.  She'd been pulling on her ears for the past few days, and we feared that she might have an ear infection as well.  Luckily, it was just teething (we took her to the Peds to be safe), but while at the Peds and looking at K again, they told us that K actually needed to keep her head tilted for 30 minutes after the drops to really let the medicine work.  Armed with that  new knowledge, we've started applying the drops in her ears during the morning and evening while she's watching her show.  She's been really good about keeping her head tilted (she keeps it on the arm of her chair), which to me is a sign of how much she's hurting.  Chewing is a problem for her, and she's been super emotional (likely due to exhaustion and pain).  I give her credit - she really is trying to be tough.  Proud of you, kid!

Because yard sale plastic is SOOO
good for you.

Oh, and in Cora news - she STOOD IN HER PRISON TODAY!!!  Seriously - I put her in the playpen for a bit, and I then look up to see her head above the walls, trying to touch the big red ball.  Are you kidding me!?!?!?!?  Craziness!

8/31 - So GOOD NEWS on the K front - she woke up this morning in MUCH better spirits.  She gave me the thumbs up (we say "thumbs high" - from Armageddon in case anyone's curious), and that's great news.  I will say that, speaking of thumb, she is now sucking her thumb at night again (we can hear it because it is SO LOUD), but I am not trying to police that right now.  The reality is that a) she isn't doing it at any other point in the day, b) we can't police it in her room anyway, c) she has been sick and is likely looking for comfort, and d) she passes out almost instantly anyway, so I think it's fine.  She has asked that we start closing her door at night, and I think it's so we don't see her doing it.  I don't mind this, however, as that closed door has equated to (on average) an extra hour of sleep each night for her, so it's a win-win as far as I'm concerned!

The bad news is on the Cora front - poor thing spiked a temp of 103.8 today!  We managed to get it down with some Tylenol, and obviously the poor thing didn't feel good.  Hopefully it will pass quickly, as that's the highest temp I've ever seen for either of our children.

But the temperature didn't tell the whole story....:-)  So JT went to UCUMC to meet K's teachers, leaving me with the girls.  It was time for Cora's standard 7 PM feed, and she took it down pretty well.  She was fussy, and it took a few starts and stops, but on the whole I felt good about her intake (about 8 oz).  She then started really fussing when I tried to give her ibuprofen, and it was WORK to get the syringe in her mouth.  And so, when I got it in there, I squirted the medicine quickly with the hope of just getting it into her system.  Historically, she has cried when I've done this, but it's always been fine.  Today, however, was my waterloo.

So I get the medicine into her mouth, and I think all is good.  Then, however, I notice her gagging a bit.  Two seconds later, there is PROJECTILE VOMIT spewing from her mouth.  Seriously - it was something out of a movie (not sure if it was a horror or comedy).  My shirt was covered.  Her bib was a pool of vomit.  And my shorts were soaked.  K witnessed the whole thing and said, "Dada, she threw up a lot!  You'll have to tell mama!"

It's like the toddler version of Bane...

And then, about 2 minutes later, ROUND 2!!!!  She again SPEWED LIKE A VOLCANO, sending a waterfall of vomit down the couch (and yes, I did give her a bath...which was crazy since JT had bathed her an hour before).
Dear readers, it was about the most disgusting thing I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.  And the funniest part?  I still haven't bothered to resolve the couch, and the stain is EPIC.  But the good news, I did get 7 oz in her, and she slept like a champ that night.

So there you have it - August in the books.  Honestly, this feels like the end of a major chapter - our first summer with 2 kids, and the last time K won't be in school 5 days a week.  I feel like we have made it count, and I am proud of our efforts.  I am also absolutely EXHAUSTED and ready for school to be back in session. :-)  Truth be told, I think it's a good thing for all of us, as it will help us build a schedule, give JT and I more time to focus on various and sundry things around the house (as well as exercise and other stuff), give me some additional bonding time with Cora, and give K more great opportunities to learn and grow in a faith based environment.

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

Love,

Sam and Jenny

Growing girls, great friends, and God encounters - A July to remember...

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

Age of Lady Cora:  7 months, 9 days

Family,

And a good afternoon to you from the Queen City, where another wonderful July is in the books.
Let's get amongst it and start recapping the festivities, shall we?

7/1 - So this day was a little tougher than expected, but it was still fantastic.  The plan was to get JT and the Rice's to the Whitewater center early, and I was going to join them in the afternoon.  Well, I did make it about 1, but the heat index was 96, and K was in full on meltdown almost instantly due to the heat (she was so tired and was bawling, plus she could barely walk in the flip flops she'd picked out.  Luckily I'd brought tennis shoes as well).  Cora couldn't get comfortable either (just no circulation in the stroller, and by 3 PM I had to get them out of there.  That being said, they were really pretty good, and we did get to have some fun with bubbles and Go Pup (plus K got a hot dog...a piece of which she ate off the Pump House floor...details).

Two moments stick out for me.  At one point I was feeding Cora and had taken my eyes off K.  I look over, and she is RIGHT AT THE EDGE OF CLASS 3 WHITEWATER LOOKING IN.  I quickly got her back, and admittedly there are 49,000 people watching that water, but still - I almost freaked out.

The other moment was at the Deep Water Solo wall.  K has suddenly started saying "Oh My Gosh" (and I think has even taken the Lord's name in vain a few times), and I have warned her several times that I only want to hear "Oh My Goodness."  Well, she let "Gosh" slip again at the wall, and when I corrected her (rather sternly this time), she just broke down into tears.  It was NOT pretty.  But since then I've only heard one slip up, so that's improvement!

7/2 - Today was a great day to just reset and reward K for being so good and so patient over the weekend.  After church (where she got ice cream), we hung out for a bit at the house before spending 2 hours at the pool.  JP brought Ryann and Eli over, and of course K had a BLAST swimming with her.  Those two hours passed quickly, and for me, it was just such a GREAT reset, as it allowed me to relax.  For some reason, I had been torqued up all day, and that pool time (as well as the run that followed) really helped me reset my priorities and clear my head.  THANK YOU, FATHER!!!

On the Cora front, it is AMAZING how good she's sitting up now.  She can really sit for extended periods (this evening was the longest I'd ever seen), and she's even transitioning from sitting to crawling now!  It feels like daily she's hitting milestones and growing in leaps and bounds - truly amazing.

7/3 - So today was a great day, largely because it just felt so relaxed.  We didn't have plans, and after such a fantastic (and busy) weekend, it was good to just reset.  I actually slept in until almost 8 AM!

K was really tired in the morning, but she rallied big time in the afternoon.  JT filled the little kiddie pool, and she spent the afternoon splashing around in it and playing with the little puppy sprinkler.  JT and Cora got some time outside as well, and then I fed Cora and stayed with her while JT and K went to NOMAD (K was THRILLED about the chance to go to Child Watch :-)).

Cora ate AMAZING for me today, just like yesterday.  And I'm not talking about formula, as she's actually eating less of that (still about 6.5 oz per feed, but the third feed is usually a bit of a struggle). I am talking about solids, as she is TORCHING THAT right now.  Both yesterday and today she took 2 cubes of sweet potatoes with some oatmeal mixed in to thicken it.  And she started apples today!  So far she's had banana (on the 30th I think) and apples in the fruit category, and she hasn't loved either of them.  I think sweet potatoes are her favorite at present.  You should see how excited she gets in her seat and how wide she opens that mouth!

Her little personality is really coming out now, and we are getting lots more squeals, screams, smiles, and howler monkey moments (I should just put a vocal track of her on this site so you can hear it).  It's hilarious!

7/4 - So today was a GREAT day for every member of Team Taylor.  I got 4 hours of running the trails at Crowders in the morning, while the girls walked in the 4th of July parade and then had THREE HOURS at the pool!  I only stopped by to collect Cora, but K looked to be having a BLAST playing with Ry.  They were jumping off the side, then later diving off the side (against the rules), and then swimming and playing all over the place.  JT said that K was even mixing it up with the older kids who were roughhousing on an inner tube.  Way to go, K!

After quiet time (both girls napped), we rolled over to casa de Williams, where we had a great meal and the kids had a blast playing together.  They were dressing up, running around the yard, building obstacle course in the loft - you name it.  It was too cute watching them in action.

I left with Cora about 8:15 (she was fussy, tired, and wasn't eating), but JT took K to see the fireworks.  Luckily she had noise cancelling headphones, but it was still apparently an EPIC disaster. The fireworks must have been a) too loud and b) scared her to death, as JT said it was ROUGH.  That's 2 years in a row where fireworks have been a disaster, so perhaps we'll look for a quiet spot to chill next year. :-)  Even that evening was a special moment, as K requested the Dohm due to all the fireworks around the house!  JT had tried to give it to her when we tucked her in, but she said no.  Two minutes later, however, we hear, "DOHM!"  Too cute...oh, and K hasn't had a bath in 2 days despite playing like a CHAMPION and swimming like a dolphin.  She's starting to take after her father clearly...

7/5 - So 2 interesting points for Cora to note. First off, when reading her board books, she is ALL ABOUT trying to eat them at present.  More importantly, however, when reading Go, Dogs, Go - I have noticed that she is amazed at the page that has the red stoplight.  Well, interestingly enough, Beka had commented this past weekend that Orange and Red are the first two colors babies see.  It's so crazy to watch the development truly right before your eyes!  She really was fixated on that color and spot in the book like no other.  And on the reading front, I'm proud to report that's now operationalized.  I am reading 2 books to her every time I put her down, and she seems to enjoy it so far.

Second thing about the Scream - she is sucking her big toe now!  I mean, this girl skipped the pacifier and her thumb and went straight to something out of a Cirque show - hilarious!

The funny story for K today - about 3:20, JT "lost track of her in the house."  Well, come to find out, she was in her bed, propped up on Big Bear as a pillow, PASSED OUT.  Her thumb was in her mouth, and she was snoring like a banshee.  We woke her since it was so late (she prob got a 20 min power nap), and I did get to cuddle with her and tickle her for a bit, so that was fun (she's at Childwatch with JT as I type this).

7/6 - Mad props to JT today, as she and K "made slime" to compensate for the slime from Summer Camp that K accidentally let dry out.  It's actually really cool - you take glue and food coloring, mix them somehow, and voila - it looks like a pink Slimer has descended upon your house.  Way to go, Wife Muffin!  I have to give her TONS of credit, as it takes a special mommy to keep coming up with ways to entertain the munchkin!

This was also a great day because Kate and her family were back from Disney, and so they got a good hour plus playing together.  Kate walked in and said, "where is the red ball?"  (it was in the bonus room).  They were super cute playing together, crawling around like kitties and getting on like a house on fire of course.  It warms my heart, as I was worried about them staying in contact over the summer.  However, they seem to be doing great and still playing well together, so I am feeling good about their connection through the summer and back into pre-school.

7/7 - not a lot to report today, but Lindsey came over with the kids, and they played with K while JT and Lindsey got a little break.  We've actually seen them a lot this summer, and that's been really great.  K and Ry are playing great together, and K's getting a ton of terrific social interaction with the boys as well.  I know that it gives Lindsey and Jenny a break as well, so it's truly a win-win.  God blessed us when he put us in line beside them at the Sports Club during Santa's visit - truly amazing!

7/8 - TODAY IS OUR ELEVEN YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!!!  How did that happen?  Let me take a moment to just say that I live with three of the most amazing women on the planet, and one in particular.  Jenny - I love you SO MUCH and just can't believe I get to do life with you every single day.  Going to sleep and waking up beside you (to say nothing for everything in between) is such a blessing, and I want you to know how much I love you and treasure every day we share together here on Regal court with these kids (and everywhere else as well, of course :-)).  

Wife.  Best Friend.  Soul Mate.
I LOVE THIS WOMAN!!!!!

The day was a lot of fun - we spent about 3 hours at the Sports Club pool with the Williams clan, and I got to see K go down the slide for the first time ever!  She loved it - even went down on her tummy (feet first) a few times!  She was a rock star and swam HARD the entire time, and I even got some of her dedicated time (but most was with Ry of course :-)) in the pool.

Cora actually had her first pouch this day, and she LOVED it!  She was really cute in the water, and I got to swim with her about 45 minutes or so.  I think she really does love the pool, which is AWESOME.

Oh, so Jenny and I had date night that night.  Well, the sitter rocks up about 5:30, and all is well.  We give her the instructions, and then we take off with K bawling in the background.  We hear nothing, so we assume all is well.  Well, we rock up about 11, and our poor sitter (cute as a button, but only 13 - first time managing both of our munchkins) says that Cora didn't even EAT her last bottle, and they put her down just 30 min after waking her up!  She even called her father over, and he tried to feed her, but to no avail.  JT and I were worried that Cora would wake up (suboptimal considering that we'd been drinking), but unbelievably she slept until 5:45!  That is a MIRACLE!!!!  THANK YOU, FATHER!!!!  It was a great (but expensive) night - we won't have too many of those!  Oh, and to wrap up the story - when we got Cora that following morning, she was still in the sleep sack (vs. PJ's), and the diaper was on backwards.  But hey - they were alive, unharmed, and slept through the night, so no complaints here. :-)

7/9 - We started butternut squash for Cora today (props to JT for cooking and pureeing it!), and I think she liked it.  Honestly, that girl really seems to love her solids.  You thicken it up a bit with some oatmeal, and you are good to go!

Another note for Cora - she has been simply ADORABLE lately with her giggles.  She's almost transitioned to full blown laughter at this point - too cute!

7/10 - The next summer camp started today:  "Things That Go" at UCUMC.  It takes some work, but you can usually confirm a) the topic, b) who she played with, and c) what the snack was (she ALWAYS remembers that part).

Now the funny part - I may not have mentioned "nudie bootie," but if I have not - it's basically what you sing when you are naked in the house.  Yes, it usually involves you mooning someone.  Yes, Kaitlyn and I have both run around naked at the same time and mooned Cora and JT.  Yes - we have done this more than once.

Well, on this day, Kaitlyn runs in after camp and says, "Dada, I sang Nudie Bootie to the teacher today!"  Um....excuse me?  I asked if she did, and she was fairly adamant that she had.  She said that the teacher laughed.  However, she then told JT that she showed her meningning while singing it, at which point I decided she was probably pulling my leg.  Let's hope so at least!

But some good news to report - she can pretty much brush her teeth on her own, and she's wiping much better when she poops.  Apparently she's been successful several times at preschool, so that's a big win!  Credit to JT, as she's the one who's been helping her with her technique. :-)

Also, we played volleyball in the foyer today with a beach ball, and K LOVED it.  It was really fun, and she made some good contact!  JT remembered mom talking about how much fun we'd have with the wide foyer, and she wasn't kidding, as moments like that were EXACTLY what she was talking about (and the memories we form from those moments).

7/11 - Cora is UP ON THOSE KNEES!  That girl is already moving good, but she's about to be crawling at LIGHT SPEED.  Seriously - she is poised to go at any moment.

Today was a cute one for the girls, as it was Cow Appreciation Day at Chick-Fil-A.  They wore white shirts and put black spots (construction paper) on them, and as a thank you for dressing like a cow, they all got free food! Love that place (and the pics!).

7/12 - Cora was truly laughing this evening, and I was laughing at Jenny making her laugh.  Why, you ask?  Because Wife Muffin was straight pinching that poor girls nipples to make her laugh - HILARIOUS!  I am telling you - #PARENTSOFTHEYEAR.

Oh, and K has truly gone thug life on us.  She is running around all the time now saying, "Yeah, Yo!" I simply must watch what I say in front of this child.  Oh, and did I mention that she can now do the entire course of Country Grammar by Nelly?  You should hear her sing (the clean version, mind you) "Going down down, baby, yo' street in a range rover..." - it is absolutely priceless, and she knows EVERY WORD.  The "light it up and take a puff, pass it to me now" is particularly heartwarming...

7/13 - I got to accompany Kaitlyn to karate today, where I saw her perform a formal technique!  It was pretty cute watching her do blocks, punches, and kicks. It was SUPER HOT in there, but she rallied when the lollipops came out at the end. :-)  I got some good video of her practicing technique - pretty cute.

Also, K read to Cora tonight, and it was SO SWEET!  She read 10 little fairies, and she really does have a lot of it memorized!  This was an amazing moment to me, as I remembered all of the times I read that book to her, adding in sound effects and speaking really slowly (and using hand gestures) to a) improve her language retention and b) more importantly, make the moment last longer with her in my lap.  What is funny as she reads it now - some of them she gets exactly right, and when she gets the page and the number right, she always says, "that rhymes!"  I don't think she's yet realized that they all in fact do rhyme - details.  It's cuter listening to her do it her way.

Also, the evening "run out ritual" is firmly established now.  I have to go into my room, turn my back to the door, and get on the balls of my feet, pretending to listen for K.  She then sneaks into the room and runs between my legs.  I tell her every night that I will get her this time, but somehow she continues to elude me.  :-)

7/15 - Today was a SUPER busy day for Team Taylor, but we had a blast.  Let's start with the biggest news - K got ready ALL BY HERSELF!!!!  This was amazing - she picked out her outfit, brushed her teeth, and even brushed her hair!  She's done most of that before, albeit usually with a little help or supervision.  Today, however, she just rolled downstairs like it was nothing.  Proud of you, kid!!!

The mid-morning saw Kaelin come over for a visit, during which time they played in the bonus room and were GREAT together.  K has really been social lately, and it's been wonderful to see.  She and Ry always have fun, but she's also had a blast with Tessa and is starting to interact a lot more with Kaelin (too bad she's leaving soon, but she's just going to Skybrook, so they will still be close for play dates).  And the social hour kept on rolling Saturday afternoon, as she had 2+ hours at Ray's Splash Planet for Claire and Lucy's joint birthday party.

Jenny took her (I stayed at home with Coda), but JT said she swam HARD and played like a champion.  They played in the lazy river and must have had an absolute blast.  Lightning forced them out of the water a little before the planned end of the session, but that worked out well because they got the chance to shower before church (it was funny, because K didn't realize that a "shower counts as a bath", so she thought she had to bathe again when she got home.  Too cute. :-)).

Church was great (they prayed over the mission team in Haiti), and then afterwards I stayed around for the "end of summer party" in the Freedom House parking lot.  They had several inflatables, hot dogs, temporary tattoos, and even ice pops for the kids.  As usual, FH did a great job, and K enjoyed herself quite a bit (even though she was quite tired and it was a bit rainy).  She got on the "young kids" inflatable twice, but then she set her sights on the big kid/adult inflatable.  This puppy was a monster - 4 huge red balls that you had to jump across - and I will be honest and say that I was afraid she would hurt herself on it.  However, she did AWESOME!!

K surveying the rapids - future kayaker in training.

The first time she tried, she didn't clear the first ball, but she had a smile on her face and immediately wanted to do it again.  The second time she jumped and didn't quite land on top of the ball, but she REFUSED to drop - talk about Black Belt effort!  I said, "just let go, sweetheart," but she shook me off and then proceeded to dig in and pull herself up!  It was AWESOME to watch - she was really switched on and engaged that desire to succeed, and I was well and truly impressed.  Proud of my munchkin!

7/16 - K had swim lessons this afternoon, and she must have crushed it!  JT said that she did great, and even K was excited to tell me about doing breast stroke kicks.  She said that Mr. Brandyn said her freestyle was excellent, and apparently the backstroke is really coming along - just need to keep the belly up.  Way to go, K!

7/17 - Kaitlyn started VBS today, and I think she's really enjoying it.  They have a different color shirt they need to wear every day, and she's learning some dance routines, memory verses, and songs (I get to hear them sporadically in the afternoon and evening).

On the Cora front, she is really up on her knees now and ready to go at ANY minute.  She is sitting MUCH better these days and can really keep her torso upright.  Also, when she wants to go from sitting to crawling, she can now transfer on her own and start moving (without clanging her head).  She's still army crawling, but when she stands on my lap she can now support her entire body weight.  I still hold her for balance, of course, but I expect she'll be pulling up in the not too distant future.  The good news - I just did another sweep, and we are still baby proofed. :-)

Cora is blowing raspberries all the time now, and she's truly laughing when you tickle her!  She is giving us tons of smiles - especially when Kaitlyn or Jenny walk into the room.  She watches both of them SO intently.  K has continued to be great with her, always wanted to hold her, read to her, or watch her to make sure she doesn't get into trouble. :-)  K has actually taken it one step further and now likes to pretend she too is an infant, so we are spending a considerable amount of time with "pretend I'm a baby..."  This takes many forms, but K seems to enjoy it.

For Cora, the schedule is now pretty well entrenched.  Basically, she's up at 6:15, down at 8:30, up at 10:30, down at 1, up at 3, down at 5:30, and up at 6:30, with true bed time being 8:30.  She's in a sleep sack for all but the last one, at which point she's in long sleeve PJ's.  She's continuing to use her sleep sack as her pacifier, which means it is SOAKED AND DISGUSTING by the end of the day.  Seriously - we are rotating them daily, and we could pretty much do three a day if we wanted to.

Oh, and K's quote of the month:  She knows that I'm heading on a mission trip, and we've told her that I'm going to Haiti.  Well, that's not how she heard it, and she keeps saying, "Dada is going on a mission trip to Hades."  I tried to explain that I wasn't going to Hades, but that opened up a whole discussion about Hades, and the weather in Hades, and why I don't want to go there, and who is there, etc.  So as far as she's concerned, my mission trip is to the Underworld.  Quality.

Another generally cute comment - K has started saying, "You stinker!"  Clearly we say that more than we realize, as she's throwing it out all the time now.  It's adorable.  "You stinker!  You forgot my milk!"  "You stinker, you forgot to wipe Cor Cor!"  I mean, pretty much any occasion is an appropriate use.  Oh, and the other day JT told her she was going to DPK, and K yelled back, "That is MONEYBALL!!!!"  I mean, I am training these kids right. :-)

7/18 -  on the Cora front, she actually pushed up from crawling to sitting today!  I still haven't seen it (almost did on 7/20), but JT has seen it multiple times.  EXCITING!!!!  That girl is getting CRAZY strong - it won't be long before she's pulling up on furniture, and after that - LOOK OUT.

7/19 - So today was another good day for the fam.  K had VBS, and then she got the chance to play with Tessa and Eli for most of the afternoon (Liz had stopped by to bring JT a gift from the DR).  It is SO CUTE to watch them play together, and I really do feel like K is continuing to come out of her shell.  She was expressive and talkative, and her imagination is truly starting to take flight (lots of "now pretend I'm the mean guy...").  There was a cute moment when Eli wanted to play one thing and K wanted to play another.  Each one took turns saying, "No, I want to play XXX," followed by the other then responding with their preference.  I heard it go through three or four cycles before I returned to work - not sure where they landed, but the good news is that they are learning how to play together and communicate, as well as (hopefully) respect one another's preferences.   Plus, it was just pretty darn cute to listen to the conversation (they played together GREAT in the Bonus Room).

That evening was a visit to the Fire Station for the annual Freedom House Serve/Muster Event.  I was covering for Lindsey and had both the kids in tow, but PRAISE JESUS they were really good.  K was whiny out of the gate, but once we got some food in her (cake, hot dogs, Doritos, etc), she was good to go.  She met a new friend (Christina), and they were SUPER cute playing together.  They were playing a lot of hide and seek in the fire house (in safe spots, of course).

And Christina was a HUGE help keeping Cora calm, as I didn't get to feed her until 8 PM (an hour later than normal).  It was miraculous how calm they both were through it all, and I felt that a spirit of peace was truly at work over the Taylor family during that window!  K and I got to do the bucket brigade and fire up the hose, and Cora was great the whole time in her infant carrier (amazing, right?).

Bedtime was LATE that night - 9 pm for Koda and 9:24 for the Sneetch.  But hey, we got there...even if Cora woke up at 5:20...

7/20 - So here I am - last post until my first ever mission trip to Haiti.  I am admittedly writing this in a rush given everything I've got to do between now and this time 12.5 hours from now when I wake up, but I didn't want to leave the moment and the emotions without capture.  I am SO EXCITED about this trip.  I will miss my girls terribly (have never been away from them this long except JT, and even then it's been 2009 since we've had this long a separation), but I know they are in good hands (I will be off the grid the entire time, so I won't even be able to email).  The emotions are many and varied, with anticipation and excitement being chief among them.  Also, I am looking forward to resting and restoring my mind, body, and soul.  I am looking forward to the unplug, the focus on God, and the chance to vision cast about me, my family, and our future.  I feel I've been a pretty good hubby lately but only a decent father, focused more on tasks and discipline than achieving the right balance.  And try as I may, I've been unable to right the ship with regularity.  I'm hoping this time will help me look inward and make me a better parent, helping me to think about what it truly means to guide, guard, and govern in this present world we live in.  Obviously that's not my primary motivation for going (that would be serving Christ and the people of Haiti), but I definitely think it will be an ancillary benefit.

Okay - going dark until at least 7/29.  Love to my girls.  See you on the other side of a God Encounter.

7/29 - I'M BACK, BABY!!!!!  Now, I am struggling a bit since I picked up a virus in Haiti that's left me in the bathroom quite over the past two days, but the good news - I am on the mend!

Seriously - the last week was incredible, and I have a separate blog of my time (as well as the team's of course) at www.crosspointministries.org.  If you click on the Haiti blog, you'll see my handiwork.

As for JT, Cora, and K, they had a blast.  For starters, the weekend I left was a hoot, as JT's friend Julie came up to visit.  Julie and her family had never been to CLT, so they visited as part of a road trip that also hit Savannah.  They had about 36 hours here and really made it count - Romare Bearden park in Uptown seemed to be the highlight (mini splash pads and misters helped given that it was about 142 degrees in the shade).

The week saw them all down at the Tacy's, and then I returned to find Kim, Matt, and James at the house.  It was James' second birthday on Saturday, and we had a little get together with the fam.  K LOVED the cake (there was vanilla and chocolate - #bestdayever), and K even had a present from Nole Nana and Grandpa (all the way from Pure Michigan).  I was exhausted and sick, but I was able to hold it together until I hit the sack about 8 PM (party animal).

7/30 - "Ank it, dada!"  So I love this quote.  Basically, when I'm brushing K's hair into a pony tail, I now know that you need to hold the ponytail as you brush so that you can catch all the fly-aways.  Well, as all that pulling sometimes hurts her scalp (same with de-tangling), I try and "anchor her hair" while I brush.  I usually ask if she wants me to "ank it," and now she's actually started proactively telling me to do that.  It's pretty cute.  Taylor Base Camp vernacular, baby!

K has been really, really sweet this weekend.  She has wanted to cuddle and snuggle all day, and I have obviously LOVED that.  Love that kid!  Cora, however, wants nothing to do with snuggles.  She just wants to crawl!

Speaking of the Scream and crawling, that girl is almost at a full crawl now!  She will sit up with a straight back for extended periods of time, and she's even hat meat in a jar at this point!  The girl loves her solids more than formula, and it's actually getting tougher and tougher to give her formula.  That being said, the first feed is good, the middle two feeds poor, but the last feed is EPIC.  That kid ALWAYS sucks down the last bottle of the day - seemingly in increasingly record time!  Also, she's now at 2 cubes of food (plus oatmeal or rice cereal for thickening) 3x daily.  This girl can put it away!  She is so excited when she sees the spoon and the solid food bowl - hilarious!

7/31 - Last day of summer camp kicked off today!  This one is our first Highland Creek camp: Little Scientists - creature feature.  I must say that JT and I were really, really impressed (I'm typing this after her last day of camp), as the crafts were good, K had a blast, and best of all - it was 2/3 of a mile from the house!

Okay, that is July in the books.  Over to August for us - speak in a month!

Love,

Sam and Jenny