Bluebonnets, 2010

The bluebonnets this year have been amazing because of all the rain we have been blessed with.  Last year, we took professional pictures with my family in the bluebonnets.  So, of course, I wanted to make sure that we got some pictures of little missy in the flowers this year, too.  The challenging part was that I had to do the pictures by myself.  My new camera can do a lot of things, but it can't corral a 21 month old!  So, out of 107 pictures in 10 minutes, I only got a few that are decent.  Oh, well!

This picture is characteristic of many of my photographs from this session. . .Cora, walking away!

Trying her best to smile into the sun.

If I asked her to smell the flowers, I was able to get her to be (relatively) still for a moment.  I just couldn't get her to look at the camera and be still!

My favorite picture.  I caught my breath when I saw this one. . .of course, I'm a little biased!  

I'm thinking afternoon sun would have been a little better for these pictures.  Next year, I plan on taking her after she gets up from her nap. . . And, I'm bringing John to help corral her!!

First Haircut

Really, is there anything more traumatizing than the first haircut?  You're in a strange place; you're wearing strange garments; a stranger person is coming at you with SCISSORS!

Cora is at that stage where her hair is beginning to grow out and fill in.  But, it's still wispy and fine and kind of shapeless.  So, I got the brilliant idea to take her to get some bangs cut.  Naturally, Cora was her usual easy going self.  wink! She actually was quite happy at first.  She played with the toys.  She was excited about the 'teevees.'  But, it rapidly went downhill after that.  I ended up having to sit in the chair with her.  And, while she wasn't thrashing as much as she was during the playground/first aid incident, she didn't make the process any easier for the stylist!  Fortunately, it was over very quickly.

Appeased and posing for the camera with a straight fringe.

Easter Finery

I'm finally getting around to posting pictures from Easter.  I promised a certain Yia Yia that I would have pictures of Cora in her cute little dress and her white patent leather Easter shoes.
Cora and Daddy

As you can see, Cora was so excited to be having her picture taken!

I love this little dress.  This was a shower gift that I got almost 2 years ago.  I was so disappointed when I saw what size it was.  I was so afraid that she wouldn't ever get to wear it because if Tiny-Might were 'average size,' she would have grown into it in December.  But, yippee-skippee, it still fits!! Don't be surprised if you see her in it quite often!

Cora and Mommy.

Not sure why I look so goofy, but I love the smile on little missy's face!  We hope you had fun getting all decked out in your Easter best!

Dear Lizard,

Clearly, this was your first experience with a toddler.  I commend you for your bravery.  You fearlessly held your ground as the deceptively quick, albeit chubby little fingers came toward you.  Know that your bright green coloring and just-right sized body make you the perfect target for a curious 21 month old.  Thank you for not letting go your tail and forever scarring my little scientist.  You wriggled just enough to surprise the chubby fingers into releasing you.  But, after the shock wore off, you must know that she was pretty proud of herself.  You may not escape so easily the next time.  Consider yourself warned!
Love,
 and 

Ice Pop

Cora likes to eat ice.  The other day when we were driving back home after a weekend away, I managed to keep her entertained by feeding her ice chips for the last 20 miles.  Like mother, like daughter!  Cora will be moving on to Sonic beverages in no time!

The ice cream truck came by again, and miracle of miracles, John had cashola.  So, we tried out scribblers.  It's a popsicle in the shape of a crayon.  Girlfriend took to it like a champ.  Like mother, like daughter!

A Dud Day

Thursday was our last day in Houston.  Since my researching was pretty minimal and my desire to research further was even less, we ended up at Hermann Park. . .next to the zoo and children's museum!  When I read 'playground for all abilities,' I thought it sounded magical and fantastic.  Turns out, it was pretty much just a regular old playground.  So, after battling Houston traffic and approximately 17 million cars and school buses for what amounted to about 20 parking spaces, I was a little disappointed.  And, because this was the way Thursday was going to go, Cora promptly skinned her knee and bled all over the playground!  Imagine my chagrin at having to tell the other mothers to have their kids watch out for my child's blood all over the slide.  For some reason, we had the playground to ourselves shortly thereafter! Hmm, weird!  Nothing like chasing after a bleeding toddler who is oblivious to the pain only to realize that you don't have any semblance of anything like a first aid kit.  I ended up bodily restraining a thrashing toddler who was still trying to figure out why I grabbed her off of the playground while I held a wet wipe to her profusely bleeding knee.  Good times!  I did manage to get a few pictures of the fun.

Up and down the slide.  Repeat ad infinitum.

Driving in Houston traffic.

In the tunnel.

After we'd exhausted the possibilities of the toddler park, I wanted to take Cora to ride the train.  I was sure she would love it.  She was so excited when she saw it coming.  We were making choo choo sounds and pointing and waving.  It was all smiles and unicorns until we actually got on the train.  She got so upset!  She was crying and screaming "Nokay! Nokay!"  (For those new to Cora vernacular, she made up the word 'nokay.'  It is the opposite of 'okay.'  Clever, no?!)  Suddenly I was having flashbacks to the zoo.  So, I shoved a paci in her mouth and held it there until she calmed down.  (Yes, I did force her to ride the train!  I'm mean like that!!)  She actually seemed to enjoy it after a while.  But, that doesn't mean she wasn't ready to get off when it was over.  So, Hermann Park gets no thumbs up.  Now, Houston people, here's my question:  Is the Downtown Aquarium worth the money?  I thought about going there, but it didn't seem like it would be that interesting for Cora, and I didn't want to spend that much money and chance her screaming 'nokay!' at all the sweet little fishies.  What do you think?

Houston Children's Museum

On Wednesday, Cora and I put on our big girl pants and again braved Houston traffic.  We were headed downtown (sort of) to the Children's Museum.  (Seriously, is learning to be rude and inconsiderate part of driver's ed in Houston??!!)  The aggravation was well worth it when we got there.  Y'all, if you're in Houston, the museum is awesome!

Cora had a blast because she could touch everything!  Most of the stuff was a little over her head conceptually, but she still had fun interacting (in her own way) with the exhibits.  Here are some of the highlights from the 'big kid' sections.

Then, we discovered the outdoor water area.  

She got soaked!  There was a huge bucket that as it got full would tip over and spill out all of its water.  The kids could aim water guns at this bucket in order to fill it up.  But, the water guns weren't calibrated correctly, and much of the water would shoot over the bucket to where Cora was standing.  She LOVED it!  

Here she is getting wet and screaming "OOH! Wayo (water)!"

After prying her soaked little body away from the wayo, we went up to the 3rd floor where they have a 35 months and under play area.  Super cool!!  Cora had a blast up there.

Sliding on a slide that is just her size.

Driving the car and honking the horn.  (She must know she's driving in Houston! ; )

Climbing and playing with toys.

Cora and I give the Houston Children's Museum 2 thumbs up!

A Little Family Vacation (of Sorts)

Last week John attended a safety training in Houston.  Since Cora and I had precious little on our social calendars, we decided to tag along.  (Well, not for the training part.  It was about electrical safety and was pretty gruesome at that!  Nothing will scare you into following OSHA guidelines like watching videos of people getting electrocuted!  But, I digress. . .)

What Cora and I did do was take in the kid friendly sites of Houston.  After a little research, we decided that we would spend Tuesday at the Houston Zoo.  I love to get my zoo on (lame, couldn't help it!), but for some reason, I wasn't expecting too much from this zoo.  Thankfully, I was pleasantly surprised.  We got to the zoo shortly after it opened, and because it wasn't yet too hot, most of the really cool animals were still out.

And, for some reason, most of the animals were still asleep!  But, it was really neat to see a lion that close.  In fact, I am positive that this was the closest I have ever been to a cheetah.  If I had a little bit longer arms, I could have tickled that cheetah's ears!

Cora and I were also thrilled to discover that the Houston Zoo has her new favorite bird, the amango (flamingo).  She got a big wide-eyed look on her face when she saw them.  She said "Ooh! Amango!" over and over.  So cute!

After the amangos, we moseyed on over to the children's zoo.  We tried to participate in storytime, but Cora was too distracted by a big puddle of water.  So, we blew off some steam at the playground.

On the go, that one is!  

After we ate lunch, we finished off our visit in the primate area.  (Cora got to see her amangos, so it's only fair that I get to see my monkeys!)  Too bad she was DONE for the day!  Girlfriend was so tired, and did I mention that she gets CRANKY when she's tired?!  She gets it from John! ; )  

What is this picture, you ask?  Well, see that tiny green speck toward the middle of the picture?

That's Cora's paci that she chunked into the monkey cage.  I would like to tell you that she was being selfless and kind to the baby monkey that we were looking at.  I would like to tell you that I was not the parent who was pushing her screaming child around the zoo.  I would like to tell you that my child never throws tantrums in public much less in the privacy of our own home.  And, I surely would like to tell you that she did not throw her paci in the enclosure in defiance to me.  But, if one thing is exceedingly clear to me, it is that Cora has a mind of her own! And, clearly, I do not get to tell you any of the above things. We left shortly thereafter!! Cora has already been to other zoos in her short life, but this is the first time she really seemed to get something out of the experience.  So, despite how it ended, it was definitely a fun day!

First Easter Egg Hunt

Cora has her daddy wrapped around her cute little finger!  She melts his heart every time she yells "Daddy!" when he comes in our front door.  So, her daddy wanted to make sure he did her first Easter egg hunt up right.  And, to John, that means dyeing our own Easter eggs.  As soon as Cora went down for her nap, we set up a chemistry lab in the kitchen.  And, we successfully dyed 18 easter eggs.  Then, it was just a waiting game for Cora to wake up.  John was pretty eager to set up the hunt for sweet baby girl.  So, as soon as she showed any signs of life after her nap, he ran outside to act as the Easter bunny.

She was pretty unsure about the whole event at first, but pretty soon she got into it.  She would make a cute little face every time she would find an egg.  It was a lot of fun!

(Yes, she is clutching two graham crackers.  We could not get her to put them down!)

This purple egg was my favorite one.  I like how it is speckled pink and blue.  

Cora with her Easter treasures!

Jesus is Risen!

¹On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. ²They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, ³but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. ⁴While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. ⁵In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead? ⁶He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ⁷'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' " ⁸Then they remembered his words.
Luke 24:1-8

Joyous Easter from our family to yours!

Coloring (Way) Outside the Lines

When you're an on-the-go kind of girl, things like drawing and coloring are not that high on your priority list.  Cora is just now becoming interested in those fine motor type activities.  We decided to get her little table out so she could put a masterpiece down on paper.

The funny part is that she never actually drew on the paper.  She picked up the crayons and put them down.  She attempted to color on the crayons.  She even managed to get a stroke or two on the coffee table!  But, on the paper, nada!  Hah!  One of these days we'll get there!