Holiday Decorating 3 Year Old Style

Last Christmas season Cora was just awestruck at all the Christmas decorations around town.  It was the first year that she really began to feel some of the magic of the season.  So, John and I decided that this year, in addition to our family Christmas tree, the girls would get their own tree for their room.  Cora and I ventured to the store shortly after Thanksgiving to pick out her very own tree.  Boy was she disappointed when they were out of the sparkly pink tree!  (And, boy was John relieved!)  Fortunately, the sparkly white tree was almost as alluring as the pink one she originally wanted.  We got it set up that very day with some shiny garland (a necklace, according to a certain 3 year old), some shatterproof sparkly ornaments, a couple of glittery C's and some random unbreakable ornaments that didn't make it onto the family tree.  (Clearly, she has the same taste as her mother at age 3!)

 This was very fun, but not quite festive enough.  So, (not so) little missy got to pick out some colored lights to string up in her room as well.  It is a sparkly, glittery winter wonderland in there!  Cora is just in love with it.  Every morning her first task is to turn on her Christmas lights.  She just loves that she is big enough to turn them on and off herself.

And, with her new found enthusiasm, I can't wait to see her face when one of her presents appears under her tree on Christmas morning.  Hee, hee!  I may be a little giddy myself!

(Someone wanted some attention during the photo shoot.)

We also have a little tradition around these here parts about our Christmas ornaments.  Every year, we get new ornaments that commemorate the places we go and the things we do.  I only ended up purchasing one ornament this go around, but I do love the memories that go with it.

It's a T Rex from the Smithsonian.  I made it a bit merrier with the ribbon and jingle bells.  He's the jauntiest little T Rex I've ever seen...don't tell his buddies!

It's also our tradition that our kids get an ornament every year.  Here are the winning selections:

Buddy T Rex

Perdita

I'll wager you can figure out who picked which ornament!  So, we are festive and merry all over our house.  Now, if I can just get those Christmas cards finished!

And, Speaking of Those Nightmares.....

.....Let me tell you about Halloween.

We weren't really sure how Cora was going to handle Halloween this year.  Last year, she flat out refused to put on her costume for trick-or-treating.  She was completely unfazed by the fact that other children were dressed up and coming to our door to get candy.  Remember, this is the alien child of mine who doesn't really care about candy.  So, when we realized that we would be in Virginia over Halloween, I didn't really put that much effort into her costume.  I figured she would be just as apathetic as last year.

Wrong!

Thank goodness I packed her Rapunzel dress!  I guess the excitement her cousins were feeling about trick-or-treating was infectious.  The kiddos were pretty pumped about the evening.

 Carys, naturally, was unimpressed.  (But, she was about the cutest little chicken I have ever seen!)

The kids had been ever so (im)patiently waiting to go door to door.  And, as it would happen, right as we were heading out the door, the next door neighbor's kitchen caught on fire.  And, within a few short minutes, the cul-de-sac was loaded with  3 fire engines, a fire marshal's vehicle, an ambulance, and just about everyone from the entire neighborhood.  Cora, of course, was freaking out.  As soon as she saw the fire trucks, she practically jumped into my arms where she remained clamped by her legs to my waist.  And, still, the bebecita was unimpressed.  Actually, the bebecita was singing her funny little trilling song the entire time.

Things got much better when we were able to actually start trick-or-treating.  Bolstered by the confidence of her cousins, Cora happily went door to door.  Josh and Amy's neighborhood really goes all out with the Halloween decorations.  Some of the decor was a little intense for my little scaredy cat, but she was doing really well until the very last house.  That's when the giant pink gorilla showed up.  She flippedy-flipped her wig, and she wasn't even wearing one!  Folks, I really do think that seeing him may have emotionally scarred her a little bit.  That night, she prayed

Dear God,
Thank you for keeping me away from the pink gorilla 'cuz he was so scary.
In Jesus name,
Amen


It is now a month later, and she still tells almost everyone about the pink gorilla.  We're really hoping this is something she'll grow out of....otherwise, Disney World is going to be pure torture for her!!

Every Single One of Her Nightmares

Cora is a funny, funny little girl.  She is not to be swayed by your opinion or by what you want her to do.  It can be maddening and endearing all at the same time.  Have I mentioned that stubborn runs in our family?  It appears that both Sister and Sissy received a double dose!  Cora also has some peculiar and quirky fears.  She loves books, movies, songs, tv shows, etc about animals, but she does not love being around live animals.  She fears fire trucks, garbage trucks, and tractors unless she is in the car.  She loves to do forward rolls at gymnastics, but is fearful of backward rolls.  And, she is absolutely, unconditionally terrified of people dressed as animals/characters (think the Chick Fil-A cow or characters at Disney World.)

So with all that in mind, let me tell you about our outing at Cox Farms last month when we went to Virginia.  It all started out well enough.  Hay playgrounds, pizza, pirate ship playgrounds.

The big slides were a little scary at first.  But, soon, Cora was a pro at going down the hay slides (even if there were goats and sheep grazing nearby!)

Then, we saw the dino slide!  You've seen them.  Sometimes they're called super slides.  They are basically three semi-steep slides all connected into one.  This one happened to have dinosaur statues all over it.  Sweet!  Cora was all over (the idea of) the dinosaur slide.  She and I headed up the stairs.  She chatted happily about all the dinos.  She chatted about the farm animals.  She chatted about the sunshine and clouds.  And, then, we came to a place where we could see what was about to happen.  And, that is where the chatting stopped.  And, it is also where I had the lovely opportunity to look like the parent of the year.  Yes, folks, I was the mom who forced her screaming and thrashing kid to go down the slide.  

Clearly, she loved it!

After she got off the slide, she told me, "This is NOT a good vacation!"  

It's a terrible coincidence that a man dressed as a chimpanzee started wandering over to us around that time.

We're saving up for her therapy bills.

The bebecita was unimpressed by all the hubbub.

After some kettle corn, we were ready to take on the next nightmare aka the hayride.  You know, with a tractor...

I'm really not sure how she managed to stay folded in half like that for the duration of the ride.  It's actually quite impressive - especially since she was sitting in itchy twitchy hay.

The bebecita remained unimpressed by all the hubbub.

But, throw in a wooden scarecrow with a giant pumpkin and the bebecita cracks a huge grin!

I wonder what we'll be putting her in therapy for?!

Eleven

Carys, you're eleven months old today.  What's shakin'?

It's true...the rhythm IS gonna get you!  You've started dancing, and it is so funny to watch.  You shake your head very seriously as you bop about.  Your favorite music seems to be anything with a really strong bass line.  But, other than that, you don't care what type of music it is - classical, techno, commercial jingles, and sadly, the reviled "Friday" song.  (Seriously, Kohl's was it necessary to use it in your commercial?!)

(I have video footage of the phenomena, but it appears that someone has stolen all of our phone/video camera USB cables and replaced them with ones that go to whoknowswhatelectronicdevice, sigh...)

You have somewhat successfully been moved into Sister's room.  You've spent the last two weeks sleeping in the crib.  But, it's not a perfect arrangement yet.  You still have a little bit of trouble sleeping through the night.  Thankfully, Sister is a deep sleeper!

You have 4 teeth and are working on your one year molars.  (This most likely contributes to why you're not sleeping so well as of late.)  Your new favorite teething toy is your finger.  You can get your finger right back there where it hurts the most.  You love to use those 4 teeth to eat all kinds of yummy things.  You like crackers, waffles, and bananas.  And, you also seem to enjoy sneaking a piece of Penny's dog food.  Boy, do you get mad when I have to fish it out of your mouth!

You stand up on your own all.the.time.  You have started pushing around the giraffe scooter just as Sister used to do (sideways).  You can scooch around a table or any other object.  You can also walk as long as you are holding onto someone's hands.  You're going to be fully mobile any day now.

Your other new trick is your kissy face.  We say "Kisses!" and make a smacking sound, and you will make kisses, too.  Mommy loves this, of course!

I can't believe you are going to be one year old in one month!  We are so thankful for each and every moment with you!  You make my heart swell!

Dinosaur Museum

We did a lot of fun things while we were in Virginia, but one of the things I was most excited about was having the chance to take Cora to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History to see the dinosaur fossils. The Friday that we were in Virginia, we got our chance to venture out into D.C.  This involved a bit of a long trip on the Metro.

One of our girls enjoyed it; one did not...

What we saw next more than made up for the questionable Metro ride.

Dinosaurs!  That is a pic of one excited little girl!  We saw

 Quetzalcoatlus

 Stegosaurus and Brachiosaurus

 Triceratops

and, of course, T Rex!

At the outset, I really wasn't sure how long (not so) little missy would last at the museum.  But, she absolutely loved the museum.  She practically skipped from exhibit to exhibit.  (Unfortunately, she didn't stop long enough for us to read anything, but we SAW everything on the ground floor.)  We even saw the ocean and mammal exhibits.

Her favorites were the African mammals, natch.  (She's been on a Lion King kick lately.)  She was excited to see 'Simba' and to learn how a lion retracts his claws.

The wee babe enjoyed this silly monkey most of all.

After a quick trip to the gift shop where Cora selected her own stuffed stegosaurus, Steggy, we were ready to brave the Metro and D.C. rush hour traffic again.  Both little missies fell asleep in the car.  I'd say that's the sure sign of a great day!

The Long Journey, 2011 Edition

The guilt of my blogging absence has caught up with me.  I can no longer sit idly by when I have such excellent blog fodder to share.  So, let me put it in a nutshell for you:

• 11 days
• Over 3000 miles
• 4 states, 3 state capitals, the nation's capital
• pumpkins, snow, dinosaurs, princesses, pink gorillas

A picture preview of the journey:

 (Arkansas)

Where we saw

and even

I have lots to share.  Stay tuned!

Cora's Kidisms - Candy Edition

When I buy candy for Halloween, I buy the kind that I will not be tempted to eat.  Otherwise, I have a tendency to sneak a candy or 17 before the trick-or-treaters even get to the door.  Since we were in Virginia for Halloween (more on that trip to come), I didn't have to worry about having candy around.  I did, however, have to worry about scarfing Cora's candy.  Witness the conversation that took place while I rifled through her candy bucket on our drive back to Texas:

Me: Cora, do you want to eat some candy?
Cora: No, I don't want candy.  I want my apple slices.


I don't even know who this kid is or where she came from!

Now witness the conversation John, Cora and I had while discussing the sudden, ahem, drop in supply in Cora's candy bucket.  It seems that someone, ahem, was dipping into the supply while a certain three year old wasn't looking.

Me:  I noticed Cora ate a lot of C-A-N-D-Y today.
John: (sheepishly) Uh, yeah, that's who ate it. You know this is one of the only years we'll be able to sneak her C-A-N-D-Y.
Cora:  Mom, I need some K-E-Y-O-U-C!


I guess a certain little missy didn't want to be left out of the spelling fun.  Good thing she didn't know what we were spelling!

Happy Halloween!

From our two little pumpkins

Fri-Deja Vu

Cora - August 2009

Carys - October 2011

Ten

Carys, you're ten months.  A whole new world is opening up for you.  (Mommy's not ready!)

The big news around here is that you now sleep through the night.  I think you unfortunately take after your momma.  You're not a heavy sleeper, but you go to bed between 8 and 9 and you sleep until around 7.  Your momma is everso thankful!

The other big news is that you are standing on your own.  You spend most of your day standing up next to something.  A couple of times, you've let go to hold on to a toy.  You  can stand pretty well until you realize that you're not holding on.  Then, it's panic and the inevitable plunk down on your bottom.

 'No more pictures, Mom!'

Your two bottom teeth are all the way in, and you are cutting your top two teeth.  You don't drool much, but you sure do like to chew.  Unfortunately for her, Perdita bears the brunt of this proclivity.  Although, in a pinch your fingers seem to work just as well.

You are a very adventurous eater.  In fact, most nights you eat the same food that we eat.  I had been preparing you different meals, but you kept giving me this longing look while we ate our dinner.  It seems like you are pretty anxious to be like Sister in any way you can.

You vocalize a lot.  Today you looked at me and said "mama."  Needless to say, I was over the moon!  (I know that it was just a happy accident, but isn't that the way we learn to speak?!)  You love to purr, too.  You sound like a happy little kitten when you get going.

You forever make my heart swell!

Cora's Kidisms Rub-A-Dub-Dub Edition

Cora and Carys love bath time!  Little did I know how much easier it would make my life once my girlies could bathe together.  The other night, I got them all prepped for the bath.  After I turned the water on and returned to the girls' room, witness the conversation that took place:

Me: I see two naked girls in here!
Cora: I'm too naked?!


I love that girl!