Kisses from Cora

I was trying to organize my photos and I found this from about a month and a half ago. It made me smile so I thought I would share.

Who wouldn't want a kiss from Cora?!

Hungry Birdie

The "hungry birdie" phenomenon developed one afternoon at our house when Bob was pretending to be a bird, feeding Reed, "his young," a tasty worm. By the end, the whole family was rolling with laughter. Though Reed still breaks out the "hungry birdie" routine from time to time, Cora is the one who seems to enjoy it the most. I've been thinking for weeks that I should get this on film. Here it is...Cora, our hungry birdie.

Little Bruiser!

I don't know why I can't seem to capture it on camera. Maybe, it is that she doesn't stay still for a moment. Regardless, Cora has two, what I believe to be prominent, bruises on her face. There is a small, dark bruise on the left side of her forehead and a much bigger but lighter bruise on her left cheek. Both bruises are on the same side. I bet you might guess they are from the same spill. No. Two separate tumbles. Is she becoming any more cautious? Of course not.

People in the grocery store or at the library probably think I am an abusive mother. As far as I know, I have not been reported to DCFS. Luckily, she has about two more weeks before her 15 month checkup. I am hoping they are gone by then.

*Sigh*

She'll probably have two fresh ones by then.

One of her favorite park activities...going down the "big" slide alone!

You can kind of get a glimpse of her bruises.

You can't keep an active girl down. She seems to be heading down the tomboy path, except she does like dress-up, mostly trying on shoes, including high heels. Only time will tell.

Trying out Mommy's heels

Beds Are Overrated

I am settled in the idea that Reed isn't going to and doesn't need a nap everyday. That being said, he is still napping most days. Even if he tells you he's not going to. I read books to him and Cora, tell him to relax and be quiet (as not to wake Cora), and I shut his door most of the way. Then I take Cora to her room to settle her before her nap.

I never quite know how I will discover him. This was yesterday....

Asleep by the door, on the floor

Babies Don't Keep

This morning we attended a birthday party for the sons of our friends, Jeremy and Rachel. Josiah is 4 and Micah will be 2. My, how time flies! Time does seem to go faster when you have kids. There is more to do and the little ones change so fast. There is always the next phase and then the next and then you realize how much they've grown and you wonder where the time went.

Today, I read this poem that Rachel had hanging on their wall and I feel like it is worth sharing.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

- Ruth Hulbert Hamilton

Our Little Staycation

We were bummed that we weren't able to go on the vacation we planned for this summer up to the Upper Pennisula of Michigan due to Bob's summer job. This week we were able to squeak out what felt like a mini-staycation.

Wednesday was Bob's last day of working at the architecture firm in Chicago. I packed the kids up in the car after naps and we headed into the City. We arrived at his office about 5pm and got to see his office and meet many of his co-workers. We proceeded to walk down to Millennium Park to show Reed a few of the sites from his Chicago Architecture book. Yes, he studies an adult architecture book. It is, however, mostly pictures. He was thrilled to see the "Bean" and the "spitting boy" fountain. He even did a nice impression of the boy on the car ride home, luckily, with no water coming out of his mouth. We had dinner and then headed home. I could have kicked myself for not bringing the camera, but that just means we need to do it again soon to capture the memories again.

Thursday we had dubbed "Family Day" since it was the day that Bob was taking off before gearing up for the Fall Semester. What did we do on a gorgeous August day? We went to Santa's Village Azoosment Park. Santa's Village had been an institution for Chicagoland kiddies for years, but it was shut down for many recent years. It has been recently reopened. They have rides, a small zoo, and food. It really was a blast.

Reed really liked the rides. Cora was unfortunately to small for them, but didn't seem to mind since there was plenty to keep her occupied.

Reed riding in the red car
with the Balloon Ride in the background
(he rode the red balloon twice)

Who needs rides?

Tilt-a-Whirl

Truck Driver Reed

Reed and Bob on the NASA shuttle

Can I at least ride the tortoise?

I'll climb these rocks and enjoy the scenery

The mushrooms were a big hit

They were sprouting up everywhere

King of the Mushroom?

It was nice to have a vacation-y day just a few miles down the road. Kids can only take a few hours of excitement and it was nice to get them in their own beds for naptime.

I Want To Be Like My Brother

Cora has a few words, but she is not close to what anyone would call a "talker." With that being said, she is becoming a much better communicator. She is becoming a master of the point and grunt. Primitive, but effective.

She also spends a good deal of her time studying her brother. It is like he is her window to understanding and interpreting the world. She often mimics his actions. If he's pretending to be Spiderman shooting webs around the house, she points her finger and makes the same shooting noises.

I guess I shouldn't have been surprised after bath time last night when she pulled a pair of Reed's underwear out of his drawer, struggled unsuccessfully to put them on herself, and then brought them to me, gesturing to put them on her.

She couldn't have been prouder...




Now all we need to do is get her potty trained and we are set.

A Week at Granny and P-pa Reed's House

Granny, Reed, Cora, Owen, Willa, and P-pa in the Little REED Wagon

What is summer when you are young without spending a little time at Grandma and Grandpa's house?! In the tradition of all that is good and right with the world, that is what we did last week. Reed, Cora, and I hopped in the car Saturday morning, we bid Bob adieu, and we hit the open road heading south. Greenville, ready or not, here we come!

In the least, we had a memorable week. It was crazy at times, unquestionably, but we all survived and I think none of us will forget it anytime soon. My sister's kids were visiting for the week because their daycare was closed, so we had a 6 year old, two 3 year olds, and a 1 year old between the three adults, me and my mom and dad. Piece of cake, right? Who gets the black stool this meal? Where is the purple spoon? He's touching me! P-pa!

What was the most challenging thing? Bedtime. Yes, the three big kids slept in one full size bed together...for 6 nights straight. I would have never believed it to be possible.

The kid bed

Here's a little run down of our week's activities.

SUNDAY, 7/24

• Church
• Chang's Chinese Buffet for lunch
• Willa and Owen came over

• Napping on Granny!
  
• Taking it easy.
  

MONDAY, 7/25

• Slip 'n slide in the backyard

• Stopped by to see my friend Aundi

TUESDAY, 7/26

• Jaycee Park
  
• Lots of refreshments on a HOT day!

• Followed by naps
• Zumba class with Mom

WEDNESDAY, 7/27

• Patriots Park with Aaron Martin's kids
  

Emma, Sophie, Willa, Cora, Owen, and Reed

• Well-needed Naps
• Story time at the Public Library (see video below of Cora dancing)
• Thrift store shopping

THURSDAY, 7/28

• To Great-Grandmother's house we go (Brighton)
  
• Betsey Ann Park (real Caboose car, merry go round, swings, treasure)
  

• Kids got to watch Grandma's trees being trimmed
  

FRIDAY, 7/29

• Met up with my friend Jen and her daughter Hadley
  

Already accessorizing and talking about how they will be Chicagoland neighbors in a few short months.

• Friday evening went to the Martins. It was kid central but Dad, Cora, and I left early to pick up Bob at the Effingham train station. I'll add a picture later if I get one.
• We got caught in a huge downpour that delayed the trip home but we made it eventually.

SATURDAY, 7/30

• Farm Heritage Days at the American Farm Heritage Museum (surprisingly HUGE event)
  

• Uncle Chuck, Aunt Linda, and Vincent stopped over
• Went to Saturday evening church
• Went to church barbecue
• Hung out at home

SUNDAY, 7/31

• Bummed around until lunch at Chang's Chinese Buffet
• Came home, hung out, and packed
  

Cora proudly showed off her boots that she didn't get to wear all week

Reed crashed. The excitement of the week was taking its toll.

• We hit the road and headed home; this time with the whole family.
  

Here are a couple videos from the week. The first is Cora discovering one of the baby kittens outside on the back deck. The second video is Cora dancing at storytime at the library. You can also see Reed NOT participating. He had lost interest by this point.

We had a HOT (about 100+ degrees every day), fun week. There was a lot of whiny and crying but there was also lots of laughter and fun memories made. I think it was a good bonding experience for the cousins whom, unfortunately, see each other only a handful of times a year.

Thanks Granny, P-pa, Owen, and Willa for the great time!