Big Trucks and Big E

Two stories I don't want to forget...

Story #1:
Grandma M is here for the week!!! (pictures to follow later). She arrived late Friday night, and is helping us this week as I'm teaching MBA bootcamp (thus, pictures will be posted of our fun later rather than now). Landon and I decided to do some shopping Friday night, so we took the kids, skipped bedtime, and thought Cora would fall asleep after shopping but before the airport. Long story, but when we arrived at the cell phone waiting area at 10PM, Cora was still going strong in the backseat. When we learned that the plane was delayed an hour, I went around to get Cora out of her seat. I was standing with her in the parking lot, and we were giggling and hugging and playing, when a noisy flat bed truck drove by. You'd probably have to be there for this one, but Cora's eyes got big and she exclaimed "Big Truck" and then she placed her face eye-to-eye and up-against mine and again exclaimed "BIG TRUCK!!!!!!!" Maybe it was her excitement, or maybe it was the surprise of having her suddenly in my face, or maybe it was her assumption that her announcement would be major news to me, but it was one of THE funniest moments I've experienced in parenthood. All week, Landon and I have made each other laugh by popping-up and exclaiming "Big Truck!!!"

Story #2:
(This is a sweet one). On Tuesday night, Grandma M and Big E were sneaking away to see SpiderMan. Before dinner, Cora was fussy, and I incentivized her by promising that Big E was coming to play. Long story short, and to no fault of Big E, he was running late and when he came to get Grandma M, he just ran in for a quick second. Cora and I were already upstairs getting ready for bed. When Eric came in downstairs, I yelled a "hello" and went about my business. Cora began whining and adamently wanting something that sounded like "Gabbee" (her word for paci). From downstairs, Eric put together that she was saying "Big E", I think he came up and talked to her for a minute through the baby gate (I was in her room organizing, so I'm not sure how much interaction that they actually had), and then Grandma M and Eric left. Once Cora realized they were gone, her little world fell apart. It was the first time I've ever seen her throw such a fuss over Big E, or anyone for that matter that wasn't Landon or I. She sat at the gate and cried. She refused to come hear a story. She did not want to wear a diaper. All she wanted was some playtime with Big E. She criedoff-and-on for a good 20 minutes.

For bedtime, I read her "Alexander's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day" (a gift from Katie Helland, and our go-to book when her day has been particularly "emotional"). Each time I read "It's been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day" she punctuated my sentence with "Yeah" and a little hiccup of a cry.

Cora and Big E have a special relationship. We're so lucky to have him in town!