I'm a lollipop

Landon is WAY better at getting our kids to do what he wants them to do when he wants them to do it. He argues superior parenting skills; I argue it's because he's in class 4 nights a week so he's a novelty when home. Here is a typical Cora / Landon convo.

Landon: Listen Buster!

Cora: I'm not a buster, you're a buster.

Landon: ok. I'm the buster you're a sucker!

Tonight Landon got Cora out of the shower and was wrestling her into pjs before dinner (she was suspicious). 

Landon: listen buster we're putting on these pull-ups.

Cora: I'm not the buster you're the buster. I'm the lollipop.

Is there a difference between a sucker and a lollipop? It may be time to start talking about words that sometimes mean the same thing but not always.

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Quinn has gotten really cute about coming up, getting right in your face, and saying a long drawn out "Hiiiii". She'll bend sideways if she can't get right in front of your face. It's really stinking cute.

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Speaking of lollipops, we did their valentines tonight. Cora insisted on writing her name on the backs of the cards; Quinny insisted on eating the lollipops. Three times I caught her climbing on the table to steal one. I finally put a valentine in her class box:

To: Quinn

From: Quinn 

Two next month. Unbelievable.

Sineone asked me today the age of my children.

Cora's solid 3 is easy to admit, but Quinn isn't really 1 anymore. In just 1 month she'll be 2. It's cliche, but where did time and my sweet baby go?

She's acting less like a baby everyday. She belly laughs, and if something is funny she does it over and over and over and over. Big belly laughs.

She knows where to find snacks, and helps herself to the fridge and pantry doors to point out what she wants.

She wants to do everything her big sister does. Everything. When Cora gets asked on play dates now, Quinn is visibly annoyed to not be invited along. (She cries... A lot... When we drop Cora off).

She is talking more. There aren't a ton of consistently discernible words, but there is a constant stream of babble and she repeats almost everything.

This week she saw the blow-up pool alligator hanging in the garage. She started laughing and said "snap that monkey outta that tree". If I didn't already know the favorite song from Cora would I have recognized what she said? No. But since I know the song, that's definitely what she said.

We're constantly hearing "what's that?" And "where's sis?"

The other sign that she's edging closer to two is a major one. When Quinny doesn't get what she wants she flings herself on the ground and kicks and screams. She bites. She pinches. 

And, here comes TWO!

Did baby Jesus get his very own Pope-mobile?

My neighbor Mandy was telling us a Cora story last night, over the Super Bowl.

Back before Christmas, she was walking to her house with Cora and Presley. One of our neighbors had a simple wooden manger scene.

Mary. Joseph. Baby Ina manger in the middle with a arch over his head.

Cora: It's the baby Jesus.

Mandy: yes, it's the baby Jesus.

Cora (matter-of-fact): he's in his car seat. 

Cutting her off at the pass

Nearly every morning, Cora crawls in our bed. She usually sneaks in around 5AM (not long until "wake-up" time), comes to my side of the bed (I'm more sympathetic to her need to cuddle, and I like to cuddle her, too), and gets a lift to the middle, where she falls asleep until we start to get ready, at which time she starts yelling, "It's too bright in there! Turn off the light!" (She isn't the morning-person that I've always been). This happens nearly everyday. We're usually asleep when her head pops up eye level with mine, so I've never noticed what all she brings with her on the journey. I have noticed it's pretty crowded once she joins us.

I say we'll have to get a king bed once Quinn is in a toddler bed and follows suit; Landon says we'll have to reclaim our territory ( he's forever outnumbered by the ladies, so we'll see). 

Last night, she set out on her journey to our room around midnight (aka, she opened her bedroom door). Landon was still awake; he cut her off at the pass (aka, the landing at the top of the stairs) , and redirected her to her bed.

He said the best part was noticing all she'd packed to bring to our bed. A blanket. Her water-filled sippie cup. Her lovie. He thinks there was a beanie boo buried in there, too. 

She was planning for the long haul, I tell you.

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Overheard downstairs.

Cora(demanding): I want a movie!

Landon: listen, buster!

(Cora usually responds I'm not a buster I'm Cora. But this morning)...

Cora (grouchy): I'm an alligator.

The big gun convo

Tonight while I was eating dinner with the girls, a segment came on the news about kids touching guns. I'm not sure we were ready for the convo. Maybe I should have read some child psychologist advice on what to say. Instead, I dove right in.

Me: cora, what are those things those boys are touching on tv?

(After a lot of clarification of which things...)

Cora: those are shooters!

Me: do we touch shooters? 

Cora: no. Only mommies touch shooters.

Me: mommy won't even touch a shooter! They're really dangerous. Do we talk about shooters at school.

Cora: no

Me: do we play like we have a shooter?

Cora: no

Me: why?

Cora: because they're bad!

Me: why are they bad?

Cora: they can make people dead!

(Clearly SOMEONE has broached this convo with her. I thought she was getting it).

Me: that's right! And we wouldn't be able to get you back, right? Until we go to heaven.

Cora: yeah, heaven's bad!

Me: no, heaven's good! I just don't want you to go there until you are a REALLy old lady!

Cora: yeah! You have to be a really old lady to shoot guns.

(I know. I should have known we were getting over her head.)

Me: ok. What do you do if you see a gun?

Cora: like if I see a gun up there on that shelf? 

Me: yes, like on that shelf.

Cora: I take it to a mommy.

Me: no you TELL a mommy.  You don't touch it.

Cora: we only touch it to take it to the garbage. 

Me: no you never touch it. You just go get the mommy and tell her.

(Realizing I'd gone too far I decided to talk about what she knows).

Me: Cora, if you See a gun and you go straight and tell a mommy, I'll buy you a new toy.

Cora: like a glitter coloring thingy?

Me: no, bigger, like a doll house.

Cora: like a big doll house?

Me: a whole jump castle for our yard. That's what I'll buy if you just tell a mommy if you see a gun.

Cora: or if Quinn just tells a mommy we'll get a jump house? With a slide down thingy? One that sings "rain rain go away!"?!?!

The morale of the story: please don't even have a toy gun in your house when we come over. If Cora sees it, and she  "tells a mommy", I just promised a jump castle.

Merry Christmas Day!

Santa came! 

The dollhouse was clearly a hit, and I'm not sure Cora was very into Santa and presents until she saw the doll house around the corner.

Once again, Santa brought a babystroller this year. It was the #1 thing Cora asked for; she was concerned that Santa brought her one last year, but didn't bring Quinny one, and Quinny needed her very own stroller.

Quinny agreed and was SO happy.

This was a big year for dress-up clothes.

And, Santa brought the girls a VERY popular high chair. 

There was too much fun, and too much wrapping paper, and too many hugs to get many pics. A great morning - I know that we only have a limited number of years of magical Christmas mornings. 

Here might be the best place to say this. 

I don't know what we did, or how we did it, but I was so pleased this year that Cora was WAY more excited about the Little Baby Jesus than she was Santa. I'm not even sure she cared much about Santa until the doll house arrived, but we had a lot of questions about Jesus, Jesus's mommy, etc. Maybe it's the Little People nativity that always comes out at Christmas, or the Little People nativity calendar that Grandma M. mailed her, or the pics from Grandma M and Mary Rutledge with great pics of the baby Jesus and the manger... but we were constantly fielding serious Jesus convos. We still are. We're still singing "The LIttle Lord Jesus" song (on repeat) every night before bed (as Cora says, It's still a little bit Christmas), and she announced the other day that she wanted to ride on a horse with Mary just like the Little Lord Jesus (we think she saw a statue when we were having dinner at a friend's house). 

I'm not bragging - I don't feel like we tried too hard to make her this pious. Currently the child is Jesus obsessed. 

Christmas Eve

We had so much fun Christmas Eve that I completely forgot to take pictures!

There is this one of Quinn napping with her tail end up in the air (notice Santa on her bottom).

And this one of Cora running before church to see if the Baby Jesus was in the manger (he was!). 

And then, this one of Bailey at our drop-in...

And Presley's grandparent's.

And this one of the very popular Caroline. 

Finally, one of Cora leaving cookies for Santa.

But otherwise, we got no pictures. We were too busy hosting. I always like to make note of who was there, and since I didn't get any pics and I have no clue where else I would write it down other than on a post-it to be lost forever... here it goes.

The Hermans (Dustin, Erin, Mackenzie, & Reagan)

The Funks (Dave, Sandy, Caroline, Colin, & Sam)

The Cantrells (Lance, Sara, Toby, Bailey, & Ariana)

The Blairs (Dad and Mom... ha!)

The Stropes (Phil, Jen, Thomas, & Charlie)

The Walkers (Doug and a friend)

The Brumbaughs (Dave, Anne, & Jocelyn)

The Merrits (and their whole party, too - which was so fun!)

The Slades (Liz with Taylor & Turner)

The Heichelbechs (Tim, Jenny, & Kate) and the Heichelbech grandparents

And... I think there may have been others. The kids had a blast, Caroline was a lifesaver (it was like we hired a babysitter - she wrangled all the kids into playtime), and we were in bed before we heard Santa's bells on the roof, so we didn't interrupt the Big Guy's schedule.