Maryland

Cora and I used a free plane ticket that was about to expire to go visit my brother and his family in Maryland the other week. We just had to take advantage of Cora still being able to fly for free, and before the new baby comes! We had a great week with Keyton, Liz, Emeline, and baby Jarom. Cora loved playing with Emeline and cooing and smiling at Jarom, and she learned all kinds of new things with Emeline as an example. I can't even imagine how much she'd learn if she was around a little bit older kid every day! We both got to do a lot of new things and had a lot of fun family time. Cora on her second carousel ride-- the first was at Disney World, but she 'got it' a lot more this time! Everytime the horse would go up, she'd say 'ooo'. When we got off and went outside the gate, she tried to go back in for more!
Cora and I in Annapolis. Keyton got off work a little early to meet us at the pier. We took a little informative boat ride pointing out some sights in the bay, and then walked around the Naval Academy. It was so pretty! Afterwards we had the best soup ever, Cream of Crab soup, at one of the cute restaurants nearby.

On the boat tour. Cora mostly snacked, but I think she did like looking at the other boats, and the birds flying around.


What a cute family, eh?
Liz, the kids, and I by the cathedral we were trying to visit on the Naval Academy. We got there 10 minutes after it closed for the afternoon! Maybe next time...

The Zoo and the Temple

What a bunch of sweeties. Cora, Emeline, and Jarom on the Washington DC temple grounds.

Cora has been protesting her stroller a little bit lately, but she didn't have any objections riding with Emeline!
Our stroller posse at the National Zoo in Washington DC.

Cora and Emeline in front of the panda bear exhibit. We saw the bears wrestling up and down their hillside. I've never seen panda bears so active, so it was a real treat. Cora liked watching them too!
After the zoo we stopped by the temple to see the Visitor's Center and take some pictures. It was such a lovely day.



Cora and Jarom. Cora just loved Jarom. She would get close to him (but I don't think she ever went to touch him, so that made things easier!) and talk in a high-pitched voice to him. Jarom would smile and talk back. Hopefully Cora will still be liking babies this spring!
Bedtime pictures.
Cora hasn't wanted to wear sunglasses at all, she always pulls them off after about half a second. But after she saw her cool cousin Emeline wearing them, she gave it a little bit more of a try. Pretty cute! Liz got them on a super deal at the Children's Place outlet-- 17 cents!

Cousins

Liz took a whole bunch of pictures of the kids, and we got a whole bunch of good ones! It is a little harder though, getting three of them to sit still, look, and smile all at the same time!


Cora thought this little playhouse was the coolest. I thought it was pretty cute to see her and Emeline hanging out on the front porch.

Another zoo photo. Cora and Emeline at our picnic spot. We had lunch here after walking up a huge hill!

Emeline was an experienced pro, but this was Cora's first time on the mini-rides at the mall. I think she thought it was fun!

Cora trying to hang on. Don't worry, it was gentle, and we were closeby.

Another Annapolis photo. Cora and Emeline spent a bit of time dancing on this world! They thought it was a lot of fun jumping on and off it.

Halloween Preview

Cora's Halloween costume came in the mail yesterday-- so cute! Can you guess what she's going to be? It will be fun this year that she'll be old enough for the ward Trunk or Treat and maybe to go to a few houses too. Although, I don't think she's be old enough to eat any yummy chocolate candy!

Stats

Cora went in for her 15 month pediatrician appointment yesterday. 15 months! Wow! She is now 29.5 inches tall (25th percentile) and weighs 20.5 pounds (20th percentile). She seems so much bigger to me than months ago, it's hard to believe she hasn't increased very much. But then again, she was very squirmy during her appointment, and not very cooperative at all! Our next appointment won't be until she turns 2!

Bows and Things

Now that Cora's hair is thickening out and getting longer, we can do more pigtails and fun hair things. I learned how to make these bows at Super Saturday, and they are really cute! The blue ones are pretty big-- we might have to wait for a little while to use them, but I bought some ribbon to make some small ones we can use right now too.

Also, Kevin, Cora, and I went to my second doctor's appointment yesterday and heard the new baby's heartbeat! Pretty neat. It was nice to know that everything is still going well with the pregnancy.

Stats

Cora went in for her 15 month pediatrician appointment yesterday. 15 months! Wow! She is now 29.5 inches tall (25th percentile) and weighs 20.5 pounds (20th percentile). She seems so much bigger to me than months ago, it's hard to believe she hasn't increased very much. But then again, she was very squirmy during her appointment, and not very cooperative at all! Our next appointment won't be until she turns 2!

No Tomato is Safe

Cora LOVES tomatoes-- especially when she can pick them herself. If we open the patio door, she makes a beeline for the cherry tomato plant and picks all she can, green or red, before Kevin or I chase her down. Needless to say, we have a lot of little green tomatoes trying to turn red on our windowsill! Cora loves to carry them around, then pop them in her mouth. If we are going to be outside for a little while, we have to put the tomato plant on the patio table to protect it!

Camping Videos

Cora rode in the backpack for most of our little hike, but we let her walk the last part on the boardwalk. She thought that was great! But it did take a little bit longer because she wanted to stop and look at everything!

Cora thought the best thing about the camping trips was her access to rocks... and no one to tell her no, not to touch them! She picked up rocks from all over. But I think her favorite thing was sitting at the edge of the lake and laughing as she threw rocks in!

Our Week

We sure had a busy one! Kevin's parents came down from Portland to help Kurt and Keri get started at school, so we had lots of family time with all of them and Grandmother too! They also brought Kevin's 3 year old niece with them, and Cora had a blast watching her, following her around, and even playing with her a little bit. Kevin and his dad built gates for our fence (woo-hoo! it's finally coming along! only a couple more steps left!). And Grandma and Grandpa watched Cora while Kevin and I sat in our La-Z-Boy recliners on the 50 yard line for the BYU vs Arizona football game (hurray we won! comfy seats... right behind the Arizona team. And they gave us BYU vs Utah tickets as well, and maybe we'll win the recliners and a tv too!). It was fun. Unfortunately, we forgot our camera!

We do have a lot of pictures from out camping trip though! We had a great time up in the Uintahs for a few nights. Cora didn't sleep well there, and that was kind of miserable, but she sure loved the daytime! So much to explore, so many rocks to hold and toss...

We took a little hike up to Wall Lake. Cora did great in her baby backpack! She loved getting out of it and exploring the lake too!

Wading-- Brr! The water was a little on the cool side, but very refreshing!

Walking in the campground. Cora just wanted to walk and run everywhere! So many places to explore!

In Uncle Kurt's hammock. Cora says 'uuh uuh uuh' when she wants to get up, she must have thought this was pretty comfy!

Cora and Daddy.

Cora was so tired, she fell asleep when Kevin and I walked around the lake in our campground.

At Mirror Lake. We walked around the lake, and then got in an inflatable canoe and paddled around for a bit.

Cora rode in the backpack for most of our little hike, but we let her walk the last part on the boardwalk. She thought that was great! But it did take a little bit longer because she wanted to stop and look at everything!

Cora thought the best thing about the camping trips was her access to rocks... and no one to tell her no, not to touch them! She picked up rocks from all over. But I think her favorite thing was sitting at the edge of the lake and laughing as she threw rocks in!

At home-- Cora and Sorayah playing in the backyard kiddie pool.

BYU Cougar

Cora and I got to go to Education Week last week! For two days. Cora stayed with my friend Becky for a day, and played with Sophie, her daughter. The other day, Cora was a Cougar girl, and spent the day on campus with Kissie and Pata. They alternated going to classes with me and playing with Cora. It was so much fun! And Cora came home with a shirt to remember her day and that she can wear to cheer the Cougars on this fall.

Also, Kevin, Cora, and I went swimming in our neighborhood pool last week so Cora could show Kevin her swim skills that she learned during our Mom and Tot class. We had a fun time with the class! And it was a fun family swim night too.

Swimming

Kevin, Cora, and I went swimming in our neighborhood pool last week so Cora could show Kevin her swim skills that she learned during our Mom and Tot class. We had a fun time with the class! And it was a fun family swim night too.

Twirling and Kicking

Kevin and Cora dance to Baby Tad's nursery songs when Kevin gets home from work very day. Cora loves to 'dance' -- twirl in circles. Maybe later Kevin can show her more of his dance moves!




Kevin has also been teaching Cora how to kick the ball. She's getting there!

Going Places

Cora has a new love: Bags! She carries my little bag of nails polish around the house-- it has handles the perfect size for her little hands, and loves the little purse she has too. Today we tried her backpack of blocks on her. I'm not sure what she really thought of it though--It certainly redistributed her weight for walking! I think she was stinking out her little belly even farther to compensate.

Cora got a stomach bug and was feeling terrible all day Saturday. Today she spent the day recovering, and hopefully tomorrow she'll be up to full speed again!

Kevin and Cora dance to Baby Tad's nursery songs when Kevin gets home from work very day. Cora loves to 'dance' -- twirl in circles. Maybe later Kevin can show her more of his dance moves!
 
Kevin has also been teaching Cora how to kick the ball. She's getting there!

Clean Teeth

Cora loves toothbrushes! And now she's figured out where Kevin and I keep ours. Our toothbrushes have turned up in random places throughout the house the last few days, and a little dirtier for the trip. So now, our toothbrushes will have to go into hiding and we'll just have to send Cora's through the dishwasher every few days!

It's been a while....

This is what we've been up to! We don't have pictures because I hauled around a camera without the battery charger for the last few weeks. But it's charged now and we'll post some soon.

-We spent a night at the family reunion in Eastern Idaho. We couldn't go for very long, but it was fun to see everyone!

-We watched Kissie run the Salt Lake Marathon on Pioneer Day. Cora loved clapping for the runners, and exploring the sidewalks and parkstrips while we hoped we were in the right place to see Kissie! We saw her twice while she was running, one of those times Kevin got to see her too because the marathon went down the street he works on.

-Cora and I rode to Boise with Kissie after the marathon and spent the rest of the week there playing in the pool, in the fountain, and at the house. We took walks with Puppy every morning and Cora rolled the doll stroller over every inch of the house I think. Cora said her first 'cock-a-doodle-doo'! She also loved getting up on the hearth, climbing on Pata's rocking chair from when he was little,and seeing how close she could get to Puppy without getting too scared.

-Kevin came up to Boise Friday and we all went to the lake on Saturday, and came home Sunday. Cora got up on the wakeboard her first time! Just kidding. But she did love playing on the beach and watching Kissie, Pata, Mom, and Dad wakeboard and ski.

-Cora and I started a mom and tot swim class on Monday. My friend and her baby who is a few months older than Cora are taking it too. It's pretty mellow, but a lot of fun. Cora loves jumping in the pool and picking up rings from the bottom of the kiddie pool. We need to take a family trip to the pool so she can show off her skills to Kevin.

Little Seal

Cora tried her first fish, salmon, at dinner tonight. It was a success! She loved it, clapping after each bite we gave her. (Sorry the video is on the dark side!)

Cora's Fast Facts

Favorite foods: kidney beans, peaches, string cheese, and bites of anything mom and dad are eating at the time. And dirt. She still likes eating dirt. When will this go away?????

Favorite way to get around: WALKING! We didn't see her crawl all last week. Now if she could only go down the stairs....

Favorite toys: doll stroller, blocks, books, shiny buttons, phones, and anything she can climb and stand on -- and scare the bejeebers out of mom

Favorite activities: playing in her swim pool, horsing around with dad, going on morning walks with mom and the other neighborhood moms and babies, standing by mom's flower planters and scooping the dirt out onto the patio... one handful in her mouth, one handful on the patio. Needless to say, her outside time is heavily supervised.

New skills: Saying daddy when we look at pictures of Kevin when he's at work, drinking exclusively out of a sippy cup... And this is an old skill, but it's so cute and I forgot to mention it earlier-- when we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It..." she claps her hands. So cute!

Cora tried her first fish, salmon, at dinner tonight. It was a success! She loved it, clapping after each bite we gave her. (Sorry the video is on the dark side!)

Favorite time of day: When she hears the garage door open and sees Kevin coming home from work. What a daddy's girl!

Sunday Afternoon

Kevin snuck a tiny nap in between all his meetings today. Cora decided to read the newspaper instead.
Of course, we fit lots of good play time in too! We wanted to go out on a walk, but it's just too dang hot outside. Cora and I attempted one while Kevin was at his fireside, but it hadn't cooled down enough yet. Oh well. Maybe we'll be out of the 100 degree weather next week! It's been so long since the high was below 95...

Update

Cora and Kevin on the morning of Kevin's first day or work at his new job. It's been a week and he loves it already!
Coleman, Anton, and Cora.

We had a GOPB baby get-together this weekend. In our office, there were three of us who were pregnant all at the same time-- these babies were born within 6 weeks of each other! They had fun playing with toys while we visited and ate.

Water Week

We spent a few days in Boise last week, mostly playing in the water! We went waterskiing for a day, played in the pool, and played in this water fountain in downtown Eagle. It was so much fun! Cora is a big fan of the water. She loved the fountains especially, we went there twice. She spent most of her time at the lake on the beach playing in the sand and watching the other kids. (Which was good because her little neck isn't quite long enough for the life jacket to be comfortable for her--she looked like a stuffed marshmallow!). It was a very fun break. Cora and Daddy. Cora walks more than crawls now! But we were hanging on to her just in case.

Sometimes Kevin and I weren't walking with Cora fast enough... she'd just go in circles around us!

Waving 'hi'.