~My girls~

I can't help it but love it when they love on each other like this.  It always makes me so happy when I see them play together and get along.  They are so lucky to have one another and I think I am pretty lucky to have them!

~Cordy sure knows how to entertain~

Love this little girl, her fabulous laugh, sparkling blue eyes, and fearless personality.

~Chester 2.0~

I did my best not to make a big deal out of the fact that Chester. Was. Missing.  He disappeared a few days before Christmas.  In all the hustle and bustle of the holidays Cordy was somehow distracted with other things enough to not be too bothered, but I knew one day it would become an issue.  Christmas happened, Florida happened and still no Chester.  After a few teary nights from Cordy and a day spent searching high and low, looking just about everywhere I could think of I finally accepted that he was gone.  Lost.  No where to be found. 

 It was time to order a new one.  

When Chester 2.0 arrived this little girl was ecstatic!  He looked so new and clean and fresh, and he made Cordy feel so very happy.  Pretty sure she slept like a rock that night with her sweet little raccoon, Chester 2.0 by her side.  

Welcome Chester!  May your days be long in this house and may you never get lost!

~Snuggle Naps~

I love a good cuddly nap with my little Cordy after a long morning.

Little Miss Cordy seems to be growing up so fast.  She's learning so much and wants to be independent, even when sometimes she really isn't capable yet.  Then there are those days when she just wants to snuggle up, lay on my chest and be my little girl.  These moments seem to be growing fewer and further between for all of my children so on days like this I cherish our snuggly nap time.

~Pigtails~

Who does the very best pigtails in this house?  Daddy dearest of course!  

I am always so impressed that he is not only willing and patient enough to do it, but that Cordy sits still better for him than she does for me.  His parts are always so straight!  If given the choice she picks Daddy to do her hair every time.  

~Alec's Day Off=Cordy's Day Made!~

Alec had the day off from school thanks to a teacher work day.  Cordy was in HEAVEN this morning, having her brother all to herself while Elyssa had preschool.  I walked in on this moment and couldn't help but run and grab the camera to take a picture.  These moments are priceless.

Of course as soon as Cordy noticed the camera she gave me a pose.

I love that these two are such good friends.  Alec is always so patient with her and she simply adores him right back.  

They are so lucky to have each other.  

~Silly Sisters~

I know I've said it before...

and I will likely say it a million times again...

 but these two are so lucky to have each other.

And I am pretty lucky they are mine. :-)

~Cordelia at Two~

Back at the end of August this little lady turned TWO!  

She can be the sweetest little girl around, whispering to her Mommy and Daddy "Guess what?  I love you!"  She gives the very best hugs and loves to snuggle up for naps or bedtime, where she wraps her arms ever so tight around your neck or just leaves her little hand on your cheek.  

Cordy loves to be silly. She follows her siblings around wanting to do whatever they are doing.  She has so much fun discovering her world and how things work. 

Cordy is also our fearless two year old.  She frequently will climb to the top of any ladder, any playground, any bookshelf or baseball field back stop.  Other parents are frequently terrified by her antics.  While we would like her to stay safe, we know she has a pretty good sense of how to move and use her body.  I still like to keep one good eye on her most of the time though.

Cordy has also learned to love books!  She asks for "Hop on Pop", "Hand Hand Fingers Thumb" and "Go Dog Go!" a million times over.  As much as I delight in her excitment for books, I must admit there are days that I find myself trying to hide them after the 3rd or 4th reading.  

It must also be stated that Cordy loves her Daddy something fierce!  There are many a day she cries when he has to go to work or leave the house.  She frequently asks when he is coming home and has even gone at far to say "No, mommy.  You go to work!  Daddy stay home!"  Ouch. I guess I can't really blame her.  Nick is an awesome dad and most of the time when he is around he is teasing her, flipping her around in the air, playing with her, and watching fun shows.  

Cordy is still our little lady, measuring at 32 7/8 inches tall (24%)  and  25.2 lbs (26%).  That is a good two inches shorter than either of her siblings at the same age.  Her hair is taking it's sweet time to grow out on top, but she pulls off a fantastic pigtail mullet.  We think she's the cutest little two year old around.

September 20, 2012

Dearest Cordelia,

My darling, you are growing up so fast!  It's so fun to see your bright blue eyes discover something new.  I love hearing your high pitched sweet, happy voice and your "please thank you!" response to almost everything.  Your snuggles and hugs melt my heart.  You bring so much joy to our family.  Your new found independence may bring the occasional fit, but you really are a sweet heart. We love you dearly and can't imagine life without you.  

 I love you to the moon and beyond!

Your Mama

~Cordy's 2nd Birthday!~

This little lady had a fantastic day, waking up to balloons, playing with siblings all day, eating pretty much whatever she wanted.  It's a good life, being two.  

Cordy was so excited about her special day and kept singing "Happy to you!" (her version of the Happy Birthday song) to everyone all day long. She relished the attention and loved blowing out her very own candles over cupcakes and pizza with friends. 

Yes, darling Cordy 

"Happy to You!!!"

~Mohawks Rock~

This little man had a LOT of hair.  He won't let you do anything with it but comb it all down, but this day I somehow managed to give everyone a mohawk in the tub without them knowing.  It was awesome!

I know I won't be able to get away with pictures like this for much longer, but I thought this one was too funny not to share.  How I love my funny kiddos.

~Spring has Sprung!~

I came back into town from Spring Break to find that Spring exploded in Iowa.  Everything bloomed six weeks early!  My yard looked amazing.

My beautiful front tree burst into full bloom.

 With everything so lovely we had to spend every single chance we could outside. While Alec was at preschool we had a little sisters photo shoot. 

Brown hair, big bright hazel eyes....

 Blonde hair, big bright blue eyes...

These two are so lucky to be sisters.

Welcome Spring!

~Before School~

When my kids head off for preschool in the morning their hair is perfectly combed, their clothes clean, faces washed, and teethy shiny while I am usually a disheveled mess.   While I really try not to get caught up in how they look day to day, I still wanted to document that first thing in the morning look.  

 

Alec

Elyssa

Cordy, with her favorite toothbrush in hand.

 By mid-day they look like most kids their age, smudges of dirt here and there, costumes on, hair going this way and that, food stains, etc. I don't really care too much as long as they are healthy and happy.  We lived pretty charmed lives so I think it's safe to say we are all pretty happy. :-)  

~Cordelia at 18 Months~

When Cordy was a tiny little infant she was always so calm.  She slept all the time and smiled at everyone.  She was what people call an "easy baby".  I really appreciated her easy ways.  Now that she is 18 months she is not so easy anymore but I still appreciate her fabulous, spunky, crazy personality.

At 18 months this little girl climbs on EVERYTHING.  I have complained many a time that I spend half of my day getting her off the table or saving her life.  She tries crazy dangerous things all the time.  For Cordy that means putting tiny toys in her mouth and climbing (and often falling off) pretty much every anything with two to four legs.  She isn't climbing out of her crib yet, which actually really surprises me.  I call it an answer to prayers.  

This little lady thinks she's a big kid, just like her older brother and sister.  Here she is showing that she is One, but I swear this girl is One going on Five.   

She copies what the big kids do, wears their costumes, and carries around their toys.  She tries to do and be just like them all the time.  Some handle her copy cating ways better than others.  :-)  She likes to be in the middle of things, never being left out of a social situation.  She can be extremely friendly, waving and saying "Hiiiii!" and "Bye Bye!" to everyone we see at the gym or the grocery store.  She seems to particularly attract the attention of grandpas everywhere and I've found going to Sams Club in the morning takes twice as long now because everyone wants to stop and talk to her or play peek a boo around the isles, etc.  She's a little charmer when she's in a good mood, but believe me when I tell you she can throw a fit and scream with the best of them.

At her 18 month check up her stats were as follows: 

Height: 31 inches (25%), Weight:22.7 lbs. (48%), Head:18.25 inches (50%)

I think percentiles don't make any sense.  My older two weighed more at 18 months but had a lower percentile.  Maybe a mixup?  Who knows.

Now that she's 18 months we have finally stopped cutting the back of her hair (in efforts to let the front catch up) and just let her mullet grow, hence enough hair for mullet pigtails.  

This picture sums up Cordy really well.  All dressed in her coat and shoes, ready to go explore the world, with her favorite puppy under her arm and a toothbrush in her mouth.  Some of her favorite words to say are "puppy," "shoe," and "teeth".  She's obsessed with toothbrushes and will brush her teeth with any toothbrush she can get her hands on. 

This little lady really is obsessed with teeth, hence she is pointing to my teeth.  She's building up her vocabulary of words (that at least we can understand):  Mama, Daddy, Chester, cheese, shoe, teeth, mine, no, some, more, Whats that?, puppy, nose, eyes, ball, bath, book, baby, and a wide range of animal sounds.      

This little lady may keep me on my toes with her crazy antics, but she cracks me up all the time, melts my heart with her smiles, and lights up my days with her laugh.  I adore her more than ever and am so enjoying watching her learn and grow.  

I love you to the moon and back, Cordy baby!

~Temple Weekend~

Not that this has been a bad winter, but every once and a while you just have to get out of town... so we decided to have a temple weekend in Omaha. 

Friday night we drove to Omaha and got a hotel room.  What is the first thing we do when we get to a hotel?  Change into swim suits and jump on the beds.  Then off to swim for a bit in the hotel pool before snuggling down with pizza and a movie while Nick does a session at the temple.  

The next morning I got up bright and early and zipped my way over to the temple for a session while Nick took the kids down to breakfast, got everyone ready, and packed up our stuff.  I met back up with them after my session and we headed over to the Omaha Zoo for what turned out to be an AWESOME  day for Cordy.  We learned quickly that Cordy is a fan of the zoo.

Did you know that the cats are more active in the cooler months?  I had no clue.  Cordy went bonkers over all the playful, pacing, growing, purring giant cats.  She was particularly taken with the lion and after banging on the glass and roaring with all her might she finally caught the male lions attention.  He looked right at her and roared over and over, smoke blowing from his warm mouth.  As people gathered in excitement, Cordelia squealed with delight.  It was her own personal show!  

No fear with this little girl.

We have always loved the gorillas and orangoutangs, and this outing was no exception.  While in the Orangoutang house, Cordy caught the eye of a rather large specimen.  He pulled a bucket right up to her, sat down, plopped his head against the glass and copied her every move with his arms.  I was stunned, and once again Cordy drew a large crowd of excited onlookers.  Nick, who was standing right there making sure she didn't fall, also had the camera so I didn't get any pictures, but I wish you could have seen it.  People kept saying "look what that monkey is doing with your baby?!"  It was amazing.

Elyssa claims her favorite part was petting the real live penguin.  We can't wait until the aquarium opens again.  Alec was particularly fond of any skeleton he saw, but was also insistent that we visit the cheetahs.  He then pretended to be a cheetah for the next week.  Awesomeness. 

Cordy roamed around the zoo in complete awe and bliss for almost the entire afternoon!  I was so worried that at some point she was going to melt down without a nap, but alas she was fine all day!  Since there were two of us adults, there was always someone to help her walk around and explore or push her in the stroller.  She loved having the freedom to do both.

Before heading out we, of course, made a stop in the jungle.  I still think that place is so cool.  

The second we turned on the car Cordy fell fast asleep.  Besides a quick stop for gas and dinner, she slept the entire way home.  

It was an awesome day for everyone, 

but I think for Cordy it was magical.

~Sometimes...~

we just can't find the right side of the bed.  Just like growing up, sometimes waking up is hard to do.

Don't mess with me, Dad.

~Sleepyhead~

I hate waking a sleeping baby. 

Look at that peaceful little one, fast asleep.  

Beautiful.  

Why do kids always look so cute when they are sleeping? 

Sigh.  

I love my sweet Cordy baby.

~Scrubba Dub Dub Three Kiddos In The Tub!~

These three have enjoyed many a crazy splashing bath together over the last year, especially in cold winter time when baths feel like a warm luxury.   

 Sadly it seems to be coming to an end.  Our kiddos keep growing but our tub still stays small.   I knew had to get one last picture.  

Some days they drive me nuts, causing great monsoons in the bathrooms.  

A frequent phrase you would hear in our house if you were a fly on the wall, 

"It's really too bad they don't make bathrooms completely waterproof.  Now stop splashing me!"

Other days they crack me up with their silly wet games. 

I sure love these crazy kiddos. 

~The Day I Figured Out She Can Understand Me~

Who can help but fall in love with those happy baby blues?

 I talk to my kids all the time, even when they are little.  I've always thought that is why Alec learned to talk so young.  Cordy has been vocalizing plenty for the last year but she hasn't really said much in way of "real" words.  I think because I couldn't understand her very well I just figured she couldn't understand me either.  Boy was I wrong!!!  

One day when we needed to go pick up Alec from preschool I started talking to her (like I always do) and mentioned that she should go grab her coat so she could get it on.  I did not actually think she would do it.  I was just saying it.  Well, she walked right over to the chair where her coat was laying, and she picked it up and brought it to me.  My eyes were wide with excitement and hers were too.  She CAN understand me!  

Since that morning in early December I have learned that she understands much more than she can say. She loves to be a helper and will put books away, bring dishes to the table, put laundry in the dirty basket, pick out jammies, clean up toys, bring me her shoes, bring me her hat and coat, etc.  I love it!  She also blatantly disobeys at times, but that is be expected at this age.  By the third kid, I'm totally used to it.  

My goodness, this little lady is growing up so fast.