October 2013

October was a busy month for us. It began the best way possible - a trip to the beach! We were invited to go with our friends the Collins (who you'll see a few pictures down, should be a modeling family. So photogenic!). Nora loved it; Charlie hated the sand until the last day. We soaked up sunshine, enjoyed the seasonable temperatures, and really loved being there with Stephanie, Josh, and Reese.

The pumpkin farm was really cold and windy this year. This grimace was about as much of a smile as I could get from Nora, but she had a good time anyway. She said her favorite part was going over the bumps during the hay ride.

I (MG) completed my first Ragnar Relay this month. Running with friends is so much more fun than running on your own, especially when combined with rad costumes. Our team name was "Super Moms" and the last leg of the race was particularly super! Adults do not make enough time to be silly; that's what I've decided.

Nora and Charlie have new car seats! Charlie is finally facing the front (just now hitting a little over 20 lbs), and Nora is juuuuuust heavy enough to be able to sit in a booster. Both facing font, hooray!

Halloween was a lot of fun for Nora this year. She had been counting down the days for a while now! Lucky for her, Charlie doesn't have much of an opinion about what to wear, so she decided that he should be the Big Bad Wolf to compliment her Little Red Riding Hood. She also now knows every word to the song that starts, "Hey there, Little Red Riding Hood. You sure are looking good. You're everything a Big Bad Wolf could want." (!)

 

Our good friends the Collins family and Hayley came over to trick or treat this year. Hayley was even willing to ride her knee scooter (or knooter) all around the neighborhood, due to a broken foot. What a trooper!

Post trick or treating craziness begins!

September 2013

September stayed pretty warm this year - warm enough for more trips to the pool! However it was also temperate enough to enjoy being outside at the park or taking walks around the neighborhood, so we had a lot of outdoor time. This month, Charlie's language has continued to take off - he says some sentences that start with "I want..." (usually some kind of food follows this). He's mimicking more two and three word combos, and has started to notice and appreciate music. I hope to be able to get a video of him dancing on here - it's so funny!
   Nora has settled into preschool, and looks forward to it every day. The last picture shows her in her new tricycle helmet for the trike parade at her preschool. I bought it the day before the parade, and was gently chastised by her teacher for not making her wear one before that. I want her to be safe, of course, but part of me also wants her to feel the joy of the wind whipping through her hair as she peddles madly down the sidewalk. At any rate, she loves her new helmet, and wants to wear it when she takes a ride down the street. Probably better that way.

August 2013

August was a busy month for the Taylor family. Around the middle of the month we visited my brother Patrick and his wife, Emily for a whole week in Washington, DC. We went to the park, a museum, and were lucky enough to hear an outdoor concert by the President's Own Marine band.

This first one is waiting at the Knoxville airport. See, we're still cheerful at this point.

 Nora and Charlie waiting for the train at the community park. They have a train ride that goes all around the park, a carousel, and a playground - so great! I actually lost Nora for a few minutes at the park. It was the scariest five minutes of my LIFE. I had ducked my head into a tube slide, trying to entice Charlie to come down, Nora didn't see me, and bolted for the parking lot. I guess she chose flight over fight in her panic. After I sat squeezing her for a few minutes on the curb, we had a chat about "what to do when you can't find Mom or Dad." Whewwww.

 Both kids fell asleep on the flight back. Cue angels singing and whatnot. I'm sure it's because our friend Colby was one of the pilots. Such a smooth flight!

Charlie and Nora got to both come up to the cockpit after we landed. There are so many buttons up there!

 This is Nora's first day of preschool at Wesley Day School. She goes three days a week now, from 9-12. The kids go to music, and the playground, and art, and Nora LOVES it!  Her favorite thing is climbing up a ladder into the loft in her classroom to play with stuffed animals.

Charlie is increasingly interested in things that move. I met a friend for breakfast after dropping Nora off at preschool, and he spent about a half hour staring out the window watching the cars go by.

We had Nora's friend Reese for Labor Day weekend while her parents were out of town. Matching jammies were a hit!

Summer Shenanigans

We're thinking of saving this first picture for Nora's high school senior year book. Also to note - there are about SIXTY of these on my phone, since she's figured out how to change the perspective to see herself as she's taking the picture. Nice. It actually reminds me of her ultra-sound pictures, when Ben and I were worried she'd have clown lips...

Here is the grocery cart they love to ride, and I hate to push. It has virtually no turning radius. Forget about moving around any other carts or boxes or people stocking the shelves. There's a scene in the first Austin Powers movie where he's trying to un-parallel park a golf cart, and it's about five minutes of him going back and forth. That's pretty much what it's like. Call me grumpy (I am), but I still let them ride in it!

Nora can do supported head stands!

A beautiful evening at the park after eating at Los Amigos. Check out this kid's thick, curly hair!

Charlie can climb onto almost any surface in our house now, in a matter of seconds.  Kitchen table, desk, bathroom counter. You can see how pleased he is with himself. Also - since we're talking milestones - he can say about 30 words that I consistently understand, has frustration tantrums when he isn't allowed to do what he wants, and is learning to use a spoon (sort-of). After two or three successful bites, he just digs in with his hands, even if it's something soupy like applesauce.

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I found these two in the bathtub the other morning. I asked Nora how Charlie got in, and she said, "He told me he wanted in, so I pulled him by his jammies."

Summer 2013

I am still learning to use our new computer, which means operating without using Picasa (e.g. increased the delay in between posts!) Here are a few posed pictures from this summer - Mother's Day and a family picture for Nora's preschool. More casual-type ones to come soon.

 Here are some from a set in early May, that I took to give as gifts for Mother's Day. Anyone want to give me a tutorial in Photoshop to remove the pole jutting out from behind Nora's head?

April 2013

So after all of the holiday, birthday, and Easter pictures, here are more everyday pictures for April.

These first four are pictures from trips to the library. We go once a week to exchange our "Signing Time" video, play, and get new books. Nora love to park across the street and walk across the bridge into the side entrance right beside the children's area. They love to play with the puzzles and blocks there, too.

This next one is out of focus, but so cute, I had to leave it in there!

The weather has been unseasonably cold this month, but we've been enjoying our yard as much as possible anyway. We had a four-legged weekend visitor, and Star loved it!

I always feel kind of bad when Charlie falls asleep in his high chair. But it's so cute!

March 2013

Easter pictures. Nora enjoyed hunting eggs in the yard this year, especially once she discovered the candy! Charlie was less than enthused, especially since we wouldn't let him scootch around the wet yard in his Sunday pants...