Dashed Expectations

Kaitlyn has a cold today, so she needed to stay with us during church time so as not to infect the entire nursery. (Why don't all parents do that, by the way?) So, when it was time for communion, I decided to just carry her up with me. In my mind, I was about to share in a sacrament, a remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection. I was trying to focus in that direction. I walked up the aisle to the front and received communion. But, there was only one problem. Here's the scenario from Kaitlyn's perspective:

Kaitlyn thinks: "Mommy and Daddy walked me all the way up to the front of the church, where there were these fancy bowls of bread and cups of juice. But, they had the nerve to both have a snack without sharing any with me!"

She howled the entire way back up the aisle, and then some! I must admit, as soon as the howling started, my first instinct was to do the only thing that would shut her up quickly--grap a bread chunk and hand it to her. But, I quickly realized that, of course, you can't do that with communion bread! Hmm...I'm starting to realize this new realm of awareness she has developed is going to limit our behaviors a little bit.

I was just commenting to Roy this morning about how amazing it is that babies go from these blobs to little people so quickly! As sweet as she is, Kaitlyn (at 14 months) is definitely a little person now, with an agenda, a will, a temper and a manipulatingly cute flirtatious side. I love every bit of her, though. We marvel daily at how blessed we are to have such wonderful kids.

Bathing Beauty

I decided to give Kaitlyn a bath in the sink instead of the tub, mostly to save water and my back. It has been months since she last bathed in the sink, but I figured she's such a little peanut, she'd probably still fit in there! Such enough, she had a blast! Her bath must have lasted most of an hour, entertained only with a plastic cup and a spoon.

Twins Twice Removed?

So, do you see any resemblance between Cotter and his maternal Grandfather, William Cotter?

The Big 5!

This past Tuesday, my baby boy turned 5 years old! I can't believe it. As I was tucking him in the night before, I mentioned that next time I see him, he'll be five! He thought about that a minute and then said, "When I turn five, does that mean I get to talk louder?" I immediately replied, "NO! Actually, when you turn 5, you'll talk more quietly, because you'll know how to use an inside voice a little better." Hmm. I guess my constant begging "Cotter, pllleeeaaassseee... be quiet. You're gonna wake up your sister!" is getting a little old for him. I don't remember at what age comes voluntary volume control, but age 5 sounds good to me!

As I shared in the post below, we went to Sea World to celebrate Cotter's birthday. So, on his actual birthday, we had a nice, quiet evening. Their across-the-street friend Anthony (who blends into our family quiet nicely) came over for pizza and cupcakes. I hid Cotter's presents with treasure hunt clues, so that he'd have more fun finding and opening them. They seemed to like that. But I did have to set a few boundaries for Aidan, who, before we started the treasure hunt, said, "When do WE get to open OUR presents?" He has never been too subtle with his intentions.

Cotter's 5th Birthday Celebration

We didn't have a formal birthday party for Cotter this year. We alternate years, so one year they get a party, and the next year we just do something fun as a family. So, this year, thanks to a generous birthday gift to all of us from Grammy and Papa, we took Cotter to Sea World last Saturday. The kids had a great time, and so did we! They have some really good shows. Shamu was definitely a highlight, as was the pirate sea lion show. But the kids' favorite part was the kiddie roller coaster (which is about my speed, too) and the 3-story-high netted playground. At the end of the day, we were exhausted, and Kaitlyn was asleep in her stroller, so we just plopped down in front of the penguin exhibit and stayed to watch their antics for quite a long time. Definitely a fun time. And, it's a great deal, because, as Florida residents, we get to come back for free the whole rest of the year!

Such Good Helpers!

Here are a couple pictures of Kaitlyn and Brennan helping Grammy (Becky's Mom) wash the dishes. They had a blast.

Spaghetti Face

You have to admit, everyone needs a good spaghetti picture on file for all posterity. And, spaghetti happens to be one of Kaitlyn's favorite foods, too. Unfortunately, with spaghetti, it takes longer to clean up after the meal than it does to cook the meal in the first place!

Are they REALLY the same age?

Kaitlyn has a cousin, Brennan, who was born less than three weeks before she was. It was cute seeing the two of them playing together in Atlanta and interacting a little bit. They shared many things that week--toys, food, sippy cups, and even a stomach bug. However, one thing they've never shared is a similar plot on the growth curve! Brennan is trying his best to become the stature of a football player by early next year, while it appears Kaitlyn will be content to remain in her infant car seat until she graduates college.

My petite little girl only weighs 18.5 pounds (at 14 months). My goal is to fatten her up in the next month or two so that she can graduate to a forward-facing carseat in time for a big road trip we are taking in March. Any suggestions? I started the process by giving her her first chocolate marshmallow Santa. Despite the fact that she was desperate for a nap, she approved!

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's...

...Aidan!
Aidan announced to me the other day in wide-eyed wonder that he can move faster than the speed of sound! He wasn't just pretending to be Superman--he was quite serious! He said, "Come here, and I'll show you!"

Extremely curious, I followed him into another room where he knelt over a noise-making toy and punched a button. Then, he quickly brought his hand back up and touched his body before the toy actually began making noise. His conclusion, then, was that his arm movement must be faster than the speed of sound, because his hand made it back to his body before the sound traveled to his ears!

I did get a good laugh, but I didn't dare deny him the pleasure of believing his theory must be true.

Cotter's Catastrophes

It sure has been a while since I've posted. I guess we've all been busy with Christmas travels and such. Now that life is finally settling back to normal again, I thought I'd jump on here and blog a few funnies that have happened over the past few weeks. Once again, Cotter gets to be the main star in this show!

Apparently Cotter has been a little clumsy lately, sustaining minor injuries on multiple occasions. I'd like to think that he's just going through a growth spurt or something, but the source of his injuries is generally some form of mischief instead.

One day he was playing with scissors in the "art room" (a corner of our home office den) and received a VERY minor cut to his index finger. Immediately, he comes running to me, and, with much drama to his voice, he exclaims, "Mommy! I think this is the last day of my life!"

On another occasion, he was monkeying around on his Grammy's armchair and went over the edge, falling against a toy on his way down. This was actually a fairly dramatic fall right onto his face (see the picture above, complete with very chapped lips, too!) But, his response was classic. He came crying to Grammy saying, "Grammy! I think I damaged my head!"

Cotter has always been creative, so I guess a simple "I hurt myself" just wouldn't do.

Just today in fact Cotter came inside crying, "Daddy says I have a scarf, and it really hurts!"
"You have a scarf?" I asked.
Cotter: "Uh huh. I tried to catch the football, and it hit me in the face, so now I have a scarf."
Me: "Oh, a SCAR! You have a scar? Is that what you mean?"
Cotter: "Yeah, a scarf!"
Me: Tempted to clarify again but decided, why bother? Especially since it's not even a scar that he'll have, but more likely a bruise.