Kora Playing

Kora will not keep her clothes on.  She’d rather play while wearing just her diaper.  And lately she has insisted upon wearing Tucker’s hat.  It has been loved hard.

Do you remember having one of these Fisher Price xylophones? I know we had one when we were little.  Kora loves it.  It makes quite a racket in close quarters. She will make laps around the house.

Tucker got this Jump-a-lene for Christmas.   It looks like a kissy pool with extra tall sides.  They enjoy jumping in it but lately it has turned into a fort.  They turn it upside down and prop it on chairs and the couch.  Here is Kora and Daddy hiding from the bad guys.  Tuck is on lookout behind the couch.

Just like Daddy!

 

Kora’s First Haircut

Tonight was haircut night for Tucker, Kora and I.  This is Kora’s first haircut.  The last time we got ours cut, Kora got to sit in the seat in preparation for this day.  And it worked; she sat so well and did so good.  Of course, she had a good example from her big brother.

This is the before shot.  You can’t really tell it but I think every hair on her head was a different length.  Some of it was getting long and starting to curl.  Others were hardly long enough to get ahold of.

It looks like the cape is eating her alive. 

Then Aunt Rita found a ponytail holder so Kora got her very first piggy tail.  Oh it was SO CUTE!!!!!  I can only hope she will let me continue to do them.  I have had the bands for months just waiting for this day.

She got Skittles as an Atta Girl. Thanks Uncle Chuck for providing the treats.

What a Sweet Little Thang!

Tucker got his hair cut too.  It was getting really long.  Normally Aunt Rita keeps it a little longer on top but this time she buzzed it with the clippers.  How he has a really big forehead. 

What a ham.

Thanks Aunt Rita.

2011 Hole Family Christmas

Christmas Eve is always the annual Hole Family Christmas. Long ago we outgrew Nanny’s house and now have it at the Clubhouse at the golf course.  Nanny, the eternal matriarch of the family feels obligated to host. She is just starting to accept help, at age 95.

This is Nanny and her brood of 9 grandchildren (2 were missing), 13 great-grandchildren (2 were missing) and 3 great-great grandchildren.

(One day Nanny was lamenting that she was so old that she was a Great-great Grandma.  I told her it had nothing to do it with age, but rather that she was just doubly great.)

I know I am biased but I think she has done well and has reason to be so proud of the family that she reigns over.

You are one in a million, Nanny, and we all love you so much.

Have I ever told of how Nanny got her nickname: Nanny Hoo Hoo?  When we were little, whenever she would come over, she would poke her head in the door and holler “Hoo Hoo, is anyone home?” And so that translated into our young lives as “Nanny Hoo Hoo”.  And we always differentiated our Grandmothers as Grandma Dora and Grandma Nanny.  It wasn’t until I was well into my 20’s that I came to realize the redundancy of the title.  It was always just the way it was.

I have been so blessed to have such wonderful women to model and look up to.  Thank you Nanny Hoo Hoo for all that you have done and taught us.

I love you so much!!!

Kora is …

Kora is:

…starting to talk more. Her favorite color is “lellow”. And she often calls Tucker “ca-ca”.

…taking speech therapy with Angie and First Steps.

…jumping with both feet off the ground although her landings are less than graceful.

…a tomboy. She prefers to wrestle with Tucker to playing with dolls.

… a blue-eyed beauty.

…full of attitude.

… a choc-o-holic.  She LOVES the stuff and can sniff it out of a cupboard.

…sleeps with her Dolly and polka dot blankie. She is such a good sleeper, usually from 845 to 630.

…a good helper.  She picks up her toys and throws things away and sets the table.

… a silly kid.  She teases and has the BEST laugh.

…31” tall and 23 pounds.  My little shrimp.  But the Doctor has finally taken us off the watch list since she grew 3” in 6 months.

…still in a size 3 diaper and could likely wear a 2 still.  She is using the potty a lot but still not reliably.

…has figured out how to take off her clothes, all by herself. Now she shows up sans clothes randomly throughout the day and we find clothes all over the house.

…a milk lover.  Her recipe is half whole milk and half half and half.

We love you, my sweet!

Who Are You Going To Marry?

This evening after dinner Tucker and I were asking Kora who she was going to marry.  I already can’t remember how we got on the subject but that isn’t important anyway.

So we went through the list of each of the boys at daycare, in the neighborhood, and other kids we know.  Each time we asked: “Kora will you marry C?” To which she would reply every time with a shake of the head and a long drawn out “Nooooo”. So this went on for at least 8 kids.  Finally I asked “Kora will you marry Rex, our kitty?” Again she replied “Nooooo”.

Without missing a beat and with the most serious of expressions and a deadpan that would have made Uncle Garry proud, Tuck replied: “She can’t marry Rex, he can’t dance”

Where do they come up with this stuff!!!

Pumpkin Patch Trip with Conservation Friends

We made another trip to another pumpkin patch with some girls I work with and all of the kids.  I’m sure I have mentioned in the past that we have been on a baby run for years now, we are averaging a baby every 3-6 months at least for 5 years now.  We are getting to be quite the crowd.

We have made this an annual trip.  This year it was pretty chilly and I was not prepared with hats.

The other kids were well prepared though.  Needless to say they all had fun anyway.

The duck races were a big hit.

And the race is on…

and here comes Kora in the back stretch.

Tuck picked out a prime one.

We borrowed a hat.  Is this not the best little ensemble?

We are in the corn maze.  Which way do we go?

And here are the last of the worn out kiddos on the way to the car.  What a great day with friends.