Snowflake Lane

We made it once again to Snowflake Lane at Bellevue Square...barely. Audrey woke up on the wrong side of the bed today and it took a lot of willpower not to call the whole thing off. Especially since we are packing up the old front-wheel drive sleigh to embrace the frosty majesty of the winter landscape as we drive to Eastern WA tomorrow. I'm sure the memories of having to drag her screaming through the mall will soon fade and we will just remember the awe on her face when the lights were flashing, the toy soldiers were drumming, and lollipops practically fell from the sky just like the "snow" that magically appeared for 20 minutes on a 40 degree December night.

Audrey still loved the life-sized stuffed animals just as much as last year, and even boogied down with the snowman this year. The second we got there, she asked if she could have a lollipop - apparently that was a momentous event last time. The snow was a hit; we had to move closer so she could try to catch it on her tongue.

Cora seemed to have fun as well, even though we kept her up way past her bedtime. She snuggled in close in the ergo and took in all the sights and sounds. I think if she could talk, she would have asked us "Is this what happens after I go to bed each night?" She promptly fell asleep seconds after the music stopped.

All in all, it was a worthwhile trip, but to again quote one of our generation's most insightful cinematic masterpieces...

Hallelujah! Holy sh*t! Where's the Tylenol?

Gingerbread People

Thanks to Nana for coordinating a gingerbread people making extravaganza!

Operation Cora Stocking

...finished!

Santa Time

Audrey was once again thrilled to meet with the big guy. And this year we even got a smile!! Cora is fortunately at that blissfully ignorant age where she really doesn't care where she sits. Let's hope that some of Audrey's adoration rubs off on her for next year.

And for those of you who are interested, here are some of the pictures from previous years:

2011

2010

2009

Beautiful Baby #2

Kelly and Audrey ran some errands a few days ago, leaving Cora home with me to take a few six-month pictures. We did a similar photo session with Audrey when she was six months old. Even though you aren't supposed to compare, it's fun to see the differences.

Kelly and I agree, this first one is what Cora looks like about 90% of the day. It is exactly the picture we have in our heads when we think of her.

Letters to Santa

Audrey has definitely been more excited about Santa this year and it has been fun. Lately, she has been talking about writing letters to Santa. And so she did.

The letters A and B written and delivered to Santa (aka Mom in a Santa hat).

Corn on the cobb, anyone?

Okay, it might be a little too early for that (and the wrong season) but Cora is on her way. Her first tooth (the lower left central incisor, to be exact) popped through last night. While getting a first tooth at almost 7 months might seem a little late to most, Audrey didn't have any teeth until 10 months so we weren't holding our breath. Although I have to say I'm relieved to know there was a reason for all that drool. No pictures yet but we hope to get one soon.

December 1st

Cora is sitting up on her own (and stable enough for me to trust her there without a pillow backup) but not yet crawling. She can only move backwards at this point. Let's hope it stays that way so we can get through the next 25 days without having to figure out how to baby proof our tree!

Thanksgivings

Following in a similar tradition as last year, we were lucky enough to celebrate Thanksgiving twice. Thursday was Honey Baked Ham Day in our new home. Nana came up for dinner and even let Audrey help her tear the bread for the stuffing. Audrey once again had the "one for the bowl, two for my mouth" mindset.

The real Thanksgiving was on Friday with the whole family gathering at Nana's house. Audrey was able to get in some playtime with her cousins and Cora thoroughly enjoyed her green beans. Great food, great fun with family - couldn't ask for more.