5-year Well Check

Cora is officially 5 now - she's had her 5-year well-check and survived the shots she needs to start kindergarten later this year. 

Cora cooperated very well Tuesday afternoon during her exam (except for the shots part). Here, she is doing the eye chart, with pictures instead of letters. Oddly, she called all the squares and houses "triangles." But she was consistent, so we know she can see fine.

 Here she is doing the hearing test.

Sizewise, Cora is 40 1/4 inches tall (just tall enough for the all-important Disney rides!), putting her in the 12th percentile. Yep, 88% of 5-year-old girls are taller than Cora. She is her parents' child.

Cora weighs 37 1/2 pounds, in the 33rd percentile.

 I gave Dr. Brockett the medical paperwork the Newhall School District needs for Cora to enroll in kindergarten. She's watched Cora grow since she was a newborn, and joked that she's been ready for kindergarten since she was three months old.

 The downside of well-checks...
Thankfully Cora only needed two shots to complete the immunization requirements for the school. I don't know how we would have handled many more. I had to hold her down hard, with Stace's help, and she still was thrashing and kicking the nurse.

 But, all was better 20 minutes later when we were enjoying some frozen yogurt, her treat for getting through the hard part.















A few weeks ago, Cora's teacher gave us a packet of papers showing some tests she had given the children, to assess their kindergarten readiness. They were supposed to recognize shapes and colors, numbers, letters and letter sounds.

Of Cora, Miss Lorrie wrote, "Cora is so bright! She is also a joy to have in class! She will be more than ready for kindergarten in the Fall."

It's a good thing she is ready - a week later came the day to pick up the kindergarten packet from Meadows school. It's hard for me to get my head around, my oldest baby girl is heading off to school in a few months.

Hello, World.

Ave's Birthday!

Our sweet Ave is 7! 

 How can that be? I can still picture her when we met, shortly after we moved in. She and the family came down to help, and Ave, at 3, was pushing her doll's stroller down the street and around the house. Cora, at 21 months, loved it and "borrowed" it. Ave was so sweet, watching cautiously but willing to share.

 If you look close at Johnny's cupcake, you can see it's rainbow-colored. Ave had a rainbow-themed party, and she made multi-colored cupcakes by layering the batter. Genia also made Johnny's tie-dyed shirt, and all the children received one as a party favor. Cora is calling hers her "sky dive" shirt.

Cora was the youngest girl there (save for some little sisters), and she was a little nervous about that. But Ave, and all her first-grader friends, were great. Cora had a fabulous time and was pleased to be included.

Violet also made friends, with one of the little brothers.

Still rocking the cheesy grin! Violet has been enjoying the birthdays lately, and especially the singing part. She sings "Happy Birthday" at home all the time. (Again, this is so different from Cora! I remember slightly dreading that part of a party, because Cora would get mad and yell about it.)

Day in the Life

Now that Cora's 5, it's high time for another "Day in the Life" post. It's been over a year since my last one, sorry folks!

My day starts with the alarm at 6:45, when I wake up, grab coffee and my Bible, and settle in to the couch with my cats. Whose box needs cleaning... so I tackle that before jumping in the shower and getting dressed. 

At 7:30, I'm ready to wake up Cora, and to my pleasant surprise, she's awake and playing with her princess legos. That makes life so much easier, as Cora wakes up like me - slowly.

I get Cora's clothes picked out, encourage her to get dressed and make her bed, and start breakfast.
At 7:45, I get Violet up, change her and it's time for breakfast. We're in the car by 8:19 and off to school.
We're there at 8:30, and with a quick kiss at the door, Cora's off, with her school bag. She loves her preschool, so it's never a problem to say good-bye.

Violet and I have about 40 minutes to kill before Stroller Strides, so we head over to Smart and Final (the "smaller, faster warehouse store"). While I prepare to leave the car, Violet starts in with a sing-songy voice, "I want gee out! I want gee out!"

I have three key things to buy: oatmeal, and ground beef and canned tomatoes for a soup I'm making for ourselves and a half dozen other families.

I've been participating in a freezer-meal swap with some friends for a few months, and we're meeting Monday to swap homemade soups/stews. I'm making a hamburger vegetable soup that's a big hit at our house, so hopefully the other families will like it too.

Back in the car, on our way to Stroller Strides, Violet says she's hungry for candy. I offer grapes. The response is straight out of her big sister's mouth: "No fair! No fair! Candy cane! I want candy cane!"

We're on time for our 9:30 exercise class. I used to attend Stroller Strides three times a week when Cora was a baby and toddler, but I've dropped down to a fairly consistent once-a-week since having Violet.

The faces have changed completely over the years, so we're making new friends. I still enjoy the workout, the fresh air, and the playtime for Violet.

 The franchise's owner, Christine, has been a friend of mine since she had her baby, Ezra, a day after Violet was born. I introduced her to Stroller Strides and she bought the franchise last summer. She's doing a great job with it, and Violet loves seeing Ezra whenever we go to class.

The children play for nearly an hour before it's time to leave to pick up Cora.

We pick up Cora at 11:30, and the girls are happy to see each other. They even hold hands in the car on the way home. Cora is generally helpful with Violet in the car, reaching toys and books for her.

Cora wants to know what we're going to do, and eating lunch at home isn't cutting it. She wants to eat lunch out. When I promise her a little bike ride at home, she relaxes.

Back at home around noon, we have lunch, play, and do some writing. Cora works on a thank-you card, and Violet draws straight lines she calls "Nemos" on an envelope. Whenever there is paper and pen around, or a magnetic drawing board, Violet requests us to draw Nemo for her to color in. When we've drawn her fill, she often then asks for turtles. Then whales. Maybe she'll be an oceanographer?




I have a few things to send back to Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty that we inadvertently packed into our luggage on Tuesday, so we start getting ready to go to our tiny local post office branch. The weather is gorgeous, perfect for a little stroll.

By 1:15, Violet is in the stroller, Cora's bike helmet is on, and we're off.
Our errand complete, we're home again around 1:50, and Violet is happy to head into her naptime. She asks for her night-night and is asleep in minutes.
Cora works some more on her thank-you card while I do a little cleaning and straightening, and then she goes in for her rest time at 2:30. We read a couple of stories, and she plays quietly in her room with her dollhouse until she's allowed to come out, at 4 p.m.
I do more cleaning, then check email, Facebook, and work a bit on the 2010 edition of our blog book.
Stace is home at 4:45, and he gets Violet from her nap. I hear her call, "Bye, bye, Night Night!" as she throws it back into her crib.

 The girls play while Stace and I make dinner together - well, as I put a frozen pizza in the oven. We do make a nice salad though, with greens from our garden.
Dinner is served at 5:30, and Violet makes us laugh by singing Happy Birthday to Nemo.
At 5:50, I clean up dinner while Cora practices on her keyboard, with Stace's guidance.
Twenty minutes later, we start the long, drawn-out process of getting ready leave the house. It's amazing how long it can take to get ready to leave the house! It's always at least a half hour.

Tonight, we're off to another furniture store to check out sofa options for the living room. Cora is not pleased. She cried when we initially told her our plan. In the car, she announces, "I don't like going to stores. Only if they sell candy."

Here, you see Stace's diagram of our living room with all the dimensions. I love my engineer!

I didn't get any photos of the girls in the store, but they did very well. Violet had snacks and drew Nemos on her drawing board, while Cora drew and continued working on thank you cards.
It was a late night for us - we were still out at 8. On our way home, Cora read a few words from her fish book, including Icon Starfish and Limpet. We all were proud.

We didn't get home until 8:15. The girls had yogurt for dessert, and then came the flurry of clothes-changing-teeth-brushing-story-reading-kisses-hugs-prayers. They were down around 8:45.

I felt like going to bed soon after, but when I came out from Violet's room, Stace was researching couches, so we played around with that for a while.

There you have it! Friday, February 24, a very normal day, but one blessed by love and family, so that made it a great day.

Seattle wrapup

Our timing for our trip to the Olympic Peninsula was brilliant, as we happened to hit the annual Red Wine and Chocolate tour hosted by a number of local wineries. On Sunday, we visited two that also happened to make real cider, apple and pear hard ciders similar to those Stace is familiar with.

 We had fun tasting, and the most delicious chocolate was also being sampled out. Yum!

Alison and Tyler came with us, and after we had dinner together, we went to their cute little place, a perfect newlywed setup. Cora like playing with the kitties...

...and checking out Tyler's music studio in the loft. Tyler and Stace jammed, with Cora on drums. 

 Cora helped Aunt Patty with some of the cooking, but Violet wanted to wear the apron.

She also liked trying on sister's boots!

Uncle Bill did a balancing game with Cora that he played with his kids when they were younger. There was lots of laughter!

And, like usual, we took the ferry on our way back to Seattle when it was time to return to the airport. It was windy on the boat! Both girls got a kick out of the ferry.

Our trip was fantastic! It was so nice to have a full week together. Thanks, Uncle Bill and Aunt Patty! Until we meet again...

Fun with Fire and Ice

One of Cora's birthday treats she's been looking forward to was ice skating with Aunt Patty. Ever since she enjoyed our December skating session with friends, and Patty said we'd go when we came up to Washington, Cora has talked about it. We tried to go Friday but the rink was closed for a hockey event; on Monday, it all worked out.

 Aunt Patty skated competitively as a teenager, and she was a good teacher for Cora.

 Cora spent quite a bit of time like this, but she never once cried on the ice. She was such a trooper! An instructor with a private student commented on Cora's determination and said she'll be a great skater some day. Then she corrected herself and said that Cora is a great little skater.

 Alison and Tyler came too! It was a fun day, and so much more affordable in Bremerton than in Valencia. I wish it were cheaper near us so we could go more often! Cora really loves it and by about halfway through our two hours on the ice, she was doing good! Falling often, but getting right back up and skating again.

 Gorgeous, ain't she? And looking so much older. Wow. Is she really only 5?

In the evening, Cora saw her other wish come true. The rain stayed away, and Uncle Bill built a fire. We roasted marshmallows while Aunt Patty baked an apple pie. (Yes, the eating theme continues...)

Seattle Post 1: Flying Well, Eating Better

Our plane trip from Burbank to Seattle on Wednesday went very well. The girls stayed occupied with coloring, books and snacks.

On Thursday, Uncle Bill had to work and Aunt Patty offered to stay home with the girls so Stace and I could have a date day. We had a fabulous lunch at the Yacht Club Broiler - if you're ever in Silverdale, Wash., we highly recommend it. We enjoyed delicious clam chowder, crab cakes and a seafood salad with lobster, fresh crab and giant prawns. Oh my. Then, we went shopping to get ideas for redoing our bedroom and maybe buying a new couch or sectional.

On Friday, Cora had her wintertime beach experience, collecting clams and oysters that we had for dinner tonight (Saturday).

 It may have been cold and wet, but when you're five, it's no bother to go harvesting your food.

On Friday we celebrated Cora's birthday (again! Lucky girl!) with Aunt Patty's amazing strawberry shortcake. This was after two types of homemade soup and this cheese-and-onion soda bread that Stace loved so much, he was considering leaving me for it.

Today, we went to Stokes Auction, a monthly event with all sorts of interesting things to peruse and bid on. Uncle Bill and my mom grew up going to auctions with their dad, so this was a blast from the past for them.

This time around, there weren't any cars for Uncle Bill to buy to flip, but we did go home with goodies. See the crockery I'm holding? I thought it would look great in the display cabinet in our kitchen, and I set my limit at $20. We got it for $7.50! Later, we saw similar pieces for sale online for a lot more, so that made me happy. Maybe I've found a line I can try to collect? (If you look at the link, the pitcher looks the same as the one we bought, but the plate we have is more round, not scalloped. We also got a matching spoon holder.)

Here was tonight's feast - salmon caught locally by a friend of Bill and Patty's; clams and oysters from the local beach; homemade gnocchi, bread and pesto; and pasta. It's hard to say goodbye to Patty without having gained five pounds!

Swinging - on her own!

Cora's Birthday Dinner

We hosted a birthday dinner for Cora on Saturday night, with her favorite friends including Ave and Johnny, Alexyss and Maya. 

 Here, Jill shows Violet a picture on her phone of Marley, who couldn't come because she had a cold.

 Genia and me, with our youngests. We were watching video clips on the computer of Violet sliding into the foam pit in her tumbling class, and of her swinging over the pit on the rope. I will post the swinging video; it's worth watching! At least, Owen and Violet thought so. They wanted it replayed over, and over, and over, and over.

 Cora's princess cake, with strawberries inside. She really wanted an Ariel cake but we had a little trouble finding one, and this one was more than good enough. One of the princesses lights up.

 How many big kids can you fit in a crib?
Four! Johnny wouldn't get in.
They were playing baby, trading off the roles of Mommy, baby, and sister.
You can tell all the girls are big sisters, can't you? I'm not sure what to say about Cora borrowing Violet's night-night, so I'll say nothing.

 Present time! Cora received some lovely gifts. Thanks, everyone!

 

Violet snuggling while Grandma draws. Violet loves coloring in drawings we make her, especially Nemos. She'll request Nemo often, and then color him in, saying she's drawing the water.

Everyone sing along...

Cora turns 5

Cora Rose is five years old! Five! The age that marks the end of preschool and the start of kindergarten and big-kid school, the start of what will be a whole new way of life for us later this year.

Sparked by our friends Christy and her family when they were here celebrating William's birthday, we started our day with "birthday cereal." Cora picked this cocoa cereal I had on hand for snacks, with blueberries.

 Later, after talking to Nan, Pop and Euan on the Web cam, Johnny, Genia and Owen came over. We all went to Scooter's Jungle, where the dynamic duo above ran themselves ragged for over an hour. Then we had lunch at our house and played for the afternoon...

 ...until Daddy came home, and it was time for Cora's big present from him and me. Isn't it grand? Cora's first big-girl bike in America. (She already has two in England!) Our friend Susan gave it to us, and Stace cleaned it up with a new basket, bell, grips and saddle. Cora loves it! And she rides it beautifully. The video shows her first ride, and she's now happily been all over the neighborhood.

Cora chose our dinner location, and Burger King was her selection. At five years old, the quality of the indoor playground matters much more to Cora Rose than the quality of the food.

 Cora's birthday celebration continued at school Friday. She got to be "special helper," she was sung to, and she got to pass out cupcakes as the school day ended.

 Little sister was happy that Cora passed out cupcakes!

 Here the girls are enjoying Cora's present from Nan and Pop, a princess Duplo set. Cora was thrilled with it, as she was hoping for Legos.

Happy Birthday, Cora! We are so proud of you and the young lady you are becoming. It's a pleasure to watch you grow, learn, laugh and play, and we are excited for the big things to come this year for you. We love you!