The Games We Play

Kaitlyn is going through a phase where she could play "I Spy" for hours at a time. And since it's quasi-educational, we like it. We've spied blue things, brown things, fluffy things, flat things, messy things, tall things, short things, old things, silly things...

What's best is when Kaitlyn gives the clues. Here's how it goes:

"I spy with my little eye something I spy.... this (running over and pointing at something)!"
"Is it that?" we 'guess'.
"YES!" she gleefully acknowledges.

Lately she's been getting better... "I spy this blue towel!" "I spy this green wall!" and today an actual clue "I spy something Auntie gave back to Mommy!" (In case you're wondering, that's my exercise bike that I loaned to Kris when I was too pregnant to use, since it's recumbent).

Kourey is a big fan of games, too. Her game of choice is Peek-a-Boo. She could be in the middle of a crying jag and you can briefly cover your eyes and say "peek-a-boo!" and she'll switch to laughter. She's gotten to the point where she tries to play, too. She'll take her pants while getting dressed and cover her face and then pull it off and giggle. This is an especially great game, because Kaitlyn can play with Kourey. Kaitlyn loves that she can make Kourey laugh, and I love that it doesn't involve physical contact between the two (since Kaitlyn sometimes reminds me of Elmyra from the vintage Animaniacs cartoons).

The Nerdy Acorn Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

Kaitlyn had her second night at Cubbies last night.

When I picked her up I asked her if she had fun.

"YES!"

"What was your favorite part?" I asked her, expecting snack, or Cubbie the puppet, or coloring...

"When the lady helped me learn."

I gave her an extra big hug and was amazed once again at this little person I call my daughter.

Symphony at the Park

I wanted to go. I wrote it on the calendar waaaay back in the spring. Three dates - one spring symphony performance, one fall Ft. Lee Army Band performance, one fall symphony performance. All free. All near(ish) my house at Pocahontas State Park.

The spring concert was great! We (and since it was a night Keith was working "we" meant then 6-month-old Kourey, Kaitlyn, and Auntie Kris) took a picnic dinner and relaxed to a program of music including lively Sousa marches that got Kaitlyn marching around while enjoying a serendipitous reunion with some good friends from Grove Avenue Baptist Church.

The Ft. Lee Army Band performance - the only one Keith could have made - was rained out last week.

Which brought us to this week. The humidity was oppressive, my kids didn't go down for a nap until it was almost time to get up, and I really considered not going. But go we did and we really had a great time!

Four months older than her last concert, Kourey was very into the music! Kaitlyn danced around and even finagled a popsicle out of Auntie Kris (disclaimer: Auntie actually wanted a popsicle for herself, and got Kaitlyn one, too).

A Little Kourey Update

Those of you playing the home game already know that Kourey is now 10 months old. What you don't know are all of the little things that make Kourey the awesome tom-month-old she is.

You've got pictures, so you can see that she has gone from looking exactly like Kaitlyn to looking more like Keith. She's got dark hair, and in the back it curls up into damp little ringlets whenever she's hot (which is all the time). Her birthmark between her eyebrows has faded a lot, but whenever she really gets worked up it comes flaring back. She's got three teeth, and if you get too close she'll use them on you. She'll pretend she's going to kiss you, then bite your cheek. She thinks it's funny. I think Keith taught her.

She also takes after Keith in her sense of humor. It's not just the "fake you out" kiss. She takes way to much joy in creating a diaper that leaves me calling for backup (and it takes a lot for Mommy to call for backup).

Kourey loves her sister. She crawls along after her, climbs on top of her, and tries to stick her finger in her mouth. Kourey also loves when her sister is not around. She can play with her toys (and by "her" I mean both Kourey's toys and Kaitlyn's toys) without fear of theft or reprisal. She can feel confident no one will try to "ride her like a puppy". The forty-five minutes between when Kaitlyn goes down for a nap and Kourey does are her golden moments. The forty-five following minutes when they are both down are mine.

She's not talking. My brother is four years younger than me. Until he was two he could/would only say "Ma" "Da" "Ssss" (that's sister) "haystack" and "Tweetsy Railroad". That's right... "Ssss" was sister, but he could say Tweetsy Railroad and haystack. Anyone who has met David knows the two years didn't hurt his vocabulary one bit, and anyone who's met me isn't surprized that everyone in our family surmises he simply didn't talk because I did all the talking. It's a theory; I'm not sold on it. BUT it could be true for Kourey and Kaitlyn. Time will tell.

Despite the fact she still wears some 6-9 month clothes (at this point Kaitlyn was 12-18 mos) and is not really chubby, Kourey loves to eat. I joke she is a bottomless pit, or that maybe she has a hollow leg. My mom used to say that about my brother all of the time - "He must have a hollow leg!" I said the same about Kourey and Keith thought I was making a weird joke that he didn't get at the expense of those with prosthetic limbs. Has anyone else heard this expression or is my mom just a little crazy? She nurses three times a day, eats baby food twice a day, and eats lunch and dinner with us at the table. Her favorite foods might be spinach, spaghetti, grilled eggplant and yogurt. And baby puffs (as in puffs for babies, not to be confused with Soylant Green Puffs).

And that's the Kourey report.

Kaitlyn's First Day at Cubbies!

Ever since she started Little Treble Makers choir in January, Kaitlyn has wanted to go to Cubbies, but while she could start choir after she turned 3, Cubbies had the same birthday cutoffs as the school year and her December birthday made her ineligible.

How did she know she wanted Cubbies? The very first night of her choir Keith was supposed to pick her up at 6:30. He got there at 6:31. By that time she had already been whisked to Cubbies where the Cubbie Bear puppet was talking to a room full of excited 3- and 4- year-olds clad in bright blue vests with patches and clutching colorful books with stickers.

They had her at puppet.

After a long wait, Kaitlyn was so excited for her first night at Cubbies on September 10! We waved and hugged her friends from Sunday School, waited in line to try on vests, ordered a tote bag, filled out a flurry of forms, and collected a bevy of handouts.

How can you tell she loved Cubbies? Maybe by how the Cubbie's Hopper book was enough to enthrall her and keep her quiet and seated during my choir practice afterwards (if you have or have ever met a three-year-old, you get the miracle here). Maybe by the fact she wore the vest all night (not just at church... all the way to bedtime - she tried to convince me she could wear it with PJs). Maybe by the fact she's already learned both of her verses and is telling them to Kourey and Baby Becky.

Or you could just take my word for it.