The Adventures of Dave, Lindsay, Cora and Edie

Our Christmas festivities started with Christmas Eve morning at our house. Cora got her own computer, which we're hoping keeps her from climbing up on the chair and pounding on ours. She loved it...until she discovered the packaging popcorn in one of her gifts. That was her favorite toy! Then we headed down to spend the night at TT and Grandy's house where Cora woke up to her own vintage kitchen. There will be endless hours of entertainment with that, which is fabulous. Papa Steve and Grandma Tanna showed up a few days later to spoil all of us a little more. It's been a busy week but lots of fun. Happy New Year!

Cora isn't so sure about this Christmas holiday and all the "characters" that come along with it. At the holiday brunch we went to Sunday, she kept her distance from Santa....and the very large nutcracker. She does, however, know that whenever Santa is mentioned, she should respond with "Ho Ho Ho," which is pretty darn cute. And she LOVES the Christmas tree.

We had a nice, relaxing Thanksgiving break with friends and family. On Thursday, our friends came up from Corvallis to spend the day and even treated us to homemade deep dish pizza - tasty! On Friday, we celebrated Thanksgiving at my mom's house with both my brothers and then headed out to Seaside on Saturday for a few great days on the coast. We even had a break in the weather so we could spend a little time letting Cora run around the beach, which she loved.

We did a little trick or treating in our neighborhood with Cora's friend, the sock monkey (aka Willa). We didn't make it to many houses but Cora loved carrying around her pumpkin full of candy, though we only gave her a few pieces.

We visited Dylan, Andrea and Jim (they now have a new member of the family, Samuel) in Larchmont, New York before heading into Manhattan. Our friend, Sara, met us in Manhattan for two days of walking and taking in the sights. Cora's new favorite thing is the horse head stuffed animal Sara's Aunt gave her. We put it on her in Central Park and she was a hit!

We are just coming home from a trip to Boston, Maine and New York wondering if we're insane or just in denial that we can't travel how we used to with a 15-month old in tow. Hmmm..... It was a great time visiting friends, exploring both Boston and New York, and driving through small, quaint towns in Maine and New Hampshire enjoying Fall foliage (including a day in Acadia National Park). Cora was actually a fantastic traveler other than the occasional meltdown due to: sleep deprivation, too much time in the car, over stimulation or just a longing to get out of the damn stroller and explore on her own two feet! We found that the train is a fantastic way to travel with a little one and our backpack full of books, snacks and other forms of entertainment definitely came in handy. Cora got to meet her new boyfriend, Dylan, in New York and he introduced her to her new obsession - ELMO. Of course, we had to get her a small Elmo doll and she hasn't put it down since. It seems ...

Much like her father, Cora can't pass up the opportunity to take over the dance floor at a wedding. She provided entertainment for all in attendance and then passed out on the way home, shortly after this video was taken.

This past weekend, Dave and I left our baby for the first time to celebrate our 6th Anniversary in Walla Walla with a little wine tasting. Cora enjoyed a weekend with Grandma TT and Grandy but they were definitely exhausted by the time we picked her up on Sunday evening. It was beautiful on Saturday so they headed out to a local farm for some fun and photo opps. Dave and I survived a weekend away and had a great time, though we missed our little girl like crazy. Cora wouldn't even look at me for the first 15 minutes after we got back but eventually giggled and came over to snuggle with her "Mama." Dave has been away from her for long stretches before but I don't think she and I had been apart longer than 12 hours. Hard to believe but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Papa Steve and Grandma Tanna were in town this weekend so we headed to Burgerville for some local fare. It's was Cora's first Burgerville experience and, much like her mom, she was quite taken with the cheeseburger we placed in front of her! These days, we're always excited when Cora eats something other than fruit, cheese, pasta or bread without spitting most of it out.

Dave has been traveling for the last week and I've discovered a level of exhaustion I didn't know existed. It's impossible to get anything done with a 14-month old constantly tugging on your pants saying "up" because she likes to see everything that's going on. It's been fun but I have a whole new respect for single parents who are trying to hold down a job. Wow! Thankfully, Dave will be coming home tomorrow.... This is just a glimpse of some of our recent activities - playing in the water on the back porch, play date with Jace, and a Gymboree Class with Willa. Cora thinks she's the leader of the class and literally gets giddy when "Gymbo the Clown" makes his appearance in class. Lucky for her, Grandma TT takes her to Gymboree Class every Tuesday!

Little Cora is on the move these days....walking everywhere and falling often. She's also quite a talker and has several words that she says, as well as a few signs. Not to mention she repeats most everything we say or do. She's definitely keeping us busy! Here's a few recent pictures of our "toddler" doing her thing - helping us brush Peeka (can't you tell how much Peeka is enjoying it?!), helping Mom water her plants, her first black eye (I'm sure there will be many more), a little bowling excursion and her first bike ride in Sunriver.

This cute little number traveled all the way from El Salvador. Cora is staying cool and lookin' adorable. Thanks Whitney and James!

In the midst of a busy month, which included a move across town, we were able to slip out for a little camping trip with our dear friends. "Stan the Van" makes it pretty easy to do family camping trips and Cora loved being outside - playing in the dirt with her friend Willa, sitting in the river, and exploring. She's still not walking YET but she's taken several steps and does a lot of "cruising" around when she has something to hold on to.