The girl can roll, man

While my sister and Dirk were in town for the holiday weekend, we decided to take a break from watching the Hawkeyes lose to Minnesota – um, REALLY?! - to go bowling. Which was both a random and appropriate activity considering the last time either Chris and I had gone bowling was Thanksgiving 2007 when Lib and Dirk were visiting and I was pregnant with Taylor. Here's a picture circa first pregnancy:

And because we had zero expectations as to how Taylor-tot was gonna handle bowling, you can imagine how happily surprised we were when we got this kind of a reaction:

She LOVED it. It was about the cutest thing we had ever seen. The girl literally ran back and forth between the ball retriever and her little stand FORTY times. Two games worth of pure happiness.

Looks like we might have a bowling-themed third birthday party this spring.

A day of thanks

Chris, Taylor and I were extremely happy to be able to spend Thanksgiving with family this year. Living so far away from our families, we always feel very blessed to have our loved ones come to the mountains of North Carolina and visit us. We’ll take company whenever we can get them and for however long they can stay. Just throwing that out there to all of our extended families looking for a break from the harsh northern winter this season. It’s always sunny in Asheville.

So a month ago it was decided that the Blackwell family would be escaping Birmingham and coming to the mountains for the Thanksgiving holiday, overtaking my great aunt Lula Rose’s house in Cashiers. And because Asheville is only an hour and fifteen minutes from Cashiers, Libba and Dirk opted to stay with the Famous Amys crew for the holiday weekend and we would all travel south for the day of Thanksgiving.

And what a wonderful day we all had together! Great company and amazing food. We were even able to talk to those who couldn’t join us through many telephone calls and an impromptu iChat with my parents in Iowa.

And because she was on all of our minds that day and with us in spirit, I brought Gomar’s apron down from my house to help send the positive gourmet vibes to bless our meal.

And while waiting for all the wonderfulness to bake to perfection, Libba even gave her goddaughter her very first photography lesson. Which, considering the value of the camera, was cute to watch but made me super nervous.

And after stuffing ourselves silly, we all posed for a family photo.

And then, after Miss Taylor went down for her nap, some of us went on a nice walk to help burn off some of the five-thousand calories we had just devoured.

So as you can see, it was a wonderful, blessed day. I am very thankful for everyone I got to spend time with and all of the family I was able to speak to. And the delicious food and gorgeous views were just a bonus.

Holiday parade

Yesterday Asheville hosted it’s annual Holiday Parade that boasted about a hundred floats and moving displays winding through the downtown. We took Taylor last year and she had a blast, so of course I was going to take her this year too. And because Chris’s office is located right at the beginning of the parade route and had free, super-accessible parking, we had the Bound family join us for some good old-fashioned parade fun.

And while Taylor was so-so about the actual floats and bands, she was all about the candy. And because we were right at the beginning of the parade, everyone started off the celebration by being super liberal in throwing out lots of their loot. To which the peanut benefited greatly.

Yep, she had the whole hold-out-her-bag-and-smile-real-big thing DOWN. Those candy-tossers were toast.

A few of my favorite parade attractions:

And after two hours, lots of sun and a lunch of eight suckers, we had had enough of the parade and came home. A very successful morning of grinning and binging, followed by the best naps of the week. It was like a practice-run for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Happy Holidays!

Thumb sucker

Yesterday afternoon I had my 18-week ultrasound for Baby Amys and am delighted to report that our baby is absolutely perfect. The spine, organs, limbs and every other teeny-tiny bit and part is developing wonderfully and we’re right on schedule for it’s April arrival.

And because I’ve been starting to feel it’s little kicks and punches in the past few days, I was so pumped to be able to watch the little bean in action and see the feet that have been poking me. We even caught a glimpse of Baby sucking it’s thumb:

Not the clearest picture, but the torso is on the left and you can see the profile of the head on the right, and above it is the arm and you can barely see the hand reaching to the mouth. Ah, my healthy little thumb sucker. Better start saving for braces.

Ruby the ferocious beast

For the past six months, every time we would let Ruby out into the front yard she would run to a patch in front of our flower garden and hunt and dig for a few persistent moles that started inhabiting our property. And every time I would catch her in the act, I would yell, RUBY! NO! Because she would dig, dig, dig these awful eyesore patches out of plush, green yard.

Well now the grass is starting to brown and the flowers are dead, so I’m less likely to blow a gasket about her digging. And yesterday, after all those attempts and furious, sneaky digs, my ferocious seven-year old chocolate lab FINALLY got her kill. And Chris said that when he found her with the mole, she was batting it around, half-dead, in the yard and being all, Yeah THAT’S RIGHT, Mr. Mole. This is MY YARD. Property of the RUBES.

Don’t worry animal lovers, Chris put the fat little rodent out of it’s misery before she could get too Jack Bauer on it. And when he told me about the bloody scene after he disposed of it, I was all, What? I wanted to see her with her kill. And he looked at me weird and said, Um. It was pretty gory stuff. Plus, with you’re hormones, you were crying at a Disney World commercial last night. I didn’t think you would have gotten excited about a dead animal. Well, I’m excited enough to blog about, my friends. Good job, Killer.

In which we’ve got a fifty-fifty chance of pleasing the princess

So last week my friend Katie and her kiddos came over for a playdate. A Princess playdate to be specific, as Katie’s two year old, Delaney, was also Cinderella for Halloween. And because Taylor starts every morning asking, Can I wear my princess costume please?, I asked Katie to also dress up Delaney so we could get another use out of the sparkly, blue costume before the bottom is completely frayed. Oh, and also so I could get a few cute pictures of the Cinderellas.

And other than Princess Delaney, Katie also brought her two adorable seven-month old twins, Dan and Mackenzie. And while I was playing with Dan and Katie was holding Mackenzie, I held up the bouncing baby boy and had the following conversation with my daughter:

Me: Hey, Taylor. Did you know that we are going to have a baby like Dan and Mackenzie soon?

T: Yeah. But just ONE.

Me: Yes, that’s right. (As I thanked Jesus under my breath) Now, do you want a baby brother like Dan, or a baby sister like Mackenzie?

T: (Without hesitation) I want one like her. (Pointing to Mackenzie) NOT like him. (Pointing to Dan)

Me: Well, Dan is super fun too. Brothers are a lot of fun!

T: NO, Mom! I want one like HER! (Pointing to Mackenzie)

What a good hostess I raising, huh? And even though Katie and I laughed it off a bit, when I told Chris about it and we asked Taylor again if she wanted a brother or sister, she emphatically chirped, SISTER! I wanna GIRL like Mackenzie.

Oh, and don’t think we didn’t turn on our super-enthusiastic parent voices and start talking about baby brothers. Taylor, did you know that both Mommy AND Daddy have little brothers? And they’re the BEST. We LOVE our little brothers. To which she would just shake her head and say, No. I have a SISTER.

So basically we have five more months to convince Taylor how much fun it would be to have a brother, only to possibly come home from the hospital with a sister. And because Chris was the one who graduated with the psychology minor, I’m gonna put him in the driver’s seat with this one. Good luck, Dad.

31 months old

Taylor turned 31 months old this week... Meaning the countdown to her turning three and becoming a big sister is only five short months away. And while I’m so ready for her to meet the baby that is cooking in my belly, I am not at all prepared for my baby girl to turn the big three. Ugh. That sounds so OLD. And while my Taylor-tot has always been a big sized girl, lately she’s really starting to look and act like a big grown-up girl.

So last month was super busy for us, between Libba’s visit to Asheville and our fantastic voyage back north. And because we live so far away from all of our families, it’s always a treat for Chris and I to watch Taylor bask in the attention of her grandparents, aunt, uncle and extended family members. The girl L-O-V-E-S to perform, and when you’re the only grandchild-niece-nephew on both sides of the family, the audience is always begging for more.

Taylor also showed her growing maturity level by handling all the new faces and places like a pro. Last year at this time, she would have clung to my chest and whined when introduced to so many strangers. But this trip she was passing out hugs and politely accepting treats from everyone in the room.

And other than being spoiled by grandparents and indulging in Halloween candy, another constant in our lives this past month has been Cinderella. Oh, Cinder-elly, Cinder-elly. Between watching the movie NONSTOP the entire 18-hour trip from Wisconsin to Asheville, wearing the costume until the bottom has started to fray and constantly humming, A dream is a wish your heart makes... That Disney Princess has hijacked our family. Hijacked us with cuteness.

Someone that hasn’t been affected by all the Princess Taylor cuteness, however, is Miss Ruby Blue. Yes, our four-legged daughter has taken quite the emotional beating from our two and a half year old the past few months. My day is constantly peppered with Taylor shrieking, NO kisses Ruby! or Mom, Ruby touched my leg, or GET OUTTA MY FACE RUBE! Pretty harsh stuff. So Chris and I have been making an extra effort to get down on all fours and give our furry friend as much over-the-top affection in front of Taylor whenever possible. Because when Baby comes this spring, I need harmony between Rubes and T. Or at least no more loud hysterical outbursts because the dog looked at my toddler’s snack.

And, of course, we’ve had our share of melt-downs this month. None that stand out or were recorded for posterity. But they happened. And they were awful. And they left me wondering how I’m gonna handle these tantrums while holding a newborn. So only five more months of talking Taylor off the ledge while giving her my full attention. So I guess we better have a giant supply of gummy snacks available after baby comes. Donations welcome.

So. Last month was busy but wonderful. And every time I sit down to write down my memories milestones, I think, Didn’t I JUST do this? Time’s going fast, bloggers. And I only have a few short months left before I’m dividing my attention between my precious girl and our new addition. And that’s what I keep reminding myself every time I feel sidetracked with housework and other obligations. I need to take every second I can find between now and April to savor all that is my beautiful Taylor. To snuggle her squishy body, smooch her cheeks and tickle her until she laughs so hard she can’t breathe. I think this is going to be our most favorite month yet.