Colds and Costumes (again!)

I was looking back at my blog from last October, and "Colds and Costumes" was the title of my 2017 Halloween post. Funny enough, it is an accurate title for this year's Halloween, too! Sadly, Emmy is once again fighting a cold as we try to still do all the fun festivities that come with this time of year. It seems to be just a runny nose and cough, but we are trying to adhere to early bedtimes and nightly medicine to get her back to full health. On Sunday, our church had its annual Fall Festival Trunk-or-Treat. The costumed cousins did a tour of Kernersville first, stopping to see Grammy, Grandpa, Great Grandma Harriet and Great Grandpa Bill, and then to Arbor Ridge to visit Great Gma Nancy and the other ladies there. Before even arriving at the Fall Festival, they already had lots of goodies in their baskets. But how could you turn down these cuties?!

We are very grateful for friends that pass along their costumes. I received this costume months ago, and without looking at it too carefully, I had been telling people that Emmy was going as a lady bug for Halloween. When I pulled it back out of the closet to try it on, I noticed it was not in fact a lady bug, but a STRAWBERRY! Emmy sure made a cute strawberry; we love her berry much!

 

At the Fall Festival, we walked with the Houstons through the Trunk-or-Treat and also went on a hayride. Emmy wasn't quite big enough for the bouncy houses; maybe next year!

 

 

On Halloween, Emmy got lots of candy from school. They had Pajama Day at her daycare, and they trick-or-treated up and down the hallways to the other classrooms. She got quite a haul! Mommy and Daddy let her have some Smarties, which she liked very much. That evening, we stayed at home and handed out candy to our neighbors. Emmy was a good little helper. She liked running her hands through the candy bowl and waving bye-bye (usually after the trick-or-treaters left!) 

 

A few other snapshots from our week: Emmy loves her new bath baby doll. It has quickly replaced all other bath toys. I now bring two washcloths to bath time, so that Emmy can wash her baby while I am washing her. It's turned into a great learning time as we practice saying the different body parts and pointing to body parts like "face," "belly," "feet," "cheeks," "eyes," or "head." 

I voted early one day after work, and I got stickers for both Emmy and me to wear. This time of year, with all the election ads and campaign posters, certainly reminds me of two years ago when I went into labor on Election Night 2016. In only a few more days, we will be celebrating Emmy turning 2 and yet another election. Where does the time go??

It's a Barn Party!

We had so much fun this past weekend celebrating Maddox turning 3 and Emmy turning 2! A couple of months ago, as both Megan and I were planning parties for our fall birthday babies, the idea came about of having a joint party. Between football games and fall travels, the weekends in late October and early November were filling up fast, and a joint party seemed like the perfect plan. The initial location was 4th of July Park in Kernersville, but with the cooler temps and rainy weather on Friday, we made the decision to move the party indoors to Megan's school. Thank goodness for her connections! The Sedge Garden gym and attached cafeteria were ideal for the kiddos to run around, while the adults could be close by to sit and supervise, with the added plus of everyone staying warm and dry. We had family and friends from near and far that celebrated with us. My grandparents from Florida are in town, and we have enjoyed spending time with them throughout the week. It was extra special for them to be there for the party. We also had loved ones from Morganton, Star, Winston-Salem, and Asheboro with us. Meg and I decided on a barnyard theme, with cowboy hats, bandannas, and farm animal glasses for all the kids. I had to be quick with the camera to capture Emmy posing with hers!

 

 

Emmy sure was spoiled with lots of great presents: a Minnie Mouse toilet seat from Granny and Paw Paw, cute clothes from Great Gma Nancy and Great Gpa Bobby, a bath baby doll from Great Grandma Harriet and Great Grandpa Bill, along with other gifts of books, a board puzzle, and coloring books. Her favorite toy of all was her pink polka-dot stroller from Aunt Megan and her boys. It was the first present that Emmy opened, so unfortunately it was hard to keep her interested in opening any of the others. Emmy loved pushing around her stroller for the rest of the party. It is the perfect size just for her and even has a little basket for carrying her other small toys. My little shadow loves doing all the things she sees Mommy do.    

Of course no party is complete without cake, and both Emmy and Maddox had their own. Coley made the cutest pig and haystack cakes that completed the barnyard theme. Emmy and Maddox had a little help from big brother/cousin Zander when it came time to blow out the candles - he was close by to make sure they did it right. Overall, the party was a success, and I think the two cousins enjoyed their barnyard hoedown! Perhaps it will be the first of many joint parties over the years. Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us. Happy birthday, Em and M! 

 

 

Sitting on the Step

Well, folks, we have entered a new stage of parenthood: discipline. Specifically, time-out. Up until this point, we have mostly corrected behavior by raising our voices with a sharp "No, ma'am!" or "Emerson Leigh!" Usually our stern tone was enough to elicit tears and the immediate end of the behavior. However, it seems a raised voice will no longer do the trick. On the cusp of Emmy turning 2, the two-tendencies are starting to rear their ugly head, and we are moving toward the uncharted waters of time-outs and crying-it-out. For the first time this evening, I had to spend a few minutes with Emmy pinned to my lap on the bottom step of our stairs. This was shortly after Emmy quite intentionally continued to toss food off of the tray of her high chair. I first raised my voice; then I popped her hand - she didn't seem affected at all! With the next quick toss of her food, I got her out of her chair and did the only thing I could think of: went to sit on the bottom step. Emmy was upset at this point and thrashing about. I kept a very even tone as I told her why we were sitting on the step. We sat for just a few minutes, as Boomer cleaned up the mess and moved her plate to the sink. Dinner was over for her, but Boomer and I returned to eating, while she played around at our feet. I know Emmy probably doesn't quite understand 'time-out' yet, but until we are able to better reason with her, I anticipate more time spent on the step. I have a feeling that this whole parenting thing only gets harder as we try to teach our daughter right from wrong. 

While meals are probably the most unpredictable part of our daily routine, the rest of our days are pretty sweet! Emmy has such a fun personality that reveals itself more and more each day. With the cool temperatures this weekend, we have officially welcomed fall in North Carolina. What a strange month October has been! It started with unseasonably warm temperatures and then two back-to-back hurricanes, which brought a lot of rain and damaging winds in our area. Now it seems that fall has finally arrived. The mornings have been chilly, and the evenings are crisp. It is socks-to-bed, soup-for-dinner kind of weather. With the noticeable change in the seasons, we have enjoyed embracing all the fall activities. Yesterday, we had fun at the pumpkin patch picking out our pumpkin. Emmy also got to pick out two small pumpkins of her own. I may be biased, but she is definitely the cutest pumpkin in the patch! 

We of course love the memories we make on the weekends, but the weekdays are equally special. I try to pause to capture those quick moments Monday through Friday between 5PM and 8PM. In the evenings, Emmy loves bringing all of her toys over to the washer and dryer when we are doing laundry....

 ...and putting diapers on all of her babies...

 ...and going out to dinner with Mommy when Daddy has to work late...

...and reading to her baby and Bobbie...

...and swinging at the neighborhood park...

...and splashing around in the bath. 

I texted this last picture to my mom and sister, and they both responded with bath pictures of their own. Do you recognize these other bath bums? Happy Fall, ya'll!

Thank Goodness for Grandpa!

We have had quite the unusual week! As I wrote in my last post, the week started on Sunday with all the Kennedys in different cities. I headed to Raleigh for a work conference while Boomer made his way to Atlanta and Emmy stayed behind in Kernersville with my parents. My conference was for the NC Community College System, and it was a two-day event with various sessions and keynote speakers. I learned a lot, and the best part was spending time with the two other college liaisons, Melanie and Julie. Both nights we went out to dinner and talked for hours! Mostly we talked about our jobs, sharing tips and tricks of college advising, and telling silly work stories. We also talked about 'mom stuff'. The three of us are all in different stages of motherhood: Melanie, with two grown sons, married with careers of their own; Julie, with a daughter just out of college and a son in high school; and then me, with a toddler in daycare. I made a joke one night asking if either of them needed me to cut up their dinner! Needless to say, it was nice to enjoy two nights in a hotel and meals with adult conversation. One night, we also fit in a drive-by tour of NC State University and Meredith College. Both are in Raleigh, and it reminded me again how much I always love being on a college campus. I am looking forward to some upcoming student field trips we have planned back to NC State, as well as to Appalachian State and UNC Chapel Hill. 

While I was in Raleigh, Boomer, his dad, and his brother Kyle went to Atlanta for the Braves vs. Dodgers Playoff Game 3. It was a quick trip; they left Sunday morning, saw the game that evening, and were back in NC by Monday afternoon. Boomer had to take a day off work (shocking!) but I think it was well worth it so that he could have that experience with his dad and brother. His mom said that the three of them were smiling like little kids as they drove away on Sunday. The pictures were pretty cool, and most importantly, the Braves won! It was an exciting back-and-forth battle, and the Braves came out on top 6-5. Sadly, the Braves went into that game already down two games to the Dodgers, and after another Dodger win that Monday night, the Braves were done for the season. At least the Kennedy boys got to see a win, and Emmy loved the souvenir that Daddy brought home for her!

While Boomer and I were off on our adventures, Emmy spent some quality time with Grammy and Grandpa. She had a lot of fun going for a Sunday evening walk with Grandpa and Sox, and I know she loved staying home from daycare on Monday, going to the park with Grammy instead. I don't think she very much minded that Mommy and Daddy were away! 

At the end of the week, we had another heavy storm hit our area. While parts of our state are still recovering from Hurricane Florence, another hurricane hit Florida, bringing rain and heavy winds to the Carolinas. Unexpectedly, I got a call from the daycare on Thursday morning saying that they would be closing at noon. My mom was (and still is) out of town, having a girls trip to the mountains, so at first I prepared to leave school to pick up Emmy. Then, I thought, "Let's see if Grandpa is up to the challenge!" So I called my dad, and with only the slightest hesitation, he agreed to watch Emmy. I told him I knew he could do it! He has never really kept Emmy on his own, although he helps my mom when she is watching her. Luckily the timing was such that most of his 'shift' would be during nap time. He still had the dirty work of changing two diapers and setting up the pack-n-play. Boomer offered to be there right after naptime, so that my dad didn't have too much to do, but Grandpa surprised us all by suggesting he just keep her until dinnertime, when Boomer and I would be back in Kernersville after work. He even provided delivery service, bringing Emmy (and Bojangles!) to our house through the dangerous weather. This morning, there were still several trees down with roads closed and street lights out. But the sun was back out and it felt like a true fall, October day. It was probably a safe call that the daycare closed early yesterday. We are just so thankful for Grandpa! He helped in a big way, surprising us all by his babysitting skills. He truly earned his Grandpa Badge this week!

Just a few more pictures from the last few days: we celebrated Emily and Baby Sawyer with a shower last Saturday. Even though Sawyer's due date is not until November 10th, it seems he may be making an early arrival. I am glad that we could fit in one last shower for the mommy-to-be. 

And a few pictures of Emmy, being silly at the Taco Bell and putting a diaper on the hand sanitizer!