a hello and a goodbye

This morning, we met Cora's new teacher at her new school.  Cora has been anticipating this moment for a while and was relieved that Mrs. Bryan was very sweet to her.  In the car on the way home-

Me: "So Cora, was your teacher like what you thought she would be like?"

Cora: (long silence) "No.  Actually my hypothesis was wrong. So Mama, do you know what that is?".

Me: "Yes I do, actually." (as I had gotten a refresher while overhearing Dinosaur Train)

Cora:  "Why yes.  A hypothesis is a test about what you think someone will be like or how something will turn out.  And today my hypothesis was wrong because I thought Mrs. Bryan would be old, like you." (the teacher is one year younger than me. Nice.)

I wonder if Mrs. Bryan has any idea what Cora has in store for her this year.

***

At least I have my two part trip to cheer me up from that aforementioned conversation, which by the way, I just read to Colin and he laughed at me while looking sheepish and fearful.  

Part I is that Cora and I are having our very first girls trip on an Airplane.  Sure we went to St. Maarten last year with Daddy, but that certainly does not count as for real girl time.  We are heading to Williamsburg, VA where Cora and I will spend a couple of days with just us, visiting Colonial Williamsburg and my alma mater. We will meet up with several of my college roomates and their kids on Friday and I can hardly wait.

Part II is the much anticipated Thakkar family reunion in North Carolina.  Colin's Aunt Didi from India is joining us as is Colin's brother and his girls and his twin sister with her twin girls, who are only a month younger than Cora.  If you are keeping track, you will have noticed that it will be Allen and the five girl cousins, which will make for a very interesting week.  Anyway, it will be wonderful to finally get to play together as we all live on opposite sides of the country.  Cora can hardly wait to show her cousins her swim goggles for some reason and keeps asking me if I remembered to pack them along with her books so "she can do reading on the plane".

So the goodbye happened this evening when my parents took Allen, who will be driving up to NC with Colin later this week, home with them as we have an early flight tomorrow. We had enjoyed a family celebration of Cora's Birthday (the third celebration this week... we may have overdone it this year) and Cora wanted to walk Allen out to my Mom's car.  

Everything seemed to be going fine when all of a sudden, Cora started loudly sobbing.  I scooped her up and asked her what was wrong?  She said that she knew how much she was going to miss her brother the next three days and wanted to give him another fierce hug and, in between sobs, "Mommy I just love my brother so much."

There are no words to describe moments like these in a family.  I just know that I feel extremely grateful that I have them and that they have each other.  It is amazing to me that such little people have such a big capacity to love. 

Here's hoping their love lasts a lifetime.  Good night!

 

Lizard Princess turns FIVE!

When I first asked Cora about her ideas for her 5^th birthday party, she said she wanted a “big girl fairy princess ballerina party with ten friends and absolutely no boys, little sisters or mommies allowed”.   Check. 

What about food? No surprise that she wanted “Oysters from the Blue Fish, shrimp cocktail, smoked salmon, pink meat and some calamari and some cheetohs on the side”.  (I immediately envisioned ten little girls running from our house gagging. )   

After much negotiating and explaining to her that most little girls did not have such a, well, sophisticated pallet as the Lizard Princess, we came up with plan B: Chocolate sandwiches and P,B and J on white bread, which is a special treat our house, fruit (so I can say we had something healthy on the table), cheetohs, pixie sticks (a la the fairy theme) and juju flowers. 

Cora demanded that they all go lizard hunting after they got dressed up, but I convinced her to go with more traditional party activities and promised that Daddy would take her on an after party date where she could lizard hunt until her little heart was content.  

After undergoing a fairy transformation complete with homemade skirts by my mom, butterfly headbands, sparkly wings and earrings, the ballerina fairy princesses did crafts, decorated wands, and played pin the wand on the fairy.  They were all well-behaved little ladies and Cora enjoyed holding court which is a nice way of saying pleasantly bossing everyone around.  

After the party, Colin surprised Cora with a special date to smoothie king where he told her she could have whatever she wanted.  It was no surprise to me that our little fairy ballerina princess selected an orange smoothie and…. A piece of ostrich jerky.  Followed by a trip to Boone Park, which is known for having bountiful lizards.  It is safe to say that not one lizard felt safe when the Lizard Princess and her proud papa arrived.

Cora, I love your fierce hugs, love of nature, endless curiosity, bountiful enthusiasm and independent spirit.  With you, every day is truly a wild adventure full of extraordinary surprises, lizards, unexpected challenges and your generous love of all things bright and beautiful and great and small.  Your Daddy and I are so proud that you are ours!!  

Can’t wait to see what your 5^th year will bring.  We Love You!!!

Summer love!

Allen playing "daddy" one afternoon (with my nursing cover as the baby carrier!).  Such a good, hands-on dad, just like Colin!

Now he is pretending to be Mama, managing two kids plus whoever is over here for a playdate haha.  This is the best impersonation of me ever.

Wen to see Monsters University with Allen's BFF Tuggy.  They shared a chair, popcorn and many laughs.  Tug's mama and I survived the whole experience and were thankful for post-movie beers at Pizza Palace.

On our way to grill out with our neighbors.  Cora loves getting all dressed up for her nights out in the 'hood.

Allen took this picture. Fitting.

Allen channeling Austin Powers.

This will be a good one for their rehearsal dinner slideshow someday.

Allen wore this shark costume around the whole time we were at Hammock Beach.  He got so much attention it was like being with a celebrity.

Entertained himself while Poppy and Daddy fished.

What could be more fun than digging a really big hole?  He said it was his dinosaur house and he played in it for an hour!

Allen Moore Thakkar fishing with his namesake, Terry Allen Moore, my wonderful dad.

Back to the hole for more fun!

Since we have no snow in FL, we make sand angels instead! 

hole in the wall in Flagler beach.  Colin, want to take me to lunch here soon?!

my favorite fruit of summer at the Flagler Beach farmers market.  yum!!!!

Allen was mesmerized by this dude that makes musical instruments out of driftwood.

Fresh pineapple juice, served in the pineapple. 

My beautiful and talented Mama with the kids and the squeaky dolphin and shark I let them pick out at the market.

My mom the artist giving the kids and impromptu art lesson on the chalkboard by the pier.

Flagler Beach is pretty cool.

back in town today.  Tried to get over my post-vacation blues by taking pics of the kids are the playground.

awe.

loves swinging!

Allen blowing me a kiss!

devastatingly handsome little guy

caught a snail and it came out of its shell.  Cora named it "Zelda" and exclaimed "Oh Mama! I have always wanted to see a snail come out of its shell.  It's a real Miracle! Now the snail is in her bug box and she is drawing a picture of it.

my miracle with her miracle

fitting Cora asked to check this out from the library today.