A Break From Vacation

I know, I know. I haven't finished blogging about our major vacation, and I'm already moving on to something else. I figured anyone reading won't mind this little digression as long as it's for good reason. I feel the need to post a few details from our lives while they're still current.

We had a ward campout this weekend at a place called Teancum Timbers. It's out in the wilderness of southeastern Washington, past a small town called Dayton. I'll have to admit this was Cora's first camping experience. We've been such slackers. I don't know why we haven't had time this summer to go sooner. Cora is usually pleasant and happy in the mornings (as long as she's fed right away) and the Saturday morning of camp was no exception. Here she is enjoying her Kix cereal in the tent.


The girls had a blast. Cora, like Ally, loved sleeping in a tent and experiencing the great outdoors. It also doesn't hurt that everyone we know from church just adores them both. Ally had plenty of friends with which to socialize, and Cora had plenty of people giving her attention. We camped right next to Ally's friend Devon. Although Cora woke up earlier than Ally, and chatted and cooed for 30 minutes straight, it wasn't until Devon awoke and said something in a whispered voice that Ally had a problem with the noise. She opened her eyes, dramatically rolled them, and grumpily declared, "Devon, your talking woke me up!" Then she threw the covers over her head and pouted, pretending to fall back to sleep. Needless to say, Devon and Ally have a love-hate relationship. Which is quite amusing at times since they often pretend they're married. Last time Ally was pregnant and Devon proudly told me he's the dad. Then Ally popped the baby out and Devon was carefully carrying their imaginary "new edition" around in his arms.

So Cora is 2 weeks shy of 9 months. At this stage of the game, Ally was already walking around with no falls. Looking back, that seems so surreal and utterly impossible. We wonder what Cora's problem is. (Just kidding.) Every day that goes by, it seems that Cora gets closer to skipping over the whole crawling thing as well. She'll get in position, rock back and forth on all fours, giggle, and then flatten out and pull (or roll) herself to wherever she'd like to be. She loves to stand and dance, has been cruising the couch, and will stand unsupported for 3-5 seconds before squatting down. I know one of these days she's just going to take off running.
Not that we're in the habit of comparing our children, but I need to report that Cora is ahead of Ally in one category-- She's already pooped on the potty 3 times! Amazing, I know. (I should take a video of that.) Ally cheered Cora on each time, and then she ate the treats on her behalf since Cora's too tiny to be consuming Smarties. And she doesn't have any teeth. (Ally had at least four by this age.)

Ally still loves princesses and American Idol-- and we play them constantly. Except when we take a break to play her other favorite imagination game. In Ally's own words, "It's the one where you are the big sister, and Cora's the little brother Ian, and I already have a baby Cora (played by a doll), and I'm pregnant with three babies in my belly (Chase, Ella, and another Cora) and I sometimes feel sick so you have to take care of me." We play that game for hours: going to the grocery store in our mini-van (the couch) and looking for 4-seater shopping carts to hold us all, visiting the doctor, feeding the babies, getting into trouble for not listening to mommy, making dinner for Daddy . . . She comes up with some very in-depth scenarios.

Here is Ally auditioning for American Idol with one of her princess songs. (Note to self: Make sure my children are freshly bathed and comb their hair before bringing out the camera.)

One last story to share. Ally has a lot of imaginary friends. Her first was Ana, followed by Ha-juana and Sally. They occasionally die, but they also occasionally give birth to each other, so they never disappear altogether. They have a house in Mexico (I think that's where they're from), but most recently they've been living in Washington DC and are thinking of buying a house in Spokane. I don't know. I usually just nod my head and go along with it unless her "friends" are being a bad influence (which, amazingly, does happen). After she made this birthday card for Ana, she showed it to me. "See, I put Ana's name on it right here: A-S-S". [Ally sometimes writes and/or recites her letters from right to left (does she think she's Jewish?), and that's how they're placed on the page.] I tried to tell her it should be A-N-A, but she kept arguing and loudly respelling Ana her way saying, "See, it's for my friend A-S-S!" I hope this little spelling mistake disappears as she continues her reading lessons.