Swing Baby Swing

Cora loves the swing that Mar Mar gave her for Christmas. We wanted to put it in the backyard but this was the best limb (that was also close enough to the ground). A little white trash never hurt anyone. *We do take it down when we finish playing. But still...

Cora's First Christmas

The best present ever.

Christmas was even more fun than we could have dreamed! We actually had Christmas X 6! Cora slept through opening gifts at 4 out of 6. Opening gifts at 7:00pm interrupts her beauty sleep. She still was showered by so many presents. She got clothes, toys, books, and even her very own baby donkey! That's right, Cora owns livestock! Her Grandpa Paschal just got a mama donkey and a baby girl donkey. The baby is Cora's. Coy also made Cora a beautiful toy box/trunk. It is so special. I know she will always cherish it.
We loved seeing our families. That is the best part. We traveled to Reidsville on Sunday and Wednesday and to Farmville on Christmas day. We spent a lot of time on the road but it was worth it.
Santa visited and managed to squeeze in a few more goodies for Cora. She got her first baby doll and cradle, a walking wagon and a bouncing horse along with some other things.
We can barely fit into our living room! It is not too big to begin with. It really shrunk with the arrival of Christmas! We are so fortunate.
With all of the gift-giving and rushing around, we have not forgotten how blessed we are to have our healthy, beautiful daughter. As many of you know, we had quite a time getting Cora here- and we hope she always knows how much she means to us. She is the best gift we could ever
ask for.


Did Santa Clause visit?!

Merry Christmas, Mar Mar!

We learned that putting Cora in pajamas before long rides home made going to bed a lot easier. And doesn't she look cute?

I can see myself!

I love my horse! Giddy up!

We need a bigger house! Note the time: 1:25am.

Cora even got diapers.

Cora loved the stocking that the Allens had for her.

'Twas the night before Christmas...

Michelle and the baby (to be named later).

5 months old

This was Cora at 2 weeks. Look how much she has grown!

I know that this picture is a little late. But here it is-- Cora's 5 month rocking chair picture. She is sitting up completely unassisted these days. She is also saying Da Da nonstop! I love it. She often says it when I am doing something that she does not like. She likes to say it when I am not going fast enough: feeding her, dressing her, etc. Is she calling Coy to come and help or to complain? I don't know. *I've included a picture of Cora at 2 weeks old. It is amazing how much she has changed already!

Bath Time!

With the exception of those first couple of baths, Cora really likes taking a bath. Now that she is sitting up, she is starting to play in the water more. (Tonight I didn't use her baby tub. She sat in the big tub like a big girl.) She does not mind if I leave a trickle of water running that splashes on her. She also does not mind when I pour water over her head and it goes over her face. She just flutters those wet eyelashes and keeps on playing. We have our fingers crossed that she will enjoy swimming and playing in the water as much as Coy and I do. What can you expect from a summer baby. She spent a lot of time in the pool before she was born!

Look Out Rockettes!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Spending time with friends and family

Ho Ho Ho! What do you want for Christmas little girl? A donkey? OK! I'll see what I can do!

Our first babysitters

Kim & George with Cora

We did lots of visiting this week. On Sunday, Grandpa and Rhonda came over for breakfast. We had a great time and ate lots! Then we had our first REAL babysitters! (Aside from Aundrea of course). Emily and David came over to hang out with Cora while we went out for a little Christmas shopping. Cora could not quit talking about what fun the three of them had! Our last company of the day were some of my old friends from Haw River Elementary. Patty Lamb and Jayne Jackson came over. And when I say over, I mean OVER. Jayne came all the way from New Zealand! It was wonderful to see them both. I miss them so much!

On Monday, we saw more of my HRE buddies (Kim, George, Megan and others) at a mini-reunion.

We finally took Cora to see Santa Clause. He was great. Cora didn't seem to mind him very much. We got a wonderful picture and we scanned it for you to see.

Mama Is So Funny!

We caught some pretty good laughs this time. Enjoy!

Cora Loves Miz Emmy and The Mad Hatter for breakfast!

We got our tree last night and it smells so wonderful in our house! I love that Christmas tree smell! This morning we got Cora dressed like a little elf to join Emily and Karen for breakfast. We had such a nice time catching up. We are going to try to make this a regular date. Soon Cora can order her own yogurt parfait. Yummy!

Good Groceries!!!

We brought the turkey, sort of. Cora says that's just wrong.

That's right, no shirt. We're learning fast.

I can do it myself!

These were my pants from 30 years ago!
Vintage Powder-Blue Bell-Bottom Corduroy--GROOVY

Christmas card, anyone?

Hi Aunt Judy! It's so nice to finally meet you!

I love the phrase, "Good Groceries". It never fails that when Mr. Irving's people are together someone will say it between bites of delicious food. We certainly had good groceries at Aunt Judy and Uncle Pete's house. Uncle Pete is a master at turkey frying. Yum!
Aside from Thanksgiving, Cora ate pretty good at home too. We've decided to try some other delicacies besides the ever-popular rice cereal. Last week she ate sweet potatoes-- Loved Them! Tonight it was butternut squash-- Loved It Too! Coy got in on the feeding action tonight for the first time. It was great to watch how he made every face that Cora did. I don't think he even knew he was doing it. :) We also love how she has to talk through every meal. Watch the video and you'll see what I mean.