Bzzzzz.....

We had fun with Cora this Halloween. It's my least favorite holiday but it's sure fun dressing Cora up! She was a Bumble Bee, thanks to my Aunt for sending me the costume. (Thanks Shelly!) Cora's little friend was a lady bug, they were so cute together. We didn't go door to door but we did go to the Tavares Main St. "Trunk or Treat" event. Cora walked up and down the blocks for a good hour. She was wearing us out! Only two people gave her candy, our Pastor and a friend of ours. But she did figure out how to unwrap a sucker and carried that around with her, usually with sucker head in hand (very sticky). Needless to say, we didn't let her have the sucker for every long. It was a fun evening! We were all tired by the end of the night.

Window view

I just love these photos! She is getting so fun! She is almost 15 months old too! She's walking and talking tons. Her vocabulary isn't too large yet but her intellect is! She may not be able to verbalize what she wants, but she knows exactly what you've said. If we tell her to go get her shoes, she walks into her room and comes out with a matching pair of shoes, everytime! She's amazing! She's also at the age where she knows she is not suppose to do or touch something but she still will out of defiance (or curiosity). We're still learning how to discipline and teach right from wrong. We are also finding that she is a born climber. Oh, it's fun and a little nerve-racking all at the same time. What should we expect though, mom and dad both climb and daddy's a pilot. Of course there's a little dare-devil in her. Just more to look forward too.

Well overdue...

Oh the places I'll go... These are pictures from our trip to MN this July. Yes, I'm very overdue in posting these pictures. Sorry!

Cora got to play in Lake Bemidji and eat ribs in MN. She really enjoyed seeing family and friends. (So did Seth and I!)

Happy Birthday Cora!

Cora turned 1 year today! We had a party with our friends today at our house. Food, presents, and carrot cake....I think it was a great 1st birthday. Her new trick she learned for her birthday is crawling on top of the coffee table. She can get on top and down all by herself but she has taken a fall off the table too. New tricks mean new bumps and bruises.

Happy Birthday Cora! We love you!

Playing dress up

Grandma Susan gave Cora these colorful headbands. Most of the time Cora will not wear any one but on this day we had fun playing with them. She was a good sport! So Cute!

Exploring

Cora has started to explore the house more. She loves peaking out the windows and yelling at the passing cars or birds or blowing trees. Actually, I think she just like to yell. She has definitely found her voice. We've started to do more table foods and exploring the world of textures. She has 6 teeth now and gnawing on a cold organic carrot was one of her favorite teething toys. She also likes mango.... if you couldn't tell from the picture. 

Party Time!

Seth turned 30 this year and we had a party at our house Easter weekend before his parent's went back to MN. By Seth's request we had grilled chicken wings with the famous Hardley Hot Sauce! And of course carrot cake. The party was fun and we all enjoyed some  great food! 

Personality!

Cora is developing her personality A LOT lately and boy is it fun! The three pictures with her various facial expressions are just from yesterday (June 6th). If you look closely to the one where she's wearing a bib, you can see her hair curling out after her nap time. She really started to get curious and has found a "jungle-gym" under her high-chair. It's so funny to watch her because sometimes she maneuvers her way through it and other times she gets stuck. She's also getting a little more brave when it comes to walking along the furniture. She sometimes uses Seth's cooler as a walker to move across our kitchen floor. Oh for fun!

Pancake Springs

We went to Ponce De Leon Springs State Park last weekend with Seth's parents. There is pancake house there called The Sugar Mill, but this is not your usual IHOP! We had to wait 1 1/2 hours before we got seated, during that time we walked around the springs and enjoyed the sunshine. There were people scuba diving down into the cave system under the springs. Pretty cool to watch. Once we were seated for "Aaron, party of 4 and a half", our table had a griddle in the middle of it, hot and ready for pancakes. It's "All-You-Can-Eat" pancakes for $4.50! Comes with butter, syrup, raw honey and molasses for your choosing. Any other toppings, blueberry's or PB, are a little extra, so are eggs or meats. Oh, these are not bisquick pancakes either! They stonegrind the grains and offer unbleached white and whole multi-grain. Both are amazing! Cora didn't have any cakes but she did enjoy some bananas. If you ever come down for a visit we'll have to try getting over to the Sugar Mill. It's quite the place! 

The Dedication

Cora was dedicated at church on March 8th. Grandma & Grandpa Strong and Nana & Papa Hardley and Aunt Wendy were all here for the weekend. Cora was very tired by Sunday, you can see it in these pictures. We also celebrated my birthday on Saturday with a big party, Seth grilled chicken kabobs that were so good and the mom's helped out a lot with the food. Between Seth's homemade brownies and Wendy's fresh strawberry lemonade (made with lemons from our tree), I couldn't have asked for a better birthday. Oh, my new bike was the icing on the cake! My family surprised me with a new road bike! It's really nice and man can I go fast! Don't worry I wear a helmet. Thank you to everyone who gave to my bike fund. I appreciate it so much! 

The exciting world of food!

Cora's has been enjoying all new foods the last couple weeks. Seth's been busy making sweet potatoes and squash. Cora has been on antibiotics for a double ear infection that just wouldn't go away so we introduced Stoneyfields Organic Simply Plain yogurt made just for babies. Cora loves it! (As you can see.) She hasn't quite figured out that sippy cups have water in them but they make for great teething toys! She's so much fun, we're so blessed to have her in our life!