Life With Cora : 7 Years

Cora is 7 years old! So much has happened since her last birthday. Cora wrapped up her Kindergarten year, we spent a lot of time at the pool over the summer, Cora learned to swim, we traveled to our favorite place, Cora started first grade at a new school, she started playing soccer, she lost 3 more teeth, and we enjoyed so many play dates with friends and family. I was looking back at last year's post and was just reminded how consistently awesome Cora is. She is always loving, creative, driven, silly, helpful, strong, intelligent, beautiful, and so much more. She has grown so much over the years, but she is also always so much herself and I love that about her. 

I love that Cora is always so fashionable. She has an opinion on everything she wears and is pretty particular about her hair, outfits, and accessories. Cora picks some wild outfits and rocks them! She draws lots of pictures and her characters always have the most creative and awesome outfits.

I love that Cora is so thoughtful. She is always helping her sister out, taking great care of the dog, and is always the first to offer to help me with whatever I'm working on. I love watching her with her little sister. They have such a great bond and they are always off playing games, coloring, watching tv, and playing dress up and having fashion shows. 

Happy Birthday sweet Cora - you bring so much light to our lives. This birthday is hard because we do not get to do our regular birthday things like going to the zoo or throwing a birthday party, but you roll with the punches and enjoy each and every little thing to celebrate. We are so grateful that you joined our family 7 years ago. I am the luckiest mommy in the world. May this birthday be the best one yet. xxoo!

Life With Cora : 6 Years

Cora turns 6 years old today!!! A lot has happened since she turned 5. Cora finished preschool, started Kindergarten, lost 5 teeth , went on vacations to the cottage (Cora is obsessed) and Tybee Island, and has made a friend everywhere we go. 

I could not gush enough about this girl! There has been some sass, like most kids, but Cora is so sweet. She is thoughtful, and smart, and sooooo funny. She makes me laugh out loud on a daily basis. Lately, she has been working on knock-knock jokes and practicing her delivery. Not only is she practicing knock-knock jokes, she is practicing reading and writing and drawing. She pulls out her sketchbook any chance she gets to sketch her sister or clothing ideas or some form of cat teenagers on skateboards. Each drawing is better than the last and it is so fun to see what her little imagination comes up with.

We spend a lot of time outside. Going on walks and playing in the backyard. Cora is always up for outdoor time. She isn't afraid to dig in the dirt, pick up bugs, and lend a helping hand. I'm looking forward to this year's gardening season as we expand our space and she is able to help out more and take some ownership of some space.

Cora is such a great big sister to Ida! They are not without their squabbles, but most of the time they get along really well. Cora is quick to help Ida when she needs it. She is always looking out for her little sister. I love their sweet little relationship. 

Happy birthday sweet Cora! I am the luckiest mommy in the whole world to have you as a daughter. I can't wait so see what 6 has to offer. I love you so much! xxoo!

See Cora's previous birthday posts here: birth, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th.

Starting Kindergarten

It's been three months since Cora finished with preschool and time has been flying by. This summer, she asked frequently when school would start again and told me how excited she was to meet all the new friends.

Before school started, all the kids had some scheduled one-on-one time with the teacher for assessments and to get introduced to the teacher and class. Cora insisted on buying her teacher a present for the first day. She picked out a little fake succulent and decorated the pot with paint pens. I love her enthusiasm and thoughtfulness.

The night before school started, I pulled out her extremely wiggly tooth. Cora gets so nervous, but loves the dancing and cheering that follows losing a tooth. I love finding her checking out her missing tooth in the mirror every chance she gets.

Girlfriend was so excited for school! She spent the entire morning asking when it was time for her to go to school. When we arrived at school, she spotted her class line and ran off to meet them. I had to quickly get some first-day-of-school photos while she rolled her eyes and ran off to join the line.

When we picked her up, Cora said she had the best day. She said her favorite part was making two new friends... even though she didn't know their names. I love how Cora takes each new thing with a tiny bit of nervousness and a whole boatload of excitement. She is looking forward to learning all the things and making so many new friends.

Losing Teeth and Preschool Graduation

Last week was a big week for Cora. Cora had a loose tooth for weeks and kept saying she was going to pull it out of her mouth on stage at "gradulation". The day before her last day of school, she negotiated having me pull her tooth out if we could go out for treats. I agreed and we pulled her tooth out and went out for ice cream. She was so excited to tell everyone we crossed paths with that she lost her first tooth.

Cora had her last day of school and I was sad to say goodbye to the school she's been going to for the last 3 years. I'm not 100% sure that's where we'll send Ida (there are lots of schools closer to us and we have to figure out schedules), so I was extra sad to say goodbye. I don't think Cora really realizes she'll be starting a new school next year with all new friends, but she's excited to enjoy the pool and vacation this summer.

The school had a little graduation ceremony with a slideshow and singing. Ida was not happy in the audience and ran up and tackled Cora. I love these sweet sisters, but a bit embarrassing that she was such a wild baby that evening. They had cake and refreshments after and Cora loved running around with her friends at their last school event.

I took a couple pictures of Cora when we got home. I can't believe how fast she is growing and that she will already be in Kindergarten next year. It has been such an adventure mothering this sweet girly and I'm looking forward to what the years ahead have in store for her. 

Life With Cora : 5 Years

Wow, I can't believe it has been 5 years since our Cora Jean was born. Mothering Cora is one of the best parts of my life. There are lots of times that I get frustrated with her, but for every moment of frustration there are a million moments of sweetness and laughter. She is constantly making me laugh with the goofy things she says (have you read conversations with Cora?!) and is quick to offer a sweet compliment to anybody nearby. Cora is such an amazing daughter, sister, and friend and I'm so lucky that I get to live life with her.

Cora is fiercely independent lately... which means I rarely have pictures of her by herself. Because of this, we've been making more of an effort to have some one-on-one time with each other and we always have a great time. For our Cora and Mommy dates, we get impromptu coloring dates (when Ida naps) or we plan a one-on-one trip to the grocery store, Target, or out to lunch. Cora loves to chat the entire time and I'm always surprised that a human being can talk from the moment they wake up to the moment they go to sleep.

My art-loving gal, loves to work on projects with me. Sometimes she sits down and focuses the entire time (like our morning of painting) or other times she pops in and out. She'll help with whatever I'm doing... go off and play for a bit... come back to help... chat... get a snack... and help with clean up. She is so helpful and I love that we get to share these projects together. I also love that she is learning so many DIY skills at a young age and I can't help but picture us doing so many projects when she's older.

Cora Jean has the best sense of style. She knows what she wants and she is not shy about it. She goes in phases of different outfits and it's fun to watch as her style evolves. Sometimes it's pajamas during the day, sometimes its non-stop cheerleading outfit, and other times it's fingerless gloves and knee socks with every outfit. Most days we collaborate on an outfit to make sure it is weather/situation appropriate, but overall she does a good job dressing herself. I love seeing what she'll pick out each day and watching as her style evolves.

I could go on and on and on about this girl because I'm so proud of the person she is. I love how thoughtful she is. I love how she is so helpful and always offering to help with chores or projects. I love how she is so independent and knows exactly what she wants. I love how she is excited for parties and outings and anything that will let her meet new people. I love her little scrunched up face smile when I ask her to look at the camera. I love her stubbornness. I love her wild hair and how it can look completely different any given day. I love how she is the best big sister in the whole wide world and has the cutest relationship with Ida. I love how she has so many deep thoughts and always welcomes good conversation about it. I love hearing about her dreams in the morning and the wild things she thinks about. I love watching her learn to read and write. I love when she sings and makes up her own songs. I love how there are so many awesome things about this girl that I could just write forever. She makes me the luckiest mommy in the world!

Happy 5th birthday Cora Jean!  You are so loved!

See Cora's previous birthday posts -----> 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th

Happy 4th Birthday Cora!

4 years already?! This past year has been the most challenging and the most rewarding as a mother and I'm so lucky to be Cora's mom. She is the sweetest child, friend, and big sister.

Cora is a chatty girl who starts talking the second she wakes up and doesn't stop until the second before she goes to sleep... she even talks in her sleep sometimes. She often tells us she loves us and that we're the best mom/dad/little sister ever/dog ever. She loves waving hi to neighbors walking down the street and can often be found looking out the window to see if there are any friends or dogs around.  Cora is always making friends wherever she goes and I'm often reminded how perfect that she got her middle name from my grandma Jean (who was a friend to everyone).

Cora is always making me laugh even when she isn't trying (see Conversations With Cora here, here, here, and here).  She's sassy and bold and little stubborn (apple doesn't fall far from the tree).  She knows her style and loves to pick out her own outfits.  Her outfits usually consist of many many layers, at least one dress, and these crazy red fuzzy socks I got her for Christmas.

Cora is overall just a really good person.  She is really helpful and loves to sweep, wash dishes, dig in the garden, and assist with whatever chore I'm working on.  She's always makes me want to be a better person and scolds me when I have a little road rage... Usually going something like me saying the other person is a dumb dumb and she says "thats not nice, they're probably a nice person".  She is also good at praying each night and thanking God for all of the little things like a snack, our old neighbor, and doing chores. We pray for things we need to work on and she wiggles her pointer finger at me knowingly when we're talking about things I need to work on.

Happy birthday sweet Cora Jean!  You have been one of the biggest blessings and I'm so lucky that I get to be your Mommy! Xxoo!