Growing Up

In our efforts to keep up with the blog over the past couple of years, we too often have failed to capture some of the basic growing up moments. Things tend to be a bit busy around our house, and the blog has been a great way to capture the big events. So it is high time that we took a moment or two to reflect on some of the ways that Callie and Reese are just getting older.

This is one of those pictures that demands to be included on a blog post. Reese is truly a spitfire, and this picture captures some of her mischievous/cute/feisty attitude. She is not a shy and retiring wallflower, that's for sure. And she can definitely hold her own with her sister and all the other big kids who adore her and want to pick her up. As her parents, we see her ability and willingness to say no as both a blessing and a curse.

One thing that Reese loves is to be with her sister when Callie goes to dance class. The one week Reese did not get to go, she literally tried to climb the back door so that she could get out of the house and make her way to the class. And yes, we mean literally. And Reese doesn't just want to go to the class, she wants to dress the part. We must admit she looks pretty cute. Meanwhile, Callie is happy to be back dancing again and doesn't mind that her sister wants to tag along.

The next photo is one we hope to use for some PSA campaign in the future. November marked Callie's second presidential election and Reese's first. They earned their "I Voted" stickers by standing in a very short line with John and hanging out behind the curtain with him while he cast his ballot.

It is fun to have them come along for the voting. It'll probably be even more enjoyable when they have a better sense of what is going on. However, we must say that Callie is very aware of who the President is and we are very proud of that fact.

Callie is in a very good cycle of visiting the dentist every six months. Fortunately she has no cavities and her teeth look good. But we still never know exactly how she is going to react at her appointment. This time was an okay visit, but we had to have a discussion about the next one. She is going to have to be the perfect patient so that she can show Reese how it is done. And based on how tooth brushing goes every morning and evening here, Reese needs all the good role models she can get. At present it takes some professional wrestling skills just to get Reese's teeth somewhat brushed. But we are persistent, and one of these days our efforts will pay off. At least that's what we tell ourselves each time we are sitting on top of her and trying to brush her molars while she screams. Good times.

But nothing says growing up like the first haircut. In this picture we see Callie's long flowing locks. Not one scissor blade had touched that hair in the first five years of her life. Her parents were too afraid to lose those cute curls that had been growing most of that time. But it was going to have to happen, if only so John wouldn't have to spend 20 minutes every morning fighting through knots just to get a ponytail in place.


Based on Callie's attitude towards change, Sarah had done a great job of prepping Callie for this big event for at least a year. And the key element of it all was that Callie was going to be able to donate her hair to a child in need through an organization known as Locks of Love.

We knew we needed at least ten inches, but we are happy to report that in her hand, Callie was holding twelve inches worth of fine Kentucky bred hair.

Of coures, Reese didn't want to miss out on the fun. She enjoyed capturing the moment with her iPhone. This is something that she has taken a special liking to. It is difficult for Sarah to go anywhere without Reese demanding access to this piece of technology. Sometimes we are amazed at the pictures taken without our knowledge. Highlights mostly include interior shots of Sarah's car and Reese's shoes. At the moment it appears she has the passion for but not the skills necessary for a career in photography.

Callie had no problem embracing the full salon experience. She particularly enjoyed reading the gossip magazines while the stylist took care of her. The funniest part about this experience is that we went to Sarah's hairstylist that she goes to once a year. We'll have to see if Callie will demand more frequent visits. John still thinks everyone in the family should cut their own hair with clippers like he does, but that probably won't happen.

As Reese would say, "Ta daa!" Below we have the finished product of the hair cutting and styling session.

It is amazing what one haircut can do. When we go back and look at Callie with long hair she seems so much younger. Her shorter, more mature look is one we are still trying to get used to. Callie is a big fan. She spent the first week afterwards flipping her hair around every chance she got. It was pretty cute. And John is happy to report that her hair is much easier to do in the morning. And that is especially good now that it is necessary to spend a little more time with Reese's hair before she leaves the house every day.

The girls are growing up fast, that's for sure. We are just doing our best to embrace every moment, and them, as much as possible.

Cinderella and Her Mouse Entourage

There was a lot of thought put into Halloween this year. First of all, Callie's first hair cut was going to have to wait until she could use her long locks to be a proper Cinderella. Second of all, we had to get Reese acclimated to her mouse costume. Believe it or not, this took several weeks. Heading into the big night we were still a bit unsure about whether or not the mouse would be wearing the proper headgear.

As you can see in the picture above, however, it all turned out well. Both Cinderella and her mouse escort took the neighborhood by storm.

What we mean by taking the neighborhood by storm, of course, is that they looked the part. This was Callie's third year walking around the neighborhood. Unfortunately, this wealth of experience has yet to lead to a well developed approach to the craft of trick-or-treating. Put simply, Callie still refuses to say trick-or-treat to the generous person at the door. She does a very good job saying thank you, but has no opening game. But her energy and excitement going from house to house is a lot of fun to watch. And she certainly made a great Cinderella.

Then we have Reese, who certainly benefited from looking cute and rambunctious. We have high hopes for her as the opening act since she caught on quickly to the appreciation part of the evening, saying "thank you" at each stop. We should be clear, however, that Reese's thank you's come across clearly in tone and not necessarily in words. She has the right intonation if not the pronunciation. However, it was obvious that she was having fun and that our neighbors appreciated her energy and effort.

Callie was quick to let people know which princess she was and what mouse Reese was. They made a good team. And they were troopers, especially since it was a pretty cold and slightly rainy night.

Their parents held up pretty well themselves, although it must be said that they had some help. If you look at the picture above closely, you'll see a cup in John's hand. Trick-or-treating goes so much better when you are carrying something that looks like coffee but tastes like a nice pinot noir. Whatever it takes to keep you warm, especially if you are not the cute one getting loads of candy.

When done right, Halloween doesn't have to be about only one night. And the girls love their matching skeleton pajamas. The bones also glow in the dark, which makes them even cooler. Callie still does a great job naming her bones and we encourage you to test her whenever you get the chance. Her favorite bone remains the femur.

As is evident here, Callie and Reese continue to love to play together in all sorts of ways. Jumping up and down on their parents' bed is only one source of such enjoyment. And Reese just wants to do everything her big sister does, from drinking out of a cup to posing in her PJs with her arms raised. it is cute and dangerous all in one little package.

Grandpa Dan Visits Kentucky

After Callie's birthday it didn't take us long to get back to Evan's Orchard. It just so happened that Grandpa Dan was able to pay us a visit out here in Lexington, and so we wanted to make sure that he got to see all the sights on his very first visit to Kentucky.

Callie's birthday was obviously full of activity, so we didn't get a proper picture of the two sisters with pumpkins on that day. The above picture turned out just right and was well worth the wait. By the way, take note of the fact that Reese is not wearing a jacket. It was cold that day, very cold. And she refused her jacket until she was literally shaking. This is a new "fun" phase that she is currently going through. We hope that it ends before the truly cold months arrive.

Grandpa Dan arrived only six weeks after his hip replacement surgery and illustrated very well how amazing modern medical technology is when it comes to such procedures. He even went down the big slide with Reese in his lap. Nothing was going to hold him back from spending some quality and fun time with his granddaughters, that's for sure.

Once we visited the orchard and drove through the beautiful horse country, we had no choice but to make a stop at Keeneland for the fall meet. We quickly managed to demonstrate why none of us will ever make a living betting on the ponies. But it was a beautiful day and we had a great time enjoying the crowds and the horses. Reese in particular liked to watch the horses parade around the paddock. This allowed her to get a closer look at the "neigh-neighs" she loves so dearly.

All in all, the visit went well. The girls even got to stay home from school one day so that they could just hang out and play with Grandpa. And on another day John and Dan traveled to Louisville to check out the Muhammad Ali Center, which was well worth the trip.

The smiles in the picture above say it all. The girls can't wait until the next time they get to hang out with Grandpa Dan.

Callie's 5th Birthday

It's hard to believe that October 2, 2012 marked Callie's last day as a four-year-old. She had been looking forward to her birthday for quite some time, so it was easy to get her to smile for a picture the night before she turned five. Fortunately she did not decide to wake up at 5:58am on October 3 to commemorate the actual five year mark.

What has become a nice tradition is that on Callie's actual birthday we bring cupcakes to Callie's class so that she can share the big day with her friends at day care. Of course, that especially means sharing her special day with Maddie, who has had the honor to celebrate every one of Callie's five birthdays with her. It still is pretty crazy to think about.

But this birthday was going to be much different than previous ones. No longer would Callie's birthday be marked by a simple family gathering.

Instead, we decided that the time had come to have an actual birthday party. And what better place to celebrate a fall birthday than at an orchard? So we rented a spot at Evan's Orchard here in town and got ready to have some fun. Once the tables were decorated, Callie and Reese were ready to welcome the guests.

We had a lot of activities planned. To kick things off we let the kids decorate their own individual pumpkins. They had a number of sticker options and could make their pumpkin into a cat, a monster, or your basic old jack-o-lantern. We figured handing out stickers to decorate would be much safer than handing out carving knives at a children's birthday party.

Callie was pretty proud of the cat she had created. And at this point, she was having an absolute blast knowing that all of this was for her very own birthday party. And of course, that made her parents happy. For the rest of the month we had a reminder of the day since the cat pumpkin sat on the front porch right through Halloween.

In fact, all of the kids seemed to enjoy their pumpkins and were more than willing to pose with their respective creations.

As you can see, we had quite a crowd at the party. But all in all, the kids were extremely well behaved and the orchard provided a perfect setting for Callie's first big party.

The next activity was a private wagon ride through the orchard. Here we see Callie posing with her friends Claire, Elizabeth, and Murphy. We were pretty impressed with Callie's ability to manage spending time with all of her friends who came to the party. It is not an easy thing to do, and she did a great job making sure to hang out with everyone who came...

...fortunately that also included her parents. As many parents are quick to tell us, these years go by so quickly, so never pass up the opportunity to snuggle with your kid. Done and done.

Once the ride through the orchard was complete, the time had come for the big event. Dessert. Instead of an elaborate and beautiful cake made and decorated by Sarah, Callie chose to celebrate her fifth birthday with elaborate and beautiful cupcakes made by Sarah.

The birthday girl handled being the center of attention quite well and did a very good job handing out the cupcakes. And once the cupcakes were consumed and the presents were unwrapped, everyone could still run around the orchard. Once everyone had gone home and we packed up the car, Callie was tired but happy. She told us that it was the best day ever. It is safe to say that the day was a success all around.