Windy City adventures

I have been dreading having to whittle down the 8,000 photos I took last weekend in Chicago for the blog post, so that's why I haven't posted yet. We had such a wonderful time with Auntie Ernie and Uncle Andrew, and it's hard to capture that in words and a few photos. Honestly, Corey is much better at expressing feelings in writing, but since he wasn't there it's up to me. Here's just a sampling of what we did and the terrific photos we shot:

Modeling their Notre Dame jerseys



Charlie Jo telling Auntie Ernie just how much she loves borrowing that adorable raccoon sweater during lunch at Uncle Julio's



Bundled up at the Morton Arboretum



Hugging Zach's memorial tree



Playing with Margie the cat (can you see her behind the door?)



More to come!!

Off to Chicago

The girls are off for a weekend with Auntie Ernie and Uncle Andrew in Chicago (Corey has to work), but before we go, here are a few photos:

Charlie Jo and I had a fabulous time yesterday afternoon at Faith Carol's bowling match!




How many lucky kids do you know who have an ace bowler as their favorite baby-sitter?

And finally, here are two silly photos. The first was taken on the road back from Ohio a few weeks back. Corey was goofing around during a pit stop and tested out how Charlie Jo will ride in the car in a few years.



And here's a shot of Charlie "playing" guitar with Alicia. Actually, she likes to just bang on the guitar (either the body or the strings - it doesn't matter). Please ignore my thumb in the bottom right of the photo. For some reason I'm terrible at keeping it out of photos taken with my phone.

Biker chick

At a playdate today, Charlie Jo tried out her buddy's ride. Sorry for the poor quality of the photo, but I forgot to bring my regular camera!

Charlotte and her cousin Jordan

Cousin Jordan came over for dinner tonight to talk about applying to law school. Charlie Jo showed him her crawling and clapping skills and then climbed all over him. He's such a good sport to let a 7-month-old use him as a jungle gym. How many 21-year-olds do you know who are that nice?

Plays well with others

Charlie had a few buddies over for a playdate today. Corey won't let me post photos of other babies for "security reasons", but I figure these are okay since you can't see his face. Charlie had such a good time with him -- they followed each other around the room and stole toys back and forth. In these photos, they were hanging out in the corner together. I think they are going to be great buddies as they grow up because they have very similar temperaments.

Crawling and Clapping

Charlie really likes to crawl and clap.

A nice first Halloween for Charlie Jo

Despite the rocky start to the day, I had a great time on my first Halloween evening.

We posed for photos with the pumpkins.  Because they had been carved almost a week ago, they were looking a little limp.

I'm a ladybug!  Can you see the reflection of my daddy in the glass door behind me?

Awww...  The pumpkin is almost as big as me.

Daddy was dressed head to toe in his flame gear and Mommy put on her Duke Blue Devils jersey because it was the only costume-like thing she owned.

Pacey tried to look scary!

For the second year in a row, Daddy soaked toilet paper rolls in kerosene and used them to light the pumpkins.  Apparently, tea lights just aren't bright enough.  Daddy is now the hero of every pre-teen boy in the neighborhood.

Cranky ladybug

Oh my. Charlie Jo was SO cranky at the Stroller Strides Halloween Spooktacular this morning. We left half-way through, and she instantly fell asleep in the car on the way home. She woke right up when I tried to whisk her inside to continue her nap, and now she's acting like the happiest child on earth.

We're looking forward to handing out candy tonight, and we will take more photos of the ladybug in action. I'm too lazy to go downstairs to get my regular camera, so here is a camera phone shot of Charlie in her Halloween day outfit. My mom, sister and I can't remember which one of us bought her this pumpkin onesie at Carters this summer, but she sure does look cute in it!

And she glows in the dark!

Charlotte's Great Granny and Great Grandpa Taylor gave her this hilarious outfit to wear last weekend. Not only does Charlotte looks like the sweetest skeleton on the block, but she also glows in the dark! I think she also looks a little bit like a cat burglar.

Trivia night hijinks

Our Monday night trivia team is special. Like special ed, that is. This week, the theme was Charlotte-sploitation. First, we had Charlotte model this lovely hat/wig combo.


She was surprisingly cool about the whole thing. Next, we demonstrated the cement-like qualities of her fruit puffs that she likes to eat. The one on her forehead stuck there for a good half hour. The ones on her earlobes sadly did not stick quite as long, but the one on her right earlobe was there for at least 10 minutes.

Charlie's first Pumpkin Carving Party

Corey and I threw our third annual neighborhood Pumpkin Carving Party on Sunday afternoon. The weather was absolutely gorgeous -- I think it got into the 70s out on our deck (which has a southern exposure and tends to be warm). No, Charlie didn't really participate in the carving part, but she wore a costume and had a good time rolling around on the floor with Sarah and Max Hancock. She also spent a good bit of time being carried by Dan Marshall, injuring Ronnie Ballentine by jumping on some sensitive parts while he held her in his lap, and trying to climb over Jean Ballentine's shoulders.

Click here for a slideshow of photos from the party.

Ohio adventures

Finally!! Here are some of the pictures from the 222 Taylor Reunion Weekend.


One half of the table on the Saturday night anniversary party.


The other half of the Saturday night anniversary party table.


Granny and Grandpa dubbed this the "222" celebration. Grandpa turned 82 this year; Granny turned 80; and Granny and Grandpa celebrated their 60th anniversary this year! (82 + 80 + 60 = 222)


Uncle Dave . . .


Aunt Lisa . . .


While taking the traditional "cousins picture", Ellie busted a joke loose. Even though Charlie doesn't know English yet, she even thought the joke was funny.


Granny and Grandpa look terrific at 80 and 82!


Ellie enjoyed seeing cousin Erin . . .


and cousin Katie . . .


The Pennsylvania (and New York and DC) Taylors look great!


Mom and I enjoyed hanging out.


Erin brought her beau Matt for the family to meet.


The lodge was really cool.


Charlie Jo got bored with shopping in Oxford and decided to take a snooze.


Corey & Larry investigated the marina for potential future use.


And finally -- the newest Taylor family member isn't quite here yet, but he/she is getting bigger! Stephanie looks great! You do too, Don, but it's not quite the same if you're not the one carrying the baby...

- CJS