Cora is a dipper. She dips EVERYTHING. Her fingers in ketchup. Oranges in her yogurt, ANY sauce that appears on the table, she will want it and she will dip into it.
One night last week, Cora and I were puttering around on the back porch--Eric had picked up mexican food, and we were letting him set things up.
Cora realized she didn't like the sand table being wet, so we came inside to get warmed up.
She took her taquitos and systematically started looking for dip. She was already scooping up her rice in handfulls, but then she spotted the queso. She had seen daddy and I dip chips into it, so she decided to make her move (note chips in the bag next to her).
In one fail swoop, she had taken the chip, dipped it, and with a loud "MMMMMMMMMM" had found her target. Cora likes chips and queso!
She continued on to dip her chicken in the queso and offered daddy and I more chips as she went along too--we have learned you have to take the bite, whether you want it or not. I told Eric--remember this, when you want to put hot sauce on everything, that your daughter WILL want some of it ;)
So our friends invited out to Little Darby Creek maize and we had no idea what we were in for...but as soon as we got there, we could tell it was cool! The girls ran from event to event for hours!
What a super cute family pic of the Stevens clan! Poor Eric--it happened to be OSU game time and they had it blaring over loud speakers while he had it DVRing at home. He managed to miss most of it (so he said.)
The corn launcher guns were super cool and they also had a pumpkin launcher that was amazing--that thing looked military for sure.
Lots of animals were on the farm too--peacocks, chickens, turkeys, ducks, and some goats--this little baby goat was shy, but the girls loved him.
The bunnies had about had it for the day, but Amara sill managed to get one. Cora wasn't interested in holding them, but loved patting them solidly.
They also had a big tarp you could jump and bounce out that was super cool--after some of the bigger kids left, the two of them had a blast running back and forth across the whole length of the thing.
We skipped the hayride in favor of playing more, so the girls got to pick out their own small pumpkins to take home. Cora picked hers out after much consideration--not that there was much to pick from...
...just a few!~ We had an awesome time at LDC and Eric wants to even go back this year! It is up past Plain City, so it's a drive, but we really all had a super time.
Our magical photographer Susie did it again. She was doing some quick end of summer pics and we jumped on the opportunity to get some of them. The girls basically played in Gantz park, while Eric chased them around, and we got some great ones. This hug one just captures their personalitie perfectly.
And Cora in mid-run, couldn't be happier. So, at this moment in time, Amara is 4, Cora is 19 months, and we have been blessed with the sweetest little girls I could have ever imagined. Love my doll babies! ...and of course, the amazing Susie Jarvis :)
One of the best parts of fall (for me anyway) is going down to lower Caldwells and picking pumpkins from dad's patch. He had a heck of a time this year keeping turkeys out of there, so I was thrilled to finally get to go.
The girls put on their muck boots and headed right out in it--Cora went for the biggest one!
Amara found a pretty big one too--but the vines were really fighting her this year!
After eating and presents, it was time to play. A cold snap kept us inside, but the girls loved staying in their PJs all morning and showing off for the grandparents. She even hooked up our phones to the TV, so she could share some of her favorite YouTube video clips and really impressed them!
We had our hands full at Lynd's this year, literally! We headed to get some golden delicious and Melrose apples on a brisk morning and had a blast.
These girls love apples, and as Lynd's always tells us to sample them--they didn't hesitate. The apples were so good and fresh and sightly chilly, we couldn't stop ourselves!
But the girls chased just as many apples from the bottoms. It seems every time they'd pull one apple off, 3 more would fall to the ground.
Lynd's is just perfect for them because they can really do it all their own. We just love all the owners and family who work there too.
A quick stop by the tent rounded out our trip. We got the girls shirts, some snacks and got on our way home. I love how in this picture, you can see that the bottoms of Cora's pant les are wet from picking in the grass. Check off another great trip to Lynd's!
After the parade, we came home for a quick nap, and then got on the road for Mallory and Mikeala's party at Chuck E Cheese. We got there a little late, so the playing was in full action, but we made the most of it! Everyone got to play games and ride rides, and then we all met back up for pizza, cake, and to sing to our birthday girls, it was PACKED!
Thanks for having us to the party, girls--your 3rd and 4th birthday parties were a blast--maybe your mom can get me a pic of you to add, I had my hands full of pizza and cake and didn't get a pic of you two with yours :) 
With all the heat this summer, we didn't make it many parades--and the ones we did didn't have candy, WHAT?? When arts in the alley rolled around, we were thrilled to get ready for it. The girls got their buckeye Tshirts ready and daddy loaded the wagon up. Susan gave us the scoop on a great location in front of CVS and we rolled out.
The parade wsa long, but the girls were great--Cora pretty much entertains herself and Amara sucked up all the candy near her like a vacuum!
Cora was too happy to wave on the kids in the parade--we had a great morning and a fun time. The weather warmed up just as the parade was finishing too. We saw and heard a few bands, and kids, and her school (Primrose) even had a float in the parade!! 
Our buddies Mallory and Mikaela came over for a little play time and boy did they ever have fun! They played all kinds of games together and had a grand old time.
At one point, I made the mistake of letting one of the girls climb up into the window--which turned into an all out party, but I really didn't mind, I (and a couch) were right underneath them.
We tried to get a good pic of all of them, but after I think 12 shots, we stopped--you get the picture, the smiles say it all. Fun times!
After the tomato day, next was apples! We had a bunch and we always like to do our apple pie bars as the first apple dish of the season. Amara loves to help bake or cook and the fun tools make it even more special.
She and daddy carefully selected the apples, then he gave her a refresher lesson on the crank.
They quickly made short work of the big pile! We used a variety of apples too, some sweet, some crunchy, etc. for the best balance.
Cora wanted in on the turning action too--she loves apples and being involved, so by the time one of them was bored, the next one was ready to jump in.
Amara followed it through though, all the way with me, till putting it in the oven (while little sis went to bed). I love getting that time with her to watch her little mind work. And boy did she EAT them! She ate the most I think I've ever seen her eat of sweets of any kind!
Our annual end of summer tradition continued this year, and the girls were happy to help! We started off by picking and washing with grandpa--
...which is kind of like herding cats, because they take them out of the water as quickly as he puts them in there :) Dad is so patient with them, though--he doesn't ever say a word to them.
We got quite a good batch done while the girls napped!
Afterwards it was time for refreshments outside.
The bellies are easier to clean than the clothes, so off they come!
The apples are all falling so early this year, we had to dodge the landmines of ripe and rotting ones while they rode the airplane swing and played a bit more. Have to love the end of summer--still warm enough for no shirt and popsicles, but no sunscreen required!.JPG)
