22 months

Cole's vocabulary is growing weekly I feel. He is saying so much!! One of my current favorites is..." Mommy, I want to hold you!" so sweet. Another favorite is "tum here mommy" and he grabs my hand to lead the way. He is a curious and very busy little guy. It seems crazy, but I am actually planning his birthday party. I have been thinking about it for a while, but today I just called to see if I could reserve a spot to have it and I found a cute stuffed horse that I got for a present/prop. Then when I got home from work the shirt I ordered for him arrived. It is adorable!!! He will LOVE it! He is VERY big into stuffed animals right now. He wants them all. The theme is going to be a barnyard.  He has just started noticing things in the store and wanting them as well. I am not looking forward to that! He as so upset the other day at Publix that he could not have the stuffed bear (they had all there stuff out for Valentines day). The weather has been yuck here. I have had a respiratory infection and Cole has had a lot of congestion as well. We are both ready for Spring and the pretty weather. We had a little taste of it on Valentine's day, but just for a day. We were able to come home and play outside with his big wheel type toy. He didn't want to come in. He loved being outside. That same day his class was outside playing and I had to get him from the playground. He looked at me and said "No, mommy, outside!"
Cole is definitely my child. Not only does he look like me but he acts like me, well and Casey too! He has my outgoing personality and is super friendly, but he has a little stubborn side (which he gets from Casey :) He can go from "No mommy" with major attitude, to "mommy I love you and mommy I want to hold you". He is a ham, but SOOOOO much fun!! I love everyday and thank God for this beautiful child he has blessed me with. It truly is amazing to be blessed to be this little kids mommy and watch everything through his little eyes. I thought Cole was repeating things, but these days he REALLY is! The other day I yelled, "Casey...." and then he yells "Tasey...." so funny. I talk to him all the time and he repeats everything back to me. Like "lets get some milk Cole" and then he will say "yets get some mik mommy". LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this little boy.

Loves him some stuffed animals

Cole's new ride from Uncle Brad

Being silly with mommy

He LOVES peanut butter

My little love bandit on Valentines Day

21 months...are you serious?

The time sure does fly when your having fun...well thats how the saying goes and it sure is true. You are SO big and so independent. You LOVE to explore and learn new things. You are always on the go. Your teachers at school say you are a "ladies man". They send me pictures from time to time. I love when they do. You love lights, turning them on and off and flashlights. You want to go to bed with your flashlight every night and look at your books. You are still very much into the word, NO. Ugh!! I think you are finally understanding a little that it is not nice to say all the time, especially with the sass and pointing you do when you say it. Goober!! You LOVE your Uncle Brad and the feeling is mutual. Just about every day when we get in the car you ask me about "daddy" and "Bad". You will throw in a Ben, "bean" and "KK" too sometimes. You got the croup last week, but we caught it early so it was not bad at all. It was a little scary at first, but it just lasted a little bit and then he was back to 100% Cole in just a few hours.
I am almost afraid to type this (afraid it may change), but you have decided you like to sleep in lately. You are also being such a big boy at bed time. I just lay you in your bed at night, you tell me "night, night..lub you" and I leave the room and you go to sleep. Such a big boy! It has been so nice. Of course you do this when mommy is contemplating another baby! For about the last month you have been sleeping in on Saturday and Sunday's, which has been between 8:30-9:00. Ahhhh... it is SO nice. I have actually had to wake you up for church on Sunday. You are hit or miss through the week. The latest I can let you sleep on the week days is 7:15 and that is pushing it, but I hate to wake you. If mommy and daddy have another baby you will have to teach them the rules! hahaha

with Chelsea and Bethany

Climbing up the back of the couch to turn the lights on and off

Coming back from the Dr. It was nap time and you just couldn't stay awake any longer

Good bye 2012

That is hard to believe, but what a wonderful and totally blessed 2012. The Lord has blessed us for sure and I am so grateful. We had many first in 2012 with Cole. He took his first steps, had his first birthday, spoke his first words, ate his first bites of "real" table food (although I wondered if that was going to happen at all. The boy loved his bottle! but he did give it up.) We had our first of many ear infections, our first surgery (tubes), etc...It was a wonderful year!!

Speaking about first...The boy has learned a word and he uses it all the time!!! NO! then he points his finger, NO NO NO!! Ugh!! He is totally testing his independence and wants to do everything his self. I have no idea where he gets it? Another thing Cole does that we think is pretty funny is saying " I stuck". It first started in his car seat, which he still uses, but if he cannot get somewhere (baby gate up) he will stand there and say "I stuck" or if he wants you to go some where with him and you are sitting down, he will come over and grab your hand and start saying "stuck". He also says "I did it!" It is the cutest thing. I am sure we will have more first in 2013 and as we approach 2 years old :)

My Ipad which Cole refers to as "Caillou" since that is what he uses it for

First taste of ketchup! It was a hit

New Arkansas hoodie from Jessi and Julia

Acting like Paw Paw Wilb and checking the receipt!

Last minute Christmas shopping with mommy

Watching some serious TV

What a JOY!! Fun at school and Christmas

not wanting to take a picture :(

checking out Gibson's new books

It is hard to believe this year is almost over and Cole is now 20 months. Wow! Hard to believe. What a joy he is to us. He is the funniest little kid. Something new all the time. Talking is the big thing. He has been talking for a while, but the things that he understands and repeats just blows my mind. He is just a little person! December has been busy and fun! I have lots of pictures to share and I am sure there will be more to come as we embark on the Christmas festivities that will be coming in the next week. On Friday, the 21st, we had Cole's "school" party. It was so funny to see the little kids sitting at the table and the parents all around talking and with camera's. Then of course they had to show out and do a little dancing. I love it! I love seeing that Cole is only 20 months and what he understands and does at school. They are so routine and that is so great for him. They tell them to line up to wash hands. All of the kids have a snowflake to stand on and they know to move up, step up on the stool, wash hands with assistance and then go to a chair to eat. When they were done they threw there plates away and put their sippy cups in the sink and went to go sit chris cross applesauce on the carpet to wait for all there friends. Blows my mind. I LOVE IT!!!

Mrs. Darlene and Chelsea the birthday girl

A little dancing with Mrs. Darlene and Grace

We had a book opening party

Checking out Lilly Kate's book, The Hungry Caterpillar

Yay!!! for Christmas. You were SO much fun to watch this year. You loved it and it was a joy to watch your face. You thought it was great, well everything but Santa. Some how after getting your picture made with Santa you became NOT a fan. We you came downstairs Christmas morning you just stood there and said "Wow! wow.....wow! Then you tore into it. Later that mroning we went to KK and Papa's and celebrated. You got a big rocking horse name Blaze. You thought he was pretty great. Uncle Craig got you a Caillou train and stuffed animal and Uncle Brad added to your savings bond. He is making sure you are financially secure. Make sure you listen to your Uncle Brad when it comes to money. He is the smartest I know.

Your Aqua Doodle Mat

DVD player and new head phones

Blaze! from KK and Papa

Santa CAME!!!

12-12-12

What a cool date! Apparently the last time we will have another date like it. My friend Karin had her baby boy today, on his due date!! Welcome Kohen Michael. That would be a pretty cool birthday. I felt like I needed an update then I remembered the date and thought I definitely need to post to remember this date. So Cole will be 20 months tomorrow. That sounds crazy! 20 months! That's almost 2 years old!?!? How did that happen? He is amazing. Full of personality and he just talks, talks, talks. He has begun to repeat, yes people watch what you say, I have a repeater who is taking everything in. He loves Caillou. This is his new found love in the last month. It is a cartoon on Sprout. Caillou is a 4 year old with a high pitch baby voice and his is bald. Not sure what it is about him, but he is a big hit. He loves to run, jump and bounce. A favorite is for him to come up to you and say "horsey" which means he wants you to bounce him on your leg. Apparently he is looking more and more like me (I have heard it is harder for the people who look alike to see it, I think that is true). A lot of people have said he looks like me for a while, but now I get it from complete strangers when we are out. It's a little funny.
Cole is not sure about Christmas but he loves "ho ho" which it what he says whenever he sees a Santa hat. He loves the tree "tee". He has done really well with the tree. It is really funny, but there is this one ornament that apparently he does not like. He would look for it and yank it off. Casey hid the ornament and ever since he has not paid any attention to it really besides telling us there is a tree there. So weird and funny. I took Cole to see Santa Saturday. A girl that I went to HS with, her sister Andrea, has her own business. She did a Santa photo shoot out of her house. I loved the Santa. He looked so "real". Cole did not cry, but he was not sure about him. I think it was so much for him that he blocked it out because when I ask him "did you see Santa?" he says "no". He was so serious. Casey said it was because he had on that "awful", his words, outfit. Besides Casey, everyone loved it and I got SO many compliments on it. I do not dress him like that often, but I thought it was cute for the picture.

Caillou-in case you don't know him!

Thanksgiving

The whole crew
Brad and Craig
Tony, Casey, Me, Cole (19 months), Dad, Mom and Kristie
Cooper (16), Kyle, Grandmother, Faye
Grace (10-Dec 3rd) and Olivia (8)

We had a nice Thanksgiving. We went down to "the country", Perry Co. where my dad is from and my grandmother, uncle and aunt still live. This year it was at my grandmothers house. As long as I can remember it has always been at my great aunt June's, but my cousin Chris had hip replacement surgery the day before Thanksgiving so Aunt June was busy with him. It was nice and simple and super delicious. If you ever need some good comfort food, my Aunt Faye is the person you need. She cooks everything and it is ALWAYS so delicious. My cousin Kristie was in town with her family from St. Louis so it was nice to see them, since it had been about 3 years since I had seen them.

It was a beautiful day so we spent pretty much the whole day on the back porch. Cole thought he was so big playing with Grace (10) and Olivia (8). He was all over the place, following them and seeing what all he could get into. Brad also brought his girlfriend, Karen (who took the picture!) so it might just be serious if he is bringing her around all of us! :)

Digging in the dirt with my spoon

In grandaddy Shelby's old truck.

Wheeling around with daddy

Mom, these people really related to us?

Posing like a picture from 7 years ago-being silly

Daylight Savings...Sigh

So I remember people telling me how this affects kids so much, but I do not think it has really been so noticeable until now. Well at least I hope that's all this is :)So this past Saturday we fell back an hour. We had a yard sale on Saturday and had been super busy so Cole did not get to bed until a little later Saturday night, like 8:15-30, which he typically goes to bed around 7:30. So Sunday morning he slept until 8:20 am, well now 7:20am, so I was all excited thinking it had not phased him. Then Sunday he was just fussy. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with him? Sunday night came and he was just so restless, he could not fall asleep around 7:30pm. It was more like 8:30pm, but then I had to wake him up for school Monday morning and he was not happy about me waking him up! At school on Monday they said he threw a fit/tantrums at nap time today, which he has never done. Monday night he went to bed fine and woke up Tuesday about an hour earlier than he normally does. Tuesday night he was the same wrest-less kid he was Sunday night. Wednesday he cried on and off for about 10 mins before going to sleep, but woke up at 12:30 like it was 6:30 am and was up until 2:00am and then I had to wake him up again this morning. Whew! Are you following all of this? if not, bottom line is he is OFF!! I was reading somewhere on-line and it said that sometimes it can take up to two weeks for a child to get back on there routine. Oh goodness!!Times like this it makes you appreciate your good sleeper and then makes you think, oh goodness I do not know if I could have another and go back to sleepless nights!! :) hahahaha...here's to hoping he regulates back to normal soon!

On another note...words, words, words... Our little boy is talking up a storm. It blows my mind the things he is able to say and how fast he picks up on things. My new favorite is "love you", so freaking cute! Melts my heart. The other day we were watching a cartoon show, Caillou, and in the theme song at the end it says "thats me!" We had only watched the show once or twice. The show was coming on and right before it said it on TV, Cole said "that me" and then it said it on TV, "that's me!". I was like, seriously? you picked up on that all ready? So watch out people. I have a talker!!