2nd Birthday Party

with the Birthday boy!

Today was the day and it felt like a long time coming. I was so bummed that we didn't get to have it last weekend after a mix up with the secretary at church :( but we had it and it was great, minus a few of our good friends, which could of come, if it was last weekend! Ok, not going there but can you tell I am a little disappointed about it? Today was great!! Everything went great thanks to a lot of help by family and friends. As you can tell Cole is all about his barns, cows, horseys and pigs. So of course we had to have a barnyard bash!! and thanks to Pinterest I found lots of very cute ideas. We had a great time and are super blessed by this wonderful little 2 year old.

Cupcakes decorated by me!

Baby Chicks made by KK

The picture station backdrop-thanks to KK for the cute barn

Lily Kate and Cole

Julia and Cole...Jessi wanted no part :(

Decorating cookies

The Coggin boys

Invitation

Cake pops made by Karen and Uncle Brad

Welcome!

Cole is 2!!

Playing in "pu-dles"

Yesterday was my babies birthday. He is such a big boy!! It really is hard to believe it. I had someone ask me if I was sad, but I really wasn't. I totally just see it as a complete blessing that I have had the past two years being this little boys momma. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for this little guy. He makes me smile and laugh everyday. The best gift I have ever gotten is to be called "mommy" by this little guy. So Saturday morning Cole woke up to the living room full of balloons and donut holes for breakfast. I was singing Happy Birthday to him and every time I would say "Cole" he would say "and mommy too?" funny little boy. I guess he wanted it to be my birthday too! He totally had "happy birfday" down and "I'm 2!" That is what he was telling people all day. Because of a mix up at church we are having his birthday party next weekend, the 20th. Needless to say I was not happy about that, but he doesn't know the difference, but I hated that we could not celebrate yesterday. Then not to mention we are not having good luck with our RSVP. Today we got 4 "neighs" saying that could not make it. Hopefully we will only get "yays" the rest of the week. We go this Wednesday for Cole's two year old well visit. According to our scale at home he weighed 30.4 lbs yesterday morning, which is only like 3 lbs more than he did last year for his 12 month well visit. He finally slowed down. It is funny that he still wears the same clothes that he wore at 10 months old. Now they just fit him better. I have actually just gone up to 2T but just for the length. Depending on what brand it is, they can still be a little big. He is currently wearing his 18 month shorts from last year, but for pants we had to bump up to 24M and 2T. The boy is a talker. I know I have said that in a few recent post, but everyday seems to be more and more :) His new things to say are "I try it", "no way", "stop, stop pease!", "what is it?" and "again". He loves to sing and wants you to sing with him. He also likes to dance. He likes to have big ole family dance parties in the living room. He will start dancing then he will say "mommy dance, daddy dance". He also likes to tell me how to drive. He will say "stop mommy" and I will tell him that the light is green which means go and he will say "no geen mommy" then when I don't stop he raises his hands up and yells "stop cars stop". Where does he get this stuff. He also like to tell me "go this way mommy", Mess, 100% mess!  Eating has been up and down with Cole lately. I know that they say it is common for toddlers to go through picky stages. I hope it is just a phase. He is not terrible, but he is totally up and down. He loves fruit. I am SO glad we are coming up on summer with all the wonderful fresh fruit.  I worry about him eating enough vegetables. He is not a fan of vegetables. Although I have to say it is still hard for him to eat some of them and I worry about him chocking, but he will not eat hardly any vegetable, but will eat about ANY fruit. Just this past week we have been having "night, night" issues. I think he thinks he is missing out on something. He will fight it so hard. He did this a little bit in Dec so hopefully it will fade like it did then. Tonight as I was rocking him with my mixed emotions of "I probably shouldn't be doing this, I am started a bad habit", I would instantly switch to "I am going to miss these days of rocking my baby and watching the peacefulness of him sleeping in my arms". There really is not any greater feeling than rocking your baby in your arms and watching them sleep. Those moments are priceless and something that I thank God for all the time.
Last weekend we went to the zoo for the first time. Papa got us a zoo membership for Cole's birthday. He had a great time. Something I am looking forward to adding into our summer schedule, which will be here soon! Only 30 days of school left, but who is counting?? :)

Catching a ride with daddy

Checking out the goats with mommy

Loves his boots and finding "pu-dles"

Easter time!

Well, the weather has not been feeling like Spring, but it is here! Tomorrow is Easter. I keep asking Cole if the Easter bunny is going to come see him and he says "No, Easter bunny, NO!" Maybe after he comes he will not feel the same way. Silly boy. Here are a few pics we took with real bunnies two weeks ago. He loved the bunnies. We got a few cute pics thanks to www.shannonwatsonphoto.com

This afternoon Cole went on his first Eater egg hunt. We went to Northfield's Easter egg hunt because we missed ours at Donelson last weekend because Cole was sick. He loved it! and thought he was BIG stuff in his rain boots. He wasn't too sure about face painting or the Easter bunny, but fun was had by all.

"cheeeese"

Look! mommy look!

Popcorn hog!

No! Easter Bunny! NO!

"puldels"

Easter day was a soggy day so I was not able to really take pictures, but here are the couple I took after eating lunch with the family on Sunday.

playing in the water

Headed to church

Uncle Brad

KK and Papa

Our little family

23 months...he will be 2 next month!?!?!

Whenever anyone ask me how old Cole is I always say "he will be 2 next month" after about 18 months I stopped saying months. At 19 months-22 months I would say "he will be 2 in April" and now it is "2 next month!!!"...that is just crazy talk. Today, I went to visit my friend who had IVF. She now has a 6 week old baby boy. When I first walked in she gave me a hug, then she said "I have some stories and questions for you", I laughed and said, "isn't he 6 weeks?" she said he was on Sunday why? I said... "because at 6 weeks is when I thought I was going to loose my mind. I had terrible anxiety" She just smiled and said, "so it's normal? I am so glad to hear that". I seriously HAVE to write my book! I really should look more into it. NO ONE tells you this stuff. I would love to share my experience as well as others, since we do not all have the same baby. I really felt like I was able to help Lindzey today, not because I know all the answers, but because I am real and honest. I am not opinionated and my answer is always, this is what I did or this is what worked for Cole, etc...but you have to take the information you get and decide what is best for YOU and YOUR baby. Moms and women are just SO judgemental they can really make you feel bad, but then they never tell you the "real" stuff about being a new mom so then "as if" you do not have anything else to worry about, you worry more, thinking you are the only mom in the world whose child did X or didn't do X. I need to write my book :)

Cheeese!

Now back to my wonderful "2 next month little boy!" MESS, MESS, MESS :) That is what Cole is these days. My dramatic, hormonal, sweet loving and hugging little boy. He still loves the word no! I have tried to be more conscious in giving him choices and letting him have some choice in what he wears and does. I know as a teacher choice can do wonderful things for a child, yet I was not really offering it to my own child. He was so funny when I gave him a choice in his clothes for the first time. Remember choice is two, so I still have a say in the two I offer him :) I said "Cole, do you want to wear this shirt? or this shirt?" his little eyes lit up and he cocked his head as if to say, "seriously? are you letting me choose? or is this a joke?" It was SO cute! I could tell how much that did for him. So I really started paying more attention and letting him choose when possible. Hopefully this will help with our use of the word NO!

Reading with the girls

Cole still LOVES books and animals. He goes to bed every night with a flash light and a few books. As soon as I do not hear him anymore I go take them out, but it is just so sweet to hear him read on the monitor. I pray with him before I leave the room, but then I will hear him saying"Dear God, mommy, daddy, Bad, Bean, KK, fam-e, fends, Amen!" LOVE IT!! Brad, Ben and KK are definitely his favorites, but they are the ones he sees the most in everyone else's defense. Since I have not had a washing machine for almost a YEAR (March 25th will be a year, long story, just tell Casey what a saint I am to put up with him for making me go this long without a washing machine, it's his fault! and he knows it :) So Ben lives with Brad and those are the two places I do laundry the most, my moms and Brad's. Cheese is still a favorite. I seriously think he would eat it ALL DAY every day. I think he must dream about it. He even wakes up saying, "cheese, mommy?"He also loves peanut butter and his new found love, PBJ!. He loves his fruit too! Strawberries, Bananas, Grapes, Blueberries and Cantaloupe are his favorites. He also loves smoothies. So I blend it all up and throw in some spinach too! Those are mommy tricks you gotta use when you can. So the birthday planning is coming along and I cant wait to celebrate this little guys birthday next month. Thank you Lord for a healthy, happy and beautiful child.

Playing in the crib

PB is one of his favorites

My little farm boy!

Silly boy

Cole and his girls, Jessi and Julia

Just playing with my tractor