Two of a Kind

Getting ready for the Razorback game this morning Cole said he was so excited because he looked just like his Daddy! He was so thrilled to be able to spend the day with Rhonald...Razorback gear and all. I love to watch them together...to see the love they share, the friendship they have and the way they adore one another. May they always be the very best of friends!!!!

All Boy

"Boys are found everywhere - on top of, underneath, inside of, climbing on, swinging from, running around or jumping to. Mothers love them, little girls hate them, older brothers and sisters tolerate them, adults ignore them and Heaven protects them. A boy is truth with dirt on its face, beauty with a cut on its finger, wisdom with bubble gum in its hair and the hope of the future with a frog in its pocket."

---Alan Beck

Cannot Compete

I like to think that I am a pretty fun mom. I mean, we play outside every chance we get, we make up games and cook together. We go places and do things all of the time...but I have learned this summer that no matter what, I cannot compete with Miss Em's house. Cole has spent a lot of time with Miss Em and Ben this summer whether it be with me or without me. She has graciously watched Cole for every doctor's appointment and ultrasound and lab test I have had. I do not know what we would have done without her! Cole absolutely loves being at Miss Em's house and I have slowly learned why. Whenever I come to pick him up he has learned a new game or painted a new picture or had a snack of something homemade (yes, from scratch). Everything at Miss Em's is fun and exciting - especially because Ben is there to share in all of the excitement! Thank you Miss Em for all of the love you give and all of the time you spend with my Cole...I am so thankful for you!

Showered With Blessings

This past Saturday I was blessed with a beautiful and very girly baby shower! It was so much fun to have so many wonderful women together to celebrate the arrival of our sweet Lily Kate. My friend (you know, the kind of friend who is really a sister), Emily, hosted this wonderful afternoon and did not leave anything out. There were beautiful Lillies and pink Gerber Daisies all over the house, pink candies and pink decorations! It was fabulous. After Saturday I can honestly say that my little one is not in need of anything...she even has her first pair of hot pink high heels (Cole's favorite gift). I had such a great time taking a break from the everyday routine and just hanging out with my girl friends talking and laughing about all things girly! As I looked around the room at all of these special people I realized how really blessed I am to have these friends and how blessed Lily Kate will be to grow up around all of these wonderful women and their families. Nothing could have made me more excited for her to get here than this day!

Our Precious Little Boy

"Little boys come in all shapes and sizes, shy and adventurous, full of surprises, with misshapen halos and mischievous grins, small dirty faces, and sweet sticky chins."

Oh sweet boy how we love you so. Watching you explore this world with eyes wide open has been the most amazing opportunity of our lives. I hope you always know that we adore you and love you with all of our hearts. We cherish every second of your life and thank God that he chose us to be your parents.

A Lazy Day At The Lake

The Saturday before Labor day was absolutely beautiful! We are finally past the 105 degree days and on to better things. One thing that Rhonald loves about our home is that it is about 5 minutes away from a lake. Since Cole loves fishing and the weather was great we decided to spend the afternoon fishing and playing by the water. Usually the boys go to the lake without me so I was quite honored when they asked me to join them! Cole had a blast! He loved learning about how to bait his hook and watching Rhonald throw it out in the water for him. His favorite thing is to reel the line in (or "real it out" as he calls it) so we are constantly reeling it in and throwing it back out. Cole was completely thrilled when Rhonald caught a fish and he got to help reel it in. He touched the fish and talked to it and then helped Rhonald gently put him back in the water. Cole did spend much of his time just staring at the water, daydreaming and playing with the bugs and rocks. He simply loves the outdoors and enjoyed every part of his day. When we were putting him to bed that night we asked him what his favorite part of the day was and he sweetly said "fishing with you guys. I loved it!" Oh how I see many more fishing days in our future.

First Day of School 2010

It is that time of year again....school is in session! I think both Cole and I have missed his Mother's Day Out this summer. And what a difference a year makes! I remember all to well the first day of school last year...Cole with his blankie and paci and having to be held the entire 4 hours. This year Cole was so excited to get to school and talked a mile a minute the whole way there. He marched into his classroom, toured around and began playing. He hardly had time to give me a kiss goodbye. When I got to his class to pick him up I fully expected a warm welcome and what I got was "Mommy I not ready to go home." We are blessed...we know that and we are thankful for this wonderful school where he can go and play and learn and I can have just a little "me" time (for 4 more weeks anyway). Cole came home from school talking about how "A is for apple and Adam" since they had learned about Adam and Eve that day. He gets hugs from his teachers and friends and is truly loved there. I am so excited to see what he learns this year and about all of the fun things they have planned for these little kiddos!

Pure Joy

I love these little guys and I love that they are such good buddies. Cole is so blessed to have Ben and Jackson to grow up with and we are so blessed to have their parents as friends. We look forward to many more days of singing the "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and playing with these sweet boys.

"When I grow up I want to be a little boy."

---Joseph Heller

White Water Adventure - Part 2

A couple of weeks ago we traveled back to White Water for our final summer fling. This time we had two other families with us which made the day even better! It was so much fun watching the kiddos (both big and small) play and enjoy the day. The weather was perfect and we got there early enough to avoid all crowds (the best part of the day for the grown ups). Although Cole, Ben, Katie and Jacob did spend some time apart they mainly played together and had a blast! We all enjoyed a great pizza lunch and frozen lemonade for dessert (something Cole is still asking for) and headed out for more play time. Around 2:30 we were all ready to crash...kids and adults alike so we packed up and headed home. Cole slept the entire way home and even fell back asleep on the couch when we got home. That is how we knew it had been a great day!!! We cannot wait for more White Water adventures next summer.