Cole's First Sleepover

A few weeks ago Ben and Miss Em invited Cole and Jackson over for a sleepover....a first for all 3 of the boys.  Cole was so excited and we jumped at the opportunity.  This was a huge deal for us.  Up until this point Cole had never spent the night away from home without us.  Poor Emily and Jim had to put up with my worries and questions for a few weeks (I'm sure next time they will invite Cole about 2 hours beforehand to avoid me - ha!).  Cole was determined to go, sleep over and enjoy every second of his time....and that is just what he did.  I'm not going to lie....on the way over to Ben's, Cole asked me to pray with him and tell him everything that was going to happen.  He was especially concerned with the sleeping arrangements and what would happen if he needed something in the night.  Emily and Jim are like family to us, I knew without a doubt Cole would be spoiled rotten and I think, deep down he knew that too. One bonus of the night was that Jim's parents were in town so there was even more love to go around.  As soon as Ben opened the door the boys took off to play.  I said my last "I will come get him anytime if you need me to." and Lily and I headed off to enjoy some girl time.  Emily had it all planned out - the boys played hard, ate well and even got to make t-shirts.  She had a stuffed animal for each of them (Cole still sleeps with it) and made everything very cozy for the boys.  Ben and Cole wanted to share a bed on the floor which worked out well because Jackson really wanted to check out Ben's bed.  After a fun bubble bath, Emily and Jim tucked them in and did not hear a peep from them until morning.  Rhonald, Lily and I went to pick Cole up and he was so sad to leave.  All of the way home he kept asking when he would be able to go do that again.  When I asked him if he missed me he sweetly said, "No.  But I did miss Lily Kate.  She is my best buddy!" After hearing about how much fun he had and how well he did I could feel myself breathe a huge sigh of relief!  I could not have been more proud of him!  I see many more sleep overs in our future....now, if Emily would just offer to keep Lily Kate too...:)

So Big

Look who is big enough to sit at the big table!!!  And she is so very happy about it!

Um...Can You Say Cute?

No one can melt my heart the way this little rock star can....I am smitten with his smile, his laugh, his deep brown eyes, his expressions....everything about him.  Even on the roughest of days being Cole's mama means the world to me.  I love you buddy....I pray you always know that.

My Sweet Baby Girl

I cannot begin to tell you how much I wish time would slow down a minute so my baby would not grow up so fast!  Lily Kate is quickly changing from my little baby into a little girl.  I am so excited about that but so sad too.  She is still up to no good and is always in to anything and everything.  As you can see from these photos she totally has Rhonald wrapped around her little finger (as she should).  She is so funny and stubborn and lovely and perfect in every way.  She tests every ounce of our patience at least 100 times a day but she can quickly turn around and smother us with kisses to make up for it.  She is really into helping lately and I love it.  She is so proud of herself when you ask her to throw something away or to go get her shoes.  She lights up and runs to do whatever you ask of her.  She still is not talking much however that does not stop her from getting her point across....very well.  Lily is our dare devil and our risk taker.  She is our climber, our tantrum thrower and our class clown.  Lily wants to do absolutely everything that Cole does and she gets so frustrated when she can't.  She is our watcher...watching everyone and everything so she can learn what you are doing.  Lily is our shy one...covering one eye to hide when she is unsure of a situation.  She loves fully though, just like her brother.  She will wrestle you to the ground and jump on you and then sweetly lay her head on your shoulder and hug you so tightly you wish she would never let go.  Lily is our eater...she will snack on or eat anything you throw at her, except veggies.  If Lily sees a veggie on her plate she quickly picks it up and either hands it back to you or throws it on the floor.  She is still a lover of books and that is still one of my favorite things about her.  I love as she shakes her head "no" to me for the umpteenth time in a day she also cocks her head and smiles a cheesy smile to make me laugh and forget my frustration.  I love that she blows good night kisses to Cole and Rhonald the entire walk up the stairs and has even been known to go back down to hug one more time.  She makes life in our home more and more interesting and I can honestly say we would not be the same without with her.  As much as she wears us all out she also makes us fall more in love with her every day. 

"Thank You God For My Friends."

Ok, so none of these pictures are wonderful but you know what, taking pictures of kids this age is tough.  We have had a lot of fun time with our friends lately and I was able to catch some of those play dates on my camera....not all, but some.  After having fun playing and eating dinner at Chick Fil A tonight with Holiday and Ben, Cole said "I love my friends!"  And I could not have agreed more.  Not only do I love my kids' friends but I love their parents and that means so much.  During his bedtime prayer tonight Cole made sure to thank God for his friends.  I was so thankful that he did.  One thing I am realizing more and more these days is how much better life is when we are surrounded by those we love.  To share in the lives of others is priceless and so I must agree, thank you God for our friends!

Wordless Wednesday

What A Beautiful Day!

The weather has been absolutely amazing lately and we have tried our very best to take advantage of it.  This past Thursday, while Rhonald was off, we decided to take the kids to Crystal Bridges and do some exploring.  Man, we love that place and that day we actually had it basically all to ourselves.  We walked and looked at every little thing we could - the kids ran their hearts out and the laughter was never ending.  Rhonald and I just sat back and watched them enjoy the day and all of the space they had to play and we kept repeating, "what a beautiful day!"  And it was, in more ways than one.  Lily Kate and Cole both went nuts over a small clearing in the trees filled with leaves!  We don't have many trees in our yard so they had not experienced leaves like this before.  We practically had to drag them out of there when it was time to go.  After we had walked for awhile we decided it was time for lunch so we headed over to the crepe stand for a yummy (and huge) lunch of homemade crepes.  I seriously could not believe that we were sitting outside for lunch in February!  Being a mom has helped me see so many things about life and one thing that I truly believe (and hope to teach my kids) is that it is the most simple things that mean the most.  This day was just that...simple...and totally and completely beautiful!

There Is Nothing Sweeter...

There is nothing sweeter than watching these two spend time together (especially when they don't know that I am watching). 

"Certain is it that there is no kind of affection so purely angelic as of a father to a daughter.  In love to our wives there is desire; to our sons, ambition; but to our daughters there is something which there are no words to express."

---Joseph Addison

Wordless Wednesday

I guess someone finally learned how to open the door to the pantry :)