Summer Lovin'

Rachel, Emily and I have been able to start up our "mom's lunch" again since school is out and Ben is here. It is so much fun to hang out with these girls and talk about life and our babies (I guess that is life isn't it?). Little Ben slept most of the time which was so sweet. This is the first time that Audrie and Cole seemed to notice each other - it was so cute! They would babble to each other and smile back and forth. The cutest was when they seemed to be trying to hold hands! I wonder if that is a preview of what is to come?!

Bathing Boy

My mom and dad brought Cole a baby pool this week. Today was the first day that we used it and boy was it fun!!! Cole did not know what to think of it at first but the longer he was in the pool the more he liked it. It was so cute to see him discover something new and know that it is something he will love forever. My mom and I laughed and laughed watching him splash his arms around. I can't wait to see him in a big pool!

Just To Make You Laugh

Rhonald and I decided to take a nap while Cole was taking his morning nap today. After Cole woke up I brought him in to our room so that I could feed him and when he was finished he had a lot of fun playing with his Daddy. Enjoy!

Mom's New Toy

Ok, first thing's first...I know I need a haircut and some highlights - thank goodness my parents will be here next week to watch Cole while I take care of that!!!

Now, on to my new love....the sling! My friend, Rachel, has had a sling like this for awhile now and I have loved it and secretly wanted one but was not willing to pay for it. You know, the stay-at-home mom thing. Recently though two things have happened. One - Cole does not like to stay in his car seat when we are out and about and wants to be held so he can see things better and be closer to us. Two - Cole is getting too heavy for me to carry with him in the car seat but sometimes I really need to have two hands free to do things. So, after those 2 things happened I thought I could justify buying the sling...and we love it!!! Cole loves it - he can be close to me and be up so he can see everything that he wants to see and I love it because he seems lighter when he is in it and I can still use 2 hands. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone with a baby --- and you can use it until they are 40 lbs. Hopefully he will be walking next to me, holding my hand by that point though! Thanks Rachel - I owe you one!!!

What Is Missing????

Can you tell what is missing from these pictures? I will give you a hint...this is mommy and daddy's bed however, mommy and daddy are no where to be found! The little boys have taken over our bed (well, just for one nap)! We are trying really hard to transition Cole from sleeping in his swing to sleeping in his crib. A while back we decided that as long as he was sleeping we did not care if it was in his swing or his crib but he is getting close to being too big for his swing....something we have been dreading! So, here we are. He will sleep in his crib but he is waking up more often - all we have to do is give him his pacifier and pat him a few times and he is right back to sleep but it is still tiring. I know it will be worth it though. On this day, Tim our lawn guy (yes, we pay for a lawn guy because we don't want to mow the lawn), starting weed eating half way through Cole's nap, right under his window. So, I put him in our bed with Mason to finish his nap. Needless to say they both loved it!

A Day In The Life

My mom and dad are always interested in what Cole does each day so I thought I would create a post about what we did today. Some of you may find it kind of boring but I know they will enjoy it! Cole always wakes up in the best mood - talking and babbling in his crib until we come and get him. He wakes up between 6:30-7:30 every morning. This is a very typical face for us to see when we get him - he has a big smile and he is always ready to eat!

Cole always spends some time each day on his tummy. He used to hate it but now that he can turn over and do more he really seems to like it. In this picture he was actually watching Mason who was chewing on a bone in front of Cole's blanket. He seems to like getting a different perspective on things while on his tummy. He is getting very strong and can lift himself up all the way with his arms.

Cole absolutely loves his exersaucer (thank you Aunt Laura and Uncle Mark). I have been putting it in the bathroom while I take a shower and get ready, or in the kitchen when I am making dinner and he has the best time.! He is getting really good at putting all of the many toys in his mouth! Cole plays in this a lot these days. He used to love his activity mat so much and although he still likes it at times, I think he really enjoys being able to sit up and look around. We have so much fun watching him enjoy his day!

Every day when Rhonald comes home from work he greets Mason, Cole and myself, changes clothes and then checks the computer. He has done this routine every day since we moved here and now that we have Cole he likes to include him in the routine. Cole used to just sit in Rhonald's lap quietly but now he loves to reach for the computer and slap his hands on the table. It is so cute to watch them have some time - Rhonald always teaches Cole about what he is doing. I am sure there will come a time when Cole is teaching Rhonald about the computer.

Cole has been dying to sit up on his own for awhile now. He has been trying and trying but almost always topples over when we try to sit him up. Tonight while Rhonald was on the floor playing with Cole he tried to sit him up again and this is what happened! HE STAYED!!! Now, I will be honest and let you know that he only stayed that way for about 20 seconds but hey...a guy has to start somewhere. He actually did this a few times. We were so proud of our little guy and I think he was pretty proud of himself too.

In other news, we planned on starting Cole on rice cereal tonight but he fell asleep after his 7 pm feeding so we ran out of time. Tomorrow shall be the day! We have always said that we would wait until his was 6 months to feed him food but he is very, very interested in eating! He tries to grab our food when we are eating all of the time. He is also still having some problems with constipation and he refuses to drink any water or Prune juice (who can blame him for that?) so we are hoping that some of the baby food will help him out with that too. So, stay tuned to find out how Cole likes his food!!!!

Family

You know how there are people in your life that are your family even though there is not a biological relationship there at all? Well, Sue, David and Shannon are that family to us. They have been in my life for as long as I can remember and have always been there for me in any way they could be. We have been through more than our share of good and bad times together. Unfortunately, since my parents moved away from my hometown a few years ago we don't get the chance to see each other as often as we would like. David was about 2 1/2 when I met him for the first time. That is David in the picture above (with his mom, Sue) on his way to his Senior Prom! Ok, yes, I feel so old seeing him getting ready for prom and college and all of those fun things! I am so proud of him for all that he has done and all that he has ahead of him! Seeing this reminded me how much I really do miss them and how much the 3 of them have impacted my life. His mom has always been the one I could talk to about anything and she would never judge - just listen and sometimes, but not always, give advice. I wish I could hug all 3 of them right now and laugh over memories...like the time I was packing for my Freshman year of college and David said to my mom, "Why would anyone want to leave their mom and go to school?" Now, here he is packing up for college and getting excited to leave home!!!! I remember playing ring around the rosie with his sister, Shannon, for hours on end because she loved to "fall down" so much! And then there was our wedding...I could go on and on but I won't. I do want to thank you for all of the memories though and tell you that I love you all!!!!

This may seem kindof corny but I hope that after reading this you all take some time to remember the people you love from your life and laugh at old memories. I think it is good for your soul to do that every now and then!