Fun at Grandma and Grandpa Searcy's House

Rhonald, Cole and I had a nice visit with Rhonald's parents this weekend. The weather was SUPER hot but we still enjoyed some time outside. We tried to go to the Fish Hatchery in Heber Springs but it was closed so we decided to walk along some of the wooded trails around the Greers Fairy Dam. Cole seemed to like looked at all of the colors and trees. He was actually very serious while we were walking...I think he was concentrating on all of the new things he was getting to see. Rhonald's mom bought Cole a baby pool to have at their house which he LOVED. Our little guy has turned in to quite a little fish these days. He had a lot of fun playing with the water toys that she bought for him. His favorite was a big frog that squirted water. Rhonald had a lot of fun playing in the pool too - it was a nice way to cool off at the end of the day!
Now that Cole is sitting up and able to play more Rhonald's mom brought out some of Rhonald's old toys so that Cole could use them. His favorite (and Rhonald's favorite too according to his mom) was a small music box that played "Let's Go Fly A Kite." He would smile as the song played but his favorite part seemed to be holding the box all by himself!
Rhonald's mom asked if she could read Cole his bedtime stories that night and it seemed like they both enjoyed the cuddle time. Cole loves looking at books so I think she ended up reading each book several times. I hate to think of what he will be like when he is older!!!

We had a very nice time visiting with them. The trip ended on a semi-sad note though...we left Mason with his "grandparents" for a few weeks while we are in Florida. It is such a nice help to not have to board him and I know he will be spoiled rotten. We have talked about Mason all day ... wondering how he is doing so Rhonald finally called to check in on him and, of course, he is sleeping on the couch just like at home! He has only been gone one day but we can't wait to get him back!

Future Heartbreaker

Cole wakes up in a good mood every day but today he woke up in a GREAT mood! He has been playing and laughing since I went in to get him this morning. It makes my day so good to see this face every day...I thought I would make your day too by sharing it with you!

Pictures From Cole's 1/2 Birthday!!!!

Cole enjoyed playing with his new toys. They are harder to figure out than his "baby" toys but I am sure he will have fun trying over the next few months!!

I think people always think we are crazy when they see these 3 lined up next to each other but we always have fun getting together. The babies are starting to interact a lot more which is so cool to watch. It is almost as if they are realizing they have friends!

We had such a great time at Miss Emily's pool! Cole has really taken to the water and it is so funny to watch him kick his little legs around. We only stay about 30 minutes and then he passes out when we get home. It is so sweet. I can't even imagine what it will be like next year to see him play in the water! I hope he remembers how much fun it is.

6 Months Ago At 4:42 pm....

our dear sweet Cole was born into this world! The other day someone told me that you never know how time flies until you watch your child grow....how true that is! It seems like yesterday Rhonald and I were walking down the aisle at our wedding...graduating medical school...moving to our first house and now we have a 6 month old baby boy! What an amazing adventure this continues to be! I had another sad moment today when I packed up all of Cole's 3-6 month clothes and then I thought, "how cool would it be to have to buy new clothes every few months?" We had a great day filled with lots of friends and fun! Rhonald and I took Cole to Toys R Us last night to buy him a few "big boy toys" that are for ages 6+ months. We had so much fun but when we got home Cole was sleepy and went to bed. So, we started out our morning playing with all of Cole's new toys...he liked watching us play with them and then finally started to catch on! After that Cole and I met Marla, Emily and Kellie (and Owen, Mya and Ben) at the mall for lunch. Then we headed over to Jim and Emily's (and Ben's) to meet Rhonald and go swimming with everyone! What a day!!! Once Cole adjusts to the temperature of the water he loves swimming. He kicks his feet around and splashes with his hands...it is truly adorable! We go to the doctor on July 21st for his 6 month check up so I will give you all a weight update then. He is so fun at this age - he sits up very well, he laughs so much and is loving life! We are so blessed and we thank God for our sweet boy each and every day!

Happy 4th Of July!

We hope that all of you enjoyed your 4th of July as much as we did! This was a very different 4th of July for us - we actually skipped out on the fireworks in order to get Cole to bed at a decent time. We figure next year we will stay up late and enjoy them but this year we would pass. We had a great day though! We lounged around the house in our pj's for most of the morning and then headed over to see Jim, Emily and Ben. When Emily and I were pregnant we talked about how much fun it would be to dress our little ones up in matching 4th of July outfits - and as you can see...we did! I found these cute little outfits at Old Navy and, I must say, both of the boys looked adorable! Before dinner Emily and I took Cole and Ben to their neighborhood pool for a little swim. Cole seems to love the water more and more each time we go. It was so fun to see him laugh and splash around. This was Ben's first time in a pool and after just a few minutes, he really warmed up to it. Cole really loved playing with Ben this visit. He kept wanting to grab on to him and he loved watching everything Ben did. I really think they will be friends forever! It was dark by the time we got home and it seemed like EVERY neighbor we have was setting off fireworks. Poor Mason was a nervous wreck and ended up sleeping with us so that he would not bark all night. Cole fell fast asleep after his bath and his bedtime story. Overall it was a wonderful holiday....I can't wait to do it again next year!

Take Me Out To The Ballgame!!!!

Rhonald and I took Cole to his first baseball game on Thursday night. We saw the Northwest Arkansas Naturals vs. the San Antonio Missions. It was so much fun! Originally I was carrying Cole in to the ballpark but Rhonald quickly stole him away saying that his dad should be the one taking him in to his first game! Who could argue with that?!
The ball park was so nice and the game was a lot of fun! You would never know it from the pictures but the game was suspended during the 5th inning due to a severe thunder storm. Luckily we saw the clouds rolling in and left about 10 minutes before the rain started. I hope that we go back again soon though - it was a great way to spend an evening.
Cole did much better than we thought he would during the game. He was a little frightened by the loud speakers at first but quickly settled in and enjoyed watching all of the people around us. He even took a little bit of a nap before we left.
The most fun Cole had was when he was playing with Marla! Brad and Marla got a babysitter and met us for the game. It was great to be there with them. Brad played baseball in college so Marla was telling me all about what was going on during the game. I think they were more disappointed than we were that the game was suspended since they were without their kiddos for the night. We agreed that we will get together and go again soon!

What A Face!

I could not resist sharing this photo with you guys! Rhonald took this shot of Cole after his bath tonight. Rhonald has been home studying and we have been blessed to be able to spend time with him during his breaks and in the evenings. I have not seen Rhonald this much since his 4th year of medical school and I love it. Cole loves it too! We had such a great day together. During one break we played with Cole in the baby pool and then took a nice walk. This was the first time that Rhonald had seen Cole in the water so that was super special. The next break we took we went to Sportsman's Warehouse....aka Rhonald's favorite place to shop! He is going fishing tomorrow with a friend so he had to stock up on supplies. Cole loved that store! He is all boy that is for sure. He played with the different types of flies and then we found a huge bin of giant stuffed fish which he thought was so fun to touch and play with! I think he is a boy after his daddy's heart - he is already interested in fishing! Another nice thing is that we have been spending so much time outside and playing with Cole that we have hardly turned the TV on at all. It has been so wonderful to be in the house and just talk and play without that distraction. The atmosphere is so peaceful around here without the extra noise! Well, I just wanted to share a little of our day with you....I hope that you are all enjoying your summer as much as we are.