Fun With Play-Doh and More

Cole has a couple of new favorite activities these days. The first is that he is in love with brushing his teeth! A week or so ago I bought him a stool to stand on and ever since that day he has loved it. I think we go in to the bathroom at least 5 times a day to brush his teeth. Now that he can stand on his stool and reach the sink he can brush his teeth himself which he is very, very proud of. He also loves to wash his hands but he needs a little help with that. Cole tries his best but his arms just aren't quite long enough to wash his hands alone just yet.

Cole has also developed a love for Play-Doh. We have had a lot of rain over the past few weeks and I have been searching for new, fun and cheap things to do. Play-Doh has been a HUGE hit. The other day we played with it for about 45 minutes which, in toddler time, is a lifetime! It is so cute watching Cole be creative even at this young age. He always wants me to make everything and then he plays with it. On this particular day we made lots of snakes ("nakes") and a cake and then he made the snakes eat the cake over and over. I was priceless watching him play and laugh over and over and over!

A Random Weekend Update

We had such a nice weekend...enjoying one of the last warm weekends until next year! Rhonald ended up rounding at the hospital in the mornings which gave Cole and I some time to relax at home. Once Cole woke up from his naps and Rhonald came home we had a lot of fun in the sun! Friday we went walking at Lake Fayetteville which was beautiful! Cole's favorite thing to do there was to chase the grasshoppers. He did that for about 30 minutes!!! While we were walking he kept telling us to "March!" - his new favorite past time. It was super fun. We ended the night with a big dinner at a Mexican restaurant which Cole loved as well. Saturday we hung out at Jim and Em's and watched the Razorback game. Well, the big boys did. The little boys and girls ended up outside enjoying the nice weather. Ben shared his sidewalk chalk with Cole and they played for a long time! Sunday we hung out at home in the backyard...kicking the ball, playing with Mason and playing in the dirt. We also let Cole enjoy his last Popsicle of the season. It was one of those weekends where we enjoyed each day by relaxing and spending time together...you can't ask for anything more than that!

Fun With Grammy and Pops

We had so much fun when my parents were here. They hate having their picture taken so there are very few pictures of them but we did make several good memories - just no pictures to share. Cole had fun helping my mom water every thing he could find outside. It has been raining for about 2 weeks (or so it seems) but they still watered and trimmed and enjoyed being together outside when they could. Pops was in charge of brushing Cole's teeth every night. Cole thought it was so funny and laughed the whole time...which made brushing much easier! Grammy knew how much Cole loves trains so she brought him his very own conductor hat that he wore the entire time they were here. He loves it! And he learned how to say "Pops" which melted my dad's heart.

Cole wasn't the only one who had fun with Grammy and Pops. My mom brought me her old bread maker and taught me how to make homemade bread. It is so yummy! She also taught me how to can homemade jam. That was a little trickier but not by much and it is also yummy! I started with strawberry and plan to move on to blueberry very soon!!! I never thought I would do either of these things but I really loved it. I am looking forward to next summer...I have a long list of things I would like my mom to teach me to can! I guess I may be a southern girl afterall! Actually Rhonald told me the other night that he finally considers me southern. When I asked him why he had a change of heart he said, "I heard you ask Cole twice during dinner if he would like more taters!" Hey - gotta love a southern girl!

Did That Really Just Happen?

This past weekend marked a HUGE first for us. We actually went away ... just the 2 of us! And we had a blast!!!! My parents came down to see us on Tuesday of last week and we had so much fun hanging out with them. On Friday I put Cole down for his nap and Rhonald and I jumped in the car and drove a few hours to Kansas City. I have been so nervous about this weekend for months but everything went well and we all had such a great time....and we were able to have some much needed time together. Not to say that we didn't miss our big boy - we did...like crazy but it was still fun and it was easier knowing he was well cared for and having fun too. We decided that we were going to do things that we would not be able to do with Cole and that is what we did. We slept in and then enjoyed an awesome breakfast in our room....we shopped and ate whenever we wanted to....we went to an art museum and went on a carriage ride...we listened to live music. And the best part...we enjoyed very long dinners at places that did not cater to kids!!!! I was proud of myself that I only checked on Cole in the morning and after I knew he was asleep ... but we did talk about him a lot! On the drive home we promised to do something again for our anniversary in March and I am already looking forward to it. I was so excited to see Cole and hug him and kiss him. We got home during his nap so we had to wait a few hours to see him. When he woke up Rhonald and I went in to his room to get him and he jumped up and down on the bed and said "mama, gaggy (that is what he calls Rhonald - not sure why), choo choo." Hey - at least our names were before "choo choo!"

"Bob Bob"

Cole watching Bob the Builder in his new pj's

My good friend, Marla, has a little boy a couple of years older than Cole. It is wonderful because she shares lots of fun things with us that Owen has outgrown. When we were at their house last week she brought out a bag of clothes and in it was a pair of Bob the Builder pj's. If you have been around Cole lately you will know that he loves Bob...or "Bob Bob" as he calls him. Cole was so excited that he put the pj's on right then and there (yes, at 11:00 am) and wore them all day and all night. He was so excited and kept saying "Bob Bob" all the way home. I think he was amazed that he could wear something with Bob on it. Oh, we are so thankful for the little things...especially our new Bob the Builder pj's!!!

Big Shoes To Fill

Cole loves doing anything and everything that Rhonald does. He runs to him as soon as Rhonald gets home from work and he hardly leaves his side until bedtime. One thing that he has started doing lately is wearing Rhonald's shoes around the house. He just laughs and laughs as he stomps around!

A Weekend At The Cabin

At the last minute Rhonald and I decided to spend Labor Day weekend at his parents' cabin. We have not been in such a long time so we loaded up the car and headed to Pangburn. As soon as Cole got out of the car he sat down in the gravel driveway and began playing with rocks. Then he spotted the riding lawn mower! Boy oh boy - he was all over that thing. He would turn the steering wheel and say "beep beep!" and then pretend to fill it up with gas. He had never seen such a neat thing! Cole loves to be outside and this weekend was no different. I don't think he came inside until it was time for his much needed bath or a nap! As you can see, Cole enjoyed eating his snack at his own little "table" that he found out back! Each time we went in the backyard he would sit on the back steps like they were a picnic table! Very creative don't you think? His favorite place to go while we were at Grandma and Grandpa Searcy's house was their garden. Oh my goodness - he had a blast there! Grandpa Searcy gave Cole a "farmer's cap" to wear and he refused to go to the garden without it. Unfortunately it was so hot out there that Cole quickly took the cap off but then he always put it back on to walk home. Kyle's garden is just about out of season but Cole did manage to pick ALL of the peppers that were left and once he finished with those he moved on to the last of the Purple Hull Peas. I wish I had a picture of all that he picked. He would grab on to the veggie and yell "Pull" as he picked it! He also loved carrying his goodies around to show everyone what he had done. I hated to admit it but I think this is the first time I have ever picked veggies from a garden too - it really was fun. Rhonald managed to find every bug in the garden and show Cole - I think they both loved that. Monday morning before we left to come home we took Cole for his first boat ride. He did not know what to think. At first he was very quiet but after awhile he began pointing at things and talking very softly. He got to see so many fish, turtles and even a Bald Eagle. We were a little worried that he would want to run around on the boat but he sat very still in Rhonald's lap the whole time. It was a very nice way to end the summer and I am so glad that we made the trip. Grandpa Searcy said next summer he is going to hire Cole to pick all of his veggies! I think Cole would love that!!!!