Look Alikes

These are of Cole and Lily Kate at 4 months. It is so amazing to see how much they really do look alike! Love those smiles!!!!

Snowmaggedon

WOW! Did we move back to Michigan or what? 2 weeks ago ( I think ...maybe a week, they all run together anymore) we received the biggest snowfall ever! Literally, 3 years worth of snow in one day. According to the news, in our area we received 25 inches of snow. It was beautiful and it was fun...for a couple of days. The problem with the snow here is that everything shuts down and we are stuck at home. Fun for a couple of days but not a week! I am getting better at preparing and this time we had enough food to last for 2 weeks and enough crafts to keep an entire preschool busy. Cole was dying to get out in all of this so the day after the snow Rhonald took him out. It was so funny to watch him try to walk around...the snow was over his waist. Eventually he wanted Rhonald to carry him or he would just fall back and laugh. He simply loves the snow! And that boy is obsessed with snow ice cream...he wanted to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner! Cole and Rhonald had so much fun playing and goofing around outside. When they got sick of it we turned on the Wii and played ... way too much. We fell in love with a snow ball fight game which was just as much, if not more fun than being outside! It was awesome...but I hope we don't get the chance to enjoy any more of the white stuff until next year.

Lily Kate at 4 Months

Oh my, this is so long overdue! Lily Kate turned 4 months old on February 7. My how time flies and my, there is very little time to blog about it. She is such a joy and such a sweet baby. Lily greets everyone with a huge smile whenever she sees them. I love to watch her take everything in during the day. Lily Kate's favorite thing in the world to do is cuddle and watch Cole. He could keep her entertained for hours...and he loves doing it! Lily is meeting all of her milestones. She can roll from her tummy to her back, however she prefers to be pampered and have us roll her over. She laughs the cutest laugh you have ever heard but you have to work total magic to hear it. Lily can hold her own toys and is now putting everything in her mouth. I am already ready for that stage to be over! At the Dr this week Lily weighed 13.5 lbs and is 23.5 inches long. So, it looks like she is going to be a little girl! On average Lily Kate takes 3 naps a day and still wakes up a couple of times each night (what happened to the month of sleeping 8 hours??). She is getting better and better about putting herself to sleep and does wonderfully during the day. She can put herself back to sleep most of the time during the night too - unless she is hungry. Cole loves his little sister so much and is constantly hugging and kissing her or holding her hand. He wants to teach her everything but is still proud of the fact that she can't do all that he can do just yet. I heard him telling her this morning, "You can drink milk from a big cup too when you are really big like me." Lily has had her first high fever incident and first ear infection....BOO! Her temperature was anywhere from 101.5-102.3 for 2 days. So scary and so sad. Even when we knew she was feeling so yucky she would smile at us and cuddle. She is really starting to be fun and playful and we are all loving watching her learn and grow.

We adore you sweet Lily, I pray you always know that!

Welcome Home Hermie

(These pictures are totally out of order - sorry)

Cole's pet Hermit Crab, Hermie, has been a long time in the making. As I have face booked and blogged about a ton, Cole has been able to go #1 in the potty for months but he has been struggling with #2. Oh we have tried every bribe known to man and the only one that seemed the least bit interesting to Cole was the Hermit Crab. Interesting but not so exciting that he ran in the potty and pooped. For weeks we have been talking about this and finally, during one of the many snowy days, I told Cole that he just had to do it. We would stay home and work on it together. I knew in my heart he could do it - he was just afraid. So, we prayed about it together and we stayed home....for 3 days....until finally he ran into the bathroom yelling "Mom come quick...I have to go bad!" And he did....and it was wonderful! I never thought I would say that about a trip to the bathroom but I am saying with pride! So, off we went to Petsmart to pick out a crab. Cole picked Hermie, his tank, his plant, his food, etc all out by himself. He was so proud that he told everyone we met at Petsmart why he was getting Hermie and they all congratulated him. Hermie has been with us about a week now and there have already been 2 occasions when I thought he was dead but fear not...Hermie is still with us! Cole checks on him daily and checks his food and water. He tells Hermie he loves him and good night at the end of the day. It is really sweet to see him love this little guy so much - we are all so thankful Hermie came home with us!

LOVE HER!!!!

Ok...Ok...if I have to be stuck inside for a week straight because of this darn snow at least I get to do it with this sweet and happy baby girl!

Another Snow Day

Our friends from church, John and Jen, let us borrow their baby swing after we all saw how much Lily Kate loved it at our small group last week. She sat by the fire and talked to these fish forever...and then feel asleep as happy as could be.

Cole is obsessed with snow ice cream!

Enjoying an afternoon nap on the couch by the fire (this is Cole's Thomas the Train blanket and we all fight over it...it is so warm and cozy).

Watching a Baby Einstein together

Trying out our sled. We have a very flat neighborhood so the most activity this sled got was when Rhonald pulled Cole around in the backyard. Thank goodness Cole did not know what it was for and totally loved it! that boy could play in the snow all day long!

We enjoyed a few more snow filled days this past week. Cole loves the snow so much! I would love to take him to Michigan one winter to show him how much snow I grew up with. Maybe one day. Thankfully Rhonald was off of work and was able to take Cole out to play while I stayed in by the fire and watched TV with Lily Kate. I did spend my share of time outside but not as much as the boys. It was such a relaxing couple of days .... fires in the fireplace, naps and yummy food. We played and read and snuggled like crazy. And the best part of snow in NWA is that it only lasts for a few days and then we were able to get out and about once again.

For The Love of Reading

I love to read....LOVE it...and I have always hoped my kids would love it too. We began reading to Cole as soon as he came home from the hospital. It was almost out of necessity. I was a new stay at home mom with a husband who was a resident - I would talk to Cole all day but when I ran out of things to say I would read to him...I would read magazines, my books, his books, anything really. To this day Cole loves to read. He would sit with a book all day long if he could. He asks so many questions about what we are reading and he truly enjoys stories. We realized the other day that the only time we read to Lily Kate is when we read to Cole. I know she hears the stories too but we had never sat down with her and a book. Rhonald picked this book out for her for Christmas and one morning when Cole and I were putting laundry away this is the scene I came across. Have you ever seen anything sweeter? She LOVED being read to and looking at the pictures in the books. Now, we make a point to read just to her at nap time and bedtime. I have high hopes for this little reader as well...she could look at these books all day. As I was rocking her tonight I imagined being curled up in her big girl bed, staying up way too late, reading something like Little Women and watching her get lost in the story as I so often did (and still do).