All Aboard The Choo Choo Train

A few weeks ago Emily called to invite Cole and I on a train ride!!! A real live train at that...not a toy or small little train but a real train! How could we say no to that? We were so excited to wake up this past Thursday and head to the Springdale train station to board the choo choo. It was kid's day so the train was filled with children of all ages. We rode for about 2 hours and the boys loved it!!! I was so shocked that Cole sat in his seat the whole ride unless he was in my lap or cuddled up with Miss Em. He took "the rules" very seriously. Emily was well prepared for the day and treated the boys to Thomas the Train juice boxes, Thomas suckers and Thomas Pez candy...all things that they rarely get. The boys loved looking out the windows at all of the sites we rode past and really loved hearing the whistle (while inside the train...when we were outside neither boy liked the whistle at all). It was a great morning...filled with fun for the boys and 2 hours of talking and catching up for Emily and I.

A White Water Adventure

A couple of weeks ago we ventured to White Water for the first time. What an experience that was. Cole loves to swim (as you know) but he hates any kind of sprinkler. The 2 little kid areas are huge sprinkler parks...huge. We walked over to one of them and Cole took one look at it and said "No thank you!" So, the three of us split our time between the lazy river and the wave pool. We all loved both of those areas. I think Cole's favorite part was when the waves would knock him over. We were right there of course but he thought he was super big by falling whenever a wave hit him. I think we spent about 5 hours there...non stop swimming except for one short ice cream break. We all had a blast. So much so that Rhonald suggested we purchase season passes next summer. I was shocked! My husband is not one for any kind of amusement park (unless it is Disney World) and so I told him I would hold him to it! I love the pictures above because I was able to take them when the boys could not see me. They had such a blast spending the day together. Rhonald had not seen Cole swim yet this year except for the short trip to the lake a few weeks ago and he was very impressed. Mostly at the amount of confidence that Cole had in the water. After several hours we were all pooped and decided to head home. Cole was asleep in about 5 seconds! It was a great day - one that I hope we can repeat at least one more time this summer and many more times next summer!!!!

28 Weeks

Well, I am officially 28 (and a half) weeks now! Man, time is flying by so quickly. I took these pictures myself today - I seem to always forget to take them when Rhonald is around. I am feeling very good. I will admit that certain things have gotten to be more of a chore these days...like walking up and down the stairs. Ugh - who knew having a 2 story house would be such a pain. I am craving watermelon and coconut lately. As a matter of fact I bought a watermelon today just so that I could have it to snack on. I guess it is better than milkshakes! Lily Kate is still so very active and wonderful. Cole is growing more and more curious about when she is going to be here and how that will happen. His questions amaze us and we are trying to answer them as best we can. My friend, Emily, came over the other afternoon to help me decorate her nursery (pictures to come). We are almost done and it feels so good to have a space for her all ready. I am really enjoying picking out little outfits for her and day dreaming about her being here with us. The only "bad" thing is that I failed my one hour glucose test and have to go in on Monday to do a 3 hour test. I did not have any trouble with Cole and Dr. M thinks I will pass the 3 hour test with flying colors. Being on a diet while pregnant sounds like pure torture!!!! I cannot believe I only have 12 more weeks to go before I get to hold this precious baby in my arms. I love being pregnant...knock on wood both of my pregnancies have been wonderful so it is a little sad but I cannot wait to meet this little wiggle worm and watch her grow into the woman God has created her to be.

A Visit To Paw Paw's

We are lucky enough to have the best of both worlds...my parents live near a big city and Rhonald's parents live out in the country. We love visiting both places for various reasons. This past week Rhonald was on vacation and while we were scheduled to spend the week in Florida we decided to stay closer to home (thanks BP). Rhonald's mom was in Costa Rica on a mission trip with their church so we headed down to see Paw Paw and keep him company. We all had a blast - especially Cole. He loves being outside so Paw Paw's cabin is heaven for him. He was able to go fishing, on boat rides, play in the garden, and swim in the lake. He was so funny - he has been to the ocean but never a lake so he kept asking where the whales and dolphins were! He picked lots and lots of peppers and tomatoes and peas in the garden...he loves to eat the things that he has picked which is very nice. Cole also found a pair of binoculars and he loved looking at anything and everything through them. If he was parted from them for long he would ask "Where are my noculars?" I swear, he is more precious every day! He and Rhonald spent a lot of time on the dock fishing and Cole even got to see a very wild Rainbow trout. He would shout with delight when the fish would jump out of the water and once it was thrown back he yelled "catch another one!" I don't think Rhonald or his dad had ever tried so hard to catch a fish in their lives! We were able to visit Rhonald's grandma which was nice. Cole slept through the entire visit with her but she was happy just to see him. Cole's biggest find of the trip was a big, fuzzy caterpillar who he named Butterfly. He instantly picked a few leaves for Butterfly and we made him a home in a mason jar. Cole took that little guy everywhere - it was so cute! He was so proud of the fact that he found him and that Butterfly actually ate the leaves he had picked for him. It was such a nice visit and one that we hope to repeat very soon! I do think Cole, like his daddy, is a bit of a country boy at heart!!!

Happy 4th of July - 2010

We had a very busy, yet very fun, 4th of July this year. It really has to be one of my favorite holidays. I mean, who doesn't love American flags, fireworks, cookouts and country music (seems like country music just screams 4th of July but maybe that is because I live in Arkansas). We started off the weekend by meeting the Cornetts and the Burrows at the Rodeo of the Ozarks parade. The kids were in heaven! Cotton candy, Popsicles, floats and horses...what could be better than that? Cole loved waving at the various floats this year and seeing all of the tractors and horses. As the parade was ending it started raining which enabled all of us to curl up and take a 4th of July nap!!! That night our neighborhood had a fabulous cookout and we were able to meet so many new and wonderful people. This neighborhood is so much different than our last one and we love it. One thing that we thought would be so fun was that our neighborhood was going to set off fireworks...the big ones. We talked to Cole about it all afternoon and he was very excited...until he heard the first firework and then he buried his face in my neck and said "I go home now. I don't like boom noises." So, while Cole and I got ready for bed Rhonald sat out on the back patio and watched them for all of us. Oh well - maybe next year! On the actual 4th we enjoyed a very relaxing and yummy cookout with the Burrows and Vos. The kids played their hearts out while we all sat around eating and talking...it was wonderful. I do love this holiday-so much so that I am already excited for next year!

We Heart Swimming

I know I have already mentioned that we are spending lots and lots of time in the pool this summer but I wanted to share these sweet pictures of Cole. He adores the water and is getting to be such a great little swimmer. This pool is awesome for kids because it slopes down gradually and stays fairly shallow for a long time giving them the feeling of independence and us moms the feeling of safety. Thank you to all of our dear friends with pool access that have let us play with them over and over this summer....it has been wonderful!

Kings of the Castle

When Rhonald's parents came to see us this weekend they brought with them a castle! It has been a big hit with Cole. Last night he made Rhonald crawl in it with him and build things with his blocks and play hide and seek. He pretends to go camping in his "tent" (which is really funny since we have never really talked to him about camping). He likes to have snacks and read books in his castle. It is so cute to watch him go into his own little world. This castle came at the perfect time as he is really developing his imagination and enjoys pretend play so much. I think, if we let him, he would stay in his castle for hours!