Fall Fun

One of our fall activities so far has been a trip to Cox Farms in Centerville. This was our first trip there and boy was it worth it. It is still early fall so the weather is beautiful (actually hot!) but so nice to spend the day outdoors with the people you love. Erin, Carl and Ella accompanied us on our day of fun at the farm, where we rode the slides to our hearts content, went on a hayride and drank yummy apple cider. We are hoping that this is the first of many festivals that we will be attending this fall. With the upcoming arrival of the new little guy we are attempting to stay close to home...but just not too close.
Last weekend we hosted a party to welcome our new little guy, and aunt tiffy's new little girl. Our little pumpkin hasn't accepted the invite yet but he's still got another 2 weeks or so to "bake".

First day of Preschool

Cole's first day of preschool went without too much of a hitch. I was most concerned with getting him moving this morning but he seemed to understand that we had a place to be and that he would want to go to that place. I walked him into his class, after begging him to wear his backpack, and then he wouldn't take it off! He was quickly engrossed in playing and I was long forgotten. I stayed for a few minutes to watch him and when I decided to leave, I barely got a wave. It didn't hit me till after I left that this is the first time I've left him with a non-family member and I was a little afraid (for me and him).
At pick up time, one of his teachers let me know that he had a little collision on the playground and as a result cried. The first thing he said to me in the car was, "Mommy, I fell on the playground and I cried. Where were you?" I've never had to answer to him like that and I can't say that I liked it. Despite the minor incident, Cole told me he had lots of fun with storytime, where all the kids got in a circle and sat down to listen. They also had grapes, cookies and nice, cold water (according to Cole) for snack time. He was also excited to tell me that he sang the Happy Birthday song while he washed his hands and at the end he kissed his hands, just like the teacher told him to. I think Cole is going to learn lots of fun things at school.

Savoring the alone time

So this week, more than ever, it has hit me that the new one will be here very soon. While I am completely overjoyed by the prospect of another little boy in our home, I am so sad that Cole will no longer be an only child that I have begun to cry about it...on a daily basis! I'm sure he has no true idea of whats to come. Cole is merely excited at the prospect of having a friend to play with, watching movies with mommy and new baby on the couch, and running and jumping with his new brother, all things he has told me that he would like to do with the arrival of his baby brother.
While it has always been important to me to have quality time with Cole, at least as much as possible minus the cooking, cleaning, etc required to run a house, that quality time seems so much more important right now. Yesterday, we went to the library twice! Although there isn't much on our agenda today, I am going to be sure that we have lots of playtime, snuggling, and tickling before the day is over.

Winding down

..as the number of days before Cole is no longer an only child wind down, we are trying to cram in as much fun as we can. Last weekend we went on a family outing to Annapolis, where Cole spent the entire day hunting for Captain Richard (a story for another blog post). This weekend we caught up with some friends of ours...twice...for a weekend full of fun. On Saturday, Cole and I began our day at the Farmer's Market. We then headed up to Bethesda to meet up with our friends Erin and Ella for an afternoon at the spray jets in downtown Silver Spring. Cole was disinterested in running through the water but he was a trooper at watching Ella play :) The two of them were so cute conversing about their Disney experiences like two big people.
In the evening, Craig, Cole and I threw together a picnic dinner and ate in down by the river. Cole wanted to bring the play-doh along and I figured what the heck...much easier to clean up the mess. It was actually a lot of fun. There is also a playground close to where we were sitting so Cole got to play for a little while with his dad.
On Sunday evening we met up with Erin, Ella and Carl for some fun at Gravelly point, where the planes come into National Airport. We love going there to watch the planes and it was even more fun to do it with good friends. Cole and Ella romped around and played with Cole's stomp rocket while the adults stuffed their faces :)

The littlest snitch

Cole has reached the age where I cannot tell him anything nor let him be a part of anything that shall remain a secret. When I asked whether he'd like to take cupcakes to Daddy at work for his birthday, of course he said yes, and then he told Craig! It's a good thing I did the present purchasing and dessert selection for tonight without him :)

Summer Adventures

Our final adventure of the summer took us to Ocean City to spend a few days at the beach with our friends Scott and Allison. Scott's aunt hooked us up with an awesome beach front condo, which was totally key with Cole in tow. The waves were a little rough for Cole to manage so we spent most of the time playing in the sand. I read a book and relaxed, hoping to capture one last image of the beach before the birth of baby #2 (a must for relaxing during labor sans drugs!). We also went to the boardwalk and Cole rode some of the kiddie rides. Another evening he was co-pilot to Craig during a go-cart ride. Of course, the highlight of that adventure was the trip to Candy Kitchen afterward where he picked lego shaped sweetarts and a candy necklace as treats.

Road Tripin'

What an adventure we just returned from! Tiff and I decided since we both had the summer off we would pack up the kids, sans husbands, and road trip to Michigan to visit our extended family. Surprisingly the kids handled the 10+ hour car trip very well and we arrived safely and in one piece to our destination outside of Detroit. We spent 3 days hanging out and letting the kids play with each other, which they did beatifully. We will miss all the playmates now that we are home. We also ventured to a spray park, a dairy farm (yummy ice cream) and attended Hannah's 2nd birthday party complete with pinata, pool, hot tub and marshmallow roasting by the fire pit. It was wonderful to see our family once again and we look forward to the next time that we can meet up.

Baby bumps

It somehow seems weird to take photos of just me and my belly bump so I asked Cole to join in and he happily obliged! I love this pic and will cherish it forever :) It's amazing to imagine that in 82 days our next little man will arrive. Cole has taken to my pregnancy better than I expected. I can't help but get a giggle out of his reaction to my ever increasing belly and inquiring how the baby is going to get out. He knows a doctor will do it (well actually a midwife but close enough) and that the baby will be messy when it arrives. He also thinks we should name the baby Clifford or Dumbo or something along those lines! The one thing that he has had difficulty with is my inability to hold him. He is a very loving little boy and likes to be held or carried places....both being difficult with a basketball attached to my front!

Just Beachy

We've had a busy end of June and early July, with Mommy and Daddy leaving Cole with Grandma and Pap while they attended Hollie and Sean's wedding in Dallas and then immediately after a trip to Virginia Beach to visit Scott and Allison for the Fourth of July. In his usual fashion, Cole took it all in stride and did amazingly well without us. I am also extremely happy and proud to announce that Cole is potty trained! We're working on the night time stuff right now but in most cases he wakes up dry. I just can't express how proud I am of him and how well he has done...now to get rid of the treats!

Happy Father's Day '09

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Every Father's Day we take a silly "impression" photo of our daddy. This year Cole actually wanted to wear Daddy's shoes and tie...but his expression wasn't nearly as cute as when i had to force him to do it. Happy Father's Day to all the "daddies" in our lives. To celebrate, we took our Daddy to see UP as our first family movie in the theater.

Mommy's too fat

....just thought I'd write a quickie for a "coleism" that I just loved! Today I was explaining to Cole that when the weather gets hot that we need to hurry and get him in his seat so that Mommy can get up to the front to put on the A/C as fast as possible (he is sooooo slow at not only getting in his seat but he doesn't help AT ALL with the straps or buckling). Sometimes, mostly when its raining, I will hop up to the front without getting out of the car (a real bonus to being a "small" person) but today Cole pointed out to me that, "Mommy is too fat to go to the front that way", as he pointed to the space between the front seats. Thanks pal for pointing that out...thanks!

Boot Camp

...potty training boot camp to be more specific. Yesterday Cole and I began what I hope to be the beginning of the end...of diapers! We had a couple of errands to run in the morning so the start of boot camp was to begin post naptime. One of our stops was Target to choose a prize for the end of the week, if and only if it proves to be a successful week. We also bought a book about going to the potty, some new improved treats (jelly beans weren't enticing enough anymore)and lastly, a potty timer. Who knew there was such a thing (there really isn't but Cole believed me). A good ole kitchen timer to count down the minutes when we HAD to try to go potty again. Our 1/2 day start was a good one with no accidents up to bedtime. Today is a different story. I am truly understanding that if there is no timer he will just pee (or worse) on himself. I know that its nonsense to think that we will get through the training exercise accident free but I know now why I've put this off for so long...it is no fun. Cole is already anti-timer, hiding it at every chance he gets, and he sat beside the potty today and did #2...BESIDE it! Why couldn't he have just moved over 12 inches and pulled down his pants? Shortly after that I decided to let him tell me when he had to go....accident again. Ugh!

Brothers

Our biggest news of the Spring didn't even make it to the blog yet! As most of you already know, Cole is going to be a big brother in October. Our family is anxiously (but patiently) awaiting the arrival of Baby Boy #2. Although slightly bummed that a little girl didn't complete our family this time around, I am thrilled that Cole will have a brother to play with, pick on, or otherwise torture for the rest of his life. But really....I know what the bond of sisters feels like and I can only imagine that brothers are no different and for that I am so thankful.

Birthday Boy

It's so hard to believe that 3 years ago today Cole came into our lives. Now that his big day is here, there will be one last celebration of the Big 3 with pizza and cake at Nanny's tonight but the real festivities were over the weekend with a pinata, cake, and unending presents with our family and friends. Leading up to his birthday, Cole would always say, "Mommy, this is going to be the best birthday ever". I just hope it was...for this year.

Say What?

Easter Egg Excitement

Cole couldn't wait for the official Easter Egg Hunt at Nanny's on Easter Day. We've been practicing for weeks now but the "real" day was finally here and Cole was prepared with basket in hand. The first excitement of the day was an Easter basket full of bouncing balls, marbles and oh yea, candy! The Easter Egg hunt began after our midday meal and the kids couldn't wait to hunt the over 200+ eggs that Maw-Maw filled and hid for them. What a great grandma!

My gifted child

On the way to Nanny's house we pass a major construction site, where Cole is always interested to see what the workers are up to. If they aren't on the job he wants to know why and if they are, he wants to know what they are doing. On this particular day, there were several men on the job site and most were gathered around the footings of what appears to be an upcoming sound wall. As usual Cole wanted to know what they were doing so I put it simply, "they are building a wall". He replied, "For Humpty Dumpty?" and I couldn't help but chuckle to myself. I later shared this story with Cole's Aunty Tiffy and she said that his connection was very good and was a actually a sign of giftedness. I'm not sure where he's getting that from since I am more than positive that there is at least one (or more likely several) improper uses of English in this post as well as a non-existent word or two!

Growing Hearts

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder and while that may be true, I have lately found that the more time I spend with our little man, the bigger my heart grows for him. I am so happy at the little person that he is turned into (not that there aren't bad days!) Here is a pic of our cutie at the St. Patty's Day festivities in Old Town. His favorite part of the parade were the dancing ladies :) (not those kind but the Irish dancing kind!)

Oh Man

Cole has really enjoyed playing trains recently. He loves, most of all, the battery operated Thomas and James engines that he received for Christmas. He loves to load them up and make them really work for their loads...today there was a little accident as he was helping one of them up the incline and he pushed a little too hard. "Oh man," he said. It's one of his favorite phrases right now so I was happy to capture it :)

Hockey Time

Cole, Craig, Scott, Allison and I all went to Cole's first hockey game on Sunday. We had lots of fun while Scott and Allison stayed for the weekend and we finally had a place for visitors to sleep...in Cole's big boy bed. Sadly for most of our crew, the Pens lost, but I was happy that the Caps won!

Happy Times....Sad Times

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Cole and I have been making the best of my layoff by scheduling lots of playdates and other activities at home. Play-doh and painting are our favorite pastimes. Beautiful weather has set in the last few days so we've headed outside to enjoy the 60 degree days. On the other end of the spectrum, we were very sad to say our goodbyes to our beloved family dog, Toni, last Friday night. Toni lived a long and happy life and I've loved her like no other dog. While it was a difficult decision for my dad to make, I am sure sure that Toni is in heaven with Nancy and they're having a grand ole' time.

A New Day

Cole, Craig and I made it down to Market Square today to view the swearing in of our 44th President. This is the first Presidential Inauguration that Cole will see in his lifetime. I love the way he says our now President's name...in his cute toddler way and almost as if he enjoys saying it. As I put him down to bed last night, I explained that tomorrow was a special day that we would have a new president. He looked up at me and questioned "Bawwack Obama?". Good boy was all I could say.

Disney Days

Merry Christmas

A very abnormal Christmas this year...in Florida. We enjoyed a balmy, 80 degree Christmas Eve on Fort Myers Beach. Cole enjoyed playing in the sand and playing with his "friends" Kristen and Brittany. We loved staying with Grandad at his house and having dinner with the entire family each night. Cole also got to pick oranges off of Grandad's tree...they were delicious. Next stop...Disney!

The happiest place on Earth

I can only imagine what Cole might have been thinking as we entered the most magical place on earth. I myself was brimming with excitement at the sounds, sights and smells of Disney. Although timid at first, Cole warmed up to the rides and characters and began each morning with a groggy voice requesting to go see Micky Mouse.

The days of Christmas

Cole's favorite day of Christmas is the Fifth Day. That's because that is when Daddy's bursts into our nightly storytime routine to announce that Cole's true love gave to him...."FIIIIIVVVVEEE GOOOOOLLLDDEENNN RINNNNNNNGGGGS"! Cole bursts out laughing EVERYTIME to this sillyness and Daddy has to stay close so that he can throw the door open at every verse of the song. I'm wondering if we are going to have to read that book every night from now until the big day...cause Mommy's singin voice isn't so good.

Let it Snow...Let it Snow...Let it Snow

Cole's first real snow was during Thanksgiving Weekend in Johnstown. I say real because he was way too small to appreciate it any other time in his life. He had a ball sledding down Grammie's hill and making a snowman in her front yard complete with a carrot nose. The nose seemed to be Cole's favorite part. Now that we're home he continues to ask when we can go out and play in the snow!

Giving Thanks

Happy Thanksgiving!

Cole, Blake and Connor made their own tablecloth for their big meal. I think we spent more time cleaning off the markers/crayons from this exercise than the food from their meals!

More about our PA weekend in the next post.

Playdates and Cookies

One of the many things that Cole and I have filled our time with lately are playdates. Last weekend our friends Erin and Ella made the trip down from Bethesda (you'd think this was hours away since we've seen each other 2 times since Erin, Carl and Ella moved up this way in July!)...but such is so in DC. A mere 20 or so miles and you see folks every few months! In fact, it is just the same for friends of ours that live minutes away. Being at home with Cole all day has left me craving adult conversation and I have realized just how bad Craig and I are about keeping in touch with our friends. The sad thing is that I can't promise that this experience will make me any better about it. Sometimes it takes too much effort to coordinate children's schedules, then there is the space issue. I love to entertain but the house can seem so small when even 4 people are in it :)

Anyway other than playdates we have been taking part in plenty of free library story times and also spending time at the park, when weather allows. I am also trying to get motivated about job hunting! When every call I make ends with "No, I'm sorry we don't have anything right now," it gets a little distressing and each time it's easier not to pick up the phone. Hopefully things will look up after the Holidays...and after the Inauguration.

Full-time mom ....or not?

Cole and I have been spending lots of time together lately...and neither of us is very good at it. My mind is elsewhere pondering what the next job will be, having to update my resume, put together a portfolio, thinking about the cleaning that I am not doing, feeling sad for Craig now that he is the only breadwinner in the family....the list goes on and generally not a single one of the things is about the little guy. I do feel guilty that I am not taking advantage of my newly found time with him to do something educational. I tried to take him to story time at the library on Tuesday but forgot that it was closed because it was election day. By the way, Cole says "barack obama" in the cutest way. I have got to get it on video. Cole misses his normal routine..seeing his Maw-maw and spending time with his favorite playmates, Emmy and Checkers. I know with time, we'll find a routine that works for both of us. For now, we're stuck in a don't know what to do with each other phase.

Toddling Tiger

Happy Halloween!!!

Thanks so much to Grammie for making this wonderful...and adorable...costume :)

Cannons go "Boom"

Cole, Craig and I spent a wonderful weekend down in Hampton, VA with Jussie and Emily this past weekend. Best of all Jus took us on base to see his most recent boat, the Tampa. Wow is this boat big! Another very proud moment for me the big sis, knowing that my bro spends 2-3 months at a time living on one of those things in the middle of the ocean or touring our borders.

Cole loved the boat's cannon best. Ever since Alexandria's 4th of July celebration where they ignited cannons in celebration, Cole has had a fascination with cannons. The minute we mentioned we were going on Jus' boat he asked, "cannons?" and didn't stop asking till we saw the big one. All in all, it was a very neat experience. You can never possibly imagine what the inside of one of the vessels looks like and I feel honored to have had the opportunity to go on one.

Fall Festivals

We are having a fabulous time attending various fall festivals. On Saturday, Cole, Grammie, Aunt Tiffy, Chloe, Emmy and I went to Fairfax's Fall Arts & Craft Festival. Cole had his first pony ride on a miniature horse named Lucky and he also sat for a face-painted pumpkin on his cheek. There were also lots of inflatable slides and jumping rooms. Most of them were a little too advanced for Cole so I had to jump right in and participate along with him. It all made me realize that I am not nearly as nimble as I used to be!

Meanwhile Cole is the biggest jabber jaw lately. From the moment he barks his first words in the morning..."Mommy,I'm up!" to the minute I lay him down at night,"I see maw-maw and checkers tomorrow?"...Cole always has something to say. Craig and I were trying to pay attention to a newscast this week and we couldn't hear over our jibber-jabbering toddler!

Almost Famous

Nope we're not talking about our Daddy! This time Cole gets the media attention. A little story to go along with this week's blog...

One of the first times Craig, Cole and I visited the Pentagon Memorial together, Cole was being his usual 2 year-old self playing in the gravel walkways and putting his hands in the fountains among other disrespectful things. Daddy doesn't like it when Cole does these things so in our usual Mommy and Daddy fashion we had to distract. I bribed him with a snack while sitting on the perimeter seat walls and observing how people interact with the Memorial. About this time, Cole peered up from his fruit snacks and commented on the "dolphins". At this stage of his speech I often have to nod my head and acknowledge that I understand (when many times I do not!). I figured he had read a book during the day about underwater creatures...and then it hit me...he was talking about the benches!

This is what appeared in an issue of the Boston Globe from October 5th...

"Falsani, who writes a religion column for the Sun-Times and who is the author of the new book about grace, "Sin Boldly," compared the benches to dolphins - a comparison, I later learned, that was first noted by the 2 1/2-year-old son of one of the memorial's builders.

"From a distance, and even as I walked among them, the underlit 'benches' looked like the dorsal fin of a diving dolphin - a pod of dolphins moving together," she wrote me. "Dolphins historically symbolize safe travel and were also used on ancient tombs - the Roman catacombs, for instance - to signify a love that remains even into the depths (of death, despair, etc.)."

So funny...maybe our Little Man has a future as an architectural critic. Here's the link to the full article:

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2008/10/05/everything_is_illuminated/

Crazy Busy

Wow...where do I even begin about our last few weeks? First came all the events surrounding the Memorial Dedication. Craig and I were fortunate enough to attend the Donor Dinner, the Dedication, many happy hours and celebration dinners and finally the Design/Construction Team Celebration at the Hard Rock Downtown. We had tons of fun and are sad to see this time in our lives pass. Hopefully Craig will move on to even better projects with not-so-tragic beginnings.

Next came a very fun extended weekend with our family from Michigan. Dad's house became family and party central as we celebrated Emory's 2nd Birthday and Beth's 49th with a delicious brunch and yummy crabs (if ya like that sorta thing). We were also able to become tourists for a few days while we bounced around town to the various Memorials and touristy sites.

Unfortunately our fun weekend came to a screeching halt when Nanny was rushed to the hospital. She had suffered a stroke some time during the day and lost her speech. Her recovery is going well and we are very hopeful that she will regain everything in the coming weeks.

Cole has managed to be a trooper through all of this. During the Memorial events he spent lots of time with his Maw-Maw and returned easily to his normal routine. On the weekend of our family visit, he stayed up late without a fuss and somehow managed to be pretty good natured during the day. During Nanny's hospital stay and recovery he has been a constant source of smiles and laughter that has been much needed by all.

Thank goodness for children. They give us all a reason to wake up in the morning and smile.

In Remembrance

As you may all know, Craig has been involved in the design and construction of the memorial for the 9/11 terrorist attack at the Pentagon. After 5 years of planning, design, and construction the Memorial is finally opening this week. While it has been lots of hard work, it has truly been a labor of love for Craig. He has formed bonds and relationships with the designers, the family members, and other consultants that I believe he will carry with him for the rest of his life.

The Memorial itself is a beautiful place. One cannot help but feel (and show) emotion as you step across the zero age line and run into the first bench, that of 3 year-old Dana Falkenberg. As Cole and I visited the site last night with Craig, a sneak peek offered to family members prior to the Memorial's "real" opening on the 11th, they were testing the audio system. A Norah Jones song played across the "park", slow and mournful. I crossed the zero age line and stopped. A swell of emotion hit me. I couldn't look at Craig, he would surely make fun of the tears in my eyes. It is the most awesome, and the most awful place all at the same time.

I encourage you all to visit it, particularly at night, when you just can't help but feel the site's intensity and the love that is present there.

Labor Day

We didn't spend Labor Day, or the weekend associated with it, working at all. Instead we headed up to Pittsburgh, PA where we spent a fantastic weekend of friends, fun and kicking back. Cole was thrilled about the wide, open space to run and roll down the hills, the dogs, the cats, the horses, the boat and so much more. On the way there he couldn't' tell us enough about the "Big Hills"...aka Mountains...that were all around us. He was also sure to point out all the castles on the way (usually churches).

Cole also bonded with our close friends Scott, Allison, Jenn and Shawn...which gave me a little time to relax. Relaxation was a key this weekend. We spent our Saturday out on the river boating and attempting a little tubing, water skiing and knee boarding. I was quite surprised at the hubby's athletic ability when he got up on the water skis his first try and awed us with his abilities on the knee board. In the evenings, Shawn lit a wonderful fire for us to roast marshmallows and to make mountain pies (I recommend peanut butter, banana and chocolate...just don't do it on a full stomach!). All in all....it was a fantastic weekend. I can't wait till next year!

Terrible Two's make for a Terrible Mom

They have finally hit and all I can say is "wow". My little angel is an angel no more. I was really looking forward to spending the weekend with Cole after a long, hard week at work and now that it's Monday morning I am sad to report that I am GLAD that I am here...and not there. I am a bad mother. I know this was bound to happen but just like motherhood, no one can prepare you for toddlerhood!
The thing is that I still don't think he's THAT bad...I just can't hack any of it...not even one iota. We were on one of our many errands yesterday and he demanded gum (for the 3rd time that day). Now don't think bad of me yet, I am doing the responsible thing and at least giving him sugarless gum but come on...not 3 times a day...the answer was "no". This is sure to elicit a screaming, fit-throwing tantrum out of any toddler and lucky me it was in the middle of the fabric store. Not Target...not Walmart...where any number of children are screaming for one thing or another... but at least in one of those stores you are able to duck down an aisle to reprimand your misbehaving child...but right there in the middle aisle of the fabric store for all to see. I simply had to smile, while thinking, "Yes this is my toddler screaming, "GUM...MOMMY I WANT GUM" at the top of his lungs. While also thinking to myself, "Oh great...now they not only think I am a bad mother because I don't know how to control my child but I also give a 2 year-old gum!"

More beach pix

Wow we had fun..even if it wasn't too far from home. While Cole was afraid of the waves, he was into the sand...big time! Here are some shots of our fun.

Mr. Hollywood

Greetings from the Beach! Cole is having a fantastic time rolling around in the sand, chasing the seagulls and spending some good ole time with his family.

Planes, Trains & Autos

Wow what an adventure we had this weekend! We began our fun-filled weekend on Thursday evening with a drive to Yorktown, Va where we would be attending Justin's graduation from the Coast Guard Training Center the following morning. Cole had a wonderful time hanging out with his cousins while swimming in the hotel's pool. The following day was filled with activities at the training center. We are so proud of Justin!

On Saturday, Craig, Cole and I started at Gravelly Point, next to National Airport, and rode our bikes into the City. This was the first time we had taken Cole to Gravelly Point to see the airplanes and boy was it exciting. I used to go there a lot as a child and it is still an excited place to watch the planes landing at the airport (they are RIGHT over your head!). Our ride into the City was fun too. Cole saw 2 helicopters and wanted to see more. We stopped at the WWII memorial to dip our feet, had ice cream on the mall and then headed home to cool down and have dinner.

On Sunday, we visited our friends, Carl (well he was at work), Erin and Ella, that just moved to the area. We took Cole and Ella to a park where there are train rides! It was fun, Cole said.

Back to Basics

So I was going to post a hilarious video clip of Cole singing his favorite song but technology has got the best of me. What good is having a video camera if you can't get the video into a usable form? What mother has hours to spend to convert, edit, etc a video clip in order to share the moments with friends and family? It seems I'll have to stick with the basics...my trusty ole camera (well not that basic, it is digital!).

Onto more basics....our evenings lately have been spent taking bike rides and watching baseball. Cole absolutely loves both! I think he just likes spending time with his dad.

Speaking of...Craig is finally finished with bathroom renovations. Hip hip hooray! We are thrilled to finally have him back into the mix for our weekend activities spent at the park, pool or just hanging out.

Happy 4th of July

Wow, we can't believe that Independence Day has come and gone! We spent the day going to the Fairfax City Parade, watching the Old Fashioned Fireman's Day water battle, attending a BBQ on Keota Street and of course participating in the Annual Parade. The kids also went on with the water gun battle despite the afternoon rain. Cole loved it all and even stayed up for some fireworks.

Proofs

here is a sneak peak of more pics we took for cole's 2 year old pix. He looks like he is having so much fun. More of the fun we've been having, when Mommy recovers from strep throat...blah :(

Yummy

As expected it's been a busy late Spring/Early Summer. We have found some time to enjoy the steamy weather at the pool, spend a weekend in C'ville and just this past weekend we found a few moments to finally take Cole's 2 year-old portraits (finally without boo-boo's on his face). I decided to have a little fun with it this time and present Cole with a gigantic Lollipop. He dug right in and I did too, with the camera. Of all the photos we were able to get, these were the most successful on the bright, sunny day (too bright honestly to capture many good shots...next time we'll only shoot in the shade).

Best pals

I realized a while ago that one of the most prominent figures in Cole's life was missing from his blog! Of course, the biggest reason for that was that we didn't have any photos of Cole and Emmy together :) So on Friday I took advantage of the beautiful weather, the cute outfits, our time at Nanny's, and my new camera lens to grab a shot of the two cuties together. Cole and Emory, while cousins, are more importantly best pals. When we aren't with Emmy on the weekends, all I hear from Cole is something about his friend. Now if Emmy could just stop stealing her friend's "kie-kie"!

"Mommy Fight..."

"...Daddy go to hockey, " says Cole. I do believe that was his first 4 word phrase! Last night as Craig prepared his hockey gear for his game, Cole went over to his bag and kept repeating a phrase. I had no idea what he was saying until Craig translated..."Mommy Fight". Huh? I was still lost. Then it became clear...he wanted Craig's hockey gloves so that he could chase after me and "fight"! What a silly little boy :)
Cole is as much of a boy as ever. He has 2 skinned knees and a skinned nose and chin to match. Silly me thought I was going to get the opportunity to take his 2 year-old pictures this weekend.

Favorite Things Installment 2

What a May we have had so far! We've celebrated Cole's birthday to no end with cake on Tuesday afternoon, Tuesday evening, Friday night and finally again on Saturday afternoon at a combined birthday party for Cole and his cousin Blake in PA. One of Cole's favorite gifts was a battery-operated bubble blower. Wow can this thing put out some bubbles! 5000 per minute I think it says! Anyway, he loves to chase and pop them and of course with that many bubbles flying around, it leads to one busy toddler :)

Oh Happy Day

Cole is 2 today! Wow it's so hard to believe that our little ball of joy is now a racing, babbling toddler and that he's been in our lives for 2 years (longer actually!). Cole is spending the day with his maw maw and cousin Emmy. I can't wait to get home from work and give him a big, fat kiss...and a balloon. We're keeping it low key as far as celebrations go but there will be cake for sure. We'll post photos of that soon. For now, here's another from the beach. Cole had so much fun in the icy cold waters of the Outer Banks.

Beachin' It

We've spent the week at the beach celebrating Scott and Allison's wedding and having a little fun on the beach too. We'll write more later but just wanted to say hi to all and share this pic.

Favorite Things

A friend's blog, as well as a photography website that I frequent, gave me the idea of documenting Cole's favorite things. Right now they all seem to start with "B".

Balls, Balloons, Bubbles and Blankie (or "kie kie" as Cole likes to call it).

I thought I'd try to take a photograph of each of them with Cole. Blankie was the most obvious to begin with, since Cole and "kie kie" are inseparable. I was hoping to get a really nice image of Cole holding "kie kie" in his sweet embrace but this will have to do for now.

To the Circus we shall go...

Cole's first Circus experience was a blast! Although a smile never came to his face, his eyes never left the activity on the arena floor. He was particularly enchanted with the tigers as he pointed and practically demanded to be let down to make his way to the cage (Sorry little guy...not gonna happen!).
Grammie also came for a visit. We went Downtown to the National Geographic Museum to see a frog exhibit...how cool! Sunday brought cool, rainy weather so we spent the day indoors watching videos, playing with Cole's new toy (video coming soon) and watching Hockey.

Happy Easter

Despite the fact that Easter was a tad bit early this year, and thus a bit chilly, we spent a wonderful, sunny day at Mommy's Aunt and Uncle's house in Fredericksburg. Mom, Dad and Aunt Tiffy hid over a 100 Easter eggs and then the hunt began! We designated a small person zone so the big kids wouldn't trample the little ones during the hunt. Then the candy eating began! Cole was so hyped up on sugar, he babbled the entire car ride home (normally he would have slept). Cole loved the treats that the Easter Bunny brought. A big plastic bucket for our future summer beach excursions, an Elmo stuffed animal, a Sesame Street video (he soooo loves these right now!) and lots of yummy candy. This year the Easter bunny even brought Mommy a basket :)

Jibber Jabber

Cole has turned into one talkative little guy these days. I specifically noticed this past weekend when I rendezvoused with some girlfriends (yes sans baby and hubby) in Texas and called home to say hi. I was speaking to Craig and there was all this raucous in the background. I figured he had visitors. As it turns out, it was our Jibber jabbering toddler! Wow! Dazed with the normal business of everyday, I can say that there are a lot of things that go unnoticed and just how much he is now speaking was one of the things that had escaped me. It’s so amazing to hear him actually speak words (now granted he probably knows and says about 10 x as many as I can give him credit for). I hear that some time soon I will be sorry for “wishing” for more words, but for now I’m simply amazed.

Hot Rod

 

Demo continues...

 With Craig in the middle of our bathroom demolition, Cole and I have been spending lots of time AWAY from the house. One thing that Cole likes to do is to go to Nanny's house and play with her birds. This photo is of Cole and Sunny but Nanny also has 5 baby Cockatiels right now. They're ugly and cute all at the same time!
We also took a metro ride to Pentagon City this past weekend (a favorite of Cole's...the metro ride that is) and we went to Toys R Us to check out the new toys. All in all it was a quiet weekend spent recovering from pink eye (yes...the adults avoided it!).

One colorful week...

Wow what a weekend! First Grandma and Pap came down from PA for a visit. On Saturday evening, we threw a surprise 30th Birthday party for Aunt Tiffy. Cole spent the evening charming the adults and going up and down and down and up the carpeted stairs (and shutting the door again and again..his new favorite hobby). On Sunday, Cole met our friends Jimmie and Kristen from North Carolina, up for a baby-free weekend of fun.
The spectacular weather on Monday (high of 67!) sent us outdoor seeking some fun. We went to the playground then headed into Old Town for the President's Day parade. The weather began to change mid-day and we were forced to run home while it drizzled...Mom was soaked by the time we got there. Although the weather had made a change (but still nice) some new friends invited us over for an impromptu BBQ...yummo! When Cole and Oliver (Cole's new Stroller Strides pal) disappeared into another room....and were wayyyy too quiet...Craig and Tony discovered that they had found the markers and were eating them! That was fun to clean up (Cole chose the green one). It was a great addition to the purple bruise on his forehead from his very first ever fall down the steps earlier in the day (Yes, he's okay). Last but not least we have to add pink to the mix....that is PINK eye. Yes...but noooo! The doctor confirmed it this afternoon. So far it's been a healthy winter...I guess we couldn't keep a perfect record.

Our very Hungry Caterpillar

On Sunday, Cole ate…..

One cup of milk
Snack trap of fruity cheerios
One bowl of oatmeal
One coconut cupcake
One bowl of chicken noodle soup
2 marshmallows
One lollipop
Handful of craisins
Several pretzel fishy crackers
One apple with peanut butter
6 pieces of cantaloupe (okay I didn’t count!)
Many pieces of shredded Chicken
Another cup of milk…

Phew!

As I was reading Cole the real Hungry Caterpillar yesterday, he made me laugh as he tried to eat the book. He wanted the lollipop on that page and was going to go to any length to get it! We then proceeded downstairs, where he ate an entire apple by himself (he never ever ever does that!)

Rub-a-dub-dub

...three boys in a tub! We made a trip up to York to visit Dave, Amy and the boys this weekend (and the girl in utero!). With each trip, Cole seems to enjoy playing with his cousins even more. Its lots of fun to watch them be crazy with one another. I think most of all Cole enjoys the indoor space to run around (and all the toys). It makes me sad that he doesn't have that same luxury at home....oh maybe some day!

Boys and their Trucks

By the title of the latest installment of "Little Man" you might have thought that Cole got a nice, new Tonka truck but instead its Daddy that got the new toy! It was difficult for Craig to part with the green Cavalier of his youth (yes we're getting old!) but he finally did it! Craig is a big boy now...or has he regressed? Either way I think Cole and Dad are going to have some good ole' times in this blazing red beauty...Mom might even have some fun times in it too ;)

Testing 1...2...3

So one of our big Holiday gifts was a video camera. Craig and I had decided we were much more of the still picture type but I've always been a little envious of friends and the video they have of their kids. Well...never fear...Pap steps in and gives us a way too generous gift. Not just any video camera but the mega of them all...complete with its own hard-drive. So now all I have to do is figure out how to use the thing, transfer the video to the computer, edit it, post it, archive it...phew. I'm exhausted just thinking about all of it. So whether we use it weekly, monthly or heck yearly, we'll have some cute clips of the Little Man.

Here's my first attempt...Cole bath time. He just learned to blink this week and still one of my favs...his version of "moooooooom".

Enjoy!

Christmas Morning

I was so proud of our little man for standing tall for this Christmas morning photo...such a big boy! Now that the holiday season is over with we are happy to have some time to rest and relax (as much as any almost 20 month-old will allow). Santa was very good to all of us and even required us to leave some gifts in PA b/c they were too big to fit in the car! Thanks to Grandma and Pap for that one...yes, yes we know it was on the list!
We're looking forward to our next "projects"...truck shopping for Daddy (he finally is going to get something to replace his 10+ year old high school vehicle) and remodeling the bathroom (ugh!).
Cole is busy working on speech these days. He mumbles a ton, but i still can't understand much. Craig is dictating that bath time pick up by me is preceded by a request from Cole of "Muuuuuuum". It's really cool to hear. I've never thought much about how hard that probably is to say...much more difficult than "ma ma".