Thankful Part IV

Wow, so things got a little crazy for a few days, but I am going to finally post why I am thankful for my favorite little man:







Reasons I am thankful for Cole:

1. He makes me smile- I mean look at that kid, even when he is making me bananas (which is often) he just makes me beam
2. He makes me laugh- my life is full of funny guys (just look at my previous posts), but this little boy takes the cake. I laugh several dozen times a day at things he does
3. He is infectious- He is one of those kids that EVERYWHERE we go, EVERYONE checks him out, and then he starts hamming it up, and all can't help but watch him. (he is the main reason I get my drinks free at Circle K)
4. He is so active and curious- I hear stories about the 'lump on the log kids'- you know, the ones that can just sit, still, perfectly content, and never complain- well, not my kid, and I am grateful for that, because he keeps me on my toes
5. He keeps himself pretty well entertained- I think a lot of that has to do with the curious aspect, however sometimes he is curious to a fault.
6. He still takes two GOOD naps a day (that whole active thing)- although sometimes his afternoon nap turns into just 'quiet time' in his crib, he still does it, so I still get two breaks a day.
7. His rambling of incomprehensible words, the occasional Mom and Dad, and how every morning his very first word (which was his first word, and basically still his only word) is Dozer
8. How observant he is- although, because of his observance I have to be careful what I do with him around, and I know soon, I will have to be careful about what I say. He can see someone do something, and then he is convinced that that is what he should do also (i.e., spank the dog, yell at the dog, the big kids climbing the slide -so he climbs the slide, opening doors, turning on lights, turning on anything, any button he sees is meant to be pushed, etc, etc, etc,)
9. How loving he is, especially when he is tired, he loves to nuzzle in my neck (which usually involves some sort of very slobbery kisses), hold on tight and pat my back. I love his muggings!
10. His laugh- there is nothing in the world better than his rolling laugh, and what's even funnier is the random things that get him going.
11. That he's mine- I am so thankful and lucky that this little boy is ALL MINE and that I get to be his mom. He is such pure joy, and I am forever grateful for this amazing little person that I get to spend all my time with. He is my everything!

Well, there a just some of the reasons I am thankful for Cole. I don't think, though, that words can express the depth of what I feel for my little boy. He is truly one of kind, and everyday I am overwhelmed with feelings and emotions for the little man that has effected me so much!

Still to come- what we did this Thanksgiving weekend.

Thankful Part III

I am going to have to break up my final subject into two. I am crazy baking right now, and have a few minutes while things are in the oven and Cole is trapped in his crib (which will hopefully turn into a nap!)So, I am turning my final entry into a 2-parter because I want to give the two people I am most thankful for in this world the attention they each deserve.A Few of the Reasons I am Thankful for this Guy:

(again, in no particular order)

1. He has a great job-in construction-and makes a decent living, which is saying a lot with the current state of the construction field.
2. He allows me to stay home to raise our son, which can be a strain sometimes, but we manage
3. He makes me laugh- a lot of times at his or my expense- but he still can be pretty funny
4. He takes really good care of Cole and me, and tries to provide all we could possibly need or want
5. He can open my stuck-shut bottle of nail polish!
6. He kills all the bugs I find- no matter how small
7. He takes care of the dog, most times
8. He puts up with me, even when its tough, and that is HUGE!
9. He's an AMAZING father and I am so grateful that he likes to be so involved with Cole, although he still won't do diapers
10. He is so thoughtful and always puts others before himself
11. He is my best friend!!!

Thankful Part II

I am so thankful for all our friends and family. Here are a few reasons why (again in no particular order):

1. My mom- for letting me call her needlessly throughout the day so Cole can 'chat' and so I can ask her all sorts of silly questions that really don't need answering right away, but I feel it is necessary. Also for all she does for us, the 'surprise' boxes in the mail (including the not so surprise ones of things I forget at her house), and her constant willingness to help me out (she even started cleaning my house for me when she was here a few weeks ago!)
2. My dad- for letting me call him needlessly throughout the day for all my silly questions (and always trying to have a good enough answer), his computer help, his ability to make me laugh, and the way we have a conversation-changing subjects 800 times-and still be able to follow what the other is saying
3. My sister- for calling me needlessly throughout the day, just to say hi and see how things are going, for always being able to tell when something is wrong with me and then being willing to listen, for being my constant shopping buddy and constant friend
4. My little brother- for being such an INCREDIBLE uncle (I never thought he would have the patience), for looking things up for me when I need him to and his awesome mix CD's he whips up for me (sometimes by request, sometimes not)
5. My other brother- I don't get to see/talk/visit with/hear from him as much, but I do still really appreciate him (and his impeccable sense of humor!) and know I will appreciate him more once he is more educated and I can ask him about all my medical conundrums (he's in Med school at Baylor)--- and for his wife for being able to put up with HIM! (she's a saint)
6. My In-Laws- for all the support they have given us over the years. They have given us so much and I am indeed so very grateful!
7. My Bro-In Law- for his incredible sense of humor and being able to recite movie and South Park lines at the drop of a hat, also his amazing talent that has helped out my siblings so much this year! (Want to see what he does?)
8. Our friends who like us enough they allowed us to immortalize our son in their concrete. Tim and KT have been so incredible to us. They are great for a laugh and great for just hanging out. (They have also offered to babysit, although once they have spent an evening chasing Cole, they may live to regret such a kind offer!)

9. All of our Phoenix friends who haven't forgotten about us and still invite us to do things and check the blog to see how we're doing (yeah- that's a major shout out to you-Colemans!)

10. All of our extended family!! There are SOOO many, I would be here for three weeks and two days listing them all, so know that we are grateful for each and every one of you and wish we spend more time with you.

11. All our grandparents. (Grandparents are special, so they don't fall under the 'extended family' category) I am so thankful I get to spend as much time as I do with my Grandparents and wish we could spend more time with our 2 out-of-state grandfathers! I appreciate, however, all that all of them do for us and we are so lucky to have such awesome abuelos!

12. I am thankful to the ladies (and guy) at Circle k who give me my drink for free everyday!

13. Jody- my hairdresser, you may think it silly to be thankful for your hairdresser, but its hard to find good, quality cutters out there and I found my Jody (although, I don't get to see her as much as I would like, but she is so worth the drive to PHX)(Plus, I LOVE the salon- if I was still working, and still lived in Phoenix, I would absolutely work here in a heartbeat!)

14. Most of all I am thankful for Abe and Cole- who are tomorrow's subject!

(Again- funky format at the end there- OH WELL!)

Thankful

So I decided with Thanksgiving being this week, to list (for my own remembrance, mostly, but with, hopefully, some level of entertainment value) what I am thankful for. I am hoping to do this all week. We shall keep our fingers crossed! Here it goes:

Things I am thankful for: (in no particular order)

1. My house/houses
2. That it costs less than $40 to fill up my car now
3. My car!!!
4. Sirius radio- especially with the quality of radio in Northern AZ
5. Quality time with my husband and son
6. My camera to capture those oh so precious moments
7. Cable Tv
8. My TV
9. DVR!!! I don't know what we did before DVR- I love it!
10. Blogging- I know some of you are thankful for it too
11. Late night snacking

Cole likes his snacking,too (naked, of course)

12. Unlimited long distance-for all those phone calls home 13. All the essentials- clothes, food, water, etc. 14. Dr. Pepper- of course 15. Heat lamps in the bathrooms- a necessity, I am learning 16. Music (especially Sirius!) 17. Friends and Family- which will be tomorrow's subject of thanks

(I don't know what happened with the format at the end of my list there. I'm still trying to figure this silly blogger thing out)

It's that time of year!

Cole's First Christmas 2007

He was just trying to take it all in.

I just wanted to point out my new Christmas playlist (the songs playing as you are reading this). I know its a bit early, and I am usually very anti-Christmas song-overload, HOWEVER- I have worked really hard on this and found some oldies, but goodies and just wanted to be able to listen to them. Hope you enjoy!

Boy Oh Boy!

So, I have caught Cole up on the window sill in his playroom, but couldn't figure out how he was getting up there. Then I caught him:

What I love is how once he was up there he 'eh'-ed until I went and got him down. Well, no more, this morning I watched as his little brain figured out how to get down. I didn't get it on video, but know that he is now up and down all day long. That Little Tykes jungle gym I want to get him for Christmas is sounding better and better.

He was also a busy little boy today while I was picking up his play room (which was a disaster!!!) Once I had finished, I took him to his bedroom to change his pants and walked up on this. From his mumblings, I think he was pretty proud of his 'accomplishment'.

Forgotten Mentionables

I also wanted to share a couple more items of note:

1. Cole figured out how to open doors (awhile back, but still!) Nothing is safe anymore! And things disappear and reappear in strange places at an alarming rate!

2. Cole has decided that his teeth are darn useful for tearing and shredding any type of paper product. Here are a few of his casualties, not to mention the countless boxes and bags in the pantry and freezer.

The poor lion never even stood a chance. I saved the kangaroo just in time.

3. Cole has also mastered the art of the 'pout'. I haven't been able to catch it on video yet, because you never know what will set him off. But basically he draws a big dramatic sigh, turns around, walks away from you with sparatic whimpers as he goes, and an ultra dramatic,traumatized expression when he turns around.

Not quite like this (much more pathetic-like), but you get the idea.

4. Here are pics of the scarves I whipped up. (I've been feeling very domestic lately- baking, cooking, CLEANING, and crafting!) Like I said, they're not bad- just don't look at them too closely. This is definitely a craft I want to get in to, I just need to research and learn more!

5. Last but not least, my MRI came back normal. I have been having some pretty disturbing (and obnoxious) visual disturbances for about 6 months. After several doctors, and several more tests, they are ruling it a migraine equivilant as a diagnosis of exclusion (basically, they have no idea, so calling it a migraine works). Essentially, there is nothing I can do and I'm just supposed to visit my neurologist on an as needed basis or if things get worse. Yippee!

Nothing Much Going On...

So, there really hasn't been much going on here in the ol' mile high city (yes, we are that high and then some), but I feel like I should update every day, although that will never happen.

This weekend, Abe's dad, John, came to visit. He and Abe spent Saturday afternoon scoping mammals off the deck and then got up Sunday at the crack of dawn to check out said mammals in person. Saturday night we all went to the 'best sushi restaurant in town', although there are only 2 of them, so I don't think that's saying much. There was a 45 minute wait for sushi and Cole's patience is very thin,so while Abe and John got to hang out, I got to hang out with my little man. We walked up and down the shopping center, stopping at Blockbuster, Subway (to get me a drink), and Basha's- twice. When we got home, Cole had a great time hanging out with Gaga (what John goes by), and getting him to read his books. He also emptied John's pocket of his very fancy flashlight at which point Abe decided a less valuable play thing was in order. Abe remembered he had some glow-stick-style flares from his old job in he garage and Cole was smitten.

We all got a big kick out of when Cole finally figured out what giant glow sticks are good for:

He even took his glow stick in the tub with him!

My Favorite Time of Day

So, my favorite time of day (well, one of them) would have to be when I go in to get Cole after his morning nap. He will start 'crying' to let me know he's awake, but its usually just for show. When I go in I am greeted by a huge smile and then we just hang out in his room, for a couple of reasons:

1) I usually still have to get him dressed.

2) His room is by far the warmest room in the house during the day, and its nice to defrost a little (about 76 degrees compared to the chilly 62 degrees in my room-but by night time his room some how becomes the coldest room in the house-weird!)

3) The sunshine streaming in his bedroom window

4) He is typically in a fantastic mood after his nap, and just wants to run around in circles and read a few books (I have banned toys from his room, so all that is in there are his books-he really loves his books, though!)

Today, I was able to get a few pics and just wanted to share:

I stand him on the crib every time I take him out. He thinks its pretty cool to be as tall as me. Today, he fell off moments after this picture was taken. No worries though, I caught him!

He got in his closet and pulled out his travel wipes. I made him put them away. (see video below)All those books on the floor are books he has pulled out. He will disappear and I find him in his room rummaging through and 'reading' all his books!

<- I was looking at this picture and thought he looked abnormally tall, then I realized he was up on his tippy toes- another new favorite skill he has mastered.

Here he is with one of his many goofy faces

<- And then his hand instantly went down his pants- of course!

Here he was trying to get his sippy cup out of his crib. He got pretty frustrated and decided his books looked like more fun.

Here he is putting his wipes away. Notice how turns to make sure I am watching!

Here is another classic. He jsut started doing this consistently yesterday. I love how he gets distracted and then when I remind him what we are doing, he replies with his inaudible words and nods his head like 'Oh yeah'

I LOVE THIS KID!!!

HALLE-FREAKIN-LUJAH!!!

I got my charger back finally! (It took a day longer than expected due to Veteran's Day- oh well!) So we are all charged up and I am busy snapping away and hopefully will have some great stuff to post soon!

Check back in a day or two!

THANKS AGAIN MOM!

Quick little note

I know there are quite a few friends and family out there checking us out here on the old 'Blogger' -and I know a lot of you are not too 'Blogger' Savvy- SO, I just wanted to let you know that you can leave comments for us by scrolling to the end of a post and clicking on the
# comments link at the bottom of each post. I have it set up to where you don't even have to have a 'Blogger' account to leave a comment (most blogs require you to identify yourself) :)! So, if you have the time and feel so inclined, we would love to hear from you (but please just sign your comment with your name, so we know who we're hearing from). Thanks a lot, and hope everyone is doing well.

Sorry this was not a more interesting post, but I still am without a camera! Hopefully tomorrow!

OMG! It SNOWED!!!

Okay- so it was a pretty lame snow fall, but hey, it still snowed! Not only that but it was still there when I woke up this morning. All the roofs around us were covered in white. It was pretty neat, and me, still without my camera.

Fortunately, Abe had gotten home from his hunting/Ranch weekend, so we were able to get a few shots last night with his camera.

The first glimpse. Abe noticed our 'snowfall' when he went to let Dozer out.

Cole had had some snow placed on his hand, and he was very much trying to get it off.

He is definitely a Phoenician (thus far)!

Abe's work truck and the rocks out front. Not too bad for a November snow fall.

This is the top of the railing on the front porch. It looks to me like we may have gotten as much as a 1/2 inch!!!

So- I had hoped I would be able to catch our first snow fall on camera with the snow actually falling, but we were completely oblivious to Mr. Winter on our roof! Maybe next time! Can you believe it though? Snow, in Prescott, in November! WOW! I'm in for a major winter change! Adios days of winter with a high of 60, hello snow!

Where's the pictures?

Ok, so we have had a mildly eventful week/weekend. Unfortunately, I have no pics due to my camera died and I realized all too late that my charger is MIA. (My mom located said charger last night after my sister moved some more stuff out, it was under a box she took, or else I would still have no idea where it was and really be starting to panic about what to do next. So my charger will be en route to Prescott via USPS tomorrow. THANKS MOM!)

Last week I finally gave in to my denial of the weather change and Abe and I went and bought Cole some warmer clothes! Until our excursion, the poor kid had 2 pairs of pants and two long sleeved shirts from my mom (THANKS AGAIN MOM!)

On Saturday I had a hospital check in time of 7:30 am for an MRI (more on the later) so my mom and grandparents came up (leaving their house at 5:00am!) to watch Cole for me- there is no way he would have lasted through that appt. (THANKS, AGAIN, YOU THREE)

After my appointment we went to the fabulous Old Navy Cold Snap Sale, where I picked up a few warmer items for myself, a new (and much needed) jacket for 50% off, and a few scarves and a beanie for Cole @ $1 each!!! I love that store! Cole even got my mom to buy him a new soccer ball to kick around (THANKS GRANDMA!) We then went to the mall, did a little more shopping (THANKS AGAIN MOM, AGAIN!) and went to lunch at Zeke's. Cole again saw the gumball machine, again threw a fit, so my mom bought him one(THANKS AGAIN GRANDMA), again he got blue, and again ended up with a blue mouth and fingers. However, Abe neglected to tell me last time, Cole does a little dance of anticipation as the gumball rolls down the spiral chute. It was hysterical (all in the vicinity were laughing). So, we got him another one, and we got another dance. I am hoping next time to get a video to post (and that my camera will be charged once more!)

Cole instantly fell asleep in the car after such excitement, and I persuaded my mom and Grandma to run to Joanns with me, because I decided I wanted to learn to crochet (for scarves and hats and such). Who knew picking out yarn could be so difficult! With my hooks and yarn purchased we headed home and the two of them gave me about a 30 second tutorial as they were walking out the door to head back to Phoenix (Thanks Mom and Grandma). I did not catch any of it! So after trying and trying and becoming extremely frustrated (I got the pattern off a podcast that I watched about 50 times and I just could not get what she was doing) I googled the different stitches and I have to say- I FIGURED IT OUT!!! I went through a skein and need to get another one (and then figure out how to connect them), but I must say, I'm fairly impressed with my progress on my first attempt! (just don't look at it too closely!) And, once I have my camera charged, I'll try to get pics and videos of everything!

This weekend...

This was a pretty busy weekend for us, sort of. After driving home Friday night, we drove back down Saturday morning to have breakfast with my mom for her birthday. In order to let Abe have a little extra sleep, and to pacify Cole till we got to Phoenix, he had a waffle and a cookie for breakfast.

He doesn't seem too upset about it though.


Sorry the lighting is not very good, but here's Cole 'helping' Grandma open her presents...

...which he proceeded to examine in detail and bang on the table.

Cole's nap later that day. This is his quintessential sleeping pose.

(Notice his sippy cup? This is the only picture I got of it before Abe took the label off- he was being helpful and I do appreciate it)

We took Cole to breakfast, again, on Sunday, and he was not having it. Again, to try and pacify him, Abe bought him a gumball (thanks to Old Navy, Cole thinks all gumball machines spit out bouncy balls) which he threw, split it open and decided it was worth tasting. His mouth and fingers were bright blue most of the day.

Here he is not tolerating being put in his car seat very well.

Succumbing to his sleepiness, if you click on the pic, you can really see his 'inner-Smurf'

After taking a trailer load of fire wood to Millie (Bob's widow), and hanging out at Tim and KT's for a while, we went four wheel driving in the state land behind our house so Abe could scope his deer. While he lusted over the one I spotted for him, I was able to get some great pics of the sunset. Here's one:

Pretty, ain't it?

Spooky Spooky Halloween

For Halloween we went to our friend's, the Colemans, annual party. Halloween is absolutely Jeni's fav holiday and she always goes all out for her big party. I didn't feel right about missing the party (we've gone the last 5 or 6 years), but since we live an hour and a half away, we got there late- but the rest of the party had arrived early. We ended up being there with just the Colemans and their parents. We still had a blast and Cole even got to do a little trick or treating (we only went to 2 houses, but Cole-and especially me- didn't need the candy.

Cole, as James Bond (I figured I'd suck one more use out of his tuxedo), and Kate, as Minnie Mouse, checking eachother out.

Cole even had a 'shaken not stirred' sippy cup that I decorated for him.

Cole did not want to take candy from the creepy lady dressed like Snow White...

... but he was more than willing to chew on it.

His take from the other house he 'trick or treat'ed at

He managed to bust into that second piece. GROSS!

Jeni and I taking the kids out. Behind us is some of Jeni's decorations.

'Super' James Bond

The Fam. That spooky monster behind us was really freaking Cole out.

These are some pics from Halloween 2007. Crazy how much the little guy has grown!