More Snow, A Little Update, and a Ranch Trip

Well, it has been a crazy month at our house. So I will start where I left off. **To see the pictures better, just click on them. Some of Cole's expressions are priceless!

We have had several more snow storms, and are expecting another this weekend. Cole absolutely LOVES the "no" and especially "no baus" aka snow balls. That is, until his dad pegged him in the face with one. Seriously, it was up his nose, down his throat, a full on annihilation- totally on accident of course! Now Cole always talks about "no bau, my eyes, my nose, my mouf, ow" It's pretty funny.
Cole also still has to do WHATEVER dad does. He even wanted some of Abe's morning coffee so bad, that he gave him a cup (totally iced down, obviously). Needless to say, Cole won't be asking for coffee again any time soon!

Cole is still passing out regularly in the funniest locations. Here I caught him with the Cheetos and his face and hands were totally cheese covered.

Abe and I also took Cole to the Prescott Fire Departments 125th Anniversary Celebration (its the oldest fire dept. in AZ). Cole was in heaven! There were trucks and firemen everywhere (so, Mom didn't think it was too shabby, either! haha) Cole brought his own fire hat and held onto it for dear life, since every time Dad would convince him he could let it go, it would blow off his head!

This is his favorite location to crash- in his car seat! Hey- it was a tough day saying hi to all those firemen!

We also met with Cole's preschool, and he was accepted! He will start August 9 and go 3 days a week. He will have speech therapy while in school and they will even provide a bus if I would like (its a short bus, with built in car seats.) I have to go and meet with them again at the end of April to do "goal planning" (I've said it before, a bit ridiculous in the red tape department) but we are just so thankful that he will be able to go to such a quality preschool, get the help he needs, and it won't cost us a thing! Of course, since he has been accepted he has been talking an unbelievable amount, though I know by comparison, he is still pretty behind. But at the same time, it is so amazing to watch his progression.



We then made a trip to the Ranch this past weekend. It was Cole's second time, though it was really more like his first cause he was able to enjoy it so much more this time. The one drawback with this Ranch trip was getting there. With all the rain and snow, the river is too high to cross, and the very scary rim road is, well, very scary, so we had to take the back-back-way, which meant 3 1/2 hours of ROUGH dirt road (normally its only 2 1/2 or so) To kill the time, I bought a set of "dad's wook twucks" which I would give to Cole periodically along the way. It worked!

Here is one of our breaks/stops on the way in. (Don't mind Cole's outfit, he picked out his clothes that day. Abe actually asked if I wanted to change him before we left. I figured we were just going to the Ranch, and besides, Cole was so proud of his outfit!)

Two of Cole's 6!!!! trucks he got on the way in and out of the Ranch

Once we were all settled, and had eaten dinner, we were hanging by the fire barrel on the patio and Abe noticed this...

OH MY GOSH!!!! I couldn't believe it!!! Cole was pretty cool about it and spent the rest of the weekend talking about the "nake on my butt" (snake was easier to say than lizard, though he did attempt to say lizard a few times.)

Cole wasted no time playing in the dirt with his new trucks! Sporting Dad's head lamp and all!

The Ranch was in its prime. Virtually no bugs (one of my personal peeves of the Ranch), the fruit trees were blooming, not too hot, though it was a little windy.

With those conditions, a few more fruit trees were given a home in the lower orchard. Cole was a BIG help!

Cole also found a squirt gun in the pool toys. He would talk his dad into giving it a "drink" then proceed to pull out the stopper and drink himself. It was pretty gross!

The guys decided to give the water wheel a FULL blast whirl. Dozer, who has had a fascination with splashing water since he was a puppy, kept jumping down in the well around the wheel. Abe had just pulled him out for about the 40th time, and Cole decided Dozer needed to be shot (which was tempting for all of us!) Finally, the water wheel just got shut down, in hopes of keeping our stupid dog alive for the time being.

Cole also got in some serious dirt bike time. Not only that, but he had his first dirt bike wreck (which he still talks about!). Abe hopped off, propping the bike on the kickstand, to grab something. He heard the motor rev, tires spin, and turned just in time to watch Cole and the bike fall. He had accidentally left the bike in gear (instead of neutral, like he thought) and Cole decided to "drive" himself. Fortunately, there was no physical injury, just a little psychological injury to both guys. Abe said all Cole was really worried about was if he had "bwoke da bike" Ohhh, the things that concern two year old boys!

At least we had been outfitting Cole with his helmet.

He was such a proud biker that weekend!

He also got some serious "dad wook twuck" time in, which he later learned was a "backooo"

Here he is with his "uncle" Tim, posing for the camera

This is a few of the apricot trees. All the mature fruit trees had started blooming and it was really very pretty.

Cole even got to work the levers and knobs and dumped a few loads at the Ranch dump.

getting some Mom QT

Getting some dad QT

The whole gang at the fire barrel.

(I have to say, I do like the Ranch a whole lot more with a lot less people- and having our tent trailer there (Abe took it in a while back) made it even better!)

Both mornings we went and walked around the pond and quacked at the ducks.

I'm telling you, if there is a place greater than heaven, my little outdoorsy boy was there!

Any rock Cole saw around the pond became an instant victim to its murky depths!

As we were preparing to leave on Sunday, Cole decided to do a little more "work" with his trucks. He started like this...

...and ultimately ended up here...

One last ride on the bike. Notice his double hand wave to me.

Tim said he bet Cole would crash on the way home. I thought on that dirt road it would be impossible. I was wrong...

Cole was so filthy he got an extra long bath. His face has scrapes (from when he ran into a downed tree running away from Dad), his knees are bruised. His hands are full of slivers and splinters, but that little boy wants nothing more than to go back. I hear several times a day "da wanch, bakoos, dit bikes, twackoos, nakes my butt" Looks like I will be heading to the Ranch a lot more from now on, which as long as the camper is there and there aren't 40+ people, will be fine with me.

Cole slept that entire night when we got home (a HUGE deal for us!) and I think he was still so tired, I found him here...

Oh this kid! Though, I would take him back to the Ranch just to get a full nights' sleep again, for sure

Valentine's, Sh** and then some...

So, February started off with Abe deciding to feed the deer that run through the yard, which turned into feed for about 100+ birds one morning (no joke- think Hitchcock, here), which turned into a shmorgishborg for the javelina. One night, we caught 9 of them going to town on the pile of food... (it's kind of hard to see, and a few were hiding in the bushes.)
Cole, being his father's son, decided he needed his gun...

He was so proud!

We then started off Valentine's weekend on Friday with a visit to Phoenix to meet with the "tax man," Bruce. Bruce works with my mom, and is the greatest tax man ever! We were pleasantly surprised with a refund which we weren't expecting since we have all kinds of new tax quandaries due to our Phoenix house.

We then made a detour to Carefree, where Cole stayed the weekend with Abe's mom. It was a nice little treat to have the little guy entertained by someone else for the weekend, though I missed him terribly! This was his 3rd weekend away, and I still have a really hard time not having him around. We were so excited to have him come home, we did Valentine's up right for him. Here is what he came home to...

The item wrapped in a grocery sack (courtesy of dad, and furnished with bows from mom) was a Hotwheels watch (he'd been eyeing his dad's new cool watch) and two betta fish Cole and I named Mack and Jack (two names I knew he could say)

He loves them!

We followed that with lunch with Paula and a relaxing rest of the day watching Mack and Jack trying to prove to each other which one is bigger and more macho (typical guys...there is a plastic divider between their respective sides, so they don't kill each other- because they totally would!)


Cole and I also caught colds- Cole first, then me.


We also finally heard back from the AzEIP people (unbelievably slow, those people are!) and we are meeting with the preschool March 11.


In Cole's speech world, Andrew quit- so we are meeting our new therapist, Cassidy, on Thursday. Cole has been making leaps and bounds with his speech. He has been using the actual words to name things lately {shock!} and has finally started to repeat words as he hears us say them. Which leads to my newest challenge





the word






s----h---*---t (that's for those of you who take more than mild offense to swear words {*wink*})



This was a word he heard exclaimed in our house while watching the Olympics (of all things!)



Typically, when he repeats something he hears us say, its a one time deal.


NOPE! Not this time. This word has become one of his staple words. He actually uses it now in place of words. Especially "no." Now, if you have spent anytime around Cole, you will know how much he says "no." Thanks to my two year old, I have learned that "no" and "sh*t" are TOTALLY interchangeable.

For example- car falls on the ground- Cole exclaims "oh sh*t"
I say time for a bath- Cole says "sh*t"


You get the picture, I'm sure.


My brother also taught Cole the joy of "shut up" which I hear just about every time I open my mouth to speak (unless, of course, he is saying the other s-h word.) He also screams "shut up" at the dog, and I even heard him telling off some old lady at the post office today who was asking her questions a little loudly for Cole's taste.

But how do we tell a little boy, who we have been waiting to talk forever, to stop talking. I try giving him alternative words (not including "shoot," I'm worried that will be too confusing for his developing vocabulary) and they work for that immediate instance, then, 2.32 minutes later, he's swearing again!

Oh well, it was bound to happen at some point, right? (Although, I had hoped, it would have been when he was like 14!) I just keep crossing my fingers that, while in public, people don't fully grasp what he's actually saying- though it is pretty stinkin' clear!

I have been trying to become more involved in my MOMS Club lately, so that has been sucking up our time again. Abe has been bombarded the last few weeks at work, which we think is great! Being busy = job security. This all on the heels of learning his previous employer is closing their doors. Very sad to hear.

On top of all that, last week I got to take Cole into Urgent Care, here in town, with a 104.6-105.1 fever. This time, the much nicer, and appearing much more competent, P.A. diagnosed him with double ear infections (his first EVER!) and swollen tonsils. He was put on azythromiacin, to avoid a possible penicillin reaction again, which was AMAZING (one dose a day for three days- so much easier to remember!) He was pretty miserable to be around for several days, but is 100% again, and we are now HUGE fans of Urgent Care!

He is taking naps about 30% of the time, and still succumbing to his exhausted body another 20%. I found him passed out on the couch with a bag of Cheeto's just yesterday. Oh this kid! He keeps me on my toes for sure!