Cole & Kira Christmas morning 2010 at Ama and Papaw's

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhKYgTUwzlk

The kids were in bed, stockings were hung....

And Santa had delivered his toys... Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night. Have a great Christmas morning!!

Cole's Christmas Eve

Poor fellow is spending Christmas Eve in an emergency room in Many, Louisiana after two days with a 104 degree fever, congestion and ear pain.
Luckily he has Ama to snuggle him.

On our way to Ama & Papaw's!

We're at the airport and through security without any glitches. Let's see how well the 3.5 hour flight goes. See you soon Ama and Papaw!

Confused potty training?

It may be a tricky when we try to potty train Kira... Here she is trying to imitate her big brother. After thus she grabbed toilet paper and tried to wipe her bum. Hmmmm... Wonder what she did in her diaper! She then at least moved the stool over to the sink to wash her hands. :-)

Is she talking or are we hearing things?

In the last couple of weeks, Kira has begun "talking"... well, saying words.  So far she's said/we've heard "byebye dadda", "shoes", "football", "bubbles" and "mooo".  Problem is we can't get her to say all of them repeatedly, and they usually come after you say the words and she's mimicking you.  We'll see how her words progress over the coming weeks, and when she starts speaking Spanish!

Christmas Tree

Cole picked out our Christmas tree and Kira enthusiastically approved!

Dancing!

Sammy and Kira showed off their dance moves for us on Thanksgiving.

Thankgiving 2010

It was a hectic Thanksgiving day, but all worked out well in the end.  Aunt Michelle went into labor with the twins Wednesday night (at 31 weeks along) and dilated to 5 cm.  But then, by some Thanksgiving miracle, the contractions subsided and she was able to keep those babies cooking!  However, she is in the hospital now until she gives birth. They are hoping she lasts until 34 weeks. Here are some pics from the day:  A hospital visit and fun with cousin Sammy at Nana & Grandpa's!

Getting ready for the holidays!

Today we got a Christmas tree and started decorating for the holidays!! Cole and Kira were getting in the holiday spirit!

Quote of the Day

So, I get the mail and there is a National Wildlife magazine.  Cole and I sit down and start looking at the pictures and when we get to one page there is a picture of a huge manatee.  I said, "Cole, do you know what that is?"  and he said "No, what is it?"  and I said, "Don't you remember this big fish from one of your books - it's a manatee."  And he looks at me and says, "But a manatee isn't actually a fish."  And he's right...it's a mammal.  Schooled by my 3-year-old.  Nice!

At Nana and Grandpa's

All I have to say about this is that rocking horses have cone a LONG way since I was a kid!!

Fun with a box

It always amazes us that no matter how many toys we have, the kids always have so much fun with a box! We are re-thinking the list of gifts from Santa ;-)

The story behind my eyes

So this weekend I go into Cole's room to get him up for the day and he says to me, "Mama!  I had a story behind my eyes and it was about me and you!"  I said, "Oh, that's called a dream.  Tell me more about it."  And he said, "You are I were walking and we saw a cave and we went into it!  (Exclamation points necessary because he was VERY excited to tell me this story) And it was really dark but we had a flashlight so we turned it on.  And then we could see." 

At this point I think he could not remember any more of the dream because he paused when I asked him what else and it seemed that he was making up the rest of the story...in which he turned into a dragon and hit the monsters away with his big tail...yes, monsters, dragons and anything "spooky" are his new things since Halloween.

Trick or Treating

Cole (the triceratops) and Kira (the bee) went out trick or treating with neighbor Jake (Batman) and had a blast. Kira loved walking around at night and caught on quickly! At one point she pitched a fit when she was running behind and someone almost closed their door without giving her any candy! Cole was done before we hit every house in the neighborhood because he just wanted to "go home and eat some candy!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6o33xMWfBA

Tappin' to the beat!

Tappin' to the beat at the annual pumpkin festival at Butlers Orchard!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuAfzc08_ik

Trouble!

Kira has recently perfected her climbing skills - onto Cole's bed, onto her high chair, and (pictured here) onto the train table! As you can see, she is thrilled with her new capabilities! Mama is not as thrilled...! Am tempted to put a helmet on her since we all know this means trouble!!

THIS should take care of the nasty cold!

Meant to post this a week ago. Kira had a cold for a few days (with a constant runny nose) and Jess was making penne ala vodka. I hope this pic isn't indicative of Kira's college years! :-) But she sure thought she knew what a good cure to the common cold was! (Don't worry, the cap was on tight.) :-)

Yeah, that's right, I'm not afraid to get dirty!

Cole, looks like he has a black eye but it's really just dirt from running the bases on a baseball field and playing with a bunch of dirt clods. When I asked him to pose for a pic, he put on his serious face! :-)

Quotes of the Week

"Mama, would you look at what your daughter is doing?!" 
Background:  Dave, obviously, says this to me when Kira is doing something impish.  This time she was putting her dirty clothes into the diaper bin instead of the hamper and trying to stuff them down in there!  Cole, having heard Dave say this to me several times, pointed at Kira and yelled that to me.  Hysterical!

"Mama, can I say what the hell?
Background:  Ummm...clearly I had said it earlier in the evening.  My response:  "No, Cole, you say "what in the world?!"  :-)

"Mama, what's the hickus?" 
Background:  My father loves to tease the kids and will point to something or tickle Cole and say things like, "watch out for the hickus!" or "where's the hickus?"  It defies explanation...you need to be there.  I could not answer that one - I told him he had to ask Grandpa when he saw him next.  So he did, and my dad busted out laughing!

Coles first dentist appt

Cole had his very first (non-emergency) dentist appointment today and did AMAZING!  The dentist and technician could not believe how great he was.  He was definitely leery when he first sat down in the chair...and then they tilted him back and he was even more nervous!  He was like, "Um, what the heck are you doing?!"  But he managed to get comfortable, hold his mouth open wide, let the dentist count his teeth, clean them and polish them.  He rinsed and spit like a pro, too!  He had a choice of toothpaste - you would NOT believe these choices.  When I was little it was bubblegum, orange or mint I think.  Now it's chocolate, chocolate mint, orange, watermelon, apple, mint, strawberry...you name it, they have it!  Cole chose chocolate mint.  (I was jealous.)  The dentist said he has great teeth, no cavities, and his gums look great too.  A very successful visit!  Yay!  (Pics attached)

 

More Cole quotes

1.  Cole started preschool this month (he's such a big boy now!) and it has been a transition for everyone - including the teachers.  This first week is rough as they get to know the kids and Cole's teacher was telling me that she was so exhausted she felt like she got hit by a truck.  Well, a few minutes later Cole and I were walking home and he looks up at me and says, "Mama, do you think she cried when the truck hit her?"  Oh my gosh!  I forgot how literal kids' minds are!  It was so funny...how do you explain an "expression" to a 3-year-old?  I tried...since I didn't want him thinking she was really hit by a truck - but am not sure how much he understood.  Classic.
2.  I went away for work this week.  My boss and another colleague picked me up from my house so that I didn't have to leave my car parked at the office for a few days (especially since it has both car seats inside it) and so Cole, Kira and Delia came out on the front steps to say hi to Tom and Tara, and wave goodbye to me.  So Cole says, "Mama, are you coming home later?" and I said, "No, I have to spend the night away from home tonight for work and I won't see you until Wednesday morning (this was Monday morning)."  And then Tara said, "Your mommy is going to spend the night with us for work tonight!" So....the literal mind processed all this info...and that night I received a text from Dave that said "Out of nowhere, Cole just said "do you know what Tom has at work for mama?  A bed."  YIKES!  That could be taken out of context in a bad, bad way!  Hoping that wasn't mentioned to the preschool teachers!
3.  Last, but not least:  Cole loves to look at his poop in the toilet when he's done.  (Is this typical boy behavior?  I don't know, but it's pretty darn funny!)  So the other day he yells, "Mama, mama - I just pooped.  Come look at it!"  So I go in there and he says, "Look at that one - doesn't it look like a Narwhal Tusk?"  ?!?!?!!!!  Yes, a narwhal tusk.  A narwhal, for those of you who do not know, is a type of whale that we learned about in Cole's book, "A Whale of a Tale."  (I'm telling you, everything I know about animals and sea creatures I learned from my childen's books!)  So, as you may have guessed, the narwhal has a tusk on its head.  Can a piece of poop look like a tusk?  Absolutely!  But it's HYSTERICAL that a 3-year-old thought of that!  (A work, a stick, something of that nature, yes...but a narwhal tusk?!)

Kira finally learns to kick!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPdMcCFU6iU

Kira must have been watching her big brother kicking the soccer ball around yesterday. She finally learned what "kick" means. :-)

Cole - a future soccer star?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0f7Fn4XFaI

Prett good dribbling and running and kicking by Cole, just over 3 years old!

Raspberry picking at Butler's Orchard

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9NSI-YI2ks

Yea, I try to do EVERYthing my big brother does!

Not a moments peace for Cole! :-)

Kira and Cole playing in the hose

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTYTuEh1_2o

Fun time today after spraying bird poop off the front sidewalk!

Cole-isms

The past few weeks have been full of Cole quotes and I wish I could remember them all...before I forget more, I will record a few tonight:

1.  "Mama, what else is made of sugar?"  After listing what felt like a gazillion things he says to me, "And what else?"  I said, "I can't think of anything else, Cole."  His response:  "Sure you can, mama - you're big. Come on, tell me!"

2.  One of my favorites: We were playing in the park and he just stopped, looked up at me and said, "Mama, I am having such a good time with you."  My heart melted.

3.  I said, "Cole, have you seen the top to my water bottle?"  And he said, "No, mama, is it lost?"  I said, "I guess so."  And he said, "It's a mystery!  Let's solve it!"  (He picked up the word "mystery" from Curious George and has been using it almost every day in some context - what's amazing is that he is using it correctly!

4.  "Mama, can I have three cookies?"  No, you can have one.  "But I want three."  Well, I said one.  "Why not three?"  How about 2?  His response, "Ok, it's a deal!"  (He's quite the negotiator!)

5.  Dave says to me, "are you going to call your parents?"  And Cole says - "do you mean Nana and Grandpa?"  It is amazing how perceptive he is and how he picks up on things like nana and grandpa are my parents- he just turned three!  I have told him that in the past, but I didn't realize how much he truly understands and remembers!

6.  Dave was in the kitchen cooking when something happened and he yelled "What the?!"  (Not finishing the phrase) and Cole yells "What the what?!"  The tone he used had Dave and I rolling!

7.  We were taking a walk outside and saw a huge cricket hop by and Cole turns and goes, "Wow, did you see that sucker?!"   

8.  Last weekend we went to the zoo with Aunt Michelle and Cole was wondering why her belly was so big.  So we explained to him that she had two babies in her belly.  So the next night I'm getting Cole out of the bathtub and he goes:  "Mama, is there a baby in your belly?"  I nearly died.  "What?  Why?"  I said.  He goes, "Your belly just looks big tonight.  Probably because you ate so much mac n 'cheese with dinner."   Nice...my three year old is calling me a fat pig.  That's bad.  

9.  Today we were driving to the mall and he wanted us to point out Mama and Daddy's work buildings.  So when I pointed out mine he said, "Oh, so that's where  Tom is?"  (Tom is my boss who calls me all the time when I'm working from home - again, I'm so impressed with his cognitive ability!)

10.  Whenever he asks me a question and I explain it to him he says, "Ohhhhhhh, I get it." and nods his head up and down.  I have no idea where he picked up that phrase, but it cracks me up every time. 

11.  At the preschool open house yesterday they were handing out bags to all the students at the end of the class and there was a little girl named Jessica whose parents had left early with her.  So the teacher is calling "Jessica, Jessica?"  And Cole points over at me on the side of the room and says, "right there!"  It was too cute! 

Day 10 and Counting!

Cole has been peeing in the toilet for months now, but has not wanted to poop in the toilet because "the toilet scares the poop away."  (Where does he come up with this stuff?!)  So he would wear underwear all the time and then if he had to poop he would tell us and we'd put a diaper on him so he could stand in the bathroom - next to the toilet (close!) - and poop.  We've been sweating it because preschool starts next week and they have to be fully potty trained before they begin, so we were THRILLED when he decided he could poop on the toilet last week. He has not had a diaper on in 10 days!  (Except for sleeping.)  It is hysterical, too, when he poops.  He'll sit straight up and go "Mama, I have to poop!" and then run to the bathroom.  Then he'll sit down and say something like, "I think there will be two poops today."  Then he'll go, "It's coming!" - totally excited.  Then he will poop and want to stand up and look at it.  Then he will want to show it to me.  And then Dave.  And then whoever else happens to be in the house!  Then he'll go "Oh, there's more!" and he'll sit back down. The process has taken up to 20  minutes! My favorite though is when he stood up one day, looked in the toilet, and goes:  "Look, mama, that poop looks like the shape of a balloon string, but thicker."  Wow, that's quite an imagination.  He often does that with clouds....and now poop.  Never a dull moment around here! 

Preschool Orientation!

First day of actual school will be next Tuesday! 9:30 - 12.30 As you can see, he's already found his favorite toys!

Day at the mall

Mama took Cole to the mall for his favorite treat - almond pretzel and a strawberry lemonade. We then sit on a bench to eat it and today we found a seat where Cole could watch a vendor fly his toy helicopters. What a great day!

Cole climbed all the way for the first time

Just got 12 pounds of hair cut off

And I was a perfect little boy in the hair cuttery waiting to get my purple lollipop!

Kira's walking (we're a little slow on posting!)

Well, Kira was certainly cruising and would take a few steps on her own before her birthday and we thought for sure she would be doddling around during her party, but she held out for another three days.  On Tuesday, after her birthday on Saturday, she just stood up and walked across the room, and hasn't really looked back.  It's amazing how quickly they master this skill.  Here she is three weeks later as a walking pro -- outside with shoes on and everything!  She watches her big brother constantly and tries to do everything he does.  She's even trying to run already since she sees him doing it!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vb1HdpoaMxI

Kira on the wall

So, I was at the mall with the kids and Cole has to pee. There are no step stools in public restrooms, as you know, so Cole stands on my knees as I squat down. Where does that leave Kira you ask? Why, on the wall of course!

How Jess works from home

Looks easy enough, right? This is Jess on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And amazingly she actually gets stuff done!

Rock-A-Bye Baby

So, last week I realized how horrifying the rock-a-bye baby song really is...Cole has been singing along with me at night when I sing his three songs (see previous entry about this topic) and a few nights ago he goes:  "Mama, what happens to the baby when the cradle breaks?"  And I said, "Oh, ummm...the baby falls out and Daddy catches it." 
Cole:  "Was it Kira?"
Me:  "No, just a baby"
Cole:  "Why did it break?"
Me: "Because the wind was blowing"
Cole:  "Does Daddy have to fix it?"
Me:  "Yes, after he catches the baby he fixes the cradle."
Cole:  "Does he have to get all his tools out of the basement and hammer it back together?!"
Me:  "Yes, now go to sleep!"

I have to think of a new song to replace that one...!

Kira is more and more mobile

Kira is on the verge of walking. Two weeks from her first bday and
she's taking steps between furniture and standing on her own. As you
can see in the pic she's also getting more daring. She climbed up on
Cole's roller coaster by herself. And with supervision Cole is pushing
her back up and pushing her down to ride down all on her own... She
loves it and rides with her legs up in the air and a big smile on her
face!

Already calling his shots!

Cole is already calling his homeruns on his new teeball set. Future
slugger?

Like father like son. Dumbo ride rides again!

We're at the Jersey Shore right now, down at the boardwalk where Jess
used to play and then work. The first ride that Cole wanted to ride is
pictured here!

Pedal power!

After having two tricycles for a year or more, Cole can finally pedal them all over the place by himself!  He's been riding them for a couple of months learning how to pedal... could get them going if he was on a downhill slope.  Now he can kick start them on his own, and get them moving uphill or downhill, riding them all around the little neighborhood.

Twins!!

Cole & Kira are going to have some new cousins this Christmas (or soon thereafter)! Last weekend at the family BBQ Aunt Michelle announced that she is pregnant - with twins!!! Uncle Nick's girlfriend Angie looked terrified. She kept asking "So do twins run in your family???" I think she and Uncle Nick are going to get engaged soon - maybe next year - if the twins don't scare that poor girl away :-)

A few steps!

Last Thursday Kira took two steps! Dave stood her up and let go and she stood on her own for the first time. Then she started clapping. Of course, I couldn't find the video camera anywhere. Then she took two steps before sitting down! I rushed around, found the camera, and she just laughed when I tried to tape her. Since then she has stood here and there and taken one step but not two again. She is getting better and better at walking when holding my fingers though - now she'll do it with just one hand. Any day now...!

Day 10!

Well, I'd been trying to figure out a way to potty train Cole and my goal was to get him trained before he turns three. Sometimes the best things are unplanned...we were at my parents' house for a BBQ and the kids were playing with a water toy. So Cole had on his bathing suit with no diaper all day and we kept telling him to let us know if he had to use the toilet. He did GREAT the entire day and so the next day we thought we'd just try again. We put underwear on him and for the second day in a row he had no accidents! On Tuesday my parents came and brought him dinosaur underwear, which inspired him even more. And so now we are on day 10 of underwear! We have had only two accidents - one of them my fault. So really only one. The only complication is that Cole is not yet comfortable pooping on the toilet so he's been a little constipated (which is VERY unusual for my regular boy). We have been feeding him raisins and juice - but he says "I have to poop" and so we rush to the toilet and he sits down and then he says "aw...the toilet made my poop nervous." Don't ask me where he got that from! I can't count how many times a day we rush to the bathroom to try and poop...but at least he's trying! Dave bought him his own potty that should be arriving in the mail soon so we'll see if that helps the poop be less nervous :-)

Where's Cole?

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Mouthful of teeth

Kira got two more teeth this past weekend, the teeth on either side of
her two front top teeth. This brings her to a total of 8 teeth - 4 on
top, 4 on bottom. Here's how they all came in... Two middle bottom,
her bottom right, two top middle, her bottom left, two top on either
side of the middle. You can't really see them in this pic, but I tried!

Here comes Rolling Thunder 2010

250,00 motorcycles rolling down i66 right now. Cole's not sure if he
likes the rumbling and honking this year, but Kira doesn't seem to mind!

Our Little Parrot...

For months now we've known we have to watch what we say, but we still forget now and again...today was one of those days. Dave tried to do something, got frustrated and yelled "Are you kidding me with this?!" Not ten minutes later we put Kira in the high chair and went to get the food from the kitchen so we could all sit down and eat. Kira started crying (poor girl was starving!) and Cole yells, "Quiet Kira!" So I said, "Cole, Kira is hungry. Don't yell at her. We'll all be there in a minute and she'll stop crying." So he says, "But she is making a lot of noise!" And I said, "So do you but I don't yell at you to be quiet like that." And his response? "Are you kidding me with this?!" OMG! Dave and I were in the kitchen and Cole and Kira were in the dining room so they couldn't see us but we were silently laughing so hard! We were doubled over the sink trying to hide our faces. Too funny!

Kira's 6th tooth!

Kira now has four teeth on the bottom and two up top. (The 4th bottom tooth came in yesterday.) Not only that, but she is also cruising from one thing to another - like walking along the coffee table and then reaching out to and stepping over to the couch. She'll also walk while holding our hands! She's growing up so fast!!!

What's Cole Watching These Days?

At age one Cole began watching Baby Einstein videos once a day. I thought this would come in handy when I got pregnant again b/c I could put on the TV while napping next to him on the couch after work. No such luck! He always got so excited by the animals he would point and squeal with delight and want me to look. From there we progressed to Sesame Street when he was almost two years old. He quickly became an Elmo fan. We then added Clifford the Big Red Dog. (He watches one show when he wakes up in the morning while Dave and I get ready for work and another show in the evening when we get home - 30 minutes each time for a total of 1 hour a day.) Now he has added two more shows to his repertoire. Dinosaur Train (a favorite of mine) and Curious George. We love singing the theme song to Dinosaur Train together...check for a video of that soon ;-)

Preschool Prep

In September Cole starts pre-school two days a week. Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Nothing extreme! Just a little something to get socialized. (Though I do feel he gets social interactions through our many playdates, I think it will be good to introduce him to be a bigger group of kids and also get him used to a little bit more structure. As they call it - structured play time!) So, it's no Harvard-feeder school, but it's what we are looking for :-) Anyway, in order to try and (a) get him excited to start there and (b) motivate him to potty train we set up a preview today for him. Kira was still sleeping so I stayed home while Dave took him over for a visit. When he got back he was crying because he wanted to stay there!!! Definitely a good sign. Let's hope it goes this well when he truly starts in the fall :-)

Another tooth!

Kira's fifth tooth has come in this week! It's another top one so she finally has her two top teeth - and three bottom ones.

Showing Louisiana pride!

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New phrases

Cole has expanded his vocabulary, yet again!  His current phrases crack me up.  They include the following:

• Check this out!
• Can you believe it?!
• Oh,I get it.  (As he nods reassuringly)  

It doesn't matter how many times he says it, I'm always surprised and amused when he does! 

And a looosiana boy...

And here's a looosiana boy if I ever saw one... Standing in the
pouring rain and lovin' it! Reminds me of when we would play in the
ditches in the rain.

Kira's having a blast

At mcdonalds without mamma Herr to watch her go go gadget arms!!

Twinkle, Twinkle...

Every night our bedtime routine consists of 1-3 books (depending on how early we start the bath and bedtime routine), followed by lights out and me singing three songs to him (Dave sings different songs).  First, I sing Hush Little Baby, Don't Say a Word (the mockingbird song, don't ask me the real name because I made up all the words to it when he was a baby and have been singing my made-up verses ever since!) and I follow that with "Twinkle, Twinkle" and finally end with "Rock-a-bye Baby."  About a month ago Cole surprised me by singing along - to all three!  I wonder how long he's known all the words...and now after lights out we sit on the couch, turn on his monitor and listen to him sing himself to sleep.  His favorite this week is "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."  Too cute!

mulch

Dada and I went to Home Depot to get mulch and I LOVED it watering it. 

Kira's teeth

Kira just got her fourth tooth yesterday!  Now she has three on the bottom -- the first two came in the end of January, exactly one week apart, and the third bottom tooth came in one week before her baptism -- and now she has her first top tooth.  Top left if you're looking at her! 

Oh my goodness!

So, we've learned these past few months that Cole picks up on everything we say!  In February Cole learned two new phrases -- the first one came out when I yelled at him for something (Lord knows what - probably because he didn't want a new diaper on - that's his new thing.  Which is great, except he'll only pee in the toilet, not poop, so he still needs it!)  He turned and said to me, "Mama, calm down."  OMG- i tried so hard not to laugh but then had to call Dave at work and bust a gut b/c it was too funny to have my 2 year old tell me to calm down!  The second one was when he walked into the room and said to me and Dave, "what the hell is going on in here?"  I looked at Dave and then laughed so hard I cried!  Thankfully he has not repeated either phrase - just one time each despite the uncontrollable laughter that followed each pronouncement. A few weeks into March he learned a new one -  I asked him to do something and he told me I had to "hold on a minute."  His two news things this month (April) are "Oh, I get it" and "Oh my goodness"!  What's even funnier is that not only does he listen, absorb and repeat everything we say - but he uses the same tone! 

This week (Thursday) when I was working from home I had two early morning phone calls.  Whenever I'm on the phone I ask him to be quiet, of course.  So after I got off the second call he turns to me and Kira and says "ok, now please be quiet, Cole has to make a phone call."  He then proceeds to pick up his walkie-talkie (attached to his ride-on fire truck) and holds it up to his ear.  "Hello?...hi...I'm in the basement...just playing...yes...ok, I'll talk to you later...bye."  It was HYSTERICAL!  He paused as if he was having a real conversation and someone on the other end was listening...and I love how he went Hello? and then Hi like I do...too funny how much he mimics us! 

Cole's first ice cream cone

Thanks Ama!







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Springtime fun!

Mama finally blew up the pool - check out my new swim clothes. I'm all set for summer! Cole











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