I blame Instagram....

I can not even believe that it has been over six months since I last posted!...time sure does fly!!! Every time I think about catching up it just seems so overwhelming that I don't do it, but I have decided to go for it.  So much has happened in the past six months and I have not documented it here.  I have sort of documented it on Instagram, but it's not quite the same.  So, in an attempt to catch up I will be "back-blogging" as well as posting current stuff.   Be patient with me, this is a HUGE job, and I will no doubt go slowly, but the good news is I'm baaaack!!!

When we go to Adam and Julia's house I'm not sure who Cole is more excited to see, Adam, Julia, or Frank, the backhoe.  No offense to Adam and Julia, but I think Frank wins!  Cole loves him/it, but it's no surprise since he is obsessed with all heavy machinery, and as you can see, Kate likes to support that obsession :0)  She makes sure to point out all machines to Cole, and has him very excited for a ride in Frank this spring...she may even tag along...

Leaves!

Fall is such a great time, the first cool down after the hot hot summer, the slight crispness of the air...I love it!  I love watching the leaves turn colors, and I really love when they fall to the ground and you can make a huge pile and jump in it over and over again!  Well, the kids love that too!  I got to raking and made a HUGE pile, and the kids ran up and down the hill yelling and laughing and just loving life:0) 

 

Don't you just love a good leaf pile?!  

I love the looks on their faces! 

Update: Month Twenty Four

Whether I believe it or not, my baby is two years old.  For the past week we have been practicing with Cole, telling him he was two, and he had been saying that just fine....ask him today, and he said "free" (three)!  By the end of the day he was saying four (through giggles)...silly guy :0)  Cole is busy at two, but that's no surprise, he was busy at one!  One thing he is especially busy working on is talking...he has been putting two or three words together, and is quick to repeat anything that Kate says.  We recently moved turned Cole's car seat to the forward facing position, so now he tells us everything he sees as we are driving down the road...it's really cute!  I could go on and on, but I will let you enjoy some pictures until the next update :0)

 

 

 Being a goose as usual.

 

 

"CHEESE!"

 

 

Figuring out his birthday present...a remote control car.

 

 

Blowing out the birthday candles.

Science Center

We did an overnight in Holderness, and even though is was raining in the morning, we outfitted everyone in raincoats (a staple if you live in New England) and headed to the science center.  This was by far the coolest place I have been in a while!  It was like a zoo set in the forest, and I would love to have a season pass with Kristina and the girls!!

 

 

It was a great opportunity to use the umbrella we had got at the bookstore!! 

 

 

Cole was checking out the mountain lion...or trying to anyway, I'm pretty sure we didn't actually see him.

 

 

Kate at the same exhibit.

 

 

Marc and I had matching coats, as did Kate and Cole, so it only made sense to get a family photo :0)

Update: Month Twenty Three

I won't even say it, but I know you know what I'm thinking!   Cole is a busy boy...busier by the day!  He makes me laugh and almost cry daily, and I am in total denial that he will be two in a month...(there, I said it!).  He is talking up a storm, but along with that comes some serious frustration when we can't understand him.  He is in a temper tantrum stage and sometimes he will have one for no reason at all....like this morning at breakfast...  He is such a funny guy, always playing a joke to make you laugh, and I will always fall for it :0)  He and Kate are the best of friends, and I pray that they stay that way always. 

 

 

I shouldn't have encouraged this, but I needed to get a picture...  I had just got Cole out of the bath and he was hanging out in his room while I got Kate out of the bath.  I heard him making horse noises, so I went in to check on him, and this is how I found him!  Keep in mind this is not our stuff...as I took the picture I told him that he was not allowed to do this again!  He's done it once (or twice) :0)

 

 

Cole was in heaven at Adam and Julia's wedding because he was able to play in the "scram", which is Adam's desert jeep.  Just look at the sheer joy on his face!

 

 

Such a big boy!



Cutie Patuties



Here are a few pictures of Kate and Cole from the past few weeks.  We've been busy with work (me, not them), getting the house ready to sell, and other random errands.  I've had my camera with me more and I'm trying to be better at snapping some shots during the day :0)



 

Swimming at Kate and Tony's pool.  Cole looks so mature in this picture...and big!  I think it's the way Kate is leaning in.



 

A rare gem!  Both kids looking and smiling!!

Lunch in the park...good times!

Update: Month Twenty Two and three days

Wowzer!  Twenty two!!  The months are just flying by, and I'm doing my best to keep up with them...and Cole for that matter :0)  Cole is acting more grown up with every update I write and I can't stand it!  I was just looking back at pictures from last summer and I had a hard time believing that I was looking at the same baby/little boy!  The best part of Cole "growing up" is that it has been easier for him and Kate to play together for longer periods of time.  They are so cute playing house or restaurant, and it is not as frustrating for both of them as it was a couple of months ago.  Since Kate does most of the talking, Cole just follows her lead, but he doesn't really seem to mind....we'll see if that changes as he becomes more vocal :0)     

 

 

Cooling off in Gran's sink.  Sometimes a sit in the sink is all you need to be happy!



 

Excavating the rocks at the pond.  He was WAY more interested in doing that than getting in the water.

Update: Month Twenty One

Well now I'm just mad at myself for being such a slug!!...  In 12 days Cole will be 22 months, which is a whole other issue....YIKES!!  SO, twenty-one...well, we have quite the little talker on our hands, but of course with that comes some moments of serious frustration as Cole knows exactly what he is saying but nobody else does.  One of his newest  words is "eyes" (ice), of which he is as obsessed with as shoes!  You can't have a drink without Cole wanting to stick his hand in and grab your ice...maybe it has something to do with the 90 degree temperatures lately?!  Whatever it is, it's just another thing that makes Coley Boley who he is :0)

Have you seen these?  They crack me up!  I have seen them a few times now in public restrooms...it's a fold down seat for Cole to "hang out" while Kate and I go about our business.  The really funny part is he likes it (as you can see), and he heads over to it as soon as he sees it!



Oh he's stylin' in those shades!

 

And he knows it!

Sibling love

 

These two just love each other! Cole didn't mind that there was no room for Kate (who he calls "Tay-tee"), he let her slide him over and squish right next to him. I hope they always stay that close ;)

Seven year itch



Marc and I recently celebrated our seventh wedding anniversary, and our "7 year itch" took us to a new home.  We have been "itching" to get out of our house for a while, but the more we talked about it, we realized that we wanted to get out of Salt Lake too.  SO, sort of on a whim, and because somehow the stars aligned to make it so, we moved to Park City.  Honestly, BEST DECISION EVER!!!  I love that we live on a dirt road!  I love that there are about three cars that pass the house all day (if that).  And most of all I love that the kids can open the door and go outside, and I don't have to worry about running after them...I know they'll be ok if it takes me a few minutes to get out there with them.

 

 

It really doesn't get much better than that!  We have such amazing views here!  (I do miss Mt. Olympus though!)  I feel like I'm on vacation every time I'm on the back porch.  Don't worry, I don't let them climb the railing...this was the first weekend we were here, since then Marc and I have cracked down on that!!!

 

 

Kate has PLENTY of room to ride her Skuut now!!  And I don't have to worry about the traffic!

 

 

Cole likes to say "hi" instead of cheese when getting his picture taken.  I love that he adds the wave!

 

 

What's not to love?!



Update: Month Twenty and nine days..

Let's pretend that I'm not consistently late with these updates...or maybe I'll just face the fact that I am twenty times busier than I was with just Kate and stop talking about it :0)...  Oh this boy...he cracks us up daily!  He has been talking up a storm this month, and we are loving every minute of it!  His top words include "hesee" (horse), "wa" (walk), "doh" (go)...which has already evolved into "go", and "sue" (shoe)...which he is obsessed with...there have even been a few nights that he has slept with his shoes over his pajamas because he refused to take them off!  He has started holding up one finger (but saying "do" (two)) when people ask how old he is, I guess he's already prepping for September!... He and Kate have been busy playing house complete with babies and purses, both of which Cole loves.  He is so cute putting the babies to sleep and then telling us to "shhhhh" as he walks off waving bye and carrying his purse :0)  He's not all gentle and nurturing though...immediately after this little game he can slam stuff around, go push his trucks into the walls, and throw rocks in the driveway...he's multidimensional :0)  I love it!

 

 

Getting ready for take-off...

 

 

He's been jumping form the couch to the ottoman like a crazy man!!!  He gets pretty excited on the landing!!

 

 

He's showing the truck on the game he's playing on my phone.



YES!

Cole has a funny way of saying yes.  You would think the "uh uh" he says is no, but it's really yes.  He was doing it for Kate and I one night at dinner, but as soon as I got the camera out he WOULD NOT do it for us....at least we know "NNNOO!" is no :0)

 

Update: Month Nineteen

I missed it again...but who's counting? :0)  Nineteen months, yikes!  As I've said before, I've got a BUSY boy on my hands...combined with Kate it's complete chaos here!  Cole has really started "talking" a lot more this past month.  He says "he ye go" (here you go), "le go" (let's go), "bye dad!", "TAY!!" (Kate), and when we're at the dog park he yells "INNY" the whole time.  Of course we love to make him repeat all sorts of other words so we can all giggle at the outcome :0), and he's happy to oblige.  Have I mentioned that Cole is a climber?!  I can not leave the kitchen without coming back to him standing on the table...I've started flipping the chairs up on the table, but then I worry that he will pull them down on himself...definitely worse than just standing up there!  He enjoys jumping on the bed or off the couch (after he and Kate have piled all the cushions on the floor), and now that it's finally nice outside he enjoys playing in the yard all day long! 

 

 

He's not going to believe that I used to let him walk around in these pink boots!  And he's never going to want to admit that he loved them!  I finally put them away, but while they were out he would constantly bring them to me so he could put them on him.  He's sitting on the vacuum...another favorite thing to do...ride it around while I'm cleaning :0)

 

 

Why play the drum when you can wear it like a helmet?!

 

 

"Coo coo"

 

 

That's his "more food now" face.  Insert a big "aaaahhhh" here.

Update: Month Eighteen...and 10 days...

Well, the 30th came and went, and for (I think) the first time EVER I forgot that I even had an update to write...busy much?!  Cole is more verbal by the day, and although I don't want him to get any older I can't wait to hear his little voice more and more!  He has the funniest "word" for yes, it sounds like a no, and it's hilarious :0)  He is OBSESSED with trucks and tractors, and if Marc brings a machine home from work, Cole promptly gets his coat and heads to the door so he can go out and investigate!  He loves the phone and  we can't talk on ours unless Cole has one too.  He especially loves it if we put ours on speaker phone and he just chatters away at whoever is on the other end.  He has no new teeth to report, a point that stresses me out way more than it affects Cole :0)  Enough for now, I'll leave you with a few pics of the wee man...

 

 

This is how you will often find this little guy :0)  Smiling, and with some leftover food on his face...

 

 

He's a whopping 19 pounds 12 ounces and 30 1/2 inches these days!

Update: Month Seventeen (And Four Days)

There's a really good explanation for being four days late with this post...I couldn't do it on February 28th because I couldn't bear to think that Cole was 17 months old yet!  I figured I had at least two more days because I was being jipped by the short month.  Then the 2nd came and I realized that SADLY I had no pictures of Cole from the whole month of February!!!  None?!  Well, there were a few of both the kids playing outside, but I wanted Cole alone...so I began trying to get him to look at the camera...  The following is what I got.  He will not stay still long enough for me to get a good one, and all the reaching is him trying to touch the lens!  But enough of that, let me tell you what Cole has been up to aside from being camera (sort of) shy.  The short story...this boy is BUSY!  He climbs, jumps, and runs non-stop!!  He is "talking" up a storm, and we all love it.  He makes animal sounds when prompted (or not), and his favorite is the monkey.  He'll start doing it and Kate will say "I don't see a monkey, what's he doing?".  She can't see the logic in making the noise if there's not really one around :0)  Cole has got four new teeth since last month...still no molars, but having all his front teeth sure makes biting a whole lot easier!  And speaking of biting...ouch!  Cole thinks it's pretty funny to nip the rest of the family with those sharp little teeth of his...hopefully by next month I'll be able to report that he's over that! 

 

 

"Just let me touch the lens!"



 

"I can't touch it?!  Why not?"



 

"AHHHH!"



 

Beautiful blue eye.



 

"So, seriously, I can't touch it?!"



 

Something I forgot to mention that Cole does that is really cute.  He holds his hands over his ears when the blender or vaccuum are on.  He also makes a noise for them, it's pretty cute!

Siblings

There was a time when Kate was about Cole's age that I thought I did not want any more kids...I just couldn't figure out how I would manage to care for more than one...  Well, we all know how that turned out, and as hard as it is sometimes, there are times like these that just melt my heart, and make me thank the lord that I didn't have an only child!

 

 

Kate was showing Cole a movie on her camera, and he was just sitting there quietly in her lap taking it all in.



 

I love that they are not looking at me here.



Kate is the best big sister!

Inversion

I mentioned before that for the past 2 weeks we hadn't really seen the sun in Salt Lake.  What that really meant was that the inversion was so bad that the nasty, smoggy, pollution thick air was almost unbreathable, so to get out of it we were driving up to Park City almost daily for some fresh air.  This was one such day when I loaded everyone up and we headed out. 

Update: Month Sixteen

Month sixteen brings a little boy who is obsessed with trucks, tractors, trains, and dogs.  He makes a sound for each and if he hears one (usually a truck or dog...), he runs to see it.  He says "daw, woo woo" pretty much non stop and it is pretty much the cutest thing ever!  Cole also makes other animal sounds including sheep, cats, horses, and monkeys.  Aside from all that he loves reading, and his favorite book right now is called Truck Duck, which he pronounces "truu duu".  As he turns each page he keeps repeating "truu duu", even if it is cab crab or boat goat...again, cute stuff!  His other favorite thing to do is wrestle with dad and Kate.  Marc pretends that Cole is knocking him over and he just thinks that he is the toughest guy around :0)  Cole has also been quite the dare devil, much to our dismay...lately he has taken to jumping off the furniture!  Luckily I know some great orthopaedic surgeons!  He still only has four teeth, but manages to get the job done with those alone.  I don't think that I need to say that I am quite busy!!   

Wearing dad's ear muffs!  

 

Little boy blue :0)  Cole loves playing on the playground with Kate!  He especially loves the slide!!