The Bailey's

Zoo Trip for Two

2012-01-24T18:13:00.000-08:00

Cousin Jake had never been to the zoo, so Stacie and I decided to take the boys to the zoo a few days after Christmas. The weather was a little chilly, but we had a great time. The boys love animals and being with each other, so the zoo was a perfect way to spend our morning.

In the jungle...

Big smile from Cole

Pasadena Eagle

Finally free from the strollers...headed straight to the fountain

Pizza Party with Jo Jo

2012-01-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

Cole loves Jo Jo. Jo Jo is Cyndi, my old cheer sponsor/friend's, daughter. I met Cyndi and Jordan when Jordan was Cole's age and it has been neat watching her grow up. She loves hanging out with Cole. We went over to their house lots this summer to swim in their new saltwater pool, so when I say we are going to Cyndi and Jo Jo's Cole goes to get his swim gear. It was much too cold to swim as the new year was approaching so we decided to make a brief (and I mean brief) trip to the park and then went to eat at Mario's pizza.

Christmas 2011

2012-01-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a little behind on the posting. So here's a quick recap of our Bailey Christmas...

We spent our Christmas as we always do...running from place to place. On Christmas Eve, also my brother's birthday, we always go down to Kemah and eat at Landry's. After naptime, we headed to my mom and dad's to hang out a bit before church...then on the the Candlelight Service at South Main and back to my mom's for a bit before rushing off to Stephen's grandparents. We got home around 10:00 p.m., which means Cole slept in on Christmas morning. We had to wake him at 8:30 so we could have our Christmas before heading to my in-laws for breakfast before the 10:45 a.m. church service. Mom and dad's for lunch and Stephen's aunt and uncle's for dinner and....we're done. I'm exhausted thinking about it again. Here are the pics to go with the travelling.

Waiting for Uncle Bubba's birthday lunch to begin

Our annual Christmas Eve picture spot

The one's with Stephen didn't turn out...the hostess didn't know how to use a nice camera.

Christmas Eve before church

Waiting for Santa at GiGi and Grandad's house

Riding his new 4 wheeler

Opening gifts at Grammie and Pa Pa's house

After church

Quick family pic

Opening gifts at Nonnie and Grandfather's

Last stop...Aunt Annette and Uncle Ron's

I Need A New Babysitter

2011-12-20T22:44:00.000-08:00

I went upstairs when Stephen got home today so I could get ready to go out to dinner. I was upstairs for maybe 30 minutes. When I started down the stairs, here is what I saw...At least Cole was so tired from baking that he wasn't roaming around getting into things he shouldn't.

I ran back to the bedroom to get my camera.

Zoomed in... Cole is awake. Watching Elmo

Dinner pic...these boys love pretzels.

Yummy

Christmas Cookies With Nonnie

2011-12-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, my mom, brother and I would bake and decorate cookies for Christmas. Mom and I started this with Cole last year. Cole helped me mix the ingredients and knead the dough...then he got bored so he sat in his chair and colored. He did help me decorate once they were all cooled. We took the finished cookies to the neighbors. I had bought some cello bags, but the glitter gel didn't harden...note to self next year, so we packaged up the non-glitter gels ones in the bags and hand delivered a few of the glitter ones separately.

I'm ready, Nonnie.

Mixing the dough

Kneading the dough

He didn't like yucky hands.

Helping Nonnie with the cut-outs

Eating some M n M's on his break

Helping mommy decorate

Trying the glitter gel

Bells and Stars...some Mickey's too

Snowmen, Gingerbread Men, Ornaments

The Finished Products...I used the leftover eyes from the Elmo Pops

Christmas on Main Street- La Porte, TX

2011-12-20T22:38:00.000-08:00

We took Cole to downtown La Porte last year for Cole to see Santa. It worked out really well, so we decided to repeat the process this year. Christmas on Main Street is a big fair/market with lots of booths, food, singing groups, and games. There is even a sled with snow. We also met up with our friends, the Helmle's. Here are a few pics.

Cole's First Choral Performance

2011-12-20T21:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks back my father-in-law told me that when he picked up Cole from school they told him that Cole would be performing in the school/church's Christmas show. I thought, seriously? What on earth would the one year-old class do in the Christmas performance? Well... Cole started practicing his big number at home. They played bells for the Jingle Bell song and they did motions to Up On the Housetop. It cracked me up. His class was strapped into a big buggy and some kids had to be held because they weren't digging the confinement. Cole was a good boy; he stayed strapped in and rang his bell with gusto. Next year, he'll be old enough to grace the stage. He faced was turned for most of my pictures because he enjoyed watching the big kids.

Seriously, mom? Pictures already

Waiting in the wings for their big moment

Where is my family?

Motions to Up on the Housetop...patting his knees

Clapping for himself

Shaking his bell

Loves his bell

With GiGi and Grandaddy Bailey

Funny boys

Jake-Jake is so silly.

Festival of Lights

2011-12-20T20:35:00.000-08:00

Here are the pics of our trip to Moody Gardens in Galveston. They definitely don't do it justice. We will definitely go back again next year.

Sharing a stroller...for a minute

Entrance Sign

Nutcracker Ballet section

Jake dancing to the music

Fisherman

Africa

Simba

Photo Sled

Life's a Beach

2011-12-20T20:15:00.000-08:00

We went to Moody Garden's for the Festival of Lights. We had to stop and take some beach pics. I think we may take our Christmas pictures there next year and we definitely need to take Cole to the beach this summer. He had a blast. This past summer, he wasn't a big fan of the sand. This time he was all over it.

Christmas Card Photos

2011-12-20T19:45:00.000-08:00

Here are a few pics that didn't make the card. Some would have worked if punkin would have cooperated. :)

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-20T19:38:00.000-08:00

We had my mother's family over for Thanksgiving. Stephen cooked both turkeys. One fried and one smoked. He also smoked the only turkey that we were eating for dinner at my in-laws. Luckily, all turkeys were delicious and everything went great.

Relaxing before the family arrives

Quick family pic

Catching a quick kiss from my boy

The Jones'

More Jones'

Grammie had her tree up already

Wrestling with a gingerbread man

Wrestling with Daddy

Wrestling with a gingerbread man

Birthday Cake- Take 2, 3, and 4

2011-11-26T19:44:00.000-08:00

Like I said in my birthday post...Cole only had one bite of cake at his party. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday Cole wanted to eat his "cupcake" as he called it. I finally trashed it on Wednesday.

Can You Tell Me How To Get To Cole's 2nd B-day Party?

2011-11-20T19:57:00.000-08:00

This year's theme...Elmo Extravaganza. I decided a few weeks back that I was going to make all the goodies for Cole's birthday this year. I took off Friday and began my baking. First mom and I baked some cupcakes- three boxes to be exact. Then we went up to Cole's school for his class party. We took some of the homemade cupcakes...they were delicious, but next year we are going with cookies...less messy. Stephen and Grandfather met us at the party and we went to Chik-Fil-A for lunch. After lunch, Cole and I headed home for his nap and I began with the cookie baking. Cole woke up just as I was finishing the decoration. After dinner, I started the Elmo pops. Here a few pictures of the creations.

I had lots of fun, but I think next year we are going to Chuck E. Cheese. :)

On Saturday morning, we went to El Ranchero for birthday breakfast, then Stephen headed to the airport to pick up The Myers'.

Knuckles with dad

Cole's Breakfast Buddies

Cole and Daddy

The kids had a great time playing in the backyard and after a while we took them to McDonald's for lunch. We had a quick bath and then the kids went down for a nap, so the party set up could begin. Kristin and I started setting up the baked goods and doing all the last minute prep.

When Cole and Madison woke up, the party was starting. Cole had a great time playing with his new playhouse...I mean log cabin. We had bought him a bouncy, which he hardly jumped on...oh well. About 3:30, the special guest arrived...Elmo (AKA Daddy). We waited too long to book Space City Clowns and they were already booked for another party, so we rented a costume and Stephen danced around to a CD that we had bought that had Cole's name inserted into it. Cole was very excited to see Elmo and loved dancing and singing with him.

Sundae Bar

The Jones Cousins

Cole's Cake

Homemade Sign...courtesy of mommy

Family pic

First seeing Elmo

Elmo and his buddies

His only bite of cake...he ate some more later in the week

Dancing with Elmo

Pomeroy Pic

Bailey pic

Elmo leaving

The attack of Elmo

Silly brothers

He opened about two gifts before he was bored.

With Uncle Keith in his new house

After the party, we headed to our new favorite Mexican restaurant, Casa Anitas.

We love chips...

And salsa

And icecream

Before bed, the kids decided to do a little dancing in their new Elmo jammies..courtesy of Kristin...so adorable.

Madison is catching a quick kiss.

These kids have their mom's skills.

Following Stephen's lead

The funky chicken

The Dirty Dancing lift

Nobody puts baby in the corner...

Morning after milk

Dewberry Farm

2011-10-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

So this weekend Stacie, Jake, Nonnie, Grammie, Cole and I drove out to Brookshire to go to Dewberry Farm. The boys had a blast. We didn't have time to do it all, but we managed to jump on the giant pillows, slide down the bumpy slide, and play corn ball all before lunch. After a quick bite, we took the hayride to the pumpkin field. Due to the drought, we found out that we drove all the way out past Katy to get a pumpkin from Missouri. After we picked out a pumpkin we headed back in to take some pictures and catch the chicken show. We didn't have time to go to the little kid's play area, the petting zoo, or the corn maze. Maybe next year... Cole took a two hour nap in the car on the way home. We even stopped and ate a Chik-fil-A in Katy and got a Starbucks when we got back to Pasadena while we waited for Cole to wake up. Here are a few of my favorite pictures.

Elmo Photo Shoot 10-10-11

2011-10-19T19:49:00.000-07:00

So I threw on Cole's favorite Elmo shirt, thanks Aunt Stacie, and tried to get some Elmo photos for Cole's b-day invitiation. Here are some of the favorites that didn't make the cut, but are still adorable. Don't worry...we are not going crazy with the character theme party...The plan is primary color polka dots and stripes with a hint of Elmo. I promise.

Clear Lake Park 10-2-11

2011-10-19T19:41:00.000-07:00

One Sunday we were headed to eat and we decided to stop by a new park to check it out. Cole had a great time on all the new equipment. He even found a girlfriend at the park...he said "Hello, baby" leaned in and gave her a kiss. It was hilarious.

Weeeee

Throught the tunnel

Playing with grass

What is this?

Let me show you how it's done.

Waiting to slide down

Saturday Family Outing 9-24-11

2011-10-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I like to take Cole to a local park on weekends. Stephen has been prepping his hunting place for the past few weeks and a couple of weekends back he was in town so we took advantage of some family time and went to the park after breakfast. Cole loved walking Rambo, a dog that we met, and we had some action on the pier, someone caught a huge sting ray.

On his way to the slide

Who is walking who?

Walking down the pier to check out the commotion

This thing was huge

Saying goodbye to Rambo

Weekend Get Together- 9-10-11

2011-10-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back we had few friends over for smoked chicken. The kids played outside, the boys watched sports, and the ladies watched the kids...the usual. Here are a few pictures of all the fun.

Stacie and Jake

Lisa and her new nephew, Luke

Cole and Dylan

Messy Face

Scrub-a-dub-dub

Let us out of here.

First Day of Preschool

2011-09-06T18:41:00.000-07:00

1st day picture

Today was Cole's first day at school. I think Stephen and I were more nervous than he was. The day started off a little rocky, but ended up as a blessing in disguise. I went downstairs at 6:15 this morning and my battery was dead. I woke up Stephen and we went downstairs to try to jump it and it was a no go. Still dead so...Stephen ran upstairs and got ready, we woke up Cole and threw him and his gear in Stephen's truck and headed to my school...together. I made it just as the tardy bell rang. Cole cried as I shut the car door and I lost it. I was already a little sad about him starting school today.

I had already planned on picking Cole up from school since I couldn't take him to school that morning so Stephen came back to my work at 1:30 and we headed to the preschool together. When we arrived Cole was passed out on the nap mat...the only problem was that he had just fallen asleep five minutes before we arrived. I figured it would take a while to get used to sleeping in a group setting on a nap mat and I was right. They said that he laid down for a few minutes and then once everyone else fell asleep he tried to get up and walk around and wake up the other kids. The assistant director said she took him to the office and he "helped" her do some things. Eventually she brought him back and then one of the workers rocked him until he passed out and then moved him to the mat.

We took him home to put him down; he cried the whole way and then when we got home he cried another 30 minutes or so in his crib and only slept 45 minutes. What a day. He went to bed super early tonight. He was exhausted.

His report card was excellent despite the no nap. (He is his mother's son...teacher's pet.) It said he was in a happy mood all day, he loved dancing and singing, ate all of his lunch and was a great helper.

Where are the worksheets? We are ready to learn.

Labor Day Fun

2011-09-06T18:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we had a great time spending time as a family. Stephen was out of town for part of the weekend so Cole and I also got to spend some quality time together. Saturday Stephen was dove hunting so Cole and I headed to a birthday party in Katy. Sunday after church and a nap, we went to get snow cones and headed to the park. The weather was perfect. We got lots of wind from the tropical storm that hit Louisana and a cold front came in and cooled us off. On Monday we went to breakfast at our favorite taqueria and after Cole's nap we busted out the baby pool and Stephen smoked some chickens. Here are a few pics from Labor Day.

Our newest friend

2011-09-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

So...on our last trip to Dallas I forgot to pack Cole's DVD's. We had the DVD player, but nothing to play on it. We made it to Dallas, but Cole was a little bored so we decided to stop at the Wal-mart before we got on the road home. The Wal-mart in Frisco was fresh out of Baby Einstein so I resorted to the $5.00 bin and found a couple of selections with music and singing that I figured Cole would enjoy. This is where I went wrong. Cole is now hooked to a new character because of this purchase....ELMO. What was I thinking? He always wants to watch the DVD and he now has a small stuffed Elmo as well as a new school bus with Elmo and his friends.

The other DVD was also a hit. It was a Curious Buddies, Nick Jr. DVD. He calls it "baby" because there is a baby on the cover. He also sometimes calls it "do" because they sing the scale and he likes to sign along. Here is Cole, in our bed, watching his favorite DVD..though we now own four other Elmo DVD's that we have added to the collection.

Bailey's Busybee Babysitting

2011-08-09T20:14:00.000-07:00

So last Friday was the first time, I kept both Cole and his cousin, Jake. Let's just say I got to see what it's like at my in-laws every other day. The boys play great together...the worst thing was they tend to get into trouble as a team. They also enjoyed running off in different directions, so they were hard to keep up with and Jake loved crawling up the stairs. They are also used to greeting each other after their naps (Jake is still a two napper and Cole is a one napper)...which was a little difficult because all my bedrooms were up so I carried them both down...one on each arm.

I asked Cole if Jake had a poo poo...he went to check

and wouldn't let go

still wouldn't let go

Pulling the tent out of Cole's closet

Cole is such a good helper

Sweet Cousins

Marisa's Baby Shower

2011-08-09T20:00:00.000-07:00

So our vacation this summer consisted of two trips to Friso. First for the birthday extravaganza weekend and the second trip for Marisa's shower. Don't get me wrong...I am not complaining. I love seeing all my college buddies and this particular trip Marisa and Ali were going to be in town (two of our three "out of towners"). Cole also loves seeing his buddies. We packed up Friday mid-day and headed up. With our usual Buccee's stop, we still managed to meet the gang for dinner at Mi Cocina. Saturday we had Marisa's shower in the morning and then we went to Katie and Luke's for dinner. I really enjoyed seeing everyone and was so sad when the much awaited weekend was over. Lucky for me we had to make an hour and 45 minute detour to Centerville for Stephen to take care of some things at his hunting place.

Swimming Lessons

2011-08-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

So Stacie and I signed the boys up for the Water Babies class at a local indoor pool. It was eight, 30 minute sessions. We decided to do the 6:30 p.m. class to make it a family affair. The boys learned some safety, swim technique, etc. Cole really enjoys the water and doesn't mind going under. By the end of the two weeks, we could really see that he had learned some things. We are definitely going to do this again...maybe something a little more "hard core" next time.

Children's Museum with Cousin Jake

2011-08-09T19:32:00.000-07:00

So my sister-in-law, Stacie, and I took the boys to the Houston Children's Museum. This was Cole's second trip (Stephen and I took him when he was around nine months) and Jake's first trip. They have a special area for kids under three...Tot Spot. The boys had a blast.

Loves this tunnel

Almost one year ago...last August

Anyone home?

light sticks

Liked this one last time, too

Checking out the cuties

Drove solo last year

Jake loves to get in the middle of it all

Me for Sushi

2011-08-09T19:05:00.000-07:00

So we went back to Red Sushi in Kemah. We went there for my birthday only to discover a Sushi Happy Hour, so we have made a few additional trips this summer. Yumm. Cole loves edamame and playing with chop sticks. Maybe he will grow up to be a drummer.

Fun Friday #5- First Trip to the Zoo

2011-07-22T20:47:00.000-07:00

So this week mom and I took Cole to the zoo. We left the house early, so we could be there when it opened. Cole rode in the stroller for a majority of the morning. I'm not sure how much he could see from that angle. He really liked the big animals....lions, giraffe, elephants, tigers, gorillas. He wasn't too enthused with the smaller stuff. I think it was hard for him to see them...birds, small monkeys, etc. We let him roam after about a hour and a half. He loved running around the aquarium. Alot of the exhibits were a perfect height for him and the glass was easy to see through; unlike the bars and wires of alot of the other cages. We had lunch and then headed home for a nap. He slept for 3+ hours that afternoon. He was wore out.

Fun Friday #4

2011-07-22T20:46:00.001-07:00

Mom and I took Cole to Jump N Jungle this week. It was only $3 to get in and mom and I were free. Cole needed a little help climbing up some of the slides, so we were both worn out by the time we left. I definitely think it will be a great place to bring him as he gets older. He had a blast following all the big kids around. After our jumping time, we headed to Challenger Memorial Park... it is a space themed park with lots of covered playgrounds and covered eating areas. We headed home for a nap, before we got to play at the park, though. Cole was exhausted from all the jumping.

At the bottom of the slide...waiting for the big kids to knock him over.

A bounce house with basketball goals

He had to knock that kid over to play with a ball

Taking a short break

Back for more

At the top with mommy

It was also free snack Friday...free juice and snack for the kids.

Lunch at the park...mom bought him a lunchable...he wasn't so sure about that turkey.

Seriously mom, put me down

Fourth of July Weekend

2011-07-22T20:46:00.000-07:00

Here are a few pics from the 4th. We went to a parade in LaPorte and had family over on Saturday. On Sunday, we went to church and had a blast playing outside. On Monday, we headed to our friend's house on the beach by our house.

At the LP parade

Waiting for the fire trucks

Enjoying my own burger

Hanging out with his cousins...dancing, of course.

Ready for church

Relaxing in the pool on Sunday

Giant slip n slide...even fun for adults

Waiting to go to the beach

Not so sure about this water

He loved the slip n slide.

Fun Friday #3

2011-07-22T20:44:00.000-07:00

Mom and I took Cole to do his first Build-A-Bear. Then we took the bear to bruch. He liked all the songs that you could put in the bears, but the only thing they had in stock was the Star Wars theme...so he has a new Star Wars bear...he can't nap with it, though, because he loves to push his paw to hear the song.

Picking an animal and a sound

Kissing his heart

Stuffing the bear

Giving Boo-Boo bear a bathe

and a hug

Nonnie, Boo Boo, E, and Cole

Bday Weekend in Dallas

2011-07-04T19:05:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we packed up and headed to the Big "D." We left around 9:30 a.m. Friday. We made a stop at Buccee's and were in Frisco by 2:30 p.m. that afternoon. Madison was napping so Cole patiently waited for his friend to wake up. That evening after the kids went to bed we boiled some crab and shrimp for dinner...delicious.

Hello, friend.

Hello, peguin.

On Saturday,we packed up the kids and went to the neighborhood pool. Cole loved the sprinkler park.

After lunch and a nap, we headed to Ryan's first birthday party. Cole had a great time playing with toys and watching "Finding Nemo" while Madison played in the sprinklers. Ryan had an adorable goldfish-themed party with yummy bbq for dinner. It was nice to see everyone.

On Sunday morning, we played in the baby pool and sprinklers in the backyard. Molly also took the kids for a walk. Cole couldn't keep up. After our walk, the kids ate and took a nap before party #2.

A good morning smooch

So loving...a hug before the big swim.

Seriously mom...A pink swing

Madison's party was at Gymboree Music and Play. Cole had a great time dancing, bouncing, jumping, and pretending to be a butterfly. He also loved the icing on his cupcake and managed to steal a kiss from the birthday girl.

Cole is a dancing fool.

Princess Emily Butterfly

Daddy is a big kid at heart.

Flying like a butterfly

Ryan checking out the action

Snack time

The cupcakes

Yummy

This next section of pictures are in sequence as they occured. Cole was making his move on Madison.

Step One: Play hard to get

Step Two: Surprise her with a kiss

Step Three: Check and see if there is a positive reaction... (there was)

Step Four: See if she wants to play footies

Step Five: See if her daddy is looking

Step Six: Go ahead and make your move...sit in her lap

Sunday night was the big NKOTBSB concert. We met at Saint Anne's at 6:30 and then headed over to our VIP suite around 8:00 p.m. There were all kinds of people in costumes. Flourescent colors, blue eye shadow, jelly shoes, off the shoulder tee shirts...you name it. Crazy! Jordan Sparks was opening and we didn't really care to hear any of that. I had such a great time with all my girls. I don't think I sat down once...we danced all night. I felt like I was in elementary school all over again. OH, OH, OH, OH...Hangin Tough. Here is a pic before we left the house.

We had such an awesome weekend and Cole had a blast playing with all his buddies. We can't wait to go back.

Father's Day Weekend

2011-06-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Saturday and Sunday were full of activities. We took Cole to a petting zoo at the LaPorte Library Saturday morning. He walked around with one piece of straw trying to feed the animals. He also greeted all the animals with a wave and a "hello." It was hilarious.

Hello, Deer. Give me a smooch.

Would you like some straw?

Is that a goat?

Later Saturday afternoon, we filled up the baby pool and busted out the slip and slide. Cole loves to play in the water.

My parents came over to celebrate Father's Day. Stephen grilled fish, red potatoes and corn. It was delicious.

On Sunday after church we went to Red Lobster with my mother-in-law's dad, Great Granddaddy Corder.

Sunday afternoon we went to my in-laws for a Bailey family party. Cole and Jake swam with Stephen and John before dinner and Cole enjoyed playing with all his cousins.

Perfect Patio

2011-06-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

Well, we started updating the backyard about a month ago. It started with a new slab, followed by a cover, fans, and new furniture. Here is the finished product. We need to start working on the landscaping now. I guess it never ends.

Finished layout

Dinner, anyone?

The Bartender at the new slate bar

Slate bistro table

Fun Friday #2

2011-06-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

This Friday we did a project for Stephen for Father's Day. We made a stepping stone. Mom bought the kit at Michael's. We placed pictures of Stephen and Cole in the stone and then we were going to put Cole's handprint. He wasn't having it. He kept squeezing the mix with his hand; we ended up with a footprint.

Mixing the cement

Thanks, Nonnie

Quick pic with mommy

Trying to make a handprint

Not so much...

Finished product

Fun Friday #1

2011-06-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

So my mom decided she wanted to do something special with Cole every Friday this summer. At the end of the summer, she is going to make him a book online of all the fun times we have. For the first "Fun Friday" we took Cole to Bayou Wildlife Park in Dickinson about 20 minutes towards Galveston. I didn't even know this place existed. It had all kinds of animals in their natural habitat. We took a tram ride and went through the petting zoo. They also had a barn and pony rides, but Cole was tuckered out. He was working on his first week of not taking a morning nap. We packed a lunch and were going to eat at a park on the way home, but Cole sacked out in the backseat. Here are a few pics from the day.

Dad told me to bring my bow...I forgot it at home.

Seriously, dude...you stink.

On the tram

Mom, are we at ToysRus?

Whoa, that's a big animal.

Are you kidding me? Those horns were ridiculous.

Mommy's Little Monkey

On our way home

Graduation Day 2011

2011-06-06T19:34:00.001-07:00

Coca-cola Cake

My cousin, Eric, graduated from Pasadena Memorial HS, another HS in our district. They had a family party at Fuddruckers on Saturday. Cole really enjoyed seeing all his cousins and play in the arcade. He loved the race car.

Step on it, Nonnie

Move over Jeff Gordon

Cousin Tim and Uncle Keith

Cousin Hannah

Hollywood and Cousin Sarah

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-06T19:34:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day weekend was low key at the Bailey household. If you have feathers or hide...beware. Stephen definitely got good use out of his new BBQ. Here is a picture of the smoking chickens we had on Sunday.

All our chickens in a row...

On Monday he tried his first brisket. It was really good, but Stephen is so impatient he said that might be his last brisket for a while.

Carving his first brisket...he had a lesson from my dad, the master of meat

Cole has a little fever, so we planned to let him play in his new pool and the sprinkler after lunch. Instead we played inside and he got to play after his nap. Here are a few pics of the pool-time fun.

Splishy-splashy

Hanging out with mommy

We also have a new addition to the front of the house. We now have Old Glory waving high above our garage. Stephen read up on flag rules...We must keep the flag lit at night if you choose to leave it up 24 hours. Also...you must take it down for rain or snow...no problem there. We haven't had either in months. Here is a pic of the stars and stripes.

Old Glory

Extreme Backyard Makeover

2011-05-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

Stephen and I decided a few months ago it was time to get the backyard in shape (8 years later). Cole loves to play outside and we need a space for him that we can also enjoy. Stephen's brother owns a concrete company so first up was to pour a new patio. Stephen and John spent a Sunday afternoon jack hammering our old patio and John's crew showed up Monday morning to pour the new patio. It is colored concrete (Spring Beige) and has a diamond design pattern.

Here is a pic of the patio process. Stephen didn't think to get a before shot, but FYI...Our old patio was tiny.

The next step was filling in the drop off with sand and putting in new grass. Stephen worked on the grass for a few days.

Finishing touches.....(and purchases)

After sealing the cement

A new smoker (Happy Father's Day, Daddy)

New light fixtures

Daddy also decided to clean out the existing (nonexistent flowerbed)...it was a few cannons and lots of weeds...no bricks, mulch, etc. Here are some pics of the flowerbed in action.

Cole helping daddy with the sand

Finished product

We are now getting bids to build a cover. We want to install fans, speakers, etc. We had someone come out last week and another guy is coming out Tuesday. We hope to have this all done in a few weeks. Then on to furniture and decor. Maybe by the end of the summer we will have this all wrapped up. I will update more as we progress.

Reid Turned Three

2011-05-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we headed to birthday party. Stephen wanted to stay home and work on the back patio (blog to come) so I asked my friend, Holly, to join me. Cole is all over the place, and it takes more than one adult to chase him and carrying all his stuff. People were teasing me and saying that I brought my nanny. Holly was definitely lots of help. At one point she had her drink, my drink, Cole's cup, two plates, and Cole's shoes. I, on the other hand, had Cole. He didn't want to go in and cut the cake. He loves to play outside. The party was a Fire Truck theme. There were toys all over the yard including a slide, sand box, and a brand new, very big trampoline. Cole had a great time running from one thing to the next. Here are some pictures.

Cole and birthday boy, Reid, deep into conversation over the sand tools.

Sand Time over...on to the next thing.

Reid and his girlfriend, Kirstin

Cole and his "nanny", Holly

Jumping on the trampoline...Kirstin preferred to bounce with Cole..neither of their feet ever left the surface.

Cole checking out the cupcakes.

The cupcakes were in the shape of a three, but by the time I got over to take a picture some of the "3" was missing, so here is a shot of the rest of the table.

18 Month Check up

2011-05-22T18:25:00.001-07:00

Cole went to his 18 month check up on Tuesday. He is doing great. The doc says he is on his way to being a beanpole. On the way to the appointment, he learned a new word...doctor...and of course he showed off in the office by using his new word.

Cole at 18 Months

Cole is getting into everything. He runs non-stop. We are constantly chasing him.

He loves to: turn off/on lights and night lights, give hugs, blow kisses, play in the sprinkler, "feed" his stuffed animals, watch Baby Einstein, pretend that he is going to give you a bite of food..eat it..then laugh, blow bubbles, dance to music, pick up and throw grass and mulch, put on your sunglasses, and brush his teeth with an electric toothbrush.

Words he can say: Ma-Ma, Da-Da, No-No, Na-Na, off, on, up, out, beans, banana, uh-oh, oh-no, Hello, Hi, Bye-Bye, Nite-Nite, Cracker, baby, thank you. He also likes to make animal sounds. You can ask him what sound the following animals make and he will respond with the coordinating noise...cow, sheep, duck, horse, cat. It cracks me up.

He has definitely found his attitude. He has only recently started throwing major fits. It usually stems from us taking something from him that he is not supposed to have. We can diffuse the situation by getting his attention on something else. He is usually o.k. with in a minute or so.

Just today I watch him stack blocks. It is not something I had seen him do before. He had a stack of three before it toppled over. We think he may grow up to be an engineer; he is always trying to figure out how things work, where the batteries go, how to turn things off and on, etc.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-14T18:52:00.000-07:00

My mom had to work on Sunday so we decided to take her to Monument Inn on Saturday afternoon. We got there at 5 and had to wait an hour. Cole enjoyed the rolls, crackers, etc. He ate off my plate of seared tuna. He loved it. I made my mom a book on Snapfish. I liked it so much, I bought one for myself. Here is the link for the book.
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/projectshareewelcome/l=2869022025/p=917141305424655706/g=4554389025/cobrandOid=1000/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/otsc=SYE/otsi=SPBKlink/

Me and my beautiful boy after dinner

Helping Nonnie open her book

On Sunday after church we went to eat at Pepper's with my in-laws. Cole and Jake were both getting a little cranky. It was way past nap time. After an afternoon nap, we took Cole to get a snow cone and then he played in the sprinkler. Cole gave me a letter and a new plant as well as a beautiful framed portrait of the two of us. It was so sweet.

Lunch on Mother's Day

Yummy snow cone

Letter from Cole

My gift from Cole/Daddy

He loves to run around in the sprinkler.

Easter Weekend

2011-05-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

We started off Easter Weekend with a Saturday egg hunt at our church. Cole really wasn't into it. He picked up a few eggs and then I chased him almost all the way through a field. He was running towards the Walmart that backs up to our church. I guess he needed to go shopping.

Cole picked up about four eggs before he got bored and ran off.

Cole making the escape to Walmart.

Dying eggs after his nap

Later that night we headed to Valdo's for Grammie's birthday. As we walked in, we notice that part of the restaurant was set up for a reception. As six o'clock rolled around, we heard a CD rendition of "Here Comes the Bride." Little did we know it was a wedding/reception combination. I think they probably have a few of Cole and Jake's squeals in their wedding video.

Cole and Grammie

Cole and Mommy

Cole being a sweet boy

Sunday we went to the first service at church, then we headed to my mom's for a family get-together. After Cole's nap he ran around the yard with all of his cousins. We had a chubby bunny contest with bunny-shaped marshmallows and then headed to the church gazebo to have a family egg hunt. Cole still didn't care much for the eggs. He did like to sit down and throw a pile of his cousin's eggs all around.

Easter Morning

After Church Family Picture

Bubba, Mom, and Sissy

Chubby Bunny Contest

Jones-Pomeroy Family (with a few Bailey's)

"Sweet Home La Porte"

2011-04-25T17:46:00.001-07:00

Of course we have all seen the movie "Sweet Home Alabama," but have you actually been to a battle reenactment like the one in the movie? Well, each year our town reenacts the Battle of San Jacinto. ***If you need a little Texas history refresher...The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen minutes. About 630 of the Mexican soldiers were killed and 730 captured, while only nine Texans died.***

Back to the story...Stephen and I had both visited the monument. It is only about five minutes from our house and is a frequent place for intermediate school field trips, but neither of us had ever been to the festival, so this year we decided to take Cole. It was blazing hot, but we had a good time. Some people were way into it...costumes and all. Next year, I think I will dress up like a prairie girl. HaHa. It was very "Little House..." I thought the guns and cannons might scare Cole, but he didn't even flinch. Here are a couple pics from our nerdy history day.

Cole taking a sip of water during the battle.

The "Curtain Call" for the Texian Army

Cole trying to play with some bigger boys...they were shooting marshmallow guns..they totally ignored it...it was kind of sad.

Cole having his first frozen lemonade after trying to play with the big boys.

The San Jacinto Monument...the world’s tallest war memorial stands at San Jacinto. It is 15 feet taller than the Washington monument. The reflection pool is on the opposite side. I guess everything is just bigger in Texas.

My First Pony Ride

2011-04-25T17:45:00.000-07:00

Cole's buddy Zander turned two a couple of weeks ago and he threw an awesome "Vintage Cowboy" themed event. Cole had a great time on the playground; mommy loved the huge covered pavilion and 75 degree weather. Cole had a chance to ride a pony for the first time; he wasn't too thrilled. We didn't even make it around the parking lot before he said "Off, Mommy" so we took a few pics and pulled him "off" ASAP. Here are some pics of the fun event.

Checking out the hats and bandannas..which he refused to wear

Not so sure about this...

Loves to "play house"...Come on in, Mommy

The cake...so creative. The hay was shredded wheat cereal and the cake flavor was Snickerdoodle...super yummy.

Cousin Jake is turning One!

2011-04-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

So Jake's birthday party was last Saturday. John and Stacie threw a fish fry. The tables were decorated with goldfish- real and editable, and the cake was adorably adorned with lures and Swedish fish. Here are a few pics of the big event.

Uncle John, Daddy, and Paw manned the fryer.

Cupcakes

Watch out Madison...Tobi is making her move

The yummy cake

Cousin Jake before his first taste...he wasn't that big a fan of cake

Me and Nonnie by the beach

A Redneck Sunday Afternoon

2011-04-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

So last weekend we let Cole play in the sprinkler...in our front yard...in his church clothes. He saw daddy watering the grass and was chomping at the bit to get outside, so we let him. He went right for the sprinkler, of course.

It's Party Time

2011-04-14T18:05:00.000-07:00

Cole's friend, Tobi, had her b-day party a couple of weeks ago in Fulshear, TX. Cole had a great time. He love to bounce in the princess castle and really wanted to stick his hands in the bubble machine. Cole also had his first try with a pinata. Thanks to Todd, Tracy, Ty, and Tobi for a great party.

Ty and Tobi...What a sweet pair!

Cole in the bounce house

Chasing bubbles

Taking a break after swinging...notice the tear under his left eye...I think we have some allergies developing we are starting to have runny eyes...thanks, Nonnie

Spring Break in Pt. Mansfield, TX

2011-04-14T17:39:00.000-07:00

On Thursday of Spring Break, my sister-in-law and I took the boys down to Pt. Manny. Stephen and John were coming down after work on Friday. The usual 5-6 hour trip took around 8 hours. We stopped in nastiest McDonald's ever for lunch and made a run to the local (1 hour away) Walmart in Harlingen before we pulled into the driveway. The boys had a good ride... they watched Baby Einstein the whole way. We hung around the house, went to the boat stall, watched the deer and turkeys, and made a trip to the outlet malls. Here are some of my favorite pics from the weekend.

My nephew, Jake, is part monkey.

Hangin around the new house

Playing in our jammies

Checking out the catch

Kemah Boardwalk

2011-03-15T19:46:00.000-07:00

Oh how the boardwalk has changed since Stephen and I got married. We used to go down there for a low key dinner and now it is a vacation destination with hotels and several amusement rides. The weather has been so awesome that we have spent our last two Sunday afternoons on the boardwalk. Last weekend we forgot that it was Mardi Gras and, of course, this weekend was the start of Spring Break. I have never seen so many people there in all my life. We let Cole do a little roaming and some strolling. He really enjoyed people watching the most.

Watching the rides

Playing in the rocks

Can I go on the carousel?

Cruising the boardwalk for babes

Feeding the catfish

Running wild

Cole and Mommy by the fountain

Armand Bayou Nature Center

2011-03-15T19:24:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back Stephen and I took Cole to the nature center in Clear Lake. It has a hawk exhibit, alligator pond, bird sanctuary, farm house, barn, and nature trails. It will be a perfect place for a birthday party when Cole gets a little older. It has a party room that is connected to a snake exhibit. Every little boy's dream, right? Here are a few pics from our family outing.

Walking down the path...yes I am wearing gold flats...doesn't everyone wear sparkly flats while on a nature hike

"Do not feed the animals."

Checking out the garden

Cole just dropped his Elmo Phone. Daddy to the rescue....

In a bird blind scouting dove

Just another day at the beach...

2011-02-26T08:13:00.000-08:00

As the weather begins to warm up, we have made a few trips to the park on the water. Here are a few pics of our most recent trip.

Winter Fun

2011-02-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

It sure has been a cold winter this year. We haven't had any snow, but we did have some sleet and ice last week. Here are a few pics of some of our winter outings.

This is after church. He can never make it until Noon. This day he decided to nap right on the table at the restaurant.
At Barnes and Noble...of all the books in the store, he grabbed this one. Notice it has an MP3 player on it. He loved the buttons.
Cole and Jake at church in their Sunday School class. Last week Cole was moved up into the walker class so they are no longer in the same class. Cole loves his cousin. He always gives him kisses and hugs. Jake will be in the walker class before too long and they will be united.

Last Friday we had a "Snow Day." Mommy and Daddy stayed home with me. We went to the park in the afternoon once the ice melted off the roads, but...It was too cold to get out of the car at the park, so we watched the seagulls from the back seat.

Happy New Year

2011-02-12T18:23:00.000-08:00

The new in the New Year has begun to wear off and I am in need of a blog update. January flew by. I spent a lot of time up at school. My students had a business competition January 29th and I spent three nights a week every week in January at school from 6:30 a.m. until 8:30 p.m. Dad did a great job taking care of Cole...packing his bag, making his lunch, getting him squeaky clean, putting him too bed, etc. My students did great, so all our hard work paid off. I am taking 17 students to Fort Worth for State Competition from March 2-5. Hopefully, one or more will make it to Nationals, then we'll be headed to D.C.

New Year's traffic in La Porte is ridiculous.

Are you kidding me?

Happy New Year!

Cole and Cousin Jake playing on New Year's Day.

Uncle John and the boys

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T18:11:00.000-08:00

I decided that I better update the blog before Christmas becomes a blur. We pretty much ran back and forth between my parent's house and my in-law's house. My brother's 29th b-day was Christmas Eve. We went down to Kemah for our annual Landry's lunch. Stephen gave me my Christmas gift early so I brought my new camera and got some great candid pictures of Cole. That evening we went to church, then my mom's house, then Stephen's grandma's house. Cole didn't make it to bed until 10:00 pm. He was exhausted. Christmas morning Cole and daddy opened their gifts and then we went to Stephen's parent's for breakfast, my parent's for lunch, and then back to my in-law's for dinner. Having both sets of parents in the same city has both positives and negatives. At least we get to spend every holiday with both families, but, on the other hand, we have to spend a good portion of our day driving all around town. Here are some of the 1,079 pictures I took between Dec. 23, 24, 25, 31, and Jan. 1. I'll post some New Year's pictures later.

"I love Manhattan, the Bronx, and Brooklyn"

2010-12-21T11:31:00.000-08:00

New York here we come. Stephen and I headed out on Thursday for the Big Apple. Cole spent the weekend in shared custody between both sets of grandparents. We arrived in LaGuardia about 5:30 p.m. after a layover in Chicago. SWA doesn't have a direct flight (I will have to talk to The Chad about that...). We met Marisa at her office building and then headed to the bus station. Normally Marisa would walk, but it was a tad chilly and Stephen and I had luggage in tow so we cabbed it. After arriving via bus in Secaucus, NJ we met up with Allan and headed to dinner at a little Irish Pub. After dinner they took us to a park that had an awesome view of the city. Here are the pics from their favorite lookout spot. Dinner in NJ

Looking towards the city

We also drove into Hoboken so I could see Carlos Bakery; the location of one of my favorite shows on TLC.

On Friday we got up early and headed into the city with Marisa. She had to work, so Stephen and I went sightseeing while she was at work. We took the bus into the city, walked to the Empire State Building, cabbed it to Columbus Circle, walked to Central Park, The Plaza and FAO Schwarz...all before meeting Marisa for lunch at The Burger Spot. After lunch we cabbed it to Rockefeller Plaza to see the tree and did a little window shopping.

Bus Stop in Secaucus

Empire State Building

Central Park

Rockefeller Plaza

Later Friday afternoon, we met up with Allan in Times Square. That place is a mad house. We tried to have dinner there once Marisa got off work, but we ended up in an Italian restaurant in NJ instead. It was great...home cookin, friendly, family owned and operated establishment.

Times Square

Grand Central Station

Saturday we headed to see Lady Liberty, Ground Zero, and the Financial District. We were headed to Chinatown for lunch and ended up in Brooklyn..one wrong turn and we were on the Brooklyn Bridge...at least there is no toll for that one. We were going to eat a Grimaldi's but the line was down the block, so we ate at Ignazio's instead. It was delicious. After lunch the boys headed to the Staten Island Ferry and Marisa and I went to see West Side Story. The musical was awesome. I'm glad we had a chance to see it. We did end up in Chinatown for dinner and did a little purse shopping after. Stephen had never been into a secret back room. It was definitely a little shady.

Lady Liberty Ground Zero

Stephen and Allan in the Financial District
Taken during Stephen and Allan's Sunset Cruise

Sunday we went to Rutherford for breakfast and then to see Marisa's grandma. She lives in a beautiful old home in an adorable picturesque town. After our visit we headed to Liberty Island to get an up close shot of Lady Liberty. After the park, we went to Yankee Stadium and then in town to Serendipity. There was a three hour wait so we ended up at Patsy's and had pizza...again. After lunch Marisa and I made a quick run in and out of Bloomie's then we were off to the airport.

Allen, Grandma O'D, Marisa

The Bronx
Serendipity

We had such a fun time. Speacial thanks to our tour guides. Love you guys... Can't wait to come and visit again...maybe in warmer months...I was freezing, even with my long johns, sweater, big coat, hat, scarf, and gloves.

These Boots Are Made For Walkin

2010-12-21T08:36:00.000-08:00

This past weekend Stephen and I went to NYC and New Jersey (blog post to come) to visit Allan and Marisa. When we left on Thursday morning Cole was about 50% walking 50% crawling. When we returned on Monday morning, he was about 99% walking. He is really moving. We definitely need to do some more baby proofing. Here he is taking a stroll at my in-laws (sans his pants for some reason...I guess it makes for an easier diaper change).

Baby Steps

2010-12-01T19:19:00.000-08:00

We have been watching Cole take steps in his baby bed for a few weeks. We can see him on the monitor take two or three steps to get from one side to the other and then flop down into his comfy mattress. Yesterday, he took two steps toward me to reach a ball. Today my in-laws said he took two and three steps to reach his favorite toy, a remote, several times today and once he even took ten baby steps to reach a ball. Watch out world.

Who needs this walker, anyway?

Sick and Tired of Viral Infections

2010-12-01T19:04:00.001-08:00

Monday of Thanksgiving week was Cole's first trip to the doctor that wasn't for a well-baby check up. He had a runny nose for about a week and had run a fever on and off all weekend. Of course, the infection was viral so we just continued Triaminic and Ibuprofen as needed. The doctor said his fever would break and then it should go down and stay down. Of course this past Sunday, Cole started running fever again. This time it was 104.5. I was freaking out. After a dose of Ibuprofen, his fever broke, but we still took him back to the doctor and guess what....another viral infection. Are you serious? He is now 48 hours fever free. Here is a pic with Cole in his robe with his Be Koool patch. He looks like his just had a boxing match. I don't know if that patch really worked, but thirty minutes after the 104.5 temp (that we took rectally), we had a smile.

One Year Check Up

2010-11-20T20:00:00.001-08:00

Here are Cole's stats for his one-year check up. He is still tall and skinny. He is not walking yet, but is pulling up, letting go, taking one step to reach toys, and standing from a sitting position. He is saying ma-ma, da-da, na-na, uh-oh, and no. He can sign "more," "all done," and "milk." My goal was to have him switch to sippy cups by one (we had been using our Born Free bottles with a sippy nipple), so on his b-day he made the trade. He has been using a Playtex sippy and as of yesterday is drinking from a straw cup. He also has a new face where he squishes up his nose, but we don't have a picture of it yet. Hopefully, we can catch it soon.

Going on a Deer Hunt

2010-11-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Our little boy has turned ONE. Last weekend we had Cole's birthday party. I took off work Friday and Cole and I ran errands for the big day. We did have a pancake breakfast with daddy before he left for work and Grammie, Paw and Jake came by to say "hi." Kristin, Chad, and Madison flew in during the late afternoon and we headed to a family party at El Ranchero.

At Chickfila for my B-day lunch... I love nuggets.

Yummy Cinnamon Ice Cream

Family Pic at El Ranchero

On Saturday, Kristin and my in-laws helped decorate the pavilion at the park. We got home just in time to get the kids ready for the party. The weather was a little cooler than we had hoped for, but at least the rain stayed away. We had delicious homemade deer chili and roasted marshmallows for dessert.

Setting Up the Cupcakes

Party Favors for Kids and Adults

Nonnie and Cole ready to party

Madison helping out

Cole and Madison greeting the guests

Granddaddy Corder

The Myers

Cousin Jake

The Cake Table

Cole really enjoyed his cake. He ate and ate. He also enjoyed his first turkey sandwich for lunch (which was cut into the shape of a deer, of course). Cole and Madison crashed as soon as the got to the house. They both took long naps before the Myers headed back home for their Sunday photo shoot.

Cole's Smash Cake

Quick family pic before the cake

The Bailey's

The Pomeroy-Bailey's

Mommy and Me

This is so good...why have I never had this before, mom?

I am ready for a nap, please.

See you next year...
We had a great weekend celebrating with everyone.

One Week Paci Free

2010-11-10T19:17:00.001-08:00

I decided that we would try to pull the paci before Cole turned one. He only used it for naps and at night, so last Tuesday we put Cole down for the night without it. He has been paci free ever since. The time change has made it a little diffucult. I have been tempted to pull out the paci just to get him to sleep until 6:30 am instead of waking at 5:30 am which is what he has been doing since Sunday morning. This morning he woke at 5:30, cried for a few minutes and then fell back asleep until 6:40, so he is making progress. Thank goodness.

Freedom...

2010-11-10T19:10:00.000-08:00

I started weening Cole about a month ago. About three weeks ago, I started dropping pumps. As of Tuesday, I am officially off the pump. Though I have enjoyed breastfeeding and pumping to provide Cole with milk, I am so ready to go somewhere without a pump. That was 361 straight days of milking myself. Stephen and I guesstimated that I spent over 37.5 days this year pumping/breastfeeding. On to the next phase...

Trick or Treat

2010-10-31T19:42:00.000-07:00

Our church has a fall festival every Halloween. Cole enjoyed the preschool play area the most. We tried some of the carnival games, but he really wasn't interested in the rubber duck pond, fishing hole or ring toss. We did win cookies in the cookie crawl (A cake walk for little ones). I think he had the most fun crawling down the hallways. When the carnival ended we went to a block party to hang out with our neighbors. We stayed down at the party passing out candy until about 7:30 and then we headed home to get Cole in bed. I think there are still Trick or Treaters out there. We turned off the lights in hope that no one would knock on the door or ring the doorbell. We definitely had a great family weekend.

First "Real" Haircut

2010-10-31T19:14:00.000-07:00

We took Cole yesterday for his first big boy haircut. He did way better than I expected. He started out holding his GloWorm, then he chewed on a perm roller, and finally we pulled out the lollipop. One lick and he was hooked. The lady did a great job, but when she finished she grabbed the blow dryer to blow off the hair on his neck and shirt and she also blew the hair we were saving into the air. It was laying on foil on her table. Oh well, when we got home my mom cut off a little piece for me to put in his book. This is actually the fourth or fifth time we have cut his hair. The first from a professional. I would have saved the hair from the first time we cut it, but Stephen threw it away. Here is a video clip of the big event and a few pics.

Mom, what were you thinking?

Where is the GloWorm's nose?

All finished...no more baby fuzz

Plaza By The Bay

2010-10-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Downtown La Porte has an event every Thursday in October. Stephen and I took Cole to dinner in downtown and then over to the Five Points Plaza. This week's event was a bazaar put on by local businesses and the high school. The evening was cool and crisp. It was a nice end to a wonderful day. Here are a couple of pics and a video.

Punkin at the Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-28T18:22:00.001-07:00

We took Cole on Tuesday to a local pumpkin patch set up at the Methodist church down the street. They had lots of picture spots set up, so decided to give it a whirl. Cole was definitely more interested in eating their delicious grass, but we did manage to get some good pics. Here are a few of my favorites.

Watch out girls, here I come...

Hey Mom, Can we have this one?Where is Cinderella?
Here a couple of videos too. I love my flip camera.

Oktoberfest at PHS

2010-10-27T18:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday my school had its annual carnival for the neighborhood kids. My BPA students had a booth that I came to check on. Cole came along for the fun. Here he is in his first Halloween costume.

Race for the Cure/Coen's Shower Weekend

2010-10-18T18:54:00.000-07:00

We headed out Friday afternoon to spend the weekend with my college friends. We arrived in Frisco just in time to put Cole to bed. Chad grilled some delicious burgers and we had a nice "kid-free" dinner and sat up to chat. We awoke Saturday morning at the wee hour of 5:30 a.m. so we could get ready to head to Race for the Cure.

Cole in the car on the way to the race

Stephen and I managed to get separated from the group and parked, what seemed to be a mile away, at a local church. We found Kristin, Chad, Brandy and Madison about 8:00 and began to line up for the big race.

Cole is ready to go.Stephen has been training for a month and was looking forward to jogging. Jogging what is that? Dallas RFTC has a 5K run/walk and we were stuck behind a majority of walkers.

This is what Cole decided to do during the race. He wants to to "Sleep in for the Cure" next year.Stephen went on ahead and managed to dart around the crowd. Brandy and I tried to break free from the pack, but never managed to go even a fast-walk pace. Oh well, we had a nice time catching up. We crossed the start line about 23 minutes into the race and finished at one hour and 45 minutes.

After the raceWe pushed through the crowd after the race and had a few Skinny Cow bars at one of the booths. Daddy and Aunt Brandy let him lick all over their ice cream bars.

Cole loved his ice cream treat. After the race we went to Breadwinners for lunch. It was the first time we ordered off the menu for Cole.

He had sand dollar pancakes and bananas.

After lunch we went to house to relax and put the kids down for a nap. Cole decided to sleep for about 30 minutes, so he was ready for bed early that evening. The baby shower for Kim and Andrew was Saturday evening. Mrs. Bongiovanni, Marisa's mom, came over to babysit the kids. It was the first time Cole had a sitter that wasn't a grandparent. Because he decided not to take a nap that afternoon, he fell asleep at the table while eating his leftover pancakes from lunch. Daddy went ahead and put him to bed.

The shower was nice. Kim looked adorable. So tiny with not much time left to grow. We had great time with all our friends. Sunday morning Cole decided to wake up around 6 a.m. Daddy was nice enough to watch him so I could get another hour of sleep; however, I could hear Cole banging on Madison's piano as well as Daddy whispering "Cole...Cole Thomas...No" in my sleep. We packed up after a wagon ride with the kiddies and headed back to Houston.

Cole's first wagon ride. Somebody was ready for his nap.

Before we left Miss Madison asked for a makeup lesson from her resident Mary Kay lady. She loved swirling my brushes in my makeup and brushing it all over her face. Too cute. I did teach her that "less is more" when makeup is concerned. I know what she will be getting for Christmas from Auntie Steph and her boyfriend Cole..though he says he likes her just the way she is....no makeup needed.

Cole was out within 30 seconds. We hadn't even left the neighborhood.

On Sunday night Cole had whole milk for the first time. We have begun the weaning process. Oh yeah, baby. He seemed to do o.k. Let's hope his tummy agrees with the changes.

Birthday Invite Photo Shoot

2010-10-12T19:15:00.000-07:00

Last week we tried to get a good picture to put on Cole's birthday invitations. Can you believe his birthday is one month from today? Here are a few shots that didn't make the cut. I like them all, but I wanted him to be looking at the camera and not have his hands in his mouth. You'd think I was asking for a million dollars. Those shots were a dime a dozen.

Pictures my dad and I took in my parent's backyard

Pictures my father-in-law took with his hunting props

Dental Checkup

2010-09-25T07:41:00.000-07:00

Six teeth and counting...Front four up top and two down below...he has been chewing on everything, but that's not anything new. He seems to like the all natural teething tablets. He gets three at night before bed; they seem to be working or it's all in my head. Either way, he is still sleeping 11 to 12 hours a night and we definitely want to keep it that way.

Big Boy Pj's

2010-09-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Tonight we put Cole in "big boy" pj's. His nine month zippies are starting to get a little snug. Can you believe he will be 10 months old tomorrow? So sad.

Labor Day Weekend

2010-09-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we had a nice time just hanging around the house and visiting some of our favorite local spots. Saturday morning we headed to El Ranchero for pancakes, Cole's favorite. That afternoon we decided to take Cole to get a snow cone and then go over to Grammie and Paw's house to swim. Here is a pic of Cole with his first snow cone. It was rainbow flavor.

Sunday we had a few friends over. There were kiddo's everywhere. Too bad the housekeeper came on Friday. My floors were NASTY and Stephen and I had to sweep and mop as soon as everyone left. Here is a pic of Cole at Target chewing on a bag of candy corn. I had to have something to put in my candy bowls for the party.

Monday we went down to Kemah despite the gloomy weather. We had a nice lunch at Cadillac Bar and Grill and then took Cole on the grand tour of the boardwalk. Cole LOVES guacamole. He is a true Texan.

Here is a pic of Cole and Daddy in jail. I told them next time I wouldn't bother bailing them out. :)

Organizing Extravaganza

2010-09-05T19:25:00.000-07:00

Cole loves to organize his closet. He must take after his mother. Here is "Homey G" helping mommy put away some of his ill-fitting clothes.

Cole's First High School Football Game

2010-09-02T19:02:00.000-07:00

The Mighty Eagles are off to a great start...3-0 The best start since 2006. Here is Cole at the game. He looks thrilled to be there, huh? He actually really liked people watching, listening to the band, and wondering why all the people were screaming and standing when the ball crossed the goal line. Needless to say, we didn't stay for the halftime routine. Cole was exhausted.

Cole's First Starbucks

2010-08-30T19:14:00.000-07:00

Grande, Decaf, Nonfat, Latte with Sugar Free Caramel, please

So high maintenance :)

Cole's First Buggy Ride at Church

2010-08-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

Nine Month Check Up

2010-08-28T08:05:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday we took Cole for his nine month check up. I knew there were no shots this time (which made me happy and Cole too, I'm sure). Much too our surprise they needed to prick his finger to check his iron. Say what? It was way worse than getting shots. After the nurse pricked his finger, she put on a bandaid which, of course, Cole wanted to put in his mouth. Stephen and I couldn't even hear the doctor over the screaming (Yes, Cole has begun to throw fits). We didn't want him to swallow the bandaid, which Cole had already sucked off. There was blood all over Stephen's hand, Cole's face, the floor, the table. He is definitely a good bleeder, unlike his mommy. If they do this again, I am going to suggest it happen right before we go. Seriously...

Otherwise, the appointment went good. He was a little low in two areas of his iron (which the doctor said was common for breast milk babies), so he is taking a vitamin supplement in his cereal. The measurements were as follows:
Height: 29 1/4 inches 74%
Weight: 19 lbs 11 oz 30%
Head: 17 3/4 inches 38%

Here are a few pics from the appointment.

At the weigh in...

Before the prick...

Before the bandaid...the prick didn't bother him

Church Promotion

2010-08-15T18:50:00.000-07:00

Cole has been in the baby room at church since his first Sunday. My mother-in-law is a worker in that class, so even though Cole started crawling in June he hasn't been promoted to the crawler class yet. Sunday School promotion for all the kids classes is next week. We got a letter in the mail that Cole was going to be moving up. I was definitely glad. Someone was always holding him or he was in some sort of contraption (walker, bouncy, etc.)in the baby room and it's time to let the wild man free. When we got to church today they went ahead and put Cole in his new class. Stephen stayed in the class to help because we work in the nursery once a six weeks. When I saw Stephen during our bible study class he told me Cole had taken a pacifier out of another kid's mouth and crawled off with it. The other boy screamed bloody murder and Stephen realized what had happened before Cole had the paci in his mouth. He also said that Cole was all up in everyone's business. He was definitely not used to having so many friends to play with. When we went to pick up Cole after bible study my aunt was in his room and she said he pulled another boy's hair. Wild man is on the loose. My favorite thing about this class is that they have the cutest snack table ever. I have been waiting for the day that Cole would sit at this table. Here are is pic of Cole in his new class in his new outfit.

Haircut With The Clippers

2010-08-15T18:27:00.001-07:00

We have trimmed Cole's hair several times already. I have yet to keep any hair because I've told myself that these home haircuts really don't count. I have trimmed the comb over, around the ears and lately I have been wanting to thin out the sides. I had a genius idea to use Stephen's clippers (with a six guard..the highest we had.) We put Cole in his walker and gave him one of his new favorite toys, his nasal aspirator. Gross, I know, but it is sterilized and we haven't used it on his nose in a long while. It's crazy how he used to hate that thing coming near his nose, but now he loves to stick it in his mouth. Back to the story...As Stephen began to trim the sides all Cole wanted to do was turn around and see where the noise was coming from. I don't know if it was the poorly sharpened clippers or the texture of Cole's fine hair, but the clippers didn't quite work out like I had hoped. They did thin out his sides some and we ended up trimming the top with a pair of scrap booking scissors. Cole will definitely be going to a professional before his first birthday for a real haircut. He are a few before and after shots.

BEFORE

Cole before the big trim AKA Bozo the Clown... do yall remember that show?

AFTER

Post Bathtime fun

Houston's Children's Musuem

2010-08-09T15:32:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we had a family outing to the Children's Musuem. They have a area on the second floor called "Tot Spot." It is for kids ages birth-3 years only. Cole had a great time crawling around and exploring. After he played he slept in the stroller while Stephen and I looked around. It will be so cool to bring him there when he is old enough to do all the fun stuff. Here are a few pics of Cole in action.

A "Tun" of Fun

Crawling up to slide down with daddy

Learning his colors

Cole loves to look in the mirror. Who is that big boy?

Everytime we enter or leave the room Cole is our offical light switch operator.

Playing with mommy

Cruising for babes

Checking the air in the tires.

Big Boy Car Seat

2010-08-09T15:25:00.000-07:00

Well we finally decided to move Cole to his "big boy car seat" on July 24th. He was a few weeks shy of nine months and was getting sooooooooo heavy. He still sleeps pretty well in the car and our only issue is on Sundays after church we have to hold him while he naps at lunch. He never naps at church. There is always too much fun to be had. Here is a pic of his new seat in dad's suv.