First Day of Preschool



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

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

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

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

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

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

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