Spring Has Sprung

Have I mentioned that Cole is growing way too fast? We started our Spring Break off on the right foot today for sure. First, we met up with Heather, Brandy, Allyson, and Kiley at the Yellow River Game Ranch so the kids could interact with all the friendly animals (and so the ladies could catch a little bit of chat time). I'm pretty sure Cole shares my love for animals. Watch out, Daddy, we may have to adopt a new fur baby one day soon for our little man!

Later, we all went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. Well, I think the kids really just wanted to go mostly for the outdoor playground and ice cream. I've brought Cole to these sorts of playgrounds before, but, in the past, he usually just ran around on the ground and climbed in and out of the bottom portion of the slide. Not today! He figured out how to walk all the way up the tubular slide and climb the plastic platform staircase. He was all over that jungle gym contraption. What a big boy!

Eighteen Months

My little man is so full of personality. I'm loving this age. He's still my baby, but he is becoming quite independent as well. Here are a few things Cole loves to do at 18 months: follow and mimic Daddy's every move, jump (he tries, anyway), pretend to play Wii, pretend to talk on the phone, EAT, sit on Papa's motorcycle, read books, take baths with bubbles, play with Legos, and nap with Mommy and blanket. He's beginning to say phrases too like "Daddy, where are you?" and "I don't know." He has a bit of an attitude sometimes, and he definitely has Mommy's short fuse. However, he melts my heart when he chases me down for a kiss and does his best to say, "I love you."

Fun in the Fall

Cole and I started celebrating Fall in Missouri. We visited Purina Farms. I enjoyed the lesson on milking a cow, watching the dog show (especially the dock diving part), and going on the hay ride (even though Cole didn't exactly want to sit still). I think Cole's favorite part was playing in the corn. Then, when we got back home, we went with Jackie, Kyle, and Hailey to Corn Dawg's. I didn't realize we had such a fun place to go so close to home. Hailey braved a mini zip line, I went down a scary long slide, we all ate really unhealthy carnival-type food, and Cole had a blast in a huge corn pit.

This year's Pumpkin Party was probably my favorite. It was so cool to watch Cole interact with the other kids. Plus, I had lots of help with getting ready (sorry about your fingers, JP) and running the party itself. Thank you, everybody! Megan, you were the perfect mini-hostess.
Cole went trick-or-treating for the first time this Halloween. Last year, he was a super-cute scarecrow, but he was barely old enough to hold his head upright in the stroller as we followed the other kids. Our little Harley dude didn't make it very far, but he had a great time.

Play Time

Cole's favorite thing to say right now is "Happy, happy, happy!" while he's running around playing. It's hard to keep up. He is so full of energy. I'm loving his big smiles and free spirit.

Sick, Sick, Sick

Poor Cole-Man has had an on-again/off-again fever for the past three weeks. Welcome back to daycare and back to school! I feel so helpless. His doctor sees no cause for the fevers, so she assumes it's a virus. Poor baby! He's been so cranky lately. I miss his sweet giggles.