Fun with family

We went to Alabama last Tuesday and spent the week with Mawmaw and Pawpaw.  We even got to see Misty and Chris and Josh and Jamie.  The boys were in heaven with all that attention! :-) 

Cole being silly in Pawpaw's glasses.

We went to Tannehill State Park one day and fed the ducks and did a little hiking.

We also went to the Birmingham Zoo.  Mawmaw and Pawpaw (and us!) have gotten their money's worth out of the zoo membership.  

Sweet little baby.

Feeding the pelicans.

And feeding the giraffes.

Misty and Chris moved back to Tuscaloosa so we went and saw them while they were unpacking.  Cole and Uncle Chris made a rocket out of one of the boxes.  

We went to McDonald's and Cole got a dipped cone. So good!

Aunt Misty had the magic touch and got Crosby to sleep!

So good and so messy!

We also went to the McWane Center one day.  It is a super cool and big science center and even better is it is free for military until Labor Day.   We all had fun!

It wore this lil' guy out!

We had a great week with family!  Schools starts next Wednesday so we are trying to fit in as much fun and family time as we can!  Thanks for having us MB and Francis and for your hospitality!  We love you both and are so thankful for you and your involvement in our kids lives!

4 months

Crosby is now 4 months old.  At his doctor's appointment a week ago he weighed 16 lbs, 15 oz. and was 25 inches long.  He still nurses like a champ and eats about every 2 hours during the day.  I never thought I would say this, but I LOVE breastfeeding him.  I now encourage new mothers to at least TRY it.  I realize it's not for everyone, but if I can try it then anyone can.  

Crosby was sleeping really well at night and then he started getting up again.  He is now back and forth.  Some nights he does great, other nights not so much.  The good thing is I can nurse him and we can both be back to sleep within 10 minutes of him getting up.  I have gotten used to being more sleep deprived so it doesn't bother me like it used to.  

He is becoming less fussy and for the most part is a pleasant little guy.  He recently started rolling over and is holding on to toys more and more.  It is amazing how he can change and grow within a matter of days.

We love you Cros and are enjoying watching you grow!

Camp

Cole went to camp this past week at the Back 40 Petting Farm.  It was as southern and back woods as they get, but he LOVED it.  He got to play with animals, make crafts, swim and jump on the trampoline all week so it was right up his alley.  He was filthy dirty every afternoon when I picked him up, especially on "mud day".  :-)

Ready for camp!

Practicing with the horses.  

Walking the horse.  

And riding.

The camp kids.   Cole did this camp with two of his buddies, Ryan and Wyatt.  Doing stuff with friends makes fun stuff even more fun!

Cole and his leader, Mr. Billy. He received a horse trophy on the last day.

Holding a squirmy rabbit.

It was a great week and Cole came home worn out each day so I would say it was a success! :-)

Cole is 5!

Cole is excited about turning 5!

And even more excited to start kindergarten in just 3 short week!  My how the summer has FLOWN by!

So handsome!

This little guy is pretty handsome too!

Crosby rockin' the same moccasins that Cole wore as a baby.

In case I haven't mentioned it, I sure LOVE having two boys!  These guys melt my heart!

Cole and his best friend, Chloe.  She loves Crosby.  

For his actual birthday day, he chose Chuck-E-Cheese (no surprise there!) so I loaded up him, Chloe and Crosby and we drove the hour to Tupelo.  They were excited to see the mouse himself.  

After Chuck-E-Cheese we headed to Yogurt Extreme.  Cole (and I!) love frozen yogurt and we love loading it up with all our favorite toppings.  We have two frozen yogurt places in Columbus but we don't get there near enough! 

We had a fun day celebrating this little guy.  And as everyone says...I can't believe he is already 5!  It really is crazy how fast the time flies.  It is true...the days are long, but the years are short.  Looking forward to continuing to watch him grow.

Ninja Turtle Party

We celebrated Cole's birthday yesterday with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle party (his choice!).  It was kind of deja vu because I played and watched Ninja Turtles when I was a kid.  What goes around, comes around.

The birthday boy (he will officially be 5 on Tuesday).

 Brothers in their matching shirts.

Love these boys!

I kept it more simple this year and just made a bunch of cupcakes with fondant turtles on top.  Much less time consuming than making a cake!

The food table before the pizza got here.

Singing Happy Birthday.

The best in-laws a girl could have!  It was great having Jonathan's sister and her husband and his brother and his wife as well as his parents join us.  I truly love Jonathan's family just like they are my own.  So thankful for them!  My sister and her kids as well as my dad came too. Unfortunately I was a slacker on the photography front and didn't get any pictures.  

We rented a big bounce house and the kids had a blast jumping and playing.  Cole was so excited for his birthday party and seemed genuinely thankful.  He hugged me and thanked me at the end of the day.  Those are the moments that remind me why I work so hard to throw parties for him! He is a special and loved little guy!