Friday, August 6, 2010

The only thing you can do when it's 103 degrees outside

It has been brutally hot the last few days here, and because I don't like to get all wet at one time, Momma gives me buckets and cups and the hose to play with to keep cool.
What a perfect water fountain!

Well, maybe not perfect. It comes out a little fast for a small mouth.

Let's try this. I know, you're thinking "Gross!" That's the same thing that Momma says, but I'm so quick that she can't keep me from sneaking a cool sip every now and then...

It's particularly easy when she's taking pictures. I know she doesn't want to get that camera wet, so drink up!

Stay thirsty my friends...





Thursday, July 8, 2010

You're never too young to be indoctrinated

Like Father Like Son

Couponing - is it worth it?

Momma's new hobby is couponing which is a high-tech, highly organized industry these days, and after 3 months of figuring it out and building up her coupon portfolio, she has managed to knock about $100/month off the grocery/everything-you-can-get-at-Walmart budget (she could knock off more if she would feed us more trashy food, but she still has her standards).
No, this isn't going to become a couponing blog - my little life is much too important to be edged out - but Momma thought she would just send a little encouragement to those who are feeling like it's just not worth the effort. The items above were purchased at Target yesterday for a grand total of $6.30.
Raisin Bran Crunch x 4
FiberPlus Antioxidants x 4
Olay Body Wash x 3
Ivory Body Wash x 1
Ivory Bar Soap (10-pack) x 2
Degree Travel Size Deodorant x 2
Vaseline Travel Size Lotion x 1
4-pack of plastic Apothecary bottles x 1
Momma talking: This was, admittedly, one of the best deal scenarios I've run across in my short couponing life, but it goes to show that just using coupons you can change your total from $48.00 to $6.00 if you're diligent. Where do I find these coupons? I get 2 copies of the Sunday paper and a 3rd copy from Thomas's grandmother, and I follow 2 blogs: http://www.southernsavers.com/ (mostly use this one for the weekly Kroger deals list) and http://www.hip2save.com/ (she finds every coupon, freebie, sample, and deal under the sun). A third blog that I have recently become a big fan of for its great emphasis on a lifestyle of saving money as a means of blessing our families and having more to give away (not just to grasp every last penny we can with clenched fists) is http://www.moneysavingmom.com/ - happy couponing!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Iowa - my Dutch homeland

Daddy likes to downplay that I'm half-Dutch, but I'm proud of my heritage - and Mommy is too, so she took me to Iowa, the closest I'll probably get to my Dutch homeland.
Here I am checking out the phone booth in the airport. There were several booths in a row which I then referred to as a "Choo Choo" which sounds like "Too Too" in my baby voice.

First we went to Grandma and Smitty's house in Orange City. I got to go to the park, a garage sale, and the best outing to Pizza Ranch where I drank a whole kids' cup of pink lemonade.

Then we went to Grandpa and Grandma's farm in Sheldon and ate tavern (that's what they call sloppy joe's) and dried beef sandwiches (why the South hasn't figured out how delicious dried beef is I'm not sure).

And the last night that we were in The Homeland we got to go to a real live Iowa auction. When people move into a retirement home or pass away they usually have an auction of their household items and you can come and bid on anything you want as the auctioneer talks 300 miles a minute. Grandpa bought a weed eater but we just enjoyed the experience. One of Mommy's favorite things to do on their Iowa vacation every summer when she was a little girl was to go to auctions and look for old jewelry, scarves, pretty cards, and any other treasures.

I'll wait over here in the shade. Even though Iowa is in the North, it was still in the 90's while we were there, but we had a great time! Mommy would like to take a moment to thank the people we sat by on the 6 different flights we took to get to Iowa and back. I only cried like I was being tortured for 15 minutes on one flight before falling asleep. I was a pretty good boy otherwise but I'm still a little wiggly. Thankfully everyone from a South African high school grad to a pharmaceutical sales manager were very understanding and kind. I think it was becuase I'm so cute :)




Friday, June 11, 2010

The Maestro Duo

Freeman and I tickling the old ivories man-style.

Back to practice, boys!


Keeping cool inside

We spend most of our mornings outside and afternoons inside because of the heat, so Momma has to keep on her toes to keep me entertained. One day she let me play with her embroidery looms....

which I had a grand time with....

One day she made me a tent and I was convinced that I had to get under it going backwards the whole time instead of crawling in and then turning around :)

I eventually got under there though!

And I love to wrestle with Daddy and play games. One day I found all my burp cloths that I like to sleep with in a drawer and had a ball playing "steal the burpy" with Daddy - I couldn't stand him having even one of the 10 burpies I had found so we stole them back and forth over and over.





The zoo in Mississippi heat

Momma's Bible Study group went to the zoo this week. Last summer I spent most of the time indoors and now I understand why. Mississippi in the summer is....whew....

Notice my red face and ever-ready sippy cup hydration - but the heat didn't stop me from exploring such an interesting place.

This was me at most exhibits, the last one there. Not because I was so fascinated by most of them, I just get easily side-tracked by railings, fences, bushes, rocks, sticks, and most other things you find at a zoo :)

Momma even let me ride the train! She said this was the first time she had ever gotten to ride the train at the zoo and she's like 15 times as old as I am....I must be pretty special :)





Sunday, May 30, 2010

Cole at 18 months

Many thanks to my very talented friend Erin Fults for another great job capturing some memories of our precious son. http://www.erinfults.com/

Cole's personality: Cole is generally cautious, doesn't like anything "wild" or uncontrolled, and is generally very obedient. He rarely wanders off and prefers to play in whatever room or area of the yard Momma or Daddy are in. He has a very sweet personality 90% of the time and we really have a lot of fun together during the day. He plays well by himself and his new favorite spot is sitting in his booster seat at the table and playing with cars and other toys on the table. He loves to be outside (as long as it's not too hot), play in the dirt, and most of all 'help' by putting anything and everything in the trash can. He loves to play with small amounts of water but isn't interested in a kiddie pool of it - he'd much rather play with the hose or a bucket of it. One of his favorite things to do is collect items in his arms. He will spend large amounts of time trying to figure out how to gather all the items he wants to hold into his arms at the same time.

Favorite toys: Balls, his plastic dinosaur, his wooden hammer from Aunt Carolyn, his plastic sheep that makes a "Baaa" sound when you push the button on it, books, his flashlight, cars (anything that rolls gets a "Choo Choo" sound - whether it be a train or not :)), the P90X resistance bands, anything small that can be collected in his hands or arms and carried around the house, any phone (or anything that resembles a phone), his tag-along wooden snail from Aunt Jill, his toy piano (he's recently gotten into dancing), and on the rare occasion that I let him play with the baby wipes, pulling those out and putting them back in is GRAND fun.

Eating habits: He would eat a banana at every meal if given the opportunity, he loves red grapes as well but no other fruits unless they're mixed with something. Loves green beans and corn but no other veggies unless mixed with something. Loves cheese and any kind of meat other than white meat chicken (he loves dark meat). Loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, yogurt, cottage cheese, pasta, and rice. He's not a big snacker. Generally he eats 3 meals a day with a snack for diversion but not because he seems hungry.


Milestones: By 1 year old he was eating pretty much all table food. He started crawling at 10 months and cruising almost immediately after that. He took his first step Dec. 19 (14 months old) at Aunt Jill's wedding reception but his cautious nature kept him from being a full-time walker until he was 16 months old. He hated falling (still does) and is a very careful walker because of that. His first discernable word was "bracelet" at 18 months followed by "bye-bye", "dada", "night-night", "ball", "dinosaur", and now at 19 months he attempts to say most of the words we ask him to. He can say "mama" but never uses it to address his momma :(. He's still a little confused on sounds so it's hard to know what else he's saying. Such as, every time you ask him to say "Mimi" he says "Na-na" so he may be speaking in full sentences and we just haven't learned the lingo yet :).


Sleep: 95% of the time he loves to go to bed. He doesn't want you to read a story or sing a song or do a "bedtime routine". Once it's time for bed, he's ready to be put in, prayed for, snuggle up with his blanket, burp cloth, cup, and a few toys, and be left alone. He plays in his bed for 20 minutes or so after you put him in there, but never talks while he's playing like he does the rest of the day. He plays quietly and eventually falls asleep. Naps are also usually uneventful and he often smiles when you lay him down as he cuddles up with his blanket. He appreciates sleep :)


Cole is such a joy to have. He has such a sweet personality, isn't stubborn or strong-willed at this point, and happily be-bops around the house after Momma while she does chores and "helps" unload the dishwasher, put laundry in the dryer, pick up his toys (with lots of direction), and is just a little treasure. He loves to wrestle with Daddy when he gets home and LOVES to play "stealing" games with him where he steals the pillow from under Daddy's head and then Daddy steals it back and on and on it goes. Not that he's never a pill, but generally speaking his sweet nature that I felt like he had in the womb has continued from that time on. Pitching a fit for him generally consists of a few wails whle bending over looking through his legs (not sure why this is) or sitting down, and then he's usually able to move on. He's gone through spurts of kicking, hitting, and a few days of biting, but those are generally short-lived and then we get a reprieve for a few weeks from the angry fits and go back to the ones that he doesn't put much effort into. What a blessing and a treasure God has given us in our wonderful boy.






Friday, May 21, 2010

To the beach we go! Gulf Shores April 2010

Mommy and Daddy love to go to Gulf Shores, and this spring we got to go with a bunch of Mommy's family too. There were 6 kids 4 years old and younger - we had quite the time :)

This is me for the millisecond I stayed in the wagon with a beach toy. I'm not a fan of sand, wind, or uncontrolled water, so the beach is a bit of a stretch for me.

Nana and Aunt Rachel enjoying the sun, wind, and sand.

THIS is where I was happiest - not touching any of the aforementioned items. Sophie knows too, she spent a good part of the first day in the wagon scoping out the situation.



I'm embarking on the 4-foot walk to Mommy's chair. Have I mentioned that I hate sand?





Now THIS is where the fun is had!

My Mommy knew I wouldn't like the beach, so she brought me a swimming pool. But I wasn't interested in that either. What I WAS interested in, though...

are very small streams of water. Now THIS is fun!

And I happily played in the spigot trickle for quite some time. A boy doesn't need the ocean to have fun, he just needs a small stream of water :)