A Few of Kole's Favorite Things

Well, Winter has officially arrived---last night to be exact. The weather has been pretty mild the past few weeks but today is another story. I measured 5 inches of snow on the deck today. I thought it would be fun to take Kole outside for some fun in the snow. I bundled him all up in his snowsuit and boots and out we went. Let's just say snow is NOT one of Kole's favorite things. You'd think I was torturing the kid the way he was screaming. Well, he better get used to the cold because we have quite a few months of this ahead of us!

Kole is FINALLY cutting his two top teeth! I was worried we'd have to ask Santa for his two front teeth! They are both coming in at the same time and it's obvious in the way he's been acting lately. Between his mood swings and mine, it's been a lovely house to live in the past week.

Kole has a few favorites lately and since we had the camera out today I snapped some pics of him with his favorite things or doing something he loves. Well, we ruled out that Kole HATES the snow, so that's not one of them. He loves playing in his bedroom. However the door must be shut when he's playing. One of his favorite toys is a metal box of magnetic letters and numbers I picked up on Craig's List for 5 bucks. He loves throwing the letters out of the box on to the floor then putting them all back in the box. He also loves to sit in his chair in his bedroom. He's really good at climbing in and sitting down on his bottom (Thank you Auntie Rae for teaching him this one). He climbs in and out and in and out. He also loves his toy duck. Yes, that light up duck is still around and he loves it. He calls it "guck". He hands it to me to "turn on" the lights. Kole LOVES chicken! He eats about half to three-quarters of a chicken breast for dinner when we have it and eats cut up chicken for lunch. He has a wonderful appetite now and I'm hoping it lasts. Most of you know this but Kole loves his Veggie Tales. He now understands me when I mention "Veggies"---he beelines for the living room and waits for me to turn them on. He also loves to run around the living room with his hands in the air and his head thrown back yelling. Our living room is more like Kole's living room. Filled with all of his toys and pretty well child proofed. Now that we have the Christmas tree up he likes to touch the tree and mess with the ornaments. Well, as you can see from the picture we now have a lovely gate surrounding the tree. Kole still loves to touch the tree but now it's over the gate and sometimes he tries to "climb" on the gate. Kole loves his books too. He likes to throw them out of a little yellow container in his room and pick out his favorites. He'll either go over to a little spot near the door and read it or bring it to me to read. And of course last but not least Kole's very favorite thing in the whole world.....Jersey. The dog and Kole are BFFs. Jersey sits under Kole's high chair waiting for something to drop and sometimes Kole feeds the dog if he's full or doesn't like what he's eating (like carrots). Kole yanks on Jersey's tail and she doesn't even care. They "play" with certain toys together and Kole just cracks up. He knows how to let Jersey out of her crate and does so each morning (and even when she's being punished in her crate). Jersey is sweet and likes to give Kole kisses---yesterday it was a full kiss from chin to forehead at least two or three times. Kole just laughs. He also laughs when Jersey is being a "space hog" and knocks him down on his butt. But just try getting a picture of them together....they are both far to quick and restless for that!

Here are a bunch of pics and a few vids for you to enjoy!! Most of it is from today (I was having fun with my camera, what can I say?)

HATING the snow

Still HATING it

What the heck is this stuff?

A bit of a smile

What did I do to deserve this?

sticking tongue out

feeling just okay...

Jersey on the other hand...she LOVES the snow!

CHICKEN!!!

Hangin' out in his chair

Kole's "guck"

Watching Veggies

Crazy man

Throwing out the books

Kole and our lovely Christmas tree behind the gate

His letters in a box

Kole "loving" the snow

Giving Jersey a treat

Jersey trying to get her own lunch

Jersey having fun in the snow!

I Heart Vacation

Sorry for the late posts these days. Here are some pics from our sunny vacation in San Juan, Puerto Rico!! We arrived on a Tuesday late afternoon and checked out our hotel at the Ritz-Carlton (super nice!) and the adjoining casino. We went out for an authentic Puerto Rican dinner which totally sucked. Up the next morning and walked to the corner for some breakfast and then off to the beach and pool for the day! Ahhh, so relaxing! It felt good to get my pasty white skin some sun too!! Didn't stay at the beach too long; it was super hot and the ocean was like bath water and not too refreshing. I found a spot at the pool and asked for a floatie and floated in the pool for awhile. Seth and I met up with some friends at the pool and decided to go get some lunch at the poolside cafe. We had the best jerk-chicken nachos ever!! Sounds gross but they were so delicious!! More fun in the sun for the remainder of the day until we had our group dinner reception later that night. Up the next day for some breakfast and a little sun before we left for our Bacardi Rum tour. Sort of lame. Especially for me who could not partake in the yummy looking rum drinks after the tour. Dinner that night at a place called Toro Salao. It's a tapas restaurant and holy cow were we FED!! I thought the food was delicious but Seth just thought it was "okay" (naturally). I think Seth may have had about 12 mojitos while I splurged on a diet Coke. Again, the food was so GOOD!! Off to the casino after we returned to the hotel. The next morning found me at the pool while Seth went on a deep sea fishing trip. I waited and waited for him to come back and two hours after the group was supposed to be back they arrived at the hotel with NO fish! It was a total bust AND Seth got sick over the side of the boat! Later that night we went to a hacienda in the rainforest for dinner. The whole group went to this huge estate and had dinner, dessert, games and such. We left early (I was so tired) but still had a a nice time. We got home and Seth found himself in the casino :) He did win a little bit, but considering that we've been putting money in with no return on the other times in the casino, we hardly won. The next day started out at the pool and then we decided to go into Old San Juan (the main part of the city where the "tourists" go) for some lunch and shopping. We had an excellent lunch and then lots of walking around the city going into the shops and browsing. A pair of earrings is the only thing I found that I wanted to take back home with me. Seth on the other hand found a really nice looking watch at a jewelry store and we went there a total of 4 times so Seth could be sure he was getting/making a good deal. In the end he FINALLY bought the watch!!!! We caught a trolley back to the hotel and had dinner at a local restaurant and then dessert with some friends at the hotel. Once again, Seth found himself at the casino and I packed up our things. I collapsed into bed and we left the next day. We checked in at the airport but interestingly enough, we didn't have to pay for our luggage to be checked AND our large suitcase was over the allowed 50 lbs. I didn't say anything to the lady checking us in but mentioned it to Seth on the way to our gate. We thought we lucked out! When we got on the plane I couldn't find our seats. I got a small pang of nervousness when I said something to the flight attendant but she just guided me to the opposite end of the plane towards FIRST CLASS!! Ah yes, Seth and I may have lost at the casino, but we hit the JACKPOT on the way home (which is why we didn't pay for our luggage to be checked---first class!). It was nice to sit in huge leather seats and to be greeted by name and asked what we'd like for breakfast. Ah yes, breakfast on real plates with real silverware and real glass for our beverages. A bloody mary for Seth, because he could and it was free of course, and because I secretly think he liked it when the flight attendant addressed him by Mr. Davis when she came by :) It was a lovely 3 hour and 45 minute flight!!
All in all it was a great vacation and very relaxing. Here are some pics:

View from my chair at the pool one day

Seth on the beach

The beach

Old San Juan

Old San Juan

Seth buying his watch--it's the one on the big poster in the background!

The store we frequented quite a bit for Seth's watch

The HUGE sandwich Seth ordered at lunch in Old San Juan

The Tapas restuarant we ate at on Thursday night

View from the fishing boat. I assume it's Old San Juan?

The fishing boat used on the trip--just kidding!

The LONG line at the free drink bar at the Bacardi Rum Distillery

Bacardi headquarters

A bartender showing us how to make a true mojito using Bacardi

The Bacardi Rum symbol---the bat represents family...

BBK

Don't forget to scroll down to see Kole's Halloween pics if you missed them. And by "if you missed them" I mean in the last two days since I just posted them. I'm a bit behind.
In any case I wanted to share with you Kole's new nickname. I think we call him everything these days: Koley, Koley-us, bugaboo, Mommy's Little Prince, oh you name it, we've called him that (of course only the sweet names). Well, another one came about: BBK. Can anyone guess what that stands for??? You can't get it? Okay, I'll tell you: Big Brother Kole :)
Yes, Kole will officially be a Big Brother this May. Oh and yes, you can call our house a circus because I'll be taking care of two kids under two, a 30 year old kid, and a 4 year old dog. We are on our way to having our own "ring" at the circus :) Naturally, I'll keep everyone posted on the progress of the babe. We've had one appt. already and the heartbeat sounded great. We are not going to find out the sex of the baby, sorry, you'll have to wait and be surprised along with us :)

Trick-or-Treat!

Sorry I'm so late with this one!!! I didn't get a chance to post it before vacation.
Trick or Treat, Smell my feet, Give me something good to eat. Remember that ‘ol saying? Well, let me tell you---it seems like the trick-or-treaters this year might as well have been saying that. We only had a couple of dozen kids come to the door plus one set of parents dressed up as ghosts who carried candy filled containers as well, but I had to practically beg them to say “trick or treat”. I held the candy hostage until they said the magic words. Some kids even rolled their eyes. Thank-yous were passed out more regularly though. I’ve heard the same thing from many other people as well this year. The kids seem “entitled” to “get” candy and it didn’t seem like a “treat” to them, just something they deserved. If MY kid ever acts like that, someone better tell me---I won’t have it! Geesh!
On a lighter note we did have fun this Halloween. Seth decided to leave for hunting at the last minute on Saturday so Kole and I were on our own. We left the house in the afternoon and headed for Aunt Rosie’s house. Auntie Rae was there as well and they both enjoyed seeing my dressed up little lion (Lily was on the fence, I think she may have been a bit scared). We then drove over to Aunt Paula’s house and got a chance for their family to enjoy the little lion as well. We drove over to Grammy’s house but were careful to hold our breath and stay about 5 feet away from her. It was pretty cute to see Kole get so excited to see his Gram, but unfortunately he couldn’t get too close b/c of her being sick. It was sad; he really did try to wiggle loose and make a beeline for the stairs so he could play. It was sad for Grammy too. Soon enough, they’ll get to play J Naturally, the little lion fell asleep on the way home but was wide awake when we arrived home to pass out candy. Kole had a hay-day playing with the Halloween candy we were passing out; throwing it, talking to it, digging in the bin, you name it! This kept him well occupied for a good 25 minutes. He spied a cute little pirate at the door and hurried over with a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in hand. He gave it to the little boy and thought he was special. Oh, Kole---way to share!! Since we only had a few trick or treaters, I ended up giving out the candy by the handfuls---Score at 4848 Fuller!!
Enjoy our pics below.

ROAR!!!

making a mess with the candy

Digging for more

Hey, where'd that kid go?

Fall 2009

Well, it certainly is Fall here in Grand Rapids. Kole had his first experience with Robinette's a couple of weeks ago with Aunt Laura and Emily. Too bad it was raining but at least he had his first taste of one of their yummy doughnuts and apple cider! The weather has been crazy; cold and yucky then the past couple of days have been a bit warmer, like in the 50's. Yesterday and today the temps were in the 60's! The leaves are finally turning to warm fall colors; yellows, oranges, and reds. They are beautiful!

We took a trip to Bay City two weekends ago for a visit. It rained the entire way there and Kole only slept about 30 mintues of the trip. He was a good boy though and giggled in the backseat to keep himself occupied. Saturday was dry and we took a trip to see Gramps and later had pizza dinner at Nana's house with Jeff and Becky who were in town. Kim and Marilyn were there as well and we all had a nice visit. We went home on Sunday and was thankful to drive home in the sun vs. in the rain. Seth went hunting that weekend up at the cabin and saw nothing. Bummer.

We all went up north to the cabin last weekend and had fun. I went hunting with Seth on Saturday night--that was the first time I've done that and it really wasn't that bad, I'd do it again. Kole had fun learning to climb the stairs at the cabin. By the time we left he was a pro!

Kole and I went out today since it was so nice out! The sun was shining and the temps were in the high 60's! We set out for Orchard Hill Farm in Caledonia, just down the way from the Marshall's house. We got there and as I was getting Kole out of his seat a big bee flew in the car. I got Kole out just in time and tried to shoo the bee out. It was almost out and I quick shut the door so it wouldn't go back in. As soon as I did that I realized my purse with my keys were in the car. Yes, I had locked the car already. Damn! I called Seth a couple of times but didn't answer. Ugh! Well, at least we could have fun at the farm in the meantime. We found the pumpkins and it didn't take long for another bee to find us. Then another one, or the same one.... Needless to say we were being attacked by a bee/bees. I scooped Kole up and swung him around trying to free ourselves from the clutches of this bee. He thought it was funny and laughed when I would swing him around. Little did he know I was trying to avoid getting stung while being stuck at this farm. We went in the barn where they serve doughnuts and cider and thought we'd wait there for a bit. MORE BEES!! There was another family in there too and they had bees around them too. The owner armed them with a fly swatter to remedy the problem. What? Finally, Seth called back. I was a little frazzled which didn't help the situation but he was on his way home to get the spare key and then to bail me out of my bee hell. We walked around a minute or two then I noticed they were selling a bunch of HONEY. There was a section of the barn devoted to information on BEEKEEPING. For the love of the Lord---be a beekeeper or a pumpkin patch but DON'T be BOTH! If you advertise as a family farm with pumpkins, corn maze, cider and doughnuts and farm animals don't you think you'll get FAMILES with KIDS??? Do you think its smart to keep bees around FAMILIES with KIDS??? I was a little bit LIVID at this point but tried to find a place with as little bees as possible. This happened to be near the area of the farm animals. I tried to decide which is the lesser of two evils: bees that sting or smelly/germy barnyard animals. I voted for the smell and germs, however, we kept our distance from the animals and held Kole the whole time. He did like the animals and pointed at the ducks and the goats. He giggled a little bit too when we got a little closer. I heard my car alarm go off so I figured Seth arrived to bail us out of our bee hell. He was not mad like I figured he'd be but thankful this was only the first time in three years of marriage he had to bail me out from locking my keys in the car! He unlocked me and we were on our way (not before a full check of the inside of the car for bees). We never ended up with a pumpkin so we needed to find somewhere to get one. We drove a bit, which calmed me down, and found a cute place and got some nice pics. A family was selling their pumpkins and the kids were outside "helping". Kole thought that was the BEST part since he lights up when kids are around him. We got our pumpkins and headed home. Whew! What an afternoon!!!

Enjoy some of the pics from the second pumpkin patch and a video of Kole in the kitchen last week.

He held that little gourd for the majority of the time. We took it home.

Picking out little gourds

Uh, Mom....how do I pick this up?

He's smiling at a little girl

More flirting...

More flirting...

Excited to finally get to pick out some pumpkins!

He liked picking out a little gourd for himself

sleepy baby

Huntin' Time

Baby Steps

Well, it's been a week now since Kole took his first few steps. He hasn't really gained many more since then but he's working on it. I thought I'd trick him and move his activity table from him while he was playing (but not hanging on of course). Sure enough, he knew to move his feet and get to that table!! Good trick mommy! Since then though he's been "stepping" on his own without the need for tricks :)

Auntie Rae babysat for us last night while Seth and I went to a wedding. Kole had a blast and I have a sneaking suspicion that Auntie Rae might have been tired when she went home last night. Kole just is on constant "GO" when he's having a good time!!

The leaves are turning and Seth is TOTALLY geared up for hunting. He's ditching us, I mean leaving for up-north, on Wednesday after work and will be back on Sunday. Kole and I are headed to Bay City for the weekend and Jersey is headed to the Kim's (the kennel). I think Kole and I will go up-north with Seth next weekend to check out the pretty colors while they are still out.

Kole had his 12 month check-up (and shots) the other day. He is a healthy little boy who is on track to take after his mother in the height department (sniff.). He's in the 15th percentile for height and 40th for weight. I'm sure he'll have a growth spurt soon enough though :) We'll be slowly taking him off the bottle and on to regular milk in a sippie cup with his 3 big-boy meals per day. YAY! I already took down that dumb drying rack for the bottles in preperation!! Look out, we've got a little boy on our hands now, not a baby anymore!!!

Auntie Rae teaching Kole new tricks during allergy season for mommy

He WALKS!