The 3-Year-Old Perspective

We bought Cole two disposable camera's for Disney and let him loose. There were no rules, just the freedom to do whatever he wanted.

He got the expected feet shots, finger shots, and self-portraits at a VERY close angle including one up-the-nose shot that I wish I had not seen.

However, he did manage to get some really cute pictures. We were hoping for one keeper a roll, and he came out with more than that so we were pleased. Here's a sampling of his work.




We totally smoked this guy on the wheelchair.

Relax

This vacation is a nice way to visit some neat places, and also just sit and relax and visit. It's been nice for Cole and Adison to have daily time with Nana and Grandaddy too. The house we're staying in has been everything we'd hoped it would be, with lots of space to spread out or be together and we've been enjoying the pool and spa outside too.

The weather will be warmer today, and with the two biggies off our list already, we can do what we want with the rest of our week, doing as much or as little as possible.

More Pictures....

Mickey Mouse's House

This is what Cole called Disney World, and asked the whole trip down, "are we at Mickey Mouse's House, daddy?"

So, Tuesday was our big day. Fletcher & Nancy offered to watch Adison at home, while Kevin and I took Cole. The thought had never crossed our minds, and I'm so glad they offered, she would have been bored, hot, and cranky.

We arrived shortly after opening and had our little plan mapped out on my 3x5 note card. It was quickly scrapped. To our very pleasant surprise, the lines were pretty much zero and we worked our way through the rides for Cole's age, doing every one at LEAST twice.

By far, Cole's favorite was Goofy's Barnyard something-or-other. It was a roller-coaster train, and it looked like it was for the upper age set of 6 or 7. But because it was a train, Cole wanted to ride it. It was FAST. It started off dropping off a big hill and Cole immediately started screaming, but with a smile on his face. It was that kind of smile that could turn into a cry any minute, but he LOVED it and we rode it 6 times in a row. SIX. We had to lure him away.

We hit teacups, Winnie-the-Pooh's honey pot, Aladdin's Carpet Ride, and of course the "fast train". Cole got his picture taken with Mickey, and we just had the best time. We left after grabbing a quick lunch and were home by 2:30. It was just the perfect amount of time and we all had a blast!

P.S. My Baby Girl is 1

Please don't think I'm a horrible mother, but Adison's turned one on the 12th. We didn't have a party because we were leaving for our big trip the next day. A formal party, for which I have done lots of planning, is in the works when we return.

This little girl is just the most fun. She and Cole both are truly special and wonderful kids. Here's a picture of her when she was born, and it's hard for me not to cry when I look at this little girl, so small and fragile, who had a bit of a scary entry into this world. Most of my tears are of pure joy and happiness, and grateful that the Lord blessed us with her, and protected her those first few days of her life. It would be so quiet and boring without her...

More Pictures...

Family Vacation time! Sea World

We've been planning a trip with Kevin's parents for a few months now and the big day finally arrived. We drove down to Florida together in a minivan on saturday and the 12 hour trip went surprisingly smooth. After recovering on Sunday, we headed to Sea World today.

The weather has been warm, mid 80's but a nice breeze made it a good day to be out and about.

We started by putting in a reservation at a restaurant called Shark Encounter grill. more later...

From there it was to the penguins, which both Cole and Adison enjoyed quite a bit. Adison mostly because there was some carpet inside for her to crawl around on.

After that we hit the Sea Lions. They were in fine form, as you might expect. One in particular had clearly figured out that if you put on a major show, you will get the fish. We bought some for Cole to throw and that guy barked and barked and barked! It was kind of deafening.

From there it was onto the restaurant; there is a huge shark tank inside and you eat while watching them. The pictures aren't great since it was inside and so dark, but the food was good and Cole really enjoyed himself.

After that we headed straight to Shamu (who Cole called Shampoo) and got our seats. The show was a little more broadway than I remembered it when I saw it probably 15 or more years ago (seriously, the trainers danced..it was a little much) but Shampoo did not disappoint. Cole really enjoyed it and clapped vigorously after each trick. Adison was way past nap time at that point, and Kevin was had to literally hold her tight so she would just let go and go to sleep.

After that I think we all were ready for a nap and some down time. It was a fun day.

Happy Birthday Kevin

October 9th is Kevin's birthday, and we had a little party for him last night. We had all of his favorites: this great burrito filling, NuGrape, Orange Crush...even the Penuche fudge his mother makes for him. I felt considerable pressure making it yesterday for the first time. Nancy makes it for all her boys, who LOVE it and will act like teenagers hiding it from one another. So when he asked me to make it, I was nervous. But it turned out so well, (beginners luck) he decided he didn't just want to SHARE it all and I had to run to the grocery store and pick up a cookie cake. Hey, it's his birthday.

We finished the night watching hockey and the Hurricanes must have gotten the memo on his birthday. They routed the Maple Leafs 7-1. Sorry Paul....

You Know it's Going To Be a Good Day When..

....you order a double tall skim latte, and the Starbuck's guy whispers that he made it a triple grande, no charge. He was smiling at Cole & Adison just before this, so he either thinks my kids are adorable, or he felt sorry for the mother of two who may or may not of showered this morning, and definitely didn't really put a lot of time into her hair.

Either way, I don't care, I'm just thrilled about the triple.

One Surprise after Another

I went and got my hair cut yesterday, which is a whole separate post (fun fact about Sarah: she loves getting her hair cut and having a great hair cut almost as much as she loves unique strollers) and when I got home, Kevin was chatting with the sitter, Becki, about Cole's surprise. So, he gets out his little magna-doodle thing and he's talking about a stop sign. He tried to draw it, but was having trouble so we drew the shape and suddenly he gets the pen and writes S-T-O-P right in the middle of it. I asked Becki if she taught him that and she said no, so I asked Kevin if he showed him that and he said no....
So then he decides to throw down some numbers and does 5, 2, 8, and 7.
Cole had been asking for the alphabet and numbers on that thing for days in a row, and he'd watch you do it very intently, and I guess he really was paying attention!

Gentle Reminder

This month has been a stressful one for me, not for one particular reason, but for tons of those little nagging things that suddenly add up to one huge breaking point. So this morning, when Cole opened up his toy closet in the family room and found it flooded with water we soon discovered that the laundry room was flooded, the toilet was flooded, and the culprit was a faulty pipe in the front yard. A few hours and a few hundred dollars later, it is fixed.

As I sat at the table and tried to gather my thoughts this morning, and prayed for peace, patience, and not to take out my frustrations on everyone else the Lord brought to mind a hymn to calm me down.

I need Thee every hour, most gracious Lord;
No tender voice like Thine can peace afford.

I need Thee, O I need Thee;
Every hour I need Thee;
O bless me now, my Savior,
I come to Thee.

I need Thee every hour, stay Thou nearby;
Temptations lose their power when Thou art nigh.

I need Thee every hour, in joy or pain;
Come quickly and abide, or life is in vain.

I need Thee every hour; teach me Thy will;
And Thy rich promises in me fulfill.


I need Thee every hour, most Holy One;
O make me Thine indeed, Thou blessèd Son.

I just love hymns, and in fact I think I'll clean off the top of my piano today. :) It all served as a reminder today that we should expect the unexpected in life, and I'm thankful for the power and peace of prayer and the nearness of a Savior to go to for what is, in essence, pretty insignificant in the grand scheme of things.

Grocery Shopping

I usually don't exactly look forward to going grocery shopping with the kids. They aren't badly behaved, but it's just boring for them and I always contemplate things too long so that doesn't make it any easier.

Yesterday before the lunch, we scurried to the store to grab a few things. Cole saw those race car carts and of course runs to it. I thought I would see if Adison could sit in there ok, because there is basically just a lap belt and she did fine.

Well, they had the time of their lives. I can honestly say it was the first shopping trip where all 3 of us were having fun. Cole was furiously stearing his wheel, and since Adison couldn't get hers to move quite that quick she would reach over and grab his and giggle. Then she'd look at Cole and smile. Then she'd look at anyone within a 5 foot radius and smile, which would result in a comment, to which Adison would beam. And Cole was surprisingly tolerant of her when she'd touch his hair or grab his shirt.

It was lots of fun and we all left smiling. (Me because I hit the Coke machine on the way out....)

Here's a picture I snapped with my phone.

Lunch with The Hurricanes

Well, I was wrong. We didn't sit with Matt Cullen, I guess the feeling was way off. But we did sit with Justin Williams, who is an equally great player. We are so lucky to be able to go to these lunches, and I think this might be the last year as the lady who sponsors our table expressed that sentiment. Justin was very personable and funny and for the 3rd year in a row I got to sit next to the player. I'm not sure how that works out, as I don't voice a preference.

But it was a great lunch (aside from the food which was the EXACT same lunch as last yeaer) and afterwards we got to mingle and talk to other players. Kevin got autographs from Eric Cole, Eric Staal, and Cam Ward. I'm a picture person so I got a picture with Cam, who has been a favorite of mine since he started with the hurricanes a few years ago.

Here are the pictures with Justin and Cam. Justin's is blurry due to teh fact that I didnt' double check my settings.....

It was a fun afternoon and one that would not have been possible if not for Kevin's parents who drove over an hour to babysit. Thank You!!!

Free Reign

While Cole is away at preschool Adison has been enjoying the endless opportunities that lay before her. First, she can now touch all of Cole's toys. You can see her glee as she plays with "sharky" who was off limits only an hour before this picture was taken.

Secondly it means she has mama all to herself. And while Mama had planned on doing all sorts of other things, she is now free to follow Adison around the house. Adison is on the move BIG time. She is no longer happy or entertained in the living room, where it's carpeted and all her baby toys are. That is, quite frankly, too small for Adison.

She seeks excitement and exhilaration. And what better to offer her that than stairs?
I wish I could have gotten a picture of her when she gets at the top of the stairs. But I needed both hands to catch her when she waivers or stumbles mid-climb. She'll turn around as soon as she gets to the top, and look at me with the biggest, proudest smile you can imagine. She expects me to praise her and I mix it up, but usually it's some form of "well, aren't you proud of yourself?" She'll then go snorting laughing towards the next set of steps. She is something else. Kevin and I were talking about her over lunch and I reminded him, 'I warned you, didn't I? When she was in the womb I said, Get Ready, remember?'

Scrimmage

We took Cole to a Hurricanes scrimmage Tuesday night to see what he thought of it. He was very excited when they came out on the ice and started playing. After awhile he was more interested in playing with the seat, but I definitely think he might be able to handle an entire game. He's wearing his hurricanes t-shirt which he was equally excited about. The only thing missing was the big red foam finger we bought him.

It was great to see the guys on the ice, though. Usually by summer, I'm ready for a break from hockey (especially when you don't make the playoffs...). It only took about 5 minutes of the sounds of skates scraping and boards slamming to feel the excitement and be ready for our first game.

Shotgun

This is what happens when Kevin takes the kids to the car and I say "I'll be there in a minute."

I open the garage door and find her grinning ear to ear, and Kevin too as he's proud of his little joke. :)

Dog's don't do slides.

Kevin coaxed Bou up the slide steps. She wasn't kean on sliding down. Before you call the SPCA, Kevin carried her down. She looks pretty up there, doesn't she?

Play Time

As mentioned in my previous post the weather is amazing. I think it's supposed to be back to warmer temperatures in the next few days, but we have been loving life outside. Kevin brought home a new swing for Adison last night and put it up on the slide and she loves it. Cole loves to push her, although he needs reminding that she doesn't want to go QUITE as high as he likes to. She also likes the baby slide, and will squeal and shut her eyes tight the whole way down.

56

That's the temperature this morning. I wish I had a picture to show you how crisp and refreshing it feels. Or how crisp and refreshing I feel, for that matter. I live for this kind of weather. I have all the windows open in the house, drinking my nice steamy latte (Kevin has perfected it). I think fall is finally making its way in. And I hope we have lots of sunny fall days.

We have hardly used the back yard the last 8 weeks, it's just been so hot. We ate dinner on the deck last night and then played outside for a little bit and it was so nice.

Next thing you know it will be even cooler and we can get some fires in our fireplace cranking....ahhhhhhh.

A Sad Day

This post is about a stroller.

Some of you who know me know that I have a penchant for unique strollers. I wanted the Bugaboo when Cole was born -- and this was before it was "cool" to have one. I couldn't bring myself to spend $800 on a stroller, and I figured Kevin would shoot me down if I even suggested we purchase it. (I would later find out he was planning to say "YES" to whatever the pregnant lady wanted....hindsight is 20/20...)

Fast forward 2 years when I was expecting Adison and a double stroller would be needed. I did a ton of research and pretty much the only stroller that met all my needs was the Jane Powertwin. It was at that time, and still is somewhat relatively unknown in the US, so we were unable to test it out at any store. But when it arrived it was the coolest and best thing I had ever seen. I have been using it a lot in the past 10 months and it has taken abuse like a dream. It handles amazing, rides like a dream, maneuvers through malls and sidewalks effortlessly, and has been the perfect stroller.

But Cole is getting too big for the front seat, and Adison is kicking the back of his seat, so it was time to look for another stroller. So I put it on ebay and it sold last night. I'm meeting a woman in High Point for the exchange. She's expecting her 4th this month, so I am happy it will be put to good use. I'll miss this stroller though.

On the bright side, I get to shop for a new stroller and I'm looking at this one.

Boys Toys

I guess it starts young, the male fascination with cars. I was cleaning up my double stroller to sell (sad day, I LOVE that stroller. But Cole's getting too big), and washing it off when Cole announces that he needs to wash car.

So I let him have my soapy water and cloth and off he went. If it wasn't 90 degrees outside, I would have let him stay out there forever. He was so focused and intent and serious about it. It was definitely not splashy-splashy time. I had to drag him inside. And his car is considerably cleaner.

Faces of Adison 10 1/2 Months

She just keeps growing! Which is amazing considering she'll have almost nothing to do with solid food......
I over use this shot continuously, but I can't help it. I love the close up.

Better Picture of the Display

I went to the consign show last night, and sat akwardly next to my stuff while people touched it and tried not to look at me. Others gave the "it's cute!" and moved on, which on one level it is nice to hear I'm not the only one who thinks it's cute.
I was only there about 90 minutes, and 3 people took a post card, so we'll see. I can't imagine being an actor (this will tie together, hang in there....) just because you face rejection so often and very harsh. And I didn't get any harsh rejection, merely some feigned interest. On the bright side, if I ever bump into Reese Witherspoon, I think we'll totally click, you know, because of how much we have in common (fear of rejection, etc....)

after re-reading this I sound depressed but it actually went very well, I just want to say, and that I do think I garnished some definite interest and maybe even a buyer.

What a Man

I know the title of this post may scare some of you, but don't worry, it's not one of those kissy-kissy picture posts. (just a little good natured blog-jab)

I cannot help but post this. We had a little party for our niece this week in our back yard, so Kevin was in charge of readying the yard. I looked outside one afternoon, and there he is hard at work. That's right, Ladies, he does it all. And with a system. Here is Kevin, picking up dog poop (no small feat with two large dogs) with a spare bag attached to his belt. I'm laughing even as I type it.....Kevin would like me to point out that he didn't put any "waste" material into the bag around his belt. That's just gross.

On a more serious note, he has been hard at work with house projects. He's completed the downstairs bathroom which is a huge transformation and put some new numbers up on our house. I have pictures I'll put up soon.

Self Expression

I have to admit I'm not great at thinking of getting all the craft stuff out and letting Cole at it. I know it is good for him, and good to drag him away from his cars for a change of pace. Last week I got all the goodies out and let him go to town while I was working in the kitchen. I worked away, listening to him talk about his work, and suddenly he says, "look!" Being the perfectly attentive mother that I am,I did just that. Cole had decided to do a work on his face. I immediately burst out laughing, and while I am, he says "and right here!" and goes for the top of his head. Well, then I had to get back into parental role and put a stop to it. He quickly asked to go upstairs and he washed his face all by himself. One thing about Cole, he does not like to be dirty in any way...

Giving It a Go

I've been sewing for about a year and a half now, and talking about wanting to try to do a little selling of things for equally as long. But now I finally feel like I'm ready for several reasons:

1. I'm not pregnant
2. I'm getting almost 6 hours of consecutive sleep at night.
3. I have had lots of time to practice
4. I'm not pregnant

Anyway, there's a clothing consign show in town that a friend of mine runs, and it's for more upscale stuff and she said I should have a table of my things. (not because it's upscale, just because it's free to set up a table).

So I have have been planning, sewing, purchasing fabric and today I set up my little area. The sale is tomorrow night through saturday, and I'll be there as much as I can with my pink M&M's luring in potential customers. It's scary, as there are so many talented people out there making all sorts of cool things, but I am also excited to be doing something I have been wanting to do for quite awhile. My pictures aren't great, because I took them with my phone -- actually they stink, so use your imagination.

It would be great to get some business, but if it just doesn't pan out, I have tons of fabric that I absolutely love. And as I find a seemingly endless list of sewing tutorials online, there are tons of projects I could plow through and use that fabric up in no time.

And then buy some more.....