Newsflash: Sarah Updates Blog

LOTS of new posts below.

Separated at Birth?

One of our favorite players on the Hurricanes Team is named Mike Commodore. He has this huge red puffy mane. He cuts his hair at the beginning of every season, and then just lets it grow the entire season. We hope to bring Cole to a playoff game (assuming our 'Canes PICK IT UP and make it past the first round) because we saw a striking similarity in hair styles, and I was at the mall today when someone else also commented on looking like 'that hockey guy'. :)

2 Years Old

Cole turned two on April 20th, and we had a few little friends over to celebrate on his actual birthday. It was low-key but lots of fun. One funny thing, is that we had 5 2-year-olds, and 5 infants! Many of my friends are ahead of us on child #2 (one of my friends conveniently had #2 and #3 in the form of identical twin girls). So I took a picture of all the baby carries on the floor, some with the babies still in them. :)

He loved it when everyone sang happy birthday to him, and he blew out his little candle on the first try. After it was done, he looked at me and said "more, more happy birthday?" I think he wanted everyone to sing again.

We had his family party on saturday, with pictures of that to come soon.

Bas-keet-ball-poop

I'm not being vulgar, this is how Cole says Basketball hoop. I got him one this winter at a consignment sale and when it warmed up we put it outside. Well, he loves it. Every day the same thing, he wants to go outside and shoot the ball. He yells "yes!" (somewhat in-your-face...perhaps we shouldn't have taught him that) when he scores, and "close!" when he misses. He particularly enjoys asking you to miss on purpose ("Mama! close?") and then going in to score himself right after you.
but don't worry, its' not taking the place of Hockey. We have hockey net and sticks in the closet for him, but he was "cross checking" a little too much around the house, so we have confiscated his stick for a few months.

Surf's Up

A couple of weeks ago, a friend of mine tried to plan a playdate but it turns out everyone (and I'm not kidding) was going to be at the beach. So after a few emails back and forth, we decided that we'd go too! Lynn and her daughter Claire and Cole and I found the cutest little Inn across the street from the beach. We just stayed one night, and left mid morning as Cole had come down with a fever and cold. But we still enjoyed the sound and smells of the beach and the sun. It was a fun time away with fun friends! Here is a picture of Cole enjoying some breakfast on our balcony, and one of the two of us on the beach....he wasn't particularly thrilled about the waves this time. :)

Zoo Time

We went with Kevin's parents (Nana and Grandaddy to Cole) to the zoo about a month ago. The weather had just started turning warm. We spent the night in High Point at the Spillman's house and it was just about a 35 minute drive to the zoo so we were there when it opened. We beat the crowds and the heat and saw quite a few animals in action. Cole I think enjoyed it, although I'm not sure if he could figure out these super size versions of what he'd seen only in pictures. Here are just a few of the pictures we took.

Time to Update

I usually update in groups, so there are several new posts below. Enjoy!

Amateur Photographer

It's no secret Cole loves anything mechanical. So it comes as no surprise that he loves our digital camera. Unfortunately, many picture-moments have been ruined by simply trying to take a picture of it. The moment he sees the camera, he's up and going for it. But he knows which button to push, and out of the usually 25 pictures of a close-up of his chin(s), a few pop up that are actually not that bad. Here is a sampling. Or the beginning of his portfolio.....

Anything You can do I can do Better

I don't remember what movie that is from, no doubt one of the countless musicals my Mother exposed me to growing up (which I loved, by the way). But I do remember it was a battle-of-the-sexes type setting. So while Cole and Kevin were outside chopping wood, I put on my (pink) working boots and decided to get in on the action.

These are some serious action photos. And while I am really posing for them, not actually chopping, I think it's safe to say that while I'm honestly not doing it better, I certainly look better. :)

Working with Daddy

North Caroline weather is turning spring-like at least a couple days a week now, and we've been outside more and more. This also means that the juices start flowing in Kevin's head of the outside work he needs to do. Cole just loves being outside with him. He follows him around, chatting the entire time, usually bringing his wheelbarrow or wagon along just in case.

Here are a few pictures of the two of them working outside.


Leaf-Blowing is always a hit. Thank goodness Cole just happens to have his own toy version (which actually blows air) and he'll alternate blowing the leaves and then putting the blower up to his head to cool off the little sweat he worked up.


We had a tree taken down in the back yard, and here they are chopping it up for fire wood. Cole was into the ax at first, and then got a little hesitant to touch it, which suits me just fine.


Sometimes you need a break. Cole often will just want you to sit down on the deck next to him and listen to him jabber on about the 'big truck' that just passed by or the school bus that will soon be coming.

Cole's definately entering a Mama-stage, but there's no doubt he loves being with Daddy and laughing with him. They enjoy their time together without a doubt.

Breakfast with a Friend

The night before we left for Connecticut, our friend Stephanie went into labor and so her daughter Lizzie came over for a
2:30am slumber party. :) She was so wonderful and easy. When everyone got up, I sent Kevin out to McDonald's for breakfast and we had a little pancake feast. Here are Cole and Lizzie enjoying their own table and breakfast, and what appears to be some very interesting conversation. :)

p.s. little Rachel was born that morning at 8:48am

Road Trip

I have been a slacker posting, I know this. So now I'm updating with several posts.

A few weeks ago we took a road trip up to see Micah & Carine in CT. It was a 12 hour total trip, but honestly it was enjoyable. We managed to miss the traffic through DC, Baltimore and NY. There is so much to see as you drive through, it went by much faster than I thought. And Cole was a champion. He just looked out the window and talked, slept only a little (of course). Kevin's highlight was driving through NY, and having Newark Air Port on the left, watching the huge planes land and the NY City skyline on the right. Nevermind he paid minimal attention to the road at that time....but we survived easily. :)

We had a great time with all the kids; Cole just loved having so many of them around. He pretty much was in heaven with all of Elliot's trucks and cars in the playroom and that's where most of his energy was spent. We were not able to witness any snow, much to my disappointment, but it was definately winter and we saw some flurries.

Carine and I were able to go through one of the little towns one afternoon and look and shops and have some lunch, and that was a real treat. Meanwhile, Kevin and Micah watched all the kiddies, including a special movie time with popcorn.

And as usualy they fed us like kings...poor Kevin, I know he didn't want to come home to my cooking.

Sowing the Seeds of Love

...Maybe.

Target had a cute lavendar kit for Valentine's day and we decided to get it. So late last week Cole and I had a little garden time indoors, even though it was chilly outdoors. We planted some in this little pot and the rest outside in the front yard. I don't think he really got what we were doing, but he did enjoy working the dirt. :) We put the pot on his window sill so it can get lots of sun and we'll see what happens.

The unfortunate thing for Cole is that his parents are lacking in green thumb skills. We've managed to kill even the plants that require almost no work. Like bamboo. Twice. But I have high hopes for this little lavendar pot, and if it sprouts we'll plant it outside once it reaches 3 inches. I like the idea of growing things with him and seeing them change along with seeing him change. Plus it would be nice to have more lavendar around the house.

March 16th Update: It never bloomed, and neither did what I planted in the yard......oh well. :)

Some Very Good Friends

Cole and I took a last-minute trip at the end of January to visit my good friend Dana in Arkansas. I've been friends with Dana for 15 years. We met in high school and we just clicked! Her daughter, Saraya, is 2 months older than Cole and her birthday is February 1, so we decided to come attend all her parties. That's right, she had more than one. Dana is a master party planner.

We had so much fun! The kids just had a blast together. Whether they were playing in Saraya's kitchen, or running around the house with balloons, they had a great time.

Cole did great on the plane, which was a blessing as he hadn't traveled on an airplane since he was about 10 months old, and that particular trip he was pretty antsy. He fell asleep both times on the plan to and from Arkansas, and took a good chunk out of our flight by sleeping.

Here are some pictures of our visit, it was fun to make a spontaneous trip!!
Be sure to click on the pictures to see the big view.

Word of the Day: Applique

I spent Cole's nap time at my favorite online fabric store, and bumped into a little "How To" section. They had a pretty straightforward explanation of an Applique, including templates of the alphabet. It looked and seemed easy and it's been something I've been wanting to try for a little while.

As luck would have it, I am finally making a tote for myself, and though I planned to embroider a monogram in it, I hadn't made it that far. So this seemed the perfect opportunity to try out something new! And I got all the fabric for my little tote on mega-clearance, so if it all went sour, I was only going to be out $5.

Actually it was fairly easy. The turns on my "S" were a little hard to manage, so I'll fix that by hand. But for my very first effort I have to say I'm quite happy and now have endless ideas of things I can (and will) applique! I am already looking forward to practicing it more.

This sewing machine has been such a blessing, as silly as that may sound to some. I admit, being a stay-at-home mom who sews all day long was not exactly what I had in mind when I left work. But it is truly a joy. It's something that keeps me always thinking of something new to make, and has challenged me to learn about something I literally knew nothing about. I'm so grateful Kevin was willing to make the investment.

Love is in the Air...

...and it's not even February yet.

Our good friend Lizzie was over here today, and they really are starting to develop a friendship. Cole has some safety glasses (which the Lovely Lizzie is modeling) and after he wore them around on his little car, he got off and handed them to her so she could take a spin. With the glasses on, of course. To my surprise she obliged and Cole was so pleased. You can see him looking at her with a little smile on his face.

They have always been generous with their affections (only when asked, though, never on thier own decision) and I hadn't had a chance to catch the moment on camera, until today. I'll skip the jokes about boyfriend / girlfriend only because I find the thought of Cole dating someone completely horrifying. But I will say watching him at this age is a special reminder of love without prejudice. You tell kids to give another kid a hug at this age, they do it. They don't worry about what they look like or smell like, or how nice they are, or how funny, or if they are like themselves or not. Just another way the Lord uses these little children to teach us when we least expect it.

"Mane"

This is Cole's word for plane. And he loves them. Last Sunday we took advantage of our mild "winter" weather, and headed to the park to fly Kevin's two planes he got for Christmas. Right away you could see it was a special father-son time, even at Cole's early age. He ran around shouting "Mane!!!" and often would beat Kevin to the plane when it landed. It was a fun afternoon, and the pictures turned out so nice. I especially like th one where Cole is talking about something and Kevin is listening intently. :)

Christmas

Here just a few pictures of our Christmas with the Spillman's, and then Christmas morning at our place. I don't have any with the Mattix's...because we forgot our camera. But I think Dean is going to email us his pictures (hint hint Dean....)

This year our time was pleasantly relaxing. We were able to enjoy both families, and still have time to celebrate with just Kevin, Cole and myself.

Making it Personal

I was out trying to finish up Kevin's christmas shopping this morning, and I ran into these little ornaments that had names on them. Emily was with me, and we found Kevin and Sarah, but imagine my surprise when I saw Cole. It's not that uncommon of a name, but I think it is making its way up the top 50 baby names, so maybe that's why they had it. I'll admit I was surprised, you always think you've chosen a name for your child that's unique and uncommon, but I was happy they had it. For some reason, it was a perfect little display of our family unit. And they jingle.

Lights

Here are the pictures of our outside decorations. We have a 'friendly' competition with our neighbor each year. I don't think we really know who won this year, but they put theirs up after thanksgiving so maybe they get points for enthusiasum.
The snowflakes actually twinkle, it's a big show at the Spillman House.