And here are more videos...

Lyla really does enjoy feeding herself. She gets so excited when it comes to food.

Lyla loves to play with anything Cole has really but she enjoys knocking over blocks, hanging upside down, giving high-five, "touch" (using your pointer to touch someone else's pointer), waiving, standing on her own then falling into your arms, swinging, chattering and smiling.

Cole is very into pretend play right now. He enjoys cooking, eating, dusting, vacuuming and mowing.

He also enjoys
coloring (but mostly asking mom to write everyone's names down),
building towers with blocks (and of course knocking them down),
playing games on the ipod touch (one of his favorites is Tom Cat - a cat you can pet, knock down, give milk to, and more. The best part is the cat will repeat anything you say so he loves to talk to it!),
singing (he sings loud in church),
praying (he now babbles when we are praying a lot of the time),
counting (knows 1 and 2 by sight, 3 is getting there),
pointing out colors (his favorite are green and purple),
singing the alphabet (he gets a letter here and there and is very excited about it),
watching the tractors outside (says backhoe, "truck-door"),
watching the ducks and the goose at the city park,
running around grocery stores while mom keeps calling his name so he will stay within arms reach!
talking on the phone (real or pretend)

He's a great big ball of fun. We love our little man!

Okay, okay, here is at least one video. Lyla is strong and stands on her own. She can go from sitting to standing quickly and vice versa but she does not like to get bumped, jarred or hurt. This keeps her from walking and from going up the stairs usually.  But on this day she tackled the stairs and did it like a champ. She has only attempted it two other times since though. Good. I don't need to keep checking the stairs to make sure she isn't on them yet!

 

Oh yes, and Cole got some PJ's he was pretty excited to have on.

Can you believe this little angel is almost 10 months old?!?!

And it was just last week that she had her 9 month well-check. She is doing fabulous and even took the shots with very little crying and it was the first time she didn't lose her breath from them.  Our little girl is pretty petite. I knew that was coming because I look at other little girls even a month or two younger than her and they look older, taller, and more mature in the face. Lyla still looks like a little baby. She is 26 inches long (4th %) and weighs 17 lb 5 oz (16th %).  She's been about that weight for a while now as we've had to take her to the doctor a few times in the past couple of months.  She sure eats like a champion so it's just genetics that keep her small.

She is short so she still looks chunky all around.  To give you some idea though she still fits in her 6 month PJs (starting to push the legs, but still we manage) and she wears the tiniest shoe sizes. She fits in her 0-6 month Robeez we got at a consignment store.  We just bought her a pair of shoes and they are 6-9 month shoes with room to spare!!  Little feet, little legs, little girl with two little teeth!

Oddly enough Lyla weights THE EXACT SAME that Cole did at this age too.  He was just two inches longer so looked a lot skinnier.  But look at him now...he starting to lose his toddler looks and becoming a little boy. (So sad...)

There is so much more to add and update but I don't have the time right now. I wanted to at least provide more pics of the kids. I will post new videos and updates tomorrow...hopefully!

Each Christmas season we say we are going to get out Christmas cards. Yes, it is a dying tradition, but I love getting them and so I should be sending them. But, alas, another season will pass and I will NOT get them out. Life is pretty busy and hectic but so delightful too. I love this time of year. 

Christmas and Easter are my favorite times.  I love the slight chill in the Texas air (nope, not a fan of cold). I love the newness of life around Easter. Truly the two are linked for we would have no Christmas, no rejoicing, no giving if there was no Easter. We celebrate Jesus' birth because of the life he lived and the sacrifice he gave.  We celebrate Christmas and show our love for others because He loved us. 

No matter what you may believe, it can be an occasion to give and to love.  It need not be founded in a faith in Christ, but I am grateful for the faith that I have.  This is a video reminding us of the true meaning of Christmas set to a beautiful song.  I rarely share personal insights like this or even topics at all related to religion, but I felt it important to share a little of the joy that is taking place in our home at this time of year and this video and song represented it perfectly. I hope you take it as a little "Christmas Card" from the Polings.  Maybe next year we will finally get the real thing out. Merry Christmas!

So many things going on!! First, Thanksgiving was fabulous at my Uncle and Aunt's home here in College Station. My brother Robert and his family came into town and stayed at our house afterward as well. Cole loves their kids and Ally is the same age as Lyla. It was so fun to see them interact. Ally is afraid of everyone really but she adores Cole, and vice versa. She would let him kiss her and hug her. He was so gentle about it too. Jade is 8 and Jeremiah (aka "T") is 7 so Cole enjoyed hanging with the big kids. I guess T slept a little bit in the rocking chair in Cole's room and Cole still talks about it. He loves re-living past events. As a matter of fact, he still tells stories of when Grandpa Poling was here and when playing with a toy one of his grandparents gave him he will tell me which one as he picks it up to play with it. I love it. I love hearing what is on his mind.

Speaking of what is on his mind, it seems to be going POTTY! A few days ago he pulled off his shorts and tried to take his diaper off. I asked him what he was doing and then wondered if he wanted to go potty. He said "Yes" (which he pronounces "hh-es"). And, well, HE DID. And he goes at least twice a day if not more now. I ask occasionally and sometimes he wants to and others he doesn't. Sometimes he comes to me and asks. My little baby is growing up!

Lyla is back to her bubbly self. She is still hesitant to walk. I think it is because she is always so dramatic when she falls or bumps her head, etc. She wants to do it without falls I think. However, she has popped a second tooth and I noticed the top two are coming in as well so perhaps her head is elsewhere and less focused on walking. She laughs so much. She thinks it is hilarious to put her finger in your mouth. Oh yes, and mommy is trying to wean her completely. She nurses 1-2 times a day now and takes formula for the remainder. She has been wanting to nurse more with this new tooth though. I'm just ready to be done though. Odd, I know but I have my reasons which are probably TMI for the blog. Anyway, I'm glad to have my little personality back after her ear infections and virus. It took a bit to recoup from all that. Oh yes! And she sleeps through the night!!! YEA!!!!!!!!!!!!! And here she is just being Lyla.

While Robert and Beverly and family were here we went to Santa's Village here in town. It was a very magical place with little shops, petting zoo, bullrides, smores, firepits, etc. Like stepping into a winter cowboy town. Here are some pics from the event.

The family in front of the TX Flag of Lights

Ally and Lyla. It was COLD that night (well, for TX). Of course it was 70's a day later.

Cole, Jeremiah and Jade in the fake snow.

The family with Frosty (they call him Frostbite).

So this is a video of Cole dancing and clapping spoons together. This is a song used in Kindermusik. He enjoyed it so much in class we did it at home for the next few days too. He got so shy though when I pulled out the camera so you missed his rambunctious dancing. Lyla gets in the act too.

So like I said we've been sick over here. I was congested and had a sinus infection which weakened my immune system and lead to Strep. How you say? Well, doctor says that given we know Rick is a carrier for Strep (as in he can have it but not get sick, thus can "carry" it) that makes me essentially a carrier too. I just won't get sick until my immune system is low. And no, we don't carry the strep virus all the time just infecting everyone willy-nilly. Promise.

So Lyla wasn't feeling well while Grandpa Poling was here. It started Saturday, November 12th when she popped her first tooth. (YEA!) I was genuinely surprise to find her bite my finger while feeding her at the park and find that it HURT! And it obviously hurt her too because she cried. Royally. She loves her drama that girl. Don't hurt her. You'll get an act.

Anyway, so Monday it started with a fever which persisted until Wednesday. At first I wasn't concerned because I thought it was a teething fever, but after three days with her sleeping TONS and generally needy and sort of limp, I thought it might be more. Also, that is when I started feeling worse and felt strep-ish myself. So she and I saw a family doctor. He said she had an ear infection and prescribed Amoxicillan. "Great!" I thought, "So this will be done soon." I got on meds too. But Wednesday evening and Thursday she got CRANKY. Really cranky. I can't say she was cranky until then. Friday morning a rash showed up all over so we headed to her pediatrician. Turns out my poor girl was dealing with teething, a DOUBLE ear infection, and a virus all at the same time. The fever was viral and the rash was just the after effect. (It's gone now.) Her pediatrician gave her a new, stronger antibiotic too. I was glad because she hated the Amox but loves this new stuff.

We are starting to catch glimpses of our playful, sweet Lyla again. Thank heavens! I feel so sorry for moms with babies who have tons of ear infections. The ear drops help somewhat but generally the thing that would snap her out of her crying and wailing was going outside. So this is what we did a lot. Poor thing. Looks miserable, huh?


And baths. She loves the water. She loves baths with Cole. She loves her brother. Seriously. She lights up like a Christmas tree when she sees him. (Speaking of which, ours is up now - earlier than we've ever put it up.)


She lays down in the water, licks it up (see above), splashes it as hard as she can, chews the bath toys, lets Cole pour water all over her - face and all, and generally comes to life no matter what the mood. Oh and she also enjoys standing up - this is her creeping her way to standing. She thought she was being so funny since Mom kept trying to get her to sit back down.


Here's a cute video of them in the tub too.

The only benefit to Lyla being that sick: she learned to cuddle. Well, at least with Mommy. I enjoyed that part immensely.

Cole had his 2 year well check two weeks ago. We went to a new doctor (Dr. Ransom) recommended by my aunt who has taken all her children to him. Cole prefers males so I was excited about the chance to take him to a male doctor at a new clinic hoping he would no longer associate the doctor with pain (aka. shots). He loved the waiting area playing with the automatic doors, water fountain and beads. However when it came time to go back to the room he freaked out. He didn't want me to take his shoes off to get on the scale and was generally crying and asking for home. Mind you I had Lyla with me too (not such a good idea in hindsight) so it was tasking but we made it through. When we got to the waiting room I gave him his ipod and he entertained himself nicely even when the doctor came in.

The doctor was SO GREAT with Cole. He made Cole laugh and let him play with anything he wanted. I'm sure Cole was thrilled that we simply left after he checked him out. Dr. Ransom gave me some advice on 2 year old behavior but other than that things are good. Well, he did tell me that I need to get pretty firm with Cole sticking to no more than 16 ounces of milk a day. So we've been trying a ton of techniques to get him to eat more and drink less. Some days it works, others it doesn't. He is teething like crazy so I'm sure that affects his moods and his likelihood of eating too.

Cole has also had a cough for a few weeks too. We actually went back to the doctor today to make sure it wasn't anything serious and it isn't. Phew. Best news about this visit - he was THRILLED to be there. He ran into the office way ahead of me and laughed and ran around like he was at the park or something. He skipped into the back when called and hopped on the scale, let the nurse take his temperature and smiled while she did it. A resident came in first to look Cole over and he didn't freeze up or get scared (The resident was male. hmm...) When Dr. Ransom came in he asked for the duck (doc makes duck noises when he checks out their stomach). Dr. Ransom went on and on about how great Cole is compared to other 2 year-olds and the resident nodded in strong agreement. I assured them that is only because Cole has never received shots here so he has nothing to be afraid of, which means I'll probably be getting his shots elsewhere always so he doesn't completely melt down when we have to go to the doctor (because I know he still does as he did when we took Lyla but that is another post).

The 2 year stats: 25 lbs and 34.5 inches.

Rick's dad came in last week to visit and he said his mother told him that doubling the 2 year-old height is a good estimate of how tall they will be as an adult. That would make Cole 5'9" if that is the case which is probably about right given Rick is 5'9".

And speaking of Grandpa Poling's visit - it was SO FUN! He took Cole out nearly everyday for some one on one time. They went shopping, played at Chuck E. Cheese and ate at Chic-fil-a. Cole would come back so exhausted. Cole also loved Grandpa's new truck and thought playing in it was worthy of doing "again" and "again". (Those who know Cole, know he loves his "again".) And sorry, but I don't have any pics of the visit. I don't know why I don't take pics when people come over. Ugh!


But here's a pic of one of our days playing outside. Now that it has cooled off Cole is all about being outside - all day, every day. Mom loves it too though.

I know it has been so long since I've blogged. We've been busy and then sick so I'm just now getting around to it. The next few days I'll post some new stuff...promise. First up...carnival outing.

A little carnival comes to College Station twice a year. So November 1st we packed up the family and headed to the mall parking lot to give it a try. Cole loved all the lights on the rides. The first ride he went on with daddy was really, really fast and LOUD. It didn't look that fast watching it but after one go around he was waving his arms doing the "all done" sign. I felt bad for him, but as soon as he got off he wanted on again. We distracted him and went for a more tame ride - little trucks that ride on a track. Again he went with Dad and he loved it.

He seemed to be getting the hang of the rides idea so we let him go on the next one alone - little boats. He rang the little bell the entire ride. He doesn't look too thrilled but he was. Trust me. The video quality is poor. (Way to go iphone - does anyone know how you get better quality? How or why do people use the iphone video if it is no good for web sharing?)

So we eventually went back to the trucks and let him ride them alone but he didn't like that and endured the ride signing "all done" the entire time. Oh well. We went on some other rides too. He talked about the carnival for quite a while and wanted to go again so overall I'd say he enjoyed it even though he would get a little scared on some of the rides.

Afterward we went to Golden Corral to eat. Lyla ate like an adult and crazy as it may be so did Cole! We kept laughing at how much Lyla was eating though, and to top it off she had dessert too! She gobbled up ice cream - yum, yum!

My kids are just growing up so quickly!


Lyla is starting to crawl in a more traditional manner, though she still plops to her belly and army crawls. Her preference is standing mostly. She can hold a stand using pure balance and determination for up to about 5 or 6 seconds. She is speedy at getting away from me during diaper and clothing changes. But she is so cute and proud of herself for her accomplishment it just makes it funny.


She enjoys eating baby food now but prefers whatever we are eating. You can tell when she really likes something because she'll make "yummy" sounds. I love finding things she loves to eat!

Cole gets jealous of Lyla at times but mostly adores his sister and enjoys playing with her. He is looking forward to her being stronger and able to take his wrestling easier.

This is a funny clip of Cole dancing to the music on Toy Story. He was very excited this day. He was eating cold rigatoni pasta and calling it cheese. He ate it like candy.

See these two large balls? We have these as $2 alternatives to what he wanted at Target. I don't remember what it was he wanted when I got the green one, but I got it because he doesn't really have many soft balls at home to play with and he seems to like the larger ones. I got the red one because he was SO UPSET that I wouldn't buy him a baby doll that crawls. He saw it on the shelf and just went crazy. He put it in the basket and begged for the "Beebee!" Usually he is pretty good at getting distracted and we can leave the store peaceably but not this time. I tried telling him he has a REAL baby at home and doesn't need a fake one. That obviously didn't cut it. The ball didn't take away all his complaining for the baby but I wasn't going to fight two wants at 8 in the evening. I gave in to the ball. He loves them. They're cheap and fun. The only problem? He wants to sit on them but doesn't like falling off.


Saturday before Halloween was full of fun, fun, fun. Cole dressed up like Woody from Toy Story, minus the actual shirt and he refused to put on the boots. His hat looks like a Mexican Sombrero here too. Actually he fought me putting it all on. After all, I had just woken him up early from his nap in order to get them both ready for the Hay Ride at Miramont as well as the Trunk or Treat at church. You can see how excited he was about getting dressed up.


The activity at Miramont was small but very nice. Cole decorated a pumpkin with puffy stickers and sugar cookies with all sorts of candy and icing.

This is Lyla in her pea pod. It was Cole's costume from last year. He wore it (okay, squeezed into it) at 12 months old. Lyla didn't even wear it as well as Cole (aka, squeezing into it even more) at only 8 months!

A few minutes later she was like this...and stayed so pretty much the rest of the evening.

Cole loved the Hay Ride because he is VERY into tractors from "Cars" and from the construction going on in front of our house. Here he is with daddy on the ride while eating candy.


Here are a few more pics from the Miramont event.


Afterward we went to the Trunk or Treat at church. If you have never heard of one before let me sum it up. People open their trunks up in the parking lot and pass out candy. Some decorate them, some don't. And kids go from car to car "trunk or treating" instead of house to house. It's a safer and faster version of the traditional Halloween routine. It is rowdy and so much fun. There were about 50-60 cars there I think so LOTS of candy, though I didn't let Cole take any home actually.

Halloween day was pretty calm. We didn't even get many kids by the house. I think we just live too far back in our neighborhood because there were TONS of people up near the entrance. Cole and Daddy played with some sparklers outside but we didn't go out other than that.

Cole got so many cool things for his birthday, but this hat was one of his favorite. I don't think I've ever taken a picture of how he walks around some days with blanky in hand (sometimes two of them) with his milk cup almost empty just hanging out his mouth. I can't believe he doesn't take it out. He'll keep it in there forever.


And Cole's other birthday surprise came today! I put it together while he was napping and told him there was a surprise for him after he woke. He got VERY excited when he saw it had PEDALS! His legs are a little short to reach the pedals when you turn the steering column but by tonight he figured out how to slouch and reach better. He is working on the whole "steering" mechanics as that is totally new to him but this is definitely a winner!


(Note blanky in hand again. :-)

Cole's 2nd birthday was such a mix of fun and disasters that all you can do is laugh. It all started out well. We actually it started the night before when daddy brought home sparklers from work. Cole LOVED them!


In the morning, he watched his favorite show and while I was busy with Lyla, I came back to find this:


Yep. Lotion in his hair, all over the couch, his clothes, everything. So Lyla went down for a nap and we went into the tub for a wash down (and a haircut). Later we went to Kindermusik class (which he adores). I treated him to a mommy and son lunch at McDonald's where they have a fun playscape too.


Then we were off to pick up Lyla at Auntie B's. He loves it there and even thought his Uncle Lynn was hilarious in a scary Halloween mask. Then it was home for naps and that is when everything started going askew. He woke up cranky - bad news. But I hoped a walk outside would cure that. Then dad came home with Cole's balloons and cake. (I had intended to make one but time and energy just escaped me.) As Cole started playing with them I thought, "I'd better go hold the balloons so they don't fly away." But then I saw dad had a handle on it and instead I grabbed the camera inside. I got one picture.


Then this happened.


Uh-huh. 2 minutes of fun. He actually enjoyed seeing them fly away though.


I bought regular candles for Cole's cake at the same time I bought Rick's "3 and "0" for his cake. Well, they were nowhere to be found so Cole had to settle for a "3" candle to blow out. Uh-huh. So sad - not that he knew, but we sure did and I felt terrible.

Daddy and Cole dived into the cake. Then Cole started his allergic reaction. Uh-huh. No cake for Cole tonight. It was the icing though so he did get some later.


Cole enjoyed opening his gifts and we were so excited to have him open up the disco ball he loves so much at Chuck E. Cheese. Rick has a sort of curse though. Nothing he buys ever works. This time was no exception even though he tested it to make sure it turned at the store. Yea, it turned. The lights just don't work. Uh-huh. Well, he has another surprise coming, it just isn't here yet. Hopefully, that will make up for the blunder. You can see he was enthused for this "ball" (well, not overly so given he was already exhausted but this is pretty excited given the circumstances).

All in all the day was fun for Cole as he still doesn't really "get" what birthdays are. Every time we would sing to him he would say "mouse" (aka. Chuck E. Cheese where he has seen him sing to others). But I have definitely resolved to be much better at birthdays from here on out as some of these "Oops" could have been avoided!

Cole and Lyla were playing so cute today that I thought I'd pull out my camera. Though Lyla is so quick now I don't get very many good pics of her as I would like. Cole has always avoided the camera like the plague. The few shots I got of just him CRACK me UP! What is he trying to be? America's Next Top Super Model Toddler? hahaha...I mean, look at his pout!


Hands in the hair...


Oh but he is a sweet boy...


Well, the rest aren't so model-ish and yes, it does appear that Cole is ready to whack his sister, but no, he didn't. He always just wants to squeeze her or hit her or lay on her (which Lyla finds funny). I think he just wants to be close but not sure how to get out this immense affection he feels for her. He never hits her as he stops himself, but this sure makes for a funny picture!


They love to play in Lyla's room on the guest bed and in her crib. This is in her crib. Cole was clapping his hands on her tummy. You would think it hurt but she thought it was hilarious. Silly girl. Whatever he does, she loves.


Oh yes, and she now stands in her crib. This is always fun (not) because she doesn't know how to get down so she just screams bloody murder when she is tired of it. This is especially delightful when she stands up before going to bed. I'm sure all moms have been there.


And lastly, her energy faded and she resorted to her usual stance.


Cole turns 2 years old tomorrow. I can't believe Lyla is almost 8 months. Where has the time gone? Lyla now takes a bottle, and oddly enough, seems to prefer it sometimes. She even takes formula. I've had to supplement for various reasons. So thank heavens she drinks it! Most of all this girl loves to eat. She wants to eat, eat, eat! The exact opposite of her brother in that area for sure. He could care less. Give him milk, milk and more milk. Oh yes, and Cole is officially a "Cars" fan. I think he has watched the "Tractor Tipping" scene 100x's in the last three or four days. Great fun for mom too. Well, actually I prefer watching "Cars" over "Toy Story". For some reason, "Cars" doesn't get old to me. Well, at least not yet...

The past few weeks have been pretty full for the Poling family. Rick and Cole made a quick trip to Miami, FL to be with Grandpa Poling for his last day as a police officer and his retirement party. Cole is still free to fly and Rick wanted to have some daddy and son time. They got there on Friday afternoon, surprised Grandpa at his party and then went to the Miami zoo on Saturday and home on Sunday. I was so excited to see my men when they got home, but unfortunately, the entire escapade wore out little Cole that he was less than enthusiastic about anything for the next couple of days. He seemed to take it all out on mom. No hugs, no love, nothing. He gave me the cold shoulder for two or three days. But once caught up on naps and filled up with food he was back to loving mom and everything else too. (He really wouldn't eat for daddy while he was in Florida - he is just a routine kid. He needs it to eat otherwise he will always just want milk - all day, and only milk. He drank a half-gallon in just two days in Florida.) Sorry, no pics to share of the event but Rick did send me this one from the airport - it was a "Make a Wish" flight so there were balloons, juice and cookies for the kids.


Cole is even more attached to Daddy now than ever after their party time. Everything daddy does, Cole does. Dad wore a hat so Cole needed a hat...(and he loves all hats now in general).


While they were away Lyla and I enjoyed some alone time. It isn't often I get Lyla and just Lyla. It was heaven really having a quiet house again. I didn't realize how busy and noisy it usually is until Cole was gone. Wow he keeps things happening here. She was adorable (as usual) and enjoyed our one on one time too.


I discovered a few things about my girl having more time together. She loves dolls - well, at least Cole's Woody doll. She usually picks it over anything around her. She loves earrings. Not so much to grab them out of your ear, but she is almost mesmerized by them and stares at them adoringly. Does the same for shiny rings or necklaces too. Girl much? Also, she loves to look at herself. She even gives herself slobbery kisses in the mirror...


As well as blow raspberries just for the fun of it...

Lastly, Lyla is a crawler but more like a leap-frogger. Her cousin Ally, has the traditional crawl down pat but Lyla just really prefers to work on walking. She will pout to have us stand her up and from there she wants to let go of your hands. What does she think will happen? She also practically leaps off the bathroom sink. We used to sit Cole in the sink while we got ready and he was content to play with everything around him. Not her. She stands up in the sink and then crawls out almost immediately. How am I ever going to get ready now? Seriously, this girl wants to grow up too fast! (Oh yes, and she loves make-up brushes too...)

And here are some crawling videos.

Cole will be two next week. T-W-O! Again, I'm probably a loser mom, but we are just doing a family cake and presents. I just don't see myself whipping up a big thing in the next week. I should have been more on the ball but I'm pretty sure he won't care, right?

Down the street are these black signs with red circles. Since we moved here Cole and I have always played a game with them. I'll hold him up high so he can touch them and then we'll run to the next to touch it and so on. It's strangely one of his favorite things to do. This was him sort of playing the game without mommy...and I tried to get him to talk on camera. It worked...sort of.

Cole talking more...sort of...

I put Lyla in the playpen probably at least once a day. This is for my own sanity. When they get really mobile it's nice to have a place to play where I don't have to worry about what they are going to get into. Cole loves to join her in it but sometimes annoys her to pieces. She usually recovers quickly from his shenanigans and overall secretly loves that he is there trying to play with her.

Cole watches the way we play with Lyla and tries to mimic us. He tries to tickle her neck but ends up clawing at her face, he plays "peekaboo" but ends up smashing his hand against her face and he tries to play "little piggy" or tickle her toes too. He means well so I try not to be too hard on him and he isn't really hurting her, just annoying. She better get used to it I suppose.

Yesterday I was getting ready in the bathroom and Cole was with me like usual. He grabbed my contact case, handed it to me and said "Wa-wa" - meaning, "Please put water in here." So I did. Then I continued putting on my make-up. When I looked at him again he had water streaming from his eye down his cheek and he was dipping his finger in the water in the contact case and putting it in the other eye. I cracked up laughing. Seriously, so cute to see him copying me. Even to the extent of poking himself in the eye to put in his "contacts".


We've been having so much fun outside these past couple of days. The mornings are mid-60s so Cole has taken off running each morning as it seems his energy is never-ending when it isn't scorching outside. I love it. Cole loves it. Lyla loves it. We are once again outdoors all day except to eat and sleep. I have lots of video from the past few days too. It seems cooler weather has made us all happy and excited, hence making great video memories. I'll be posting some soon!

(Oh yes, and apparently the kiddos got a hold of my camera touched the lens. So I've got fingerprinty photos and video. Hmm...)

Yesterday I was reading to Cole after his nap. He asked to read "Pat the Bunny" and when we got to the mini-bunny book inside he started crying. I mean REALLY crying and pointing to the bunny. Then he blurted out "buuunnny"!

Kristina: "You want the bunny?"
Cole: Nods head and points to bunny. "buu-y"
Kristina: "Okay, well, we can get you a bunny."
Cole: Crying harder, REAL tears. "BUU-Y"
Kristina: "Oh, well, we have a little green bunny in Lyla's toys. Do you want that one?"
Cole: Nods head yes.

So I trek downstairs and find the little green bunny only to find when I bring it to Cole he crumbles to a lump of tears. "NO! no!" (More crying.) I am wracking my brain trying to think what he could possibly want. Then I remembered this bunny from Grandma Solotes for his first Easter.

We pulled it out this past Easter and he played with it making him dance but nothing too spectacular. I put him on top of his closet shelf because his stitching started ripping out. Cole never asked about him when I put him away. Could it be this was what he wanted? No way. Well, lets see.

I pull it down and boy do I wish I had the reaction on video. Running to the bunny and holding out both arms "Buuunny!!!!" He hugs him and plays with him for about an hour afterward. Bunny joins us for dinner, for brushing teeth, for sleeping, for breakfast, he wore a tie this morning like Cole in getting ready for church (and almost came to church). Cole put a bib on him to eat. He gives him kisses and tells him "Nigh-nigh" at nap time and bed time.

Cole has a new best friend. Bunny. And mom and dad think it is utterly adorable.

Lyla was my little princess today. I couldn't stop taking pictures of her because she POSES for them. It cracks me up. She LOVES the camera. Plus she had on a pretty dress. :-)


Oh yes, and Lyla crawls. She usually lunges with her feet and plops her head into the carpet and pushes back up with her arms, but today was different. Today she army crawled to get to the Woody doll on the floor. (Cole would normally NOT have that, but he was sleeping.) She can pretty much get to where ever she wants except back into a sitting position which frustrates her but she is getting really close to doing that too so I'm sure it won't be too long. Before I know it she is going to be running around this place - and Cole is DYING for that day to come. He can't wait. I can.


And up next is my first complex photoshopping - took out all the background. I was going to clear up her complexion and add a different background, but hey, it's getting late. Learning how to take out the background was lesson enough for today.

For the past few weeks I have been preoccupied with other things instead of updating the blog. My apologies. We had Rick's mom and step-dad over for a week and then my computer crashed and my cellphone was momentarily out of commission due to an overload of Lyla slober. Then I was figuring out how to fix my computer, phone shopping (just in case), computer shopping (just in case), creating a brochure for my mom's store and then putting the house back in order. Phew! Now I have some pics and videos for all the Cole and Lyla lovers out there.

So let's see, here's a brief summary of Grandma and Grandpa Solotes' visit. I didn't take many pictures so these are from the grandparents camera.

We went to the park.


Lyla showed off her mad swinging skills.


Although he was afraid to go on slides by himself for a while, Cole is now a pro. He is wearing his new NC Charlotte jersey (where his Aunt Jillian is attending).


Cole got a Toy Story tent which he adores and loves to play in with Lyla and daddy.


He also has a Mr. Potato Head (which he doesn't share with Lyla) and Toy Story PJs. He has worn these PJs nearly every night since getting them. Mom and Dad love them too so we just keep washing them. :-)


We went to Chucke Cheese (and there learned that Cole knows how to say "mouse"). And Cole has a new favorite place to visit and adores Chucke. He asked to go on the merry-go-round by signing horse and saying "neigh". (He usually got very afraid on these types of rides.)


And we had a awesome date night at Miramont in the Portofino Restaurant.

Lyla and Cole both loved the time with their grandparents. It was so fun to play with them everyday. It felt like vacation for Rick and I too with two more adults around all the time!



Last Monday we made a trip to Brenham, TX to visit the Blue Bell factory. Blue Bell ice cream is only sold in the southeastern US so some of you may never have heard of it. But even though it is only sold in 19 states it is the 3rd highest selling ice cream in the US just behind Breyers and Dryers. FYI: the most popular flavors sold are Vanilla, Cookies and Cream and The Great Divide (which is 1/2 vanilla, 1/2 chocolate). Cole loved the cow statue and both kids were pretty great on the tour. It was a lot of fun to have a family outing even though the kids naps were completely messed up due to them falling asleep on the way home.


Now for the videos...

Lyla gets super giddy when she is tired. This is an example. But the laughing can turn to crying really quickly too.

Lyla got a new swing too. She loves it. Cole loves it too...uh oh.

Lyla will NOT eat baby cereal. I tried rice, wheat and oat with formula, with breast milk, and with fruit. None of the above worked. She would crinkle her nose and spit it out. However, she will eat other baby foods like sweet potatoes, applesauce, pears, etc. She just hates cereal I suppose. It is so fun to feed her. She says "yum" with almost every bite. And now if I'm feeding Cole she thinks she gets some too. She will crane her neck and her whole body trying to dive into the food.

And she eats baby puff cereal. Loves them actually. It's a great way to keep her from getting cranky in church or elsewhere. I realized I had never really tested her fine motor skills so yesterday I put her in the high chair and tested them out. Wow! That girl almost has the pincer grasp down (though I'm not sure it's seen here in this clip). Now just getting the cereal in the mouth. Later she realized if she sucked her fingers sometimes the puffs would stick to them and then she could suck it off the fingers. I watched her eat baby puffs for almost a half hour just in amazement at how well she did. This is only a short clip but still for most viewers there isn't too much exciting here.

Cole got an indoor/outdoor slide as well. This combined with the swing saves Mommy from hiking out to the park on those super hot days (though it is cooling somewhat now).

Now I'm off to see if I can squeeze in a nap. I feel a cold coming on. I think Cole has it too. Yuck.