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.

Lyla had her 6 month well check today. She is doing great! She is now 15 lbs (25th percentile) and 25 inches long (20th percentile). Oddly enough her length at 4 months was 25 inches as well. Hmm... even stranger...Cole's 4 month length was about the same as his 6 month length. Either it was a fluke reading at 4 months for both of them or my babies don't get taller in those two months.

Cole's Length vs. Lyla's:

Anyway, being that she now hovers around the 25th percentile her growth has slowed since she was at 50th or so at the 4 month mark. That seems about right since she is smaller than other babies we know at her age now - including her favorite cousin, Ally. But she is still very healthy as anyone can see from her super chub thighs. (Sorry about that babe!)

Cole's Weight vs. Lyla's:

She still has decided she doesn't want to eat baby food which is okay by me. However she is nicely drinking a little water from a sippy cup. Wow! Definitely not like her brother in that arena. It isn't a lot but she actually seems to enjoy nibbling on it and then drinking a little. Oh, and she sort of eats fruit (see video)...we put apple slices in the netting. She sucks on it for a little bit but just tires of it even if you hold it. I just don't think she likes anything but milk - definitely like her brother there! Cole glady finishes these off for her, as well as any baby food I make for her to try. Jealous much, are we? Yes. He wants anything we are giving her.

Lyla loves to touch faces, looks you in the eye and smiles when you talk to her. The doctor said that babies who love to touch faces are extroverts when they grow up. Again, definitely NOT like her brother. So we'll have our shy guy and our outgoing little girl. They'll make a great pair. :-) They already do.

Oh yes, and Lyla is a pretty good sitter now (even though the videos are from when she first started learning). She even rides in the cart at the grocery stores without a problem. It seems so odd to me because she is so tiny but she holds herself very still and enjoys the ride!

Okay, so I have no clue as to what we've been doing for the past 3 weeks other than the usual get up, eat, play, run errands, nap, play, ...etc. etc. But in the midst of all that usual-ness, Lyla became an official "sitter" although I usually am on hand or a pillow is nearby to catch the eventual fall. She seems to still prefer to play on her tummy though she definitely can sit. As evidence:

Yes, and she is now allowed to play in the sink as we get ready in the morning. Man I love sinks. They don't require me to bend down to the ground (because I'm still having back issues) and boy do my kiddos find them fascinating. Is it because of the shiny faucet or because they love to look at themselves in the mirror? Hmm...

Oh yes, and Lyla loves to stick out her tongue. There were a few days that all she did was hang it out like a dog in the wind, but now she's calmed down and only does it once in a while.


Baby girl is definitely teething but she does it all with a smile and just is a little more needy in the "hold me" arena. But the average joe wouldn't even know she's teething since she is pretty much cheery all day. I do think a little stranger anxiety is setting in though (unfortunately).


It is such a blessing to have little Lyla. It is so easy to get her to smile and laugh. She adores her big brother and like him, is hard to tear away from "Baby Signing Time". When it's on, it is almost comical how she turns to look at the TV no matter what you try to distract her with.


Cole has decided it's okay to use his words now and it starting to say a lot of words. Some are very clear but others only mommy really knows what he is saying. Some words he says:

Purple (a favorite), Cole, Car, Cow, Buzz, Woody, Bubble, Cat, Hot, Star, Potty, Shirt, This, Thank You, Store, Door, Mail, Milk, Blue, Cook, Peas, Please, Fly, Bye, Hot, Eat, Water, Slide

There are others I'm sure, but this is what comes to mind at the moment. And obviously his signing vocabulary is much more expansive.


Oh, and I finally got him to understand what "Smile!" means. This is his camera "smile" (aka. the fake one). And his uncle is going to University of Alabama, hence the AL shirt. The watermelon? Well, that's just one of his favorite things to eat.

The laying on the crayons? Well, that's just because he loves "colors" so much. You would think it's Christmas morning when I ask him if he wants to color. And that is what makes being a mom so fun!