Cole: 9 months

And then, just like that, you were 9 months.  Only three little months until you are one year old.  You constantly amaze us these days, with how quickly you are becoming a little boy and less a baby with each and every day.  Please stay little just a bit longer Cole.

But, based on your stats and the strength you have, I doubt that will happen.  

Weight: 29 lb., 6 oz. (100%) 

Height: 2 ft., 6 in. (98%)

Yow-wee!  My little chunk-a-monk be a-growin' and a BIG boy! 

Here are a few other fun little facts about our little:

• As I have mentioned before, we have a crawler!  But his new thing: the bear crawl.  He likes to get up on all fours and walk around the house.  I mean really, a standard crawl is something an 8 month old does, not a 9 month old.  Silly boy.
• Still no teeth... and really, not that much drool.  Maybe we'll have to invest in some baby dentures.
• He is able to pick up food off of his tray and feed himself now.  
• Cole is a very content little guy; one little toy can hold his interest for a long time.
• He says the word "Mama."  Not "ma ma ma ma ma ma..." Not "ma."  But "mama."  Better yet?  He will say it and look at me with the sweetest little smile.  Melts my heart every time.
• Cole already wants to do every little thing his big brother does.  That heart I mentioned in the bullet above?  Yeah, re-melted. 
• Cole is a water baby.  Although I have mentioned his love for bath time before, he loves to splash around in the tub each night before bed.  Definitely one of his favorites.
• Apparently, our little is a big sports buff.  He likes to sit around with his daddy and catch-up on the sports highlights of the day.
• He has a love/hate relationship with his stroller.  We're working on it.
• Because he is a crawler, he can pull himself up into a sitting position... and a standing position pretty quickly.  I think lots of tumbles and possibly cruising could be in our near (but hopefully distant) future. 

Want to see Cole's post from last month?  Click HERE.

We Have a Crawler, Friends.

Cole decided it was time to be mobile about a week ago today - a week before he turned 9 months old. The same day one of my co-workers and I were talking about if crawling was in the near future for Cole (and I mentioned that I thought he would not be moving for a few more months), the boy proved me wrong and began crawling.  A little mixture of army crawl/standard crawl, Cole definitely has his own way to get from point A to point B.  I am hoping to take a little video of it this weekend.

Glimpses of Spring

• Fresh-cut flowers on our kitchen counter
• A decorative birdie on a shelf in our kitchen
• A "Spring" banner on our mantle
• Little leaves starting to grow on our hydrangea plant 

3 Toddlers, 1 Baby, & a Tired Momma.

Our nieces were in town last Friday and Kingston was beside himself with excitement.  He was so thrilled to have them come over and play at his house, with his toys.  Although the hubs was around for a couple of hours before baseball practice, I spent the majority of the day with all three toddlers (and our little Cole, of course) on my own.  Although extremely tiring, it was fun and we had a great day.

They read books, colored, played with toys... had snack time... played red light/green light, tag, hide & go seek.  We played boardgames and watched a little Tom & Jerry during quiet time.  They also practiced their culinary skills and played with Kingston's kitchen, filling pizza orders and preparing cake to go by the slice.  

All activities lasted about 15 minutes before the next... and they kept me on my toes.  But I am happy to say there were no fights, no time-outs.  These three love to play together.

{Brothers}

Last Friday, we had the most beautiful weather.  So we bundled up and headed to the park in the afternoon.  I snuck this photo of Kingston helping push Cole in the stroller in the parking lot.  I love how helpful Kingston is - he really is the best big brother.


{This photo can be found on my Instagram account - click on the link in the menu above to view it or my other Instagram photos.}

A Boy and His Superheroes.

My boy loves his superheroes.  He has quite the collection and they tend to be his go-to toys right now.  So when I came into the kitchen yesterday afternoon to start dinner, I wasn't surprised to see he was actively playing away with them.  What I was surprised to see, however, was Kingston playing with his superheroes on our kitchen trashcan.  Again.  For like the second or third time this week.  Instead of interrupting him and asking him why, I quickly grabbed my camera to take a few photos.  Isn't that what you would have done?

My life with Boys.

"Little boys leave smudges on your hearts." - Art Moms

... And on your floors, windows, chairs.  Oh the life with little boys.  I feel so blessed to have such fun, active little guys.  But lets get real for a second - my house feels like it is NEVER clean anymore.  It seems like we are constantly cleaning/organizing our home, only to turn around and find a mess of toys, books, or some other little boy things dumped throughout our living spaces.  And it is not for a lack of teaching our oldest to pick up the toys he has finished playing with before picking out new ones... it just somehow happens.

But, we're learning together... and I have to say, I get a little smile when I see little cars... or army men... or super heroes laying in piles throughout our home.  Especially when I have just seen our oldest sharing his toys with his brother and using his imagination to teach Cole how to play with them.  It makes a momma smile.

Mom Always Said

My mom gave me this bangle for my 30th birthday last October and I could not love it more.  It is definitely one of my favorite go-to accessories and it has the best things to remember engraved on it...

• Don't forget to floss
• Have courage
• Wear sunscreen
• Eat your vegetables
• Take a chance

And on the inside, "Mom Always Said."  

I will definitely be passing on these wise words to my two little guys throughout the years.  Moms always say the best things, don't they?