Trunk or Treat 2011

Our first practice run for Halloween 2011 was trunk or treating at the church.  Halloween traditions have changed since I was a kid and as a result, I have never been trunk or treating.  It turned out to be a fun time.  Different cars parked in the church parking lot and decorated the trunks of their cars.  Instead of going door to door, the kids went car to car.  Owners of the cars dressed up, some had games to play, and of course, there was candy to pass out.  It was cute for little ones.     

Cole was a little lion for Halloween.  He was the cutest little lion ever.  At first he was okay with getting dressed up.  Then the hat went on and it was a whole different story.  Cole went from eh, to horrible, to worst thing ever, just as fast as I could snap pictures. 





Case has been watching some Halloween specials on tv and decided he wanted to be a ghost for Halloween.  The end result was a plain old sheet with a hole cut out for his head.  I threw some cheese cloth over the top for some added dimension and we painted his face white.  I’m a little ashamed of the final outfit, but hey, how do you make a nice ghost costume?  The evening weather was a bit cool so jackets, hats and gloves were necessary for our trunk or treating adventure.  Here is our little ghost.  Case would tell people, “I’m a ghost.  Ooooooo ” (insert scary ghost noise with little hand gestures here).      

Some nice woman offered to take our picture as a family.  Such a simple sweet gesture, especially since it is rare for all of us to be in the same shot together.  

The big trick or treating event at the mall is on Monday but I think Case was able to adequately practice and will be up on his game and ready to go for the real day. 

Captured!

This is a rare moment hardly ever captured on film......Both boys being still at the same time.


As you can see the moment only lasted, well...a moment, before everyone was back in motion again.


Goodness only knows what Case was reaching for, but Cole quickly managed to nab Cody's wallet and began disassembling the contents.

Oh well, at least I got one shot.

To Our Secret Admirer

Whoever sent us these A-FREAKIN-DORABLE backpacks from Irving Texas, I want to thank you so very much! Please let me know who you are so I can give you a proper thank you!

Happy 1st Birthday Cole!

It is official, Cole has turned 1 year old! We celebrated this weekend with pre-birthday smores. Here is how Cole does smores. Bite of chocolate. Bite of graham cracker. Bite of marshmallow. Mess everywhere.

The family went to play putt putt in honor of Cole’s special day. Case was a natural! He even got a hole in one on the 18th hole….twice! Which means he won 2 free games.

Cole crawled around for a minute or two and decided black light mini golf wasn’t his thing.

So we went downstairs in the mall and played on the indoor playground. He went in and out of this tunnel until the older riff raff left.

Then he spent the rest of his time going up the stairs and down the slides…head first! This boy has no fear!

After a hard core play session it was time for cake.

Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Cole! Happy Birthday to you!

Cole decided to keep his hands clean initially and went face first into the icing. Yummy!

Okay, that wasn't half bad.

Second round, Cole went into the icing with a little more gusto for a serious bite.

Do I have any food on my mouth? I think he enjoyed it. At least he didn't cry.

Finally Cole decided to get down and dirty with his hands.

Smooshy. Mooshy. Cake feels good in between my fingers. Happy Birthday Cole. Mommy love you very much!

First Word (s)

It’s official. Cole is verbal. There is no telling how long he has been talking but we just realized it recently. Amazing what you can learn when you just listen to your kids. I’m ashamed to say that once we started really listening to Cole we were able recognize at least 5 different words in his vocabulary. He can say: throw, mama, dada, hi and dog. The boy is brilliant!

Make that 6. We just heard him say kitty cat!

Cave of the Winds 2011

Today we took a tour of Cave of the Winds. The tour lasted around an hour, had over 200 steps and covered over a mile of terrain.

Cave entrance photo op. Cole was great the majority of the tour. He just hung around on my shoulders taking everything in which is a miracle because he has never rode in the harness before without major disagreement.


We saw all kinds of stalactites, stalagmites and interesting rock formations.

This stalactite is shiny because people have continually touched it over the years. The oils in our hands has eventually caused the rock to stop growing. There was a $2,500 fine for touching so we all kept our hands to ourselves.


Case was adamant that he bring his lantern to the cave. We even had to turn around in the car and go back to get his light. Good thing we did, because during the tour there was a “lights out” experience were all the lights were turned out so we could experience the true darkness of the cave. After the lights went out he just turned on his handy dandy lantern and said, ‘don’t worry, I have a flashlight.’ Case to the rescue. My hero.

This used to be the way people came and went into the cave. Fortunately we were able to walk.


Kristy, Brian, Cora and Emmie were on the tour as well.

Up the stairs, down the stairs, over and down steep ramps, Case trooped away the entire time. He was a little disappointed that we did not see any bats or dragons but overall I think he enjoyed the tour and would eagerly go again.

Case and Cole 1 & 3

The whole family traveled 12 hours to Oklahoma in order to have a birthday party for both of the boys at Chester’s Party Barn. We had a great turn out, the day was beautiful and all the kids who attended had a wonderful time. I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends and family who were willing to share the day with us. The first order of fun was checking out the petting zoo. Ponies, lama, goats, bunnies chickens and more were available for the kids to pet.

This super soft bunny drew quite a crowd.

Cole socalized with the other babies while the older kids played in the barn. Hello Tripp.

Clean up time! Those farm animals can be a bit dirty.

Next order of business was the highlight of the party. PONY RIDES! As you can see the pony rides drew quite a crowd. Scott, daddy, Uncle Quinton and Grandpa Bobby stood by waiting for the action to begin.

Uncle Jason, Whitney and Seth Alexander and Nana all lined up to see the kids ride.

Cole sat on the side lines while Case got saddled up.

Everyone had to wait their turn while the horses got ready. Case waited around with his cousins Hanna and Aaron.

Finally, a pony ride! Case had been waiting for this moment all day! He hopped on like a pro and rode a different horse every turn.

Everyone was able to ride a pony and most kids rode several times. Case never missed a turn.

Giddy up partner.

After the pony rides everyone moseyed over to the party center where the kids could have their faces pained and play on the karaoke machine while the adults socialized until the hay ride began. Can you believe Cole and Xavier are the same age?!

Case originally wanted a pair of shoes painted on his face but finally decided on a horse since he enjoyed the pony rides so much.

Load up and move em' out. It's time to for a tractor ride.

The kids called in the livestock and the horses and cows came up to the side of the tractor.

Did I mention that the horses and cows came right up to the side of the tractor?

After all the fun and excitement everyone was ready for cake and ice cream.

Cole tried a cup cake for the first time.

At first he was excited to grab at it without anyone taking it away.

Then he nibbled on the frosting.

But after a finger lick or two he was done with the cake. Maybe round 2 back in Colorado will be more messy and exciting.


With cake in everyones bellies we were ready for presents.


Presents, presents, and more presents.

Everyone was just too generous. We brought home an entire truck of presents!

The day at Cheste's Party Barn was wonderful and I hope the boys had a birthday they could remember as fun, exciting and special. However what truly made the day special was that we were surrounded by so many of our friends and family. Thank you everyone for making the day fantastic.