The Hardy Scoop

Merry Christmas! (Christmas Part 2)

2012-01-25T23:53:00.009-05:00

We started our Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve by going to church with my parents and then dinner at their house with some friends. We usually have the Cail family celebration on this night but my brother wasn't going to be in town for a few more days so we just had fun spending time together. My parents did give Landon one present - "The Little Engine that Could game." Landon had seen this game at Target over a month ago and that is all he could talk about and what he asked Santa for. I had taken a picture of it with my phone and Landon would randomly ask if he could look at his game and he would - for extended periods of time. The book had been one of my favorites growing up and my parents had given this book to Landon so I thought it only fitting that they give him the game as well. For some reason I have no pictures from Christmas Eve, not really sure why.

Landon was pretty excited going to be that night, but apparently I was more excited because I woke up before him (which never happens!) and was able to get the cinnamon rolls in the oven before he woke up :) When he first walked out into the living room, he just kind of stood there looking at the gifts; he wasn't really sure what to think or do. Then he wanted to go straight for the presents but we had to redirect him (stockings first!) and showed him what Santa had brought him. He calls it "smooth bridge," but it is the Zipping, Zooming Bridge for the Thomas set - he had been asking for this for months and months! After stockings, we began opening presents. Landon was so funny - for each and every present (even if it wasn't his and even if he knew what it was because he had helped to wrap it) he would excitedly go, "Oh, oh, oh..!" as he helped to tear the paper off and as soon as the paper was off he was grabbing for the next one before he even had time to process what he had opened. Once all the presents were opened, he was able to settle down and started playing which he happily did for the rest of the day :)

Colson just seemed to enjoy the action. He would pick up random gifts and play with them and he watched Landon open his presents. His favorite was a ball popper (?) - push the top and it makes the balls spin around. He also got a few balls that he enjoyed tossing around the house. I think Colson's favorite part of the morning was breakfast wheras we had to drag Landon to the table to eat!

Santa came!

Playing with a new ball

Checking out the stocking

Complete fascination!

Check out Landon's mouth - "Oh, oh, oh!!!"

Watching daddy open the tape measure he bought for him

Candy cars! He saw those over the summer and just knew Colson was going to get them for him!

Present from Landon

What!? Landon bought Colson crossing guards for the wooden railroad set that belongs to Landon :)

Colson really liked my new hairbrush but he was willing to look at the other toys

Landon got himself a tape measure as well and insisted on wrapping it and putting it under the tree too :)

The favorite toy!

This one was pretty fun too

Our little present

I had Justin's diploma framed for his office

Watching the ball bounce across the floor

Yummy Christmas breakfast!

Testing out a new toy to see how well it bounces - he ended up under the chair

Its hard to tell here but he's standing all by himself - don't know if he realizes it or not :)

A Few Random Pictures

2012-01-25T23:31:00.004-05:00

The elementary kids at church sang one Sunday morning and a few of the younger kids who stay for both services had been practicing with them. Since Landon often stays for both services he got to go on stage too, but he was not too thrilled with this idea! To start with he had spent the night at Grammy's house and I did not even think about Christmas attire - so he's easy to find- the only one not in Christmas colors! Secondly, he really didn't know any of the words to the songs, so he just stood there -the whole time - not moving. Finally, I think the massive amount of people freaked him out a little. Not only did he just stand there, but he looked like he might bust out crying at any minute :( I know he couldn't actually see me, but he would look straight at me with this look of, "Why am I here? Please make it stop!" I asked him afterwards if he liked being up there and he gave me a solide, "NO!" and then I asked him if he was about to cry and gave me a soft, "Yes, I didn't want to do it" - Poor baby!

We have joined a new Journey Group at church and we had a little Christmas playdate with the kiddos. They made "Christmas trees" out of ice cream cones, frosty, and lots of candy!

Landon's finished product - doesn't it just look delicious!

A little sampling :)

Hmm I wonder how that ornament ended up on the floor

At least he tries to put them back!

Oh well - time to move on

Cookie Decorating

2012-01-25T22:18:00.006-05:00

Its not Christmas without some Christmas cookies and the boys were delighted to help! Well Landon was excited about decorating - Colson enjoyed the eating :) Landon started by telling me how he decorated cookies at Grammy's house a few weeks prior but then as we continued he began telling me how Uncle Chris had helped him decorate cookies a long time ago - I was pretty impressed that he remembered that from last Christmas. I'm always amazed at the things little people remember! Landon was very particular about how he decorated even if he did use tons and tons of sprinkles! When he was finished he saw me taking pictures, and he had to go get his new camera to take some himself. Then it was time to sample - the best part! Colson had already eaten the frosting off a couple while he watched us decorate but he was right up next to Landon hoping he'd be willing to share a bite (which he didn't!)

Ready to decorate!

Frosting first

Eating the frosting

Yummy!

I love the look of concentration :)

Almost done

Time for sprinkles

Stop taking pictures

The finished product!

Taking pictures of his work

The first bite - oh so good!

Someone else is looking for a bite

Too late Colson - its all gone!

A Visit with Santa

2012-01-25T21:56:00.003-05:00

This should have been an earlier post but I used my other camera and forgot I had taken them. We took the boys to see the Santa at the mall on December 9, now we had already visit Santa on our train ride so when I told Landon we were going to see Santa, his first response was, "But I already saw him!" I then proceeded to tell him that mommy didn't get the nice picture when he saw Santa the first time so we had to go back - it worked :) Both boys did great - Landon told Santa what he wanted "The Little Engine that Could game" and Colson just enjoyed meeting a new person! Afterwards we let the boys ride the "train" around the mall which was of course the highlight the day!

Landon's fake smile

Ready to ride!

Silly boy!

Landon picked the caboose

Pre-School Musical

2012-01-15T23:23:00.004-05:00

On Tuesday, December 20, Landon participated in his Christmas program at school. He had quite a supportive audience with mommy, daddy, Colson, Grandma, Bampa, Grammy, and Aunt Laura - thanks for coming he loved having people come to watch him! As always watching preschoolers up on stage is always fun and this program didn't disappoint - there were definitely some characters to watch :) Landon did better this year than last and seemed to be able to sing most of the songs but he would not move his hands at all! After singing, we headed back to his classroom for the party. This is what he was looking forward to - I had made reindeer donuts and he could not wait to eat one!

They were supposed to be the "rolling hills" which is why the green shirt and headband.

Gavin was hiding behind the microphone most of the time so this was the best I got!

Finally - eating the donut!

Too busy eating for a picture

Silly face

Best Buds

Spaghetti

2012-01-04T00:44:00.004-05:00

A baby eating spaghetti - isn't picture taking a requirement!?

All Done!

A Hardy Christmas (Christmas Part 1)

2012-01-04T00:23:00.002-05:00

We have started celebrating Christmas with the Hardy side of the family on the Saturday before Christmas. This actually works out great since they like to have Christmas breakfast (let's just say some yummy eggs benedict!) so it cuts down on the rush of Christmas morning and then we can all just hang out and relax for the day. We let the kids open presents first and Landon was not disappointed with a remote control Cars 2 car, camera, and some new legos. Uncle George helped Colson open his presents and Colson seemed to really enjoy watching him play with his toys :)

The unwrapping

Checking out his new toy

Camera!

Now I can take my own pictures!

Playing with his new toy and looking at his cute shirt from Aunt Laura

Testing out the car

Sneaking in a little candy

Uncle George and Colson

A balloon hat and football - sounds like a great Christmas :)

Trying on daddy's hat

It was a GT hat Christmas

The cousins

Matching Jammies

2012-01-04T00:10:00.003-05:00

Landon and Colson have matching monkey pajamas, but they had yet to wear them at the same time. The other night though while I was putting Landon's pajamas on, Justin was doing the same with Colson and when he brought Colson into Landon's room - Landon went absolutely crazy! Why? Because he and Colson were both wearing the monkey pjs at the same time! (I mean if that is not cause for excitement I really don't know what is!) Of course, had to get the camera...

Meal Time

2012-01-03T23:59:00.002-05:00

Colson is just so fun to watch so I grabbed my camera while he was eating snack one day to try and capture all the expressions!

Gingerbread Houses

2012-01-03T23:39:00.004-05:00

On Sunday, December 11 we headed over to Laura and Rylee's house to attempt to make some gingerbread houses. I recall doing this once before when I was maybe 10 or 11 so my experience in this area is zip. We bought one of the sets where you had to make your own frosting (never again! always buy the set with the pre-made frosting - that stuff is a pain!) and I put it together the night before so it could dry and harden and be ready for the fun part. Landon kept asking what you did with it and I would say, "We decorate it." L - "Then what?" Me - "We look at it." L- "But then what?" Me - "That's it, you decorate it and then look it at it." L- "Oh" I'm sure you can guess what he was getting at - he wanted to know if he got to eat it! Trust me, he ate plenty of candy while decorating, but we had to have that converstation several times before he stopped asking :) He did pretty well with the decorating as did all the kids - its really an easy process - candy on the house, candy in the mouth and then repeat :)

Shari and Gavin getting started

Serious about the decorating

Laura and Rylee

Very serious about the placement of each gumdrop

Jason and Jacob

Want some?

About to take a bite

Kelsey with her happy/sad roof

Colson trying to get a sample

Finished product

Engineer in Training

2012-01-03T23:29:00.004-05:00

Landon was not disappointed when he woke up after decorating the tree - Jim had set up his Christmas train! When Landon woke up, instead of coming into our room he went out to check the train but since it had been a year he had to come ask how to turn it on. The sound of the train and its beautiful holiday music is what we awoke to that morning :) At one time I heard Landon say, "I need my train hat!" When I came into the living room, this is what I found...

He kept taking off his hat and saying, "All Aboard!"

Decorating!

2012-01-03T23:07:00.004-05:00

It took us a couple of days but we finally got the tree decorated. I put the lights while the boys were taking their nap. Landon was soooo excited when he woke up and saw the lights on the see, he wanted to just sit on the couch and look at them. He eagerly awaited until daddy came home so he could decorate the tree. First thing though was keeping Colson away from the tree during the decorating process. I ended up laying a chair down and blocking him off to one side of the room, he surprisingly didn't seem to mind too much and even helped me by throwing the empty ornament boxes back into the big box. Landon was so excited opening each of his ornaments - he actually has quite a collection for only being 3 years old. I get him an ornament each Christmas as well as from anywhere we may travel, he also gets a collection from both his Grandma and Grammy and other friends and family. Most of them of course are trains and he had to study each one before he found the "perfect spot" on the tree for it. We had to have a little lesson in ornament hanging - you can't hang all of them on the same branch :) So after that with each one he would say, "I need to find the perfect spot..." When he finished hanging all of his, he was ready to attack my big box of ornaments. He would go through each one, if he liked it he would want to hang it on the tree, if not he would pass it by with, "I don't really want that one." When we were finished, he put the angel up on top and then wanted all the lights off so he could sit and look at the tree. When he went to bed he was eagerly awaiting the fact that Jim was supposed to set up his "Christmas Train!"

The beloved Thomas the Train ornament

The placing of the ornament

Concentrating on placing each one in its perfect spot!

A blocked off Colson

Do you like the Santa hat with the 4th of July shirt? Needless to say its been a little warm!

Cutie pie with the snotty nose :)

The placing of the angel

Finding the Perfect Tree

2011-12-15T23:51:00.003-05:00

We were able to continue our annual tradition of picking out our tree on December 6. I wasn't sure if it was going to happen this year because a) it was raining b) Landon could not have been any slower eating his dinner and c) Colson was about to lose it. But Landon finished, Colson calmed down, and the rain took a little break. We headed off to great outdoor world of Home Depot and even though Justin was really looking forward to picking up lots of wet, sappy trees to find the perfect one he unfortunately only had to pick up one. The first one he held up was nice and full and well perfect. Landon agreed so after a few pictures we were back in the car, just in time I might add because it was pouring down rain by the time we got home!

That's the one!

So excited!

Colson approves as well

Going on a Train Ride

2011-12-13T22:48:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, December 3 we went up to Blue Ridge to ride the train. It is a one hour train ride to McCaysville, GA, two hours in the town, and an hour back. Landon was soooooo excited he was going to be riding a diesel train since he has already ridden on a couple of steam trains. We went up with my parents and we lucked out because our train car happened to be one of the nicest ones which made the ride that much more enjoyable. Of course we made the mistake of taking Landon to the concession/gift shop car at the beginning of the trip and he saw a toy diesel train that he wanted. Daddy told him he could get it later because he didn't want him playing with it the whole time, but the idea backfired because the only thing he could talk/think about was that train and if it was time to go and get it. We even saw the exact same one while we were walking around the town but he didn't want that one because he wanted to get, "the train on the train." After the initial ride, we unloaded and walked around "Santa's village" - that's how it was advertised it was really just some Christmas lights with some makeshift, plywood, kid-sized buildings, but Landon absolutely loved it and just ran around like a crazy boy! Afterwards we grabbed something to eat and then walked around a few stores. We came across a store that was letting kids take free pictures with Santa, so Landon and Colson went to have a little visit (this idea later backfired on me because I wanted Landon to go see the Santa at the mall, but he told me he had already seen Santa and didn't need to go again. I was able to convince him though, by telling him mommy wanted the nice picture of him and Colson with Santa!) After a few more stores, we headed back to the train and yes Landon finally got his diesel train which entertained him on the way back!

Here comes the train!

Waiting (notice the earplugs - I don't know how much good they did to keep out the sound but to Landon they worked wonders!)

Colson waiting

Still waiting

Attempting to get a family shot in front of the train - if only I was showing you the other 20+ taken before this one :)

Recognize our Christmas card?

Look out the window mom!

Me and my boy

Checking out the scenery

Deep in thought

Running around Santa's village

Trying to jump up and reach the lights

The amazing Santa village

The train outside the restaurant

Sitting with Santa

Attempting to get a picture with 2 grandparents and 2 grandkids = impossible!

The TRAIN!!!

Colson visiting with Mrs. Clause

What can I say?!

11 Months!

2011-12-13T22:27:00.002-05:00

Wow 11 months - the first year is almost complete! What to say about my sweet little stinker :) He is still into everything, getting faster and faster crawling and cruising. He still won't let go but is barely holding onto things as he walks, he will occasionally stand on his own but that only happens when he isn't paying attention. He is babbling more and more and we are counting his first words as being dada and buh buh (bye-bye) he uses these in context as well as any other time he feels like talking. I can occasionally get a mama from him, but not enough to consider it a word yet. He loves to wave at people or himself in the mirror - he is still doing the whole arm wave so its pretty fun to watch. He likes to play with balls and chase them around the room, he also enjoys holding something in his hand (hammer, rattle, etc.) and crawling around with it only stopping to use his tool to bang on whatever is nearby. He seems to have a fascination with putting his finger in small holes, whether it is a toy or a particular favorite - my eyes. He still only has his two bottom teeth (which you may be able to see in some of the pictures below). As for eating, he LOVES to eat and is eating just about anything we put on his plate. I'm trying to introduce more of a variety of things to him earlier in hopes that he won't be as picky as Landon! He officially ended all breastfeeding right before the 11 month mark and I also started cutting out his 4:00 bottles and transitioning him to milk and sippy cups only. I'm hoping to be completely done with the bottle by 12 months! Colson is still our friendly, social little boy. He loves the nursery at church and being around other kids, he is always getting compliments on how friendly and happy he is. Of course we still have plenty of tears at home since we can't seem to be quite as entertaining as a room full of kids. Needless to say, he doesn't sit long for pictures, so I made some collages of what its like trying to take pictures :)

The best I was able to get!

Move, move, move!

You can see those two bottom teeth in the upper left picture

First Fights

2011-12-06T23:01:00.004-05:00

Colson has a gravitational pull toward anything Landon is currently playing with and on most days Landon does not have the patience for this! Colson can be across the room but if he starts crawling in Landon's direction Landon will start freaking out- "Colson NO! Stay away! No Buddy No! Mommy get Colson!" Now don't get me wrong, Landon is good at sharing his toys, he has no problem giving Colson a variety of trains or other toys to play with but Colson doesn't want any of those toys. He has his eye on the toy that is actually in Landon's possession at the moment and he will beeline for it anytime. I try to keep him away the best I can, but sometimes you just have to let it play out and since I happened to be taking pictures of Colson at the moment I just kept going (I promise no children were hurt during the below argument!)

This is his method, he starts off innocent as if to say, "What? I'm just watching" Landon is not fooled though!

Making his move

Now they're having words

A little shove

Still not deterred

This one cracks me up! "NOOOOOOOO!!!!"

Landon giving Colson a piece of his mind

Colson won't let him have the final say

Colson distracted - all is once again right with his world

Toys!

2011-12-06T22:47:00.004-05:00

Over the past few weeks Colson has figured out how to actually play with the toys instead of just eat them! He is a big fan of anything with a ball so these are two of his favorites!

Still time for a little nibble!

Score!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

We had a pretty relaxing Thanksgiving this year, my parents headed off to Colorado to visit my brother so we actually only ate one Thanksgiving meal! We headed over to the Hardy's Wednesday for the annual tradition of fried turkey and then back again on Thursday for some traditional baked turkey (don't ask me which was better because they were both delicious!) We had fun just hanging out and being with family. Colson did teach us a little lesson, though, he absolutely must stay on his schedule including his 8:00 bedtime. Let's just say Justin and I didn't sleep for several days because of an overtired little boy! I believe I heard Justin tell him at one time, "Colson you're never having another Thanksgiving again!" :) We learned our lesson and hope to better prepared for Christmas gatherings!

Landon wanted a cookie with cream and passed on Uncle George's chocolate. Then they all tried to convince him it was his birthday and sang to him. For the next two days, he kept saying, its not my birthday, they were just being silly!

Mmmmm!

Watching some TV

First Thanksgiving!

Mommy and Colson - poor guy had a breakout of something - doctor just filed it under the eczema category, it cleared up in a few days though!

Sweet Cousins

2011-11-30T00:48:00.005-05:00

Landon: Age 3 years 7 months, Charby: Age 5 years 4 months. We all knew the day was coming but Landon has finally caught up in size to his closest cousin Charby. Anyway, these 2 have so much fun together and Charby is so good at "taking care" of Landon and helping him out when needed but at the same time Landon has no problem telling her, "No" if he doesn't like something! Funny story from Thanksgiving - the girls were all going to Old Navy for some quick shopping, but Landon wanted to come too. I told him all the boys were staying at the house and he needed to stay, but he didn't like that one bit. Then Charby came up and offers Landon some money, 7 cents to be exact, if he would stay at the house. She made him say, "I promise I will stay at the house." Which he did and promptly put the money in his pocket and went off to find Luke :) Anway, I was trying to take a cute picture of the 2 of them and this is what I got -they're showing us their dance moves at the end :)

Elf on the Shelf Premiere

2011-11-29T23:59:00.005-05:00

My friend Laura was the accountant for the production company that made the new Elf on Shelf movie so she invited us to go with her to the premiere. Our Elf on the Shelf made an appearance that morning along with his book so Landon would have at least somewhat of an idea about what was happening. We got all dressed up and Landon didn't even mind because he got to wear his train sweater, new black socks, and new black shoes that were just like daddy's. We headed down to the Fox Theater for the premiere. They had several activities beforehand and Landon had fun drinking his hot chocolate and decorating his cookie and ornament. He did a great job sitting through the entertainment/introduction before the movie (although he kept asking when it would start!) and then he enjoyed watching The Elf's Story. It was a long afternoon for him without his nap so he was worn out when it was over (some of the grumpy pictures) but he had fun spending some time with mommy and daddy and no colson (although he did tell us that he missed him).

With my sweet boy

Daddy and Landon

Rylee decorating (or licking frosting!)

Mmmmm!

Mailing his letter to Santa - he wants a "smooth bridge" (his nickname for a Thomas bridge) and The Little Engine That Could game

Decorating ornaments

Nothing like trying to take a picture of a tired 2 and 3 year old

Laura and Rylee

Mommy, Daddy, and Landon

Daddy is always so silly!

Meet Jim

2011-11-29T23:46:00.003-05:00

Jim is our Elf. He came to our house right before we went to go see the Elf on the Shelf Premiere at the Fox (he wanted to make sure Landon knew who he was before he saw the movie). Why the name Jim? Landon wouldn't pick a name so Justin and I started throwing out all kinds of names, all of which were declined, and then Justin said, "Jim" and without a second thought Landon agreed. So Jim it is. Jim has been hiding in random spots around our house and Landon gets so excited every morning when he finds him. He is also a great behavior management tool - Landon doesn't want Jim to see him crying and will usually stop doing ... whatever it is... when you mention his name :)

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-11-22T22:58:00.003-05:00

Landon had a Thanksgiving Feast at his school on Thursday. He wore his "Chief Landon" shirt and hat as they sang a couple of songs before eating. He was so excited to have mommy and Colson in his classroom.

Singing away!

Running like a turkey

3 Little turkeys

Colson checking out all the toys

Playing cars

(I would say with his brother but by this point Colson had crawled

across the room and found something else to explore)

Granny

2011-11-22T22:22:00.004-05:00

We spent some time with my Granny the other afternoon. She will be 91 in a few weeks and even though it is hard for her to get around her mind is still sharp! Even though she's not very far, we don't get over as often as I would like. Mom came with me this time to help out with the boys so we were able to get a few pictures. Granny loves photos of hands, we actually have put together a photo album for her of hands from everyone in the family. I saw a photo on pinterest with older hands holding that of a young child and knew I wanted to try and copy it and with a little editing I think they came out pretty good.

Landon and his Great-Granny

Granny and Colson

Granny, Landon, and Colson

Colson checking out Granny's bracelet

Chattahoochee Nature Center

2011-11-20T22:08:00.003-05:00

We went with Shari, Kelsey, and Gavin to the Chattachoochee Nature Center a couple of weeks ago on a nice, warm fall day. I used to go all the time when I was a kid but hadn't been in probably almost 20 years - needless to say it had changed quite a bit! However, I was actually surprised to find a few of things were still the same. We walked through the aviaries and saw the birds and then took the boardwalk through the "marsh" to the river. The kids had fun playing in the little play area. If I hadn't been pushing the stroller, we could have gone on some of the trails that go around a lake, but we'll have to go back with Justin and the backpack for Colson :)

In the log cabin

Colson just chillin'

Landon saw Kelsey swinging from the log so he thought he should give it a try

Over the bridge

Checking out a snake in the "tunnel"

For some reason I just didn't take many pictures this time, I guess we'll just have to go back :)

Big Boy Car Seats!

2011-11-19T23:48:00.003-05:00

Back in early October we bought Landon a new car seat, one that should last him until his required 4 feet 9 inches and/or 120 pounds! (I really can't imagine a 120 lb. person needing a car seat, but that's beside the fact). The best part to Landon is the built in cup holder :) Since Landon got his new seat, Colson got a "new" seat as well or a new to him seat. He's still backwards but he can see out the window a little better and seems to enjoy the extra room!
Oh and a little tip that I discovered - did you know car seats expire? They actually have an expiration date on them, usually about 6 years from its manufacturing date, which I found stamped on ours as I was un/reinstalling. Besides just being out of date for safety concerns, apparently the plastic can harden and crack more easily in a crash. This was all new information to me so just thought I'd pass it on :)

(Yes that would be a plastic eggplant that he's chewing on :)

Bananas!

2011-11-19T23:32:00.003-05:00

Aunt Elaissa we know how much you love bananas - these pictures are for you!

Colson loves bananas! I decided to let him hold one instead of cutting it up to see what would happen. He did pretty good, but definitely made a big mess!

10 Months!

2011-11-19T22:45:00.004-05:00

Trying to catch up again! On November 2, Colson was 10 months old - I can't believe his first year is almost over! The big news for this month is he finally has teeth! His bottom two teeth started poking through just a couple of days before the 10 month mark which has just increased the amount of chewing and items entering the mouth :) It is so funny to watch when he spots something he wants to put in his mouth, especially if its a little out of reach. He will open his mouth and just lean, reach, contort his body trying to get his mouth on it. He is still into everything, the dog food/water is a current favorite. He is beginning to respond to "No" though, so he will just sit near the bowls and watch me, if I look away he'll start to lean towards them, then I'll say, "No" and he'll back off and we'll repeat this over and over until I move him far away and hope he finds something distract himself otherwise he'll be right back again! He is still Mr. Social when he is out and about but he can be one unhappy baby when he is at home and doesn't have someone to play with him. We have the most baby-proofed room gated and he absolutely HATES to be put down in that room even though its where all the toys are. I think he knows he's about to be left - he would much rather have his freedom to roam as he pleases. His appetite has definitely increased, that boy can put away some food and he loves our food! If I can take something off my plate and give it to him, he will eat it up and be looking for more! He has finally given up his evening nap for the most part. He usually has a short morning nap and a decent afternoon nap, but between teething and ear infections you really never know what you're going to get and let's just say that when he wakes up 9 times out of 10 you will hear a death defying scream/wail/cry to come get him out of his bed! Not always the best way to be awakened in the morning, but once you see that smile all is forgotten!

My 2 Boys

Gonna get that bear!

Big Smile!

Hmm what's this?

So Happy!

Guess where that leaf is going :)

That's what mom gets for taking away my leaf!

Trick-or-Treat

2011-11-12T22:47:00.005-05:00

We headed over to my sister-in-law's house to go trick-or-treating with the cousins. Landon couldn't quite keep up with his older cousins so after about 15 houses or so he decided his bucket was full and he'd had enough. Colson lasted a few houses before he fell asleep in Grandma's arms, but by the time he got back to the house he found some renewed energy. As always lots of fun hanging out with the family

Luke the Ninja

Nick the Werewolf

Princess and the frog

Trick or Treat!

Thank You!

Before the frog fell asleep

Mom the flash is so bright!

Pumpkin ears - go from the head to the....

mouth!

Happy Halloween!

Costumes

2011-11-12T22:04:00.006-05:00

I started asking Landon a couple of months ago what he wanted to be for Halloween. At first he didn't quite get it, so I had to give him examples and remind him that he was a monkey last year. For awhile, when I would ask he would just tell me, "Not a monkey." Then one day he said, "I want to be a black, steam train!" Well there you have it, that was it, no changing his mind. I started looking on-line and came across quite a few train costumes, mostly Thomas, and I showed them all to him, but when he saw this one that was it - this was exactly what he wanted to be and we are very thankful for their "how to" directions. I have to give credit to my dad because he is the one who actually built it, Landon helped picked out the colors for the decorations, but then Justin and I did the decorating. He loved trying it on and wearing it around the house, however, on Halloween night it didn't prove to be a very fast moving costume especially for someone who was dragging anyway so it didn't last the whole night. We were not so creative with Colson. We couldn't think of anything to go along with the train so, Colson got to be a cute, little, green frog just like Landon was on his first Halloween.

Froggy

Froggy with his pumpkin

Choo! Choo! Landon and his pumpkin

Oh yeah - Justin dressed up too! He had to dress up for work so he decided to be an engineer dressed like an engineer :)

Carving Time

2011-11-07T23:24:00.004-05:00

We carved our pumpkins the Saturday before Halloween. Justin and Landon had to make a quick run to a local grocery store to pick up a couple because the one we had gotten at the pumpkin patch didn't make it to carving day. They returned with two pumpkins and Landon told me he wanted one happy and one sad face. He told me the happy face should have a smile with 5 teeth, circle eyes, and a square nose (and yes I tried to add a little which was not acceptable) the sad face should have a frown, circle nose, and square eyes (he did let me add tears but I had to have them on both sides). Landon as usual did not participate in any part of the pumpkin carving. He would peek inside every now and then but for the most part stayed a safe distance away. Colson on the other hand couldn't get enough. He could not stay away from the big orange thing in the kitchen and he loved playing (and tasting) some of the goo. We finally had to put him in the jumper (which he did not like) so we could finish carving. Afterwards, he just kept dunking his head inside the pumpkin as if he were wondering where all the fun stuff went :) Once the pumpkins were carved, Landon enjoyed them especially once we put the candle inside. He also informed us that they were no longer pumpkins but jack-o-lanterns and if you said anything about the "pumpkins" he would promptly correct you. Can't wait to see what happens next year when Colson can be a little more "helpful!"

I don't know what this is but can't believe you're letting me touch it!

(notice the orange around the mouth)

Started with the hand

Then in went the head

I love this pumpkin!

The pumpkin is now safe enough for Landon to venture near

(notice he's still not touching it)

Finished product

Landon and the jack-o-lanterns

School Fun

2011-11-07T23:05:00.004-05:00

Landon had his Pumpkin Patch day at school the Thursday before Halloween. All the kids were supposed to dress like farmers and they were going to pick their pumpkin from the pumpkin patch. Now I must say its not an actual pumpkin patch, just a few pumpkins spread out on the ground and the kids could each go and pick one, but they thought it was fabulous! After picking out their prize pumpkin, the kids went inside and took turns performing "5 Little Pumpkins" for the parents. Then it was time for their snack, I have been inspired by pinterest (although I don't have my own account) and made these candy corn snacks and some fall leaves for the class. I thought they turned out pretty cute (and yummy!) and Landon had lots of fun helping to make the cookies.

Snack

The white and orange pumpkin (which he painted red as soon as he got home!)

Landon and Gavin

Waiting in line

5 Little Pumpkins

The Zoo

2011-11-04T15:38:00.005-04:00

We used our Groupons and took another trip to the zoo a couple of weeks ago with our friends Shari and Gavin. When I went earlier in the month with my brother, I had a camera malfunction and came home with ZERO pictures which I was extremely bummed about but I have since recovered :) I tried to "retake" some of the pictures but trying to push a baby in a stroller that needs to continuously move and keep up with two 3 year olds who are always wanting to go on to the next animal leaves little time for experimenting with the camera so I'll have to try another time when the kids don't outnumber the adults :) We had lots of fun seeing the baby giraffe, gorillas, panda, and twin tiger cubs. We of course ended with a train ride and some time on the playground which always seems to be the highlight of the trip!

How Colson enjoyed his second trip to the zoo

Panda cub

Silly boys

One of the two baby gorillas that we saw

Posing with the gorillas

Baby giraffe

Train ride - I promise Landon was having lots of fun!

We go to the playground and this is how our boys entertain themselves. They would each run to a hand dryer make it turn on and then run away as fast as they could. They were laughing hysterically and I'm pretty sure this is the most fun they had the entire day!

Blocks!!!

2011-11-04T15:09:00.003-04:00

Landon loves to play with his blocks - can you guess what his favorite thing to build is? If you guessed trains, then you are correct! Justin showed him one time and he took off with the idea - building steam (with the round blocks) trains and diesal (with the square blocks) trains along with their various cars and of course the caboose (or camaboose as Landon calls it). Now it isn't always trains, sometimes he builds bridges and tunnels for the trains to go through :)

Landon so proud of his train (this is a steam train!)

Notice who had to be contained otherwise there is no way the train could ever be built!

View from the rear - can't miss the red caboose and there is a little boat on the water nearby

Front view

Fall Festival

2011-11-03T23:24:00.005-04:00

Landon's school had a fall festival a couple of weeks ago. The kids were singing a couple of songs at the beginning followed by lots of bounce houses, games, candy, and ending with a hayride. Landon enjoyed the jump houses but wasn't so sure about the ones that ended with a slide. We tried to get him to do one by himself and that was a no go since parents couldn't go too, but we did manage to convince him to do the Big Slide with daddy :)

Doing the motions for one of the songs

Going down the slide with daddy

Petting the rabbit

Giving the rabbit a hug

Action shot

Prize for tossing a ball into the potty :)

Ring toss

He had to get really close to hit the target

Getting some tips from dad

And then a little extra help

SOCCER

2011-10-19T22:50:00.005-04:00

Landon has been participating in Little Stars soccer a program run by our community park. It is for 3 year olds and I must say its one of the cutest things to watch :) They don't play games and I'm not sure that it would be called a practice more of just a time to practice some basic skills. There are a couple of coaches who instruct the kids (and parents) and then the parents in turn help the kids perform the task. Landon seems to have fun and luckily it only lasts about 45 minutes because that seems to be about the time limit for most of the kids! Our favorite story so far is when they put the kids in a group and surrounded them with about 5 pop-up goals. The kids were told to run to the goal touch it and then come give one of the coaches a high five before running to the next goal (they did this practice round before adding the ball). When the coach blew the whistle and said, "Go," Landon took off, took off down the field that is to the extremely large goal at the opposite end. It took us a minute before we realized he was running toward the goal (just the wrong one!). Don't worry I stopped laughing long enough to go after him, when he got close to the goal and saw some big kids using it he finally stopped and turned around realizing that he was all by himself :) Anyway, we still have two more weeks to go but here are some pictures from the first and third weeks.

Dribble the ball to a cone, turn it over, repeat

Stopping the ball

Helicopter (practice holding the ball between their feet)

Huddle time

Dribble the ball to the coach with the green flag

Listening to the coach

A Day Downtown

2011-10-18T22:04:00.005-04:00

Living within 30 traffic-free minutes of Atlanta we seldom take advantage of all the fun things to do down there. Now granted most of the things to do don't make for the cheapest of day trips but there are some free or somewhat inexpensive things to do and one of them is Centennial Olympic Park. There are a couple of fun playgrounds, lots of grass for running and picnicing, and of course the Olympic fountain. I love going down there when the majority of other kids are in school, otherwise it is way too crowded. This time we were really lucky because we practically had the playground and fountain to ourselves. We had headed downtown with Landon's best bud Gavin. The two of them had fun exploring the playgrounds, eating lunch, running around in circles, watching the fountain show, and eventually playing in the fountain. When we arrived at the fountain it was in the middle of its show so we had to wait and watch. However all that waiting caused them to be a little intimidated when it was time to go play, but with a little prodding from their mommies, they were soaked in no time!

Climbing through the tunnel

Colson enjoying his first trip downtown

Trying to climb the rolling slide (they were not successful!)

Gavin serving up some ice cream

Landon getting some ice cream

Testing out the water

Run!

So much fun!

Gavin having fun

Waiting, Watching

Turn and run

Love this picture of Gavin - its like he's directing the fountain

9 Months!

2011-10-18T20:58:00.005-04:00

Sunday, October 2 was the 9 month mark, can't believe how fast this year is flying by! Nine months brings more crawling, more pulling up, cruising, climbing, and of course more ways to get into trouble! Colson has already had multiple bumps (mostly on his head) but that doesn't deter him in the least, sometimes there may be tears but then he's right back at it. If he sees something he wants he will go at it relentlessly, there is no distracting, no blocking, no removing, as soon as he sees his break he goes right back to it (this especially applies to basically any toy Landon happens to be playing with!) Colson is our social butterfly - he loves people and people seem drawn to his little smile. I think we talk to half the people in the grocery store and Colson just smiles at all of them :) For the most part he will willingly go to anyone who wants to hold him and unless its eating time, if we're with others he doesn't seem too concerned if mom and dad are there or not. Now if we're at home, mom or dad are a must, but that's because he doesn't like to be left alone. Luckily Landon will usually stay in the room with him and play so that helps a lot especially when it comes to cooking dinner!
Colson still has no teeth, but the bottom two should be breaking through any day, however it seems like there may be 4 at the bottom and 2 at the top that are at least thinking about coming through (and trust me that day cannot come soon enough!). He is eating more -baby food and finger food. He is still picky about some of his baby food, but he happily eats anything we give him off our plate. He is still taking 3 naps a day on most days, it kind of depends on how long the afternoon nap lasted. Needless to say, his schedule is a little more flexible than Landon's was :) On days when his teeth or current cold aren't keeping him up he sleeps a good 11-12 hours at night. When 8:00 comes he wants his bottle and his bed, unlike his brother he has absolutely no desire to stay up past that!
We went to the doctor on October 17 for his 9 month check-up and he weighs 21.6 pounds and is 28 1/2 inches tall - about 1 pound and 1 inch less than Landon at that age. Once again here are too many pictures of my smiling cutie (Landon was napping so he missed out on pictures this time :)

Enough sitting - I'm coming to get you mommy!

See that twinkle in his eye - he loves the camera strap -

he was trying to figure out how to get it!

Hmmm not so sure about this leaf

Gonna give that leaf another try

The Perfect Pumpkin

2011-10-11T22:36:00.003-04:00

While at the Pumpkin Patch Landon kept saying he had to find the perfect pumpkin, and after inspecting a few he did.

While we were there, I told Landon that he could paint his pumpkin later (Big Mistake #1) and then I took him over to look at some of the painted pumpkins they had (Big Mistake #2). You'll never guess what they had painted on one of their pumpkins!? Thomas!!! So from that moment until several hours later the only thing we heard was, "I want a blue and black train on my pumpkin, Can I paint my pumpkin now?, I want a blue and black train..." We were headed over to Grammy and FaFa's house afterwards, so I told Landon he would have to wait until tomorrow to paint his train. Needless to say he was not happy about that idea, he wanted to paint his train and go to Grammy's tomorrow. He even told me, "Mommy you don't have good ideas, only I have good ideas!" Anyway, we told him that maybe if he brought his pumpkin to Grammy's house she would paint him a train. He thought that was a great idea (so I can have good ideas sometimes!). So all the way to Grammy's house we heard, "I want a blue and black train..." Lucky for us Grammy obliged and now Landon really has the Perfect Pumpkin!

Time for Pumpkins!

2011-10-11T21:19:00.010-04:00

On the first of October we headed out to the Pumpkin Patch - I don't know if it was because we headed out earlier in the month or because we went to a less popular place but it was nice not to fight the crowds! It was actually cool and windy making it even feel like the perfect fall day! Landon played some games, rode a mini- John Deere tractor, found his way through a corn maze and down the slide, had a "horse race," went through the petting zoo, went on a hayride, picked out a pumpkin, ate boiled peanuts, and of course took lots and lots of pictures! Colson seemed to have fun too - so much that he had to take a quick nap before participating in the photo session :) There are way too many pictures, but I narrowed it down the best I could!

Ring Toss

Riding the tractor

Colson wasn't going to be left out!

Me and my boys!

Walking through the maze

Heading down the slide

"Horse race" not sure why he picked the one with the floppy head :)

Baby goats

Landon had fun chasing this goat around the pen

Llama

Petting a bunny

Family photo on the hayride

Found the perfect pumpkin!

Enjoying some boiled peanuts

Colson was worn out but we still found him a pumpkin

He was willing to take pictures because he could sit on the hay (whatever works!)

He loves his brother!

Love my boys!

Family Photo #2

Daddy and his boys

Colson couldn't take his eyes off the pumpkin - this is the only one of him looking up

Mmmm this stem looks tasty!

Worn out!

You Know its Fall When...

2011-10-09T22:57:00.007-04:00

we make our annual trip to the North Georgia Fair! We continued the tradition this year with our ever increasing number of children in tow. It is so fun to look back at all the kids and see how much they change. As always we started by checking out the animals and then headed over to the rides. Landon really wanted to ride the roller coaster (the kiddie one of course) which he was able to do last year but judging by the expression on his face this year he wasn't quite sure why he wanted to ride it :) It was so fun to watch him - he knew exactly what he wanted to ride and he would get so excited before each ride he could hardly wait his turn. He would smile the entire time, get off, and be ready for the next ride - of course he loved having his good buds Gavin and Jacob tagging along with him! Tons of pictures if you want to scroll through :)

This goat was guarding the food - couldn't even get it out before he was eating it!

Landon feeding the sheep

Colson checking out the sheep

All the kiddos - it cracks me up that they are all looking in different directions :)

Up close of the big kids!

Petting the rabbits

Baby goat

The traditional apple ride

So excited!!!

Sweet Rylee

Helicopter ride

Little Ansley

Flying high

Colson's first and only ride - Merry-Go-Round with daddy

Train ride - Can you believe this ended up being the favorite ride?!

I'll let you figure out why Landon is styling in the shorts :)

Bumblebee ride

Colson enjoying his first visit to the fair

Caterpillar roller coaster ride (this is before it started!)

Big kids

Nemo ride - this was Landon's first ever fair ride

Airplane and final ride

Fair family photo

The Inges first trip to the fair was a success!

If You Think I'm Cute...

2011-10-09T22:36:00.003-04:00

You should see my uncle! according to the onesie. Uncle Chris bought this for Landon but of course Colson had to wear it too! Uncle Chris came for a visit - and we actually went to the zoo - not a fun story as to why I don't have those pictures :( but I was able to get a few pictures of the boys with their uncle.

The onesie also applies to Uncle George and Uncle Shelley!

Hanging Out

2011-10-09T22:22:00.003-04:00

Just an excuse to post some pictures although this was Colson's first time in overalls and I just can't resist some little boy cuteness in overalls :)

Also his first time to sit on the car, after watching Landon he really really wanted to ride!

Landon just hanging out - he let Colson ride his car so he could check out Colson's car I just pulled out of the closet :)

Overall cuteness!

He was on the attack here - was really wanting to get the camera strap!

Messy Boy!

2011-10-06T23:36:00.004-04:00

Colson was on a temporary food strike for awhile and what he would eat usually had to be forced. These pictures were taken near the end of his food strike. He would eat but he would scrunch up his face and do this weird breathing thing after each bite as if to say, "What is this horrible thing you are feeding me!?" I tried to catch it on video, but its hard to feed and hold the camera at the same time, so I was only able to catch a glimpse.

A few bites in and it seems to be going well

Here comes the face

There it is

Ready for the next bite!

Let Me Out!

2011-10-06T23:12:00.003-04:00

As noted in the previous post, Colson is everywhere and into everything so after following him into the bathroom and watching his wobbly self climb halfway up the stepstool a couple of days after he learned to crawl, the baby gates went up immediately! He is not so excited about being trapped and neither is Landon (who has finally figured the gates out so no longer an issue) but having him contained is a must! Of course this room is still not completely Colson proof but its the best we can do!

T-R-O-U-B-L-E

2011-09-19T22:55:00.007-04:00

Shortly after learning to crawl Colson discovered the joy of pulling up to standing on well pretty much anything. People are his favorite but the couch, chairs, shelves, tv, window, wall, really anything will do. He also has the ability to spot something he shouldn't have and make a beeline for it across the room. He seems to have a special interest in cords and shoes, but he is has also developed a new interest in the curtains and blinds. I'm trying to save the "No!" for the more dangerous objects but everytime he flashes his cute smile before heading off in a different direction.

So proud of himself!

Holding on!

Get me out of here!

Let's see what can I find under here?

Hi mom!

There's the "I'm getting into trouble" smile

Mmmm blinds

Curtains and blinds no more!

Who me?

Sharing a book...

fighting for the book

(check out Landon's lip - he doesn't like that Colson can now get into his stuff!)

8 Months!

2011-09-04T21:48:00.004-04:00

Wow time is really flying now - only 4 more months until the one year mark! On Friday, September 2 we hit the 8 month mark. I guess the biggest achievement this month is of course crawling which he was able to do about a week before he turned 8 months. He had learned how to sit up by himself the day before, then started crawling slowly, and now he is all over the place! I can be in the kitchen, bathroom, wherever and all of a sudden this little head will be peeking around the corner looking for me. When Landon learned to crawl I had to use my cell phone or other "off limit" items to get him to move but Colson's motivation for the most part seems to be to get mommy especially when he starts to get fussy - he'll just whimper or cry and keep on going until he has either climbed up on me or I've picked him up. When he is happy though he is content to explore and follow Landon around trying to grab whatever he is playing with at the moment, we have noticed that he seems to have a special interest in shoes, toes, and wires/string so we definitely have to keep an eye on him! He is really try to climb or pull up on things but he tries it while lying down so he is not usually too successful.
During the middle of August Colson was sick with an earache and upper respiratory infection, his little nose was so stuffed up he could only breathe through his mouth so he was very miserable not being able to suck on his paci and he was having difficulty nursing so I pumped bottles for him. Now however he has decided he is pretty much done with nursing except in the morning, so looks like I will slowly be switching him over to formula over the next couple of months. Also during this time, he gave up eating baby food, absolutely no interest, so for the most part he is only consuming bottles and very little food except for a few finger foods. He still has no teeth so he's still trying to get used to chewing/swallowing the finger foods.
As for sleeping, we had to retrain him to sleep through the night after his sickness but now we are back on track and he is still taking his 3 naps a day. Landon is getting more and more used to a "moving" Colson although he still doesn't always like it he still always has a hug and kiss for his little brother and he often tells me, "I wuv my wittle brover mommy, I wuv him so much." Can't ask for more than that :)

Coming to get you mommy!

Gotcha!

Love my boys!

Colson and his bear

Attacking the bear!

Landon is not to be left out

Dressed Like Daddy

2011-09-01T22:17:00.004-04:00

Time to try on some of daddy's old clothes! I put Landon in the same clothes when he was about 6 months old and now Colson at about 8 months old. I'm glad I remembered because I'm not sure how much longer Colson would be able to squeeze into those overalls! Unfortunately I don't actually have any of Justin as a baby wearing these outfits so you'll just have to look at pictures of this cutie.

Daddy's Christmas overalls

Enough pictures - escape!

Who me?

This outfit tastes good!

On the move again

Who Does Colson Look Like?

2011-08-29T01:30:00.003-04:00

I did a similar blog for Landon, but I have been putting off doing one for Colson. Since the day Landon was born we have heard, "Oh Landon looks just like..." Some think he looks just like me others think he favors Justin more, still others note a resemblence to Uncle Chris, Bampa, FaFa, or his cousins Nick and Luke... Apparently he is such a perfect mix of both sides of the family that he just looks like everyone :) Colson on the other hand has Justin's blue eyes but besides that the question tends to be, "So who does Colson look like?" We had to go back to our baby pictures and not just ours but grandparents, great-grandparents, siblings, cousins - if we have a baby picture of you we probably looked at it! There isn't anyone who particularly stands out so here are a couple of pictures of Justin and me. The response to these tends to be, "Okay, yeah, well maybe a little." Who knows, I guess only time will tell!

Justin is in the top left, I'm the top right and bottom left, and of course cutie pie in the bottom right.

Crawling!

2011-08-27T23:43:00.005-04:00

At 7 1/2 months (3 months before his brother) Colson has officially started to crawl! He is off to a slow start but it won't be long now!

A Boy and His Noodle

2011-08-27T23:26:00.005-04:00

So all summer Landon has been playing with and using other people's noodles (the ones that go in the pool). He specifically likes the one with the holes through the middle so that he can blow the water out the other end. I never bothered to look for one at the store but the other day Justin and I were at Wal-Mart and they were on clearance for a dollar so we bought a few. When I picked Landon up from school the next day I told him we had bought him a noodle and we had red, blue, and yellow. He promptly told me he wanted the blue one and as soon as he was out of the car he was on the hunt to find it and once he did he did not let go! Who knew a noodle would be such a valued possession!? He carried it around with him all day, played with it, and instead of taking a train to bed he took his noodle. He of course really wanted to take it to the pool, but he was fighting a cold so he hasn't gotten to actually use it for its intended purpose - but look how much fun he's having - who needs the water!?

Demonstrating the "proper" way to use a noodle

On the run

Noodles are even fun upside down!

Another demonstration

I can touch the ceiling!

Preschool - Ready or Not!

2011-08-27T22:38:00.006-04:00

Landon had his first day of 3 year old preschool on Monday, August 22. He is going three days a week this year and depending on the day he is either ready to go back to school or he's not. We went for Open House and met Mrs. Sandy and we're already doing better than last year because he will tell you his teacher's name! When he woke up Monday morning he was ready to go and got out of the car in car rider line without a second look. When I picked him up, I could tell he was exhausted but he was ready with a full report about his day - or I should say a full report about who got in trouble :) After first informing me he had cookies for snack and that he didn't go through tunnel on the playground but that he would "do that later" he started telling me about a boy in the green shirt and the water table. Best I can tell the little boy was trying to put something in the water that wasn't supposed to be in there and if he did it again the teacher was going to take those toys away (this story took quite a bit of time and everytime he retold it I would get a little more information so that is what I put together). He of course told me how he and Gavin were playing with Legos but Gavin tried to take his (he of course assured me he was completely innocent in this matter which I highly doubt!) There were a couple of other things but he didn't go into much detail about those. I was pretty happy to get this much information from him, when last year all I got was "I played with the blue car and had ... for snack." We celebrated the first day of school (and my birthday) by getting pizza with Shari and Gavin.

My 2 year old vs. my 3 year old - looking less and less like a baby :(

Let's go!

3 years old!

On our way!

So excited!

Ready to Go!

2011-08-27T22:29:00.004-04:00

So very close... (7 months and 1 week)

Working on his planks or downward dog?

7 Months!

2011-08-27T22:01:00.004-04:00

Well now that Colson is almost 8 months, I will backtrack to August 2 to his 7 month. His big accomplishment at this point is being able to sit completely on his own, he is also getting in the crawling position and sometimes the "bearwalk" position, he really wants to go somewhere but he's just not sure what to do with his arms. He is still a very happy baby unless he is hungry or tired, but you can tell he really wants to be able to go somewhere. Still napping 3 times a day and still picky about what he eats. He could take or leave the baby food and more often than not would rather not (although you would never guess it by looking at him!) Landon still loves his baby brother and smothers him with hugs and kisses on a daily basis!

7 months - Happy Boy!

SQUEEZE!

I want that camera!

Got you!

Sweet brothers!

Music Time with Dad

2011-08-13T00:43:00.001-04:00

Playing guitar with dad - Colson was completely fascinated

My Boys!

2011-08-13T00:24:00.004-04:00

Just some pictures of the boys...

Fireman Landon

Landon with his blankie

Playing

Sweet brothers!

Colson said something really funny :)

Gotcha!

Stone Mountain

2011-08-10T00:24:00.005-04:00

In the middle of July we headed down to Stone Mountain with most of the Hardy clan. I had not been in several years so I was willing to brave the heat to go again. The weather was not nearly as miserable as it could have been; we set up in a shady part of the lawn and then it was time for the hike. The Howertons and Justin were climbing and needless to say the boys and I were riding the tram to the top. So the 3 of us managed to make our way to the ticket counter and stand in line. Colson was not a fan of this - he was in the snuggly and extremely HOT - he does NOT like to be hot so he was not in the best of moods. I was a little worried because they were cramming people onto the unairconditioned tram, but somehow we got lucky and they stopped the line right in front of us so we got to be the first ones on and were able to claim a little space near a window and the nice people around us even started fanning Colson who showed his appreciation by calming down :) Landon stuck his face right up against the window and loved watching the scenery below. By the time we got to the top, everyone else was already there so we found a spot to sit and enjoy the view (and the breeze!). Then we headed for the tram for the ride back down - we were able to be one of the first ones on again and secured our window spot. However, Landon was not such a big fan of the ride down as soon as we started moving he sat down so he couldn't see. I squatted next to him and he stood up to look but was definitely a little scared by how far up we were but we passed the time by trying to "see" Grammy and FaFa on the blankets below. We made it down for a picnic dinner and some Dip n' Dots ice cream remember the ice cream of the future the slogan that came out 20 years ago and well just wondering how future this ice cream is supposed to be! Then it was time for the laser show and what do they start with? - fireworks! So Landon was completely freaked out for the whole show, he was sitting with Justin but absolutely insisted that he sit in my lap so he curled up with me and we sat with hands covering ears. I tried to get him to take his hands off but we were near a speaker and the music was so loud - it was not going to happen. He just kept saying, "I want to go home now, let's go home..." Once it was over though, he just talked about how fun it was and that he wants to go back because well he didn't get to ride the train...

Mr. Blue Eyes

Checking out the mountain

Nick

Grammy and Colson

Colson and Stone Mountain

The Tram

The climbers

Hot, sweaty baby

view of Atlanta

Colson trying on Grammy's glasses

FaFa has the snacks

Enjoying his "ball ice cream"

Waiting for the show

Still waiting

and waiting...

last picture I could take - my hands were needed for ear covering after this :)

Ball of Cuteness

2011-08-09T23:31:00.004-04:00

(Yes I realize I'm a little behind)

At about 6 1/2 months Colson began what I consider to be officially sitting on his own, before this he would sit and topple and then one day he just decided he was done with that. A few (or more than a few) pictures of my little ball of cuteness!

Going in for the tackle (or a hug)

My sweet boys

Colson likes trains too!

One Happy Boy!!!

Ready to go...

2011-08-02T23:24:00.003-04:00

I still have some past posts to catch up on but wanted to go ahead and post this video I took today of Colson (7 months!). Just wondering how much longer I have before I need to put up the baby gates :) Landon was scooting at 9 1/2 months and crawling at 10 1/2 months - I don't think Colson is going wait that long!

Swimming Lessons

2011-07-26T23:37:00.005-04:00

For 8 days in a row Landon had swimming lessons each morning. I was curious as to how he would do since he's not exactly a risk taker :) He did a lot better than I expected and did everything his instructor asked of him (although you can tell by his facial expressions he's still not sure about the whole thing!), I also think having 2 of his little friends Ada and Ella helped encourage him. He did however have some trouble jumping into the water, just not quite ready to make the leap, he would lean as far as he could to reach for his hands before he would kind of fall into the water. Of course getting him to do the same activities with mommy is a different story :)

The back float

Blowing bubbles

He would make this face everytime he was on his back for the entire time, sometimes he would cover his ears in an attempt to keep the water out

Concentrating on those speedboat arms

Getting ready for the jump

Leaning...

Falling...

and in!

We'll definitely be back next year!

6 Month Update

2011-07-21T12:34:00.003-04:00

I took Colson for his 6 month check-up on July 12. He is weighing in at 18 lbs. 11 oz and 26 inches long. He is 50% for weight and according to the dr. 50% for height but everything I saw on-line puts his height at 25% so not really sure about that one. However, if you look at the babies of his height then he is in the 80th percentile for weight which explains those fabulously chubby legs! He is the same weight as Landon was at this age but and inch and a half shorter which is why Colson is still wearing his 6 months clothes when Landon was well into 9 months at this point.
Of course I have to add a couple of pictures. I had put Colson in the chair while I was putting away his clothes, when Landon came in and climbed up to sit with him. After a couple of minutes, Landon looked at me and said, "Mommy you forgot your camera -go get your camera!" Well of course I did...

Landon gave Colson a train, but you can see which one he really wants :)

Sweet Hugs!

Happy 4th!!!

2011-07-12T21:52:00.007-04:00

We don't usually do much on the 4th of July and after last year's experience we were a little cautious :) but we continued our tradition of walking down to the Kennesaw fireworks on the 3rd. This year we had Laura and Rylee, my parents, in-laws, and the nephews and niece join us for a little more fun. Of course, as soon as we found a little spot admist the thousands that were there we saw the rain cloud off in the distance. We were sitting near the tunnel that goes under the railroad track and there was a mass exodus of people trying to go through that tunnel a) for cover and b) to get to the other side and their car (so the standers vs. movers)-honestly really surprised there wasn't more than some yelling and pushing going on. Well luckily the rain came and went quickly so besides being a little wet we were able to enjoy a great show. Landon not surprisingly did not enjoy the noise AT ALL but kept his hands over his ears and survived, although he was pretty shaken (and even today a week later he told me he didn't want to see fireworks again - I told him we wouldn't until he was 4 and then he wouldn't be scared because 4 year olds weren't scared of fireworks - like Charby - he seemed to buy it we'll see in a year...) Anyway, after surviving the firworks we headed over to Grammy and FaFa's the next day and spent the afternoon eating and watching the kids in the hot tub/swimming pool. Lots of rain and thunderstorms that night so Landon lucked out and didn't have to see anymore fireworks.

Sweet Charby

Laura and Rylee

Luke drying off

Wet and waiting

Colson watching fireworks

Landon and Charby

Everyone watching

Landon's view

Daddy and Colson

Pool time!

I have one with both of them looking at the camera but I love this one it shows a little glimpse of how much Landon loves his Lukie :)

Cousins

Flying high

Sweet boy!

Aunt Elaissa is this a better picture of the chunky thighs? :)

6 Months!!!

2011-07-06T21:33:00.003-04:00

Wow half a year is already over!!! Can't believe how big Colson is getting! He is currently working on his sitting skills but is still pretty wobbly, however he looks like he might take off crawling or scooting any day. We have introduced most foods now and although he now eats without spitting it back out it doesn't seem to be his favorite thing to do. He always seems a little repulsed by the first bite and then continues eating anyway, but unlike Landon whom I couldn't feed fast enough Colson is not that interested (although you'd never guess that by looking at him!). He is still taking approximatley 3 naps a day, unfortunately his morning nap tends to be a series of little naps since we usually try to stay busy in the morning and are seldom home (necessary to keep Landon and I from going stir crazy) because of this he usually takes a really good afternoon nap, and since he can't quite make it all the way to bedtime he still takes about 30-45 minute nap in the evening (just enough time to cook dinner if I time it right!) For the most part if he isn't sleepy or hungry he is a very happy baby who loves to laugh and talk. One of Landon's favorite activities is to try and get Colson to laugh and he is usually pretty successful. Landon still loves his little brother (although a little bit more jealous and wanting some extra mommy time) he talks to him like we do so in his high pitched he'll say, "Hey Buuudddy, be happy, noo buuuddddy you can't have that..." It's pretty funny to listen to Landon have a conversation with him.
Anyway, here are a few pictures, I waited until the end of the day so we had a pajama photo shoot :)

Pool Time!

2011-07-04T22:46:00.006-04:00

We've been taking Landon to the pool in my parent's neighborhood, trying to get him ready for his swim lessons, but the other day was the first time Colson tested out the waters (needless to say we weren't planning on taking him so no suit). I wasn't sure what he would think since he is not always a fan of the bath, but he absolutely LOVED it and had so much fun splashing and kicking! Pardon all the pictures too many cute ones to choose from :)

and one of the big one who was trying to hide from the camera

Down on the Farm

2011-07-04T22:06:00.006-04:00

The other day we went to Cagle's Dairy for their Farm Ag-Venture. We had been in the fall for the corn maze, but wasn't sure what to expect for the farm tour. After waiting for about 45 minutes past our tour time and letting all the extremely large numbers of day-care children through we finally had our turn (I must say here that that was the only down-side of the trip). First stop was the garden to check out all the fruits and vegetables. Landon was able to carry one of the 4 baskets that was to hold some of the picked vegetables. This started out okay but quickly turned into - this is my basket and I don't want anyone else to put anything in my basket that I don't approve of - needless to say another little boy was happy to take over for him. In the garden we saw tomatoes, broccoli, egg plant, zucchini, cucumbers, squash, peppers, canteloupe, and watermelon and there were enough peppers that each kid was able to pick one (or two). Afterwards we headed over to see the animals - chickens, ducks, calves, pig, goats, sheep and the kids were given some cabbage leaves so they could feed them. Landon tried to feed a calf but that freaked him out a little, so he went to the ducks but they weren't interested, so he ended up at the pig - he enjoyed feeding the pig and the pig enjoyed eating the leaves. When we were done with the animals we headed over to watch someone milk Rosie the cow. I learned a little cow fact here - dairy cows are black and white, buttermilk cows are brown - thought you'd be interested :) Unfortunately, Rosie is pregnant so even though we saw how it would be done, we didn't actually see a real demonstration. The kids did enjoy putting their fingers into the contraption that does the "milking." Finally, it was our turn for the long awaited hayride. The ride took us to watch some herding demonstrations with sheep and cows. Although it was a little too hot for the cows they eventually cooperated :) We ended our tour with a picnic lunch and we may or may not have stopped on the way home for a little ice cream treat!

3 munchkins

Posing (kind of)

Showing me the pepper he picked

Rylee trying to pick a pepper

Approving the items going into his basket

He held onto the basket until someone tried to put a cucumber in it

and he really did NOT want that cucumber in his basket

Feeding the pig

Touching the calf

Kelsey and Landon learning how to milk a cow

Testing the "milker"

Finally the tractor is on its way

Time for a hayride

He really was exciting but also extremely tired!

Here come the cows

Last stop - feeding the goats

Tummy Time!

2011-07-01T00:40:00.004-04:00

Let's just say Colson is ready to go, go, go (on an adventure - Cat in the Hat, anyone???) He has been rolling front to back and at about 5 1/2 months started rolling back to front (but haven't been able to catch that on video yet). He is pushing up about as high as he can go and sometimes he is able to get his knees up under him - he'll be crawling long before I'm ready for him to!!! I know all these pictures probably look the same to you but they were too cute to pick from :)

Guess who he's laughing at???

That'd be him - big brother is never far away

What!?!

Colson's eyes are always watching his big brother

There's My Happy Boy!

2011-06-30T23:49:00.004-04:00

Colson absolutely loves his bouncy seat!

I was finally able to capture a few happy pictures of my boy...

I don't think these pictures need any captions :)

Sorry for the shaky video - its hard to hold the hand still while you're laughing :)

Buds

2011-06-11T00:19:00.003-04:00

This is Colson and Ansley destined to be good buds assuming Ansley can tolerate all the boys :) Ansley is the older woman by 6 weeks, and Colson is very impressed by her sitting skills. For some reason this is the first we've remembered to take their picture together...

Can't take his eyes off this person who is the same size as him :)

Smiling cuties!

So excited! Ms. Allison must have been making really funny faces!

Hey that's mine...

Cutie!

5 Months!

2011-06-08T23:05:00.005-04:00

Can't believe how fast time is flying! Colson is now in that fun baby stage - old enough to interact and snuggle but still not really going anywhere! Over the past month he has perfected his rolling skills, unfortunately if he doesn't want to go to sleep he uses it as a stall tactic. He has also decided that he sometimes likes to sleep on his side which works well until he loses his balances and completes the roll onto his back which results in excruciatingly loud screams. He has figured out how to grasp an object and shove it into his mouth and he is happily slobbering on anything he can find. He loves to talk and talk and talk (loudly!) he prefers to have someone to listen to but a simple toy will do as well. He absolutely loves Landon - if Landon is in the room Colson's eyes are on him just watching. Colson continues to endure the many hugs and kisses Landon smothers him with each day. We are still working on food, so far just peas, beans, and squash - overall he doesn't seem to be enjoying it too much and it takes sooooooooo long to get through one little jar! I'm hoping once we get to the fruits he'll change his mind, for now just giving him food once a day - don't have enough time to attempt it more than that! We had to take a trip to the doctor (nothing major) and Colson is now weighing in at 17 lbs. 1 oz., but that is fully clothed and with a full diaper so probably just under 17 (no wonder that car seat is getting so heavy to carry around!) Enjoy the pictures!

5 months!

Landon is never far away!

Sweet boys!

Landon went to get his bear for a few pictures :)

Holding his bear like a baby

Yummy!

I wanted Landon to talk to Colson so he would smile, but he still had to be in the picture :)

He usually prefers just one finger hooked in the corner of his mouth but sometimes he'll go for more

I promise he really does smile a lot!

half a smile

This is the one tasty finger

The best smile I could capture

Pondering...

Being Silly

2011-06-06T21:04:00.002-04:00

Landon was helping me with the laundry the other day when he found some of Colson's bibs. He thought it would be funny for Oakley to wear one and then decided he needed one as well :)

Oh So Tasty!

2011-05-30T14:28:00.003-04:00

I started Colson on rice cereal last week. He really wasn't sure what to think about it at first, but after what seemed like an extremely long time he managed to eat it all. I was quickly reminded though, why I don't like feeding baby food -between trying to fight his hands to have a place for the spoon in his mouth and scooping and rescooping the food back into the mouth and oh yes his need to sneeze at least once during a meal spraying me with a nice layer of sticky goo - well let's say not my favorite baby activity :) Anyway, after a week of that, we started this week with some yummy peas. When I put the first bite in his mouth he was not sure what to think, he kind of contorted his face and turned a little red but he swallowed it. It took a few bites but he got used to it and ate about half a jar, but every day when he takes that first bite he looks at me as if to say, "What in the world are you putting in my mouth?!"

Not sure what to think

What is this?

Okay I'll take it from here

Fernbank

2011-05-29T23:35:00.007-04:00

On Tuesday, we headed down toward the Fernbank Natural History Museum with the boys and Uncle Chris. I had taken a class there on a field trip many years ago, but have never gone on my own. I had seen some commercials for their new Nature Quest exhibit and thought it might be something Landon would enjoy and I was right :) We started at the bottom of the museum with seashells and mythical creatures exhibits, Landon had fun briefly looking at these. Then we went up to the Georgia and dinosaur exhibits, Landon enjoyed looking at all the animals and the "great big" dinosaurs. The top level was the best and I'm glad we had saved it for the end. There is a sensory exhibit and lots of things to touch - including making great big bubbles and standing in front of a green screen so you could see yourself as a weatherman on TV. When we dragged him away from this, we headed toward the Nature Quest area which was awesome! If you have little kids it is definitely worth checking out, a big playground with lots of things to do and touch. We probably would have stayed a lot longer but had to head home before we got stuck in the Atlanta traffic!

Digging for dinosaurs

More dinosaurs!

Uncle Chris blowing a giant bubble!

Bubbles

Getting a little help

Making shadows

Electricity!

Weatherman Landon

In front of the green screen

On the bridge in the Nature Quest exhibit

So much to do

Colson enjoying his trip

I forced him to sit with me for a picture

Landon loved sitting in this boat

Doing their best dinosaur impression

Busy Weekend

2011-05-28T14:39:00.005-04:00

My brother came into town Saturday for a few days and we had a lot of fun getting to spend some time together. On Sunday we all went out for brunch at Copeland's (highly recommended if you don't mind spending the $) and after we all finished stuffing ourselves we took a few pictures in front of the fountain. Later that afternoon we had more family over and then we headed off to see our niece Charby perform in her first ballet recital. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the recital - brought back lots of memories - but even Landon enjoyed watching. With the different colored lights and movement he was captivated for the first half, by the second half he was doing his own dancing in his seat! When we saw Charby afterwards he was not quite sure what to think - not used to seeing his cousin all dressed up :) On Monday we went over to my grandmother's place to spend some time with her and then on Tuesday we went to Fernbank (but that's another post). Landon had lots of fun with Uncle Chris and Colson was happy he finally got to meet him!

my brother and me

Uncle Chris and his nephews

Uncle Chris and Landon

Family pic

All of us

with their cousins Kaitlyn and Lindsey

Hold him high in the air and you are guaranteed a smile!

The ballerina

Uncle Chris and Colson

While at Granny's, Landon played with some of Bampa's old trains

Granny and Landon

So funny!

Granny with her 2 great-grandsons

Showing Off

2011-05-26T23:41:00.004-04:00

Colson has been rolling over for almost a month now but he's been very secretive with his new move. I find him on his back when he wakes up (or doesn't want to sleep) but he will seldom show off while I'm watching. Today though he was in the mood to delay his nap and I remembered to grab the camera so I finally caught him in action.

A few giggles

Hanging Out

2011-05-24T22:14:00.001-04:00

Official Weigh-In

2011-05-16T20:56:00.001-04:00

Went to the doctor on Thursday for Landon's 3 year and Colson's 4 months. Landon weighed in at 36 pounds and 39 1/2 inches tall - 90th percentile for both. Colson weighed in at 15.6 pounds (75th) and 24 1/2 inches (25th) tall. Colson is almost a pound lighter and 3/4 inches shorter than his brother was at this time, however in the past 2 months he has gained 3 pounds and grown 1 1/2 inches so definitely no problems in the growth department! Landon has grown 3 inches and gained 6 pounds in the past year - I knew he was getting big and there was a reason all his pants are now too short :) After a few shots (and a few tears) we headed out for our ice cream reward or specifically some "pink ice cream in a cone." By the end of the day though I was wishing I hadn't taken both boys for shots on the same day, two whiny/crying boys did not make for a a fun evening!

Trip to the Dentist

2011-05-11T23:46:00.000-04:00

I took Landon for his first visit to the dentist on Tuesday. He has been with me a couple of times and the dentist came and talked to his class so he kind of knew what to expect and I tried to prep him the best I could. I found a pediatric dentist to take him to and when we first walked in there was a train table and Curious George was on the TV so automatic points in Landon's book. When it was his turn we walked back to the room and he climbed up on the chair, he got a little nervous when the chair started moving but I just told him it was a ride and he was okay. The hygienist gave him some sunglasses to wear while he had his teeth cleaned and he actually wore them! He did fabulous keeping his mouth open and doing what was asked. We then moved to another room for x-rays, once again he climbed up and opened his mouth, the problem came when they were trying to get him to stay still to take the picture. Getting a 3 year old to stay still is no easy task and eventually the technician had to stay in the room to make sure he didn't move while the other pushed the button. Finally we moved into the last room to wait for the dentist. Landon sat in the chair and watched TV but we had to wait awhile so he started getting restless, however when she showed up he immediately opened his mouth and let her look around. He got a coin to use for the bouncy ball machine and of course new toothpaste and toothbrush. He was so excited about his new brush and toothpaste he couldn't wait to get home so he could brush his teeth again! Later that night while Justin was putting Landon to bed, Landon grabbed the flashlight and made Justin open his mouth so he could take a look. Apparently he thought it was his turn to be the dentist :)

Lifting the glasses to get a better view of what was happening

Open wide!

Sucking out the water in his mouth - he had fun with this!

Showing off his clean teeth (while watching a movie)

Time for the Bumbo!

2011-05-11T23:32:00.000-04:00

We've been putting Colson in the Bumbo for the past couple of weeks. The first time I put him in it he just looked at me and smiled as if to say, "Now this is a view!" He also discovered his feet while sitting it in it, he is completely amazed at this and can't seem to take his eyes off of them while he sits in it. I have to distract him with something else to get him to look up for pictures :) Of course Landon isn't about to let Colson have all the fun and likes to show us that he too can sit in the Bumbo :)

Checking out his feet (and you can see his bald spot!)

Look who still fits!

Spring Performance

2011-05-10T23:56:00.003-04:00

It is the close of our first school year. Landon has been going to school on Mondays and Wednesdays this year and he has absolutely loved it! I'm not sure what he does besides play with cars (especially the blue one) and paint and occasionally fight with his best bud Gavin because these are the only things he ever tells me about. I do know that he sings not because he tells me but because I overhear him singing lines from random songs that I have not taught him. He has grown more independent and confident this year, he no longer cries when being dropped off places and although he still enjoys his mommy time he is a lot better at entertaining himself. Of course there is also potty training, with the encouragement from his teachers the transition went a lot smoother (he was staying dry and going potty at school just not at home, until I found out that bit of information!) I know Landon is going to miss his teachers and going to school over the summer and I know I am going to miss those few hours as well :) On Monday they had their spring performance, Landon didn't do a lot of singing but he was doing the motions and he also kept his "hat" on his head a big improvement since the Christmas performance! Afterwards we headed to his class for his end of year party - thank you to Mrs. Melissa and Mrs. Ashley for such a fabulous year!!!

Not the best quality but the best I could get

With my boys in Landon's class

Landon and his buddy Gavin

Mrs. Ashley and Landon

Mrs. Melissa and Landon

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T23:10:00.004-04:00

I spent most of my Mother's Day without children and I won't lie I enjoyed my break! My in-laws were driving to South Carolina to visit Gee Gee (Justin's grandma) and since she hasn't met Colson yet Justin took the boys and went with them. After getting them out of the house I may have spent a little time cleaning (sorry I can't relax when I'm surrounded by mess!) then I took my mother out to the restaurant madness for brunch. When I returned, I celebrated with a nice long uninterrupted nap :) They returned that evening in time for Justin to grill some of his amazingly delicious fajitas. I don't have any pictures of me with the kids, but here are some of the kids with Gee Gee.

No I don't know who this is but Landon enjoyed going for a ride on his scooter.

Apparently Landon was not going to look at the camera because there are about 20 shots and this is the best one!

Gee Gee and Colson

Hugs!

4 Months!

2011-05-10T22:39:00.005-04:00

Colson was 4 months on May 2 and how did he decide to celebrate? By rolling over!!! At about 2 am I heard him in his room just talking away, which is not something he normally does while on his tummy so I went in to go check and sure enough there he was laying on his back just smiling away. He was so proud of himself! I wasn't sure if it would be a one time thing or not but he did it a few more times that night, which means now instead of sleeping through the night I get to get up and turn him over! He is a sporadic roller though, there will be some nights he will roll himself over, I'll flip him, and 5 minutes later he'll be on his back crying and then we'll repeat this game multiple times. Then he'll go days without rolling at all, not sure if he forgets he can do it or has decided he's mastered that skill and there's no need to overuse it. He is becoming more and more interactive and loves to talk as long as there is someone there to listen. He has discovered he now has two hands so spends some time putting them together and studying how they work and of course how they taste. He has also started grasping more toys and directing those to his mouth as well. He is still a pretty good sleeper and he seems to have gotten over his fussy period in the evening. He still takes a morning, afternoon, and evening nap but he is slowly increasing the time inbetween them. And of course he is definitely getting bigger - we go to the doctor on Thursday for the official measurements but I'm guessing 15/16 pounds since we are moving into the 6 month clothing. Here are some pictures of my sweet boy...

Landon has to have his picture taken too!

Yummy hands

Sweetness!