Put me in, Coach!

Dearest Boys,

Today was opening day in our household and we were so excited to begin our adventure into organized sports!

New hat?  Check!

New glove?  Check!

New shorts?  Check!

New tennis shoes?  Check!

The only thing you were missing was the bravery to run out there on your own. 

You didn't want to be away from us and Daddy had to help you take the field.

Once you got to the throwing station, you were good to go!

You did so well at listening to your pitching coach!

Your batting coach gave you some cute tips and you "knocked down the fence" with a few great hits!

Colt, you were happy to play ball with me in the shade.

A 75 minute practice + 100 degree temperatures = a super thirsty ball player!

This week's homework:  Actually put your hand inside that nice, new glove  ; )

Until next summer...

Dearest Colton & Jax,

Just as I suspected, summer break came and went much too quickly!  I went back to work this week and attended training after training as you boys both went to Ms. Stephanie's house each day.  Next week we're in the thick of it as my students return and it's back to the grind.  All of my classroom preparations caused me to neglect this electronic memory book but I want you to know that memories were still made.  Here are the last few shots of the summer:

Jax, you went to your second summer of "camp" at our church.  It was 3 days long from 9am - 1pm each day and I think you enjoyed it.  Taking your backpack and lunch was one of your favorite parts : )

Colt, you hung out with some of your buddies from my school.  Y'all are just a few weeks apart in age and it's fun to get you together and watch you interact. 

We took cupcakes to The Vaughn's house one night and you dove right in without hesitation!

You two worked on some art together at home.

Daddy even taught you to play Wii (a gaming system that probably seems prehistoric by the time you're reading this)!  Your favorite game is Mario Kart and you always pick either "the little girl" (Princess) or "the monster" (Bowser) as your drivers.  It's a hoot watching you play!!

Andy visited us for a weekend and we had some fun at Rainforest Cafe.  We "found Nemo" a few times ; )

Colt, we finally celebrated your birthday here, in Texas, just between us.  We bought you a tiny zoo and you enjoy chewing on the endangered species.  : )

I had quite the to-do list this summer.  Atop the list? 

Love on my boys.

Mission accomplished!

Back "home" again...in Indianaaaa

Dearest Jackson & Colton,

We flew back to Indiana last week to see our family.

Jax, you were such a helper at the airport.

When you weren't helping with luggage, you were telling Colt all about how the airplanes work.

Great Grandpa A. was on his way up to the lake, so we had to make a quick stop at his house on our first night in town.  I'm sure he slept well that evening after having all 3 of his great-grandkids over!

Aunt Jess helped you two operate the train toy that your daddy used to play with when he was little.

The night ended with some ice cream in a just-your-size rocking chair.

We headed over to Grandpa & Grandma M.'s house to check on her as she had surgery a few days prior.  They surprised you, Jax, with a new bike and you wasted no time in trying it out!

Colt, you were content to watch the bike riding from the comfort of the stroller.

You then rode the rocking horse back at Grandpa & Grandma R.'s house later that day.

While helping Grandma M. on Monday, you found some sunglasses in her basement and proudly showed off your new look.

You helped set the table for dinner that night and you and Daddy had "antique" plates (Daddy and Uncle Mike's plates from back in the day).

While the table was set, Colt, you were busy "helping" Grandpa R. in the kitchen.  Removing as many magnets as you could reach was a daily task for you.

We got to babysit cousin Hailey on Tuesday and it was fun watching y'all play.

On Wednesday, it was back to bike riding at Grandma & Grandpa M.'s house and your skills improved dramatically!!  We could barely keep up with you and you pedalled all by yourself!

Colton, you cheered on your brother as Grandma snuck in some kisses!

Back at Grandpa R.'s house, he showed you his trains.

Colton, you were caught with Uncle Mike's video game...

and, Jax, you were caught in the cat house!

Thursday was THE day!  Colton, you turned 1 on our trip north and we celebrated by visiting the zoo.

(I promise there were animals at the zoo but this blog can only be so long, so animal pics got left on the cutting room floor.  But remind me to tell you about the time that the sea lion came out of nowhere and scared the bejeezus out of me!)

All that celebrating wore you out!!

Your birthday evening was spent with Grandpa M., Grandma M., and her tasty creation.

I so look forward to reading this with you for years to come!

All of a sudden, we realized the week was wrapping up...and we hadn't visited Great Grandpa R. yet.  So all of us ventured to his house where we posed for the self-timer.

We even made sure the camera captured our true selves...

And then we packed up and headed south.

While that was a lot of pictures...of course, there were a few memories that fell through the cracks.  Strawberry milk, for example.  Colton, you downed an unnatural amount of strawberry milk on this trip and I didn't get any of your obsession on disk.  Black hole is another example.  Jax, you loved playing on Grandma & Grandpa M.'s pool table and asked all of us to play "black hole" with you.  Grandpa obliged you almost daily!  Another would be Date Night!!  Mommy, Daddy, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Jess went to dinner and a movie one night and it was just the kind of simple fun we needed.  You boys, along with Ms. Hailey, stayed with Grandpa & Grandma R. but the cameras were kept safely out of reach.  Lastly, birthday dinner!  My parents took us all out for my birthday on Friday night and I didn't get any pictures of all of us together. 

I'm already looking forward to going back again in a few months!

Happy 1st Birthday, Colton!

Dearest Colton James,

Thank you for an amazing year!  It all started 1 year ago when you & I went through the coolest experience ever and you were almost born on the side of the road! 

You made me believe in love at first sight and I’ve only grown more smitten with you over these last 12 months. 

As a baby, you were a big boy!  At 9lbs 8oz, almost everyone commented on your size.  Their next comment was usually along the lines of, “You did that with NO drugs!?!?!” 

You were laid-back and even tempered – as long as you weren’t in your carseat.  You were a champion breastfeeder and nursed well from day one. 

You didn’t sleep during the day as much as I thought babies were supposed to, but that obviously didn’t stunt your growth as you now weigh in at over 25 pounds (80^th percentile)!  You are now 30 inches tall, which puts you in the 50^th percentile. 

 You are a loving toddler as you give big, open-mouthed kisses and often pat our backs when we pick you up. 

You like to test your limits but usually mind us well.  You are not the most graceful child as you sometimes lead with your forehead and sport a bruise more often than not. 

You play with toys but your favorite thing to do with them is put them in your mouth and/or throw them!  And, if you had it your way, the remote controls would be in your possession at all times!  You wear 18 month clothing, size 4/5 diapers, and no shoes. 

We haven’t put you in shoes yet because you’re not walking yet.  You will cruise around tables with ease and love walking while holding our hands…but, independent walking doesn’t seem to interest you at all.  That’s probably because you’re a speed crawler!  You crawl so much and so fast that you actually have burns on your knees from all the friction you create along the floor! 

You currently have 6 teeth and we’ve kept you in a teething necklace for the past few months in an effort to ease your discomfort.  Sleeping at night has been your forte from the beginning.  You sleep 12 hours straight through the night and wake up so happy!  You take a quick morning nap almost every morning and you never miss an afternoon nap! 

You are a ferocious eater and you rarely turn down food!  The only time you spit food out is when you know that we have something more appealing coming next. 

While things are finally smoothed out now, it wasn’t always kittens and rainbows.  Honestly, adjusting to your demands wasn’t easy for me for the first few months.  You loved (still do, actually) to be held and many tantrums occurred when I had to put you down.  It was tough as we figured each other out but we made it!! 

And this moment in time wouldn’t be completely captured if I didn’t mention your pointer finger.  The first thing you did upon gaining hand control was suck on that finger!  I have so many pictures of you with your finger in your mouth and I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised since I was a thumb sucker. 

Last, but certainly not least, is your brotherly love.  You & Jackson have formed a special relationship already and I can’t even come up with words for what I’m blessed to witness between the two of you. 

I could go all day with the YOU… statements.  Looking back at pictures from this past year seriously makes me weepy.  I just think you’re a neat little boy and I thank God for you frequently.  We love you more than sunshine, racecars, and chocolate!