Dousing the heat

Cole loved cooling down in the pool at Grandma and Grandpa's this weekend... 

Life is just a tire swing

Life was just a tire swing
'Jambalaya' was the only song I could sing
Blackberry pickin', eatin' fried chicken
And I never knew a thing about pain
Life was just a tire swing

--Jimmy Buffet (1974)

 

 

Playgroup, second generation

Franny's playgroup has been great for Cole, not because he can hang out with all the big kids,  but because he can hang out with all the little kids.  With the exception of one, all the moms had their second children within six months.  So now, although we gear our activities around the older kids, we have another playgroup emerging with the younger siblings.  And I really can't tell who has a better time!

Pretty boy

 

Franny loves clothes and dressing up--she will change her clothes several times a day, depending on her current whim.  She also loves to dress up Doll, Big Elmo, and her other friends.  And yesterday, poor Cole, found out the hard way that if he wants to hang out in Franny's room that he might end up dressed up too!

Patience

Cole is an amazingly observant little guy, but he definitely likes to be involved in whatever is going on around him.  Over the weekend, I took this  picture of Cole watching Franny playing in the yard.  Although it's impossible to speculate on what thoughts are actually going through his head, his expression seems content and almost reflective, as if he understands that while he can't do a lot of things now, he knows he soon will.  And oh, how much fun he will have then!

A cruiser's paradise

After walking around the Rose Garden, we proceeded over to the adjacent amphitheater for a snack and the opportunity for Cole to have some active time.   I don't think it could have worked out better if I had planned it.  Until he begins walking, Cole is in a limbo period, where not everyplace we go has a good area for him to move around.  This amphitheater, however, worked out great and he was able to cruise and climb to his heart's content.  I love it when it works out for everyone!

 

Snoozing away

 

When Franny gave up her morning nap, it was no short of devastating.  With Cole, I am finding myself wanting him to abandon the early snooze, so we can have some fun adventures together.   With afternoon naps sometimes extending to 4:30, the morning is the ideal time to get out and about.  Unfortunately, Cole is still holding on strongly to his morning siesta, and I am afraid it won't be until the rains return that he realizes what he's missing!

Go fish

I think I've been pushing Cole just a little hard to put on the pounds, since much to my frustration, he just decided to stop eating. So today, when I offered him a goldfish (his unrivaled favorite) and he wanted the whole bag instead, I didn't deny him. I figured whatever it takes to get him to eat, so be it. My strategy, however, backfired and we were really just left with a mess created with no less than unbridled enthusiasm. But with this face, it's hard to sustain my frustration for long.

A light to be reckoned with

Cole found this prism shining through our window extremely fascinating.  He ran his hands over it, crawled around it, and chattered at it for quite some time.  It must be an exciting life for toddlers, to always have something new and different to see and experience in their ever-expanding world.  For me, it is exciting to just be able to witness it second-hand through Cole!

In the time it takes to get a cup of coffee...

Mischief in the making....

Uh, oh--she found me!

Are you really going to ruin my fun?

You are going to ruin my fun!

It was worth it!