Sunny Days....

Everything's A-Okay. Yesterday afternoon we spent the day on Sesame Street with our friends Alaina, Evan, and Preston! We went downtown to the Discovery Gateway to give the boys a fun adventure. Discovery Gateway had a special exhibit on the body put on by Sesame Street. It was so much fun and really adorable. When you first walked into the exhibit it was like walking right on to the street. They had Oscar's garbage can, the big green doors to 123 Sesame Street, Mr. Hooper's store, and the Guy Smiley Gameshow. They had all sorts of different interactive stations on the different parts of the body. Jace's favorite....the poop exhibit (Uncle Buddy, you would be so proud). Let me explain. They had a section on the digestive system and a part of that was the bowels and it actually showed how poop worked, yes, a visual and everything. (the pictures explain it better) Jace went back and back and back to push the poop button. Believe me, this was his favorite; it was the first thing he told Bryan and Mimi about. We had a great time. It was very hands-on and 3 year old friendly. I have to say I felt better as a mother after finally taking my kids out for an activity.

My Two Boys

I have the urge to share with my few readers a little bit about my two adorable boys. Lately I have been thinking about how much I need to get Jace and Cole's baby books out and update them and share some things about what they are like right now at their ages. I feel like this is kind of my journal...so I'm going to share it with you too.

MR. SMARTS

Jace is my smarty-pants. The kid seriously amazes me at times with the things he knows and says. He talks very well and asks MILLIONS of questions. "Why, what, how, Mom?" And the things he remembers...gee I wish I had his memory. He absolutely LOVES puzzles. He has a 70 piece Transformer puzzle that we do multiple times a day. He can do almost all of it by himself! He loves to play on the computer and picks up very quickly onto new things. He also enjoys playing games: Hungry, Hungry Hippos, Memory, and Candy Land. But mainly, puzzles.
He is also VERY imaginative. He's always running around the house shooting different Transformers, he has a friend Luke, and several different Disney characters that he plays with. He has a new basketball hoop and we play together and he is AK, I'm Boozer, and Cole is D-Will. (Good work, Dad!) He finds the smallest object to play with - a new, unsharpened pencil is a wand or sword, a small tie from my shirt is a lasso or fishing pole. I'm not sure why we even bother with toys.
He absolutely ADORES Cole. The first person he's excited to see in the morning is Cole, and it's always a celebration when Cole wakes up from his nap. I have to say that the love for each other started on day one when Cole was born. Example: a nurse had to come and take Cole back to the nursery for some tests. She took Cole out of the room and Jace started screaming, crying, and chasing her down the hall,"THAT'S MY BROTHER!" I have to say we're pretty lucky with the two of them getting along. They truly love each other. Jacers I love you!!

LOVER NOT A FIGHTER

I love my Cole-i-oly!! This cutey puts a smile on strangers' faces. Cole has one of those smiles that melts the heart. His toothy little grin is unforgettable. And he has these eyes.....ahhh! His eyes are the purest and most piercing blue. He gives THE BEST hugs (just ask Karlee and Shirlee), and he always has a kiss for his mom. He's pretty stingy with his kisses, but if he gives you one, you know he loves you! He's not a snuggler, but he is a lover. (Jace's always the one asking for a "nuggle"). And his laugh - hilarious! Watch out girls - he's gonna be a looker!

I can tell he's going to be my true boy: dirty and adventurous. He's already much more of a climber and goer than Jace ever was. No matter how many times you scold him for pulling over and breaking lamps and eating newspaper, he's back for more fun. He's very active and loves to go, go, go. He definitely doesn't like to stay in your arms for long unless he's VERY tired. He's a Momma's boy, though; just ask anyone in the family. Oh, and can that boy eat! Yowza!! I can just say 10 months and 8 teeth later - Nursin' no mo!
He's such a sweety and we love him so much. It is true, you can love your second child as much as the first. Coley I love you!

Jace Turns 3!!

My baby has turned 3! Okay, so he's not my baby anymore, but it still feels like it. Jace turned 3 on the 18th and we had a blast! The night before we opened presents and had cake at my parent's house. For his birthday cake, Jace requested a "pirate cake." I surfed the internet and found a recipe for a pirate ship. I was happy with how it turned out - I think it's pretty darn cute! Jace got very spoiled and he kind of ended up having a "fine arts" birthday. He loves to draw, color, and paint and so Sunday night he got an artist pad, an art easel, books, music books, and a couple of outfits. Bryan and I gave him his own "puter" (a Leap Pad which he thinks is a computer), clothes, and an Optimus Prime Transformer - which he adores. He loves Optimus so much that he wants the best for him - and so of course, he has to sleep with me and Bryan! On his birthday we went bowling!! Part of Bryan's family joined us - Pam, Gene, Blake, and Laura. Jace had soooo much fun and I just loved his tiny little bowling shoes. Later that night we went to Pam and Gene's where Chad, Tiff, and the kids joined us for a pizza party and opening presents. The word that describes the day was "Cooo-oooll!!!"

I'm a Cookie Maker!

Yesterday Jace helped me make chocolate chip cookies. We put our aprons on (he wore one of Grandma Jessie's old aprons) and went to work. When I put his apron on, he told me, "I'm going to be a cookie maker!" We had lots of fun and he is quite the helper. I think he might have had a little too much cookie dough and chocolate chips, because after he complained that his tummy hurt!

Crawlin', Crawlin', Crawlin...

Cole has been crawling for a week now and has managed to get into a few things: garbage cans, newspapers, pulling over lamps... He absolute loves to get into the newspaper basket and pull out all of the papers and play in them. He has also managed to fall down our small set of stairs already! OOPS! I do love that he can crawl. He is so happy and content and can entertain himself for a long time. It's so nice for me because he doesn't get as frustrated and bored so quickly. He does have a little obsession for doors... he loves to swing them open and shut. He is always keeping us smiling with his toothy grin and his high pitch screams. We love our Cole-i-oly!!!

My Snowmen!

We've had a ton of snow lately, which means a ton of shoveling! Last week we all bundled up and went out to shovel the walks. Jace loves to help us, but really all he loves to do is follow us around and throw snowballs at us. He begs to stay out longer and play in the snow. He loves to make snow angels and have snowball fights. He tells me that I need to throw lots of snowballs like Buddy the Elf. I love to see him all bundled up with his rosy red cheeks. I think Cole enjoyed sitting out in the cold watching everyone else have fun. No really, all that cutie does is smile.

Joining the blogging world

I have finally joined the blogging world - thanks to Marissa. She set up my whole blog page which pretty much forced me to do it. No, I am really glad she did because this will be a great way to keep in touch with everyone. I hope that I can keep this up and stay on top of things. Mom, this will be my way of sharing my pictures with you! I hope you enjoy our little blog about our family. I know there will be some fun things to share. Jace always has great things to say! For instance, today he told me, "Mom, you're lame!" and all because I had to take a potty break from playing with him. You gotta love 3 year olds!