Playdate at the Pool

On Monday we invited our friend Beth and her sweet little girl, Emily, to go to the pool with us. We had such a fun time! I packed a lunch for Connor to eat there, but he was so excited about the pool he didn't want to eat! (Imagine that!) After about twenty minutes he changed his mind and started pointing to his mouth telling me he wanted to "eat." After the kids had lunch we took them over to the baby pool to play. The shallow end was perfect for them. They both loved sitting and playing with the fountains.

Connor and his friend Emily

We had a great time and can't wait to go back soon!

Texarkana

We just got back from a very fun week of visiting my family in Texarkana. Early Monday morning, Connor, my mom, and I loaded up the car and started our 6 1/2 hour journey. Connor slept for only about 45 minutes in the car, but really was great the rest of the trip!

You can tell by this face that he was excited to be there and out of the car!

We celebrated Momma Lou's birthday on Monday night with dinner at Ta Molly's. All 3 of my uncles and most of their families were able to come to town so it was a nice mini reunion!

Connor loved all the extra attention he received! I wish I had taken more pictures of everyone, but now that he is on the go I feel like I spend most of my time chasing! :) Here Connor is with my Aunt Melanie and cousin Courtney.

This little boy was spoiled all week long! He had lots of special treats and really enjoyed having pancakes every morning for breakfast.

We spent some time shopping and found lots of cute new things for Connor. I forgot to bring his stroller, but it turned out to be a good thing because he LOVED this stroller we rented from the mall. He thought he was in a race car!

Wednesday night we set up a sprinkler in the yard for Connor to try out. This was his first time with a sprinkler so it was so much fun watching him figure it all out.

We also got to spend time with my Papa and Ginny. Connor kept Papa busy by getting him to go outside every chance he had. He loved playing in their backyard. He listened to all the birds, played in the grass, and even got to chase a cute little bunny that had decided to hop around in their backyard.

Thursday afternoon Papa took us to Spring Lake park to feed the ducks. It was fun to take Connor to a park that I grew up going to. There were TONS of ducks and geese that Connor really enjoyed seeing. He never actually fed the ducks, but he seemed to really enjoy the bread. :)

Friday we were getting ready to leave and Connor was showing off his new outfit and shoes. He looks so grown up!

Mimi, Connor, Papa, and Ginny
We had such a fun time visiting with everyone and can't wait to see them again soon!

A Few New Pictures

Here is a little glimpse of what we have been up to lately...

Connor tried finger painting for the first time. At first he did not like having paint on his hands, but he ended up having lots of fun. We had paint everywhere!! Luckily it is washable!

Connor still loves the pool, especially when Cole gets to go with us. :)

There is a park right next to the pool that has a covered play area which is great in this heat! Connor loves playing over there. I think he enjoys the rocks the most!

He is getting smarter and smarter every day, especially when it comes to getting what he wants. When things don't go his way he makes this new face to let us know he is "mad". It is so funny because he usually can only keep this face for a few seconds before he starts laughing. He keeps his eyes squinted the whole time, but peaks every now and then to see if you are going to respond.

He is upset in this picture because he can't reach his pacifier that we leave in his bed. I haven't taken it away yet, but we try to only have it for sleeping. Little man decided to try the other side of the crib and you can tell by the look on his face he was successful!

3 Years Ago...

...was a day I will never forget. Happy Anniversary, Cole! I love you!

We were able to celebrate our anniversary this past weekend with a weekend getaway to Lost Pines Resort. If you have been reading our blog for awhile you might remember that this is the same place we went for our 2nd Anniversary (and 1st!) We have enjoyed it so much that we just keep going back. It is the perfect distance away for a weekend and since our anniversary is in July the only place I want to be is floating on that lazy river with this Texas heat! :) It was a wonderful time for just the two of us to reflect on all that has changed in our lives over the past year and how much we have to be thankful for. Connor also had a great weekend at Mimi's (or as he would call her "Mmm Mmm". I think between bubbles and the pool he didn't even notice we were gone. :) Thanks Mom for keeping our sweet boy!

Connor and Kate

In the past month we have been able to spend lots of time with Cole's sister Amy and her family. We have been spoiled to see our precious niece Kate so often! She is at such a fun age and makes the sweetest noises you have ever heard. Looking back, some of my favorite childhood memories are times spent with my cousins. That is why I am so thankful that Connor has Kate. I know they will have a lot of fun times ahead!

Amy has been so good about getting them together to take pictures. Here are a few from their 2nd photo shoot. They turned out so cute! (I scanned them in so they are a bit fuzzy.)

In between some of their trips to Austin, Connor and I went up with "Nana" to visit them in Longview. We had a great time hanging out, swimming, and letting the kids play. I think Connor gave his aunt and uncle a head start on knowing what to baby proof! :)

Thank you Amy and David for letting us come stay for the week. Can't wait to see you again at the beach!

Happy Birthday Cole!

We hope you have a fantastic birthday! Thanks for being such a great husband and "dada!" We love you very much!!

A picture from the 2 seconds that he sat still this morning! :)

Connor is saying "Dada dada dada dada" in this picture because we had been practicing singing Happy Birthday all morning.

"Here ya go Dada!"

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 13 Months Connor!

I am 13 months old today!

After thinking about whether I would continue to take Connor's picture in his chair I decided to keep it up for at least this next year. He is still changing so much every day and this has been a fun way for us to look back and remember all his milestones.

Every month it has been harder and harder to keep this little boy still! :) The old days where Connor would sit still and smile on command have been replaced with a little boy who is ready to get down and play! :) (and I wouldn't want it any other way!)

We even tried to use Cheerios to get him still... not so successful, but I did get a picture of him signing "please". He just learned this last week and is using it for just about anything he wants. We are still working on learning that you don't always get what you want even if you say please. :)

What Connor can do now that he is 13 months old:

-Walk: He is walking the majority of the time now, but still gets down to crawl some. This has added a new meaning to child proofing at our house. :)

-Blow kisses

-Sign: more, please, eat, all done

-LOVES to eat and usually cries when we stop

-Sing songs (Apples & Bananas, Itsy Bitsy Spider, ABCs, and This Little Light of Mine are a few favorites) He has also started doing the hand motions to several of these and does them to let me know when he wants to sing.

-Laugh whenever he hears someone else laughing.

Talking: With Connor it all depends on if he is in a talking mood or not. Some times he babbles all day long and other times I can just see him processing everything he sees around him and he stays very quiet. He is definitely very observant. He can repeat certain sounds that I make and tries to say lots of new words. When he isn't sure how to make the sound he will just giggle or move his mouth and whisper. Connor also put 2 words together for the first time and now says "bye bye dada" every time he can tell Cole is about to leave or walk out the door.

-Loves the pool! It has been our favorite place this summer.

-Read: He loves to look at books on his own and will bring you books that he wants you to read. Connor also has started imitating me by pointing at the pictures and trying to say what they are.

Finally, Connor loves to explore. This is what we spend most of the day doing. For some reason throwing diapers on the floor has become Connor's idea of a good time. :)

We are headed out for some 4th of July fun! Check back later for some more pictures.