Friends, fights and figurines

Friends:

We'd been trying to see them for months and on August 2nd it finally happened! We met Elliott, Eric, Matt and Lindsey in Short Pump and had dinner together. They're old friends from George's undergrad days here at UVa and it's always a treat to see them. Elliott and Eric are expecting their first baby (a boy!) in about a month! We're so excited for them!

Dinner was fun, especially since all three of our boys came with us. :) To be fair, they did a good job, but I think the boring adult conversation about did them in and by the time we were waiting for the check they were done. I ended up taking them to get some ice cream while the rest of our party chatted and caught up.

I'm sad this picture didn't turn out very well. It was great to see them and fun to talk while we all chased three very wound-up boys around outside. We are so happy for Elliott and Eric and their baby! We can't wait to meet him when he makes his debut!

 

Speaking of friends, the Elmers celebrated an important event this month:

Killian and Kendall were baptized!

It was a nice program! By some lucky chance, even George got to attend. It was cute listening to the little kids talk in front of the font while they waited for Killian and Kendall to be baptized... Jude was explaining to the little girls next to him that when he was older he would be baptized too, but right now he's not big enough. Sweet boy.

 

(Tickle) Fights:

It's always wonderful when George comes home. He works strange hours, so it's a rare when he walks in the door in time for dinner and bedtime routine. I think the boys go through daddy withdrawals and can't contain their excitement when they see him.

I love watching my boys play together.

There really isn't anything sweeter than being together as a family and hearing their genuine laughter. If I had to describe Heaven, I think this would be it.

Figurines:

Scott signed Lance up for a couple camps these last two weeks that he has LOVED. The first camp was a sculpting class that met for two hours five days straight. Lance has been very interested in sculpting and art, so this was a dream come true for him. 

They focused on sculpting animals and even brought in live chickens one day for the kids to see and use as a model for their creations.

His favorite part was using the pottery wheel the last day. He's been asking if we can get a pottery wheel when we get a house. Uh, maybe?

He's currently doing his second class that meets for two hours this whole week. It's a Lego Exploration camp that uses legos to teach creativity, problem-solving and fun. The best part is that it's at the local Bounce-n-Play so when they take breaks the kids get to bounce on all the inflatable slides and obstacle courses. Lance comes home every day sporting rug burns from sliding so much, but he's loved it!

I feel bad picking him up at such a fun place with Jude and Cole in the car, so on Wednesday I took them to "Toddler time" there and we played for 90 minutes while we waited for Lance to finish his class. Jude had a great time running and keeping up with the big kids on the slides and climbing areas, but Cole was content to play in the ball pit and ride little cars around. The highlight for Cole? A train ride around the parking lot!

This was his reaction when we first started rolling. He wasn't too sure if it was fun or not.

He warmed up and loved it so much that he cried when our ride was over.

 

Jude? Jude loved every second of it.

But then again, Jude loves every second of life. :)

18 months old!

Cole is 18 months old, so I figured it was time for an update.

I think this may be my all-time favorite age. Everything is so exciting for him, the world is full of laughter and smiles and he's learning new things every day. I love watching him discover things around him, like the spiders in the webs, or bubbles popping, or airplanes flying over head. His enthusiasm for life brings a smile to my face every day and helps me remember to find the joy in the simple moments. I love it!

Okay, updates:

He is talking a lot more! He's always been extremely vocal and will "talk" to you extensively, we just never really knew what he was saying. While he's still not talking in sentences, he's very good at getting his point across and is using many more words. His favorites are still bus, truck, and car, but he now says tons of words like: bubble, train, robot (pronounced "raaa-BIT"--so funny), cheese, gum, gun, help, stuck, Lance, Jude, Mommy, Da Da, pop (for popcicles, lollipops and Pop Pop/Grandpa), hi, bye, teeth, shoe, hat, ball, eye (it's what he calls sunglasses), nose, fishies, and poop. He learns new words every day and I love it!

He's very friendly and will wave to anyone he sees (whether he knows them or not) and say, "Hi!" I swear he could bring a smile to anyone. The only time he ever says "hello" is when he's pretending to use a phone. I don't think he knows those words mean the same thing.

He actually likes to brush his teeth and will ask to do it all the time. I think it's because that's what the big kids do and he always has to try and keep up. Anything they do, he wants to do also.

 He loves to play outside, especially at the park. He has mastered the slides and the ladders and can play all over the park without much help at all. Oh and dirt. He loves dirt and rocks.

Cole loves books and will often bring me books to read to him. His favorite books right now are the Pigeon books and "I Was So Mad". He'll bring it to me saying, "mad? mad?" Love it!

He really wants to ride a bike and will steal Jude's Strider and helmet all the time. He'll run up to me with the helmet in his hands and say, "help? Help?" 

His all-time favorite things are vehicles of any kind. He is completely obsessed with cars, trucks, buses and trains. You would think seeing cars is a rare occurrence judging by his excitement every time he sees one. Every. Single. Time. Our rides in the van have turned into narrations of what is on the road with us at the time: "car! bus! cars! cars! truck!" If ever we're outside and I turn around and can't see him, I immediately head for the parking lot where he will be walking between the parked cars, lovingly saying "cars! cars!" and touching all within his reach. He reminds me a bit of Jason when he was little.

He has a temper! He is usually very happy and sweet, but if he's upset about something or I don't let him have something he wants, he goes into full-blown tantrum mode. He'll cry, throw himself on the ground and sometimes even start banging his head on the wall or floor. It doesn't happen that often or last that long, but while it's going on it's intense! I can't decide if I find these episodes horrifying or hilarious. Hopefully this will be a short phase and he'll realize banging his head on things really doesn't solve anything. 

He has a sense of humor. He loves to joke around and be silly and will laugh at himself all the time. He must get that from George.

He LOVES his brothers. He's always asking where they are if he can't find them and will point to any picture he sees with them and call out their names. It's sweet. He wants to be doing anything they are and follows them around. He's not afraid to stand up for himself, though, and will fight loudly for his toys or personal space if he thinks Lance or Jude isn't being fair. Self-preservation seems to be learned quickly by younger siblings.

He's still super cuddly and will snuggle with just about anyone. I love that he begs to be held and will rest his little head on my shoulder where it fits so perfectly. 

He blows kisses all the time, especially if someone is leaving. It's not a kiss-y sound, more like "mah" as his little hand leaves his mouth. I think it is the sweetest thing ever.

He is 100% a mama's boy. Don't get me wrong--he loves George and always asks about him when he's gone and is happy to see him and play when he gets home, but no one can compete in his heart with his mommy. If he thinks I'm leaving (even if I'm just taking out the trash) he melts down and cries until I get back. I can't even close the bathroom door without him running down the hallway and crying at the door until I open it. If he's taking a bath with Jude and I leave for a moment to get out PJ's, I'll turn around and see a wet, naked little boy who hopped out of the tub to following me around. While it's occasionally hard to get things done with my little shadow, I wouldn't trade it for the world and I know I'll be sad when he gets older and more independent.

What do I want to remember about this stage? I want to remember his sweet, happy smile and his belly-laugh when George tickles him. I want to remember how he begs to sit next to Lance and Jude at the computer so he can see what they're doing. I want to remember him crawling into my lap to read his favorite stories, and the sleepy snuggles every morning when he wakes up. I want to remember the way his face lights up when he sees me come home after being gone, even for 10 minutes, and watch him running to me yelling "mama! mama!" I want to remember how he likes to be tucked in at night, his love for animals and the sound his little feet make as they run up and down the hallway.

This little boy fills our lives with happiness and light with his ready smile and fun personality. Even Lance and Jude fawn on him and will randomly give him hugs as he passes. I am so grateful he came into our lives a year and a half ago. We cannot imagine our life without him. We sure love our Colie Olie!

OBX--day 5

July 24th--our last day at the OBX.

We woke up a bit later this morning, thanks to Cole sleeping in. When I rolled over in the bed, I was greeted by this site:

They were laughing at each other in the crib. I'm so glad the boys like each other.

We had to get in our last bit of sand and sun, so after we checked out of the hotel it was back to the beach to soak in as much as we could.

Mermaid Jude!

Mermaid Bryce!

The water had finally warmed up, if only a few degrees.

Playing with Uncle Po.

One of the kids found these sunglasses in the water. Cole quickly adopted them and wore them around like this for a while. What a goof!

Fun with Uncle George.

Another sand sculpture by Eric.

Look! I'm in the water! I ventured out every day, but it was so cold I had a hard time staying out longer than 30 minutes at a time.

Poor Jude was played out by the end and spent the last 30 minutes at the beach like this:

We left the beach around 4 or 5 in the afternoon and headed to the beach house for some dinner with the cousins before we hit the road for Charlottesville.

Jude had to get a few last snuggles in, as did Lance.

We had an amazing five days with the Scholz and the Chens. We can't wait for Thanksgiving when we'll all be together again! Love you guys!