Tom's 27th Birthday!

We had a great time celebrating Tom's birthday last weekend! Big Tom is 27! We celebrated together on Friday at Chuy's, then finished with gifts and chocolate chip cake at home.  Cole was mesmerized.  And he loved the cake of course. Saturday morning we headed to Austin so Tom and my dad could play in a golf tournament...a perfect birthday weekend activity for Tom! We had a great time and loved celebrating Tom.

Enjoying the cake.

 

Can you tell my parents live 1 mile from Ikea?

Walked to the 3rd hole so we could watch the boys play a little bit! Cole did not follow proper golf spectating etiquette.

 

First taste of alligator at the post-tournament Cajun dinner.  He ate the whole thing.  Chewed it for quite some time.

 

 

Cole loves his Mimi and Pops!

 

Happy Birthday Tom! You bless us so!

Zoo Days

We are so so grateful to be in a city with a great zoo! I usually take pictures of our trips there and thought I could keep adding my favorites to this post over time.  Cole loves the zoo now, maybe as much as I do. He says "OH WOW! OH WOW! OH WOW!" almost the whole time.  It's hilarious.

Cole's first trip with Elliot and Galilee, at 3 weeks old! He was impressed.

Another trip at 2 months.  At least he showed a little alertness...haha!

 

We had to make a trip to see the famous two headed turtle! Gotta love how ZERO kids are looking at the camera. HA!

10 months old and starting to really enjoy the Tot Spot! Always a great break to sit and chat while the little guys release some energy and get to work.

 

Tom and Cole braved the bird cage on New Years Day!

Cole and Elliot looking at Okapis. I think.

HIPPOS! The absolute best part of the zoo. Except the monkeys. Or the bears. And the aquarium.  But the hippos are a major highlight.

 



Cole' favorite activity is fishing at the Tot Spot.  He never leaves dry.

Cole the tool man.  More Tot Spot fun.



We love the SA Zoo!!! Members for life.  Or for now.  It only costs $45/year for us to go.  When Cole turns two, he won't be free, but I don't think that will stop us.  Such great fun.  

 

 

Cole Henry: 18 Months

 A year and a half.  This is when I stop counting by months, right? This season of parenting has been so fun.  I love my front row seat to watching Cole learn.  He continues to be a fireball...playing at 100% until the moment he falls asleep. Every. Single. Day.

Cole met his shadow recently.  They've been buds ever since.

We don't go back to the doctor until Cole is 2 years old, but I assume he remains high on the charts, somewhere between 25-27 lbs and 34+ inches. This kid doesn't miss a meal.  Or snack.  I think pickiness is around the corner, but for now he eats just about anything. Side note...he went from 8 teeth to 16 in just the last three months.  Yep. EIGHT new teeth...molars and canines are here.  This kid is a champ.

Who doesn't love a pb&j or Chuy's free queso??

Cole's favorite things include trucks, construction sites, toy cars, building towers, playing outside, crayons, t-ball, basketball, basketball and basketball. He is constantly talking in an unknown language, but we can understand a few things! New vocab includes dig dig, beep beep, amen, night night, choo choo, and all of his grandparents' names. Well, G-Pegs is "P-P," but that still counts. He still loves Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood ("Tigey") and Sesame Street (Elmo = "Elmommy"). 

 

 

 

Cole Henry Shenanigans

Pictures with Cole this month have been hilarious. The weather has been crazy. LOTS of indoor time means getting creative around here.



Got tired during dinner at the Geistweidts'. Not sure about the comfort in a Boppy.

This face.

Elton John

Note to self: Giving Cole a balloon on a stick, or anything on a stick, really just a stick...
is a very very poor idea. Especially in small stores.

Still has a belly button

We've been learning how to use a spoon. Currently at 50% accuracy.

Fisher Price Rings never disappoint.

Indoor play area at North Star Mall.

 No chicken pox. Just trying to cook dinner + entertain simultaneously. Not always easy.

Cole and his buddy Ellie hanging out at Target.

He learned this from his cousin.

This would be a very bad idea.

Can't wait to write his 18 month post next week.  The changes are madness. Slow down sweet boy baby.

Master Bedroom Redo

For Christmas this year, we decided it was time to ditch the 25 year old mattress and get a new one.  A KING size.  Tom is loving the extra room and I am sleeping so much better! This did mean that we needed new bedding. And of course that snowballed into the start of a master bedroom redo.

First, let's take a walk down memory lane and giggle as we remember life before Pinterest and the DIY era.


Bedding from our wedding registry in our quaint first apartment. $600/month!!!


New house, means new bedding right!? (Didn't know a king was in the near future.  Oops.)

The latest!

 We painted and made the curtains awhile back. The tricky part of finding new bedding was that I refused to repaint or change the curtains leaving us with few options. The quilt, chevron blanket, sweater knit blanket and bedskirt are all from Target.

I made the euro shams out of a $16 twin quilt. That was pretty exciting after looking at some online for $30-50 each. I also sewed the throw pillows.  I don't love the fabric, but it only cost $9 for all three pillows...so those might change if I find something I like more. This project has taught me a lot about sewing! I wish we needed more pillows...haha!!

I painted both nightstands and added new hardware. The paint I picked out at Home Depot was definitely cream.  These look pretty white to me. Ha!! I still like them.  Lamps are from Home Goods, $30 each.

 

The headboard.  Isn't she beautiful? We were able to use the bed frame from our guest bedroom, so that was free, but meant a headboard was "needed." We bought 1"x 6" wood boards for $33 total and reused the stain from our floating shelves. That's it! We took an afternoon to sand, cut and stain the wood, and then a hour to drill directly into the wall the following day. Super easy. We could have saved some time by using one long board per row, but naturally I requested more work from my husband.  

That will be all for a while.  I want to do something with the dresser and lingerie chest, but I can't decide on paint color or refinishing.  And wouldn't a chair look great in that corner of Cole's toys? Also some wall art and a different lamp shade. Ahh the projects never end. It's so fun though!

 

Hello from Cole and "Elmommy" at the Super Bowl party.