Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Mix match PJs: He loves to get in "momma's bed" to watch Dora. Someone must have done something he didn't like. Whitney, Kat and I took Cole to the Winter Festival downtown a couple Saturday's ago. He was sporting Kat's sunglasses sitting in Su-nana's seat (that would be Suzanna)

He is not a fan of characters. This pictures doesn't even show how much he did not want his picture taken. Also, at school before the holiday, they had a party that Santa attended and all of the kids got to sit on Santa's lap and get their picture taken. I was informed when I picked him up that day that if I were to go online and look at the picture to not expect to see one of Cole. Looks like Disney won't be an issue for quite sometime.

Sunday before Christmas, Bill and Michele's neighborhood had a bike parade led by Santa and so we went over for dinner and to join in the parade. Sydney rode her bike and we pulled the boys in the wagon. They had a blast.

Ho Ho Ho!

Cole is starting to figure out the steering on this bike, thankfully. It is scary to watch him tear down the driveway at high speeds.

Some of you may remember this snowman from a few years back. We tackled him on for our Christmas card picture. Here he is getting much more love from Sydney and Cody. Guess what, Cole was scared of it.

On Christmas Eve, we all went over to Bill and Sandy's for dinner and family. Granddaddy got a new camera so it is like having the paparazzi around at all times between the two of us. (He is worse, I think) :) Love you G-Daddy!

Look at that face!

Sydney and her new headband.

When we all get together it is fun to get a generations picture and have been able to do that in the past with little trouble. As you can see from the photos below this years picture was not much success (at least for my boys).

When we got home from Sandy and Bill's Christmas Eve, my mom opened a gift to Cole of a bear that reads 'The Night Before Christmas'. He really enjoyed it.

Here are the cookies, milk and carrots we left for Santa and the Reindeer.

And here is the little that they left.
After Cole went down, we finished wrapping up the gifts and got to bed a little late but woke up around 7:00 with the excitement of Cole's reactions to Christmas morning. He definitely was getting most of the concepts. When you ask, what does Santa bring? He knows the answer is presents. Christmas morning we cooked a breakfast and Bill and Sandy came over to join in the fun before heading over to Bill and Michele's for lunch.

Here he is with his new red scooter.

As part of his stocking he got jingle bells, a tambourine, a whistle and maracas. Brian, Cole and I started a band.

His big gift was his John Deere Gator that he got from us so he and Daddy could ride in the yard together. Cole calls this his tractor, although my dad informed me that tractors are actually red. Dad, I'll let you explain that to Cole!!! :)

I think he was a little pooped from all the gift opening.

We took some gifts over to Cody and Sydney after we opened all of ours and to wish them a very Merry Christmas. Here is Cole helping out his cousin open his scooter.

We got everything cleaned up from the morning and while Cole took a nap we began preparing all the food for Christmas dinner. We ate around 5:00 and had a delicious meal of turkey and ham, gravy, cornbread dressing, squash casserole, broccoli, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and rolls. WOW! Cole enjoyed the ham and that was it. Little stinker.

I think we were all so full of fun from the day and food from dinner that it wasn't too late of a night at our house.

Saturday Susan, her mom Marcia, Emmy and myself drove to St. George Island to look at a beach house we have rented for next summer. Stephen and Susan are going to be getting married next summer and we are going to have a small ceremony at the beach while we are there for the week. The house is beautiful and so was the beach. I wish it were time to go now!

Everyone made their ways home on Sunday except my mom who stayed until Monday and she and I were able to get my house in some semblance of order before she left which was a huge help. Thanks mom.

Cole is out of school for two weeks so Brian and I have been tag teaming keeping him home. It has been so fun to have him around. Tuesday I took him by Brian's office. He terrorized it by running full speed ahead and dipping into people's cubicles who were working and probably not to thrilled to be interrupted by "Hi, Hello, What does Santa say?" "Ho Ho Ho" This is what he said to EVERYONE he saw! He is so funny.

He had a great time singing Christmas Carols which is absolutely adorable. Also, this morning he had his Dora doll (who doesn't wear a backpack) and Cole asked Brian where her backpack was. Then he told Brian, Um, she lost it. Too funny!

Tonight we are having dinner with Bill and Sandy and Cole is spending the night with them tonight and tomorrow as Brian and I travel to Jacksonville to see Bobby's last game. GO NOLES!

Have a wonderful New Year!

Funny Words and Sayings

Cole is hilarious, I mean he is one funny kid! The things he is mimicking is good, as in they are funny, and bad, as in, that is a mommy saying, not a Cole saying. For example:

When he gets out of the bathtub, he loves to run around the house naked and scream, "Naked Baby!"

We tell him to "Listen to my words" when we need him to pay attention, calm down, etc. He likes to repeat that phase! Not funny!

The other thing is we will say "Cole I don't like it when you....." you know, instead of screaming "NO" all the time. So again, he in turn let's you know when he doesn't like something. " I don't a like a that momma." Not funny!

I asked him to tell someone what animals he saw at the Junior Museum shortly after he had been there. The correct answers would have included panther, alligator, deer, horse, pig, bird, skunk........the incorrect answers he will still tell you to this day are "Monkeys, Elephants and Camels." We did go to the circus this year and see an elephant and a camel but he has never seen a live monkey. Who knows!

He has recently began to understand that my first name is Elizabeth and Brian's is, well, Brian's. With that said, he has on occasion called me Elizabeth. I have only heard him say Brian when I have said it (or lets be honest) screamed it across the house to get Brian's attention. We will need to get an intercom or simply begin to walk to the room where each other is. Anyways, Saturday we had a shower for my friend Amy and as it dwindled down I put Cole to bed for a nap. It was after one so I knew he was exhausted. He did his usual talking and singing but all of a sudden we all realized he was screaming "E-liz-a-bet" from his room at the top of his lungs, over and over and over. So I finally went in to figure out what in the world he wanted. I assumed it was there were still people there for him to show off in front of. When I went in I realized that he had a dirty diaper by the smell and asked him "did you poopoo?" His response:......."I sure did mamma!" No lie, that was his exact words.

He is now, and Courtnie, I remember Devenney saying this one. "No way" to answer a "no" question a little more dramatically.

He told a little girl at school the other day that she was "adorable". He also tells me I am pretty, which is so sweet and then tells me "I pretty too mamma". I try to tell him he is handsome but you know he can be pretty. What do I care????

Finally, when he gets in trouble and is over the situation, whether or not we are, he tells us "I happy mamma/dadda", "I so happy". "Mamma happy too?" Seriously, how do you not get happy at that? Regardless if he just chucked his tonka truck at the expensive television, regardless if he just bit you.......you say, "yes, mamma happy too"