Weekend with Grandma

Grandma came to visit this weekend - yay!! The boys were so excited for her to be here and to have someone to give them attention other than me & Tim.

Grandma C arrived Friday night and, after dinner, Tim & I escaped for some shopping and Barnes & Noble time while Grandma played with both boys and put them to bed. It was weird that neither of us put them to bed, but a nice break! Saturday morning, Tim & I headed to the Y early and did a spin class. It was fun to do a class together and get it over early in the morning to have the rest of the day to do whatever. And whatever is exactly what we did - so much that I don't really remember. I did chores and cleaned up, managing to start the week off with laundry caught up. Tim did guy stuff - car maintenance, outside chores. Saturday night, we had a great hamburger dinner using fresh meat we had gotten the week before. (We got a lot of beef from the processor and have been eating yummy food. I made pot roast in the crock pot yesterday and Tim was in heaven.)

Sunday, we went to look at a big boy bed for Eli. He has been sleeping on a mattress and box spring for almost 2 years now and it was time to put him up higher. I found a Captain's bed on Craigslist and we ended up getting it on Sunday. The boys were so excited about it. We put it together, had lunch and then had to say bye to Grandma. The boys had SO much fun with her and loved the attention. Grandmas sure do know how to play! I bet she was ready for a nap when she got home. =)

Play-doh fun
Grandma, Cole, Monkey Jim and a Mickey Mouse book (Cole LOVES Mickey Mouse)
Lovely little tantrum - seeing lots of these lately
Grandma & Eli fixed puzzles upstairs. Eli has gotten really good at puzzles.
My big boy - quick snuggly hug while setting up his bed
Making sure Daddy did it right
Cole & Eli -hanging in the new bed
Check it out!! It's HUGE. So far (knock on wood) Eli hasn't fallen out. I had a moment when we put it together b/c it was all ok when Eli was just on the floor but moving him into a real bed......wow! I was also worried that the boys were going to push one another and hit their head or fall off. Worrisome Mommy I know.
Sunday it was nice enough to catch a little bit of outside time.
Eli acted like he was flying on the swings so Cole had to try it too.
Swings make everyone happy (and silly!)
Eli helped me make banana bread. It's our new favorite thing - I found a marvelous recipe.
Last night, Cole discovered the door that lets you under Eli's bed. Now it's their favorite hiding space.
Exploring
Cole loving on Monkey Jim at bed time - my little stinker!

Update

My apologies for so long since my last update. I've got to be honest, I've just been worn out lately. Things are so busy and I've just been so tired, hoping that will be better soon.

So last weekend, Eli & I loaded up in the truck after a busy Saturday morning (the Y and a playdate with Evan) and headed to see Uncle Billy. He had surgery on his ankle Wed night and got home on Thursday. I wanted to go down there to check on him (yes, I'm an overprotective big sister) and see if he needed anything. Eli is a great traveling companion. I asked him several times if he wanted to stop to get out and walk around but he kept telling me to keep driving. Billy was at Niki's house (his fiancee who is renting the house that I grew up in - kinda cool huh?). It was weird pulling back into that driveway. I can't remember the last time I was there but boy oh boy, it seems soooo small now! Even Billy & I talked about that. Hard to imagine how 5 of us lived there with 3 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Eli & Cole would be impossible to contain / keep happy in that small space but somehow my parents did it! So anyway, once we got there Eli was excited to watch 'Tow Mater's Tall Tales' with Uncle Billy. They hung out together watching tv while I was able to visit with my Mom, Dad, Niki and then made dinner. Billy seems to be doing really well with all going on and I was glad to lay eyes on him.

My sweet traveling companion

The house I grew up in

Eli & Billy - watching movies, eating M&Ms - good stuff!

Silly with the crutches. Billy's only mode of transportation right now.

Hopefully we cheered up Uncle Billy!

We also got to see Grandma C - a nice treat!

Sunday morning, Tim let me rest a bit since I got home late and then we were off and running. Grocery store, races through the house, naps, a walk, the Y, playing, dinner, baths, bed - just our normal Sunday.

Cole starting the race with Eli.

Eli not far behind.

Thankfully the weather gave us a break and the boys got to spend some much needed time outside.

Such a big boy!

Mom, really? You're taking another picture of me?

New telescope on the swing set tower.

I caught Daddy napping while the boys did. Probably well deserved. =)

Heading out for a bike ride.

Again Mom?!!

Eli's bike ride didn't last long, he wanted to ride in the wagon with Cole.

Eli surprised us this weekend by taking medicine by himself. I had "dispensed" it one night, went to give Cole his and Eli gave it to himself. How did he get so big and so smart?!

A little brotherly chat on the stairs.

And then some bottom bumping to come down.

This week's theme at school was Air Transportation - check out our own little Pilot.

Tantrum in progress - we're starting to see these quite a bit. Cole got sent home from school Tuesday with a very low grade fever and stayed home Wednesday with Tim.

Eli trying to make it all better - notice Cole's pretend mohawk.

Our weekend and other randomness

Finally getting around to our weekend update.....and thankfully, not too much to report. The big goals for the weekend were to get Cole a new pair of shoes and get haircuts for both boys. We set the bar high didn't we?

Saturday started off with a trip to the Y. Then playtime at home, lunch, naps, Tim took Cole to get new shoes, more play time, dinner and then some running around town. We went to start looking for a bed for Eli (he only has a mattress and boxspring right now) and then, after a long wait, I finally got to go to The Container Store. Unfortunately, while it was cool, I was disappointed. Oh well.

Sunday morning we did a family trip to the grocery store. After lunch, Eli and I went looking at beds again - this time was much more successful. He keeps talking about a "slide bed". Eli refused to nap on Sunday so both boys went to the Y with me while I took a muscle class. Since Cole had napped earlier, he was fine but Eli fell asleep in the car 5 minutes from the house. I tried to get him to take a little cat nap when we got back but he was having none of it. That made for quite a whiney night. Amazingly both boys went to bed early - like 6:45 for Cole and before 8 for Eli. Crazy!

Then, of course, as we all know the ice came. We didn't really get any snow up here but Monday night we got freezing rain that caused all sorts of issues on Tuesday. The boys were still able to go to school and I was able to work from home so the day turned out ok. Unfortunately, about 5pm I got a call from my Mom that my brother Billy broke his ankle after slipping on the ice. He had surgery tonight - screws and a plate - and it went well. I wish I could fix it for him but he'll get back to good as new. Uncle Billy, we're all sending you LOTS of love. We'll see you very soon.

Cole is his cuteness modeling his down vest from Aunt Cary.

Modeling his new fancy kicks - LOVE THEM. Daddy did a great job.

Cole loves wearing his sock monkey hat. Whenever we put on his coat, he asks for it.

Eli modeling his awesome vest from Aunt Cary.

I was so impressed with Eli this weekend. He put together this alphabet train puzzle many times by himself - showing me that he can organize the alphabet in order on his own. Pretty cool!

A bed system we looked at (and liked!). Eli will get a full size bed and then a loft kit to create a playspace underneath - we won't have a dresser and bookcase like this one. This model just shows the ladder but he also wants a slide to go on the opposite end - we'll see. Maybe when he's 4.....=)

Climbing up to give it a try.

Cole has learned how to unzip his pjs so he constantly tries to undress himself. Another unfortunate new fascination is his diaper - he likes to put his hand in it. This morning resulting in a really messy hand. UGH!

More cuteness - Cole helping me work on Tuesday. He's my little number cruncher.

This was pretty funny tonight. Cole has some M&Ms in a bowl. He went into the hallway to be alone and eat them - making sure Big Brother didn't try to take any. I sat in the hallway with him and he waved me away. No one was coming near his M&Ms.

Also tonight, he tried to feed the magnet animals (Yes, Amy these are the ones from Stella Dot!). He would take them off the cookie sheet and shove cheeseballs in their mouth. He was pretty funny to watch.

18 month check for the Cole-Man

Today I took Cole in for his 18 month check up. He was so happy and having fun in the doctor's office until it actually came time for business. He didn't like her looking in his ears, nose or mouth and definitely didn't like when the nurse gave him a shot. He is doing great and is a perfect (big) 18 month old. The one thing that I did find out today is that Cole has strep. He has had this diaper rash for the longest while that wouldn't go away so I asked Doc to look at it. She did a strep test and it came back positive. Now I understand how I might have gotten strep. I had no idea that you could get strep on your bottom but now I know.

Stats:

Weight - 29 pounds, 1.5 oz (75th - 90th percentile)

Length - 34" (90th percentile)

Head circumference - 49-1/2 cm (90th-95th percentile)

Amazingly, these are almost identical to Eli's 18 month stats. My big healthy boys. Love it!

Double Trouble

The boys got some really cute clothes for Christmas and this week, I have become that Mom. You know the one that dresses the kids alike? I never thought that was or would be me but I'm loving it!!! I had to stop myself from going shopping to continue the trend all week. Check out the cuties.

Monday - wearing shirts that my friend Kara made for them. Little future Executives.

Tuesday - Big Brother / Little Brother shirts from Grandma C. Eli is upset in the picture because Cole has the play keys in his hand. You see, possession is the law in our house. Whoever has it, owns it. Whoever doesn't have it, wants it.

Wednesday - super handsome in shirts from Grandma N. Love them!