Cole's Checkup and Christmas

Mister Cole-man had his one year check up today (one month late as he is already 13 months!) and is doing fantastic! He did not cry through the appointment as I had expected and didn't even cry when they pricked his finger to get a drop of blood to check his iron levels. I was so proud of my brave little guy! The only time he did cry was after he got his shots (3 of them!) but even that only lasted less than a minute. He is doing so good. Here are his current stats:

Length- 32 inches (95th percentile)
Weight- 26 lbs 4 oz (90th percentile)
Head- 19 1/4 inches (95th percentile)

So all is well there, and baby boy is free from the doctor for 3 more months until his next checkup.

Now onto Christmas! I am so excited for it this year! I'll admit that I am usually not an over-the-top person when it comes to the holidays. Most years, I can't wait for January to get here. I just feel that everything is so commercialized and people put way too much emphasis on gifts, instead of celebrating the real reason of the season, which is of course Jesus! But this year is just so exciting now that Eve is old enough to understand everything. We have built a gingerbread house, made cookies, drove through a Christmas lights show, decorated our Christmas tree, wrapped presents, etc...you know, Christmas-y stuff! I can't wait to see the looks on Eve and Cole's faces this Friday when they open their presents. I still want them to grow up knowing the true meaning of Christmas and celebrating Christ's birth, but I want them to have the fun of Santa and presents too.

So I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and New Year and I'll try to be back with an update sometime after the hustle and bustle of the holidays!

My Other Half

So I decided I wanted to make a post all about my wonderful husband, Chris. I rarely mention him on here since I'm always blabbering on about the kids (which I fully intend to keep doing!) so this one is for him!

Okay so first off, here is our story:

We meet through Chris' sister and become aquaintances. We become friends. We become best friends. He kisses me. We start dating. We get engaged. We get married. We start college. I get pregnant. Chris graduates college. We move to Illinois. Chris gets a job. We have our baby girl, Eve. Chris gets a different job. I get pregnant. We have our baby boy, Cole. We buy a house. Life is good.

I think that brings us up to speed! What it all comes down to is that I could not have asked for a better man to marry and to be the father of my children. This is totally cheesy, but he completes me. I believe with all my heart that we are soulmates and that God truly meant for us to be together. How else can I explain how we always seem to bust into singing the same random song at the exact same time!? Or how we always seem to know exactly what the other one is thinking? Or how he can make so darn happy on a daily basis! After nearly 7 years together, I am even more in love with him now than ever. And seeing him with Eve and Cole brings it to a whole new level. He is just the best dad, and our kids simply adore him. I adore him. Life is good.

I love you baby.

Changes

Oh I have a feeling the next few months are going to be a bit crazy with all the changes that are going to be happening. First goal is to get through the holidays with my sanity intact...no easy feat! I have yet to buy a single present and Christmas is a mere 3 1/2 weeks away...ahhhhhhh! Then, in January, Chris will be starting his new position at his company. We will be putting our house on the market at that point in time to prepare to move to Columbus, Ohio. This is something I cannot even really think about right now or I just might have a nervous breakdown! The logistics of selling our house and moving are just too much. I know it will all end up okay and we will get through it, but I'm still a bit stressed.

Anyways..........

Updates on my babies! Cole had his first birthday last week, and decided it was a great time to start walking! Crawling is now a thing of the past, and my boy is already trying to run. He is growing up so fast! He is also talking more and more..saying "Mama", "Dada", "Whoa", and "More". Cole has his next doctor's appointment at the end of this month so I'll update on his stats again then. Now onto my baby girl, Eve. I swear she is getting more and more fun by the day. We very rarely have tantrums anymore. She is finally starting to eat well...huge blessing! And we are now entering the stage where she questions every.little.thing. Today alone, she managed to ask me the following questions:

"What does "thank-you" mean?"
"Mommy, what's a rainbow?"
"Why do we clap?"

Some of her questions sound so simple, but they are not always easy to answer in a way she will understand. I love that she challenges me and I love that she is SO smart! Both of my children make me such a better person and I feel so blessed to be their Mommy! In case I don't get to update again before the holidays, I hope you all have a great Christmas...God bless!