The Cole's

New Camera Pics with Allison

2012-01-07T12:45:00.000-06:00

Debbie and Allison came into town the day after Christmas. We had several really nice warm days the week they were here. It was a great opportunity to get out and enjoy some sun and have a little photo time. Caleb was with us but was not being cooperative so I didn't get any with him that were usable.

Trampoline

2012-01-07T12:30:00.000-06:00

The trampoline fits perfectly in our garage along with a rug, their castle from last year and their play tent! Hopefully this will get them through winter until we can get the Trampoline to the backyard. The only draw back is that I can't park the car in there, but since I am not taking Caleb to school and he is riding the bus, I have no need to get the car warmed up so early in the mornings.

New Camera!!!

2011-12-28T12:32:00.000-06:00

So for Christmas, I bought myself a Nikon D700! I am SOOOO excited about it! I decided to take a few more photos of my Christmas Decor before I took it all down. All these images are not enhanced or edited.

Christmas Day 2011

2011-12-26T10:28:00.001-06:00

The kids surprisingly slept until about 7:30. I had given them specific instructions to not go downstairs without first coming and getting Dan and I out of bed first (I didn't want to miss their expressions! It's my favorite part!) So once they got us up we all went downstairs to see what Santa brought!


Ariel got an easy bake oven for Christmas! She was very excited!

Santa even brought another gift and stuffed it into the garage! He is so sneaky!

So blessed! Look at all those presents!

Caleb got TONS of new star wars legos! He played with them all day!

My mom got Caleb and Ariel all new things of play-doh!

More Lego Playing!

Reading his new Star Wars Encyclopedia on the trampoline!

Ariel and I Easy Bakin!

Red Velvet Cupcakes! My favorite!

Adding the frosting!

And the sprinkles!

Ta-da! She did wonderful!

Serving them to Caleb!

And her daddy!

After a day of playing all day with all of their new toys, my mom and I were in the process of putting together a wonderful Christmas dinner. We had ham, chicken and dressing (AMAZING!!!), purple hull peas, creamed potatoes, sweet potato casserol and rolls! We had Coca-Cola Cake for dessert and sang happy birthday to Jesus and blew out the candles for him!

That night there was more playing! Here's a few more videos!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas! We are so incredibly blessed!

Getting Ready for Santa

2011-12-24T12:13:00.000-06:00

After leaving the farmhouse in Bruno, we took the long 2 and a half hour drive back home to get prepared for Santa to come!


Sprinkling the reindeer food all over the lawn!

I always let them open one present on Christmas Eve and it of course was their new PJ's for Christmas morning. I have always done this and will continue to do so for years to come. I love Christmas traditions!

Getting Santa's Cookies ready with the reindeer carrots for Rudolph!

Cookies and Milk for Santa!

Writing notes to Santa!

Caleb's note: "Dear Santa, The carrots are for Rudolph. If he wants to share the carrots with the other reindeer he can!" And Ariel's: Love RS (Rudolph and Santa)

The Christmas Story from the Bible

And to all a good night!

Christmas Eve at the Farmhouse

2011-12-24T12:00:00.001-06:00

Ariel doing some crafts.

On Christmas Eve we had a Christmas Brunch at the Farmhouse in Bruno. We had a wonderful smoked ham, fruit salad, biscuits and gravy and all the fixin's! It was wonderful! The rest of the day was spent playing with new toys, baking cookies, watching some movies and yes, even a little farmwork got done as well!

Preparing the meal

Dan's nativity as a kid

The new tent that Amy bought the kids!

Baking cookies with Aunt Amy.

At sunset, we built a fire at the firepit and enjoyed some more family time before Dan and I left with the kids to go home and get ready for Santa!

Dessert at Great Granny's

2011-12-23T11:59:00.000-06:00

On Caleb's last day of school before Christmas break, we took him and Ariel to meet Granny (Dan's mom) at our normal meeting spot. They stayed two nights with them and went and saw the lights at Silver Dollar City and had some good Grandad and Granny time. Dan and I went out to dinner on Wednesday night and were able to assemble some gifts for Christmas while the kids were away and I had a few friends over on Thursday night for some good girl time. I went shopping with my mom on Friday to get some last minute gifts. Then Dan and I went to Harrison after he got off of work and we went straight to Great Granny Phyllis' house for a dessert get together. There were tons of sweet things to eat, we sang a few Christmas Carols and just enjoyed some family time.

Rita (Dan's mom), Phyllis (Dan's Granny) and Gail (Dan's Aunt)

Ariel even did her KREW dance for the family.

Dan's mom and dad put him on the spot and asked him to the "rabbit dance" for the kids and they got a kick out of it.

Watch them Grow!

2011-12-21T14:27:00.000-06:00

Christmas's since Ariel has been born!

Mobiles

2011-12-21T11:41:00.000-06:00

We went to dinner with the kids at Applebees and Dan was pulling the old removable thumb trick with the kids. They were so fascinated with it and asked him to do it over and over again!

I went and had lunch with Caleb and he had one of his friends Jack come and sit with us.

We had a free Saturday and Caleb was able to invite his friend Michael over for some Star Wars Wii time. Michael's sister, Meghan, who is in Kindergarten stayed and played barbies with Ariel.

Caleb and I had a few hours one Saturday to spend some time together. We went to Denny's and had pancakes!

We started a new tradition doing a Jesse Tree each night during the month of December. The Jesse Tree has new and old testament scripture that represents the descendants of Christ. The kids really enjoy it!

The other day I was cleaning house and Ariel made this picture of me with big arms. She said it was me "with big arms since you have been vacuuming all day"!

Dan and I before Chelsea and Shane Shauer's wedding. We had a drink with the Mitchell's that night in Fayetteville too!

My sweet girls from youth during our Christmas Party!

My precious girl Kristen is moving to Canada on January 2nd. I will miss her so much!

Love having this huge hallway upstairs. The kids play up there a lot in the winter!

Lights on the Bentonville Square

2011-12-21T11:29:00.000-06:00

After Ice Skating with the kids, we took them to see the lights on the square.

Night Time Ice Skating

2011-12-21T11:27:00.000-06:00

Dan enjoyed skating so much with the kids that he wanted to take them back for some night time action. The kids did remarkable and both were able skate without much help!

He was actually in the middle of a spin! Impressive!

Looking at the lights in the ice

Ariel met this little girl named Megan. She was quite the skater...notice she doesn't have the factory skates that the skating rink provides. Apparently her whole family knew how to skate really well!

Dan and his kiddos! Love them!

Connection Group Christmas Party

2011-12-21T11:17:00.000-06:00

We hosted our group Christmas Party at our house. We had French Dip sandwiches, roasted potatoes, spinach artichoke dip, veggies and fruit...and a Ding Dong cake for dessert! YUM!

KDA KREW Christmas Party!

2011-12-16T11:09:00.000-06:00

Ariel and her Big Sisters...Heather and Jillian.

Love this perspective!

Ariel, Briana and Taylor


She found a piece of cookie confetti on her grapes...who gets grapes at a Cookie Party??? Only my girl!

After the Christmas Cookie exchange, all the dancers went over to strut their stuff and show off their competition dances.

Ariel is getting so close to getting her splits all the way!

Here are a few other of my favorites from that night.

Big Sis Ornaments!

2011-12-12T11:05:00.000-06:00

Ariel has two big sisters at her dance that are in KREW. We decided to hand paint ornaments for them.

Ice Skating at Lawrence Plaza

2011-12-09T10:46:00.000-06:00

I just love our little city! Bentonville has an array of activities for us to do with the kids! We decided to go ice skating with Kelsy, Seth, Rylan and Cameryn. We had such a good time with great friends!

Beautiful Cameryn!

Seth and Kelsy

Great Freinds

Rylan

The whole group!

HO HO HO! Merry Christmas!

2011-12-08T10:38:00.000-06:00

Jolly St. Nick! Love this Santa!

I took the kids to go see my personal favorite Santa. Each year when we go and see Santa we go right after school on a weekday. We have never had to wait in line! Afterwards I take them to the Cookie Factory and treat them to cookies! Love these traditions!

Christmas PJ Pics!

2011-12-06T10:28:00.000-06:00

Caleb's new bedroom furniture!

2011-12-06T10:21:00.001-06:00

I am a frequent shopper at Goodwill and I happened to go in there one day and saw this bookshelf and matching night stand for $50 and I took out of the store! They are the perfect match for his bedroom! He was thrilled to have all of his books out of his closet. He officially has a big boy room now!

You can't see the night stand but the tree he decorated himself!

First snow of the Season!

2011-12-05T10:15:00.001-06:00

On this day, we got up as normal. Woke Caleb up, got him dressed, and having breakfast I happened to look out the window and there was snow on the ground! Caleb was super excited but I checked the school closings and there were none. So, I sent him on his way to school. He was happy to frolic in snow on his way to the bus stop. Late that morning I let Ariel play in it for a while. She kept saying she wished her brother was there to play with her. I kept telling her that in due time I was sure that there would be a snow day and Caleb would stay home from school and she could play with him!

Trying to make snow angels!

Successful snow angel on the deck!

The snow angel even had a smiley face!

Cookies with My Girl!

2011-11-29T09:43:00.000-06:00

You know it's good (and fresh out of the oven) when you get chocolate all over your face!

2011-11-23T09:08:00.000-06:00

The Cole Family

The grand kids and the Great Grandma's!

We went to Harrison for Thanksgiving. Lots of food and fun!

Date Night to Crystal Bridges

2011-11-18T09:00:00.000-06:00

The much anticipated Crystal Bridges was completed on 11.11.11 and Dan and I set a date to go and see it! It was AMAZING! I was blown away to think that this place was actually in Bentonville! I felt as though I was in a big city going to an art gallery! While we were there, we ran into some friends of ours, Josh and Carrie. I am going to have to take the kids soon. I think they would enjoy seeing all the abstract art!

Josh and Carrie

Breaking Dawn Premier

2011-11-17T08:49:00.000-06:00

Teresa, Kelsy and Mandy

The whole group! Mandy designed our matching t shirts!

Mandy and I!

Coffee...check!

Kelsy and I

We got our tickets! We are ready to go!

Meghan and I

Mandy won a rose and a poster for answering trivia questions!

Just a Tea Party!

2011-11-08T08:47:00.000-06:00

She is quite the little entertainer!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

2011-11-08T08:39:00.000-06:00

Corn Maze

2011-11-05T08:30:00.000-05:00

Showing off some pumpkins!

I will have to admit that since I work most Saturdays with my clients doing photos, I hadn't had much time to spend with my kids. Dan had some errands to run in Fayetteville so I decided to take the kids to the Corn Maze.

Riding the cow train...he looks BIG in this thing!

Big smiles!

Trying to find our way around the corn maze...where's the map??

There it is...it still didn't help us!

Petting the goats.

My handsome boy!

Love these kids!!

KDA PJ Day!

2011-11-02T08:09:00.000-05:00

Jazz Class

Ballet/Tap

Halloween Craziness

2011-10-30T14:25:00.000-05:00

Dan was a Ghost Buster at work

Ariel's pumpkin that she picked out

Caleb's pumpkin

A horse on a scooter!

Horse with an attitude!

Cutest horse I have ever seen!

Caleb had his Halloween party at school and was dressed up as Darth Vader!

The kids in his class all made these finger pens made out of clay and fake nails.

Caleb and Lillie

Caleb and Micheal

Resist the force!

We also carved pumpkins. Ariel (and Dan) carved a cat, Dan and I carved a traditional pumpkin with a smiley face and Caleb (and I) carved Darth Maul from Star Wars.

10 years together and a new ring! BLESSED!

2011-10-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

Snaggle Tooth! #4 gone!

2011-10-30T07:48:00.000-05:00

These first three photos were taken with him looking in the mirror so he actually lost his left front tooth! It is rather confusing to me to try to figure out which one he lost so I posted a mobile photo too!

One last smile with it!

10 Years Ago...Our Wedding Day! October 28, 2001

2011-10-28T14:14:00.000-05:00

Dan and Katie Cole...10 Years and still madly in love!

Anniversary Day Trip

2011-10-28T07:33:00.000-05:00

Since Dan and I took our 10 year anniversary trip to Vegas during the summer, we decided to take it easy on our Anniversary weekend. He had a whole day trip planned. My mom came over and watched the kids all day long. We drove to Joplin and went to the amazing place! It's called Sandstone Gardens. Basically it is a HUGE mansion filled with beautiful interiors and artificial plants and fountains. They also had a Bistro there and it had the BEST bistro food I have EVER had! We even got chocolate cake afterward!

The front of Sandstone Gardens.


Would LOVE to have one of these some day!

After we left Sandstone Gardens we went to the destruction area where the Tornado hit in Joplin. It was all cleaned up obviously but I was still so amazed at all the destruction and to be able to see how incredibly large that tornado must have been was insane!

We left Joplin and took a drive to Eureka. The trees were AMAZING!!! We picked the perfect day to take a drive.


10 Years! We still look great together!

In Eureka we walked around the shops and then went and had dinner at Marcela's. It was the perfect date!

Our Fall Family Photos

2011-10-18T10:14:00.000-05:00

These were all taken by my wonderful friend Hannah McLeod and she graciously let me edit them myself!

My favorite!

The Cole's 2011

2011-10-16T08:13:00.000-05:00

Thank you Hannah McLeod for taking some amazing shot of my family!

7th Grade Girl's Hangout Night

2011-10-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

Bryanna, Kristen, Amanda, Anna, Me, Chelsea, Shae, Whitney, Bella and Kimberly

I had 9 girls over to my house to hang out with Chelsea and I. We had hot dogs and they each brought a side (i.e.....cheetos, cupcakes and cookies), we ate way too much junk food and played games. I love this group of girls and I am so thankful that God has brought them into my life!

Chelsea and I

Shae and Bella

Amanda and Anna dancing

Trying their best at a pyramid

Now...JUMP!!

Getting sassy with the Twizzler!

And jump again!

Fun Times!

SQUIRM!

2011-10-12T09:42:00.000-05:00

Caleb participated in his school musical called SQUIRM. It was about all things that make you SQUIRM! They were all supposed to dress as something scary (but not Gorey!) so I dressed him with a big spider on him with the legs curled all around him. The cafeteria is where the program was held and it was packed! And he was all the way on the opposite side of the room so it was hard to get any photos of him :(.

The stage!

He is right in the middle!

Cub Scouts Campout

2011-10-08T09:25:00.000-05:00

In the tent about to go sleep.

While Ariel and I were busy celebrating her birthday party, Dan and Caleb had their first campout for Cub Scouts. I wish I could have been there to see him participate in all the obstacle courses but I couldn't separate myself this time. My sweet husband (who really is not a picture person) took these pictures for me so I could see him! He was so sweet to do this for me! I think the boys had a great time!

Look at all those tents!

Archery was his favorite!

Ariel's Birthday Party

2011-10-08T08:52:00.003-05:00

Helping me make her cupcakes!

Owls and Squirrels!

Ariel really wanted a "squirrel and owl" party since it was fall. I thought this was perfect since all the fall items were ready available. Ariel had her closest girls over and they did several fall crafts and played in the backyard together. She has such a wonderful time with her friends! What great memories!

Mady and Cameryn

She is 5!

Stella showing off her sparkle leaf.

Mady, Cameryn, Stella, Hannah and Briana.

Hannah showing of her leaf! So pretty!

Ariel's leaf!

Cameryn!

Beautiful!

Mady, Cameryn, Ainsley, Ariel, Hannah, Briana and Stella

Sweet Friends!

Blowing out the candle!

My Sweet Girl Turns 5!

2011-10-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

I got both kids up early on her actual birthday. She insisted that Caleb watch her open a few presents before he went to school.

After Caleb was off to school, I cooked her the traditional birthday pancake breakfast. And yes, you must always have candles in your pancakes!

5 candles!!

One of her big gifts was a new bedroom set. I decoupaged her desk to match so I wouldn't have to paint the entire thing. I think it worked out pretty well.

Then, Ariel and I went and got our nails done at the salon! She was thrilled! She picked out purple sparkles and blue for her thumbs with a little white flower and rhinestone! She has great taste!

Then she met up with Daddy and had lunch with him at Braum's so she could get her favorite ice cream. It was just the two of them! So special!

While they were having lunch together, I went to Lowe's and bought some fall flowers to plant and that afternoon she helped me plant them!

My Birthday

2011-10-04T08:13:00.000-05:00

Since Ariel and I celebrate our birthday's three days apart, it's hard to not celebrate together. My sweet husband always remembers me and he brought these flowers home to me! He is so good to me!

My Cub Scout

2011-10-03T08:11:00.000-05:00

My boy...I love him!

Bowling Night with the Fam

2011-09-29T07:55:00.000-05:00

Dan and I took the kids bowling to celebrate my birthday and Ariel's birthday. It is so great to have these moments together.

Toddler Toes . Bentonville Fire Station

2011-09-29T07:44:00.000-05:00

I took Ariel to Toddler Toes and we met at the Bentonville Fire Station. Ariel was a little timid about going only because the last time we came they blared the sirens and it scared her so much that she was scarred for life from sirens! I reassured her that the fire man would let us know if he was going to do it again. Once I calmed her down, things went great. A lot of her friends came along. I also realized that she is the oldest in the group. She is no longer a toddler but a pre-schooler. This is hard to take in since we have been a part of this group since the beginning when Caleb was in it as a toddler!

Ariel's 5 year old photos

2011-09-28T07:21:00.000-05:00

Ariel and I decided to have a little fun in the backyard for her 5 year old photos. I set up a tea party for her and she LOVED it! I can't believe she is going to be 5! Where has the time gone?

A Night at the Fair

2011-09-23T12:12:00.009-05:00

Ariel Gets Her Ears Pierced

2011-09-14T07:15:00.000-05:00

There are moment in life where you just want to cry with your baby, and this was one of them. I have the greatest group of girlfriends who's daughter take dance with Ariel and we were all sitting around talking about get our little girls ears pierced. We all decided on a whim to take the girls after dance to Wal-Mart to get their ears pierced. Kelsy (Cameryn's mom) had tried to take Cameryn before to get her ears pierced and Cameryn just couldn't work up the courage to go through with it. So Kelsy thought that it would be easier if Ariel and Stella came along!

Ariel was the first one to get pierced! She is all smiles here!

Cameryn, Ariel and Stella

Getting her ears marked!

Looking right at me and squeezing my hands...I teared up here.

Being brave! Showing the other girls how it's done.

Right after...about to cry.

Poor thing! Love little Ivan's face in the background!


She did it! Pardon the no makeup look, like I said earlier, this was a last minute thing!

Cameryn ended up not going through with it, but Stella did. Hopefully Cameryn will work up the courage soon but I am sure seeing her friend cry afterwards didn't help! Thanks Kelsy for the photos!!

More Lego Building

2011-09-10T11:52:00.000-05:00

Love all my son's creativity!!

Ariel's First Day of Pre-School

2011-08-28T11:04:00.000-05:00

Ariel is attending pre-school two days a week at The Church of Christ in Bentonville. She was a little timid on her first day but seems to really enjoy it now. One of her friends Cameryn who she goes to church with and is also in dance with, is in her class. I think it made the first day a bit better knowing there were familiar faces in her class room!

Dallas Trip and Grandma's 90th Birthday

2011-08-26T10:43:00.001-05:00

We went to Dallas over the weekend and celebrated my Grandma's 90th birthday. My dad flew into Dallas and the kids and I were able to see him. It was so good to be with the entire family. My dad's cousin Carolynn hosted the party at her house. She always is such a great hostess.

This all the cousins together. I think it is amazing how much we all look alike!

My daddy and I!

And with my grandma!

The siblings with my grandma!

My grandma received a gorgeous paridot ring from her kids.

My Grandma and I!

My cousin Allison and I!

Ariel and Allison!

Debbie and Allison.

The complete Raley family!

The cousins with grandma!

And her gorgeous ring!

Bug Catchers

2011-08-24T10:34:00.000-05:00

My kids have had a fascination with all the grasshoppers that have been jumping around all over the place the past few weeks. They decided to capture a few and keep them in their bug catchers!

My Bus Rider

2011-08-22T09:47:00.000-05:00

This year we decided to let Caleb ride the bus to and from school. It has been so nice to not have to get Ariel and I dressed in the mornings to get him to school. It is so much easier on all of us and he absolutely loves it!

Caleb's TV

2011-08-16T22:38:00.000-05:00

This is Caleb's TV. He is always full of ideas! The tinker toys are in the shape of a box and he hangs all of his "DVD's" and "CD's" on the hangers on the side of the TV. This TV also has remote controls...see below!

This is the music controller. It has Christian, Christian Rock, Rock, Mozart, Country and Calm music stations.

These are some of the DVD's...Incredibles, and Cat in the Hat.

This is his X-box controller.

And his DVD controller.

Notice the green part in the back...that is the cord that plugs into the wall!

This is his TV remote...it controls Netflix, too and has the alphabet on it!

My little creative guy!

Get Yo' Dance On!

2011-08-16T22:25:00.000-05:00

Today Ariel started her weekly dance routine. She is taking Jazz, Ballet and Tap this year and couldn't be more excited! Here she is with her friend Camryn!

Mouth full of rice crispie treats before class started!

Sweet little dancer!

First Day of Second Grade

2011-08-16T22:20:00.000-05:00

Well, it's another school year! Caleb has been so excited to see his friends and get into a new routine! I have to say, I am pretty excited, too!

Silly faces on the first day of school!

Standing in front of his classroom!

Ready for a great day!

Second Grade Open House

2011-08-16T22:14:00.000-05:00

Last Week Caleb had his open house at school. He was able to meet his teacher Mr. Stolt and was able to see his two best friends from his class last year, Lillie and Kerrigan. I really think that this year is going to be one of the best years yet! Can't wait to see what is in store for my handsome little man!

Tanyard Creek

2011-08-16T22:10:00.000-05:00

On Sunday we spent our last day of summer vacation at Tanyard Creek. This is something we do every summer and the kids just love it!

Just as we were leaving, we saw that the stream was just full of all these little bass fish. So, Dan decided to get these bag worms off the tree and feed them to the fish. This was what the cocoon looked like...

And you can barely see inside here, but the bag worm is inside. The fish went crazy for them!

Dancing in the Rain

2011-08-16T22:01:00.000-05:00

Oh the freedom of summer...need I say more?

Mellow Mushroom

2011-08-16T21:58:00.000-05:00

I had lunch with the most fantastic group of 7th graders! These are the youth girls that I teach each Sunday morning. We went to Mellow Mushroom and all shared pizza together. I am so looking forward to this year and seeing what God has prepared for their lives!

Polly Pockets Pool Party and Hot Wheels Wash

2011-08-16T21:55:00.000-05:00

When the kids say they're bored...I fill in with "fun" and "cheap" things to do. You know you have run out of things to do when you have a Polly Pockets Pool Party and Hot Wheels Wash! The kids literally played outside for close to an hour one morning just playing like this!

This is Caleb's favorite Hot wheel because he says that it looks like our car! And it does...minus the gold rims!

Rainy Summer Days

2011-08-16T21:34:00.000-05:00

Last week it rained a lot and there wasn't much to do. I had these canvases hanging around and decided to let the kids paint them for their rooms. I told them to be creative but I wanted them to fill the whole canvas with color. They did a really good job and really enjoyed themselves. I love it when my kids get creative...just shows that I am raising them right!

Final products!

Read to Me

2011-08-16T21:30:00.000-05:00

Love these moments!

Caught!

2011-08-16T21:29:00.000-05:00

So about two or three times out of the week this summer we would have ice cream for dessert. One night after serving all of us ice cream, I walked into the kitchen and caught Ariel licking the ice cream container lid. Thankfully the container was empty!

Magic Treehouse Books

2011-08-16T21:26:00.000-05:00

So the topic all summer to this sweet little boy was all about Magic Treehouse Books. I think maybe he was just slightly obsessed, but my goodness, who can blame a boy for getting lost in his books. He wanted to spend every penny that he earned on them (even though he is supposed to be saving his money for a laptop) and every time we went to Target or even close to Barnes and Noble he would beg me to go buy more. I even took him to the library to check out some books from there and he said it wasn't the same because he wanted to keep them. I am so thankful for his eagerness to learn and to get lost in his books. I have always told him that if you can read, it will get you farther than anything else in life! Love him!

Studio Fun

2011-08-16T21:17:00.000-05:00

I just recently entered into a whole new realm of photography and purchased my first set of studio lights. I took advantage of my available models and they did a fantastic job! So thankful for them and their patience with me when it comes to my business. They are almost always eager to help me try new things...even if it take a little bribing sometimes...and yes, they did get snow cones for this session for doing so well!

Oh Lollipop!

2011-08-16T21:13:00.000-05:00

This Mini-Session was so much fun! Who doesn't enjoy a Lollipop?

More Pool Time

2011-08-16T21:10:00.000-05:00

As summer rolled on, so did the excessive heat. About the only thing to do outside was to swim, eat Popsicles and drink iced tea so on this particular day, that is exactly what we did!

My iced tea...good to the last drop!

Wrinkle toes...

and wrinkled fingers!

Flowerpot Painting

2011-08-05T10:21:00.000-05:00

Instead of buying expensive flower pots for my indoor plants, I decided to buy less expensive clay terra cotta pots and let the kids paint on them. They add a splash of color in my kitchen and I have my kids artwork surrounding me while I am doing the dishes!

This one is Ariel's.

This one is Caleb's.

Sleepy Boys

2011-08-05T10:17:00.000-05:00

Love this photo of my boys sleeping. This will cherished for a long time!

Wolverine and his map

2011-08-05T10:14:00.000-05:00

I had a super hero in my house...he told me his name was Wolverine. Really, I did.

He said he had a side-kick in the shape of a sweet blonde girl and her name was Ariel. Really, he did.

He said he was a spy and got his map out and said he was on a mission to get the bad guys. Really, he did.

He stayed for a while, then asked me what was for dinner. Really, he did.

I love that Wolverine. We need more super heroes like him in this world to go on a mission to get the bad guys.

Cole Sandwich

2011-08-05T09:40:00.000-05:00

Sometimes around our house we just get SO hungry and it seems that the only thing that cures that hunger is a Cole Sandwich. First you start with the bun (one of our big pillows from our couch) then you put a Cole on the sandwich. We typically like to use the bigger Cole on the bottom, gives the sandwich more stability. Then you slather the mustard on (our yellow pillow from our couch) and then you add the second Cole. This Cole is slightly more wiggly and the bottom Cole but once we smother her in ketchup (our red throw), this Cole tends to calm down. Then we add the pickles (more pillows from the couch) and then we top the sandwich the top bun (the last of our big pillows) and there you have it! A Cole Sandwich! So Yummy!

And here is the biggest Cole chowing down on the sandwich!

Take a lot of effort to eat it...it burns calories during consumption!

I'm willing to share if anyone wants a Cole Sandwich!