First Christmas

I grew up in a house that each kid had at least 30 presents under the tree for them at Christmas! This is not including the items in the over flowing stocking :) Christmas was something I looked forward to each year, year round! I decided that I want my family to have a fun Christmas BUT I do not want to make Christmas about presents. Therefore, we decided a handful of gifts would more than enough. I bought Cole the items that Brian and I discussed and I was done before Thanksgiving. As Christmas drew near, I kept receiving large boxes of gifts from his many grandma's and grandpa's. I was overwhelmed by the love. By the time Christmas came around my simple Christmas was gone :) We are very blessed to have our extended family love our son so much!!

On Christmas Eve, we had a small family dinner at our house with my mother, MIL, FIL, Brian, and I. I grew up with a tradition of opening 1 present on Christmas Eve and I want to pass this tradition onto my kids. The present was always a pair pj's that we wore to bed and woke up on Christmas morning wearing.

On Christmas morning Cole and Brian slept in. Once Cole decided to wake up (close to 9am) he opened his presents. I had always heard children Cole's age want more to do with the wrapping paper and boxes then the gift...not my son, he wanted his toys and FAST! If daddy didn't open the packaging fast enough Cole made it known he was NOT impressed. We spent an hour opening our the many gifts. Some of the gifts received were a tonka tow truck, lots of Lego's, pull toys, a toy mailbox, puzzles, balls and lots of TRUCKS!

Our first Christmas as a family was amazing. We have so much to be thankful for.

Our First Tree

Non baby proofed treeBaby proofed tree (notice the gate is almost as tall as the tree)

Since Cole and I were traveling between 11/24 to 12/13, we did not have a chance to get our Christmas tree till 12/20. Brian, Cole and I headed out planning on buying the biggest and grandest tree we could find. Our first stop, Lowes, had 10 trees between 3 to 5ft. This was not going to do so I insisted we continue to look. Our next stop, Home Depot, had less to choose from. I was in near tears. Brian being the great husband he is, drove us around looking for a Christmas tree lot. We couldn't find one :( I kept thinking, "How can there be no trees left?" The massive tree I envisioned for Cole's first Christmas was slowly being over taken by reality...a 3ft tree or no tree. well, we decided Lowe's was our only option so we headed back. We picked out the fullest, tallest 3ft tree we could find. Brian proudly walked the tree up to the counter to be told the tree was half off. WOW, half off great. The total cost for Cole's first tree was $2.50. We couldn't justify buying a Christmas tree stand ($15.00) so we improvised and used a bucket and some dirt!

Once we got the tree home and decorated, I was surprisingly happy with our purchase. It's moments like these that make memories. Who ever remembers a huge tree?!?! Brian is mostly proud of the amount he spent on the tree. His goal for next year is to see if he can find a tree less than $2.50 :) This is what I get for marrying an Accountant.

Thanksgiving

Brian, Cole and I decided to pack up and visit our family in Texas for Cole's 1st Thanksgiving. We arrived in Texas on the 24th and spent 4 wonderful days visiting great grandpa, grandpa, his aunt, uncle and beautiful cousins!

While we were visiting, I think Cole's favorite part was his great grandfathers train community setup in his house. He spent a long time with his PawPaw watching the trains go by

On Thanksgiving Day I joined "T" and the girls on an 8 mile Forth Worth Turkey trot. One of my closest friends was able to join us on the run. After the first half mile trying to dodge people "S" and I were able to catch up on life. It was nice to spend 2 hours talking to an old friend while getting in a workout! All of us finished the race feeling ready for LOTS of good food.

Here are some of my favorite pictures from our visit. I can't wait to go back.

One of my favorite pictures of Cole. He looked so dang cute in his Thanksgiving outfit.
PawPaw & Cole napping together :) I loved watching these moments with the two of them bonding!
Grandpa, daddy and Cole
Cole on his first carousel ride. Thank you PawPaw

Cole could not get enough of aunt T's sweet potatoes!

Our visit was short but the memories will last a lifetime. I am looking forward to our next visit.

Memphis Bound...

Visiting my sister and her family is something that is a must for me! I want our kids to know each other, be friends and grow up together. So for 2 weeks, I called Memphis my home.

Cole and I were NOT adequately prepared for the weather! I knew Memphis was going to be cold but I don't have any cold weather clothes. So, one of the first things we did after we landed was go shopping for warm clothes for Cole! I loved this hat on him!!
My sisters MIL let us borrow her highchair; however, I think is older than I am. There were no straps and no middle piece to hold him in. He kept slipping while eating so he came up with a solution all on his own. He would put his toes on the highchair tray and hold on for dear life! He never fell out and eat 3 meals a day for 2 weeks.

His cousins were teaching him to build with Lego's. He mostly destroyed their creations but they didn't care. They enjoyed spending lots of time with Cole.

Bath time hair is always fun!

What can be more fun than building, playing in and then destroying a fort with your cousins?!?!? NOTHING!!

I always take a picture of my sisters kids the day before I leave. It was nice that this picture now includes a child of mine. We miss our Memphis family and can't wait to go back. I think next time we'll go in the Spring when it is not to hot or cold :)

SANTA

No words and can do this picture justice!

Bath Time

Tonight Brian, Cole and I had a lot fun tormenting Zabdack with a water toy that squirts water. Brian would squirt Zabdack and Cole thought it was the funniest thing. Listening to my boys giggle is the best sound.

Saying Thank you!

As the holiday season approaches, I can't help to think about all of the men and women serving our country. While they are away from their family, friends and loved ones during this holiday season I have the freedom to be with mine.

Xerox is sponsoring a postcard program that takes, literally, 1 minute to complete and allows you to send a free postcard to a military serviceman with a small note. I hope you take a few minutes out of your day to say thank you!

Thank you for all of your sacrifices and everything you do to ensure our freedom!

God Bless!!

http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1280.html

Birthday

I feel so blessed to have the family and friends that I do in my life. Today was my birthday and it was an amazing day. I started my day off with a chocolate chip cookie and a mountain dew (no judging it was my birthday). Yes, the breakfast of champions :) I then went to Kohl's and bought all the bathroom pieces for Cole bathroom set. He picked a monster theme that matches his edgy red walls. After Kohl's, Cole and I hung out till Brian got home. The fact Brian made it home before 7:30 was gift enough for me; however, he ended up surprising me with the camera that I have been dreaming about for the past few months. Before I had a chance to start playing with my camera we went to dinner with our close friends "A" and "O". We ate fabulous Mexican food and had a blast visiting. Once we got home I was able to start playing with my new camera. Neither Cole nor Zabdack would sit still long enough for me to take a picture but I figure I have a life time to take their pictures!

Thank you to all who contacted me to wish me a Happy Birthday. I am so bless that you are in my life. THANK YOU!

Marthon

I ran my first marathon in San Diego 3 years ago. After this race I WAS HOOKED! The emotions you encounter during the 26.2 miles are all over the spectrum. I laughed, cried, sang aloud, hated myself, loved myself, thought of people I'd lost touch with, thought of my proudest moments, my husband and so many more things...there are 26.2 miles so I had a lot of time to reflect/think :) The one emotion and I think the most important is the sense of accomplishment you feel when crossing the finish line. The sense that I was strong enough to push myself that hard and to keep moving one foot in front of the other made me feel incredible. However, when I got pregnant with Cole I hung up my running shoes and pulled out my walking shoes. Since Cole, I have been running but nothing serious. Several times a week I try to run 2-3 miles. I think it is time to stop making excuses and get back on track with my running. My goal is to run another marathon in 3 months. This week I have begun my training and I am excited for this journey. I will work on my time and hopefully I can come in somewhere in the 4 hour mark.

Happy Halloween!!

Cole had so much fun his first Halloween. On our first outing we went to the The Circle of Orange with his cousin B. The Circle of Orange closes down their streets to allow trick-or-treaters to walk from store to store. Since Cole isn't walking he strolled in style to each store. He wasn't into the candy as much as he was into all the other costumes. After several stores Cole and B were getting bored so we went to a grassy area to let them play together.

As the boys get older it is fun watching them interact and play together. Cole had always been the bigger of the two but over the past 2 months B is passing Cole. B is finally starting to take Cole down :)

We could never get them to look at the camera at the same time. Oh well, maybe next year!

Happy Halloween!!!

Pumpkin Patch

Cole has been one lucky little boy this Halloween season. He has gone to the pumpkin patch three times. His first visit, 10/10/09, was with my sister, T, and his cousins J and C. Cole discovered straw while cruising the hay bails. He couldn't get enough of the hay. He also enjoyed cruising the park, playing with the pumpkins, watching the bigger kids run around and riding the train. Based on his reactions to everything, I think his favorite part was the train. He enjoyed waving to all of the people as we passed them by.


Our second trip was on 10/22/09. Cole and I went with a fellow babyfit mommy and her daughter. Cole and C happen to only be one day apart so watching them interact is really fun. It has been so much fun getting to know G and watching our little ones learn and discover the world together. The kids had a great time at the pumpkin patch. During our outing, G and I also took the kids to the Irvine Zoo and the playground. It was a beautiful day and I am so glad we were outside to enjoy it.


Our third trip was today, 10/27/09, with a new friend E. E has a little girl, E, who is three years old and a little boy, T, who is seven months old. Cole and T are very close in age and watching them play with the pumpkins this afternoon was very cute. E wasn't to thrilled by the ghosts that jumped out of the pumpkins but as long as we stayed away from the ghost she was one happy little girl.


I am so excited that Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Cole's 1st birthday are all right around the corner.

Some fun recent 1st...

Cole no longer is eating baby food. He is a big boy eating tons of veggies, fruits and meat.

Cole likes to cruise the house with his new walker/scooter

If ever my son goes missing in the house 9 out of 10 times he is under a sink. Notice we no longer have any items under the sink?!?!

Cole at PretendPlay pretending to be a farmer. He had a great time playing with his friend C. They cruised the place and found many things to play with.

Cole at his first birthday party, which happened to be a costume party, and his first time in a bounce house. He couldn't get enough time in the bounce house. He giggled and crawled the whole time.

He has taught himself how to open the cabinets. I think it is time we baby proof.

Cole is watching Brian wash the patio. This isn't a first but the picture was to cute to not post :)

Cole enjoying his first golf club. We opted for a plastic club as his first to preserve our floors as much as possible. I know it won't be long now until he'll have his own set or irons.

This first time I put shoes on Cole. He wasn't to sure what to think of them.

Mommy needed to clean the kitchen so what did I do? I opened the tup-o-ware drawer and let Cole do as much damage as a 7 month old can do.

Three days after Cole started crawling he was not happen with just cruising around the living room. Nope, my son wanted to conquer the stairs. So being the good mommy I am, I let him!

Cole's first sip of soda, compliments of daddy!

Cole practicing his stair climbing three days after learning to crawl. I have a feeling I'm in a lot of trouble :)

Santa Ana Zoo

Cole, Rissa, Tandy and myself headed out to the Santa Ana Zoo this weekend. This zoo is the perfect size for a small child. There are many monkey's and birds to watch and you can see the entire zoo in about an hour or so. The picture on the right is Cole and I in front of a bald eagle.

Rissa decided we all needed to take the train ride around the park. Cole couldn't stop "talking" and waving his hands during his first train ride. The picture on the left is Cole sitting on the train. This also happens to be one of my favorite pictures of him to date. He was all smiles that day. After the zoo, Cole took a 3+ hour nap. I have decided we need to go to the zoo at least once a week if we are going to get naps like this every time :)

It was a wonderful day and we will be going back.

Visiting Texas and Memphis

Cole was a little traveler this summer. His first visit was to Dallas, Texas to visit his great grandfather, grandfather, aunts, uncle, cousins and some of my friends.

I was a little worried when I heard our flight had been delayed 4 hours due to mechanical difficulty but Cole was a trooper the entire time. The staff even commented we could fly with them anytime and held Cole as much as I would let them.

Cole buckeled into the seat next to me.

Waiting for our plane to get fixed

Taking a quick nap before we board our flight

When we got to Texas we had great times visiting our friends and family. Cole had a blast playing with his cousins, going swimming and visting the aquarium.

**Still working on this post**

Cole Wakefield Stevens

My due date of December 25th, 2008 came and went with no signs of Cole being ready to enter this world. My doctor scheduled an induction for January 05th, 2009.

We checked into the hospital at 7:30am. Our nurse, Kathy, hooked the heart rate and contraction monitors up and we began our day. When she hooked me up to the monitors she commented I was having contractions every 2 minutes apart...but I felt nothing. She checked me then and I was closed tight but 95% effaced. She started me on pitocin at 9:30.

She up'd my pitocin every 30 minutes and at 11:30 a doctor came in to try to break my water...once again I was closed tight and he couldn't do anything. My DH and MIL went to lunch and get back at 1:10. We start talking and at 1:15 I felt a pop and next thing I know there is water rushing out of my body. I was totally laughing just saying over and over how gross it felt. Well, about 2 minutes after my water broke the contractions started. The nurse checked me again and she said I had to have at least a pinhole for my water to break but I was still closed pretty tight.

From 1:15 and 1:45 the contractions were every 1.5 apart and getting pretty intense. I ordered the epidural and at 3:30 the epidural was in place and relief had begun. I have to say anyone that labors naturally has my up most respect. I went from 1:15 to 3:30 and the pain was more than I could handle at points. Once the epi was in my nurse checked me again to see if she could manually dilate me. Well, she didn't need to I had gone from 0-4 in about 2.5 hours. What a relief that felt like.

The nurse came back in at 5:00 to check me and I was dilated to a 9. She called my doctor and he came to the hospital to check me out. He got there at 5:30 and said okay it's time to push. So I started pushing. My DH and I worked really well together and I have to say I would not have been able to get through it without him. I felt no pain (thanks to the epi) but pushing was so hard. I had begun to tear so we called the doctor in at 7:00 to help out. After one set of pushes he said that our son was to big to make it past the pelvic bone without any assistance. So he used a suction device to help Cole make it past the pelvic bone. At 7:13pm Cole entered this world.

Overall my delivery was very fast and easy. I could not have asked for a better first time birthing experience.

Birthday: January 05, 2009
Weight: 8lbs 10oz
Length: 21.5"
lots of blond, blond, blond hair and beautiful big blue eyes

Our Honeymoon

**Saving space so I can come back and fill out**

Our Wedding Day

Brian and I meet 6 years ago while working at M-Flex. We were friends for about a year before we started to date. After 2 years of dating, Brian proposed to me on a private beach in St. Thomas. How could a girl say no to that proposal :) We were married on 07/07/07.

Family Website

I have been going back and forth on whether I wanted to create a family blog or not. I was horrible at maintaining a journal as a little girl so I wasn't sure if I could/would maintain a blog. Well, the fact that I am writing this first post means I must be ready to attempt a family blog.