The Land of Colin

We just got back from the park and Colin has finally, blessedly, fallen into a nap. The nap remains a distant memory around here, but every few days he will just be so exhausted that he falls asleep despite his best efforts to avoid it. I love the days that he naps at a normal time because the evenings are so much calmer! These moments are rare, but welcome! :-)

The weather remains beautiful but VERY windy...Colin and I picked up Wendy's and headed over to the park to eat and play. I was not paying much attention to the winds and probably should have skipped trying to eat outside. Everything was blowing all over the place! We were the only ones there, however, so Colin was able to turn the whole playground into his own make believe world. Imaginary play is his latest new move and it is the MOST adorable thing you have ever seen. He found a baby push toy that had been left at the park and immediately turned it into a car that needed fixing. He announced that it needed a new battery and turned the car over to work on it. He then told me that he had to go to the battery store and I was the salesman. He asked for a battery, which I "gave" him and he then said, "Thanks, Battery Store Mommy!". HILARIOUS! He then switched gears and gave me a spot to sit and then began asking what I would like to buy. I begin asking for items, which he runs to get in various "storerooms" that I am not allowed in. I know this because he says, "Mommy, stay there! Don't come in my storeroom!". ;-) This lasted for some time before he switched gears one final time and turned into a chef. He asked what I would like for him to cook for me and then "cooked" whatever I requested. This includes having to disappear into other rooms to find "ingredients". He also very seriously informed me that I should not touch the pans because "they are very very hot, Mommy!". So, basically the entire playground visit was not really a playground visit at all. It was more of a shopping/eating expedition in the land of Colin. Once back in the car, he announced, "That was so much fun, Mommy! Now we have to go home and get warm!" :-)

There was a time in the not-so-distant past that I firmly believed that I should have two children exactly two years apart. I don't exactly know where this idea stemmed from, except for my own notion that my two children would be close enough in age to be best friends. You know...like all siblings are in the perfect world that is your imagination. :-) The time came and went for me to accomplish my goal and we were just not ready yet. As time has ticked by, I have come to the realization that I am blessed with this precious time with Colin. I am never EVER going to forget these brief years that I have spent focusing all my attention on my first born. I love that we are buddies who go out on our own little adventures everyday. I love giving him my undivided attention and that he thrives under it. He is going to be a wonderful big brother one day and will be old enough to be my little helper. I know that my second child, whenever God blesses us with him, will not have the same limitless time with me, but he will have the greatest gift in the world and that is Colin. And my sweet little first born angel will always have the relationship with me that only the eldest can know. I think that we are a very lucky family, indeed! (and no...I am not pregnant!) :-)

Little Joys

We are having a wonderful time here in our little world and the weather has a lot to do with it! The sun has managed to come out of hiding and has the crisp quality that it seems to lack in the winter months. The sky is blue with wispy white clouds (cirrus clouds to you, Jer! hehe!) :-) Things are bright again and I am very happy to finally bid adieu to winter and the blahs! It seems as if I have tons to update from the past week, so here we go!

* Jer and I took Colin out to one of our favorite parks for a picnic and play several days ago and had the most beautiful time. Jer pointed out how much Colin has grown as far as his gross motor skills...he no longer needs any help when navigating the playgrounds. He can climb anything and no longer wants us to shadow him. He does request us to slide with him or play with him, but it is because he wants to play rather than needing any help. I don't worry anymore if he is out of my line of vision. He is a playground champ! He will launch himself down the biggest slides he can find with not an ounce of fear. It is wonderful! We followed the park with a trip to the new observation area at the airport where Jer works. It consists of picnic tables and viewing stations that overlook one of the main runways at DFW. They even play the Air Traffic Control over a loudspeaker, which Colin thinks is awesome. It was a great day all the way around.

Colin and Mommy checking out the new observation area.

I love this one...Colin was loving watching the airplanes land.

All smiles during our picnic lunch!

*We met our friends at another park a couple of days ago and I was bubbling over with happiness the entire time. Colin was very happy and had a wonderful time playing with his friends. He was much more open than he has been in recent months and his peace spilled over to me. He ate lunch at the picnic table with everyone rather than asking to sit away from the crowd. At the very beginning he did whisper to me that he wanted to go home, but then seemed to push the thought away and let go. He had a great time. He played "race" with Jack (my friend Eren's son) for a good portion of the time and told me repeatedly that Jack was his friend and they were "having a good time playing". He seems to have just grasped the true meaning of "friend" after we talked so much about it recently. He was, of course, literally overjoyed to see his favorite baby on the planet, Pierce, and told me no less than 100 times that he was having a good time with him. He played on his blanket with him and "helped" him slide. It was so precious. THEN in even bigger news, he went up behind Kim's mom and hugged her around the neck!! That was the first time I have ever seen him hug someone outside the family, so I was overjoyed for him. The afternoon ended with Colin playing airplanes with Hayden in perfectly peaceful accord. Hayden is such a sweet boy and he was willing to share his things with Colin. I am very lucky to have these friends...everyone that I am close to is so good to Colin and that has really helped him (and me!).

Here is one of Colin playing airplane with Hayden. They were so adorable playing together!!

Colin and Jack...they were having a great time digging in the wood chips. They are 100% boy!

Here is easily one of my all-time favorite pictures...Kimberly took this one of Colin and Pierce. She takes beautiful pictures and this one is just so sweet. It perfectly captures how Colin feels about that baby boy! She also took the wonderful picture that I used for my new blog header!

*Yesterday, Colin and I ventured out for a very exciting event...the new library is finally open!! Our weekly visits have been suspended for just over a month now because they were moving everything from the small interim library into the new facility that was just completed. Colin was beside himself to go and it did not disappoint! The building is beautiful and has a big outdoor patio in the back that will probably be a favorite spot for picnics. The story room is so precious and even has a tiny door that only toddlers could fit through! LOVE IT! Colin spent the whole visit picking out books and then going from chair to chair to read them. He would not let me help him, so I managed to get a couple of sweet pictures from the seat across from him. The only downside to the visit was the fact that Colin refused to leave and it came down to me carrying him out kicking and screaming...which is always fun in a quiet library. ;-) I spent 20 minutes trying to get him to come with me and his response was to run from me while weaving in and out of the aisles of books. The tiny makeshift library at City Hall was too small for such shenanigans, so I am going to have to work hard on getting him to behave in the new larger environment. I am glad he loved it so much, but I don't want another chase scene. Whew!

Here is Colin reading...you can see the giant letters on the wall in the background...it spells STORY ROOM and there are little nooks nestled into the letters that kids can sit on. The tiny door is carved into the bottom of the letter R. Absolutely adorable!

We also got his haircut yesterday before we went...he looks like a little marine! We tried a new barbershop, which Colin loved. The haircut is so cute and I love the way the back of his head feels! :-) Such a handsome little man!


Colin was in pure heaven reading all the books. He kept picking out books on animals. :-)

Now that was a long update! :-) This weekend we have tickets to "A Day Out with Thomas" in Grapevine and I can't wait to see how it goes. It will be packed with kids, so there is a solid chance that Colin is going to want to leave immediately. I knew it was a big risk to buy the tickets, but with his love for Thomas, I had to give it a shot. Our friends will all be there with Colin's friends, which may help. Expect an update on that one! :-)