We Love Aunt Victoria!

I have had yet another delay in posting, but for good reason! We have been very busy and having a blast with Jer's sister Victoria and her boyfriend Josh. They live in NJ, but Josh has an aunt who lives close to us. He was asked to deliver a car to her, so he and Victoria decided to make it a giant rode trip and visit with us! Colin was absolutely over the moon about the whole thing. It made leaving PA a little easier because he knew she was coming to visit the next week. They made great time driving across the country and made it here last Saturday afternoon. They just left today and we already miss them so much. I can't express in words how amazing they are with Colin. He absolutely adores them! Josh is a giant guy...I am guessing 6'3 or 6'5...and Colin climbed all over him like a jungle gym the whole time, thus starting the nickname of "jungle josh". ;-) Victoria is so sweet and loving and clearly in love with Colin, which brings me so much joy. I love knowing that Colin has so many people in his life that cherish him. It was such a wonderful few days watching Colin basking in their attention. He made Josh play trains with him about a hundred times and yelled for "Aunt Victorweeya" to come check out his "cool firetrucks" about every 5 minutes. He has told me a zillion times today that he wants them to come back to our house. When we got in the car this afternoon, he pointed at the empty seats beside his carseat and announced, "Those seats are for Josh and Victoria!". Then at dinner, he insisted that we call Victoria so that he could "tell her I am eating!"....it broke my heart a little! Colin is such a loving little boy and once he decides he likes you, he wants you around all the time.

We spent the week eating a ton of mexican food, BBQ and going to Babe's (of course!). On Sunday night, we took them to Jer's office and we all went in for a sim demo. These flight simulators are $20 million machines, so needless to say, I have not been quick to take Colin for a ride in one. ;-) I was nervous beforehand that he would not like the experience and want to get out when we took off, but of course, I was wrong. Colin is a born pilot, just like his daddy! Once Jer had us in the air, he handed the reins over to Colin and it was hysterical to watch. That kid was IN CHARGE! He sat so calmly holding the yoke and every now and then he would move one hand to turn a switch here and there....like he really knew what he was doing. He was not freaked out at all with the real flying aspect and Victoria and I were sitting in the back of the sim just melting over how adorable it was. The only bad news is that Colin knows exactly what Jer does at work everyday and now begs to go with him. Oops! I have a feeling that Colin will learn how to fly long before he has a drivers license.

On Monday, we took a tour of the brand spanking new Cowboys Stadium and let me tell you...it did NOT disappoint!! I have been a fan since, well....birth! I can remember watching games with my Daddy and thinking that Tom Landry was the coolest guy ever. I have loved them in good times and in bad! ;-) I admit that I got a little teary on the morning they knocked down Texas Stadium...I have so many childhood memories around that place and not seeing it anymore as I drive past the spot, that is hard. The first thing I saw when I walked up to the new stadium was a giant statue of Tom Landry, which I immediately made Colin pose with. It is probably my favorite shot of the whole day. THAT is Texas to me!
The only drawback to the week was the giant case of bronchitis that kept me coughing all night every night. I am finally back to normal, but the house sure does feel empty now. We have had a charmed few weeks with family and now we are getting back into the swing of normal life. There are lots of play dates, swimming and birthday parties around the corner, so summer is absolutely in high gear. Now if only it weren't already so freaking hot!

In Memory of Uncle Dave

My uncle passed away on Monday morning and this week has been both horrible and wonderful at the same time. Uncle Dave was my mother's only sibling and he was 14 years her senior. The huge age gap between them made him more of a father figure than brother to her and I know the loss is exceptionally hard for her. He has been battling complications from emphasema for 12 years now and just recently had taken a turn for the worse. The news on Monday was therefore not a surprise, but shocking to fathom none the less. My aunt and uncle live in Boerne, just outside of San Antonio, and we packed up and headed out on Tuesday morning. The drive was 5 hours long, which was by far the longest car ride that Colin has ever been on. He was amazing and surpassed my wildest expectations. We stopped to eat in Temple, which was about half way, and he ran off some pent up energy in the Chick-Fil-A before we finished the drive in. My parents and sister Alieson has arrived on Monday afternoon, so they were waiting for us. Meredith, Cory and their kids were close behind us in arrival time, so we quickly had gathered my entire immediate family. Uncle Dave and Aunt Judith live in a stunning home nestled in the Hill Country of Texas, complete with deer hanging out in the backyard waiting to be fed. We all drove from the hotel out to the house to meet up with my aunt and all of my cousins, who had also all arrived from their various homes. We have never all been in one place at the same time, and it was so amazing to be together as a family, but sad that it was under such trying circumstances.

My uncle was a very special and interesting man whose last wishes were unique and wonderful. He asked that there be no funeral at all and that his family do one thing...gather in Luckenbach to drink a Lone Star beer in his honor. He hated the thought of a funeral and much preferred that there be a party instead. They live only about 30 minutes from Luckenbach and spent all of their free time there. It was his all-time favorite place to be on earth. Luckenbach is the stuff of Texas legend and I had never actually been and ALWAYS wanted to go. The town consists of a bar, and that is pretty much it. It is literally in the middle of nowhere, nestled in the hills and away from civilization. The back of the bar is surrounded by a huge old patio where various musicians play every single day. There are picnic tables, lights swinging from the trees, old beer signs, dust, rocks and roosters walking around. We brought a giant spread of food and the requested Lone Star beer. The entire night was like a dream...you could feel Uncle Dave around us. I have never been to a more wonderful place and we were all loathe to leave at all. The sounds of old country music wafting from the cowboys gathered on the patio and the distinct smell of beer and cigars made for a dreamy night etched in our memories forever. I can't do the night justice with simple words...it was a night filled with love and family and memories. I know that Uncle Dave was having the best time watching all of the people who loved him together in the middle of Texas celebrating the night away for him. It was, quite simply, perfect.


Here is Colin enjoying his HUGE cookie!

Duke helps the boys during the dinner...the weather was perfect.

Jer outside the bar/shop/post office...it was amazing!

Colin loved the giant front porch AND the scary scarecrow!

The closest that I got to a picture with Colin! :-)

Jer and Cory enjoy a cigar...they are members of the "I married crazy sisters" club. :-)


Hanging out with my sweet sisters...

My favorite picture that I have taken with Jer in a long time...you can just tell how much love was in the air.

All the cousins in one place for the first time ever! From left to right...Meredith and Cory, Kayla and her father Nick and his wife Suzanne (my cousin), me, Jer, Alieson, Steven and Amy (twins)

I love this picture...my precious cousin Suzanne. Everyone says that we favor each other a great deal.

The Wait is Over!

The story unfolded exactly like we knew it would...Jer had been on vacation for a week in anticipation of Meredith going into labor and her water broke the night before he had to be back at work. :-) We got the frantic phone call at 9:15pm Friday night, Mert's water broke and they were rushing to the hospital. My first thought was to run to the car and start driving, but then I remembered that I was the mother of a two year old who was soundly asleep at the time. Oops! I was forced to attempt sleep that night and wait for morning to hit the road. Colin and I had to go alone Saturday morning while Jer worked and we made record time arriving at her hospital room by 11:00am. Just as I knew would be the case, she is STUNNING!! Pryce Lucille Bowler was born at 8lb 4 oz with a full head of jet black hair, just like Jackson and my Colin. We birth big babies with a lot of hair in my family. ;-) Mert looked absolutely beautiful and you would NEVER guess that she just had a baby. I seriously don't know how I am related to her. She is healthy and happy and all is well. Jer made it into town separately by 6pm Sunday night, so he got a chance to see Pryce too. I was so glad he was able to pull off the trip...family events don't seem right for me without him around. We spent three days running back and forth to the hospital with Colin in tow, which went pretty well considering! He had Jackson to play with and they have certainly gotten louder and more "WWF" style in their play, which does not make for a peaceful hospital room. HA! Cory is so in love with his new little girl and it was so much fun to watch Pryce turn immediately into "Daddy's Girl". The whole weekend was a dream! We all drove home today. Jer goes back to work in the morning and I am going to attempt to get Colin back on a bit of a schedule...we are having major nap trouble at the moment, but I will save that for another post. It is a life changing moment watching your baby sister have her own baby...I love them all so much. I can't wait to get back!!

Colin is in love with Pryce. In fact, he has taken his love for babies to a new level with this one! The overriding thing that I will take away from this weekend is what an incredibly sweet little boy I have. All he could talk about was "Baby Pryce" and every time he saw someone holding her, he climbed over that person to lay his head on her. "Hug Pryce, Mama!" was frequently yelled to me. He counted toes, patted her hair, tried to pat her face, and best of all, he would wrap his arms around her as best he could and lay his head on hers. It was the sweetest thing I have even seen in my life. As we were leaving today, he went into meltdown mode while the whole family tried to take him away from the baby to get him in the car. Once we got on the road, he chanted, "GO SEE BABY PRYCE, MAMA!" at random moments for the whole drive. He is such a blessing in my life and I was reminded of it yet again today...to have a son so special and loving is a gift beyond all gifts!

So the weekend was perfect, the baby is BEYOND perfect and all is well with the world. I will post pictures here as soon as I get them onto this computer! Also, take a moment to check out my brother-in-law Cory's new blog...I added him to my blog roll at the bottom right of the page. He is so hysterical and it will be so much fun to read all about life with my crazy...er...awesome sister Mert and my wonderful niece and nephew. Take a look! :-)

Still Waiting on a Baby.....

This has been a great week all the way around with one small exception...my sister is keeping my niece hostage inside her womb and refuses to deliver her. At least, that is how I see it. :-) To keep myself occupied instead of "watching the kettle" all week, Colin and I did a lot of last minute running around and having fun. My other (local) sister, Alieson, ended up with days off in the middle of the week, so we got to have a lot of fun with her. Colin could not have been happier about it! We took her to Paradise Pond on Thursday and then had lunch and ice cream afterwards. Maybe you can tell what their favorite part of the day was:

She is so silly and children LOVE her. SERIOUSLY. On Saturday, the three of us went back out for a shopping trip and then took Colin to a bounce house place afterwards. Alieson ended up with a posse of children following her around. It was adorable, and also a bit sad. While my amazing sister was playing with these precious kiddos, their parents were talking on cell phones and reading books in a corner. They never even got up to check on the random adult that their kids had attached themselves to. If I glanced up and saw Colin playing with a random adult that I did not know, I would at least introduce myself! Good lord! She was so sweet and ran all around with them, helping them up and down big slides and letting them lead her all around to "do this one more time!!". She has such a caring and gentle soul and was just pleased as punch to play with all the kids. I was reminded how proud I am to call her my sister. I was also reminded that I am going to make every effort to continue what I already do...get on my hands and knees and play with my child. I know (god, do I know!) how much we could use a few minutes with a book and that catching those minutes while your kids play on their own can give you a break. BUT, I also promise to Colin to be the mom that is bouncing around like a big teenager in the Superman Bounce House, sweating buckets and looking like a dork. Because for as long as it makes him happy, I am that mama! (and Aunt Alie, too....she was serious about those slides!) :-)

Today, Jer and I took Colin to Dallas World Aquarium for a treat. REALLY. BAD. IDEA. We knew it would be a busy weekend, but it was far more chaotic than I could have imagined. We waited in a line that curved all the way around the building just to get in! Once inside, the same crowds were trying to walk through the rain forest and we got utterly stuck. I even started to feel a bit of panic settling in...we were crushed in with hundreds and hundreds of other folks in these small walkways. Colin was quickly not having it, so we ended up slinking past everyone (and all the exhibits!) to get out of the crowd and get some air. After that, things got better and Colin was able to see the penguins, which was the whole reason he got excited to go. SO CUTE!! I really wanted to take this one home, but Jer said no. I can't imagine why having a penguin would be a bad idea... ;-)
It was hard to get many pictures in the throngs of people, but Jer managed this little shot. We were checking out that penguin in all his adorableness. :-)

Colin was devising a plan to get him home with us. It did not go so well. ;-)

As far as the coming week, I have no idea what the plan will be. Jer is on vacation and we are ready to head out when we get the call from Mert. I am so excited to see my niece that I just can't stand it!! I sure hope it is in the next few days! That being said, as each day comes with no signs of labor, we will try to do some impromptu fun stuff around here. It is wonderful having Jer home with us, so we should keep happy and busy...and waiting on that kettle!

Colin's ROUGH Week!

Yet another week has past since my last post, but I promise that I had good reason this time! I was back to single mama status for 11 days with Jer on his trip to Europe and insanity ensued as usual. Things went downhill last Saturday morning. Colin was in very poor spirits all day, but I assumed he was in a bad mood because his dad was gone. The older Colin gets, the more upset he gets about Jer leaving town. I chalked up his bad mood to that and carried on with our day. Our good friends were throwing a 2nd birthday party for their son on Saturday night and I really thought it would cheer Colin up. Sadly, I could not have been more wrong. I had to go solo to the party, obviously, and after about 15 minutes I really really needed a second pair of hands. Colin was in such a bad mood...he was crying endlessly for no reason and things that normally would not bother him were only making things worse. There was a beautiful display of cupcakes on the kitchen table and Colin went to reach for one. When I told him we had to wait a bit, he completely lost it (and knocked my full wine glass out of my hands). I tried to get him back on track by taking him outside to play and at that point he spotted the beautiful pool in the backyard. He made a beeline for it and I had to snatch him up rather quickly, which startled him...thus pushing him past the point of no return. I have never seen him this upset in all his two years. It was unsettling to say the least. At this point, I was heading into panic attack mode. Dinner was being served and it was a packed house while Colin was screaming and laying on the floor. In an effort not to completely ruin the party, I literally ran out the door with my poor child in tow. I thought to regroup in the car, but Colin continued to scream bloody murder, so we just drove straight home. I left the party without even a nod to our host and felt horrible about it!

The next morning we packed up and left for my parents house...I decided that he needed a change in scenery and I needed another set of hands! The drive was great and Colin seemed just fine at first, but he woke up that night with a screaming fever. By the time morning rolled around, Colin and I were the first arrivals at Direct Care to see a doctor. The pediatrician took one look in his ears and cringed, calling me over to look for myself. It was HORRIBLE! Both ears were severely infected to the point that it gave me chills! Colin got a shot of antibiotics immediately and we were sent home with an oral prescription as well. He was completely lethargic for two days...he did not get out of bed at all. I certainly had my answer for his bad mood the weekend before! The poor little man was sick as a dog and I had no idea! We ended up staying at my parents house for a few days longer, but we are finally back home now. Colin is still sick..he took two naps today (unheard of!) and spent most of the day laying in bed with me ( REALLY unheard of!). He is obviously better than he was, but is still far from 100%. Today was his last day of antibiotics and he now has a red rash all over his stomach, legs and cheeks. I think this is from the meds, but I still plan to take him back to our pedi on Monday morning to double check his ears and make sure he is totally well. I don't like that he still feels so exhausted and under the weather. Hopefully he will be a new man tomorrow.

The good news is that Jer is home! It is so great to have our little family back together! I was able to go out shopping this afternoon...my sister is having her baby shower next weekend and I had a blast getting to finally shop for girly stuff! I am like a kid in a candy store! YEA FOR BOWS!! :-)

Colin is TWO!

It is now official...my precious baby boy is TWO YEARS OLD! Despite the slide/party fiasco, we managed to have a very special day on Monday. We met our good friends Laura and Kayrene and their respective kiddos at Paradise Pond for a morning of play and then everyone made the trek back to our house for brunch and presents. I made french toast casserole and it was beyond good! It was my first time making this particular recipe, so I was very pleased that it turned out! I generally like to taste test a recipe before serving it to a crowd. This was a make again dish for sure. The kiddos had cake and helped Colin open presents. It turned out to be such a wonderful morning...it was a rainy day, so the indoor play turned out to be the perfect plan. Once all the kids hit nap time, everyone left and Colin took a long rest. That evening we took him out for dinner at Jason's, which has turned out to be one of his favorite places to go. As far as Colin is concerned, you really can't beat a restaurant that has free soft serve cones. When we got home, we let him open up the remainder of his gifts and played the night away with all his new loot. He spent the whole day saying, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!", which simply melted my heart. Granted, he was wishing everyone from Jer to the dishwasher a happy birthday, but it was still pretty adorable. :-)


Jer was off work today as well, so we closed the birthday extravaganza with Colin's final present; a trip to the water park! We found a smaller park in Denton that has a HUGE children's pool area that was fantastic. Jer and I got to take turns riding the slides and we took Colin around the lazy river in giant tubes several times. I was shocked that he was willing to ride in our laps down the river, but he loved it! It was a perfect ending to a very sweet birthday.


My feelings on this birthday are harder for me to write about, I have so many mixed emotions. On one hand, I feel like it was yesterday that I was in the hospital having him and on the other hand, it feels like an eternity ago. For the first 18 months of his life, he seemed like a baby to me. He still took occasional bottles, was rocked to sleep every night, mostly babbled and was just a sweet baby boy. This spring he has completely changed into so much of a little boy...talking, rough housing, displaying a sense of humor, sleeping in a big bed and generally being a little kid. This is easily my favorite stage so far. Watching his little personality develop has been the greatest gift and he is so funny and sweet. Now that his words have progressed, he has stopped a lot of the major meltdowns and is much happier than he was a few months ago. He gives lots of hugs and kisses and loves to "get cozy" under the covers to watch his "shows". He has a new move here around his 2nd birthday that is so adorable that it nearly kills me. If I do something that he likes...such as give him a cookie or fresh juice or anything that he deems awesome, he says "good mom!" when I hand it to him. Not "thank you", but "good mom!". It is hysterical. Even his inflection is funny...he says it exactly like you would say, "good dog!". I could not love this baby more if I tried. :-) Finally, here are some pictures from the weekend of fun.

Running at the water park. He LOVED it!



Yea for water! :-)


This place was kid heaven.

All smiles during his birthday dinner. I love that face!!

He was beside himself to open those presents!

A shot of his goodies on the big day.

One of my all time favorite pictures! Colin, Scarlett and Ryan share brunch together during the party. They looked so adorable lined up on those stools!

Daddy and Colin playing with the bubbles at Mom Mom and Pop Pop's house

Mom Mom showing him how it's done!

Colin spent half the day loving on Jasper and Solomon, the best doggies ever!

Daddy introduces Colin to the workings of the slip-n-slide. Such a great present from his grandparents!

Opening presents with his grandparents. He got pretty good at this!

Colin, I hope your third year on this earth is just as amazing as your second. I love you, sweet boy!

The Boys

I am in love with these two pictures of Jackson and Colin. There could not be two more adorable cousins! I caught these pictures with my mom's camera and finally got them downloaded...these are from our June blueberry trip. I adore the action shot most of all! Hysterical!! How much fun will it be when they are grown men to look at that picture!? Such precious little boys.





This one is Colin having a snack at my parents kitchen table. I absolutely adore the look on his face. I can't believe this big boy is the little baby that I gave birth to almost two years ago. His birthday is in one week. Unbelievable!

Fourth of July Weekend in Pictures

There were so many wonderful moments from our weekend caught on my camera! Our whole family had the most wonderful time! The photo above was taken at my parents curb. My dad had flags lining the whole house. It looked beautiful and Colin loved it! Below is the mess of iced brownie at Mom Mom and Pop Pop's house. He started his holiday off with a bang!

My beautiful twin sisters at Jackson's birthday and 4th of July bash. Meredith (left) is 7 months pregnant. So technically this picture is of Alieson, Mert AND Pryce. :-)

The BEST NEPHEW OF ALL TIME, Jackson. He had a great time at his big party!

Colin being all-American with his hot dog!

Colin taking charge at my dad's office. I love this picture more than any I have taken in a long time. My dad has been in this particular office for...I don't know...25 years? I used to show up there several times a week after school to ask for $20. :-) It is like a second home to me and seeing Colin in that seat smiling like that is so precious. Look at that grin!

Colin answering Duke's phone. He has wonderful leadership skills.

Colin and Mama enjoy the pool.

Duke and Colin share some ice cream. This was pretty much the highlight of BOTH their afternoons. Colin adores his Duke...he has been saying, "MOM! DUKE'S HOUSE!!" ever since we got home.

Hanging out with the best husband and daddy in the whole world!

Colin fresh and ready to go on the 4th! Such a dapper little man!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

I am writing tonight from the living room of my parents house...worn out and a little sunburned, but happy as can be. We have had such a special 4th of July this year and I wanted to be sure to post on the actual day, even though the pictures will have to wait until we get home. I have a LOT of good ones to share, but left our USB cable at home. We came to my hometown to celebrate Jackson's 4th birthday...we thought it was pretty cool to celebrate his "4th on the 4th". :-) His actual birthday was Wednesday and his party was today. Meredith and Cory threw a big bash at their pool and clubhouse and Colin had an absolute blast. There was lots to eat, lots of cake, and lots of swimming. Jer and Cory spent the entire time in the pool throwing Colin and Jackson all over the place, which was both adorable and scary at the same time. ;-) Meredith looked entirely too skinny for a woman who is 7 months pregnant and even wore a bikini. She is that woman who manages to look like a super model with a basketball belly. My sisters are really too much at times. :-) We had so much fun at the party and finally had to drag Colin home for a nap close to 3pm. This was WAY past his nap time and he fell asleep before I could get him all the way in the bed! It was crazy and wonderful. I guess the key is to spend hours in the pool getting thrown all over creation by your dads. We all took a rest and then regrouped for a quick dinner at Spring Creek. We decided at the very last minute to try to take Colin for fireworks and ended up watching a wonderful display right here at my parents house!!! WHO KNEW?! The country club not far from our neighborhood was putting on a show and we watched it from down the street. I still can't believe we were trying to find out where to go and it was right here all along! The show was great and Colin thought it was AMAZING. It was his very first fireworks display and he stopped what he was doing to watch, point, ohhh and ahhh, and make sure we were all watching too. It was precious. After a quick bath, Colin is now snugly sleeping and we are joining him! We are totally exhausted, but what a wonderful 4th! Our whole family together in one spot just celebrating! As it should be!! :-) Happy Birthday, America!!

Big Cat Weekend!

We had a wonderful and HOT weekend here in North Texas. It honestly felt like the middle of August, complete with the feeling of a hair dryer blowing in your face on high. It was brutal! Saturday was such a special day...Jer was off, I packed a picnic lunch, my sister Alieson came over and we all headed out for the "Big Cat Birthday Bash" at a local wild cat rescue. They save all kinds of wild animals from people who abuse them and try to keep them as pets. They had tigers, lions, cougars, lynx...everything! This was their yearly big fundraiser and there were bounce houses, face painting, snow cones and crafts set up. The cats were unbelievable and SO CLOSE! Look at these pictures Jer got!! I could have reached my hand out and touched them! (although I would not advise it. LOL!) It was a beautiful facility and it makes the heart feel good to know that these cats are being so well taken care of now. I can't wait to take Colin back when the weather gets a bit cooler. He thought it was amazing. His eyes were as wide as saucers! And he was not in the least bit scared...and these kitties were BIG! :-)





This one is my favorite...look at the hauntingly beautiful face! I just wanted to hug him!

On Saturday evening we went to the slide pool here in our community and we decided on a whim to let Colin try going down the water park style slide. The lifeguards let one of us go down with Colin in our lap and I gave it the first try. Of course, I lost my footing when we landed and we both went under for a second. I felt horrible, but Colin literally wiped his eyes and shouted, "MORE!". It was hilarious! He really is such a fish!! I had a major fear of water growing up and was always a chicken when it came to things like this. Obviously Colin did not inherit this problem. :-) He must have gone down another 30 times...luckily we figured out how to hold him up at the end so that he did not go under again. Yesterday, Jer's parents came over and we took them to the same pool to show off Colin's new skill. He was still just as in love and was screaming with laughter the whole way down. After the pool, we all had dinner here at the house and then made a late evening trip to the grocery store. Colin managed to keep his cool during the entire trip, which is an outstanding success at this stage of the game. Any trip to Wal-Mart that does not end with me crying and Colin throwing cans of mandarin oranges is a dream come true. :-) Afterwards, we made a late night snack (late as in 8pm...HA!) of jalepeno poppers and I popped Colin his very first bag of popcorn. He loved it and had a really good time making a huge mess before his bath. All in all, a great weekend!

Summer Traditions Continue!

I really hate it when I get behind on my blogs!! I feel like I have a million things to write about and I don't know where to start! Colin and I went to visit my parents this past weekend. It was an impromptu visit that turned out to be absolutely wonderful. Jer has been working like crazy, so Colin and I headed out by ourselves. We missed Jer a LOT, but it was really nice to travel without Enzo for a change. We got to leave him home with Jer, which made the car ride much easier, no taking him out in the middle of the night, and we were able to come and go from my parents house without worrying about Enzo being stuck inside at their house. I really need to convince them to put in a doggie door. We are so spoiled by ours...actually having to take him out is a pain! :-) Anyway, the weekend was bright and sunny and we had a blast. We spent Saturday with my sisters, precious nephew Jackson and bro-in-law Cory. They were moving, so I had to go spend the day in their new place watching them move and not lifting a finger to help. You are welcome. hehehe! Alieson and I kept a watchful eye over Jackson and Colin who were very busy practicing WWF moves in J's new room. His room was not put together yet, so Jackson taught Colin how to jump off his table and onto the mattress on the floor. Lovely. I swear being the mother of a boy is going to eventually give me a heart attack. They were having the most fun you have ever seen...jumping on top of each other and squealing with delight. Colin thinks Jackson is the greatest thing on earth. In return for teaching him table jumping, Colin taught J the proper way to eat an Oreo...cream first. Meredith was so pleased. HA!

On Sunday, we made our annual trip to the blueberry farm. We go every year at this time because they are only open for about two months in the summer. They are tucked away deep in the country and make the best pies on earth, which we buy in insane quantities. It will come as no shock to anyone that our arrival at the blueberry farm was loud and scene stealing. We are well known by the family that runs the place and they were happy to see us...at least I think. ;-) Please note Jackson looking at us like we are nuts.

This year was more fun than ever because Colin and Jackson were old enough to really take part. They ran around the place having a blast. Colin, of course, tried to eat every berry in sight. I had to buy a pint right off the bat and hand the whole thing over to him. He sat on the porch with Mimi and dug right in. He then ran around the farm (you can also pick your own berries) and stole bites of pie from my dad. We are a family that lives and breathes by our special family traditions, so this always means so much to me. We always eat at the tiny country restaurant down the street from the farm and we always buy tons of pie. Now that I think about it, most of our traditions involve a lot of food. :-) Here are more shots from the day:

Me, Meredith and my neice. She will cook until September, but I can already tell she loves me. :-)

Colin eating berries with his Mimi!

Mama, Mimi and Colin on the porch after lunch.

Colin has been happy to be home this week, but he really misses the family. He has been walking around the house asking for each person by name, which melts my heart. He is such a sweet boy. Some funny tidbits...Colin calls my sister Alieson "YaYa". We call her "Alie" and a couple of months ago he turned that into YaYa and it stuck. He seriously walks around the house all day yelling "YaYa!!!!". My other sister, Meredith, has been waiting anxiously for him to call her by name. SO, this weekend he started calling EVERYONE by name. He walks up to each person and says their name. Mimi, Duke (my dad), YaYa, Jashon (Jackson), and Co-Co (Cory). Meredith got nothing. It was hysterical!!! My pregnant sister is following Colin around the house saying, "MERT!! AUNT MERT!!". Colin would just smile at her. Seriously, this was funny stuff. It was especially bad when they all met us for dinner and Colin yelled "CO-CO!!!" as loud as possible while Mert just fumed. Ah, good times! Oh, and if you have not guessed, we call Meredith Mert. Or Merty Mert. Or Merty McMert. Or Mert Mert in a sort of honking sound. All of that drives my mother insane. My mother calls her Meredith. Jeremy calls her Merthodone or Representative John Mertha. We are really a strange family. :-)