Thankful for Fun (Week 45/52)

Thanksgiving was a great time at our house this year. We had both Uncle Marks, Aunt Megan, and of course Papa Wilkinson around to help us celebrate. 

We had an awesome week showing them all the great things Oklahoma has to offer, and Colin loved having more people to play with.

So excited when he saw "DeeDee" (Megan) walking toward us at the airport

We drove to OKC one day to check out some sites

Enjoying a warm fall day while at the Oklahoma City National Memorial

On the ride home from OKC everyone took a nap

On Thanksgiving morning we were all busy in the kitchen, including Colin

A fun little group shot (minus Colin, who wouldn't sit still)

One day we headed up to Bartlesville, OK,
home of the one skyscraper Frank Lloyd Wright ever built.

Colin and the Marks!

Colin was so upset when they all left. We took them to the airport, and when they got out of the car and he realized he wasn't going on an airplane too, he proceeded to cry for at least half an hour.

In fact, we all miss them. Come back soon!

Playing Puppy (Week 44/52)

Aside from pretending to sleep, one of Colin's favorite games is to act like a puppy dog. He crawls around on the floor, he pants like a dog, and he even likes to play fetch.

You never know when the mood is going to strike him, and he will start eating out of his bowl without hands, or he will crouch down on the ground to pick a ball up with his mouth to bring over to you.

What do we need a real dog for? Things never get boring around here with our Colin puppy!

Independent (Week 43/52)

As with any kid his age, Colin is slowly but surely establishing his independence. Unfortunately, he has become very bossy in the process :)

He is not afraid to let you know that he will be doing something, and that you need to stay put while he runs inside to grab a ball, goes into the kitchen to get a snack, etc. Of course, the best part about it is that he still does little communicating with words.

Instead of saying "me," or "I," or "Colin," he pats his chest. Then to he uses his hand to signal you to stop and stay where you are, where says, "no, no, no."

He also likes to pick out his own shows on Netflix to watch. Good thing he's so practiced on using the ipad he can get to any app he wants and can scroll through all the pictures on Netflix to find the one he wants, then taps on it or presses play/done/whatever he wants it to do.

He is also very opinionated about what he wears. Shirts, pants, shoes...on most days he has to approve it before he will put it on.

Oh the joys of growing up! :)

A Gourmet Halloween (Week 42/52)

It's true, we are parents to the cutest chef on the block! And I have my sister Kimberly to thank--she made the costume for her daughter a few years ago :)

Halloween was a great time at our house. We went to a trunk-or-treat held by local businesses in our downtown area the Saturday before Halloween, so by the time the actual day came around, Colin knew exactly what to expect, and he was EXCITED.

Our good friends, Tate & Eleece, went with us to the trunk-or-treat, so Colin demanded they come trick-or-treating with us on Halloween. They also enjoyed some pumpkin-shaped pizza from Papa Murphy's with us.

I am also lucky enough to say I know a local photographer through church who had taken our family pictures a few weeks before, and she asked if she could borrow Colin as a model to practice with a new lens, so we went out a few days before Halloween and took a few shots. He only kind of cooperated, and unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures that showcase his amazing disco pants. Because what chef doesn't wear crazy pants with his uniform??

 

Another Check-Up (Week 41/52)

At the end of October we headed to the pediatrician for Colin's 2-year check-up! He only had to get a flu shot, so that sure made things a lot simpler. He had a blast in the waiting room, and enjoyed the castle in the exam room. And although he was a little nervous about the actual exam, he seemed to know what was going on. When the pediatrician asked Colin which ear he wanted her to look in first, he pointed to his knee. He really wanted to see his reflexes. 

Although I don't have his stats in front of me, he was approximately...

Weight: 28 lbs
Height: 36 in

I feel like he has been growing a ton just recently...the shorts he was wearing all summer were either size 12 or 18 months, but now he's finally growing into all of his 2T fall/winter clothes.

He is growing like a weed!

Gone Fishing (Week 40/52)

We recently took a little trip to Roaring River State Park in Missouri for a fishing trip. We rented a cabin and spent hours by the river while Matt caught some fish. Colin had an amazing time throwing rocks and leaves into the river and helping daddy work his fishing pole. 

The light in this picture is awful, but it shows perfectly Colin's version of "fishing"--holding a stick like a fishing pole, then throwing it into the river.

And I'm happy to report Colin only fell into the river once :) These pictures don't show it very well because of the lighting...he is completely soaked up to his belly button. He was on the edge of the river using the net to scoop up leaves, and he stepped onto some leaves that he thought were on the shore, when he went straight into the water. It scared him quite a bit, but it was pretty hilarious.

We had a great time, and now any time we drive past a pond, lake, or river, Colin "talks" about how we went fishing.

Mr. Fix-It (Week 39/52)

Unfortunately, no pictures for this one, but it's too cute not to mention.

For his birthday, Colin got a little motorized car (looks kind of like a mini 4-wheeler) that he can sit on and ride around with the push of a button. He also got a whole tool bench complete with a set of plastic tools. Now that he has all of these things at his disposal, one of his favorite activities is to turn his car over on its side and "fix it" with his tools, just like his mechanic Grandpa does every day at work.

He has started racing to get his little tools every time he thinks something needs fixing, and he's always willing to do the job, although if he can't do it, he assures me Daddy will fix it later.

It's so fun to see how much he mimics everything we do!

Birthday Boy (Week 38/52)

For weeks leading up to his birthday, if you ever asked Colin what he wanted for his birthday, he would very adamantly respond, "choo choo!"

And so his day was full of choo choos. He got to wear a new shirt Grandma Ann bought him with a train on it. He got a new train set, and I made him one awesome train cake!

We had a fun day playing around the house and we spent about an hour and a half at the playground of the elementary school by our house.

And once Matt got home from work, and Papa and Grandma came over, we had pizza for dinner, and cut into the cake. Colin loved every bit of the cake, and has enjoyed eating the leftover candy in the weeks since.

He also got a Thomas the Train blanket from Grandma Chris,
and it quickly became his favorite. He sleeps with it every night and
loves to cuddle up with it when he's watching TV. This boy loves trains.

Presents Galore (Week 37/52)

Leading up to his birthday, Colin got several packages in the mail. He has always gotten really excited whenever a package shows up at our house, but since I told him these ones were for him, he was extra excited.

Unfortunately, one day a package showed up that I knew held an unwrapped present. Although he tried to persuade me to open it, I resisted. I had to wait until after he went to bed so I could open the package and wrap it for his birthday.

Desperate to get into the package, he found his pair of plastic scissors and tried as hard as he could to open it himself. It didn't work, but at least he's learning to be independent!

Let's Play Ball! (Week 36/52)

When we went to Phoenix back in June, Matt went to a Cardinals games where he got to enjoy an ice cream sundae in a small baseball helmet. That helmet happens to fit Colin's sock monkey pretty well, so one day we went out to the backyard to play some sock monkey baseball!

I'm pretty sure Colin only knows what baseball is because of a Curious George story we have. So thanks, George, for teaching him most everything he knows :)

Hello Utah! (Week35/52)

Way back in September Colin and I squeezed in one more plane trip before he turned two. We traveled to Utah and had a great time seeing family and friends.

So, without further ado, here is our trip in pictures:

Colin and "DeeDee" (as he calls her) playing in the car

Cutest picture of the cutest cousins! Colin and Bridget

Colin loved that Felicity shared all of her toys with him.

These munchkins know how to get into trouble!

The best picture I managed to get of the three cousins.

We went up to Park City one day with the Kundis' and
Colin and Landon got to go on a train ride!

Colin and Landon with Papa Dean up in Park City!

Colin also had a great time playing with Harley.
The dog was sweet enough to let Colin play doctor and put the stethoscope on him :) 

One day we met Aunt Kristy and cousin Landon for lunch,
and Colin had a great time playing and stealing Landon's snacks.

Thanks everyone for an awesome trip! 

Fort Heaven (34/52)

No childhood is complete without getting to build a fort. I used to take clothes pins and blankets to attached the blankets all over my canopy bed when I was growing up.

So I decided to start Colin early in his fort-building lessons. He had a blast!

We started small with a pile of pillows and draping a blanket between them and the couch.

 But soon we were ready to move on to something bigger! We pulled out the kitchen chairs, got out even more blankets, and although they are not pictured, we had to pull out all of his stuffed animals.

It started out as a fort, but at various times it was also a car, a train, and an airplane. I see many forts in our future.

The Boss (Week 33/52)

We recently went to Braum's, a local fast food restaurant/market that makes all their own dairy products and meat, for some dinner/ice cream. Matt and Colin were sharing some french fries which meant Colin got approximately 2 before they were all gone.

Colin crawled past me to get out of the booth, hopped down from the bench, walked over to the other side of the booth and grabbed Matt's hand. Colin then pulled him all the way up to the cash register and pointed at the fryer. 

This boy knows what he wants.

And so of course I have to show him enjoying the rest of his ice cream cone and his very own french fries. He is definitely not spoiled ;)

Just Like Daddy (Week 32/52)

I feel like this is a common theme in these posts, but Colin loves his dad, and he always wants to be just like him. Any time we do laundry or he sees some of Matt's clothes on the floor, he jabbers on about Daddy and usually wants to put the clothes on.

Don't worry, the jeans Colin is wearing here are not Matt's ;) but the belt is. It practically went around him twice, but he wouldn't take it off all morning. And don't let that sour look on his face fool you, he was having a blast!

I have since them bought him two Colin-sized belts, so now father and son can be matching.

Smiths Come For a Visit (Week 31/52)

Kristy, Kyle, and Landon made the trip out to Oklahoma a few weeks ago for a visit. It had been 6 months since we had seen little Landon, who is now 9 months old, so it was fun to see how much bigger he is!

Colin loved having him around, and he was very helpful--always sure to give Landon toys, his blanket, or his pacifier if he saw them lying around.

We spent quite a bit of time together, but I'm ashamed to say I only took a few pictures one night when we went to dinner. Luckily, it was the day Colin and Landon were wearing their matching shirts. Thanks Aunt Kristy for the cute shirt and bringing Landon out so we could play with him :)

These grandparents were in heaven having their two grandsons around for a week!

Pretend (Week 30/52)

Colin loves to pretend. One of our favorite things to play/pretend around here is to put his stuffed animals to bed in his crib. This picture shows his sock monkey and a little plastic parrot who were in need of a nap. We tucked them in with a blanket, and apparently Colin thought it looked so comfy that he decided he should pretend to go to sleep too.

You Can Call Me Mama (Week 29/52)

I'm not sure of the exact day, but at some point in March Colin learned to say "daddy," although it always sounds more like "dah-ee." Well folks, the time finally came that he learned to call me mama! I think I would prefer mommy, but I'll take what I can get!

In addition, his vocabulary seems to be expanding every day. Although almost nothing comes out clearly, he is definitely associating names with objects and people.

He calls both of his grandpas "papa"
His grandma is usually just "ma"
an attempt at "gegie" for Megan (thank goodness for facetime!)

But I would say that more often then having a name for things, the sound it makes becomes the name...
vroom vroom for car
choo choo for train
woof woof (panting noise) for dog
cluck cluck for chicken

He also constantly uses the phrases "what's that?" and "it's stuck!"

And anytime he gets a diaper change or he pooped, he talks about "stinky"

Although his words are still coming and I don't always understand him, he's a pretty effective communicator without words. I love watching him learn new words and figure out how to communicate--this is definitely a fun stage!

Another DC trip (Week 28/52)

It's only been...5 weeks since my last post? Good thing I have this goal to motivate me not to give up.

Way back in July Colin and I took another trip out to DC to spend time with family. We spent a whole week there and had lots of fun. Colin especially had a lot of fun with his cousin Peter. Those two boys are so cute together. I guess that would explain why pretty much the only pictures I took while I was there was of the two of them :)

Shot I took April '12 on the way home from church

Almost identical shot taken in July '12
also on the way home from church

Two cute kids that refused to go to nursery

Notice the shoes :)

We went to a splash pad/fountains at the town square one day.
Here we have Megan, Pete, and Sophie showing their excitement.

Both boys enjoying some organic chocolate milk on the stairs.

Any time one boy went somewhere, the other had to follow. If one was eating something, the other needed it too. They fought over lots of toys, but did share every now and then. They were just too cute together, and I know they will just be the best of friends as they continue to grow up!