Fun Around Chattanooga

Today we went on a cruise down the Tennessee River on the Southern Bell with Nana and Grandpa, Cole's great grandparents. Once we boarded the boat, we ate lunch and then headed south down the river toward Lookout Mountain. We learned lots of fun facts about Chattanooga and the TN River. Did you know the TN River starts in Knoxville? As you will see from the pics, Cole thought the boat was a great place for an afternoon siesta.

Another first this week was our trip to Chuck E. Cheese's. It was cousin Riley's 5th birthday. Cole was mesmerized by the videos, games, and singing mouse.

Cole at FIVE months

We have had an exciting month watching Cole grow. This month he got his first cold which caused him to wake up in the middle of the night for about 3 weeks. We thought he was waking up hungry so we started him on rice cereal. He is now sleeping through the night again. Thank goodness! Not sure if the long slumber is a result of the rice cereal or the amoxicillin. But with the rice cereal addition to his diet, he now has at least two more rolls on this thighs! He now weighs about 18 lbs. He is into the discovery mode...squealing, grabbing his feet, blowing bubbles, splashing in the bath, putting everything in his mouth, and LOTS of drooling. Enjoy the pictures: his first time in the highchair and activity center; adventures at Coolidge Park with cousin Abigail; reading Brown Bear and other books with Mommy; swaddling; bouncing in the johnny jump up; focusing on toys and books; still taking 3 naps a day; learning to sit with the Boppy as a support; pap pap (NUK) and stuffed animals are his second love ...after Mommy and Daddy of course.

A visit from my college roommate

Many of you know that I attended Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas. For those who have made the journey out to HU you will know what a truly special place it is. Harding is an amazing school with a beautiful campus and exceptional Christian education. Searcy itself is unique - the highlight is going to Walmart or the Sonic drive-in (which we did at every occasion, thus, the cherry limeade addiction I still have!). I spent four years on the Harding campus with my roommate, Wendy. We have so many special memories together....Kojies, the garage apartment, the nickname "grandmas" because we both are so cold natured, dance parties with Jenny and Tessa, late night toliet paper raids from the front desk under the close eye of Mrs. Cook, the sunflower girls, many double dates, club functions, campus movies....

Wendy has been such a special friend to me over the years. We recently got to spend the day together at Norris Lake. Her boys are so precious. We spent the day on the boat, letting the boys fish, and reliving the old college days. It was a great day for me!

Grady with his catch

Conley with his big fish

Brantley driving the boat

Lane baiting the hook

Will and Jen on the water

Wendy and Cole

All the boys

School Days, Rule Days

Well, folks, you can probably ascertain from the title of this post that summer, indeed, has come to a screeching halt as it always does this time each year - at least for Jennifer (much to her dismay). But it's also been a while since we've posted, so it's also time to update you on Cole and all his latest trickery!

He will be 5 months old in just a couple of weeks...! We can't believe it. He is such a happy-go-lucky kid and we are really enjoying this stage. We've heard that this is "God's curse" and that our next child will, therefore, be a holy terror. Although, I say that, and he's started to learn that he can use his lungs to voice his disapproval (i.e. eardrum-busting decibals of screaming)...but with a smile like the one below, who could stay mad at him for long?!?

Cole enjoys his Johnny-jumper

"Whatchu lookin' at?!"

He's also been learning how to roll over and also to sit up. He does great in the Bumbo...but not so good on his own, yet. He usually leans to one side or faceplants. :) We personally can't wait until he is sitting up on his own because he is TOO DARN HEAVY to carry in his carseat anymore! Speaking of, at a whopping 18 pounds, he is almost ready to graduate to the big boy carseat!

He continues to like to swing, play on his activity mat, and...stand up in your lap. This boy can't be content to just sit...if he's in your lap, he has to be standing! We've also discovered that, like his daddy, he likes to 'break it down' every now and again. He doesn't even need music!! We'll try to get a video of Cole dancing...and like we said before, he has discovered his voice, but we haven't been able to make out any syllables yet.

That's about it! We've been pretty bad lately about taking pictures...we'll try to work on that...but we never seem to have the camera around for those Kodak moments. Thanks for checking in - hope summer has treated you well!