Jackson had such a blast at Remlinger last year we decided to make a day of it this year as well, but this time, we took Gramma Linda with us.
We started off picking raspberries again, and then headed to the rides. Jackson absolutely loved the rides - he went on every single one, and some he went on multiple times (the roller coast, and the steering wheel bikes). He also loved the old fire truck and bus, which he spent a lot of time playing in. With his current (no) nap schedule, we were able to stay longer than last year, and he still wasn't ready to go when it was time to pick up Cole from daycare.
We're so lucky to have such a fun place so close by, and I'm looking forward to taking Cole with us next time.
Jackson and I had a great time at Seafair last year, and with Cole's love of airplanes, we were excited to check out the show as a family this year.
We went to Park on the Lid in Mercer Island again, and found a parking spot just a few blocks away. The boys enjoyed the playground, the Popsicles from the ice cream truck and of course the airshow.
After a few hours at the park in the heat, the boys were tired and ready to go, so we headed back to the car mid-way through the Blue Angels' performance. But we actually had some better views of the show on our way to the car, and then we beat traffic, so it all worked out well.
A few weeks ago, Corey headed to Portland for the weekend to meet up with his friend Spence who was in town, so the boys and I packed up and headed to Yakima.
Some highlights included Jackson getting to sit in a Pepsi semi and honk the horn (we stopped to visit my dad at work on the way into town, and had to check out the trucks while we were there), playing on the playground of a nearby elementary school, froyo, playing out in the yard with Grampa (collecting and throwing rocks, making water balloons, etc.), and cuddles and quality time with Gramma and Great Gramma.
Cole and I headed home that Sunday while J stayed behind with my parents for the week. Thanks Mom & Dad for a fun weekend, and of course for taking such great care of Jackson that week, and for showing him such a great time!
There's not much I love more than the boys in matching PJs
Lisa and Hadley invited us along on their bus-riding adventure today so we made it a family date and met them at the Highlands Park & Ride.
We took the bus to the other Issaquah Park & Ride and then took a short walk to Top Pot donuts for a snack, before scoping out a nearby fire station. Lucky for us, one of the firefighters (Mr. Parker) noticed us peeking in the windows (we're total creepers) and quickly opened up the doors for us, let us sit in the fire truck (J even got to turn on the lights!) and then get some photos. We had some extra time before our return bus trip, so we headed back to Top Pot to pick up some donuts to deliver to the fire station as a thank you.
Cole learned the word "bus" on our trip (after calling both the bus and fire trucks "cars") and now accurately points out buses, though he says "bus" with a lisp (just like J did!).
After walking around and exploring the bus station a bit, we hopped aboard our return bus (same nice bus driver, even!) to round out our trip.
The kids had a blast on our adventure, and it was a great way to spend a morning. Thanks for the invite, Reeders!
"Bus!" (said with lisp) - Cole
Jackson and his lady friends
Pure joy
Cole wanted nothing to do with this photo op
Jackson really wanted to join Natalie and Ellie for their family pic
I can't quite believe it, but Cole is 18-months today! Seriously - time is absolutely flying.
Cole has grown and developed so much over the last few months, and his personality (goofy, BUSY, loud, and all boy) is really coming out.
Here are 18 fun Coley facts, in honor of his 18-months:
Has quite a few words, including = hi, bye (always said with a friendly wave), dada, mama, Jackson ("jah-son"), Roxy ("rah-rah"), airplane, bottle (baba), car, more, Elmo (which he's also been known to call himself when asked who he is), no, yeah, up, down, outside, please ("pwa" while using the sign), nose, eye, bink, help, owie, milk, all done, hot, bless (said after you sneeze, and meant to be 'bless you'), animal sounds for cow/horse/sheep/snake/dog/cat
Enjoys trying to mimic us when we encourage him to try saying a new word. He watches our lips very closely as we say the word and then eagerly tries to say it himself.
Loves cars and airplanes - constantly points at airplanes when he hears them flying overhead, and points out vehicles around us (all of which are "cars", regardless of whether they're buses, trucks, etc.)
Constantly on the move - running, walking, rolling, climbing - with his favorite being climbing on the couch, rolling around, sliding off and repeating numerous times
Knows many body parts and can point to/move/wiggle them when you name them
Loves Itsy Bitsy Spider - one of his books has a spider in it and he will continue to point at it until you sing the song several times, after which he applauds and says "yay!"
No longer uses a bottle at night, which means I've been able to get rid of all the bottles and the drying rack. It's amazing having my kitchen counters back.
Loves a frog book that he has, which is about finding a heart and there's a page where the frog shouts "ARGHHHH!" and Cole will shout "AHHHH!" as soon as you turn to that page
Bed time is between 7 and 7:30 and he wakes up between 5:45 and 6:30 (typically babbles and rolls around in bed until we get him up around 6:30)
Four more teeth - the eye teeth on top and bottom.
While he's gotten more picky with vegetables, he absolutely loves to eat. If he spots me setting the table, he'll often climb into his chair, ready to eat. If you try to take his food away before he's done, he'll snatch it right back, and he often eats more than Jackson.
One of his favorite foods is meatballs/sausage (he will eat almost all the sausage out of the sausage and pepper sandwich I get at the farmer's market each week).
Has been going through a naughty phase at school, pushing and pulling hair, and today, he even pulled someone's eyelashes (I didn't know that was even possible?!). Sigh.
Loves shoes and picking out which shoes he'd like to wear. Crocs are often his 'go to' pair.
Had an allergic reaction back in early June (hives all over his body), and after some tests, we discovered that he is allergic to peanuts, cashews, pistachios and dogs. We knew doggie licks gave him hives but the nut allergy was news to us. While the doctor couldn't tell us how bad any future reactions could be, we now have epipens with us and at school in case he ever has a serious reaction that leaves him unable to easily breathe. Hopefully we won't ever have to deal with that though.
Cole loves to pester Jackson - sits RIGHT next to him while Jackson is watching a show, tries to do things on Jackson's tablet when Jackson's using it, pulls J's ears, etc.
Is very quick to start crying when he doesn't get his way but is very easily distracted by other things we bring to his attention to stop the crying.
When Jackson is sad or has gotten hurt, Cole becomes very concerned. He goes right over to him and pats him on the head (the way that they teach him to say "sorry" at school).
Impatiently waiting for food, with toes on the table.
His arms are very expressive - the more excited he is, the more they will wiggle and shoot out from his sides.
Mama was trying on a new pair of shoes the other day, and I looked down to see that he'd made himself comfy in the box they were shipped in
Helping Jackson water the flowers ends with Cole drenched from head to toe, and by no fault of Jackson.
Guarding his cereal bowl, that I'd tried to take from him since I thought he was done.
He wanted these slippers on the other morning and spent some time running around and exploring in his diaper. Gotta love the bootie crack poking out.
Please disregard my (awful) singing and just listen to Cole.
Seven years ago today I married my best friend and it's been an amazing ride ever since. I can't imagine life without him - I'm so lucky to have him by my side through fun times and stressful times, but most of all to experience life as a family together with Jackson and Cole. Love you, C!
Last weekend, we ventured out on another family hike but this time with some friends - the Barth fam joined us!
We took a similar route to our first hike and headed to Coal Creek Falls, and everyone had a great time. While the day was supposed to be one of the hottest of the year, we actually enjoyed perfect temps in the low 70s, and experienced lots of thunder and a bit of mist towards the end.
The boys all did great, and the older bros even held hands for a bit, though a brief spill left them both face first in the dirt and in tears. They recovered quickly and were back in action.
