Howdy Folks!

Big Tex did not speak today, but that is what he usually says. Today my dad "Grandaddy" and stepmom Deniece "Niece" invited us to the annual unveiling of Big Tex at Fair Park. They volunteer with the parade at the fair each year and we get to enjoy the perks! We all had a great time! Here are some pictures from our day:

Big Tex is under that sheetCole is getting a little nervousWell... a lot nervous!Carson enjoying the golf cart... And he's up! Big Tex got a makeover this year including a yellow shirt and new boots!I attempted to keep Cole out of the water, but who am I kidding?Checking out the floats in Granddaddy and Niece's tent

After we left Fair Park, Deniece and I took the boys for lunch at Campisi's (my favorite) and then back to her house to feed the fish.

Right after this, Cole fell into their hot tub.

The State Fair opens on Friday and I could not be more excited. My dad has taken me every year since I was a little girl, and now we take the boys at least once (usually a few times) each year. I am hoping Carson will be brave enough to ride the ferris wheel with me for the first time.

I love everything about the fair; being outside, the car shows (even though I hated this when I was little and couldn't wait to get to the midway) the rides, and most of all... the food! I do not get excited about the new fair food each year, such as chicken-fried bacon, fried banana splits, etc. I am perfectly satisfied with the tried and true fair food... a Fletcher's corny dog, funnel cake, tornado twisters, and fresh-squeezed lemonade. You know... all of the healthy stuff!

Happy Birthday, Julie!

This weekend my cousin Julie turned the big 3-0 and we had a fun girls' dinner to celebrate her birthday!

Wacky Wednesday and a Couple of Videos

Carson was absolutely thrilled about Wacky Wednesday at Preschool this week. Seriously... you'd have thought he had been to Disney World! Our preschool has one day per month that the 4 year olds can go for a fun day with enriching activities. Oh. my. gosh. Carson talked my ear off the entire way home about how Ms. Leah popped popcorn ALL BY HERSELF in a Mickey Mouse popper IN THE ROOM, not in the microwave, and the popcorn went down the slide into a bowl and it was JUST LIKE BEING AT THE CIRCUS! And they painted with "dry soap!" That stumped me at first, but then it occured to me that he has probably never used any soap other than liquid soap and so he thought the bar soap was SO cool. Who knew that Wacky Wednesday was going to be just like the circus! I bet Ms. Leah felt like she had been at the circus as well!

This weekend I was talking with my cousin Laura and I was trying to get Cole to say her name. He kept pronouncing it "DORA." I started laughing and tried to correct him, then he got mad and would only say "NO!" Here are some videos of him saying Laura (Dora) and Carson (Sarsen).

Scary Doctor!

A funny thing happened at the doctor's office today. I took Cole to the ENT to have his ears re-checked. I just love this doctor because he has a great sense of humor. For instance, when he walked into the room he asked Carson if he would like some Barbie stickers and Carson said no thank you! So he brought in Hello Kitty stickers instead. :) He finally redeemed himself with monster stickers.

Before the doctor came into the exam room, Cole was dancing, singing, and standing on his head (seriously). As soon as the doctor walked in, he must have flashed back to two weeks ago when that same doctor had to suction his ears out - obviously NOT a good memory. He clung to my neck for dear life as he was examined.

When we started to leave, I stood at the counter to pay and Cole ran back toward the exam rooms yelling, "Bye-Bye!" I said, "Cole, come here." He waved again and took a few more steps away. I repeated myself - "Cole, come here. right. now." He inched a few more steps away from me. I told him, "You'd better come back here or that doctor is going to get you," but he was just being a little stinker and kept taking steps backward saying, "Bye-bye". Well, that doctor reached around the corner and grabbed Cole's leg, and you should have seen the SHEER TERROR on his face! He completely freaked out and screamed at the top of his lungs trying to get away, while the doctor, nurses, receptionists and I all cracked up! A lesson learned, maybe?:)

The receptionist took pity on Cole and tried to calm him down with a sucker, but his little hand was shaking so hard that he could hardly hold it.

I was telling Mark about it tonight and said, "Cole, tell Daddy about the doctor." He ducked his head, glared his eyes, and said, "Scary Doctor."

Lazy Day

It has been a lazy, rainy day at our house! The weather from Hurricane Ike didn't get as bad as was predicted (we had visions of wind gusts blowing trees into our house/fence 3 weeks before we close on it). We should be packing, but we have spent the day watching Million Dollar Listings, taking naps, watching Notre Dame football and having Wii tournaments. Carson is pretty good at the Wii! Of course, not as good as his Mama. :) Cole has spent the day "singing" the new songs he has learned at Preschool, and it is so cute. I need to get him on video. He has also spent the day taking off his diaper (a new trick that I am not very fond of). I guess we can always pack tomorrow...

Whirlwind

Well, I haven't posted in awhile, so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Preschool started last week and it has been great! I have an awesome class, and Carson and Cole both have the sweetest teachers. Cole didn't get to start with Carson on the first day because he was still getting over an ear infection (our first and hopefully last of the season). Carson bounced out of bed at 6 AM and requested a breakfast of bacon and eggs. Mark said, "What do you think this is... IHOP?"

Sweet Ms. Leah!

Cole's first day of Preschool:
Cole is all about the backpack. He wants to be just like Carson. He almost fell over backwards trying to wear it!
The week before last, we put our house up for sale. We got two offers after 9 days on the market, and accepted the second offer. We've been searching for new homes online, but it was time to get out there and see them in person. We searched from morning until night all weekend, and found a house in a great neighborhood that we just love.

Since we had a contract on our house, we went ahead and put an offer on the house we found, contingent on our house selling. On Monday we found out they got a second offer (so we were sure they would not accept our offer), and then the lady who was supposed to buy our house decided to change her mind because she wanted us to do a million things, which included putting in a sprinkler system for her. So Monday night, we went to bed thinking we would not be moving after all. Tuesday afternoon we got a call saying that the lady wants to buy our house after all and our offer on the new house was accepted! A few things have to fall into place, but it looks like we will be moving at the beginning of October!

Oh, and one final note. Cole experienced his first time-out this morning. Just for the record, it was for pitching the biggest full-blown fit you have ever seen in your entire life all because I opened a banana before handing it to him. Apparently he wanted to do it himself, and right then, the world came to an end.
And then there was fallout when I washed his favorite blanket.
OH, the drama of being almost two!
But don't worry... the blanket finally came out of the dryer and all is well in Cole's little world.