Thanksgiving & Black Friday

This year's Thanksgiving was a little different than past years, for one we had a new addition to the family, and for two we weren't running back and forth between families and getting stuffed with two dinners in one day (yeah for the waistline :) )

On Thanksgiving day we went to my mom's house and had a turkey with all the fixin's :) with Katy, Travis, Nathan, Scott, Mom, Owen, and I

Owen got dressed up (of course) to celebrate the occasion in a cute little Baby's first Thanksgiving outfit (from Aunt Bev and the gang - thanks guys!!)

What a little cutie - posing and sticking out his tongue....



During dinner - Owen was just chilling out in the swing and playing with a little connector ring thing (he loves them) he was also fighting off sleep and was sucking his thumb - he finally gave into the sleep thing and got the ring stuck on his face because it was on his hand when he was sucking his thumb....what a silly silly little man....but he certainly provided some fun dinner conversation!



After dinner mom and I made our plan of attack for our ritualistic (and slightly neurotic) Black Friday shopping spree...this consists of flipping through the ads and noting any gotta have em deals and figuring out which stores open when....we like to have fun with the craziness of it all and make fun of the psycho shoppers...we decided we weren't going to go too overboard and crazy waiting in lines so we opted to meet at 5 am Friday morning....

So 5 am it was and we didn't end up getting trampled at all - though it did take me about 5 minutes to get from the front to the back of the store at WalMart...but I was in and out of there in 30 min total (mom dropped me off at the door as there was no way we were going to find a parking spot any closer than say Staples area) ...then we headed to Younkers and Kohls and then to Sams for a free breakfast, which to our dismay was just ending as we got there (at 7 am) so we hit Burger King - ate while we were driving and headed back to Younkers and then to Menards...After that we headed home cuz I had forgotten my Pump and it was about 8 am. So I fed Owen, then we decided to venture out to do some Downtown shopping - and ended that excursion around 11 or so....but the Black Friday shopping fun doesn't end there my friends, oh no....

Scott and I packed up our stuff for a weekend getaway and headed to Ludington - BUT on the way there we had a couple of stops to make in downtown Grand Haven and the Muskegon Kohls...

Once at the cottage, we had a great time! Mom Kole and I hung out with Owen on Saturday and made Thanksgiving dinner while the guys were out on the lake duck hunting...

Here is O with Grandma hanging out in his Bumbo (we've decided he needs a 'jumbo bumbo' since when we go to take him out of it, his little thighs get stuck and the whole bumbo comes up with him)...

Oh and not to forget I get the bad mom of the year award for forgetting a bed for my child - yes I forgot the pack n play - but luckily Owen is not rolling over yet and luckily there is this great little cot that kind of dips in so he probably couldnt roll off of it even if he could roll over and its only like three inches off the ground, so we tried it out for his nap just to see if it would work, and its MAGICAL - every nap he took was at least 1 hr in length AND he slept both Fri and Sat nights all the way through and got up no earlier than 6 am!! I was in heaven!

The rest of our weekend was just a relaxing and fun time with family....and we ended up home around 4 on Sunday because of the snow we were getting and we didn't know how bad it was going to be...once home, we just unpacked and relaxed trying to enjoy what was left of our vacation!

Stay tuned for the next edition of the Kole Chronicles for pictures with Santa....

Where did the Fall go??

Haven't updated in a while - time flies when you're havin' fun!! I can't believe next week is December already, that seems insane to me!!

Our little man is almost five months old and changing so much every day. He has slept through the night for the past two nights (hasn't done this in almost two months now - at least! - if you remember, he was sleeping 10-11 hrs straight @ 8 weeks old, then somehow he regressed and has been getting up 1-4 times per night lately). I know it has something to do w/ the cereal - which he LOVES! My growing boy needed more chow! His new thing lately is pretending to chew, when he watches Scott or I eat something - his cheeks puff out and he makes a chewing motion w/ his jaw/mouth - sooo cute!

Tonight, Owen opened his first Christmas present - from Aunt Kate - who was in town and wouldn't be back for Christmas. Owen loved the wrapping more than the gift, like most babies! But mom knows he'll really enjoy his gift when he gets a little older - its a toy that he can walk with and hold him self steady and then it folds down into a little car - super cute!! (thanks guys!!)









Of course mom can't help but dress little man up - so here are a couple pics of him in the cutest little plaid pants and sweater (and who could forget the little old man cap)...

doesn't looking at this shot make you think there must be a Broadway tune blaring in the background? Looks like he's kicking out some fancy footwork and even has the beginnings of a jazz hand going on....



Almost sitting up on his own...



In other happenings, we are going to be spending Thanksgiving day with my fam and then on Friday (after a crazy shopping extravaganza) we will be heading to Ludington to celebrate Thanksgiving w/ Scott's fam - oh and Scott will be partaking in some duck and deer hunting up north as well!

Not much else going on - just feel like we're so busy - I guess that's what happens when you're a new mom and you work full time! There doesn't seem to be enough hours in a day - feels like once I get home, we have such minimal time with Owen and then its time for bed already! But I just try to enjoy every moment I can with him and have become even more of a multi tasker (if that's even possible) My multitasking includes such things as talking on the phone while clipping Owen's fingernails or holding Owen while washing dishes and talking on the phone (his sleepy wrap does make this easier though, if I remember to use it)...

Oh, we did manage to take some time out without Owen, which is also much needed - last Sunday, Emily and Tim invited us to go see Twilight - before going, I wasn't so sure about it, what with it being the big craze for all the tweeners - but once I saw the movie - I was not let down - it was a great film and I just might read the series!!

Stay tuned...I'm sure I'll have some great stories to share after the Black Friday shopping craze!

He Loves His Dinner...

Yup that's my boy - lovin' his dinner...well - always has, but now he loves actual 'food' as opposed to 'drink'...



And yet he is a little unsure at times...

Four Month Checkup

Owen had his four month checkup on Monday - and he's doing great! We've been given the ok to start solid foods as soon as we want, so watch for updates on that - we'll definitely get it on video!!

Here are his stats:
15lbs 14oz (75th percentile)
25" (50th percentile)
and his head circumference is in the 95th percentile!!

He had shots too :( I think it was harder on me that it was on him! Here are his war wounds...

This week

This week was fun, but oh so tiring.

Sunday, Scott came home from a hunting weekend but before that, mom and Grandma Ruth went out and ran some errands with cute little man...

Owen even helped with the laundry...



Papa was glad to be home and spend some time with his little man...

On Monday Scott had bowling so mom and Owen were on our own. We played togethre and had some fun!

On Tuesday Aunt Barbara and Uncle Richard came into town to visit and meet Owen for the first time. He loved meeting them and was a perfect little man! We hung out at Grandma Ruth's house for a ltitle while then went out to dinner at Crazy Horse, yum!!



Earlier in the evening, Owen even even got to hang out alone with Aunt Barbara and Uncle Richard while mom and grandma Ruth were both out voting. They played with the cutest little drum toy that they brought for him - which plays different songs and makes different noises and even lights up. And I believe there was even some spitting up on Aunt Barbara involved, which delighted Uncle Richard! Thanks for coming to visit guys and for the cute things for Owen! We had a great time seeing you.

Also on Tuesday, we elected a new president! Our nation needs a change and I'm hopeful that we're in for change (for the better)...

Wednesday - I had book club so papa and Owen got to hang out and went to dinner with the Kole family (it was the monthly dinner w/ (great) Grandma Kole event) and I had an awesome time laughing and visiting (oh and talking about books) with all of the wonderful women in our boook club (we fondly refer to ourselves as the Bookaneers)

Thursday, I had a meeting w/ my financial advisor and will be moving some $$ around as well as starting a 526 plan for Owen's college costs. Afte that, Ihad dinner with my friend Heidi! I was exhausted, but was glad to get out and have some fun! We ate at Carinos and the food was awesome! We had a great time catching up and laughing !

Friday, our little fam just kind of hung out and played together, then we made an outing to Sams club - wow we really live on the edge, huh? We had fun together though and marveled at the new and exciting new things Owen has been doing lately: grabbing things in front of him, squealing with delight, talking using different noises - most of them very high pitched!, clicking his tongue, looking out the window in the car, supporting his weight for longer periods of time, sitting almost on his own, and just being plain cute!!







AND Not to forget, Friday, Owen was four month old!!

Here is a group of pics from each month, on the couch with his froggy buddy, just to see the difference - and how much he's grown, its amazing!!!

Nine Years...

Its been so long...yet - I can't even begin to understand where the time went since my dad died.

Its been nine years.

Words can't explain how much I miss him or how deep the void is without him. Time certainly doesn't make it easier but somehow makes it more liveable.

Since he is burried up in the UP, we visit the memorial at Hydro more often. Every year, on the anniversary of his death, my mom gets a beautiful flower arrangement made - and we bring it there - they have a rock with a memorium on it...my dad loved nature so they also planted a maple tree there in his honor...it was only a few feet tall when they planted it, and as you can see it has grown so much.

This year, Scott and I went to drop off the arrangement with Owen. Oh how I wish he could meet his grandpa and that grandpa could meet him!!

Trick-Or-Treat

On Halloween, Owen went Trick-Or-Treating for the first time...well kind of.

We made it two places, Grandma Ruth's house and Aunt Al's house, he just wasn't having it any more after that!

At Grandma's, Uncle Travis was there so The Little Monster (aka Owen) got to show off his ferocious costume....

He got a little hot though, so had to show some skin...

At Grandma's - Auntie Kate and Uncle Mike also visited - they were just getting in town from WI and wanted to see The Little Monster too on his first Halloween....



After Grandma's, we headed over to Aunt Al and Uncle Greg's...they had fun seeing him in his getup and he was their first trick-or-treater for the year...he got a yummy Tootsie Pop!! (watermelon flavor too - mom's favorite, and he even shared - what a good boy)

During our visit with them, Owen decided that he had enough of the fun, he was ready for some chow, so we had to head home, wish we could have visited more fam and friends, it just wasn't in the cards!

But at least we got some good shots of the cute little monster on film...



Getting sooo big and strong!!


All in all, O had a great Halloween - just think next year he'll be walking door to door and maybe even saying trick-or-treat (or at least something that resembles it)....