Saturday, October 24, 2009

~I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home~


~We were trying very hard to stay as busy as possible on the last few days right before Steve was due to return from his four months in Missouri. Time seemed to stand still if we didn't plan at least one adventure each weekend. We decided to go to the Wilhelma zoo in Stuttgart for the day with the Williams~


~This is an incredible zoo, and it has this beautiful botanical garden and pond in the center of the zoo. The kids had a great time looking at the flowers and fish that were in the pond. Cole was teaching Kade about why the lily pads were floating, and why they are not able to jump on them and run across the pond.. Kade listened very carefully~


~I thought that this was a cute picture of the boys.. but what I really want you to notice in this picture is how long Cole & Kade's hair is. I thought it would be fun to not cut their hair the entire time that Steve was gone. He is in charge of giving the boys their haircuts.. and I wanted to give them one chance to have hair longer than a buzz cut. I was very anxious to see what Steve thought when he arrived back home~


~Steve was absolutely shocked when he saw the boys at the airport... he said that he did not even recognize them. Needless to say... he was home for aproximately 4 hours before he went and got his clippers and gave them their summer buzz cuts. I think they look so much cuter with their hair short~


~Kade started to rub his head and smiled, he was glad to have his soft head back again. He is so cute with his hair short. I am so glad that Steve was around to give me my boys back~


~Steve immediately went to work on the day he arrived home from Missouri. He cut the boys hair, and then got the mower out and cut the grass. Oh my... it was so nice to have a man back in my life again. Of course the best part is that he LOVES to play and have fun with his boys. They always tell me how much more fun dad is than me. I could not agree more~


~As if the huge smiles on their faces don't give it away! The boys love their dad very much and they were howling with laughter the entire time he raced around the yard with them in the wheelbarrow...the days of summer were upon us and we were having so much fun~


~Steve decided that he had missed four very important months with his boys.. so he did not want to waste any time doing fun projects with his boys. He had the brilliant idea that it would be great to build a big birdhouse with his boys~


~Cole picked out the paint color (green is his favorite), and Kade was there to help put the bark on for the roof and to build the perch.. next step was to fill it up with the seed to feed the birds~


~I love looking out my window and seeing this beautiful birdhouse. The birds are on it all day long. It brings a smile to my face remembering the time that the boys had with their dad on this father/son project. He is an amazing dad~


~School was out in June and we took full advantage of the summer months with the boys. While Steve was at work, we went with the Williams to the pool once a week.. rain or shine! Yes folks... we finally gave in and joined the Germans with their spandex/speedo swim trunks. Aren't these fantastic? The boys love them and say that they are so much easier to swim in. I keep trying to talk Steve into wearing the matching pair that I got for him... maybe next year~


~This pool was amazing. It has tons of pools inside, a wave river, slides, a kiddie area and that is just inside. Then you go outside and have more pools, more adventure areas for the kids.. and this equals a ton of fun for everyone~


~Insert rap song music.. Cole loves to dance and I found him in the pool busting a move.. so I had to capture it on film. He has some serious moves, and I love how much he enjoys getting his groove on. We had such a great time at Aquatoll every week. I cannot wait for summer to come around so that we can go back~

~For It's 1...2...3 Strikes Your Out!~


~Cole loves baseball. He is busy trying out every sport right now, but he really enjoys playing baseball. He is a unique little guy because he bats right, but throws left... it keeps everyone on their toes. He graduated from T-ball this year, so now it is coaches pitch.. he actually was really good - he made some great hits~


~He had some terrific coaches and made a lot of new friends on his Seattle Mariner's team. They do not keep score at this level, so it is great to focus on learning the game and having a good time~


~We lucked out with some great weather for baseball watching. I love springtime and sitting out and watching my boy play ball~


~Watch out! He has his game face on!~


~Cole wanted to be #7.. because he was turning 7 years old.. duh! He is #8 now for soccer, because he is turning 8.. it looks like we have a tradition going~


~I wish that time could just stand still.. he is getting so big, so smart, and so talented in all areas of his life... I am such a proud mom - I sure do love this boy~


~He made us proud by playing aggressive and keeping his head in the game! Yes, he was able to tag this kid out! You go Cole!~


~Unfortunately, it is not too uncommon to have some tears during the game. He is a gentle giant.. and he seems to always find a way to get a little hurt, and a lot sensitive during the games.. we always hope each year that this will not be a part of his game.. but so far, we get tears on a regular basis~


~He is a great team player, and he loves to encourage his friends. The game just ended, and he is all smiles~


~Cheering on his teammates... I look forward to many more years of this...this is the life I dreamed of~