American Idol 2022

I only caught the last little bit of this because I couldn't find the camera. It went on for about 10 minutes before this...

Santa Makes House Calls

As I have said many times before, we live in an amazing neighborhood with the most phenomenal neighbors imaginable. Thanks to one particular neighbors' generosity (and very high tolerance for shame), Santa made his second annual "house call" to the Coles family.
It is truly spectacular to witness "the big man himself" show up and knock on your kid's door, complete with nice list and the mention of the very toy your kid is hoping for this Christmas. We are so blessed.


The video is a little dark, (and painful to watch considering my loud southern mouth) but it gives you the idea!

The Black...Something or Others

Charlie loves the song "I Got a Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas. They are playing here sometime soon, so the local radio station has been running promotions for the concert for weeks now. The other day after I picked Charlie up from school, I had stopped to buckle his car seat in the parking lot and was standing outside talking to a friend, when Charlie began to shriek for me at the top of his lungs. When I stuck my head in the window to see what all the fuss was about, Charlie said, "Mom...my favorite song is about to come on. The lady on the radio just said "The Black Beans" and that's who sings my favorite song!!"
I have no idea how he knew the name of the band who sang that song, even if he was a little off, but I sure got a good laugh out of it!!

Lights!

One of my favorite things about having a young family is making our own traditions. As a child, I can remember loading up in the car one night after the sun went down, already dressed in pajamas, surrounded by blankets, listening to Christmas music on the radio as we paroled the streets for the best Christmas lights. I don't know if that was a tradition, or if we just did it once or twice, but it must stick out in my memory for some reason.
Last year, I began this tradition with Charlie, and this year Anna joined us as well. And thanks to a very festive family that lives in a neighboring town, I was able to take it to the next level.
About 20 minutes away from us, there is a family that has spent the last several holidays putting on a much-more-than-average light show on their front lawn. They have a local FM station that you can tune to, and every 30 minutes from 6-10 pm you can catch a "light show" in which the lights on the house are synced up to the music. The family collects donations and gives them to a local charity.
So, one cold and rainy night last week, I loaded the kids up (pajamas, blankets, and all), made a stop at the Chick-Fil-A drive thru for an on-the-road dinner, and headed to the light show.

The kids had a great time crawling around the car before the show began, and I think the highlight for Anna was getting to sit in the driver's seat of the van. Charlie, however, was enthralled with the lights from start to finish. Once the show was over, the person who owns the home came out and gave the kids candy canes and red-and-green festive light sticks. It was a great addition to my Christmas memories.

Oh, Christmas Tree

Tonight we brought home the tree that will (hopefully) fill our home with the piny smell of a fresh forest rather than millions of baby spiders (I've heard horrific stories of this and it's one of my greatest fears!).
But, really, it was one of the best Christmas-tree getting experiences I've had in a long time. Usually, they involve Will and I bickering over height, width, and sparseness in a sea of imperfect trees.
This year, we decided to go to the local volunteer fire department and show our support for what they do for us, while scoring a holiday fir. As soon as we walked onto the lot, we saw our tree. I don't know if it was the fact that the options were few, that we were spending hard-earned money on a good cause rather than just a tree (of which we have millions in our backyard) that will go to the landfill in a few weeks, the very real possibility of one of the kids running into oncoming traffic just a few feet away, or if it was just meant to be our tree...but either way, we were happy.
The firefighters were amazing with the kids, took pictures for us, and even invited us into the station to take a closer look at the fire trucks. Volunteer fire fighters are truly remarkable people. Wherever you live, check out your local volunteer fire department to see if they are selling trees and support them!

Dancing Queen?

Over the Thanksgiving holiday, we were able to collect many laughs of the kids with their cousins. Between mine and my sister-in-law's kids, we total 4 kids aged 4 and under (not counting our husbands). Getting the four of them together is my absolute favorite thing to do on holidays. They laugh, wrestle, bicker, and wreak havoc in ways that only little cousins can.
The highlight of the affairs of this trip was, for me, (and according to my sister, my nephews' as well) when Anna decided to break out some, umm... less-than-Caucasian dance moves.
We had moved the ottoman out of the living room to prepare for a family picture when the kids decided to take advantage of the extra space for bustin' some moves, if you will. Before we knew it, the entire family was grouped in a large circle chanting "GO ANNA, GO ANNA, GO GO GO ANNA!" as she "broke it down" in a dance I have truly never seen the likes of outside of the jungle. It was hilarious.
I've tried again and again to have her recreate that hysterical dance, and have failed every time.
And describing it in words would just not do it justice.
I've included a clip of video in which I was able to capture just a "glimpse" of what that night's dancing entailed. It's funny, but it's just a small taste of her previous performance.
Hopefully, we can recreate it for the camera, when her cousins come to visit...

Bringing Back the Blog

There was a time, just months ago, that blogging about the "ins and outs" of life with my two little ones was second nature. A near-daily occurrence. Like folding a load of laundry or making a box of Kraft.
But, somewhere along the way, it slipped away from me. I never made a conscious decision to stop blogging, the days just piled up between posts until coming back seemed too daunting a task. How to make up for all the lost memories? All the words Anna has learned to say? All the hilarious thoughts Charlie has shared? All the precious moments of watching them grow into inseparable siblings?
Then it occurred to me: I didn't just stop blogging...I stopped remembering.
There is something about being a mother that makes you think you could never forget that cute little way the "r's" are pronounced as "w's". Or how amazing it feels to celebrate the Christmas season with a four year old.
But, the truth is, you do forget. Looking back over old posts this evening, it amazes me how little I remembered. What an incredible gift I have given myself to have these memories of life when my children are young, under my roof, under my wing.
I don't want to forget this. Mostly because I don't think it can get any better than having every day with my two children and my husband.
So, I am back. With a resolution a little early this year: Don't let these memories slip. Put them into words the best you can, so you can all carry a piece of this precious time together.

Charlie is FOUR!

I still can't believe it. There is something about four that just seems so....old.
Around our house, birthdays are more like birthweeks, and in Charlie's case, with a little Halloween thrown in the middle.
So, to kick the week off, last weekend we had Charlie's "friend birthday party" (not to be confused with the "family birthday party") at Chick-Fil-A. He loved it and we even got a visit from the cow!








Then, to end the celebration (and his real birthday isn't even until tomorrow), we had family over for dinner and cake. It was then that he got his big from-everyone birthday gift. I think it is still sinking in that it's his...






My precious baby boy, it seems like only yesterday I was pacing the hallway with you bundled in my arms at all hours of the night. And now, here you are, a full-blown little boy. You will always be my first baby and I love you more than words. Happy Birthday my Precious Angel!

Every Little Thing

I head out tomorrow for a long weekend with the girls. And while the thought of a little r&r is a refreshing thought, I am a bit of a wreck. We are flying, and ever since we had kids, neither Will nor I are particularly fond of that mode of transportation. Can't honestly say I know why.

But, I remember my Dad telling me at some point in my life (funny, I don't remember the specific event, just his words of wisdom) "you can't let something that you are afraid of keep you from doing things in life."

So, tomorrow, I board a plane to make some memories with my girls. And, hopefully, I come back a rested and rejuvenated mother and wife.

I think I will set mine and Charlie's favorite song, Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds" on repeat during the entire flight...

"Dont worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin: dont worry about a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right!

Rise up this mornin,
Smiled with the risin sun,
Three little birds
Pitch by my doorstep
Singin sweet songs
Of melodies pure and true,
Sayin, "this is my message to you-ou-ou"

Singin: dont worry bout a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right.
Singin: dont worry (dont worry) bout a thing,
cause every little thing gonna be all right!"

and hope that someday my own children put their little fears aside for the bigger things in life.

Crazy Hair Day

This week is "Spirit Week" at Charlie's pre-school and Monday was "Crazy Hair Day". Before going to bed Sunday night, Charlie emphatically stated that he did NOT want to wear his hair crazy. Knowing Charlie, this didn't surprise me. I struggled a little that morning trying to decide whether to let it go and allow him skip out on the festivities. But then I pictured him entering the school to find that he was the only kid without crazy hair... and being really upset about it. As a final ploy to get him on board, I asked him if we made Anna's "hair" crazy if that would make him want to do the same.

Yet another reason two is easier than one. Here is the crazy-haired duo...

She refuses to take it off...

It's almost bath time, now. How's that gonna work?

It began like any other dinner...

Overwhelming

God, I love my kids. There are times when I look at them, think about them, or see pictures of them after they have gone to bed and, I think, "You two overwhelm me with joy".
Not the kind of joy that makes you jump up and down screaming like Ed MacMahon just showed up, rang your doorbell, and handed you a ginormous cardboard check, but the kind that drops your heart down into your stomach and physically overwhelms you.
The kind of joy that makes me wonder how I ever knew joy before those two.
And seeing them laugh together...it takes my breath away.

Tonight, the four of us were in Qdoba for dinner after Charlie's last soccer practice, and somehow the kids got into this role where they would take turns screaming oh ooh oh ooh oh ohh (think Tarzan after a few margaritas) back and forth across the table. And, while Will and I did the etiquettely-correct thing to do, and reminded them that screaming in a restaurant while people were eating was rude, my heart wanted to explode with joy.
They would stop for a minute and then the rebel of the two (if you don't know who that is by now, you've never read a word...) would cut her eyes across the table, stand on the bar of the highchair, and start the whole show over again, both of them cackling at their delinquence.
I never could have imagined how much joy seeing their relationship would bring me.

I really, really, really love those kids.

The Independent Nudist

Not long ago, I posted about Anna's tendency to remove her diaper, run around naked, and pee on the floor. Seeing as how my first child would never dream of such disobedient, naked mess-making, this threw me a little.
Will and I were very excited a few short months ago when Charlie (at the age of 3 1/2) began removing his own clothes for bath time.
Today, I walked into the kitchen to find "Ms. Independent Nudist" involved in this task...

Check Out the Latest!!

Hey everyone, I don't know how many of you check in now that I have become such a slacker, but if you are still hanging in there, please check out my latest cake venture at cakecreationsbyelizabethcoles.blogspot.com!

I Know, I Know

I am a complete blogging slacker. I honestly don't know how so much time has gotten away from me since my last post! I've been really busy with cakes the past few weeks, Anna is a complete Wild Woman, Charlie has school three days a week and soccer two days a week, and I am training for a half-marathon. Well, I guess I can see how so much time has gotten away from me since my last post, when I put it all in writing!

We've had so many wonderful things that I have missed taking pictures of, and that I deeply regret. I am going to try to get things back on track, so here are a few pictures I took before my photo hiatus...

Charlie on his first day of school...


Charlie and his partner-in-crime, Caleb, on the first day of soccer...




Wild Woman and Charlie out riding after dinner with no shirts. (I let them have Hershey Kisses for dessert. I don't even try to mess with chocolate stains anymore...)





And, finally, my personal favorite, a quick session of Hop-Scotch 101...

It's A Girl!

Just in case anyone wasn't certain, Anna has spent the past few weeks proving that she is, without a doubt, 100%, pure, nothin' but girl. It is a regular occurrence for her to sling a purse over her shoulder, slip her feet into my shoes, grab my sunglasses, and walk to the door yelling, "Bye-bye!" over her shoulder.
I can't put on earrings without giving her a necklace to wear, put on shoes without having to change the ones she is wearing for a different pair, or grab my purse without making sure she has one too.




(Note the purse slung over her arm as she eats...)

Ahhh

Tonight, Will and I took the kids to a shopping center in our area that has lots of restaurants, shops, huge fountains, wide open grassy areas, and a playground. It's a place we used to frequent when Charlie was a toddler, before Anna came along. After her arrival, attending a place like this with a finicky, clingy, crawling infant was just not worth the hassle.
Today as Will and I sat back in chairs along the sidelines and watched as our two little monkeys giggled and chased one another along the stretch of playground, I breathed a huge sigh. A sigh of relief, as well as gratefulness for the beauty that is our life these days.
Don't get me wrong, as soon as Anna really got the hang of walking, she got the hang of running. Away. And into trouble. But that is something I actually like about parenthood. While the midnight feedings and leach-like dependence of infancy is fun for some, I prefer the insanity of books in the toilet, markers on the wall, cereal in the guest room, and underwear in the pantry.

And there is nothing in the world like the feeling of seeing your children running together and laughing aloud, creating their own childhood memories together.

Signs

Of all the parenting books I read while pregnant and during Charlie's first year of life in preparation of becoming a parent, one book that never crossed my mind to read was the Driver's Manual.
Boy, would that have come in handy these days.
Charlie's "latest", as I've come to term his phases, is requiring that I define for him every road sign he sees. And I mean e-v-e-r-y sign. As a driver, you would be amazed at how little you actually know. Particularly when you have to come up with an exact definition that a very particular almost-four-year-old will accept as accurate and understandable.
Gotta run, I have some studying to do...

You Know You Are a Mom If...

I think it is safe to say that you have completely given yourself over to motherhood when you resort to using Mr. Bubble Bubble Bath to shave your legs.
It would appear as though there is no saving the woman who used to buy shaving lotions, get her hair done regularly at a salon, and have her eyebrows waxed on a habitual basis. I actually liked looking at her in the mirror. Oh well...

Ah, yes, and I now smell like pink bubblegum to boot.

Grandmama

Although Anna's walking has played a major role in my absence from the computer lately, she is not the only reason for my hiatus.

Last weekend my grandmother, Grandmama as she was known to me, and "Joycie" to my children, was taken to the hospital with what we finally discovered to be a brain bleed due to amyloid angiopathy, a complication of Alzheimer's disease. The following week became a blur as we spent endless hours in a hospital room at her side as she slipped away. She was finally released from the hospital on Tuesday and transported to a Hospice House where her three daughters, my cousin, and I held her hand as she passed away.

I have spent many hours in the dark the past several nights mulling over what I would write about her. Knowing this blog will someday serve as the only memories my children have of their great-grandmother, the task seems daunting. Because the truth is, even the most gifted writer couldn't put into words the amazing spirit that was my grandmother.

I want to tell my children all the things about her that I can't describe with words. The way her voice sounded when she sang silly songs to me in the bathtub. The way her fingernails barely touched my back as she tickled it until I fell asleep. The way her smile never waned, even for one second, when we begged for one more game of Red Light, Green Light.

The way she comforted me like only a mother or grandmother could do.

The way she gave of herself, like no one I have ever known.

There will never be another Grandmama. And although her mind had been slipping for years, her love and selflessness was always there, beneath the disease.

I can't bring her back for my children and I can't be what she was. But I will use the lessons she taught me to be the best mother and, perhaps someday, grandmother that I can be.

When the days get long and my patience runs thin, I will think of her, of how her smile never waivered, and I will smile. I will strive to be as patient, giving, selfless, and loving as my Grandmama was.

And she will look down on me and be proud of the mother she continues to help me become.