Fishing Trip

The Cramer's joined the Jessop's on a fishing trip to Silver Flat Lake up American Fork Canyon. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time- even though the lake had shrunk significantly!

This was Kole's attire for his first fishing trip- he was so excited!

This is how we spent most the day- he slept most the time he was in the carrier- the kid likes to be held!

Russell caught a few fish and Carter was anxious to see how it was done. Russell had to carry him on his back to this little island and then Carter proceeded to tell Russell how to fish- it was great!

Jill and I hung out on the "beach" while the boys fished. Jill and Aiden fed the ducks while Kole and I just enjoyed the quiet and the nice weather.

At one point it got a little chilly so Carter let Kole borrow his hat. Thanks Carter!

We had such a great time. It was nice to get away and just relax! Maybe next year Kole can fish a little with daddy!

September

I love pictures- so be prepared for quite a few! Being that I'm so behind I have decided to try and do less writing and more pictures.

The month of September was a fun and busy month. Love the fall! I'm sure Kole loved it too!

We attempted to do some 4-wheeling since we weren't able to go while I was pregnant. We went out to Five Mile Pass and because of problems with the 4-wheeler could only stay about an hour. It was nice though to get out.

Kole discovered his hands/fist and it quickly became his favorite thing to look at and attempt to eat. It was funny to watch him so intently staring at his fists- in fact going cross eyed sometimes to stare at them.

We attempted the bumbo seat for the first time- as you can see- he needs a little practice!

Lack of sleep? Desperate times call for desperate measures!



We decided it would be fun to can a couple dozen peaches- so we started with these-

And voila- ended up with these hours/days later. (you know- in all our free time!)

This was Kole while canning peaches- totally excited!



We took a drive one Sunday through Butterfield Canyon and it was beautiful! It was Kole's first time to see the mountains and leaves changing - and he slept right through it!

Russell discovered unique ways to feed our child- and Kole could care less as long as he gets his bottle!

We spent many a day just chillin in the bouncy seat- don't you love those chubby thighs!

And that's pretty much how we spent September! We also went on a fun fishing trip- we shall post about later.

Blessing Day

On Sunday, September 5, 2010 we were able to bless Kole in the church. Kole was able to be given a name and a blessing by his dad and we were fortunate to have family join us. It was such a wonderful day! Russell did such a good job- he is such a proud daddy!

Kole looked adorable in his little outfit (I was SO worried it wouldn't fit come blessing day!) and he was a gem. Towards the end he got sick of all the photos- but other than that he did so good! We blessed him in my parent's ward- the same ward and building that I was blessed in. Kinda cool! After the blessing we went to my parent's house and had some food and visited. It was so nice to be surrounded by family to celebrate this special day with us!

*Three Generations*

*Proud Grandparents*

*Two of my good friends had babies close to Kole- future playmates!*

*Dax, Claire and Kole- cousins!*

*It Won't Be Like This for Long*

I'm fully aware that this blog post is totally out of order- but oh well! Who is ever really caught up? I certainly am not!

The other day I heard this song on the radio- It Won't Be Like This For Long by Darius Rucker and I just sat and listened to the words and realized- wow how true this is!! On one hand I thought- thank heavens it won't be like this for long! I don't know how many more days/months I can take of sleep deprivation or how many more times I have to wonder if I know what the heck I'm doing. But on the other hand, it made me realize how quickly time does go by and how much we can miss if we aren't living in the moment. I already miss my little newborn. I know, I know, Kole is only 4 1/2 months old, but it seems like a lifetime ago that I was pregnant and anxiously waiting his arrival. His delivery seems a lifetime ago as well. (perhaps the lack of sleep does that to you?) As we go through each stage with Kole I need to remind myself that it really won't be like this for long- they change so fast! And before I know it- he will be 18!

I have really been trying to simply cherish each day and each moment I have with my little boy. I finally feel like I'm getting the hang of this mom thing and can enjoy it a little more than I did at first. He is SO dang cute and so much fun. I LOVE this stage he is in. He is so smiley and interactive and I'm really enjoying my time with him. The best part? He still likes to snuggle with his mama :) I want to remember every little moment- so I try to take as many pictures as possible and just soak it all in.

Being a mom is by far the hardest thing I have EVER done. The range of emotions that I have felt from the moment I found out I was pregnant till now is incredible. I have had moments when I was so frustrated and wondered how in the world was I going to make it through this. But then I have had countless moments of pure happiness and joy. When I see Kole I can't help but smile and all I want to do is hold my baby and smother him with a million kisses. I know being a mom is hard- but it can't be THAT bad- after all most women do have more than one child :)

*This phase is gonna fly by- if we can just hold on! It won't be like this for long!*

2 Months

I can't believe how fast he is growing. You always hear people say this but you never really realize it till you have your own kids. They grow up SO fast! Kole had his 2 month check-up on Sept 2nd- so technically he was 9 weeks and a few days old :)

Here are his stats:

*Weight: 11 pounds 5 ounces (50th percentile) - this is almost 4 pounds since he was born- he is not having any problems putting on weight :)

*Length- 23 inches (60th percentile) he is skinny but long!

Kole is still in newborn clothes but mostly because he is so skinny. If he had to wear long pants I'm sure we would be in a bigger size but for now he mostly sports onesies cuz its so hot outside.

He also had to get his shots while we were there- one oral medicine and 3 shots. It wasn't as bad as I thought- though he started screaming when she did the first one and didn't breathe until they were done. He was not happy! He did okay until later that night and then he got a fever and was super cranky. He did not want his legs touched and he just wanted to be held.

*He got camo band aids- Daddy loved them!*

After a LONG night and long day of holding him pretty much all day- his fever finally broke the next night and he was a much happier baby!

He is changing so fast and I can't wait for the stages to come.

Bear Lake

Bear Lake is one of my favorite places to go- look how pretty it is!! Our extended family has been going to Bear Lake since my mom was little - and I LOVE that we still carry on the tradition. This year was fun because Russell was able to join us for a few days and we were able to take Kole for his first time. Thank heavens we weren't camping- can you imagine?!

We enjoyed 5 beautiful days at Bear Lake where we enjoyed the nice (but cold!) water, fabulous food (of course!) and great company. We took Kole down to the lake one day but let's just say- he wasn't a fan! The kid does NOT like to be unwrapped- let alone half-naked so he just cried the whole time while we took pictures. (it's all about the photo opp!)

After this torture he happily spent the rest of his time at the beach like this:

Much better!

We were able to spend time with our extended family and the neices especially loved holding the babies.

He tried to catch as much shut-eye as possible- even with all the noise!

When he wasn't sleeping, he was hanging out in his swing. We had 4 babies all under the age of 1 up there this year- and they each had their own swing to keep them happy!

*Kate*Daxton*Kole*

*I love my swing!*

What a fun vacation!

Visit from Grandma & Grandpa

When Kole was almost 3 weeks old, Russell's parents came from Washington to visit their newest grandson. We were excited to have them there and they just spoiled Kole to death. Grandma Cramer had already sent a few boxes of cute clothes, so we were surprised when she pulled out even more stuff! Lots of cute clothes and a darling blanket- and some other gifts from friends and family in Washington. Everyone has been so kind and generous!

G'ma and G'pa Cramer loved holding and cuddling Kole. He loved having a pair of arms to fall asleep in!

We spent our days mostly just hanging out around the house, but we did get out for a few activities. We took Kole to his first meal at Texas Roadhouse (too bad he slept through it!), we visited Daddy at work, and we went shopping at the Outlets in Park City.

Russell's parents also brought US a fabulous gift. I keep meaning to take a picture of it but haven't so this will have to do:

They brought us a beautiful piano! Our "new" piano was actually Russell's grandmothers piano. It is beautiful! (its more of a cherry color than black) I am SO excited to not only have a piano, but to have one that has been passed down. Russell's grandma, Marion, played the piano a lot and was very good at it. She had quite the collection of church music that we also got some of. It's so neat to have this! I was never able to meet her but I am grateful to have a little piece of her memory in our home.

After a 10 day visit it was time to say good-bye! Thanks for coming to visit Grandpa & Grandma Cramer!