Happy Halloween

We met up the Saturday before Halloween to have a little party with all the family at my parents house. It was so fun to see all the kids dressed up! (Oh and Josh! lol)
Josh's costume was great! It scared some of the kids but Claire and Kole didn't seem to mind. Kole was a little police officer. When I saw this costume I knew I had to get it and Russell loved it! Only problem- when it came time to wear it 2 months after buying it- it was a little small! Yes, yes, they were shants!

Kole with Grandpa and Grandma- (Apparently Kole was a little tired)

*Our little fam*

*Kole and Claire chillin on the floor. They started out side by side and somehow Kole managed to get himself turned around!*

We didn't do any trick-or-treating this year because it was freezing (and raining) and because Kole would have no clue what was going on! We instead stayed inside and enjoyed some yummy homemade soup and bread and some great company. Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Patch

The Pumpkin Patch is a MUST when you have child- even if they aren't old enough to appreciate it! Kole and I headed out the pumpkin patch in Herriman with these guys:

*Jill, Aiden, Carlye & Claire*
*and Carter (he was obsessed with the tractors!)*

We did buy a pumpkin or two (thanks Jill!) but mostly went to take pictures of our cute kiddos.

As you can see- Kole was thrilled to be there!

Aiden could have cared less about the pumpkins- he was obsessed with the tractors too!

We did manage to get a few fun shots! Kole is definitely batty for Mommy!

and such a happy baby!

Love his matching socks!

Fashion Faux Paus?

Russell watches Kole in the mornings while I'm at work- so he is the one that gets him dressed for the day and ready to go to the babysitter. Some nights I'll lay out an outfit or two as suggestions for Kole- but most the time- this guy is on his own!

One of my favorite things is seeing what Russell decides to dress Kole in. I used to have to wait until picking him up- but now he sends me a text every morning- it's the highlight of my day! I totally get a kick out of some of the outfits! I only snapped a pic of two of them - but there have been quite a few!
This particular day Russell put Kole in a short romper (so a one piece outfit) AND put pants on top of that! I can only imagine the babysitters surprise when she went to change him- hehe. I was laughing so hard- apparently our kid needs double coverage on the bottom :) (also check out the matching socks! haha)

Another fabulous outfit- a long sleeve shirt (because it was a tad chilly) and then shorts! But good job on the matching sweetie!

My most favorite though is when Russell puts pants on that are too small for Kole. Just because they are in his drawer/closet does not mean they fit! On several occasions the poor kid has been in what Russell has started to call "shants"- because they are not long enough to be pants and not short enough to be shorts- so apparently shants are somewhat like capris- but for boys.

Thanks honey for dressing Kole everyday- I can only hope he will take some direction from his mother when he gets older! hehehe

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!*