Independence Day

We spent our Independence Day poolside with friends and family; 

barbequing, sipping cocktails, learning to swim underwater, napping, and churning homemade ice cream....what's more American?  It was a great day....

all natural sunscreen is weird....pardon the white sunscreen boogers on this cute face.

this guy decided that this was the day he would learn to swim under water.  and.  he.  did.

Max wasn't a fan of the pool in her early days.  I predict (and hope) that this will change!

Happy Daddy: sunshine, relaxation, and beverages.

Poolside nap

My lovies, snoozing during the afternoon storm.

More Lovies snoozing:  they sleep like this b/c they aren't married yet.  ;-)

Derek's yummeriffic homemade ice cream

Max giving George (Or "Woody" [from Toy Story} as Cole calls him) the stank-eye while Aunt Sta protects her.

Now that Spring seems to be springing, I look forward to many days 'round the pool!  C'mon Summer!

the County Fair

I have heard about the Monroe County Fair for years. I've known people who compete in things there....like the rodeos and horse shows. Not my normal scene, but Jayjay and I decided to brave the sweltering heat to check out the Fair, since we Albrachts are legit Monroe County residents.

Luckily our buddy, Corbin was at the Fair too.  We got to hang out with him while his momma finished up some work stuff.

These two took rides pretty serious.  And had some serious fun!

Max and I swapped sweat.  Then Jayjay and Max swapped sweat while I let sweat trickle down my legs.  And then we switched back so Jayjay's sweat could soak through her shirt. Switch and repeat...

Jayjay and I decied that the Lemonade shake-up that we had been longing for (that may have even been part of the reason we went to the fair) would help us to beat the heat.  

Fail.  

Worst. Lemonade-shake-up.  Ever.

Round two on the space ship was more fun.

Max took it all in.  Give it a few years, baby girl....

The boys were so cute.  We had wristbands....aka a VIP pass for the County Fair.  These boys were free to roam and play!  (with us dragging behind and leaving a trail of sweat).

Cole was so brave!  He climbed the stairs to slide down the GIANT SLIDE!

Woah....it's a biggun.

Hey Corbin!

These boys are two of my favorite. So handsome.  Can't wait to see them grow up and I hope they'll always be buddies...maybe even soul mates like thier mamas!

It wore us all out.  We trudged around, sweaty messes, until we were completely worn out.  

See ya next year, Fair!

Here lately....

...I can't get enough of this kid...

...his wild hair.

...his sweet, sensitive, emotional tenderness.

...him telling his sister, "It's okay, sweetie.  We're almost there," when she grows impatient in the car.

...his love of books all things calm.

...his love of all things wild, loud, and boy!

...his smarts - totally amazes me.  He is coming so far with letter and number recognition.  And, his ability to tell us about his day, interactions, dreams, shows, etc.

...his love for his family.  He could have been jealous of his sister, but he has completely embraced her.  It helps that all of my attention that Max takes from him, his daddy gives him.  He tells us "I love you," at least once a day unprompted.  

...his ability to help out as a member of the household.  He cleaned his room by himself without me asking.

...pretty much everything.  

I love you crazy bad, Cole.  You made me a mom.  I might not be the best at it....but I wouldn't give up being your mom for anything in the world.

happenings....

There just isn't much time for blogging these days but I look forward to catching things up around here.  In the meantime, here's a snippet of what we've been up to...

 playing with family in Jamaica,

 Schroedeling,

 trying some foods,

 playing with friends,

and growing up (too quickly)!

a day in the park

before I went back to work and before it got too-hot-to-breathe we spent a day in the park.

 it was a perfect day for soaking up the sun, fun, and puddles at the bottom of the slide.

Cheeks

It just so happens that these cheeks, all four of them, are perfect places to smoosh my nose into.

Mondays

this photo was taken after Cole's Monday....notice the clock says 6:15...that is PM....as in, he came home, ate dinner, went back to his room, and passed out.  Poor kid....Monday gets the best of him sometimes. 

What I Love About Cole (today)

there are countless reasons why i love this child. here are some of today's biggies:

his sensitivity,

 that he lives inside of his imagination,

 that he loves to entertain his sister,

 and his funny, silly, animated personality

i am so incredibly lucky to get to be his mom.

CityGarden

I absolutely love living in a small town and the feeling of safety and security that comes with it.  However, there are days that I so miss living in the city.  However, I am so grateful that we are close enough to St. Louis to take advantage of all of the free, fun, family activities that it holds. 

This venture took us to the Citygarden.  I was so impressed as it was my first visit.  The garden offers lots of art and sculpture for grown-ups and FUN waterplay for kids.  Well worth the trip for the free entertainment!

 Cole was thrilled to be able to play and get wet in his normal clothes.  I was so glad I thought ahead enough to bring sunscreen and a change of clothes (I surprised myself with the thinking ahead part!)

 Seriously, how fun does this look!?  I wanted to run through with him!

 However, Maxine and I sat and watched from the sidelines while she snacked.

 Cole did a little (creepy) people watching from close up.

 Then Max napped in her stroller while we followed Cole around.

 Cole loved the Pinnochio statue!

I may have had to drag him away....but I promised him another visit!