celebrate {coleman - june 2011}

dear coleman,
my apologies for being a few days late in documenting your month. i could say i'm slack, but in reality...i'm distracted. between two flat tires and an *almost* house fire...it's amazing this is only a few days late. but despite my tardiness, you still rock and i love you to pieces.

:: i guess the whole playing-in-a-sink-full-of-water thing never gets old. kitchen, bathroom...doesn't matter. you will beg for bubbles and find containers to use as your water toys. you get soaked. the floor is wet. everything near by is drenched. but it's all worth it for a little water fun, right???

:: you have developed an opinion on what shoes you wear. for the most part, i really don't care. but it does mean we have a few pairs of (very cute) shoes that are sitting unused in your closet. at this moment, your camo (fake) crocs are a favorite. the blue sandals (pictured above) and toy story light up tennis shoes are often acceptable as well.

:: your favorite new question is "oooh, what dat sound?". apparently, you have good ears because you hear things that i would typically ignore or tune out. sometimes when you ask, i'm not even sure what you are referring to and i have to pause and listen before i can answer.

:: your love of slides lives on strong!!!

:: you love helping me or daddy make coffee in the morning. we have a routine down. i get the coffee cup and add the sugar. i get the half-n-half from the fridge and you unscrew the top for me. i pour and then you put the top back on. next, you open the drawer in the pantry that holds the k-cups and you grab one for me. you put it in the machine, pull the level down and hit the button to start brewing. one morning, i had my cup ready but ran upstairs before finishing. i heard you pushing a chair into the kitchen so i raced back downstairs to see what you were doing. my coffee was already brewing! you had gotten my cup, put it under the machine, gotten the coffee and used the chair to reach the machine...impressive (or scary???).

:: you love cake but do not enjoy ice cream. we had a birthday cake for my birthday and you'd ask daily to eat it for breakfast. (and i think your daddy may have given in after i left for work...tsk, tsk.)

:: after being on vacation and away from aj's for almost two weeks, you were so ready to go back. we could take offense to that, but we know you just missed her and your friends. we are glad that you are cared for in a place that you love.

:: you have some funny word pronunciations that always make me smile. instead of "goofy", you say "fooky". instead of "coffee", you say "fockee". i wonder if "f" is your favorite letter???

:: you love, love, love all of your cousins. you are such a lucky boy. they all seem to enjoy being around you, despite the huge age difference. it warms my heart to know how loved you are!

:: you rarely play with any toys other than balls. we love watching your athletic ability grow. your skills are impressive...but we wonder if you will ever be into anything else??? right now, a house full of toys is going to waste. recently i have caught you once playing with your little people.

:: speaking of balls, you have started playing soccer in addition to baseball. you have a soft (plush) soccer ball from ikea. you now enjoy playing this with your bubba as well. it also means you are a bit more fun for colton to play ball with!

:: at aj's, you are drinking almost entirely out of "big boy" cups. at home, we keep you in sippy cups most of the time. we are lazy like that. you do drink from regular cups sometimes, and are very good at it. you also enjoy drinking from water bottles. this is actually the best way to get you to drink water -- give you the bottle. oh, and you insist on unscrewing the top yourself.

:: this summer you are all about the popsicle. you ask for them often, especially if we are outside. and you will eat as many as we allow!

:: you continue to be obsessed with "bracelets". you wear an armful of hair bands and silly bands. they are always on your left hand and you always have a ton. you get so excited when you find another "bracelet" lying around the house!

:: i think we are doing a pretty decent job of brainwashing you into being the best little gamecock fan ever. you can easily pick out a gamecock and identify it, or call cocky by name. with football season around the corner, we are excited and hope you will be too!

:: bubbles, bubbles, bubbles. you love 'em! you aren't very good at blowing them, but we recently found out that colton is. you make a good pair...colton likes blowing the bubbles and you like chasing them down!

:: your new "thing" in the bathtub is to lie down flat on your back. you think it's hilarious. usually towards the end of the bath, we will go ahead and put  up all of your toys so they are out of your way and you can lie down. you will talk and make funny noises because it sounds different when your ears are under water.

:: your interest in art has not sprouted yet. i have stopped pushing you to do things that i know are not your cup of tea. you do a lot of art at daycare but just don't show an intrigue for it at home. so...we stick to balls.

:: you went through a short phase (about a week) where you were walking around the house (and sometimes other places) wearing your winter gloves and toboggan. we have no idea what possessed you to do this in the middle of the summer (in 100 degree heat, no less), but it was pretty funny!

:: thanks to our beach trip, you have gotten over your reservations of the water. you were never scared of it, but you would also take a while to "warm up" to the water - even in the kiddie pool. you are totally over it now. you love, love, love the water.

:: you are doing a great job potty training at aj's. unfortunately, you have taken NO interest in doing this at home. it has left us with quite a predicament!!

all photos were taken in may 2011

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this post is part of a series highlighting the life and growth of our boys each month. spencer will be featured on the 15th of every month, and coleman on the 24th. 

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