Cousin fun...

My brother, Kailey and Morgan came for a long weekend visit!  We had so much fun and stayed really busy!  Be prepared for a picture overload!

While we were waiting for them to get here I got this picture of Addison:

 

How cute is the shirt?! 
Colin has become obsessed with looking at the pictures on my phone... so here he is showing some pictures to Morgan:

 

Friday we all went to City Lake Park, which is right down the road.  The first thing we did was ride the train!

 

This was Morgan's first train ride and she wasn't too sure about it...

 

I love this picture... Colin with his tongue out, Garet just hanging out, Eric smiling at me, Kailey getting Morgan pepped up for the ride =)

 

The kids loved the train!  When it was over Colin took a little break while we waited for Morgan.

 

Then we headed over to the merry go round!  Colin L.O.V.E.S. the merry go round!  He chose his horse and then smiled and laughed the whole time!  I love this series of shots it totally sums up his ride:

 

 

 

It was so super hot so we let the kids swing in the shade...

 

When they were finished they wanted to play on the playground.  On the way we had to wave at the train going by =)

 

My fearless child loved to go down the biggest slide they had.  And he wanted to go over and over and over!

 

That night Garet put Colin down to bed and was gone a really long time.  I was wondering what was going on, so I snuck in and got this picture:

 

He fell asleep while putting Colin to sleep!  haha  I was careful to wake him up.  Too funny!
On Saturday we played outside in the water for awhile.

 

Then, Kailey and I went to a movie (The Heat - and it was hilarious!) and left the boys in charge of all the kids.  I snapped them eating lunch before we left:

 

When we got back, the boys went to a movie while we watched the kids.  Once Garet and Eric got home everyone ran and ran and ran around our "circle"  I tried to get a couple pictures.  We were having a great time!

 

 

Sunday, Garet had to work (boo!) so the rest of us loaded up and headed to Greensboro Science Center!  They just opened an aquarium part so it was crowded, but we had a great time!  Here is Colin giving a penguin a hug:

 

They were looking at an eel...

 

Colin looking at the sharks:

 

Thanks to my brother for giving me a hand with Colin.  It is hard to wear a baby on your front and try to pick up a toddler!  I definitely worked my arm muscles a bit that day =)  Here is Eric letting Colin try to touch the sting rays...

 

Then we traveled outside to see some animals out there!  Colin and Morgan got to get in a tunnel to see some kind of animal.

 

When we got to the tiger, I was surprised to see him so close to the glass!  Can you see him?  He was laying on his back just chillen in the shade!

 

Back inside we got to see T-Rex up close and personal...

 

I was sooooo hot wearing Addison, so after she ate she got to relax laying down in the stroller.  Sweet girl!  (Kailey made her the hair bow)

 

Before we left, Colin picked all the flowers that were there:

 

We had a fun picnic in the back of Eric's SUV and then headed back to the house for naps.  (Although Colin decided not to take one...)  After a big thunderstorm, we got everyone up and headed to a baseball game!  It was Morgan (and Addison's) first game! 

 

Colin was going through all his baseball cards:

 

And look who became famous!

 

That's right!  Morgan is a t.v. star =)
We all had a great time at the game!  Even Addison liked hanging out!

I am so glad we were able to visit with my brother and his family!  We had SO much fun!  And Kailey cut Colin and my hair!  Everyone got along... even the dogs!  I think I took a millon pictures but none of everyone together!  In fact I hardly have any of the adults =)  Guess that is what happens!

Colin-isms...

(I have started keeping these all together on a page at the top of this blog. It makes it easier for me to click back and see what Colin was up to. These are mainly so I don't forget any of these precious moments...)

The pictures are from the other day when we were outside blowing bubbles...

At dinner (almost) every night we ask Colin, "What was your favorite part of the day?" and he always flips it back at us... "what was YOUR favorite part?"  It is a fun time to talk about what all happened that day.

Colin is starting to pick up on times and numbers and days... like Garet and I will be talking about something and say, "maybe at 5:00.." and Colin will say "maybe six ninety four" =)  It's almost always 6.94.

He was super obsessed with the movie Cars... now notsomuch.  He still likes Curious George, Clifford and Thomas the Train.

We were all driving and I looked out the window and the sun was shinning through the clouds.  You could see the rays of the sun shinning down.  I said something like... it looks like Jesus shining down.  Colin picked right up on it and said, "Maybe Jesus will come down."  I said, "maybe..." then Colin said loudly, "You going to come down Jesus??" Then Colin said to us, "He said 'no'" 

When he is telling a story he will say "yesterday" when talking about anything other than what is going on at that exact moment.  Yesterday can be talking about what happened that morning or what happened a month ago.

Have you ever heard the phrase "Bow chicka wow wow"?  and how some people say "brown chicken brown cow"?  Well out of the blue the other day Colin said, "chicken chicken wowow" 
haha

When Addison cries he will say either:  "Maybe she wants to be held a minute" or "Addison is hungry"

Colin thinks that fire trucks go make fires.
as well as puts them out.
oh, and they rescue people.

The other day Colin came up to me while I was nursing Addison and said, "Did she leave milk on your tummy?"... umm... I said, "eh, she is just eating right now..."  Then he said, "maybe a bowl and some milk?"  haha, I told him it didn't really work that way, then he got distracted with his cars. 

 

He has gotten to where he will yell at Suzi.  If Suzi is barking he will yell, "NO SUZI!"  It is pretty funny. 

I told him that he was so funny and he said, "nope, I'm delicious"

I guess I may have said something like, "okay Daddy-o" and Colin picked up on it.  Now he will say, "Mommy-yo, Addison-yo, Suzi-yo..."

He really likes to look at the pictures and videos on my iPhone.

He is a really good kid.  He has some trouble sharing his toys, but when we ask him to he will find a toy to give to whoever he is playing with.  He definitely knows his limits and knows how to jump over them =)  We have had to implement "time outs".  I find that taking things away from Colin is the most effective.  Like his cars, or our song before nap/bedtime.  He is so sensitive and when he does get in trouble in front of people he gets very embarrassed.  Sometimes when he gets hurt, if it is in front of people, he really downplays it and doesn't cry.  The other day he fell and hit his head on the patio (cement) floor and then jumped up and kept going.  I have to pull him aside to make sure he really is okay!  (he was!)

Colin is still SUCH a happy kid!!  He is always smiling - even when he is in trouble (which really makes us mad!  haha)  He is so fun and it is always entertaining to have conversations with him.  I wish I could record all of our chats!  He still LOVES his sister which makes my heart so so happy!

Fun visit...

Monday we had an overnight visit from Garet's dad (Pop!) and his wife Barbara!  We had a nice dinner on our patio, then they gave Colin a marshmellow gun!

They were showing Colin how it worked.  Then Colin tried...

With Garet's help he attempted to blow the marshmellows out.  But I think he just managed to get it all soggy =) 

 

Garet and his dad took turns shooting the marshmellow at Colin while he was running in the yard! haha Colin loved it!  They had a great time!

 

The next morning Colin jumped in Pop's lap to look at pictures...

Before they left, we got some pictures together...

 

And every time we see Pop we have to get one of the Beane boys!  3 generations =)

And because Garet is so good at doing self portraits...

 

We had a great visit!  And love that they are now living closer to us!  (only a 3 hour drive now!)

Day camp...

In Garet's job, he has to be in charge of day camps for the Boy Scouts.  He loves this part because he gets to be outside and help with putting on an awesome, fun day for the kids!  This year he was REALLY excited because he could take Colin!  There was a special group called the "Cubbies" that Colin was with.  He got there around 9 in the morning and I picked him up around 1/1:30 so he could come home and take a (much needed!) nap.  Garet recruited my dad as a volunteer... he got to teach the kids how to fish =)

 

So... this past Monday was the first day.  The boys were excited!

 

Colin's little group got to do pretty much everything the big kids did.  I wish I had gotten pictures of everything... but I was good and didn't tag along!  It made me feel better that Garet was there the whole time (Colin was the youngest in the group).  So Garet would sneek up and peek in on him to make sure he was doing alright.  And he would snap pictures to send to me as reassurance that Colin was having a good time =)

 

 Colin rode a train... and the picture is blurry but he definitely caught Daddy watching!

 

Garet was able to meet up with Colin's group to join in on some of the activites... like the merry-go-round.

 

Each day they had to wear the same shirt.  So guess what we had to do each night... laundry.  And to my surprise (or maybe not so much of a surprise...) it was a full load every night.  Sheesh. 

I love this picture of my guys! 

 

I think my dad had a good time with his "job"... here he is instructing the kids on how to cast a line:

 

 One day they fished off the dam and another day they fished off the bank into the lake.  This was at the dam... the kids were so excited to catch fish!

 

I got to pack Colin's little backpack each day... diapers, snack, water, sunscreen, extra shoes, bathing suit... and they took their lunches.  No I didn't write notes on their napkins, but I did think about it...

 

Addison and Suzi snuck into the picture =)
Garet found Colin searching under the tables for bugs one day...

 

Colin even got to shoot a bb gun!  And every day my dad and Garet would eat lunch with him, then they would go to the pool.  Colin went down for his nap each day with NO problems!  He was so tired when I would get him!

On Friday there was an awards ceremony, so Addison and I went for some of it and stayed for lunch.  I spied Colin with his little group.  They were in their own world in the shade while the presentation was going on...

 

Can you see another little boy all in Colin's face?  Colin kept making faces at him.  Then that little boy tried to take Colin's cup to dump it out in the grass... Colin said, "No I don't want to!" and then chugged his water.  Then the little girl with her back to the camera stuck her shoe next to Colin so that Colin could drive his little car (that someone gave him) on her shoe.  You can tell what I was paying attention to.  It is funny to me to observe Colin without him knowing.  Especially when he is interacting with other kids.  

Each group did a skit, and I was excited to find out the Cubbies had a skit too!  Colin was clueless... but he was still cute standing up there with everyone.  Since he was so young, they gave him a buddy.  In this picture she is standing next to him holding his hand.  They held hands pretty much the entire time.  He didn't seem to mind. 

 

Garet said that when he took Colin one day each of the kids wanted to give him a hug bye.  Adorable.  After the skit we went and had lunch.  One of the leaders gave Colin this crazy headband...

 

... and for the picture Colin wanted to pose with his cookie.  Why not? 

Love my little camper!