P-R-I-N-C-E-S!

We went to the homecoming parade today!   Livi rode her bike to the park and our friends Lizzie and Kristin and Cheryl, Reagan and Rylie met us there.  The girls had lots of fun running after candy!  After the parade, there was a "carnival" at the grade school-the girls jumped in the bounce houses, played games for prizes and got their faces painted!

Cole wasn't too sure about all the noise at first

Alyvia and Lizzie watching the band

The girls waiting for candy

Colson, Rylie, Lizzie, Reagan & Alyvia...at least my kids were looking at the camera!

 

Alyvia and her friend Haley from pre-school

Oh Alyvia-A-TI-TUDE

Face paint!

 The girls had lots of fun together, Cole loved the complete madness and the mommies loved the drinks (and food) at the mexican restaurant afterward!  All in all it was a fun afternoon and evening!

Way to go Mommy!

Me: Livi, guess what I did today (while she was at school)

Livi: What?

Me: I mowed the yard!

Livi: Mommy, you figured it out!  I can't wait to see it!


Back story: Daddy has been busy farming and I asked Livi if she could help me figure out the lawn mower because I didn't know how to work it.  Anyhow, I had time this afternoon while Liv was at school and figured it out (mostly) myself (with Cole's help!).  She cracked me up with how excited she was that I actually did it!

God is Great

Alyvia starts all prayers with the phrase "God is great", which is our normal dinner time prayer.  She and I also say prayers at bedtime.  We lay down and start with "What was your favorite part of the day?"  Then we say our prayers.  Lately this is Alyvia's prayer "God is Great.  Thank you for this day and for all of our wonderful families that God gave us.   Special prayer for ***  Pray for your name-Amen"  Then I have to say my prayer.   So sweet :)

Combining with Colson

Tonight we went over to Mamaw and Papaw's house for dinner.  We've been trying to go over there a couple of times a week to eat dinner with everyone and see daddy for a while since he's working looooong hours this time of year.  After dinner, Livi decided to go to "youf group" with Reagan and Rylie at the Methodist church in Laura and Cole got to take his very first combine ride with Papaw!

Daddy and Colson walking to the combine (take note of Cole's blankie that he always has)

Daddy, Cole and Mommy went with Papaw!  Colson was mesmerized.  He sat still the entire time (which is a big thing if you know Colson) and just looked all around.  He loved when the combine unloaded into the auger wagon.  We only had about 15 minutes before we had to pick up Alyvia, but I think he may have sat there for an hour or more!  I think he may truly be a farm boy if ever there was one!

One Year of Fun

Our baby boy is one.  I can't believe it's been a whole year since this baby boy joined our family.

Now he's this "big" boy and we couldn't imagine our family without him.

In the last 2 weeks you have learned all sorts of new "tricks".  On your birthday you learned how to go down the stairs (backwards) and how to say "yes" (although you haven't done that since).  You clap when we sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" :)  

Your new word is "Uh-Oh" and you use it all the time.  Most of the time you throw things on the floor and then say uh-oh.  You are becoming very ornery!  You go up the 1st 3 stairs and yell "MA, MA, MA!" and as soon as I look you will start to go up the rest of the stairs as fast as you can!  You've also started to say "dada" too.  You always make car and tractor noises when you play.  And speaking of play-you play so nice by yourself.  You just motor around from toy to toy and keep busy.  You aren't walking independently yet, but you get more and more stable every day-I think by October you'll be running circles around us!

We just went to the doctor on the 21st and you are still growing along your same curve.  You weigh 21 pounds and are 29 inches long.  You wear 12 month clothes and most 18 month shirts fit too.  You wear a size 4 to 5 shoe.

We love you more than words Colson or Buster or Coley or Bussy or Buddy....whatever name we call you!  We love watching you grow "so big"!

 

It's pickin' time!

Alyvia has been asking for the last 2 weeks when daddy was going to start picking corn.  Well he finally started last week and Alyvia got to go to the farm on Friday and ride with daddy.

 We packed up her snacks and drink after school and off she and daddy went to farm!

 
She loves to spend time with her daddy....and I think her daddy loves it too!

One is fun!

This guy is one!

We celebrated his birthday with Nana, Papa, Mamaw and Papaw at our home.  We had yummy spaghetti for dinner and then we opened presents!  He actually got to open his own presents at this little party...much to the dismay of his sister :)  One present was in a bag with tissue paper and he pulled out the tissue and....

blew his nose!  Well, he made the noise with his mouth and it was so cute :)  He put it up to Alan's face too, funny boy.  And then he opened his present from Nana and Papa and thought the box looked like lots of fun to ride!

Then he got his present from Mommy and Daddy.

Daddy has wanted to give him this present since before Colson was born.  Daddy got this pedal tractor as a Christmas present when he was 3 years old and literally rode the wheels off of it.  He put all new parts and decals on it and repainted it himself...and Colson LOVED it!  He kept shaking the steering wheel and rocking  back and forth-he wanted it to GO!

So sister made him happy and pushed him around :)  We had to hide the tractor for awhile so that we could do cake.  He wasn't too happy when we first sat him down, but once he saw the cake he perked right up!

I think he had a great birthday celebration!  It was nice to keep his actual birthday a little more low key.  We love you buddy, happy 1st birthday!

365 days ago....

Forewarning: a boring post to document for myself what Colson's birth story is-consider yourself warned!

365 days ago today, Alan and I went to the hospital expecting to have a baby boy....little did we know that it would be 47 long hours until we met our Colson!

 

The night before our scheduled delivery date we went to Olive Garden, which is what we did the night before Alyvia was born :)  The morning of September 14th Alan and I took Alyvia to school, dropped the dogs off at my parents house and went to the hospital.  Our induction started promptly at 10:00 a.m. and everyone assured us "this is your second baby, it will go fast"-ha. ha. ha.  We kept turning the pitocin up and up and up again, but I never got into any sort of contraction pattern.  About 9 p.m. that night it was decided to stop the pitocin, allow me to eat (because I hadn't been able to all day) and sleep.  The next morning we would start the pitocin up again and we'd meet our baby boy on the 15th.  Alan got me chicken strips from the cafeteria and then went home to sleep.  I spent the night in the hospital, a little disappointed, but eagerly anticipating the next day when I'd have a baby in my arms.  The next morning about 6 a.m. my pitocin was back on.  Unfortunately, the story was much the same as the day before.  I made little to no progress the entire day, with the pitocin maxed out.  As the day wore on, I got increasingly frustrated and stopped communicating my lack of progress with anyone.  To say I was disappointed would be a huge understatement.  I was exhausted and didn't know what we were supposed to do at this point.  My bright point though was our baby boy, who despite having a 24 hour "stress test", was doing excellent!  Dr. B came by our room around 7 that evening to talk.  We decided (after agonizing over our options) to try and break my water.  If that didn't work, then I would go home and come back on Saturday and try again.  Was it the right decision?  Was he just not ready yet?  I would be wracked with guilt if he was sick because he was too early.  Dr. B was able to break my water though and I FINALLY started contracting (if I'd only known that was the key)!  I got my epidural around 9:30 and was in a good contraction pattern, aided by my constant friend, pitocin.  As soon as the anesthetist left the room, my nurse came in and said "Dr. L and Dr. B have an emergency at another hospital and they want all their other patients pitocin shut off until they are done".  Are you kidding me?!  Nope, off went my pitocin and my labor slowed down.  Sometime around 1 a.m. Dr. L came in my room and my pitocin was turned back on.  8 hours of steady progress later and Colson Thomas Cowser entered the world at 9:03 a.m. on September 16th, 2010. 

6 lbs. 11 oz. 

So worth the wait....


**If you made it through the whole post, I apologize for the lack of pictures.  Alan claims he tried to take pictures and I kept deleting them-I don't remember that, but it sounds like something I might do :)

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to

We celebrated Colson's 1st birthday today!  He wasn't feeling it at first....

Poor baby woke up from his nap right when people started to arrive at the party.  He was very confused, didn't understand why all these people were at his house and trying to talk to him.  It was kind of a rough road through dinner, BUT he rallied late in the game and came out quite a little winner :) 

Opening presents was CHAOS!  The big kids all wanted to "help" Colson open presents and I had a hard time controlling what got ripped into and who it was from.  Colson didn't even really get to try to open anything.  He was again overwhelmed by everybody crowding around him :(  He got so many great presents though from our very generous family and friends.  After presents we got his smash cake out and sang happy birthday.  Alan and I thought for sure he'd be in tears, but he did really good!!  Colson loved himself some sugary icing!!

Hmmmm, all the big kids are here to "help" me again

It's pretty good so far, but not to messy yet

So good I'll put some in my hair!

Daddy cuts me off at this point!

Why isn't daddy holding me close to him?!

Cole had a quick bath after cake time and was ready to party some more!

Colson's big cake and his "sock monkey" cookies

We were so blessed with great weather and a great crowd of family and friends to celebrate Colson's 1st birthday.  All the "big kids" played so so so nice together!  Colson is one lucky little boy to have so many people that love him, and we are so lucky to have our Colson.  Happy (early) birthday buddy!

Game Day!

You may be thinking this post is all about college football game day-you'd be wrong :)  In our house, "game day" is all about 4 year old soccer!  I love sports and am a little competitive, just a little though.   I'm so excited that Livi is at the age that she can start playing sports!  Today was Alyvia's very first soccer game and she was super excited!

Go gray team!....I think we need to come up with a better name :)  She plays with her friend from preschool, Alexis.

 
She did really good.  She only cried once when a kid from the other team ran right into her-he fell and she stayed standing, I think she only cried because he did!

Trying to shake it off after she got ran into :(

She played some good defense

and tried her very best at goalie, she's still learning how to play the game!  Her team won...not that Alan or I was counting!  She had lots of fun (which is honestly the most important thing to us) and "got a chocolate bar and a juice after the game", as she told Nana!  We can't wait until her next game on Tuesday, go Livi!!!