First family vacay

So, my dad decided he wanted to take the family on vacation to the Caribbean. We were a large group...Heather, Autumn, Hayley, Dad, Clay, Colton, and of course myself were split between 3 rooms. I had a great time on the cruise my only complaint was that our room was way too small. I think that is typical though for cruises. We visited Puerto Rico, Barbados, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Marteen, and St. Croix. We went to the beach at most of the stops, did a little shopping, went on a dolphin tour, got messaged on the beach....this was pretty cool, wiped out on a jet ski in shark infested water, and roamed the streets of many places. Colton did really well on the trip and was the main attraction to many locals I guess they couldn't resist his baby blues.

So beautiful

1st dip in Barbados

Every day on the cruise the made a different animal

Love the streets of San Juan, PR

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Creations for Colton

So in one of my last posts I talked about wanting to get more into crafty things this summer. I am now signed up for sewing classes. There are four class I am going to where I get to make a tote, clutch, and pj's. I am super excited!!! My latest project has been hand painting letters for Colton's room. I also painted his light switch too for fun. I will also post pics of the wipe case I cover with fabric. I think I may make a sign for his door so I painted an airplane.

Arts and Crafts

Edible Playdough

This was our first project...actually a 2 day project. The first day I set out all the ingredients: peanut butter, honey, and powdered sugar. I put a little bit of each on this tray to let him feel the different textures and taste the different ingredients

Then I let him help mama pour and mix all the ingredients together .Clearly he thought that it was snack time and play time.

On day two of the playdough we (I) rolled the dough into balls and Colton took huge bites out of the balls. Then I should him how to flatten the dough and use cookie cutters to make animals and shapes.

Notice the mouth FULL of playdough

This can be a very messy project put it was a lot of fun. He had more fun eating it than playing with it. I look forward to trying it again in a few months when he is a little older

Stay at Home Mom

No, unfortunatly I am not one of the lucky women that can be a SAHM. However, I am enjoying my 2 1/2 months off pretending to be one. I often think about what I would do if I was a SAHM. Last night I was up until 12:00 thinking about it. So, here is what I would do: read more books for pleasure (typically I only read for information or to learn about something), I would learn how to sew, maybe even get into the scrapbooking craze, I would go to the gym and get this body back into shape. I realize that this is all about me and nothing about Colton. I am getting to him. :) I would have another baby sooner than next year. As far as what I would do with Mr. Colt-man, I think I would make a schedule for the week of certain skills and activities I would work on with Colton. I would plan certain educational outings and adventures. I am a teacher so don't judge :) I have noticed so much growth just these few weeks that I have been home with him. I saddens me that I can only be the best mom a few months out of the year. Don't get me wrong, I love my job as a teacher and I love my students but It is so hard to be a working mom.

14 months

I have now been home with Colt for a little over a week. We have gone to the aquarium, swimming, little gym, art playgroups, and much more. He is having so much fun and I just love to see him learning and experiencing new things.

Since I have been home his vocabulary and mobility is taking off. He can walk across the room on his own. He does best when he thinks I am not watching. He will sign all done and more. Some of his new words are: all done, blanket, duck, frog, fan, good, and this. He loves to do things on his own like he tries to get dressed, put his shoes on, brush his hair and teeth, talk on the phone, use the remote, and many more. I am just crazy about this kid!!!

First days of summer

Today was the start to my summer vacay and boy does Colton get around. He is something else!!!!! Here are a few of his favorite things.....turning on and off the TV in the living room then going into his playroom to find the remote then turn that TV on. Yes, he knows how to do that. He loves to ride around the house on his 4 wheeler. He does not know how to steer well so it breaks mommy's back. Thanks aunt Leelee. :} During the rest of the day all he does is open and close things and throws anything and everything down. I probably cleaned up his toy room about 10 times today. I have a bunch of playdates scheduled during the week and he is attending classes at the Little Gym so we should stay pretty busy.

I think he will be walking pretty soon. He can take up to 10 steps. I am sooo looking forward to have a "toddler".

Colton can...

Now that Colton is a year...13 months to be exact. I thought I would document all the things he can do now that he is a big boy. Let's see, he can brush his teeth (in the bath tub), tries to brush his hair (this is pretty funny to watch), feeds himself left handed with a spoon, shares food and drinks with anyone, clicks his tounge to get attention or flicks his lips with his finger and makes that funny sound. Oh, and my favorite is when the points with his little pointer finger. When he "reads" he points to the pictures just like mommy does. He can drink from just about anything and thinks he is pretty cool when he drinks from from mommy's water bottle. He is just now starting to stand on his own and take a small step. Dr. said he is a really big boy so walking is a little bit more challenging for him.

Words that we can understand are nana (mama), dada, lada (layla), and dond (dante). I think there are a few other words but I am still trying ot decode them.

I am sure there are more things that he does but these are the ones that I can think of for now.