So Much to Blog and So Little Time...

Colton enjoying the bubbles!
Colton and Dad watching the police puppet. Notice Colton's "big boy" shoes. He looks so grown up!
Colton's "dressy" shoes...

Last Friday, Colton and I took advantage of the Tax Free weekend and went shopping. It was really a pleasant outing and gave me hope that Mommy can resume shopping again. It was easy when he was a newborn, but for the last couple of months he's been a little bit more difficult to take in a store for any length of time. We went to Firewheel (an outdoor mall) so it might have helped that we kept going outside after being in a store. Anyways, we needed to get him some shoes for school (I'll explain that in a minute) and his Roobees weren't really working for outside jaunts. I was going to get Pedipeds, but couldn't find anywhere nearby that carried them for him to try on. Someone else recommended Stride Rite so we thought we'd give them a try. We had a great experience at the store. I really wasn't planning on buying any, let alone 2 pair, but they salesman was super nice and they had a really great sale. Colton is wearing a size 5. I got a little teary in the store watching him try on shoes. It was like a real mom moment - buying your kid shoes - not to mention his first "real" pair! I don't know why I'm going on and on about the shoes - other than it really was a fun trip. After getting Colton some shoes, we walked in a few more stores and then played on the playground! Such a great day for our last official day of summer.
Colton's tennis shoes... They even come in the cutest little shoebox!

Colton's new perch. He loves to climb up on the ottoman (he can almost do it by himself!)
Another favorite spot!
Checking out the buttons on the Direct TV box. Jack is not thrilled with Colton's outfit in this picture. I just though it was a cute little shortset that a friend had passed on to us. Little did I know that it was one of Jack's least favorite team's and player's jersey...oops! This is an expression we get a lot from Colton. Jack says I furrow my brow just like this, too. Colton does it when he's concentrating. In this case, he really wants to catch a bubble.

Well, I've been a bad blogger lately... I started back to work Monday so I guess that can be my excuse. One of these days I WILL post about our wonderful trips to Puerto Rico, Abilene & Branson.

For now though I'll just stick with current times. To catch everyone up Colton will now be attending a church day care while I work part time as an ESL teacher. Our sweet babysitter, Jenilee decided to pursue a full-time opportunity that was better for her and her family. We are sure going to miss her this year!

I was in a bit of a panic because she was such a great sitter to Colton, but God took care of us and we found an opening at a small church day care 5 minutes from my school. Colton's first day is Monday, so I'll let you know how it goes. I think he will really enjoy being around some other kiddos his age. There are between 7-9 kids in his class with 2 very experienced teachers.

The thing I'm most worried about is if Colton will actually nap there. He will have to drop from 2 naps to 1 nap in the afternoon. Thankfully, they start them out in cribs and then move them to mats/cots on the floor. A lot of the day cares we looked at had up to 13 kids in one room and they started out on mats on the floor. Colton will also need to kick the bottle habit while he's at day care. I don't think that will be too bad. I'm going to keep giving him his morning and evening bottle and gradually wean him to a sippy cup. He just loves bottles soooo much - I can't go cold turkey. Please keep us in your prayers next week as we make this big transition to day care!

Since I returned to work this week and was without childcare, Miss Karen and Pawpaw graciously offered to drive all the way to our house and watch Colton! Colton has had a super fun week. I think he's set a record for most walks in one day and is keeping Miss Karen very busy! Thank you so, so, so much for taking such good care of our little guy!

God also took care of my work schedule. We have a new principal, so I wasn't sure if I would be able to keep my same hours as last year. Thankfully, she is very ok with whatever I want to do, so for now I decided to do four days a week from 10-3! I'm so excited to have that day with Colton and it will be one less day of driving and day care!

Here are some of the things I want to remember at 13 months...

• Colton loves dogs, cats and birds! He loves to look for them on our walks or in the backyard.




• Loves to play with the mulch in our flower bed or on the playground. Could care less about the swings, slides, etc. He is fascinated with this stuff!




• Really getting vocal - it seems like he's playing around with his consonants, especially b, d, n and m - He wants to talk so bad, but so far "oh, wow, yay, mama, dada and quack-quack" are his words.




• First "real" pair of shoes. Pictures below!




• When Colton sees a dog, cat or baby he kind of does this high-pitched noise. It is way sweet!




• I gave him some pears the other day for a snack and put them on a little tupperware lid. He took them out of the kitchen to eat in the living room and I just knew they would end up all over the floor. Instead, to my surprise he ate them all very neatly and then brought back the lid to "ask" for more! So big!




• My FAVORITE new thing Colton is doing: He will come up to us and wrap his arms around our legs and squeeze! The best hug I've ever gotten!




• Starting to roll his cars and push them on the tile.




• His appetite is really growing. He is eating more and more table food. Some favorites are: broccoli, baked chicken, pasta wheels, peaches, pears, apples, green beans, peas, tuna, cheese, Saltine crackers and potatoes.




• Colton also loves to share his food and insists on feeding you!