Cole's charming chatter and just some chatter

    My youngest, the three year old, the baby, the little one, Cole-olie is nothing like the first!

The oldest, the seven year old, the big kid, big stuff is so text book first born! Jackson is smart, a pleaser, an overachiever, sweet, competitive, super tender, thoughtful, heart melter and very mature. He also wants so desperately to be a trickster, but it really is not in him! He will work at until, I am sure, he achieves trickster status but it is not a natural talent! He is so pure that you can not resist him all the same!

    Cole on the other hand is charming,creative,easy going, unpredictable, hysterically funny and will have no problem achieving master trickster status!  I wanted to document some of the things he has said! They will not be as great here without the cocked head, piercing blues and winsome grin but here goes:

One morning coming out of Target:
Cole : Hey momma, did you hear about Chicken and Maurices?
Me: No Buddy, what is that?
Cole: It is a restaurant that serves chicken
Me: Who or what is Maurice ( I finally figured out that we have a Maurice Sendak book "Chicken and Rice" but at the time I could not remember ever talking about a Maurice
Cole: A black and white spotted dog with a brother named Jackson
Me: Do they serve anything else at Chicken and Maurices?
Cole: rice and jellybeans
Me: Gotcha

A random morning:
Cole: Mommmaaaa
Me: Yes, love
Cole: The cookie box said that I needed to eat a cookie
Me: Oh reaaallly??
                                                                Cole: Yep! It did!


Before a soccer game (Cole was not much into soccer this season! We cheered if he even touched the ball and the second goal he scored was for the other team! He still took a victory lap around the field with his arms waving to the crowd)

Cole: Momma, what will I do at the game? (This was said near the end of the season after many games had already been played)
Me: You will kick the ball and try to score a goal
Cole: What will the other team be doing?
Me: The same thing
Cole: Noooooo, momma! I think they will be deer hunting!

Also after a practice he told me that one of his female team mates, Ruby Mae, was a "quiet beautiful princess"! I told her mom that she was the first girl Cole has openly admired!

After thanking the At&T service man for installing our service
me:Thank you so much. It was nice meeting you!
Cole: Thank you for meeting me!

During a long walk home, Cole barely cut his toe while riding in the stroller. He was whimpering and repeatedly say, "ohhhhh my poor little toe."

Me: Hey Cole, ( in my best distracting voice) would you like spaghetti or tacos for dinner?
Cole: Oh Momma, I could not possibly eat tonight because of my poor poor little toe!!

Bathroom time:
Cole : My poopie keeps jumping and then going to sleep, then jumping and then going to sleep. It is back asleep now.  A few minutes later he had a stomach attack! I guess that is one way to describe it!

Brad: Cole are you ready to be wiped?
Cole: No I am not ready to be wiped. I will call you when I am at the finish line of poopie!

Tell me how this happened?

Jackson Douglas McClanahan born May 19, 2005 is seven! The math is right.  I spend most day all day with the guy! I have celebrated every other birthday, but who saw THAT coming?  Blow me over with a feather!

This kid is a great kid! I am so proud of him! He is kind, smart and very mature! Except for one very large part which makes him all boy and still very immature (thank goodness).  He loves all bathroom humor! LOVES it! The other day, I passed by some bras in Target, both boys broke into fits of giggles as they both poked at them with one finger and turned bright red! How is this already happening. I thought this was a preteen thing. If you say "tushie or peepee IT. IS . ALL .OVER! Since I was never a little boy, this is all lost on me! However, I love the fact that something so easy breaks his serious side! This boy has such a great laugh that comes deep from within. I defy you to keep from at least smiling when he busts out!

He also loves every sport! This year he has played flag football, golf and soccer and loved every moment! The fact that Brad loves sports more than any other man I know, increases Jack's love! But I really think that even if he had been raised in a lab he would be inventing sports to play! A new meaning for rat races!

Every spare moment revolves around a sport! I have a plastic basketball goal on the back of my front door. He has multiple sets of football, hockey, and soccer figurines that he plays with for hours! We have an entire indoor closet filled with hockey pucks and sticks, footballs, golf clubs, Nerf guns, and goals! He received a basketball goal as his main birthday present from us,  a soccer Playmobil set from my parents, and golf clubs and lessons from Brad's parents! He is over the moon!

 He has had a great year! Our only trouble is that because he is mature he has trouble recognizing that Brad and I are still in charge! This fact is a little discouraging to him! He kept telling me he could not wait to be an adult until we did a mini-budget lesson! That changed his tune a bit! He thought being a kid was good for now when he figured out that all of the money we make does not go straight to an "all things fun" fund!

I tell the boys all the time that I am so thankful that God choose me to be their momma! How did that happen? What did I do to deserve the honor! I am enjoying every moment and wish they would stop going by so quickly! I told him all week I was trying to figure out how to keep him six! The night before his birthday, I told him that I had not figured out a way yet! He was thrilled! I know that God has amazing plans for this boy! I am so excited to have a front row seat to see what they are!

Enough is Enough

This is the exact gazebo where our prom picture was taken in 1994- (If I was a  techy or organized, I would put them up side by side- so sorry not gonna happen!) This summer we will  have been married for 10 years- CRAZY- I feel so blessed to say that this has been our best year yet!  Wohoooo!

So enough is enough with not blogging! We have finally gotten rid of our old computer! The one that could not right click, was missing the number 9 key(thanks baby Cole:), and only stayed on if you kept the power cord firmly pushed into the side of the computer! That was fun to try to type, click and drag all with one hand! I am claiming this as my full excuse for not blogging more!

 We purchased a Mac Book Pro, and I am soooo smitten! If I were back  in middle school, I would definitely have a notebook filled with Ashley Mac Book Pro, Mrs. Ashley McClanahan Mac Book Pro surrounded by hearts and swirls! Not even kidding! I love it!  I have always made fun of Brad's iPhone being his mistress, but I think now he may be the one that is a little jealous!

Anyways.... I assured everyone when I had a new computer I would definitely blog more! I have had my computer for about three weeks. I have made a photo book, a slideshow, and the kids and I made some really weird faces on Photo Booth.... so now on to blogging...

 Here is the last year in an out of order (sorry not that savvy yet!) picture montage!

First Day of school party

First Day of Kindergarten with his teacher Miss Ashley ( who also has a son named Jack)

One of his first school projects - a timeline of his life

Ancient Egypt day at school with his Pharaoh buddies

The children were dressed as Queens and Pharaohs 

The first Titans game of the season

Making a Nile River model

Halloween with Shaggy and Scooby

Coach Munchak

Disney boat ride to Magic Kingdom

Working on a archaeological dig

My sister's wedding reception

Birthday Suit birthday dance at Disney

His favorite souvenirs lined up while we took a break to eat an ice-cream Mickey 

The picture Jack took of us at Epcot

Traumatizing my children

We were studying Ancient China during this time and had watched Mulan the boys were excited to meet her!

Extremely traumatizing Jack and I know it and yes I cussed. He could not hear me and I got it together enough to put my hands on him and talk softly but I felt terrible. He does say he would go again though. He also rode Everest, Tower of Terror and Space Mountain

Brad and I going to a co-workers shmancy wedding

Ancient Greece Day

Ancient China Day

Jack's class on Ancient China Day

The stopping of the grapes on Greece day

Ancient China Day

Building the Great Wall at the Children's Museum in Chattanooga

Papa's Ballerina debut

Cole is 3

Cole's birthday cake

We made it to Midnight on Cole's 3rd birthday!

Legoland-Pretty Cool since we had just finished our study of Ancient Egypt

Headed to Hollywood Studios

These guys played with Cole forever. He loved it!

Cole struggled with nap times at Disney

Allie's wedding reception

The beautiful couple and my cousins and aunt

We had a Roman toga party at our house and one at school

The menu for "Jackie M's"

Everyone enjoyed being served while laying down

We volunteer on Thursday mornings and then get ice cream afterwards!

Jackson's school year has been so very sweet! I can not believe all he has learned and experienced! The learning has also trickled down to Cole! Our first year into hybrid school ( Brad's term for combination 2 days a week classroom school and 3 days a week with me) has been a tremendous success! I feel so grateful for the time that I have gotten to spend with both of my guys! 

Christmas at Opryland