Happy Birthday, Cole!

I can't believe Cole is already 2. Time has really flown by. He is talking so much lately. I have taken away his pacifier for good, he still asks for it and probably wakes up at night because of it. He wakes up at least once a night right now calling for "Mama". We will start working on potty training pretty soon. Every now and then he says, "Potty" and we run real fast and he poops on the toilet.

July

Another journal page for the Garland family:

July started off with a downer of me turning 30. The nice part was that I got to spend it with my family. All my family was here except Whitney. We had breakfast with our ward and Cole was in bike parade.

My grandmother sent me the letter "C" in a painting to go on the kids wall and it was all in popcorn and Cole and Xander had so much fun with it.

Later in the evening Cole was so dirty that I threw him out in his diaper with the hose and Xander joined in and they filled their diapers up with water. We made a bet to see whose diaper would fall off first. Of course Cole won.

Sunday the 5th Isabel was blessed so some of Elliott's family was there, my grandparents and uncle, and Elliott's co-worker and wife came also. She looked so cute in the dress.

Then my parents took us all to Branson. My parents left Friday afternoon and we left at 5am on Saturday, hoping the kids would still be asleep and since it was cooler. Didn't work, they stayed awake for awhile.

• Saturday evening we saw a kind of chuck wagon show. It rained everyday we were there.



• Sunday we went to church and tried to play games, but it was difficult with 5 kids under 3.



• Monday we went to Silver Dollar City. The first day was frustrating because Izzie wouldn't eat or sleep so she cried a lot of the time. If she wasn't eating the other 2 babies were, so we didn't get to do a whole lot. I did get to ride this ride called The Swing and it was so much fun.



• Tuesday since it was raining in the morning the boys couldn't go golfing till the afternoon. Us girls got to have a massage which was very relaxing.



• Wednesday my family went to see church history sites, but my family and Lindsey went back to Silver Dollar City. It was so much better this time because I found a nursing room that was so nice and cool and Izzie actually ate and slept. We got to see a great stomp like show, Cole got to ride his first ride, and I rode another fun roller coaster.



• Thursday we went to the lake and swam and rode the jet ski. We all got burnt and I was sore from tubing.



• Friday we drove home.

One of the days we were in Branson we went down town and went shopping. I got some fudge and saltwater taffy and we went to the 5 and 10 store and it was so neat to see all the junk there, we spent $60. We stopped by the Bass Pro Shop and the boys got to watch the fish. Elliott spent a lot of time there that week because he tried to go fishing like 5 times and never caught anything. He was so frustrated.

Sunday Lindsey left back for Utah, after a long hard decision she took Cole with her on the plane. I was so nervous and cried when he got on the plane.

We left on Monday and drove to Utah. Isabel did really good and so did Giovanny. We got to Provo on Tuesday afternoon and hung out at Brycen's. We ate out at my new favorite restaurant. Zupa's. It has such great salad and sandwiches, just wish they had one in Texas. While we were there Whitney did my hair we went shopping and we stayed with Zach's wife's family and absolutely loved it. The bed was so comfy and had the best breakfast with them. I didn't want to leave. Thursday night was Whitney and Rob's reception. It was nice, got to see a few old family friends. Cole loved to play on the playground in front of Lindsey's apartment, it was right on the foothill of the mountain.

The drive home was actually pretty good. I was really surprised Cole did good. In his sleep he was dancing though, it was so funny.

Thanks Mom and Dad for the wonderful trips! I didn't want to come home.

Our Saturday

So this Saturday we had a ward picnic and Cole had to play sports and in the water. He for sure is going to be a baseball player or basketball player.

Then we took the boat out with Elliott's parents and I just love little babies in bathing suits. Izzie looks so cute!

Cole rode with Elliott on the tube and he loved it.

Back in March I planted my garden and Bluebonnets in my yard. The Bluebonnets finally grew. They are my favorite flowers. I'm so excited. Even if it is only a few.

Last but not least, we weren't sure how we were going to take Izzie out since we didn't have a babysitter, we tried Cole's old life jacket on and it worked perfect. She loved floating in the bathtub, it was so funny. It you look closely she kicks herself off the wall.

I'm A Big Kid Now

I bought a training toilet a couple weeks ago and Cole has been trying it out. He wakes up and say, "Potty". So I take him and he sits for a little bit and nothing. But when he poops he tells me he has to "potty" but we never make it on time. I also bought him some Elmo underwear since he loves Elmo and he wore them for a little bit.

We are on week 2 of Cole sleeping in a toddler bed. The first night was a long one. Every night since then has gotten better. He has done some funny things while sleeping in his new bed. His second night he got up and for some reason opened up the door to the closet in the hall and was just crying. When I came down to get him, I couldn't see anything because the door was blocking my way. Another time he was taking a nap, started crying opened his door and then went to lay down and went right back to sleep.

We got all the grand kids together when Zach was down and this was the best picture I had.

Last weekend we went down to the farm and we had a great time. Elliott's co-worker Andrew and his wife came with us. They shot guns, went fishing, shot the potato launcher, and swam in the pond. The boys had a blast.

Cole was the last person on the bike before Zach wrecked it. (For story details check his blog) Cole already misses that bike.

I just love this picture of Isabel. She is a tough baby. Not sure what is wrong with her. I thought it was acid reflux, then I thought it was gas, so now I'm not so sure. She has been smiling for a couple weeks now.



After a sleepless night and playing all day in the sun, at the farm, Cole finally crashed while watching Elliott play a game. My laughing made the camera shake.

Elliott's Weekend

This weekend was all about Elliott since it was his birthday. Friday his friend/co-worker and his wife decorated his cubicle. They did an awesome job.

Monday we went to the Scarborough Fair. Cole and Elliott rode an elephant and loved it. Cole got to feed some goats and rabbits.

Izzie did a pretty good job in the heat. She got so hot she had to show of her stomach.

Also, Natasha had Giovanny on Elliott's birthday. We are glad he is here. He seems so tiny next to Izzie.

Finales

The end of the season for all my shows have of course left me on the edge of my seat.
WARNING: if you have not seen these shows then don't read on.
Heroes-I cant believe Sylar/Nathan is gone. I think Sylar's memory will come back because he can heal.
Lost- Will they really go back (or forward) in time and land in CA?
Dancing with the Stars- I thought Melissa or Giles would win, I was surprised.
Celebrity Apprentice- I think Joan only won because Trump likes her so much. Even though Annie is very manipulative, she should have won.
The Office- Yeah, Pam is pregnant. Are we going to see their wedding?
My Name is Earl- Of course Earl is Dodge's dad. But who's the other kid's dad? Man, Joy has been around.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, the shocker for me:
Grey's Anatomy- Are they really killing off 2 characters? I can't believe that was George, and poor Izzie.
Needless to say, I watch a lot of shows. This summer is going to be a long one to wait for these shows.

Joys of Being a Mother

Cole just loves Izzie. He is still kissing her all the time and wanting to hold her all the time. I bring out the camera a lot and he is always in the middle of saying "cheese" when I take the pictures.


I just love being a mother! This is my favorite job in the world. I could not have asked for better kids. I truly appreciate my mother since I have become a mother. It is a tough job and my mom has always made it look so easy. My mom did a great job raising 7 kids. I have learned so much from her and admire all that she has done in her life. She is a very talented woman. So mom, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!



Izzy has been a pretty good baby, she is working on getting her days and nights straight. She loves being held and loves the swing. I love watching her sleep. I love watching Cole learn new things, especially new words.