End of Summer

We had some warmer weather at the very end of August and beginning of September and it was so nice to get in the sunshine *one last time* before the rainy season closes in for the next nine months.

Brady came over for “swimming and sandwiches.”

   

Playing at the lake with Juden and Sawyer

Juden let JT borrow his tube!

Soooooo very happy.
 Haley got hooked on some new foods: oranges and corn on the cob. How she is eating all of this so nicely with two little teeth I will never know.




Can’t get enough of those pigtails!
She ate the entire thing. Really.
Last summer BBQ at Grandpa and Grandma Cole’s
We got the turtle pool out one day last week and spontaneously invited Gracelyn and Tyson over for swimming and sandwiches. It was so fun! Haley kept dunking her face in the water.



  




Good-bye, summer. We’ll miss you.

Footprints

For a long time now, I’ve been saying that I bet Haley’s footprint at a year old would be the same as JT’s at birth. (After all, her head is still smaller than his was at birth, and she still wears 0-6 month shoes.) I took footprints for Haley’s one year birthday to put in her baby book. Today I dug out JT’s baby book and compared. Okay, so hers is a little bigger. I scanned them in so you can see for yourself!

Happy Birthday Haley!

We were so excited for our little girl to turn ONE. I woke her up with the traditional birthday song. (Okay, I didn’t wake her up. She always wakes up before I go in there.)

The day before her birthday, we had her party. It was a “get ready to get wet” theme and everyone seemed to have a great time. We set up a bunch of water toys, threw water balloons, ate a sandwich buffet, and feasted on cake pops from Grandma Cole.

We saved opening presents until after Haley’s nap… and the next day… and the next. I think it’s nice not to overwhelm little children with present after present. This way, she’s had something new each day. Today was the last of it, so now we’re back to status quo.

Just like when JT turned one, we had professional photos taken. I don’t have the pictures back yet but I do have a link to the “teasers” on her blog. We love Sarah Ellen and would recommend her wholly! (For us, she has taken JT’s one year photos, Haley’s birth photos, Mother’s Day family photos, Haley’s one year photos, and Jim’s sister’s wedding pictures!) I will probably post my favs when she’s done with them.
We had Haley’s one year check up this week. She is 27.5 inches tall (15th percentile) and weighs 14 pounds, 12 ounces (below zero, no gain in the past month). Our pediatrician, who is fabulous, told us not to stress about food and make it a battle… but to please offer healthy, high calorie, nutrient rich food every two hours. She also told us to see if she would drink more whole milk from a bottle than from a sippy cup. “You can break her of the bottle at 15 months instead,” she said, “but let’s get some weight on.” Haley’s doctor acknowledged that Haley is an energetic, cheerful girl who has her one-year milestones but wants to make sure we’re doing all we can to keep her growing. Now that she is eating more on her own, I’m curious to see if she puts on some weight. She loves to be in control!
At one, Haley…
  • can say mom, dad, brother, dog, grandma, cracker, hi, bye, truck
  • can sign milk, all done, more, sleep, change (diaper)
  • waves, claps, points, can give kisses, high-fives, and phone homes (if you don’t know, ask JT)
  • is pulling to standing and beginning to cruise
  • can climb stairs up – working on coming down

Hooray for being one!

In honor of her first birthday, I finally had a photobook of her birth photos printed. I love it!

The Rock

While you’re camping at Steamboat Rock, it is kind of a must-do to climb the rock that the park is named after. This year we did it as a family – packing Haley and, most of the time, JT too. The North Carolina Coles bought/brought us all matching shirts for the trip and we wore them on our hike. It was a great workout, a great view, and a great time! I made a separate blog posting for this because we took so many pictures. When we got to the bottom, my mom had a triple batch of pancakes waiting with hot sausages. Yum.

The kids get ready for the big hike

The whole group

Haley and Mommy

Helping JT walk just a little faster

Rock in the shoe!

Starting the climb

Go, JT!

It’s a family effort

The view from the top – all of us!

Just the Keene family

Haley was tuckered out and slept on the way down. 🙂

The Early Bird

Since she was born, Haley gets up before JT. I used to be frustrated because she is up early but came to realize it’s nice to get her up, fed, and dressed before child #2 gets up. Plus, we get some Mom-and-Haley time.

In the tent at Banks Lake, this was no different. Fortunately, JT sleeps like a rock and he didn’t wake up when Haley was “talking” in the tent. One morning, however, I let her wake him up… so sweet.

Banks Lake Trip 2

The very best part of our summer is always our Banks Lake trip. We got to go twice this summer and we were really looking forward to going with my parents and my brother’s family. When we arrived at Steamboat Rock State Park, we were greeted by mosquitos. Hundreds. Pounding at the glass of the truck, wanting to get in and suck our blood. (If you think I’m exaggerating, I’m not. It was like a horror movie!) We should have known then that it wouldn’t be the perfect trip we dreamed we’d have. Let’s see…

  • Mosquitos + 100 max repellant with deet + Ivarest lotion = irritable campers
  • Lost the boat anchor when the buoy line snapped the first day
  • Sewer line at our campsite got clogged; had to switch sites after a day of no bathroom
  • Favorite Mexican restaurant closed the night we went into town to eat there
  • Haley got a virus and spent three days hovering between 101 and 103 degrees
  • Went back to Mexican a different night; both kids threw up at the table
  • Got a phone call midweek that our dog had busted through our fence and spent the morning barking at our neighbor’s dog… from their own backyard
  • Haley got her second tooth while we were there and so we ran the humidifier in the tent for a few nights. Tent sauna.
  • Our friend hurt his shoulder tubing
  • Our nephew hurt his back skiing
  • The air conditioning in our truck didn’t get fixed after all

I feel like I’m forgetting something. Anyway, my sister-in-law kept saying “We’re making memories!” and truly, we did. We also had a fabulous time, actually, when we weren’t getting eaten alive. The weather was gorgeous and hot, and the water was great. I skiied every day but two. Jim skipped a few more days because he was busy biking and running in the early morning hours and got sore legs and a nasty blister.

We had a bunch of friends and family visit while we were there, which was fun for JT. He was a little host: when new kids showed up, he would invite them to play and show them around. Very cute.

I took over a thousand pictures, kept 800, and have narrowed it down to a mere 70 to post online. I’ll post ten here and you can click to the rest if you like.

First day – the only cloudy day!

Haley loved her floating turtle

Morning ski run

“I’ll share my towel with you, Sadie.” ❤

Fun in the bunk beds in the trailer

Splash!

Breakfast in the Boat – a tradition

Sisters
Planking… have you heard of this?
Family Picture 2011

The Arrival

Finally, the moment we wait all year for: the Coles arrived from North Carolina on July 25. We were soooo excited! In preparation, JT got to help Jim mow the lawn. Note his “safety sunglasses.” 

JT also got his first ever barber shop haircut… by the same woman who cut Jim’s hair for years when he was growing up. Thanks, Marlo!
The girls had a fun overnight with Aunt Becky and we took the kids to the park the next morning to play.

You can’t visit Seattle without some Starbucks…
 Haley got to enjoy her first strawberries and her first “Cindy Loo Hoo” pony tail that week as well.

We camped out at my parents’ house with the Coles for a few days so we could spend as much time together as possible. Here my nieces and I are smashing roasted garlic bulbs to make rosemary bread – yum!

At the park

Swing!
Love this picture!
Haley and her Uncle Jeff
Haley enjoying the music at the Cole Jam Session