Halloween Photos

A couple of photos with Cole's Halloween outfit.  We had them professionally done and he had a blast.  You can tell he really likes the outfit.  

Now we didn't realize how dirty George was until we saw this.  Poor George is so filthy.  

Trick or Treating 2010

Our Big Boy!

Cole has now moved into his transition bed! We debated on when we should make the switch because he really loved his crib, but he was starting to try to climb out. Also, we hope this makes traveling easier. He was very excited about being able to get in and out of his bed. Often times he wants to hang out in his room and in his bed now. The first nap was probably the worst as we could here him getting in and out. He ever went to the door and would play with the handle only opening the door twice. He was shocked when we would come in to put him back in the bed, wondering how we knew he was out. After the initial excitement he had done a great job staying and sleeping in his big boy bed.

Mickey and Minnie!

We have been planning a trip to Disney for some time and finally our schedule allowed. We are able to get season passes at a discounted rate by being Southern California residents. (Yeah, we pay for it in many other ways.) But we decided Cole was old enough to appreciate Disney, so we bought the passes again this year. He had a blast. He was so excited to look at everything. Right now the park is decorated for Halloween. We weren't sure if he would be scared of the characters or if he would want to get close to them and to our surprise he was excited to see them. We were able to meet Pluto, Goofy, Minnie and Mickey this trip. It was really fun for us to watch Cole take everything in. He went on a number of rides as well. The nice thing about the passes is that we can get there when the park opens and then leave by 11:30 or so before the park gets so busy.

Grandma and Aunt Heather's Visit

Grandma Hobson made the trip out in early October to stay with Cole while mom and dad went to a wedding in Northern California. It was a wonderful get away for mom and dad and we think Grandma had a pretty good time as well. Aunt Heather was able to join for the weekend. Cole had a fantastic time and was asking where Grandma and Aunt Heather were for days afterwards.

Cole's "Crazy for Dirt" t-shirt. Very appropriate lately.

Cole has discovered the climbing wall at the playground. Notice dad's hand at the ready. This is the same playground where he fell and broke his leg. No fear.

Rare chance to snuggle and swing.

He hasn't quite figured out how to climb on this.

Cole's fashion sense. He loves to wear the hat and glasses. Usually he says he is going to work when he puts them on. Often times he also puts on bright green, frog rain boots to complete his ensemble.

Cole pretending to be an elephant

Cole is at that really cute stage where he likes to pretend. One of his favorite activities is being animals and the elephant is always a favorite. He is becoming pretty creative.

Getting ready for Halloween

Just a sneak peak of Cole's costume for Halloween! He really likes his outfit. Many, many thanks to Grandma Hobson for helping pull everything together and coming up with some creative solutions! He saw Curious George dress like the Man With The Yellow Hat in one of his books and thought he should be that for Halloween.

Starting Pre-School

This picture is from Cole's first day at pre-school. He recently started attending transitional pre-school classes at the JCC. Cole and dad attend twice a week for roughly two hours each class. The goal is to start the transition to full time pre-school and being away from the parents. Cole has really been enjoying his classes and is doing well in the transition away from mom and dad. They start by playing outside and doing some art projects. Then the kids move inside for some stories, snack and music time. In January we plan to move Cole to twice a week, but for a longer period of time.

Iowa Apple Orchard and Cool Tractor

We have made it home safely and are settling back in to the house.  Cole loves all of his toys.  It is like they are brand new!  Unfortunately it is extremely hot so we are trying to find things to do that keep us cool.  

Below are some photos from the apple orchard we visited with Grandma and Grandpa in Iowa.  Cole had a blast looking at all of the animals and playing with the little houses.  They had different little scenes from children's books set up.  His favorite were the houses from the three little pigs.  

You will also see him "swimming" in a corn pool.  Basically it is like a large ball pit, but they fill a large area with corn.  Cole wasn't quite sure at first, but once he got going it was hard to pull him out.  One of the side effects is the amazing amount of dust that you get covered with from playing in the pool.  Oh well, he had lots of fun.  

This was one of the few days without rain, so we took advantage of it while we could.  

Cole also had a lot of fun checking out Grandpa's lawn tractor.  He got out of the car and stopped dead in his tracks and just stared for a bit.  Then he said "Cool tractor".   He loved playing on it and pretending to drive.  If he could have figure out how to start the tractor I am sure he would have taken off.  Nice to know he is on track to follow in his fathers footsteps of driving by the age of 4!   He did go for a ride with Grandpa and loved every minute.

Some photos from our trip thus far.

We are having a great trip so far. Cole has been a real trooper. He has been excellent on all of the flights and has been adjusting ok to all of the new surroundings for sleeping. We are wrapping up our time in Minnesota and starting the final leg of the trip. John is heading back to Iowa with Cole. On the way he will get to see Jim, Julie and the kids before staying in Ames with Grandma and Grandpa. Mary heads to Philly for some work and then we all meet in California late this week.

Here are some pics from our time in Minnesota. We have been staying with our friends Amy, Jim and Zander. Cole and Zander have been having a blast together and are really cute together. They have been chasing each other around the house and are always looking for the other when someone is out of the room. Zander is such a sweet kid and we are so happy to have been able to spend time with him.

Here are some pics from Connecticut. Cole spent time with his cousins while Mary and John went to a wedding. We were also able to spend a day with everyone. We went apple picking and through a corn maze. Connor and Aidan were fantastic with Cole. He had so much fun with the kids and really enjoyed playing with all of their toys. They truly do have a kids dream house.