A new visitor.....

Cole's elf finally showed up on our front porch tonight! And he arrived in true redneck style.....on a Monster Truck!!! I thought he was supposed to arrive on Thanksgiving but now that I see he was traveling from the North Pole on a Monster Truck, I understand his delayed arrival :) Although I think Santa realizes that Cole is too young to really understand how his magical elf works, he wanted him to have one this year so that we can document it and look back on in the future.

Since Cole isn't quite old enough to name his elf, we are simply calling him "elf" this year...how original huh! Although I must say, after seeing his vehicle of choice for is first appearance, I'm tempted to name him Cousin Eddie :) "Elf" even brought along an activity book with all sorts of fun things for Cole to do over the next month...how cool!!!

We have been on the go nonstop over the past couple of months. The house is decorated for Christmas and I will try to post pictures of it all soon.....the key word is "try" :)
Cole is growing up waaaaay too fast. He knows a few animal sounds like dog and lion and is saying a few more words too! His real talent is spotting flags....yes that is right....the boy can spot an American flag from a mile away and everytime he sees one he yells over and over (very loudly) "DAG"!!!! (which of course is supposed to be "FLAG"!!!) Driving up and down hwy 31 is now much more interesting and I promise you that there are LOTS of flags to be seen on hwy 31 :) I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!! We have sooo much for be thankful for :)

Fall/Halloween pictures

Everyone says "you must have a thousand great pictures of Cole"....uh wrong!!! When I'm behind the camera, I'm still Mom and like many of you, I can't get my child to look at the camera!

Thankfully Dal was there to help get his attention too :) Our "session" was rushed but I wanted to share these pics anyway. We also went to Boo at the Zoo and Cole learned a little how to Trick or Treat. Well he knows to hold his bucket out so people can put candy in it anyways!!


He is supposed to be a cowboy for Halloween. However, I couldn't get him to wear his cowboy hat nor hold his horse for these pictures....so he ended up looking like a farmer instead!! haha!! If I can get the hat and horse in any pictures tomorrow, I'll be sure to post them :)

I hope everyone has a Happy and SAFE Halloween!!!

Uncle Brent's visit

My brother came into town last weekend. I'm so happy that I was able to get few (not great, but ok) shots of him and Cole together. These pictures were very impromptu but hopefully I can get more great shots when he comes back next month :)

the Captured Moments STUDIO

For the past month, Dal, his dad and uncle have been working around the clock to finish my brand new studio in our basement. They just finished and I am absolutely thrilled with the way it turned out!!!! I still have to decorate the walls and do some paint touch ups but it is ready to use :) I am so excited about my studio shoots for this Saturday.

Check out the pictures on my photography blog..
www.capturedmomentsbykimblog.blogspot.com

Swine Flu attacks....

We found out yesterday that Cole has swine flu :( We have battled a fever of 103-104 for the past two days. Today he seems to be doing a little better and his fever is stayed around 101 thankfully.

Dal had swine flu a couple of weeks ago so we are all too familiar with this irritating virus.

Hopefully I will stay well...I have lots of photo editing to catch up on as well as more photo shoots this weekend!

Please say a prayer that Cole continues to get better and we can say goodbye to the flu for good!!! :)

We're still here!!!

Ok so I realize that I've been a baaaaad blogger lately :( We have been so busy and it's hard to find the time! I'm going to try and do better!!! We have lots coming up...the Pumpkin Patch, Elmo Live!, and Disney on Ice...hopefully I'll get to share lots of pictures with everyone very soon!

Cole started Mother's Day Out today...he was supposed to start in Sept., but seeing that swine flu seemed to be spreading like fire, we decided to keep him home for a while. I couldn't believe how emotional I was though! When I was making his lunch this morning, I started crying!!! When we got to MDO, he walked right in his classroom and started playing :) His teachers said he did great!

Dal is wrapping up his Pizitz Football season in a few weeks :) Cole loves the cheerleaders and the band!!

Cole and I took a trip to the zoo yesterday...I thought the weather was great but I would have liked it to be a little less humid. We had a great time anyway! Can't wait for Boo at the Zoo now!


We have been working non-stop on finishing my photograph studio in our home (and by "we", I mean Dal's dad and uncle). It is looking great and if all goes well, it will be completely finished sometime next week :) Here's Cole helping us getting ready to lay the hardwoods (and I can say "us" because I was involved in this part of the construction). I plan on posting pictures of the new studio sometime next week!

This Month's Favorite Things!

Ok so because I am female, I change my mind...A LOT! Therefore my favorite things change all the time!

First and foremost my favorite things are: my Faith, Family, and Friends. I don't put these on the list because they are just "understood".

1. I would have to say the top of my list right now would be Kids Market!!! I got to shop early since I contributed and I am soooo glad I did! I got some GREAT deals. Cole got a playset (swing and slide) for just $35!!! And it is small enough to come inside when it is cold or rainy! He also got LOADS of toys, books and some clothes too! He has already loves his "new" things :)

2. Kirklands...I had forgotten how much I love this store because I hadn't been in so long! Thanks to my friend, Amanda, who just decorated the walls of her new home, I am inspired to change up a few things in our home too!...and what better place than to start at Kirklands...they have GREAT deals!

3. Storytime at the Hoover Library...this still makes the list. We LOVE Tuesday mornings and Cole is starting to get the hang of it :)

4. Speaking of the library, I am so happy that Cole LOVES books (which is why I bought so many at Kids Market). He is constantly bringing us a different book to read and look at with him....it's definitely one of my Favorite things about my little man :)

5. Tamiflu....I realize how strange this sounds, but let me explain. Dal found out last Monday that he had Swine Flu!!!!! So the Dr. prescribed him Tamiflu and also gave him a prescription for me to take it too, to help prevent me from getting it! Thank goodness! So far so good....Cole nor I have gotten sick....yet!

6. Lowes....because my very talented father in law and uncle are building my photography studio, I have become VERY acquainted with Lowes....just give me a Lowes work vest and a name tag and I could work there!! (I will post pictures of the studio progress soon!)

7. Fall....I love everything about the Fall Season. I love doing early Christmas shopping, getting together for Thanksgiving and I am very excited about Halloween this year! (I've already gotten Cole's costume!! hehe!)

8. Chicken/Cheese Dip....again, let me explain. A few weeks ago we gave Amanda a housewarming party. One of the girls made a chicken and cheese dip that was oh so yummy!! I found the recipe and made some today!!!

9. Crafts...ok so I haven't actually started doing crafts with Cole yet, because I haven't figured out what a one year old can do that won't totally destruct the house :) If you have any suggestions, PLEASE send them to me because I love doing crafts!!!

10. "Premier Season"....I don't know the official name, but I'm referring to the time that all the shows' new episodes come on!!! My #1 favorite show right now is definitely Criminal Minds....I could watch this all day, every day!! The season premier is this Wednesday and I'm sooooo looking forward to it :) Other shows I'm ready to see are: The Office (Jim and Pam's baby!?!?), CSI-NY (who got shot??) and even Grey's Anatomy (although I'm not really sure why).

I hope to post new pictures and video very soon. Between the swine flu, my job, and being a mom :) I just have to find the time!

Keepin' up with Cole!

Sorry that I have been a baaaad blogger lately! I just don't know where my days go!!!

In between my three "jobs" (I really don't call them my jobs because I consider them FUN!)....I have been soaking up my little man too :)

Cole starts Mother's Day Out next Friday, so this past Monday we had our orientation (there's an interesting twist to this story, so keep reading). We go in to meet his teachers, who are really sweet! He went right over to them and loved on them! In the meantime, I am talking to another lady, filling out paperwork, etc...when two more little boys and their moms come in.
So, Cole, his teachers, the two boys and their moms are all sitting in the floor playing while I'm doing paperwork. All of a sudden I look up and Cole's entire right side of his face was BLOOD RED!!! I walked over (with a very concerned look of course) and said "what is this...is he getting a rash??"....one of the sweet teachers then politely told me "no, that little boy just grabbed Cole's face and pinched him really hard". I couldn't believe it!!!! The mom NEVER said anything to me nor did she correct her son!!! Anyway, Cole was a tough little guy and never cried. Thankfully I did hear the mom say that her son would be coming on a different day and wouldn't be in Cole's class...whew! I know that these things happen, but we had only been there 10 minutes!!! Needless to say, it was NOT a great first experience. The mark on Cole's face is already gone and I'm confident that next Friday will go great though :) I don't have a picture of it, so I just posted my little man eating blueberries and bananas!!

Cole and I started going to a weekly storytime at the Hoover library. He LOVES LOVES LOVES it!!! and I do too! :) We sing songs, the kids eat a snack and the teacher reads a story! It is our new Tuesday morning event we will look forward to each week. If there are any 1-2 yr olds near the Hoover area that want to join us, let me know!! (they have classes for all ages) (sorry this isn't the best picture, but I was the only mom that pulled out the camera...and I didn't want to come off as a complete nerd, so I just snapped one really fast!!)

A few of my favorite things...

I thought it would be fun to share a few things with you (and the rest of the world)....here's a list of my current favorite things :)

1. Applebees (well, on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays)
Applebees offers a $1.99 Kids Menu on Mon, Tues, and Wed. I love taking Cole because we can eat lunch for soooo cheap! Cole gets 4 chicken fingers, applesauce and milk for only $1.99. I usually eat two of his chicken fingers, order me some fries and a water and tada...we have a full lunch for less than $5.00!!

2. Etsy.com
Thanks to my friend Sara Katherine, I am HOOKED on Etsy.com It is a great site....I have ordered several things and have been very pleased with it all. It is a site for people to sell their homemade things...you should check it out!

3. Wald Park
I love taking Cole to Wald Park...hopefully the weather will stay nice for a bit longer (and maybe cool off a little too!) so we can keep going :)

4. My Photography Business
First of all, it allows me to stay at home with Cole, which is PRICELESS!! I can't tell you how much FUN I am having with my photography business. Yes, I'm still selling real estate but I absolutely LOVE doing photography and working with kids.

5. Teaching Dance
Speaking of working with kids, I LOVE teaching dance. Those girls say the funniest things and Lynn and I could have you laughing all day with the things we've heard. I'm so ready for classes to start back!!

6. Two Little Monkeys Blog (Missy Gurley's Blog)
I LOVE reading all of Missy's posts of her twin girls, Abby and Emma. Tuesdays are her "craft days" and I find myself extra excited to learn a new craft from Missy's blog. Also her "Say what Wednesdays" are hilarious too...her girls say the funniest things!

7. Football Season
I love this for two reasons. First reason is that Dal gets home everyday around the same time. I can actually cook dinner and we can eat as a family! This can't be done during baseball season because I never know when he will be home (sometimes 9:00 or later!), so I'm taking full advantage of him coaching 7th grade football. The second reason is because I'm a Bama fan....nuf siad :)

8. Kids Market
I'm in the process of getting everything ready to sell at Kids Market. Although it is VERY time consuming, I absolutely LOVE going to Kids Market!!! And I am so excited that it is close to my house this year too!

9. Facebook
If you have a FB account, you don't need an explanation for why it is on this list :)

10. This Blog!
I'm so happy that I can share our life with family and friends! I can't wait to turn our blog into a scrapbook one day :)

Growing up way too fast!

I have been so sentimental lately...not sure why. It may be because my little BABY is looking more and more like a little BOY! He walks (and runs), and talks alll the time...he waves bye bye to EVERYONE he sees and is just so much fun!!! He took his first plane ride to Tampa recently and did great. He waved to EVERYONE on the plane the entire trip home...people were cracking up at him. His sweet little laugh is so contagious. He LOVES for you to chase him and gets so excited when you do that he can't even stand up because he is laughing so hard!! He LOVES playing with Abee too....she, on the other hand, doesn't love it so much ;) I find myself wishing that I could freeze him at this age. I've been working a lot lately and have to make myself take the time to stop and play with him (which I do!). He is like a sponge and is just soaking in everything going on around him.

Cole will be starting Mother's Day Out one day a week in September. On one hand, I'm very excited about this, but on the other, I'm kinda sad too! I know he will love it :) My little boy is just growing up way too fast!!!

These pictures are from when I took Cole to a park last week to check out some photography spots...I THOUGHT I'd get some cute pictures of him while we were there...WRONG! Trying to get your own one year old to look at the camera by yourself = disaster :) We had fun though!!