What's Your Name?

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While we were sitting around waiting for dinner to be delivered, RT and I were working on names with Cole again. We would point at each other and he would say "Mom", "Dad" and then when we pointed at him he smiled and said "Cole!" We were so excited because we had been working on this for so long and he finally said it! We are so proud!

Baby x2 and TECH vs BAYLOR

Saturday was another busy day for the Muir family. First up was the Johnson house. My friend Robin {we have been friends for 20 years!} was in town for Thanksgiving and invited us over so Cole and her 2 older kids {Luke (5) and Halle (2)} could play and so I could snuggle with her new identical twin boys! Ben and Beau are 10 weeks old and are oh so precious! Of course Cole was super shy and didn't want to do anything but sit right next to me until I said it was time to go and he decided he wanted to play with Luke. I did a terrible job of documenting our visit like I always do. We get too busy talking and I completely forget to take pictures, that and it is next to impossible to get all the kids together for a picture. There is just too much going on. I did manage to get a picture of the twins to share with you. They slept the whole time and are so sweet!

Thank you for inviting us over! We love visiting with you when you're in town!

Next on the agenda was the TECH vs. Baylor game at the new Cowboys stadium. RT and I dropped Cole off at my in-laws and went to the game with my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. We met up with some of my friends at their tailgate before the game and I saw a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while. Then it was into the stadium and up to our seats. When I say up I mean WAY up....we were on the very top row of the stadium. It was a hike and RT and I were definitely spoiled from the Cowboy game we went to recently. Anyway, the game was a nail biter but we managed to come back an win 20-13. There seems to be a theme in my last few posts....lack of documentation. I didn't take any pictures at the tailgate and I didn't take a picture of my husband in the TECH shirt he bought earlier that day!

These are a Few of My New Favorite Things

Friday we spent the day decking our halls. RT got all the Christmas decor out of the attic and I worked on the inside of the house while he worked on the outside. We had Christmas music blaring and Cole was loving all the lights. I have picked up and was given a few new Christmas decor items and I thought I would post them so 20 years from now I will remember when I got them {in case anyone ever asks}, So here they are in no particular order:

Elf on the Shelf. I heard about this last year and knew Cole was too little then so I made sure I got one this year {my mom gave it to Cole for his birthday}. It is so cute! There is a precious book that goes with him and the interactive website is awesome! Basically this elf watches you and reports back to Santa every night and lets him know if you have been naughty or nice and then comes back and watches you from a different spot every morning until Christmas.
Cole made this hand print ornament at his NanaNett and Pop Pop's house while RT and I were out. I LOVE IT and immediately put it on our tree!
I am super excited about this chalkboard wish list. I plan on setting it on this little table with cookies and Milk for Santa on Christmas eve!
I was OBSESSED with this Advent calendar last year and I am so thankful my mother-in-law bought it for Cole this year. I didn't get a chance to have his name monogrammed on the bottom but will get it done before I pack it up for next year. I can't wait to fill all the pockets with Christmas sussies for Cole each day!

My sister bought this "M" ornament for me and gave it to me the other night. LOVE IT!

I got this right after Christmas last year and I think it is so cute! I plan on eventually having Cole write a thank you letter to Santa and put it in this so Santa can get it when he comes on Christmas Eve.

My mom gave me these new ornaments for Cole and I put them on his playroom Christmas tree! Aren't they so cute!

{Front} {Back}

And lastly Kori also gave me this sweet ornament that I will treasure forever!

And there you have it....a few of my new favorite things!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here are a few things I am thankful for:

my health MY HUSBAND sweet potato casserole COLE my house diet coke

my camera FAMILY Finn FRIENDS cold weather MOM pecan pie warm bed

MY HUSBAND traditions sleep our Christmas tree FORGIVENESS COLE

pumpkin cupcakes chocolate blogs no paci fuzzy socks Christmas Music toys everywhere

Dad my education Grace COLE freedom my sister MY HUSBAND... {the list goes on}

Thanksgiving 2009 was pretty low key for us this year {and I did a terrible job documenting it!} We started the day off with breakfast and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. Cole woke up in the best mood and was running {literally} all through the house and would stop to watch the parade when a cool balloon caught his eye and then he was off again. WILD! Then we all got ready and headed to my sister-in-law's house. This was her first year hosting and she and Brandon did a fantastic job. We watched movies and football and feasted on Turkey, green bean casserole, roles and pumpkin pie. Cole pretty much played with the doggy gate the ENTIRE TIME....now I know what to get him for Christmas...Ha!

After stuffing ourselves at Dee and Brandon's we headed over to my parents house. We met Kori and Jon there who had spent the morning in the ER because Kori had had a migraine for a week and none of the medicine was working and she just couldn't take it anymore. They gave her an IV cocktail and she seemed to be doing better. We took family pictures outside and the guys watched more football and played with Cole. My parents did an amazing job on our thanksgiving dinner. We had turkey {the best turkey I have ever had} dressing, sweet potato casserole, broccoli and cheese casserole, monkey bread, wine and homemade cherry, pumpkin and pecan pie. Seriously one of my favorite meals of the year! By the time dinner was over everyone was exhausted and stuffed and we called it a night {but not before I got my leftover bag to take home}.

{My grandma's silverware. I LOVE It}

Thank you to Dee and Brandon and my parents for working so hard and cooking wonderful meals! I am thankful for you!

Cows in our Neighborhood!

I was leaving my house on Saturday and this is what I saw. Cows! I live in a regular residential neighborhood! They were grazing on the grass in a field were there is a fenced in area for soccer practices and for dogs to run and play! They were so happy! At one point they were running around and kicking their legs like they were so happy to be free. I have to say it wasn't something you see everyday. Too bad Cole was asleep in the back seat...he would have loved the cows!

Donner, Blitzen, a Goody Bag and NO Common Courtesy at Christmas

On Saturday evening my mom and I took Cole to see Santa Claus, RT was out of town again, but it didn't turn out like I planned. We started off the day with lunch and shopping and then made our way to the Village in Allen. The festivities were supposed to begin at 4:30 with Santa and the tree lighting at 6:00 so we got there a little early to beat the crowd and get a parking space. When we got there they were still setting up but Donner and Blitzen were there for the kids to see. Cole wasn't too sure about them but we made 2 different trips to see them and he quickly decided they were pretty cool.

We were told that the first 350 kids would receive a goody bag so a line began to form and we waited our turn. There were face painters and elves making balloon animals while we waited. A local radio station was playing Christmas music and kids were running all around. They had lots of craft tables set up with various crafts and everything was a little hectic but cute. Then it got ugly. After standing in line with a 2 year old for half a hour they finally opened up the line for the goody bags. You would have thought there was a million dollars in each one by the way people were acting. After being pushed and shoved with Cole in my arms I finally got our bag only to hear a lady say, "I don't know why all these people stood in line. I just walked right up there and got my goody bag." SERIOUSLY! Common courtesy is dead these days and it really ticks me off. And it was a Christmas event!....for the kids!.....I was so annoyed and Cole was getting cranky because he never took a nap so we just left. We never saw Santa. I knew it was going to be crowded but I am so naive. I thought surely people would be decent at the holidays. I am sad to say I think those days are long gone.

Here is what was in the goody bag. Toys, coloring books, Christmas stickers and tons of great coupons to stores and restaurants in the Village. It ended up being a decent bag but not good enough for people to push and shove over. Cole did get a really cute craft {see picture way above}. It was a snowman apron. We picked up the kit while we were there and we {I} glued the pieces on when we got home. Now Cole has something to decorate Christmas cookies in this year!

Muffin Tin Munchies: "Thanksgiving Dinner"

I had been thinking about this installment of Muffin Tin Munchies for a while now, but wanted to wait until it was closer to Thanksgiving before I did it. I think it turned out cute even though the only thing Cole would eat was the turkey! He wouldn't even put a bite of anything else in his mouth. It drives me crazy and hopefully he will grow out of this picky eater stage sooner rather than later!From right to left, top to bottom:

Mini pumpkin pie

Green beans

Cornucopia (waffle cone) filled with fruit

Cranberry Applesauce

Turkey

Mashed Potatoes

Cole checking each item out and thinking it was really cool before he decided he wasn't going to eat any of it. Boo.

Turkey Day Project

We have been completely unproductive so far this week so today I decided Cole needed to do his Turkey project in honor of Thanksgiving next week. I gave him all the pieces he needed for his turkey and gave him a picture of the turkey so he would know how it should look. Well, he played with the pieces for a while and finally made his turkey.....he did a pretty good job but we might have some work to do in the future!

I just love watching his little brain work and I am always excited to see how his projects turn out!

How We Celebrated the BIG Day!

Two years ago on Friday, November 9, 2007 at 12:03 in the afternoon Cole Thompson Muir was born and changed our lives forever. Now he is a big 2 year old and I can't believe it. I wanted to make his day extra special because I love him so much!

We started the day off with Mickey Mouse pancakes and a little play time with his new toys he got at his birthday party on Saturday while mommy got ready for the day.

After breakfast we went to get Cole's haircut because he needed it really bad! He did such a good job and actually stayed still while they used the trimmers around his ears. Turning 2 is great! Then we met Mimi K at the mall for lunch and a little shopping. Cole ate one of his favorite meals, Chick-fil-a nuggets and waffle fries! Yummy!

After he ate his lunch we went to pick out a cookie....well that was my first thought but then I saw the cute mini cookie cakes and decided he needed one of those instead {you'll see a picture of it in a minute}.

After our cookie cake was finished we headed to Cole's next surprise. Because he has been obsessed with airplanes lately I thought he would LOVE going to the airport to watch them take off and boy was I right! When we got to Founder's Plaza at D/FW we ate our cookie cake on a picnic table and watched the planes. He was loving it and pointed out each and every one.

After watching the airplanes for about an hour we dropped Mimi K off at her car and headed home to rest and talk to daddy. RT left for a week long conference at 6:00 am on the morning of Cole's birthday. So, when we got home we called daddy to see if he was available to talk and we were able to Skype with him so they could see each other and so daddy could wish Cole a happy birthday!

Cole got some more play time in before we were off to dinner! I decided on Uncle Julio's because this kid loves him some chips and queso and because it isn't too far from our house {and because I like it too..Ha!} I think this kid could seriously eat his weight in chips and queso! He will even eat a little hot sauce too!
We're still not finished yet! After dinner we went back to my house for presents and cake! RT and I did not give Cole his birthday presents at his party because I wanted him to open gifts on his actual birthday. He tore through those presents and I think he loved every single one {except for the clothes}.

And finally, there was singing and cake. I was so proud of him because he actually blew his birthday candles out all by himself and he blew through his mouth and not his nose! Yea for Cole!

What a day! I had so much fun spending the day with my 2 year old and doing things he loves to do! I hope your day was extra special Cole! I love you so much! Happy 2nd Birthday!