Happy New Year!

Train Movies and Thomas

Cole has been watching I Love Toy Trains.  They are videos featuring toy trains that tell about the history of both real railroading and model railroading.  They are very good!  So, since he has been watching them he has begun to put multiple engines together and then face the rear engine backward like the real trains he has been seeing.  We thought it was very clever of him to have caught on to that!

Cole Says:

Cole is laying down for bed tonight on his back.  He bends his knees and crosses one leg over his other knee and moves his foot up and down and exclaims:

"Look, Daddy, it's a pump-jack!"  (the oil things that you see in the middle of fields bobbing up and down).  Very cute and creative.

Bartlesville, Oklahoma: Checking out the AT&SF No.940

 On Christmas Eve we went up to Bartlesville (an hour north of Tulsa) to check out the steam engine they have on display.  They recently acquired and are refurbishing a caboose.  It was cold.  Cole did enjoy it a lot, but he didn't exactly complain when it was time to leave (the cold and his tummy yearning for the Chick-Fil-A he knew was coming helped make this easier)!  On the way home we counted oil pump-jacks!  We counted somewhere in the 40's from Bartlesville to Tulsa.

 What on earth do these things do? Steam engines are amazing. We need to look into this.

 How small he is compared to the wheels.

Merry Christmas!

 

Cole enjoyed Christmas this year.  He went to see Santa, left out cookies, and did all the big kid things having to do with Santa.  He got many things that were on his Christmas "list" and didn't whine about things that he didn't get.  He loves his new bugs, fish, trains, and all of his other toys. 
Cole went shopping with Daddy this year and Daddy got me some earrings (I was heart broken one had broken from the other set he got me a few years ago) and Cole picked out a dolphin necklace with a mommy dolphin and a Cole dolphin leaping side by side.  Very sweet and I will cherish it.

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!!!

Visit to Carthage (MO)

 Yesterday was went up to Carthage, MO to visit some of our best friends, Matt, Holly, and Sadie Brock.  They were there (just two hours away) for Christmas at Holly's parents.  We booked a flight to visit them in FL for February and it will be a lot of fun!  Cole and Sadie got along together well and that was great!  She was patient with him and she has some experience in that department since her cousin is his age.

 We played hide-and-seek.  Cole wasn't completely grasping the concept!  But they had fun anyway and we pretended like we didn't know where they were.

They played Memory on the Kindle Fire.  Sadie really was patient with him here...they had fun, though!

Cole Visits Santa 2011

He was reserved, but he was marching through Bass Pro like it was a mission.  When he got to Santa he rattled off some things he wanted for Christmas.  Santa picked him up and he got a lot more quiet and Santa couldn't hear him.  It was quite adorable and funny.  We are just glad he wasn't terrified!  He wants big bugs, fish in a net, and fish in an aquarium.  Well, let's just say we will stick to the bugs and maybe some toy fish (not in a net).  We are sure he will be thrilled with his gifts regardless!

Christmas Comes to the Forte Home

Saturday we did a Christmas craft and put up the Christmas tree.  Cole enjoyed taking all the ornaments out and looking at them.  He enjoyed the carousel that used to be my grandmother's and plays Christmas music with animals moving up and down the most.  He also enjoyed our little collection of Snoopy ornaments.  He didn't want to wear the Santa hat too much, but he did insist upon putting it on himself without help (bottom left image).  We did a foam ornament of baby Jesus as a craft...hopefully we will do one or two more.  I printed out some fun activity packs with the Nativity, etc, so we will have fun doing those, too!  Hard to believe Christmas is a week and a half away!

Clive Cussler...gives a special memory

Clive Cussler is such a kind man! I never posted about this. A few months back he shared an image of Cole buried in his novels on his facebook page. I hand-wrote him a note and sent him a dust jacket from his first children's novel to sign (though he doesn't take book autograph requests anymore...just had to try). He sent back the jacket, his new children's book with a note to Cole, and a lovely hand-written note to us that we will always cherish. An internationally known best-selling author not only giving in to a request from a fan, but going above and beyond and making something truly special!

True Love...a boy and his Rahr

We got a replacement "Rahr" after scary incident where the original was almost lost. Can you see how much original Rahr has been loved? The difference is very clear to us! :)

A few cute things Cole does:
Right before bed Cole has to tap the rhythm to Peer Gynt Suite No. 1 - In the Hall of the Mountain King (Edvard Grieg) (he refers to as "Dragon Kite" from Little Einsteins) on his sippy cup.

He also has to bite both of our noses (he doesn't use his teeth...very strange, but it is something he and Jonathan started a long time ago).

Those are just two very funny little rituals he has made.

He also says "Aw, he (she/it) is so cute." a lot!

Salerno Visit, Part 2

 We went to the Oklahoma aquarium on Sunday.  Cole enjoyed showing Grandpa around.

 The cuttlefish are a new addition to the aquarium.

 The ever-popular look downs.

 Turtles!

 Leopard shark.

 Bull shark.

 The rays were putting on quite the splashing show.

 but Cole really wanted to hold the shark eggs.

 Sunday night playing.

Salerno Visit, Day 1

 Cole was playing with his Christmas present from Grandpa and Grandma and Uncle Chris on Friday a lot.

 We did a gift exchange since we will not see them for Christmas.  Cole really liked all of his gifts!

 Especially the turtle.

 Saturday we went to Hugh and Virginia Keen's house and checked out the most phenomenal train layout we have ever seen.

 Worlds smallest sawmill:).

 The forklift really works.  Awesome.

 This is old hat to Kolbi since it's her grandpa's layout, but she is still very interested.

 The trains that run under the layout.  Yes, track under the layout, complete with relay cabinet and wiring everywhere!  It was incredible!  Engineers can definitely appreciate it!

 Control panel.  I am scared just looking at it.

These do not do it justice.  Maybe the last one, but you still cannot tell how complex and awesome it is.  We had to drag Cole away.  The only think making him ok with leaving was the fact that he was starving.