Pictures

We finally got the kids pictures taken and they are so cute! I know I shouldn't be surprised they turned out so well because I know my kids are cute, but they don't like to pose for the camera so I'm never sure how pictures will turn out. Amanda did an amazing job and I love every single picture! Here are a few of my favorites:

Cole and Ellie:

Coleson Benjamin Coombs at age 3:

Elise Cathryn Coombs at age 1:

I have the most beautiful and amazing kids!! I love them at this age. They are so adorable to look at and they are still sweet and loving. It is so fun to watch them play together too. They are the best of friends!

I love you guys more than anything else in the world and I am so glad you are mine!

1st Birthday

Elise had her first birthday today! I can't believe that my baby is already one.

Cole was very excited about her birthday, you would have thought it was his birthday and he was getting all the presents. He helped me pick all of her presents, and then he wanted to unwrap them all. He would say "I want to unwrap the ball now" or whatever one was next because he knew what each present was. Ellie didn't really know what was going on so she didn't mind that Cole did most of the unwrapping.

El got her very first baby doll today! I decided it was time she had something girly to play with among her balls and trains :)

This was the only picture I got before Elise decided to pinch the fire instead of blowing it out

And this is what she was like for the next hour

Poor girl. She actually got a blister on her right thumb, which is her sucking thumb :(

Once she settled down we tried the cake again, but she didn't want to go near it.

Cole wasn't afraid though :)

She finally did manage a few messy bites

Poor Elise. I hope you enjoy your birthday more next year. Maybe we will have to do away with birthday candles.

Here are a few of my favorite things about Elise:

*She is a cuddle bug. She will cuddle with anyone. If you are ever in need a good cuddle she is your girl.

*She loves to dance. Anytime there is music she will shake her head and her booty!

*Her favorite word is "hi". She says it almost every time she sees me, she says it every time she sees my cell phone, and she says it to herself in the mirror as she gives herself kisses :)

*She is a goofball. She makes funny noises with her tongue to make me laugh. She will bonk her head on the wall just to hear me say bonk in a funny voice.

*She loves books. She makes my heart melt when she climbs in my lap and puts a book in my hands. I love to read with my sweet angel.

*She loves balls. Any kind as long as she can play catch with me.

*She loves Cole and wants to be with him all the time. He can always make her smile and giggle, and she loves to imitate him. She has even grown to love trains just like her big brother.

*She is a wiggly worm that can't sit still

*She has gotten quite sassy and will growl when she is not getting her way

*She is walking, and the first thing she walked for was shoes :)

*She jabbers all day long and tells me all sorts of stories

*She still loves to eat. She cries if we are eating something and don't share. She will even eat non-food things like wood chips, grass, dirt and bugs. But, I am proud to say that she prefers chocolate :)

I love you my sweet angel baby...or should I say girl? You are getting so big. Please don't grow up too fast!

Doctor in Training

Ben has a surgery lab this month. He was studying for it one night and Cole spotted all of the surgery gear. He said he wanted to be a doctor like daddy, so Ben helped him gear up for surgery :)

He's pretty darn cute, but I'm not sure I would trust him surgery in the operating room...at least not until he's finished medical school.

She's walking!

Like I said yesterday, Elise took a few steps at the shoe store. When I told Ben, he whipped out the video camera and got a few clips of her walking across the room. I kind of feel like this came out of nowhere. When did my baby grow up?

Forecast Fail

I set up a photo shoot for my kids today. We scheduled it for today because it was forecasted to be the only sunny day all week and we were going to do it outside at a park. When I woke up this morning it was a foggy, misty, soggy, cold morning. Thank you Iowa. We postponed the photo shoot, and since our morning was now free Cole talked me into going to the mall to play.

When we walked out of the mall it was a bright, sunny, hot and slightly humid day. What the? Now we had perfect photo shoot weather, but no photographer. That's Iowa for you.

There is a highlight to this story though. We went shoe shopping while we were at the mall. I put a pair of shoes on Elise and had her stand in them to see if they fit right. Without hesitating, Elise took two steps by herself to get to the wall of shoes! I'm not lying when I say this girl loves shoes :)

Preschool

Cole had his very first day of preschool today! He was really excited, but a little nervous. He kept asking if I was going to leave him there, so I had to remind him of all his friends that would be there and that we had met his teachers. He finally decided it would be okay and said "I'm a big boy and get to go to school like Daddy!"

Cole with his friends Katelyn, Kylie, Aubrey, Brooklyn, and Rykker, waiting for class to start

When I picked him up he told me every little detail of his 2 1/2 hrs of school...and everything was so exciting!! I'm so glad that he likes his school. It makes it easier for me to let my baby boy grow up :)

Meals From The Heartland

We were able to serve with Meals from the Heartland tonight. We donned hair nets, gloves and aprons to package meals for the people of Haiti who are still suffering from the effects of the earthquake.

We met a really nice family there who took this picture for us. Doesn't Cole look adorable?!

I wasn't sure the kids would have anything to do, but Cole was able to help fill the bags and then put the bags into boxes and Elise slept most of the time :) When she was awake she sat in her stroller like and angel and watched us work.

It turned out to be a really fun way for us to serve as a family!