The Long Haul

At the end of August, Ryan was headed back to China for 3 weeks and I didn't want to be alone with the kids that long. So, we decided to make the long haul to Utah. All I have to say is, thank goodness for portable dvd players! Hayden watched movie after movie. The main downside was Cole's binky. It got thrown about a million times. Which means, whoever wasn't driving had the job of climbing in the back and searching for it a million times! Other than that, it really wasn't a bad drive and we had a lot of fun together. We made a few quircky stops along the way, and that made it interesting...

First we hit Mitchell, South Dakota, home of the Corn Palace. It's not as cool as it sounds, but was fun to see. They change the corn design every year and supposedly they've been featured in magazines and some tv shows.
They also happened to be having Corn Palace days, so Hayden got to play on some fun bouncy stuff. After all of this excitement, we headed to our dinky hotel there in Mitchell. Took a swim in a super cold pool and tried to sleep in the not so clean room. Cole would not sleep. So, about 4:30 am we decided to just get ready and get back on the road.

Our next stop was Wall Drug Store in Wall, South Dakota. There are signs for the place for hours and hundreds of miles before you actually get to it. They have been featured in People Magazine, on the Today Show and some other stuff.

The founder started this drug store forever ago and discovered a natural spring running there. He then started advertising free water. More people started stopping there and the drug store expanded. Now there are little shops, weird taxidermy animals, a restaurant, and pretty good donuts.

It was fun to check out all the weird, random things they had displayed.
After that stop, we were back on the road, again. I want to remember the beautiful sunflower fields. I tried to get a picture as we were driving by but it didn't turn out at all. The fields were so glorious though. Huge fields, full of giant, bright yellow sunflowers. Awesome!


Then we made our way to Mount Rushmore. We've never been and really enjoyed it.


We checked out the displays, hiked a little around the monument, and about an hour later were on our way. We didn't feel like there was a ton to see, but it was definitely worth going to.

As we left, we headed down through Custer state park. In the above picture, you can see Mount Rushmore in the distance from this lookout point in the park.
We saw 4 buffalo,
A ton of deer like animals (I can't remember their actual name now). And a ton of wild Burros. These burros were fearless, as you can tell by the picture. They came right up to the window begging for food. It was crazy.

Then we went down through the Needles Highway. It is such a beautiful place and made for a very enjoyable drive. We were going to stop for a second night but decided just to keep on trucking. We finally arrived at Ryan's parent's house in Taylorsville about 2 am, and crashed. Then it was on to many, many activities. So, be ready for lots of posts and lots of pictures!

Cole's 1st Birthday!!

Cole's first birthday was on Saturday. It was a bitter sweet day for me. It's exciting to see him grow and learn but it happens way too fast!
We had a party at the Grayslake Splash Pad and Park. Grandma and Grandpa Woodland, my brother Adam's family, and some of our "Illinois family" came to celebrate with us.

We started the party out right with some cake and cupcakes.

I found a monkey cake online and decided to adapt it to a bear, because we call Cole, Cole bear. I think it turned out okay.

Cole wasn't so sure about the cake. I don't think he really even ate any. After smearing around the frosting for a bit, he was done.

So, it was off to the water to get cleaned up and have some fun!

Cole wasn't as into it as he usually is, but still had a good time. Hayden, of course, was in heaven!

Then it was on to presents. Cole was spoiled by the generosity of our great friends! Thank you everyone ;)

He got some fun things and I'm so glad he finally has some boy toys to play with!

These are the pajamas Ryan brought back from China for him. They're so cute.

Yesterday I took both kids in for their checkups. Hayden's 3 year and Cole's 1 year.

Hayden's stats are:

Weight: 32 lbs- 70th percentile

Heights: 39 1/4 in- also 70th percentile

She's super healthy and doing so well!!

Cole's stats are:

Weight: 20lbs 7 oz- 15-20th percentile

Height: 31 3/4in- 95th percentile

Obviously, he is super long and super skinny. The pediatrician isn't concerned about him being so skinny. He said, "It's easier to get people fat than skinny. We can fatten him up later if we need to." So, we wont worry about it for now. He's perfectly healthy!

Here are a few things about Cole at 1 year-

*He takes a few steps here and there. He's doing it more and more frequently.

* He loves to put things inside other things.

*He pushes the cozy coupe around the house most of the day.

*He'll eat anything.

*He's a major babbler. Always talking.

*He adores his big sister and is a lot of fun.

*He has an attitude sometimes, especially now that he's one. (I thought that happened at 2?!)

Happy Birthday Cole Bear!! We love you and are so thankful to have you in our family :)

Visitors

Grandma and Grandpa Woodland came into town for a couple days to be here for Cole's birthday.
The day before his birthday, we took them to Six Flags.
It was a lot of fun having them go on rides with the kids.

Cole likes the rides, too!

We also watched the Wiggles show, which Hayden loves. Cole was very intrigued. Hayden was even brave enough to get her picture taken with the dinosaur.

It was a super hot and humid day, so we didn't stay too long. We headed home, took naps, and then went to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory, and walked around Woodfield mall. Then it was home to get the kids to bed and to make Cole's birthday cake for his party in the morning!

Pearly Whites

Hayden had her first dentist appointment last week. She was a little nervous before we went, but once we got there, she did great!! The dental hygienist even commented on how brave and cooperative she was.
She has 20 very healthy teeth. Hayden was so excited for her bag of goodies at the end. She now loves to floss. Silly girl! I was so proud of her and once again, can't believe how fast she's growing up!

Playing and Playing

Ryan's been in China for the last week and a half. So, the kids and I have been staying busy. We went with our friends the Goates to the Kohl Children's Museum.
This is the first time we've gone that Cole's been big enough to actually play. He had lots of fun.

The water room is always a big hit. Hayden came away with a drenched shirt but it's just water ;)

There is so much to do, the kids stay busy and have so much fun.

Being the performer that she is, Hayden loved the stage.

We also hit the splash pad. I have no pictures of Cole because he wouldn't slow down for one. He LOVES water and is totally fearless. We went to the waterpark at 6 flags and it was the same thing. My little fish children loving the water. We've played with friends, worked on projects, and had a great time. Even though we've had so much fun, we're ready for Ryan to come home tonight!!

Birthday Exploring

Ryan's birthday was on Saturday, July 31st. He didn't get to have a very exciting birthday. It was during finals so he spent the day studying from 10am to 2 am on Sunday. He took a break for lunch, dinner, and of course cake. He wanted a cheesecake. I found a quick cheesecake recipe online. It did NOT turn out. So, Monday I headed to Costco and got him a good cake.

Since he didn't get much of a birthday, we went exploring the following Friday. Some of his coworkers told him we needed to check out St. Charles, Illinois. It's about an hour away so we decided to make a day of it. It wasn't very exciting. Definitely not what we were expecting.

It's an older historic town, but it was really spread out and we couldn't find anything to really see. There was one cool thing about this town. It is right on the Fox River, so there are fox all throughout the town. Fox sculptures, fox pictures in store windows, fox on the sewer covers, fox everywhere. We found this cool sculpture.

We came across a park while we were exploring. The kids were happy about that. We really enjoy checking out new places. Even though it wasn't super exciting, we had a great time!

The next morning we headed to Six Flags, because the season is going to be ending soon and we want to get in as much fun there as we can. I love this picture! I was trying to get a picture of them while the ride was going, but couldn't get a good angle. I made them stay on for a second after the ride ended. Hayden was not too happy about it. Obviously!

We actually did a couple things this time that we haven't done before. We took the train ride around the park, which the kids loved. Hayden and I also went on the motor cars. We waited in line for a VERY long time, but it was worth it because Hayden thought it was great. Overall we had a fun weekend having fun to make up for Ryan's stink bomb birthday!

Yeehaw

We spent last Friday night at the Lake County Fair.
This was the first thing we saw. These freak goats. There were a bunch like this with their ears cut off. Oh my gosh, they gave me the CREEPS! I had to leave because I couldn't stand to be near them. Seriously.

So, then we moved on to the pigs. A lady called me over to see this pig sticking out his tongue. We were laughing and taking pictures. Then another lady came over and said, " He's not sticking out his tongue. He's just getting a drink of water." Oh. Well then.

After a while, and some persuasion, Hayden braved up and pet the pigs ear.

Cole's favorite part was the bunnies and the cows.

After checking out all of the animals and booths, we headed to the Rodeo. It was lame. Really lame. It was very slow moving and the cowboys were not performing. On one of the tricks, only 1 out of the 6 cowboys could even do it.

Cole didn't mind. He was too busy playing and being silly.

Hayden said her favorite part was the stickers she collected and the rodeo. Which is funny because she kept asking to leave.

So, after about 25 minutes of the low rate rodeo, we took another look at the animals, checked out the games and rides, and headed home.

I love the fair, especially at night. It's such a fun atmosphere. My favorite part of the evening was the elephant ears. Huge scones with lots of powdered sugar. Delicious.

Oh and this

The kids were up way past their bedtime, so we thought they would conk out as soon as we started driving. But they didn't. They held hands like this most of the way home.

I love how much they love each other! Hopefully, it lasts ;)