The Destruction Has Begun...

Crawling has begun and so has the destruction of our home! I have very quickly learned that all the nice decorative things that I love just aren't so practical with a baby. We have had to rearrange things and open up some space for Coen to really move. He is cruising and climbing on everything - I think he will be walking in no time as he is starting to stand pretty well. He is like a whole new baby and I love that he can crawl over to me and tug on my leg for me to pick him up. What a way to soften a Mama's heart! He is so content just crawling and exploring the whole house and can climb the first 2 stairs without a problem (that is a little scary for me!). Let's just say, life as we know it has changed. He is such a big boy now and I simply can't believe that he will be having his 1st birthday in no time!!

Well, we had a very wonderful summer and early fall. All the way from Shanghai, Coen had 2 very special visitors! Grandma and Papa Schmirler (my parents) came to visit and we couldn't have been happier!! Coen especially warmed up to my Mom right away and was giving her hugs and cuddles in no time. He must have remembered her from when he was being born as she was his 'Cheerleader" during his very difficult delivery. She was there giving him and me words of encouragement. She was also the one who monitored closely his vitals and told me when I needed more oxygen. She was so concerned for him during that time and I could tell how much she already loved him. Also, I talk to her on Skype all the time so Coen hears her voice through the computer and knows it well. Whatever it is, you can see a love between them when they hang out together. It was obvious that there is a sweet bond between them. (Notice that he is basically half the size of her!!)


And everyone came with many, many, many GIFTS!!!
Coen loved the tissue paper the most!!
A lazy Sunday together...

My Dad is not much of a baby person but he took to Coen and was holding him and making him laugh in no time. It was special for me to see them together. I see a lot of my Dad in Coen and hope that he gets not just his great looks but also some of my Father's amazing attributes as well.

Coen was showing off for his Papa, doing his "I don't know" trick for him...

My Mom and Dad were not Coen's only visitor, my Grama (that is how we have always spelled her name) came from Canada to spend some time with her great-grandson. I loved having my Grama here and seeing how much she loves being with Coen. She is such a sweet woman and when she visits you can't help but feel loved and cared for. She always is concerned with our health and making sure we are taking care of ourselves. My back has been hurting lately and she rubbed it and put some essential oils on it every night! Something only a Grama would do!!

Coen LOVES to swim and he took swimming lessons in the summer when he was just 6 months old. I would take him to the pool all the time in the summer since it was so hot and it cooled both him and I down. He loves to splash water in his face and isn't the least bit afraid. He also loves to float around in his crab all by himself!

Kayla has really gotten into the school spirit this year. Apparently for homecoming everyone in the school makes or buys these HUGE ribbon flowers call "mums" and wears them for the day. When Kayla told me about it, I did not imagine that they would be soooooo BIG!! Kayla made hers in her floral design class. Other students bought theirs for $35 each!! We all went to the football game later that night for the Homecoming game (Grama Moyor, Grandma Schmirler, Papa, Drew, Jayd, Coen, Kayla and I) and kids were still wearing them there. And it wasn't the nerdy kids just wearing them either - EVERYONE was wearing them! I actually thought is was pretty cool to see so much school spirit. And her team, Cedar Park Timberwolves, won the game so that was cool! Jayd and I love seeing Kayla get so involved!!

Here are some pictures of us trying to come up with a design for her senior class shirt (their class color is orange).

We were all out for dinner one night and Coen was in a very chatty mood. You can even hear him "talking" over the sound of the water fountain in the background. Everyone around was laughing and him and smiling. He was putting on quite a show...

When Drew came down to work on my parents' house, it was just before his birthday so we decided to have a celebration for him a little early. It was really fun to have him visit! Coen was a little scared of him at first (I think it might have been the long hair) but warmed up to him quickly. Drew is so good with kids and I really loved seeing how sweet he was to Coen!

I LOVE this picture of my brother and mom - so sweet!!
So, there is a little summary of the last few months since we've been negligent bloggers... It was so much fun being with family and our house always seems so quiet afterwards! I have uploaded a ton of videos of Coen onto our You Tube account so be sure to check them out - some are so cute! http://www.youtube.com/user/jaydmcferson