A Farewell to Texas Stadium

Well guys, SE here filling in for my hubby (He is doing the Christmas week Blog in progress). Thanks to my sweet Mom for babysitting 2 kids under 2 Roger and I got to make it a date weekend to Dallas to see the very last game at Texas Stadium for the Cowboys. Would have been more memorable had the actually WON, but NO they LOST in terrible fashion, and dont even get Roger started on this past weekend (he will throw up, seriously....!) (I really do think there is a Jessica Simpson curse! )We met up with uncle Tip and the cousins Terry a.k.a. Mayor and Kevin for a pre game warm up and I do mean warm up, it was freakin FREEZING! Yes we made a sign for our fav player "the Barber" but we didnt make it on tv b/c he didnt play! My husband also rocked a 70's old school Cowboys jacket to give give honor to the old players. We got to see Emmitt and Woodson and all the old players honored at the time outs, pretty cool! We dined a little mexican and drank 1 too many margaritas before gametime and had a blast. We also want to shout out to Pops for the tickets and the "gloves". We had an awesome time and a fun car ride (Dave Matthews live is MY FAV!-thanks babe). 

'Tis the Season....

We have been a busy family since the last post! The holidays are SE's favorite time of year and they have certainly not disappointed so far this year. Last week we got in two Christmas parties: the Hays family Christmas party on Thursday and Our first annual Christmas party on Saturday.

The Hays family party is an annual tradition that has been celebrated in my family ever since I can remember. This year it was in midtown at one of the Hays' and we all had great fun! This was the first time most of the family (which includes second cousins and many folks we only get to see once a year at the Christmas Party) got to meet Campbell and we were proud parents showing him off to everyone!

Then Saturday, SE was in her element as we hosted our first Christmas party. The party was a success and we have decided it will become an annual event! We had so much fun entertaining and catching up with our friends while celebrating the season!

SE wanted to give a shout out to all of our guests: We had the pregnant crew in tow: Emily, Katie, Erika, and Amy...We had the cousins:Kollin&Kristen...The old school:Willie, Jeff, Adam,Dominic & Matt. Our party crew: Jody/Jen, Dave/Julie, Bon/Jason. The newlyweds: Connor and Steph. The fam: Katie and Ed . The New crew: Hallie and Derek, The wives of hunters flying solo crew: Erika and Katie Boyd. The out of towners: MaryBeth and Brad. Pretty Great mix and LOTS of fun! We laughed, we drank, some cried and crashed! Dickies were a plenty and even Todd and Margo made an appearance! Some dressed up in tacky sweaters and others came bearing gifts...it was definitely a good time had by all.

Sarah Ella did a fantastic job getting the house set up with all the Christmas spirit and I have no idea how she prepared the fantastic spread while managing to keep up with two boys under two! She is approaching Houdini level with that accomplishment!

The Hosts of Cole Christmas 2008

Todd and Margo made an appearance! "Where are you gonna put a tree that big Griswold?"

Sunday came and we finished out the fantastic weekend by celebrating SE's 25th...and counting ;) birthday! We took a date to Swanky's tequila bar while pops and kitty watched the boys. We definitely enjoyed the time alone and had no idea that Swanky's was such a great dinner spot. Thanks for the heads up Ed!

Here are what the Boys are up too....Airey is now obsessed with BUBBLE BATHS and watching Diego with Brother. Campbell is just as cute as ever!

It's Bathtime at the Cole's!




Airey and Campbell Watching their favorite show, Go Diego Go!

I love my lamby, just like my big bro!

So Cute!

Mary Beth and the boys having a laugh!

Merry Christmas to all!!!

Peace - The Cole's

Thanksgiving and a trip to Starkville

We have been pretty busy the last few weeks. First was a trip to Grenada and a visit with SE's brother Seth and his wife Chrissy and their boys Jack and Joey. Airey was worn out trying to keep up with those two! We went to the MSU vs. Ark game that same weekend in Starkville. It turned out to be a rare win for the Bulldogs, which was a pleasant surprise. It also turned out to be Coach Croom's final game as coach in Starkville, so we've got that going for us :)....which is nice.

The following week brought thanksgiving and a lot of food, football, and relaxation. I was off for the Thursday/Friday of Thanksgiving week and we stayed around the house all weekend. SE got her Christmas decoration on and we put up the tree and all the other bells and whistles that go along with the Holiday season. Airey found his favorite ornament on the first go-around scoping out the tree ---- He screamed out GOLF CART!!!!! and was soooo excited he could hardly stand it. Now, every time he walks by the tree its "GOLF CART!!!" followed by a few mintues of pointing and wooooing. Yep, thats my boy!
The Cowboys won :) and the Bulldogs got smoked by the rebs :( but we enjoyed it all and had a great time playing and having a long weekend with the boys.

Airey is talking and repeats everything we say! Yikes.... watching football is much harder than you think when you have a 22 month old who repeats everything!

Campbell is growing by the minute and weighs about 15lbs now. Doubled his birth weight in the first 3+ months. That is definitely not the Cole genes working there ;)

Pics from the last few weeks:

These boys love their mommy!

Family shot on Thanksgiving at the Glenn's

Airey and his great godfather,BG, reading the "Big Truck" book

Finally, we would like to congratulate team Lynch on the news of another little one on the way! We know Ella Catherine will be a fantastic big sis and we cant wait for the arrival of baby Lynch #2.

Pics of Campbell and a Shout Out to the Patterson's...

Not too much to blog about this week. SE and I got to send the boys off to Grenada to spend the night with their Mimi and GG on Saturday. We went to a friend's wedding at BonTerre in Nesbit, MS and had a great time. It was the first time we have been able to sleep in without the kids around and we enjoyed the relaxed Sunday morning!

We would like to give a shout out to the Patterson's! Adam and Emily are expecting their second child around the same time as Katie and ED and we could not be happier for them! Gray will make an excellent big brother and we look forward to meeting the newest addition to the Patterson family!

That makes four family and friends that we know of who found out they were expecting a short time after holding Campbell for the first time! He is like a little miniature fertility Buddha, with hair! Haha. Those of you that are Anchorman fans know the line I am talking about. I can hear these words coming out of Ron Burgundy right now:

"What's that Campbell? 4 women became pregnant shortly after holding you? How'd you do that? Heck, I'm not mad. That's amazing! How 'bout we get you in your p.j.'s and we hit the hay."

Anyway, enough rambling but that's what I thought of when we dubbed Campbell "The miniature fertility Buddha".

Campbell has discovered his smile and he loooves to show it to us!!!

Hey guys, have you seen my smile?

BLOG Hijack alert: (if you are not interested in the Cowboys or MSU football, no need to read beyond this point....ive got to vent about a few things with MSU and give my analysis of the Cowboys season thus far)

Rookie TE Martellus Bennett on the receiving end of a Romo TD pass Sunday night!

The Cowboys pulled off a much needed win on Sunday night and basically saved their season in the process. Losing to the Redskins would have put the Cowboys in a huge hole, two games back of the skins and 1-3 overall in their division with only 6 games left. Barber III cut up the Redskins in the 4th qtr and closed out the game. I think this gives the running attack a much needed confidence boost going into the last few weeks of the season where running the ball and closing out games is extremely important. Getting Romo back was a huge plus but I think getting Newman back was even more important to this team. They needed help on defense with their top 3 corners either injured or suspended off and on this whole season. They need to continue to get healthy for the stretch run. I think Felix Jones will be back soon adding more speed to the offense. The next two games are must wins against the lowly 49ers and Seahawks because the December schedule is brutal and 2-2 would be good (@Steelers, vs Giants, vs Ravens, @ Eagles). The last home game in Texas Stadium history is Dec. 20th and SE and I will be in attendance. The Boys need to pull off a few more wins between now and then so that it will be a meaningful game. Go Cowboys!

Miss. St. did what they do best on Saturday night. Lose. As much as I hate to see them lose, it might be best for this team in the long run. Another couple of losses to finish out the season and some much needed changes will have to be made. I'm sure Greg Byrne doesn't read our blog, but if he did I would tell him to "step ya game up"....make the difficult decision and get the football program back on track. Finishing 110th or worse in offense for 5 straight years is not what I call turning a program around. Someone has to be held accountable.

--peace

Congrats to Katie, Ed and Lewis....and some other things

This week was fairly non-eventful for us except for a big piece of news that came our way Tuesday night. We were watching a movie when Katie called and told me to check my email. She was short and offered no reason why or what I should expect. Just that I should check it. SE and I both thought it was very odd and wondered what on Earth it could be. Al Pacino could wait. We quickly grabbed the mac and logged on. The email was from KT with no header and no words, just a simple pic......

Lewis is a Big Bro!

That pic says it all. Congrats KT and Ed on Baby Thomas #2! Congrats Lewis on being a big bro! We are so happy for y'all and cant wait to meet him or her!



As for the rest of the weekend, SE had her first annual E.M.H.W.C. (East Memphis HouseWives Club) retreat with her friends Bonnie and Mary Beth. They met Mary Beth at the Alluvian in Greenwood and had Spas, Shopping and dinner at Lusco's. It was a well deserved getaway for SE and her first night away from Campbell since he was born! She relaxed and had a great time catching up with the girls.

A couple of funny stories from Greenwood.....SE was very impressed with the liquor store that opened your wine for you in the store (only in the Delta) and the stuffed squirrel hanging on the wall at Lusco's who wore an old school leather football helmet and smoked a cigarette (again, only in the Delta). If we had more liquor stores nice enough to uncork your wine for you and more restaurants with a football playing, cigarette smoking, stuffed squirrel mounted on the wall this world would be a much better place. Just my humble opinion :)

How about that! That squirrel can smoke a cigarette!

They call him "nutty" the squirrel. (A little Ron Burgundy for you...Ha)

SE going on the EMHWC retreat meant that I had Airey and Campbell to myself which also meant that it was a great time for a cookout at our house. Thankfully pops/kitty, the Glenns, and the Thomases (i never know how to pluralize Thomas! arggh) were not busy and happy to come over and keep us company. Airey and Lewis put in a couple of hours of playing and watching Diego before bed and Campbell took my pep talk to heart and took a long nap! A really really really long nap, as in he didn't wake up at all when everyone was at the house...there goes my plan of a sob story to SE about how rough I had it with the two of them. Damn.

With pops involved, there is never a shortage of great food. This was indeed the case Saturday as we pulled out the HastyBake and grilled bacon wrapped chops and a fabulous beef tenderloin. Cissa brought over some great sides and we had ourselves a feast. Very Good Times!


Congrats again to Ed, Katie, and Lewis. We are so happy for y'all.

Halloween, Campbell's Baptism, and the Rendezvous

Halloween weekend was a blast for the Cole's. Friday night we loaded the kids up and headed over to the Thomas home for some trick or treating and Red Beans & Rice. I don't know who enjoyed it more - the boys (Gray, Lewis, and Airey) getting to play together or the Grandparents (Pops/Kitty and Linda/Billy) getting to see the kids dress up for trick or treating. Or it could have been the parents getting to take the kids on their inaugural trick or treating adventure! I know everyone had a great time and KT and Ed proved to be fantastic hosts with a bouncy gym, basketball game, and some ridiculously good Red Beans & Rice -- and i would like to give a well deserved shout out to Aunt KT for cooking the red beans and making some nice looking Halloween themed jello and sandwich cut-outs. I was quite impressed :) !!! Desert was provided courtesy of SE who made her famous "boo" cakes. They were goo-ud!

Pics of Halloween night:

"How do you expect me to carve my pumpkin with this spoon?"

Campbell loves his mummy!

Gray Patterson mows it up!

Our Lil Golfer!

Airey's first trick or treat!

Evidence of a successful trick or treat!

Cousin Lewis found what he was looking for! Skittles!!!

Airey was a little hesitant to grab some candy out of this orange bowl.

He associates orange with the Vols! It's a common phobia amongst Cole men! ;)

The Thomas's enjoyed the festivities!

Pops and CJ! SE loooves it when you call him CJ ;)

Edit!!!! This is SE, I DO NOT, let me be clear, want anyone to call him CJ! Ha!

Saturday, November 1. This was a special day in the Cole household and in St. Louis parish as the Catholic church welcomed its newest member to the family in Campbell Jamison Cole. He was baptised by Father McArthur at St. Louis Church. Aunt Katie Thomas and Uncle Terry Cole were the Godparents and stood along side SE and I as Father baptised Campbell. The ceremony was witnessed by friends and family and a reception was held afterwards at our home. My wife, ever the hostess, prepared a wonderful spread and designed a beautiful table for the occasion. She made some of "mimi's famous mini biscuits" with Canale's ham for the main course. It was a great reception! Thanks to all who attended and made this such a special day for us! Pics below:

Father McArthur baptising Campbell!

The Cole/Thomas Family

The Cole/Ruth/Rollins Family

Godparents Katie and Terry with Campbell

Our Family! (Campbell likes to fur that brow!)

The rest of Saturday afternoon was spent hanging out with family. Mimi and GG took Airey on multiple strolls through the neighborhood and the weather could not have been any better. There was lots of football to be watched and listened to for SE, Grandaddy and myself. They cheered the Rebels on while I listened to Jack Cristil call another Bulldog loss. This one a little more heartbreaking than the others. A missed extra point and FG cost the Bullies the game. Seriously, you're an SEC team and you cant get a kicker to make an extra point or 27 yard FG. UGH!!!

Saturday night we went to the Rendezvous for my birthday! It's my favorite restaurant and we usually go there sometime around my bday. Its a great time to get together with friends and family and enjoy good ribs, cheese plates, and cold cold cold Michelob! For those of you who have never been there, you should go. Click here to get to their website.

We had a great time seeing everyone and catching up! It's definitely one of my favorite "traditions" and I never pass up a chance to visit with friends and fam over a slab of ribs and some cold beer. Good Times!

The table at The 'Vous

Me and My Bride

Rog and Adam

I know the post was long, but we had an action packed weekend. Cheers until next time.

A wedding and a visit from the Jackson Uncles...

It was a great weekend all around for the Coles. Uncle Kevin and Uncle Terry came in town for Connor and Steph's wedding and came over to play with the kids Friday afternoon. Kevin brought out the best in Airey! He jumped in his favorite mud puddle right after SE got him dressed up in his new clothes for dinner that night! The boys laughed, but something tells me SE wasnt too impressed with the jump. I was quite impressed as the mud splash made it all the way up the pants and into the shirt! Way to go Airey! A chip off the old block :).....

After playing in the mud, we took the boys and Uncles to Chipultipec for mexican and margaritas. We had a great time with Pops and Kitty and BG "the original godfather" (or "OG" as I sometimes call him) and Cissa. Ask SE about the margaritas next time you see her. They are her fav.

Saturday was Connor and Stephs wedding and pops/kitty came over to watch the kids and let mom and dad have a night out on the town. The wedding was great and the reception was a blast. It was highlighted by the wedding party dressing as the village people and doing YMCA. We laughed for hours after that! For those of you that know our friend Dave Maness, just imagine him singing YMCA as the Chief. Visual evidence to help aid you below (hope to have a youtube link for this soon!!!  ****UPDATE. Dave Maness singing "Wanted Dead or Alive" on Youtube! click here for link****):

The Cowboys and Bulldogs both put one in the Win column this weekend which was a pleasant surprise. Here's to hoping they keep it going this weekend against the Giants and Wildcats!

Zoo Boo, DU, and Pancakes Anyone?

What a busy weekend for Team Cole! On Friday night we attended Zoo Boo and met up with Lewis, Katie, Ed, Pops and Kitty. This gave us a good reason for a trial run on the Halloween costumes and the kids definately did not disappoint! Airey was a golfer, Campbell was a pea pod, and Lewis was a monkey. Good times as evidence below:

Saturday we spent the day getting things ready for Halloween. We got a few of these, a bunch of these, and a lot of these . Now our house looks kind of like this (except better, but I have no visual evidence at the moment so you will have to take my word for it until I can upload a pic):

SE loves to decorate for the different holidays! She has a true talent for it and is already drawing up plans for her Christmas decoration extraviganza! Kind of like the Grizwold's except on a much larger scale :)!

Saturday night we were invited over to Ms Bon-bon's and Mr. Jason's for a cookout. Airey got his favorite present of the weekend from Mis Bon-bon. He love's his mini pumpkin!

The Shelby's cooked us a great meal and we had a fantastic time. The highlight of the night was watching the girls try to put out a fire on the grill with pancake mix! Hilarity ensued and there was an aroma of blueberry pancakes that filled the neighborhood for the rest of the night! Next time, Im sure Jason will be certain to heed the advice of the women and use water. Girls, you don't mess with a man's grill! All kidding aside, we had a great time, excellent food and a good laugh at the pancake mix fiasco.

Sunday we went out to Shelby Farms for the DU arts party. It was fun and we shared a paddleboat ride with the Thomas family:

No need to comment about this score or this one as they have already been erased from my memory. Thinking about it again will cause nightmares.

Sorry for such a long post, but it was an action packed weekend for us.

Happy Blogging,

Roger, SE, Airey, and Campbell

The Inagural Post....

So here we go! The Cole's are off and blogging! A little late to the party in 2008, but they say better late than never. With two boys growing up by the minute, we needed a better way to communicate with friends and family than plain old email. So we are bloggin man:)....



Pics to come later when SE (the more technologically advanced one of us) is able to upload a few. (***Edit---SE has added pics, scroll down to view***) We hope to accomplish a few things with this blog: 1. Keep friends and family updated on all things Airey and Campbell 2. Share any special or cute photos we capture along the way 3. Keep in touch with other fellow bloggers and 4. Occasionally vent or brag about the Bulldogs or Cowboys after a hard fought win or devastating defeat



So that's that! Next blog to come soon and with pics I promise. Out.....

Go Dogs beat those Vols!

Go Cowboys beat those Rams!