Observations by Cole...

Cole is as bright and precocious as ever which can be both entertaining and exacerbating but in either case showcases his wit and wisdom which is darn right impressive. Here is the latest and greatest that I've managed to remember to jot down.

Cole and Dave have been unsuccessful this summer with their fishing. Angling is supposed to a calm activity however with a 4 1/2 year casting in a frenzy constantly tangling his line or throwing his hook into boat cushions and the like, fishing has pushed Dave's patience on occasion. After the umpteenth time one afternoon when Cole mangled his line, Dave's voice thundered. It only stopped Cole for a brief moment wherein he then retorted "Dad, your freaking out" followed by a laugh and his infamous impish grin tossed Dave's way. He knew exactly how to crack his daddy's frustration and bring the situation around to a positive again.

I tell Cole often how darn cute he is because simply he is. He normally says "I know" or "thanks, Mom" but one random afternoon after I picked him up from school without me saying anything with regards to his cuteness, he goes "Mom, I'm not cute anymore, I'm cool". The "cool" part was said in a drawn out way. I said "Oh really, well you can be cute AND cool". He replies "No mom, you can't, cute isn't cool". I nervously laughed with the sinking realization that he is losing his naivete. Oh my...

Being an only child has its advantages and disadvantages. He doesn't have to share his time with Dave and I with any other kids but he does have to play independently alone more often than most of his friends. Many times when he wants to race cars, build towers or play pretend we make the time since it is so fleeting and soon he'll not want to play with us anymore. However, the reality is that we cannot always play with him when he wants us too. So taking his innate "sales" ability to a whole other level, he recently says to me when I tell him "no, mommy can't kick the soccer ball around, she needs to feed Tucker and prep dinner", Cole responds "okay, so here's the deal, how bout we kick it 10 times, then you go make me dinner because I'm hungry". So I go "Hmmm, where exactly is the "deal" for me in that? Isn't a deal an agreement by parties that is mutually beneficial?" Cole looks at me blankly since I do tend to use adult logic with him and goes "what did you say, was that a yes?" All I could do was laugh out loud, go kick the soccer ball ten times and make dinner. Some things are just worth giving in too!