The Cole's Train

Sleeping Angel and the Choir Boy

2009-11-06T13:50:00.004-06:00

Some of the best pictures are the ones you never expect. Emma loves to read and usually falls asleep reading. A few weeks ago, Leanne went to check on Emma and got to snap this picture. So proud to be a daddy when you see this.

On the other hand, Will didn't come across as an angel as he sang in the children's choir a few weeks ago. I'll upload the video. Sometimes things are just funny - no matter how much your child disobeys you.

Lastest Happenings and Pics

2009-11-06T13:40:00.006-06:00

This fall Will & Sam started playing Soccer for Desoto Central's soccer program. Being a soccer expert (insert laugh), I volunteered to coach the boy's team. We have a team of 10 and have a great time. Will and Sam have really impressed me and play very hard when they are on the field. Below are some pictures of the boys in action.

I recently took the boys and my father-in-law to FedEx to see the unveiling of our new Boeing 777 cargo plane. It was really cool to see all of FedEx's plane and be able to sit in the captain's chairs. The boys got to sit in the plane. My father-in-law told one of the mechanics to "watch these two - they may be able to hotwire this thing and take off". Here are pics of Will and Sam at FedEx 777 Day.

No Time Like the Present

2009-11-06T13:24:00.007-06:00

I'll admit that I haven't kept my blog up as planned. A whole Spring and Summer has passed since my last post. Lot have happened since then with the biggest part of it being that Will and Sam are now in Kindergarten and Emma is now in the second grade. We had a difficult week the first week with the boys being seperated for the first time. Poor Will was talking in his sleep at night wondering why he couldn't be with Sam. Leanne and I prayed through it and with the help of our friend, Casey Lafoe, Will joined Sam's class and has adjusted just fine. Emma is adjusting to new responsibilities, but has kept up her streak of straight As (wish I could have said the same when I was her age). She was also selected for SPOTLIGHT, which is Desoto Central's gifted program. We are very proud of her. Below are some pictures of first day of school.

Bill Dance...I mean Will Cole

2009-03-19T21:20:00.004-05:00

Our kids are at Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house for a few days during Spring Break. They had a jam-packed day of riding the tractor, planting green beans in the garden shooting the BB guns and fishing. Will caught his first fish at McFarland Harbor in Muscle Shoals, AL. Paw Paw is determined that they are going to go back tomorrow and make sure Sam catches his first fish. Paw Paw even made a first fish certificate for Will.

Bucknaked and Goggles

2009-03-14T15:48:00.002-05:00

Will and Sam love to take a shower, but they hate to have water in their eyes. They figured out a way to make sure water doesn't get in their eyes.

1 Girl, 2 Boys and Beignets

2009-03-14T14:54:00.004-05:00

My mom and dad came up from Lafayette, LA for the weekend and that means eating. We enjoyed ribs at the award winning Natural Born Grillers on Friday night and then did some shopping and ate lunch at Crescent City. We explained how important it is to start off with hot french bread and butter - a true Cajun appetizer. The table got an assortment of things, shrimp poboys, crawfish etouffee and seafood gumbo. It was great, but the highlight were the beignets. Being from Louisiana, we have had our share of beignets with the best coming from Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans. The kids have had dad's beignets (pulled apart biscuit dough fried in the Fry Daddy and sprinkled sugar) and also had so called beignets from Hub City Diner in Lafayette. Hub City is usually pretty good, but it's not a place to get beignets. Crescent City had it right. The true test of a good beignet is powdered sugar on your clothes and face after you're finished. You can tell by the pictures below that they certainly enjoyed their beignets (and everything else).

A request for my dad

2009-03-13T17:35:00.005-05:00

My dad recently checked out my blog and became interested in doing one as well. I suggested that he set one up and write about his childhood years. I always enjoyed hearing my dad tell stories of when he was a child. Every story he told started with "Me, Paul, Terry and Terrell". Those were his three buddies he grew up with in Franklin Louisiana. I told him that he needs to start a blog by the same name. I hope once he writes all of his stories, you'll be able to enjoy them as much as I did growing up. I set him up so that he could chronicle his life and times as boy growing up in South Louisiana. His blog is Me, Paul, Terry and Terrel.

Proud to call Louisiana home

2009-03-05T15:52:00.029-06:00

I recently joined a Facebook group called "You know you're from Lousiana if..." and "Boiled Crawfish is a Direct Gift from the Good Lord to South Louisiana". It made me realize that our kids will never know that it's OK to mix Blue Plate mayo, ketchup and tobasco in a small bowl to dip their boiled crawfish. In fact, they'll never know how to properly "pinch the tail". They'll never know the real four seasons - Crawfish, Shrimp, Crab and Oyster. They'll never know that the first breeze in the fall means Gumbo. They'll never know that after the newspaper has been read, you save it for the next crawfish boil. They'll never understand how the real worth of a half-cent Mardi Gras bead. They'll never know what it's like to scream "Throw me something, Mister".

All that being said, we love our life in North Mississippi. We have incredible friends here, an incredible church, great schools a minute from our house and actual season (including snow - see below). We still miss our family and friends home in Louisiana and really miss the food, too. We are going home in May for a church/BSU reunion and can't wait to see our friends and family and eat the foods we grew up on.

Here are some pics and links of some of our favorite places and foods.

Judice Inn - one of the best bugers in the South. Coke in a bottle and still no fries.

DeanO's - great pizzas and cajun-style sandwiches. They also have a second location with seafood.

Olde Tyme Grocoery - Their fried shrimp poboys are worth a 6 hour drive home all by itself.

Boiled crawfish - South Louisiana in
the spring means boiled crawfish with corn and potatoes. You can go to a restaurant, but there is nothing better than some fold out tables or plywood on saw horses and some newspaper. No need for chairs - everyone simply stands around the table with their mayo, ketchup and Tabasco in hand. You must have a cold beverage handy and plenty, I mean plenty, of paper towels.

Snow Day Version 2.1

2009-03-01T13:23:00.005-06:00

Here are some more pics of Snow Day. We had a great day. Enjoy.

Snow Day Version 2.0

2009-03-01T12:56:00.003-06:00

It snowed off and on throughout the night and we woke up to beautiful, snow-filled front yard. We checked back with our Pastor's Facebook page and at 8:30, he declared that the parking lot at church was one big sheet of ice - no church. We had a great breakfast of eggs (scrambled and fried over easy), pancakes, biscuits, country ham and gravy. After that, we all suited up and enjoyed the snow. Enjoy the pics and the videos.

Two Sweet Boys

2009-03-01T00:29:00.003-06:00

Leanne was in Chicago the last week of February so thanks to technology, we were able to videoconference with her during the week. After we hung up one night, the boys wanted to make sure she knew how much she was loved so we e-mailed a video message to mom.

The Fence Jumpers

2009-03-01T00:17:00.005-06:00

Our house backs up to the brick wall around our subdivision and at the front of the subdivision, we have a Memphis Pizza Cafe. When my nephews are here, all of the boys normally jump the wall to go eat pizza. Will and Sam think they are as big as their boy cousins and always want to jump the brick fence. Here are some pics from their latest attempts.

Our Annual Snow Day in February

2009-02-28T23:59:00.005-06:00

With Upward Basketball done, we were able to enjoy Saturday morning at home. The weatherman told us that we would get snow on Saturday - I'm thinking, yeah, right. It was 70 degrees on Friday and I had on a short sleeve shirt. The weatherman won - it snowed. Here are some pics or the kids playing in the snow with Paw Paw.

Will & Sam's new favorite - Puzzles!

2009-02-22T16:29:00.002-06:00

Will and Sam love doing puzzles, especially online puzzles. I found a site that can create a puzzle from a digital pic. Enjoy!

Three Kids = Busy

2009-02-18T13:28:00.002-06:00

I have a feeling that next week will feel like it will never end. Leanne is heading to Chicago this Sunday, the 22nd, and coming back on Friday evening so it will be me and the kids all week next week. I'm thinking about moving some cots to church since we will be there every night next week. Monday - Outreach, Tuesday - Emma has cheerleading, Wednesday - choir/orchestra practice, Thursday - Upward Basketball (last game) and Friday - Upward award ceremony. Actually, we're going to have to miss Friday night to pick up Leanne from the airport. Needless to say, we have a busy week next week. I'll be posting pics of my basketball and cheerleading superstars (I'm the coach). We've had a great two months, but it will be nice to sleep on Saturdays again.

All Three Kids Fast Asleep

2009-02-18T07:47:00.000-06:00

After years of Will and Sam sleeping in our bed, we are finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel. For the past 3 nights, the boys have gone to sleep in their beds without Leanne or I laying down until they fall asleep. We tuck them in, put their music on and hug and kiss them goodnight. They also get a $1 a week for sleeping in their beds like "big boys" and doing their chores. We match whatever they earn and they get to spend it and save it. Last Saturday after our basketball/cheerleading, we went to Target and the boys got to buy a toy with their money. They had $6 from chores and Maw Maw so we matched them. Will bought two Bakugans (I don't exactly know what they do, except the are small plastic balls that open up and are magnetic) and Sam bought one. Sam is going to be our frugal child. Emma (Princess Moneybags) had about $65 from good grades (Maw Maw, again), tooth fairy, dancing (Maw Maw, again) and chores. She bought some Barbie clothes and a leapster game and had plenty of money left over. It was a really good lesson for our kids to learn about the value of money and we told them that we would go back at the end of the month so they can buy something and save something as well.

Sam getting ready for GQ magazine

2009-02-17T15:38:00.000-06:00

I plan to upload more pics as I have time, but this is one of my favorites. I'm not sure where Sam learned that pose (his momma thinks I taught him - which I didn't), but he was sure pround to strike it.

Welcome to The Cole's Train Blog

2009-02-17T15:08:00.000-06:00

Welcome to The Cole's Train! My plan is to use this to update family and friends through words, pictures and videos on the life of the Cole Family. Our new pastor is blogging and I though it would be a great way to keep in touch much the same way he is keeping up with the congregation at church. I can't promise that it will be as updated as it should, but I'll try.