Deanna and Cole

And she loved a little boy
very, very much-
even more than she loved herself.
//Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree

I have known my college roommate Deanna going on 8 years now. Hard to believe it's been that long since we were both shoved into a tiny forced triple in our dorm at RWU. So much has changed in both of our lives since we have met each other, but what has always remained constant is our friendship. We have seen each other through some of life's biggest ups and downs, and I know I can always count on her to be that ride-or-die friend that will have my back. She even ended up following me to URI after I transferred and we were able to live together again for our Junior and Senior years in lovely little beach houses on the Rhode Island shore. Ohhh, the memories. Some fond, some not-so fond... I could pretty much write a book with our stories. We are both in the real world now living our big girl lives and working our big girl jobs, but we still make sure to see each other from time to time as we don't live too far away from each other. One of Deanna's proudest moments and accomplishments in life so far was the birth of her son, Cole, two years ago. He is absolutely everything to her and she is one of the best mothers I know. The love and care and devotion she has for Cole is unmatched, and just by watching the two of them interact their bond is so easily seen and felt. I am so honored and proud to be an "auntie" and to know that I will get to be a part of Coles life growing up. He is 2 and a half now and just starting to interact with me more and trust me and it's really sweet! Deanna hadn't really had any nice pictures taken of the two of them since he was a baby so she really wanted to have some done at this stage in his life before he gets any bigger. We figured out a day that worked and headed over to historic Collinsville downtown area where there is a nice river, old mills, and walking paths, etc. for some photos. He is too cute and was so good getting his picture taken, especially for a 2 year old!

 Why so serious??

 Much better! He is such a cutie!

Looking at the "nest" he saw. It was some sort of dam/tree pile in the river but it was really smart of him to think of it as a nest! He was enamored with the nest for the rest of the photo shoot and we used it as incentive that if he was good he could go back and see the nest again, worked like a charm.

 Suddenly being shy when he realized he was the center of attention.

 Playing in the leaves with Mom!

 Seeing if he can still spot the "nest" from here!

Being silly with Mom!

 And as promised, he was a really good boy and got to go back and see the nest again!

It was really nice to get to spend the evening and dinner with one of my best friends and her son Cole! I am glad they have these photos now so that she can treasure them forever and always remember her two year old little boy. Because as we all know, they are only little for so long. Stayed tuned for my Fall Activities post which is still in the works but will likely be ready to post by next week!